A Princess in an Official Manga Gets a Kiss from Link: Is Zelda in the Friend Zone?

The kiss between light and dusk

It is in the pages of the 11th volume of the manga adapting the events of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, that the duo A. Honda and S. Nagano of Japanese mangaka – under the pseudonym Akira Himekawa – finally made expectations come true fans, but not necessarily in the most expected way. Accustomed to adaptations of the series, the authors have made it a habit to go beyond the different plots present within the games, sometimes remixing the course of the story, better developing certain characters or creating various origin-story. Usually not going beyond the diptych when adapting the different titles of the franchise, A. Honda and S. Nagano were this time able to spread the story over 11 volumes, taking the opportunity to dig deeper into Link and Midna's relationshipthe princess of the Twilight Kingdom.

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Some fans of the original game were surprised to discover that instead of Midna's simple sad speech from the game, she directly kisses Link in the manga. And all this, before Zelda’s eyes! It must be said that the farewells of the two protagonists at the conclusion of the original adventure clearly suggested that Midna harbored feelings towards the hero. You should also know that this type of addition with a strong emotional impact is not a first.

The Forest Boy and the Fire Dragon

Do you remember Volcania, the dragon of the deep ? This is one of the iconic bosses of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Link confronts him while the latter, awakened and bewitched by Ganondorf, is seized by a fury as sudden as it is destructive, delighting in the passing members of the Goron tribe. Well, know that in its manga adaptation, the latter has a heartbreaking story that he personally shares with Link.

If in this paper version, the fight is indeed still present, even as the Hero gains the upper hand over the dragon and is about to shoot a deadly arrow, he hesitates. We then go back seven years, while Link, still a child, found a very young Volcania, sold in a cage at a market in the town of Hyrule city. Touched, the protagonist buys it, making it his “pet”. The two even become so friendly that Link finally gives him his freedom.

But here, during his absence, the dragon lets himself be seduced by King Gerudo, so much so that he confronts his former friend without even recognizing him, seven years later. Despite Link's pleas for his former friend to remember him, he is forced to put an end to the dragon's madness, delivering a fatal blow. And as the creature is defeated and begins to disappear, tears flow from his lifeless eyes, proof that he had finally regained his memory before taking his last breath. Link then promises to take personal revenge on Ganondorf, who is patiently waiting for him in his fortress.