Editing Princess Zelda (section)

{{Short description|Video game character}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox character
| name       = Princess Zelda
| series     = [[The Legend of Zelda]]
| image      = Link to the Past Zelda.png
| alt        = Artwork of Zelda wearing a long white and pink gown with gold ornamentation
| caption    = Promotional artwork of Zelda for ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords]]''
| firstgame  = ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' (1986)
| last       =
| creator    = [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| based_on   =
| adapted_by =
| designer   =
| lbl1       = Voiced by
| data1      = {{Collapsible list|title=[[English language|English]]
    | [[Cynthia Preston|Cyndy Preston]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda (TV series)|The Legend of Zelda]]'')
| Bonnie Jean Wilbur ([[Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon|''Link: The Faces of Evil'' and ''Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon'']])
    | [[Patricia Summersett]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'', ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'')
    | Brandy Kopp (''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', World of Light only)
    | Stephanie Marton (''[[Cadence of Hyrule]]'')
    }}
{{Collapsible list|title=[[Japanese language|Japanese]]
    | Naomi Fujisawa (''[[BS The Legend of Zelda]]'')
    | [[Mariko Kouda]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda: Sound & Drama]]'' and ''[[BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets]]'')
    | Yayoi Nījima (''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' commercial)
    | [[Jun Mizusawa]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'',{{efn|name=fn1|Zelda, Sheik}} ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'',{{efn|name=fn1}} ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'',{{efn|name=fn1}} and [[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U|''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'']]{{efn|name=fn1}})
    | [[Hikari Tachibana]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]'',{{efn|name=fn2|Zelda, Tetra}} ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass]]'',{{efn|name=fn3|Tetra}} and ''[[Hyrule Warriors]]''{{efn|name=fn3}})
    | [[Akane Omae]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks]]'' and ''[[Hyrule Warriors]]''{{efn|name=fn4|Toon Zelda}})
    | [[Yū Shimamura]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'', ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'')
    | [[Ayumi Fujimura]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''{{efn|name=fn1}})
    | [[Saori Seto]] (''[[Hyrule Warriors]]''{{efn|name=fn1}})
    | [[Chiyuki Miura]] (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom]]''{{efn|name=fn1}})
    }}
| lbl2         = Portrayed by
| data2        = Diane Burns (''[[Zelda's Adventure]]'')
| motion_actor =
| full_name    =
| nickname     =
| alias        = {{Unbulleted list
  | Sheik (''[[Ocarina of Time]]'')
  | Tetra (''[[Wind Waker]]'', ''[[Phantom Hourglass]]'')
  }}
| race         = [[Hylian]]
| origin       = [[Hyrule]]
}}
{{nihongo foot|'''Princess Zelda'''|ゼルダ姫|Zeruda-Hime|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a [[Character (arts)|character]] in [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' [[video game]] series. She was created by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] for the original 1986 game ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]''. As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations. Zelda is the [[elf]]-like [[Hylian]] princess of the kingdom of [[Hyrule]], an associate of the series protagonist [[Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link]], and bearer of the [[Triforce]] of Wisdom.

Zelda's role has often been that of a [[damsel in distress]] or [[Donor (fairy tale)|donor]] who assists Link. In many games, she is captured by the antagonist [[Ganon]], necessitating Link to come to her rescue. In several games she is one of the Sages whose heroism is essential to defeating Ganon; in others, like ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]'', she adopts alternative personas to take a more active role in the story. In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]'', her first incarnation is revealed to be the mortal form of the goddess [[Hylia (The Legend of Zelda)|Hylia]], establishing the bloodline of the goddess and giving her descendants a range of magical powers. In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom|Echoes of Wisdom]]'', she is featured as the playable protagonist.

Zelda has been described as one of the most recognisable princesses in video gaming. She has appeared in branded merchandise, [[The Legend of Zelda (manga)|comics and manga]], and an [[The Legend of Zelda (TV series)|animated television series]]. In addition to ''The Legend of Zelda'' series, she has appeared as a playable character in a number of spin-off games and other game series, including ''[[Hyrule Warriors]]'', ''[[Cadence of Hyrule]]'', ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', and the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series. Critics have responded positively to her development into a strong female character and have listed her as one of the greatest female video game characters of all time.
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