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The Legend of Zelda: Difference between revisions
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* [[Dark World]]: Used in several of the games.
* [[Death Mountain]]
* [[Gannon Banned]]: Well, somebody forgot to spell-check the main opening of the [[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|original game]].
* [[Heart Container]]
* [[Hijacked by Ganon]]
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* [[Urban Legend of Zelda]]: [[Just for Pun|More for the pun]], but the series does have numerous examples.
* [[Wall Master]]
* [[Well, Excuse Me, Princess!]]: Link's catchphrase in the cartoon.
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* [[Artificial Gill]]: various items are required to swim underwater throughout the series.
* {{spoiler|[[As Long as There Is Evil]]: It is revealed at the end of ''Skyward Sword'' that it's because of Demise that someone like Ganondorf is always after Link and Zelda.}}
* [[Ax Crazy]]: {{spoiler|Majora, Zant}} and Ghirahim are possibly the most psychotic characters Link has encountered in his many adventures. The first is an [[Omnicidal Maniac]] who wants to obliterate the world with a moon [[For the Evulz|for kicks]], the second is a deranged, power hungry man willing to do anything to become king and possibly has an unhealthy obsession with Midna, and the third is a creepy [[Blood Knight]] who threatens to torture Link for getting in the way of his plans.
* [[Badass]]: Link in general. [[Badass Adorable]] in his "Toon" incarnations from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|Wind Waker]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|Phantom Hourglass]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|Spirit Tracks]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap|The Minish Cap]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda Four Swords|Four Swords]]'', and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]''.
** Young Link from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]'' is also a [[Badass Adorable]].
** And then there's Wolf Link from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'', which is a [[Big Badass Wolf]].
** Give credit to the various Ganons: they do manage to always pose a significant threat. It often requires the best and most holy weaponry in the game to defeat a Ganon as he is in control of many dangerous monsters and is quite powerful himself.
* [[Badass Beard]]: Ganondorf started sporting a chin curtain in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]''.
* [[Badass Grandpa]]: Orca. He wanted to be a great swordsman but suffered a serious injury which put a halt to that, though he is still skilled. He moved on to fishing afterward. You can see his catches along his walls. One set of jaws is larger than Link.
** Hyrule Historia reveals the Hero's Shade qualifies for this, since he is {{spoiler|the Hero of Time, a Link which existed more than a century ago}}.
* [[Badass Princess]]: Zelda in the cartoon and later games, and {{spoiler|Midna}} in ''Twilight Princess''.
** Even as a [[Damsel in Distress]] in the first game, Zelda is pretty badass. Sure, Ganon captured her, but not before she broke the Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces and hid them all over the land.
* [[Bag of Holding]]: Implied in the games.
* [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]: Variation. It's not with one quote from the game, but rather the title of one of its most famous music themes. Princess Zelda's [[Leitmotif]] is officially titled "''Zelda's Theme''", but most fans know it as "''Zelda's Lullaby''". Although that name was used, it only referred to a very specific version of it: the ocarina tune in [[Ocarina of Time]]. The "normal" version got the former title, and was used in later OSTs, like [[The Wind Waker]]. However, since the latter title appeared on screen every time the player played it in [[Ocarina of Time]] (the most popular in the franchise), it's not so strange most people know it by that name.
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Link is an all-around nice kid. People who end up on his bad side wind up with multiple stab wounds to their everything.
** Princess Zelda as well. Yeah, she gets kidnapped repeatedly but the girl has shown she is a decent archer, knows a bit of magic, has some Sheikah training in ''Ocarina of Time'' and is willing to fight with a sword in ''Twilight Princess''. Even in ''[[Spirit Tracks]]'', as an [[Animated Armor]], when you attack her too much, she'll go berserk on Link, and even safe zones can't protect him from her wrath!
* [[BFS]]: Some examples include the Biggoron's Sword, the Great Fairy's Sword and the blade used by the Fierce Deity.
* [[Big Bad]]: Ganon(dorf) in most cases (8 games), followed at a relatively distant second by Vaati (3 games), with every other villain except Twinrova having one appearance each so far.
* [[Bigger Bad]]: {{spoiler|Demise,}} as ''Skyward Sword'' reveals. {{spoiler|He is responsible for Ganondorf's and every other monster's existence.}}
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* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: It's been possible to translate the various versions of the Hylian language since ''[[Ocarina of Time|OoT]]''.
* [[Bishounen]]: Link, in his older incarnations.
* [[Black Magic]]: Many of the main villains possess some knowledge of black magic. Even some evil characters mentioned only once or twice use it, like the Interlopers from ''Twilight Princess'' or the tribe which used Majora's Mask.
** Agahnim could send people to the Dark World and control minds. Being a wizard, he also has various magical attacks. Since [[Hijacked by Ganon|Agahnim is Ganon's alter ego]], these feats apply to Ganon himself.
** Ganon can lay death curses, revive ancient terrors from the dead, transform into a beast-like form, create ghostly versions of himself and more.
** Majora (and Skull Kid using Majora's Mask) was able to steal and transfer souls, summon a moon to destroy the land of Termina and inflict curses on people and places.
** Twinrova could brainwash people, use fire and ice attacks and twist the environment to an ice or fire setting in the ''Oracle'' games.
** Vaati could curse beings, turn people into stone, corrupt an area and use various magical attacks. He even manages to {{spoiler|kill Zelda}} in a [[Nonstandard Game Over]] during a timed segment before the [[Final Boss]] battles.
* [[Blackout Basement]]: The lantern stages.
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* [[Bonsai Forest]]: Like many isometric games, the 2D entries in the series have very short trees. To a lesser extent this also occurs in some of the 3D titles, although specific areas may still have tall trees.
* [[Bonus Feature Failure]]: The Bombchus in the ''Oracle'' games, where they are only acquired as a bonus after starting a [[New Game+]], are not particularly useful at any point in the game, and are not normally dropped by defeated enemies, making them difficult to stock up on.
** However, later games made use of them in interesting ways, mostly as a minigame.
* [[Bootstrapped Theme]] / [[Bootstrapped Leitmotif]]: The title screen / overworld theme from the first Zelda game along with many others are used in later games both as the series' Main Theme and as Link's [[Leitmotif]].
* [[Bow and Sword In Accord]]: All the Links make use of a variety of ranged weapons as well as a sword.
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* [[But Now I Must Go]]: Tends to happen to the [[Exposition Fairy|Exposition Fairies]]. Even Link does this on from time to time.
* [[But Thou Must!]]
* [[Call a Rabbit a Smeerp]]: Chicken? Cucco. Bats? Keese. [[Dem Bones|Skeletons]]? Stalfos. [[Mummy]]? Gibdo. Zombie? Redead. Dinosaur? Dodongo. Venus Flytrap? Deku Baba or [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|later in the timeline,]] Boko Baba.
* [[Call to Adventure]]: Has been getting steadily more complex. It used to be a bunch of random (but [[But Thou Must!|extremely insistent]]) strangers ordering poor Link to save the world, but now we have mysterious sidekicks, kidnapped sisters/lovable village scamps/possible love interests, and so on.
* [[Camera Centering]]
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* [[Cash Cow Franchise]]
* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: Part of the charm of the 3D Zelda games are seeing what crazy character designs the developers came up with for each and every [[NPC]]. They seem to be getting more outlandish with every installment.
* [[Cataclysm Backstory]]: Two notable examples are {{spoiler|Demise's fight against the Goddess Hylia in Skyward Sword}} and the battle to seal Ganon in the backstory of ''A Link to the Past''.
* [[Celtic Mythology]]: Just a little bit. The default name of Link's horse, in the games where she appears, is Epona - which is the name of the Celtic goddess of horses.
* [[Chain of Deals]]: Typically for something awesome but optional, like the [[Infinity+1 Sword]].
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* [[End of an Age]]: ''The Wind Waker'', although its message is surprisingly positive. It's more about letting go of what's gone and moving on to the new than lamenting what has been lost.
* [[Ermine Cape Effect]]: It's an important plot point if Zelda is not wearing her dress.
* [[Everything's Better with Princesses]]: Somehow, Zelda is <ref>The two exceptions are ''Twilight Princess'', which one Player's Guide states that her coronation has been put off by Zant's rise, and the manual for ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' Brawl, where her bio refers to her as the queen of Hyrule; and ''Skyward Sword'' which takes place before the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, so she's not royalty, and at most referred to as "Her Grace" for . . . [[God in Human Form|other reasons.]]</ref> never referred to as ''Queen'' Zelda, even in the games without token cameos by parents.
* [[Lava Adds Awesome]]: Any fire-base dungeon, especially volcano dungeons. Usually, you also have to fight burning bats and huge monsters that set themselves on fire.
* [[Evil Tower of Ominousness]]: Ganon's bachelor pad.
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** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|Spirit Tracks]]'': Zelda.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]'': Fi.
* [[Eye Scream]]: There's a recurring element throughout the series of shooting arrows into eyes. Find an eye-shaped thing in a dungeon? Shoot an arrow into it to solve the puzzle. Fighting a boss with one large eye? Shoot an arrow into it to beat it. It's easy to forget how disturbing this is.
* [[Fairy Battle]]
* [[Fan Sequel]]: There is a game editor/creator that is for making your own 2D Zelda game that has gained popularity called [[Zelda Classic]].
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* [[Foreboding Architecture]]: Can be spotted on the ''maps'' many of the games have.
* [[For the Evulz]]: Majora is a massive prick whether it is acting through Skull Kid or not.
* [[Four-Element Ensemble]]: The Earth, Fire, Water and Wind elements from ''The Minish Cap'', ''Four Swords'' and ''Four Swords Adventures''.
* [[Frickin' Laser Beams]]: All throughout the series, from laser barriers in ''The Wind Waker'' to Beamos in multiple games which shoot lasers. ''A Link to the Past'' has the enemy called the Laser Eye, [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|which is an eye that shoots lasers]].
* [[Attack Its Weak Point|Attack Its Blatant Glowing Red Spot]] [[For Massive Damage]]
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* [[Generation Xerox]]: Link and Zelda always, and sometimes notable supporting characters (like Marin/Malon, Tingle, Beedle, and Linebeck)
* [[Ghost Butler]]: There are two cases of this: one where iron bars or some similar obstruction blocks regular doors until a [[Mini Boss]] is defeated or a puzzle is solved, and one where the big door to the boss just slams shut and becomes locked for no apparent reason.
* [[Ghost Ship]]: In both ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Phantom Hourglass''.
* [[Giant Eye of Doom]]: Gohma, the first boss in ''Ocarina of Time''. Wart in the sequel as well.
* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: Many examples, particularly [[Mini Boss|Mini Bosses]].
* [[Giant Spider]]: Many enemies and bosses, most notably the various versions of Gohma and the Skulltulas. [[Twilight Princess]] features the largest and most realistic spider in the series so far, Armogohma.
* [[God Is Inept]]: {{spoiler|Hylia's plan was to become human so she could use the Triforce to truly defeat Demise because gods are unable to use the Triforce. So she becomes Zelda and also becomes incredibly weak, nearly helpless, even with a strong guardian in Impa. So she has Link carry on her Triforce plan since she is no longer able to and wishes to strengthen the seal on Demise by entering a deep sleep}}.
* [[Go for the Eye]]: A perennial favorite.
* [[God in Human Form]]: ''[[Skyward Sword]]'' reveals that {{spoiler|Zelda is the human form of Hylia, the goddess who saved human kind from Demise.}}
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* [[The Guards Must Be Crazy]]: Once again, the Hyrulean guards.
* [[Hearts Are Health]]
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Ingo, Mido, Skull Kid, Linebeck, {{spoiler|Byrne}} and {{spoiler|Groose}}.
* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]]: Although the [[Canon Name|name]] Link is used extensively here and on many a fansite, you get to name the lad in almost every game.
* [[The Hero]]: Link is often "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|The Hero]]" in a literal sense -- of [[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|Hyrule]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Time]], [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|Winds]], or [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|chosen by the Gods]]. He may start out as an unassuming [[Farm Boy]], but heroism is inevitably [[Because Destiny Says So|his destiny]].
* [[The Hero Dies]]: ''[[All There in the Manual|Hyrule Historia]]'' states that one of the timelines in the series is created when Link fails to stop Ganon in ''Ocarina Of Time'' and creates the Imprisoning War, (aka leads up to ''A Link Into The Past''.)
* [[The Hero's Journey]] - In almost every game, with the possible exception of ''Majora's Mask''.
* [[Hilarious in Hindsight]]: It is quite possible that Groose {{spoiler|is the physical ancestor of the Gerudo}}. He matches the physical attributes very well (namely the red hair, yellowish gold eyes and dark skin). Worth mentioning is how Groose and his cronies stole Link's loftwing and hid it away. The Gerudo are well known thieves.
* [[Iconic Item]]: Link's green tunic and hood and, to a lesser extent, the Master Sword. The Triforce also serves as the [[Iconic Item]] for the entire series.
* [[Iconic Logo]]: The page image.
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* [[Inescapable Ambush]]
* [[Inexplicable Treasure Chests]]:
* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]: The Magical Sword in the first game, the Level 2 Sword in ''[[Links Awakening]]'', Biggoron's Sword in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'', and the Great Fairy's Sword in ''[[Majoras Mask]]''.
* [[Insurmountable Waist High Fence]]: Though Link has no problems at all with ladders, steep mountain trails, and vine-covered walls, he is unable to pass man-made fences without the aid of his horse.
** [http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1175200p1.html However], this gets averted in [[Skyward Sword]], where Link is actually able to move around it automatically. [[And the Fandom Rejoiced]], indeed.
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* [[Interface Spoiler]]: If there are empty spots in your item and quest menu, rest assured that they will be filled up later on. Notably [[Averted Trope|averted]] in ''[[Oracle of Seasons]]'' and ''[[Oracle of Ages]]'' in which you get several more item spaces than you actually need, and ''[[Twilight Princess]]'', where the item menu is a circle where the items are evenly spaced, and the quest menu puts all the [[Plot Coupon|Plot Coupons]] in one space where they float around. ''[[Links Awakening]]'' actually has more items than inventory spaces-- one has to be traded away for another (and traded back if you need it again, as buying a new one will make the game [[Unwinnable]]).
* [[Interquel]]: According to ''[[All There in the Manual|Hyrule Historia]]'', the ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages|Oracle]]'' games and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Link's Awakening]]'' are set between ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'' and [[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|the original game]], while ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'' is this to ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]''.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Gets mentioned (and usually poked fun at) in several games.
** In ''Link's Awakening'', there's a subquest where you have to deliver a picture from a shy man and his female penpal. Said penpal turns out to be a talking goat in Animal Town (who sends him back a photo of [[Super Mario Bros.|Princess Peach]] to boot).
** In ''Majora's Mask'', Treasure Chest Shop Owner (a female Terminan) will flirt with you while you're wearing the Zora Mask.
** In ''Oracle of Seasons'', Link need to go on a date with a Subrosian (mysterious, subterranean people who wear cloaks, eat metal and bathe in molten lava) in order to proceed and can ask her for further dates as well.
** Vaati, a Picori who used black magic to assume humanoid form and first introduced in ''The Minish Cap'', is explicitly stated as kidnapping Hylian girls because he's attracted to them.
** In ''Ocarina of Time'', Link gets an [[Accidental Marriage]] to Princess Ruto of the Zoras.
** In ''The Wind Waker'', there a subquest about a Hylian girl falling in love with a moblin.
** In ''Twilight Princess'', there's the hinted romantic attraction between Link (Hylian) and Midna (imp/Twili). Not to mention Link spending one-third of the game as a wolf (though Midna treats him more like a pet dog at this stage).
** In ''Oracle of Ages'', Link gets [[Accidental Marriage|propositioned]] by a ''tree''. A tree wearing ganguro-gal makeup.
* [[Invincible Villain]]: Ganon has shades of this. After being pelted with holy arrows, exposed to powerful magics and stabbed lord knows how many times with the ultimate sword of good, Ganon tends to stay alive through it all.
** To scary limits at the end of ''Ocarina'' when he is shown after being sealed away. He showed no signs of being harmed at all despite receiving a stab wound ''to the face'' moments earlier.
* [[Item Get]]: Link reacts to new items and treasures in the most enthusiastic way possible (and [[Fanfare|the music agrees]]) in every game. Increasingly [[Lampshaded]] as the series goes on.
== J-L ==
* Jerkass: Skull Kid before he found Majora's Mask (more so afterward). Mido remains a jerkass until he puts his jealousy of Link aside. Groose is arguably the best example in ''Skyward Sword''. {{spoiler|He kidnaps Link's loftwing at the beginning of the game and becomes both a friend and hero at the end}}.
* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Tetra, Midna, Linebeck.
* [[Just Eat Him]]: Like-Likes don't seem to be able to keep Link down, and usually opt instead to strip him of his shield or clothes (or rupees for some varieties). No idea why those would be more nutritional than Link. Originally, they only "ate magic", and devoured Link's Magic Shield because it was the only easily-accessible edible item.
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* [[Lady of War]]: Applies to Zelda in later games (''Ocarina of Time'', ''Twilight Princess'', etc.)
* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: While other handheld Zelda games have done this, the [[Phantom Hourglass|two]] [[Spirit Tracks|Nintendo DS]] games are most well known for doing this to extreme levels. They also enjoy [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]] a bit.
* [[Late Arrival Spoiler]]: Crosscheck with ''[[Super Smash Bros.]] Melee'' and ''Brawl'' - Sheik is {{spoiler|actually Zelda}}, and {{spoiler|Ganondorf is the [[Man Behind the Man]] in ''Twilight Princess''.}}
** Also, literally ''any'' game in any connection with ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]'' ([[Super Smash Bros.]], once again, counting) literally goes out of its way to make sure that everybody knows about {{spoiler|Tetra's heritage}}.
* [[Legacy Character]]: Due to the sprawling (and branching) timeline of the series, [[Word of God]] has it that there are multiple Links and Zeldas. In the case of Zelda, this is simply because ''all'' princesses of Hyrule are named Zelda; Link is more of a wild card, and seems to appear by lucky happenstance (or, more likely, divine intervention).
* [[Leitmotif]]: Music is reused throughout the series. The most common examples:
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* [[Mook Bouncer]]: The Wall Masters aren't just a type of [[Wall Master]].
* [[Mooks Ate My Equipment]]: Like-Likes
* [[Multiple Choice Past]]: The Master Sword. The manual for ''A Link to the Past'' says it was forged by the people of Hyrule. Princess Zelda in ''Twilight Princess'' says the Master Sword was forged by the ancient sages. ''Skyward Sword'' {{spoiler|has Link forge the Skyward Sword into the Master Sword}}.
* [[Named After Somebody Famous]]: [[Word of God]] says the titular princess is named after F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife.
** Zelda Williams, daughter of [[Robin Williams]], was named after Princess Zelda and appears in commercials for ''[[Ocarina of Time]] 3D''.
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* [[No Export for You]]: ''Tetra's Trackers'' from the Japanese version of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]''.
** The Sattelaview games for the Super Fmicom: the first being a remake of Zelda 1 (with different map layouts), and the second being a [[Timed Mission]] in the ''[[A Link to The Past]]'' engine, where your hero (not Link, who's caught in Windfish Island) must collect the 8 stone tablets to seal Ganon again, after his seal weakened.
** The three Tingle [[Spin-Off]] games: the first one, ''[[Freshly Picked Tingles Rosy Rupeeland]]'', was released only in Japan and Europe; the US version was cancelled under popular demand from an online NOA poll. It has greed as a game mechanic. The latter two, only released in Japan, are a Ballon Fight clone, and a sequel to the first game but with [[Dating Sim]] elements, of all things.
* [[No Hero Discount]]: You can save the world as long as you have enough rupees.
* [[No Hugging, No Kissing]]: In (almost) every game, Link and Zelda never express romance, though there's an undercurrent in several games.
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== P-R ==
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Has anyone ''ever'' seen Link's parents or Zelda's mother? In ''A Link to the Past'', ''The Wind Waker'' and ''The Minish Cap'', Link is raised by other relatives. In ''Ocarina of Time'' we find out that both of Link's parents died during a great war. Link's father presumably died in battle (the game never says what happened to him), and his mother was killed while trying to hide Link in the Kokiri Woods. In ''Twilight Princess'' Link lives in a small village with several families, but he has his own house and no one claims him as a relative. In ''Skyward Sword'', Link is in the same situation, inhabiting a dorm room in the Skyloft Knights academy, but he's not alone; all of the other students are also missing their parents, except for Pepit's mother and Zelda's father.
* [[Personal Space Invader]]: ReDeads and Like-Likes, quite [[Nightmare Fuel|infamous]] among the fandom.
* [[Pimped-Out Dress]]: Zelda has had those since at least the second game, and her standard dress since ''Ocarina''.
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* [[Power-Up Magnet]]: One of the abilities of the hookshot.
* [[Powerup Mount]]: Riding Epona allows the player to jump over fences.
* Precursors: The series is a fan of this trope. Enemies like the Armos and Beamos (any robotic enemy, really) are leftovers from a more advanced group, one example being the Minish.
* [[Prequel]]: By [[All There in the Manual|Hyrule Historia's]] reckoning, ''A Link to the Past'', ''Ocarina of Time'', ''Four Swords'', ''The Minish Cap'' and ''Skyward Sword'' each go successively further back into the original game's past.
* [[Prison Episode]]: Prison settings are presented in ''[[The Wind Waker]], [[Ocarina of Time]], [[Twilight Princess]],'' and ''[[A Link to The Past]]''.
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** ''Adventure of Link'' actually explains the multiple Zeldas as tribute to an ancient Zelda whose brother trapped her with a sleeping spell.
* [[Recurring Riff]]: The main motif of overworld theme of the first Zelda game can be heard in numerous songs throughout the series.
* [[Redshirt Army]]: The entire Hyrulean army. It's a wonder that they still bother.
* [[Reincarnation]]: In ''Spirit Tracks'', the Lokomo [[Ascend To A Higher Plane]] at the end of the game and say they will return in a new form without memories of their previous life. In ''Skyward Sword'', {{spoiler|the goddess Hylia is reborn as that game's Zelda.}}
* [[The Reveal]]: Ever since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'', almost every game has had at least one of these, ranging from "oh, that's pretty interesting" to '''"HOLY CRAP, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!"'''
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** Bosses usually die after 3 rounds of a battle.
** There are 3 Golden Goddesses of the Triforce: Din, the Goddess of Power; Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom; and Farore, the Goddess of Courage.
** Link occasionally must collect 3 items for the plot. ''A Link to the Past'' has the pendants of virtue, ''Ocarina of Time'' has the 3 Spiritual Stones, ''The Wind Waker'' has the 3 Goddess Pearls, ''Phantom Hourglass'' has the 3 pure metals. ''Twilight Princess'' has two instances of this with 3 pieces of the Fused Shadow and 3 pieces of the Mirror of Twilight.
* [[Running Gag]]: Since [[A Link to The Past]], bosses in subsequent games tended to have a [[Weaksauce Weakness]] of some sort. it happens so often that it can't just be a [[Good Bad Bug]]. In short order:
** [[A Link to The Past|Aghanim's]] [[Playing Tennis With the Boss|energy balls]] can be reflected with the Bugcatching Net.
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** It's like a mish-mash of Medieval, Pirate and Arabian themes, with a few borderline [[Easter Egg]] modern inventions ([[Game Boy Advance]], telephones, colour film cameras and locomotives) thrown in for good measure.
** [[Majoras Mask|Majora's Mask]] had a ''mechanical bull''. Not as an [[Easter Egg]], as a ''boss''. The mind boggles.
** Taken [[Up to Eleven]] in [[Skyward Sword]], where an entire ''area of the game'' is based on technology. And keep in mind that the game only has 3 main areas (four if you count Skyloft) that you frequently revisit, so that means ''one third of the game'' is technology-based. Ironic, as not only is it chronologically the first Zelda game, but you actually have to ''travel to the past'' in order to see the technology.
* [[Steampunk]]: Elements of this have started to appear in the more recent titles. Spirit Tracks had a train, Phantom Hourglass had a steamboat, and Termina in Majora's Mask was borderline Industrial Revolution, especially with the Great Bay temple.
* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]:
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* [[Shout-Out]]: Mostly to [[Mario]].
* [[Sigil Spam]]: The Triforce is only the most prominent example. This series loves its recurring symbols. An incomplete but extensive list can be found [http://zeldawiki.org/Symbols here].
* [[Silver Bullet]]: The Silver Arrow plays a crucial part in slaying Ganon in both the original ''Legend of Zelda'' and ''A Link to the Past''. Stab him as many times as you want with any sword in those games. Without the Silver Arrow finishing him off, Ganon will keep coming for more.
* [[Skeleton Key]]: The first two Zelda games both had a key item that basically served as infinite keys for the remainder of the game. The sixth palace in ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'' couldn't be beaten without it.
* [[Sliding Scale of Realistic Versus Fantastic]]: Fantastic.
* [[Slippy-Slidey Ice World]]
* [[Songs in the Key of Panic]]: Since the 3D games, minigames and timed switches use this method to tell you to hurry up. Then there's ''[[Majoras Mask]]'', which takes the whole concept of limited time and uses it to mess with your head.
* [[Sound of No Damage]]: Used for both Link's shield deflecting projectiles and enemies getting hit in armored areas.
* [[Spin-Off]]: Link's Crossbow Training (of ''Twilight Princess''), ''[[Freshly Picked Tingles Rosy Rupeeland]]'' (not of a specific game, but starring a recurring character) and an actual board game.
* [[Spoiler Title]]: ''Link's Awakening'' and ''Twilight Princess''.
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** Enter dungeon. Get item. Beat boss with item. Use item to enter next dungeon. Repeat.
** And there's the other formula of "visit three dungeons, villain gains upper hand/escapes, visit 3-7 more dungeons, final boss" that has been present since ''A Link To the Past.'' ''Skyward Sword'' is said to be mixing this up a little, but whether this means an actual new approach will be made or that the first three dungeons will just be on the field can only be speculated on.
* [[Suddenly Voiced]]: Tetra and her crew in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZccQ4_Bb0 Navi Trackers]'', a puzzle game mode in the Japanese version of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]''. Needless to say, they speak in Japanese.
* [[Surprise Creepy]]: There's a lot of foreboding and horror for a series that's [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|ostensibly]] [[Media Classifications|rated E]].
* [[Super Drowning Skills]]: In the 2D games Link cannot touch water without certain items or he'll drown. Tanken to the logical extreme in ''Oracle of Ages'' where you needed two separate items in game for two different depths of water.
* [[Sword Beam]]: In the first game and some of the others, usually only when you are at full health, as well as in the [[Animated Adaptation]].
* [[Sword of Plot Advancement]]: The Master Sword in most games where it appears; the Phantom Sword in ''Phantom Hourglass''.
* [[Technicolor Blade]]: The Master Sword is bluish.
* [[Temple of Doom]]
* [[Tennis Boss]]
* [[Themed Cursor]]: In the Wii and DS games they use these to show off the new controls. [[Twilight Princess]] has Navi as the Wiimote pointer. ''[[Phantom Hourglass]]'' used the [[Exposition Fairy|Exposition Fairies]] as indicators of where you touch.
* [[Theme Naming]]
* [[Time Travel]]: Everywhere in the series and has been the central mechanic of two games (''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Oracle of Ages'').
* [[Translation Convention]]: Whenever a character talks we're supposed to think they're speaking Hylian. Jarringly apparent when a voiced character talks.
* [[Thriving Ghost Town]]: To the extent that Hyrule itself could be called a Thriving Ghost ''Kingdom''.
* [[Treasure Is Bigger in Fiction]]: Throughout the series, the size of your average rupees has varied up to the size of Link himself.
Line 458:
** ''The Legend of Zelda'': Death Mountain Labyrinth.
** ''The Adventure of Link'': Great Palace.
** ''A Link to the Past'': Ganon's Tower.
** ''Link's Awakening'': The Wind Fish's Egg.
** ''Ocarina of Time'': Ganon's Tower.
Line 484:
* [[Voice Grunting]]: The games with any "voice acting" use this exclusively, with the exceptions of the Tetra and the pirates in "Navi Trackers", Midna in ''[[Twilight Princess]]'', and in ''Skyward Sword'' Zelda's singing voice and Fi, the last three [[Speaking Simlish|speaking (or singing) Simlish]].
* [[The Walls Have Eyes]]: All over the damn place. You would be hard-pressed to find a Zelda game where there aren't eyes as switches.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: ''The Minish Cap'' made mention of Vaati's swordplay skills. A couple NPC's discuss how skilled he is and how Vaati won the swordsman tournament easily. Unfortunately, Vaati only uses magic on screen and in the battles against him.
* [[Wise Tree]]: The Great Deku Tree serves as the page image.
* [[Womb Level]]
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