The Legend of Zelda is entering an exciting new era as the franchise. The Ocarina of Time remake will officially release for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 11, 2026, while the Zelda movie comes to theaters on April 30, 2027. The fact that a live-action Zelda movie is being made at all proves that Nintendo is willing to take major risks with the series moving forward. While The Legend of Zelda has dabbled with manga adaptations in the past, the same cannot be same for anime.
A Legend of Zelda anime would be the perfect follow-up to the movie, and there are already games with perfectly anime-worthy stories. The Zelda franchise has been telling some of gaming’s greatest stories since the 1980s. While the early 2D titles are light on dialogue and plot, the 3D games in particular are jam-packed with great action scenes, strong character development, excellent thematic writing, and rich world building that make the Zelda timeline all the more meaningful: in other words, everything anime fans are looking for.
5
Twilight Princess Already Has A Perfect Blueprint
Twilight Princess is often considered one of the best Zelda stories by fans, but the game’s writer, Aya Kyogoku, infamously wished she had more time to flesh out the plot and script. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Akira Himekawa got to do in their manga adaptation of the game. The Twilight Princess manga is nothing short of amazing, fixing all of the game’s narrative flaws while giving Link an amazing arc and even expanding on the series’ lore (especially the cycle of reincarnation).
If there’s one area the manga falls short in, however, it’s the action and dungeon-crawling. An anime could perfectly capture the atmosphere of TP‘s dungeons, while giving Link tons of great action scenes – especially against the bosses. A game like Twilight Princess could easily fill a 52-episode anime, doing the epic storyline, and Link & Midna’s relationship, justice.
4
Spirit Tracks Has The Best Princess Zelda In The Series
Locked on the Nintendo DS these days, Spirit Tracks is one of the most underrated games in the series. Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after the events of Phantom Hourglass in the Kingdom of New Hyrule, which Link and Tetra founded a century prior – albeit on the ruins of Lokomo culture. More important than anything, Spirit Tracks was the first game in the series to treat Princess Zelda as a genuine main character whose importance rivaled Link’s.
Zelda is as much the protagonist as Link is in Spirit Tracks. Arguably more so, as Zelda has a much richer character arc that stretches the entire game. Her growth could easily be the hook for a 26-episode anime. Not only that, Spirit Tracks really leans into the romantic relationship between Link and Zelda, giving them plenty of cute moments and even ending with a shot of the two holding hands. Featuring a self-contained story, unique lore that requires no knowledge of the timeline, and an excellently written Zelda, Spirit Tracks is basically begging for an anime.
3
The Wind Waker Could Simultaneously Adapt Ocarina of Time Through Flashback Episodes
An adaptation of The Wind Waker has massive narrative potential, as it could also double as an adaptation of Ocarina of Time. OoT is an important part of The Wind Waker‘s story, and the Hero of Time’s story could be easily woven alongside the Hero of Winds’ considering they intentionally parallel one another. A flashback episode of Young Link collecting the Sacred Stones could take place WW Link raises the Tower of the Gods. Similarly, the finale can flash back to the Hero of Time’s final battle as Link and Tetra duel Ganondorf.
Even without the Ocarina of Time connection, The Wind Waker is an amazingly told story about moving on from the past and allowing the next generation to take charge of the future. The colorful cast, beautiful art direction, and simple elegance of the Great Sea as a setting. This Link also has one of the best arcs in the series, growing into a true hero worthy of the Triforce and continuing the Hero’s legacy even if he isn’t a direct reincarnation. The storytelling potential is off the Sea Chart.
2
Link’s Awakening Has a Perfect Mid-Story Plot Twist & Ending
A Link’s Awakening anime could easily adapt the entire game in just 12 episodes, but that’s not a bad thing. Link’s Awakening is a fast-paced game that quickly unravels into an existentialist work of art about our relationship with reality and fiction. Link’s Awakening would make for a heady, thought-provoking series that could give Zelda a real prestige quality in the anime landscape.
At the same time, the game lends itself to an incredibly fun series. Link’s Awakening is far and away the strangest Zelda game, filled with bizarre moments, quirky characters, and a beautiful setting that’ll sit with you forever. Between Marin and Link’s own existential dilemma, Link’s Awakening could make for an excellent character-driven series where action is used sparingly, and the focus is on adventure.
1
Oracle of Ages & Seasons Could Be a 100+ Episode Anime
Capcom doesn’t get enough credit for creating two of the best Zelda games ever made. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons originally released on the Game Boy Color in a Pokémon Red and Blue-esque set-up, but make no mistake, these are two completely different games with entirely different stories. Beating either Seasons or Ages gives you a password that allows you to transfer your save data into the next game, canonically continuing Link’s story.
Better yet, the Linked Game adds a new final epilogue that pits Link against Twinrova in their latest attempt to kidnap Princess Zelda and revive Ganondorf. Between both Ages and Seasons, there are over sixteen dungeons, two entirely unique storylines, and a grand finale to adapt into an anime. All of this could easily make for an anime that runs for over 100 episodes. Considering the Oracles are also stealth prequels to Link’s Awakening, an Oracle anime could easily transition into a Link’s Awakening sequel.
- Video Game(s)
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The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap , The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Creation Year
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1986
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
