Across decades of Legend of Zelda games, Nintendo has repeatedly reinvented Hyrule, Link, Zelda, and even the basic idea of what the franchise can look like, and that idea is being explored in a new release. Few entries demonstrate that better than The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which took the familiar series formula and dropped it into a massive ocean filled with islands, forgotten ruins, and new ideas. Even now, Wind Waker remains one of the more distinctive chapters in the franchise.
Part of what makes Wind Waker stand out is how clearly it represents a specific, unique era of The Legend of Zelda. Its cel-shaded art style immediately separated it from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, while its flooded world gave the series an entirely different setting to explore. The game also sits in an interesting place within the larger timeline of The Legend of Zelda, surrounded by games that helped establish many of the elements fans now associate with the franchise. The Wind Waker is one of those games that can be recognized almost instantly, even when stripped down to something as simple as its visual identity.
New Wind Waker Release From Takara Tomy
Nintendo has been looking back on that history in a much bigger way for The Legend of Zelda‘s 40th anniversary, and The Wind Waker is now one of 12 games being represented in a new collection from Takara Tomy. The company has announced The Legend of Zelda Historical Charms+, a series of Triforce-shaped accessories that reference games from across the franchise’s history. The collection will appear in Japanese gachapon machines in October 2026, with each capsule costing 300 yen (around $2).
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
The Wind Waker is joined by a surprisingly broad list of The Legend of Zelda games, spanning much of the franchise’s history. The Wind Waker sits directly in the middle of that chronological lineup, making the collection a small history lesson for the series as much as a set of accessories. The full lineup includes:
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
- A Link to the Past
- Ocarina of Time
- Majora’s Mask
- Twilight Princess
- Skyward Sword
- Breath of the Wild
- The Switch version of Link’s Awakening
- Tears of the Kingdom
- Echoes of Wisdom.
The idea is also not completely new for Takara Tomy. The company previously released a similar The Legend of Zelda gachapon collection in May 2017, although that series covered only six games and used Triforce replicas with ball-chain keychains. The older charms were also 100 yen cheaper and measured roughly the same 3.5 centimeters in length as the new versions. For the 2026 collection, the accessories can be used as personal markers or keychains, giving the designs a little more flexibility beyond simply being collectibles.
The Historical Charms+ collection fits neatly into a much larger celebration of The Legend of Zelda‘s history. The 40th anniversary has already brought announcements including the Ocarina of Time remake, a special The Legend of Zelda-themed Switch 2 console, and new Tears of the Kingdom toys from Hasbro. For longtime fans, the new charms offer a much smaller way to celebrate that history, with Wind Waker getting to stand alongside both the earliest Zelda games and the franchise’s newest adventures. Whether these charms eventually make their way outside Japan remains to be seen, but for now, the collection is another way Nintendo’s long-running series is looking back at where it has been.
- Released
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September 20, 2013
- ESRB
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E
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo