I will always be the #1 defender of BOTW Zelda. I get why so many people don't like her as much as the other Zeldas, but I think she's a really well written and interesting character. (TL;DR at end)
I'm definitely a little biased because BOTW is the only LOZ game I've played all the way through, but just because I don't know the other Zeldas as well doesn't mean BOTW Zelda is any worse of a character.
People don't like how she's not super friendly to Link in the beginning, but I think it adds to her character. She's not perfect. She's a teenage girl and she's sometimes a little bit ungrateful. She doesn't want an escort, she doesn't want to be treated like a child, and so she takes out some of her bitterness on him. Over time, she learns to rely on him, and drops her tough girl act around him once she deems him trustworthy. It's very fitting for a 17 year old.
I love all the little flaws she has, it makes her a good character.
i like how she doesn't have a great relationship with her father. I like that she's interesting and has her own little quirks and imperfections, that she's a normal person, not a perfect princess. I like how nerdy she is about things, how she gets excited when she can share that with Link. How she tries to be more presentable and composed and toned down around King Roam because she still wants his approval so deeply, but around Link she knows she can just be herself.
She's a 17 year old girl. Although she may seem old enough for her responsibilities, she has her own struggles. She's hard on herself, she feels responsible for her failure to awaken her powers and she puts so much pressure on herself to live up to her fathers expectations. Her character really demonstrates the stress and stuggle that comes with that much responsibility as a princess, not just the perfect polished parts. She feels the need to take the blame for everything. She doesn't feel strong, she feels that because shes not everything her father wants right away she's weak. And she's surrounded by success. Link, the perfect beloved swordsman. All the champions. She's the only one who is completely "useless."
Yet when the one person who she felt truly safe around is in danger, she protects him. And when he's gone, she takes action. She makes sure he gets to the shrine of resurrection. She holds off ganon for a whole fucking century while Link regains his strength. And when she can't do it any longer, she keeps going, because Link is still off collecting 900 fucking korok seeds or whatever.
She's not just the damsel in distress. She's not just a snobby, immature princess. She's not useless or weak. She's incredibly strong. She's smart and nerdy and insecure and complex and so much more than her asshat father deserves. So much better of a character than most of the LOZ fandom recognizes. So I think we should all appreciate BOTW Zelda a little more. Thank you.
(TL;DR, BOTW Zelda is actually a very complex and well written teenage character and I think we should appreciate that more)
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