Is Zelda evil in Tears of the Kingdom? Answered

Like most games in the series, Zelda mysteriously vanishes in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You’re separated from her at the beginning and she only appears briefly to you adorning a new outfit. However, once you reach the surface world again, you keep hearing reports of Zelda intervening to tell people not to do potentially beneficial things, and even being cruel. Has the previously unconditionally benevolent princess taken a turn for the worse? Is Zelda evil in Tears of the Kingdom?

Is Zelda the villain in Tears of the Kingdom?

There’s a 99% chance the answer is no. Especially not when Ganondorf has already been advertised as the villain like usual.

While that would be an incredible plot twist that I’d personally welcome, what seems far more likely is a Puppet Zelda situation a la Twilight Princess or even the original Hyrule Warriors where Wizzro pretends to be her, even if that game isn’t canon.

Pretty much every time you discuss a sighting of her with NPCs, the game is quick to cast doubt on the fact the Princess Zelda people keep seeing is actually her, implying she’s likely an impersonation or mimic of some kind from a villainous faction. The one we keep encountering, though incredibly mysterious and not saying a word, seems to want to help us. Can the Gloom pretend to be people? Now that’s a scary thought.

Related: What is the time gap between Tear of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild? Answered

I have a hard time believing the adorable history nerd we saw in the opening turns out to be the villain of the game. Zelda’s not known for subtlety and plot twists you can’t see coming a mile away. When the NPCs hint that she’s being mimicked, she’s probably being mimicked.

Furthermore, we see her in flashbacks when you recover the actual Tears of the Kingdom and she still seems the same as when we saw her.

So no, I doubt we’re going to see an evil Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom. We’re definitely going to have to deal with something impersonating her. Otherwise, we’re just going to have to see when she shows up as herself again.