The beginning of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was remarkable for its time, as the Zelda series didn’t usually focus heavily on story. When players began a new game in A Link to the Past, they found Link awakened from sleep by a voice reaching out to him telepathically: “Please help me… I am a prisoner in the castle dungeon.”
Getting a message like that in the middle of the night could easily seem strange, but the voice quickly puts Link at ease by saying, “My name is Zelda.” It’s as if he’s responding to Princess Zelda’s plea for help, and Link’s uncle immediately rushes out into the night, grabbing his sword and shield.
Despite his best efforts with the sword and shield, Link couldn’t prevent the inevitable. He finds his uncle gravely wounded deep within Hyrule Castle’s sewers, where the man struggles to share a difficult truth. After passing on the sword and shield, Link’s uncle uses his final moments to give his nephew a last, vital task as a knight: “Link, you can do it! Save the Princess.” With a final breath, he whispers, “Zelda is your…”
Just as Link’s uncle was about to explain something important, he tragically passed away. Even 34 years after the game A Link to the Past was released in North America, the meaning behind his last words about Princess Zelda and their connection remains a mystery—and likely always will.
The Last Words of Links Uncle Have Still Never Been Revealed
I still remember when A Link to the Past first came out – it was November 21st, 1991 in Japan, but we didn’t get it in North America until April 1992. Something that always stuck with me was Link’s uncle’s dying words. They’re kind of garbled in both versions of the game, but it’s the English release from ’92 that really made everyone start speculating about what he was trying to say. It’s so open to interpretation, and that’s what made it so memorable!
In the first Japanese version of the game, Link’s uncle asks him to “Rescue Princess Zelda. You are the Princess’…” This wording creates a sense of mystery, but it’s less open to interpretation than what English-speaking players heard. Many fans playing the Japanese version immediately understood the uncle to be saying something like, “You are the Princess’ last hope.”
However, the way the English version says “Zelda is your…” suggests a close, even family-like relationship, like Zelda being someone’s sister. Later translations clarified this wasn’t the intended meaning.
As Zeltik notes, the 2002 Game Boy Advance version of A Link to the Past completely re-translated and updated the game’s dialogue to be more faithful to the original Japanese script. In this version, Link’s uncle is able to finish speaking his final words, but what he says is quite different from the Super Nintendo version.
In the Game Boy Advance version of the game, Link’s uncle tells him he must save Princess Zelda, stating it’s their people’s destiny. This clearly connects to Link’s heritage as a Hylian knight – a royal order his uncle belonged to, as suggested by his equipment. It seems the game implies his uncle’s final words were likely about Zelda being Link’s fate or destiny. Unfortunately, we’ll likely never know exactly what his uncle meant, leaving fans to interpret his message.
Link’s Uncle is the Perfect Embodiment of the Zelda Franchise’s Broader Approach to Lore
Although fans of the Zelda series can guess what Link’s uncle said in the original game based on the story and later releases, there’s never been an official answer. Even Hyrule Historia, a detailed reference book about the Zelda universe and Link’s family history, doesn’t reveal what those final words were.
The Legend of Zelda series is known for leaving some mysteries unsolved, and Link’s uncle is a good example of this. A major question that Zelda fans still debate is the timeline placement of the Wild Era games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom). It’s been nine years since Breath of the Wild was released, and many fans doubt we’ll ever get a definitive answer.
The Zelda team views the game’s backstory, or lore, as a mystery for players to unravel, much like the puzzles within a Zelda dungeon. Following the release of Tears of the Kingdom, series producer Eiji Aonuma explicitly compared the Zelda timeline to a puzzle, stating it’s another challenge for players to explore and try to figure out.
I’ve noticed that the latest Zelda games, like Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom, are really letting me solve puzzles however I want. It’s awesome! They’re not telling me how to do things anymore, just giving me the tools and letting me figure it out. It feels like that whole thing with Link’s uncle – it’s less about finding the answer and more about using my own creativity to solve it. It’s up to us players to be clever, and I’m loving it!
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2026-04-14 20:44