This article is about the video game series.

For the video game, see The Legend of

Zelda (video game). For other uses, see The Legend of Zelda (disambiguation).
"LoZ" redirects here. For other uses, see LoZ (disambiguation).
The Legend of Zelda

Genre(s)
Action-adventure
Developer(s)
Nintendo EAD
Capcom
Vanpool
Grezzo
Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Creator(s)
Shigeru Miyamoto
Takashi Tezuka
Composer(s)
Koji Kondo
Platform(s)
List of platforms
[show]
First release
The Legend of Zelda
February 21, 1986
Latest release
Link's Awakening (remake)
September 20, 2019
Spin-offs
List of spin-offs
The Legend of Zelda[a] is an action-adventure video game franchise created by
Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily
developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-
releases have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The gameplay
incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games.
The series centers on Link, the elf-like player character and chief protagonist.
Link is often given the task of rescuing Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule
from Ganon, an evil warlord turned demon who is the principal antagonist of the
series; however, other settings and antagonists have appeared in several games. The
plots commonly involve the Triforce, a relic representing the virtues of Courage,
Wisdom and Power that together are omnipotent. The protagonist in each game is
usually not the same incarnation of Link, but a few exceptions exist.
Since the original Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, the series has expanded to
include 19 entries on all of Nintendo's major game consoles, as well as a number of
spin-offs. An American animated TV series based on the games aired in 1989 and
individual manga adaptations commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan
since 1997. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most prominent and successful
franchises; many of its entries are considered to be among the greatest video games
of all time.