The Hero is Defeated
The Legend of Zelda
1986 · Famicom Disk System
By the time of The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule is a small kingdom and the Triforce of Courage has been forgotten. Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, invades with his army and steals the Triforce of Power. Before she is captured, Princess Zelda breaks the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces, hides them across the land and sends her nursemaid Impa to find someone brave enough to face Ganon. Impa is cornered by Ganon's minions and saved by a young traveler named Link.
Nintendo's chronicle describes the fallen hero branch as the history of this Ganon. After defeating the Hero of Time, Ganondorf became the Demon King Ganon and went on threatening Hyrule in later ages. The Triforce was fought over again and again, the goddess's blood in the royal line grew thin and the kingdom shrank.
Before it in Nintendo's timeline come Echoes of Wisdom and the Era of Decline. Zelda II continues with the same Link a few years later.
Starring
- Hero
- Link
- Princess
- Princess Zelda
- Villain
- Ganon
Where to play it
- Famicom Disk System1986 · the original
- Nintendo Entertainment System1987
- Nintendo GameCube2003 · Collector's Edition
- Game Boy Advance2004 · Classic NES Series
- Wii2006 · Virtual Console
- Nintendo Switch Online2018
Its place in history
Sources
- Hyrule Historia (2011; Dark Horse EN 2013)
- Nintendo official Zelda chronicle (JP, updated Sep 2026)
- Zelda Wiki — Zelda Timeline
- Zelda Wiki — The Legend of Zelda