The Legend of Zelda (Manga)
The Legend of Zelda ( Japanese ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 , Zeruda no Densetsu ) is a video game series by the Japanese company Nintendo , which was released in 1986. The series is one of Nintendo's most important franchises and has been adapted in various media. Zelda comics and mangas bring the fantasy world to both gamers and readers without changing the plot outline too difficult. On the contrary, the mangas, for example, can explain many facts through (original) side stories.
The central roles in the games are played by the adventurer and hero Link, the princess of the kingdom of Hyrule Zelda, and the antagonist Ganon, or his human appearance Ganondorf, as playable characters. The storyline mostly revolves around a divine artifact of infinite power called 'Triforce'.
Comic and manga adaptations
The first literary adaptation comes from the American publisher Valiant Comics , which only published five issues of a comic series of the same name in 1990. The series followed the content of the television series of the same name, which was canceled after 13 episodes. The protagonists of the comic were:
- Link, adventurer and hero of Hyrule
- Catherine, left horse, (known as Epona in the video games)
- Princess Zelda of Hyrule
- King Harkinian, father of Zelda and ruler of Hyrule.
- Impa, Zelda's nanny.
- Ganon, an evil wizard and king of darkness.
- Captain Krin, Captain of the North Castle Guard. He doesn't appear in any of the video games, but is a main character in the comics.
A first manga adaptation was published by Yuu Mishouzaki between 1989 and 1991, followed by a second adaptation by Ataru Cagiva between 1994 and 1996, which, however, did not appear outside of Japan: 1994 Zeruda / Zelda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima (in German such as "The Legend of Zelda: The Dream Island", the Japanese name of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening ) in 2 volumes and 1995–1996 Zeruda / Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce ("The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods “, The Japanese name of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ) in 3 volumes.
By the renowned manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori a serial comic for the Nintendo Power magazine was created in 1992 and later in graphic novel form ( graphic novel collected) what an alternate version of the events of A Link to the Past revealed. Although Link is an unhappy, clumsy kid caught up in something bigger than he ever imagined, he shows great courage and ultimately turns out to be a determined and competent adventurer. This tale shows Link's parents as Knights of Hyrule, lost in the Dark World. The work was published in French by Soleil Productions in November 2015.
The manga from the Japanese publisher Shogakukan, which have been published under a Nintendo license since 2000, are best known. The mangaka duo A. Honda and S. Nagano, who published under the pseudonym Akira Himekawa , drew a manga series that adapted over 8 games from the franchise.
In the German-speaking countries, the manga were gradually published by Tokyopop and in the USA by VIZ Media and VIZ Kids. In 2010, the manga Ocarina of Time was awarded the Sondermann Prize at the Frankfurt Book Fair .
Akira Himekawa's manga team produced manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda video games in Japan, starting with their manga adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Tim e, first published by Shogakukan in 1999 .
Currently, Himekawa has produced manga adaptations of more than eight Zelda games (including the two Oracle games) with the final manga being The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess . Viz Media is currently planning to release English translations of Himekawa's Zelda manga in North America, starting with the adaptation of Ocarina of Time , which was released in October 2008.
A French translation of Soleil Manga has been published since July 2009. The first manga available was A Link to the Past , followed by Ocarina of Time 1 and 2 . Himekawa's other Zelda manga was translated into French before the summer of 2010.
Himekawa's mangas, which were published in Japan between 1998 and 2009, were also published in Germany by Tokyopop between 2009 and 2011. The first ten volumes sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
After a seven year hiatus, Akira Himekawa announced on her website and on Nintendo's Japanese Facebook page that a new Zelda manga was in the works, with a planned release for Japan in August 2015. Later as an adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess discovered, the manga only appeared in February 2016.
List of Akira Himekawa's works
Ocarina of Time
It is an adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that was released in 1998, and the English version in 2008. There are two storylines in this manga: one about children (こ ど も 編 Kodomo-hen) and one about adults (お と な 編 Otona-hen). The protagonist is Link (リ ン ク Rinku / Link) and in the course of the book he tries to stop Ganondorf (ガ ノ ン ド ロ フ Ganondorofu) from taking over Hyrule (ハ イ ラ ル Hairaru). Princess Zelda (ゼ ル ダ 姫 Zeruda / Zelda-hime) helps him in his search. The book follows the action of the game with a few differences. There are six chapters in the first book and nine in the second. Some information in the manga is added to explain certain points; for example, pierced ears are a sign of the traditional Sheikh Passage rite in the mangas, although they are not mentioned in the game. The series was published by Viz Media in North America as volumes 1 and 2 in English with two side stories.
Ocarina of Time: Season 1 [2012]
The Great Deku Tree Incident
In the Kokiri Forest, the only one without fairies, Link is cast out by his alleged leader Mido and becomes friends with another, Saria. He dreams of one day leaving the forest. One night, a creature named Queen Gohma is unleashed in Kokiri's Guardian, the Great Deku Tree.
Links Journey Begins / Links Journey Begins
Link and Mido venture into the Great Deku Tree to fight Queen Gohma. You manage to defeat them and force them to return to their original beetle state. But anyway, the Great Deku Tree dies after revealing to Link that he has to stop the evil man responsible for this deed from receiving the Triforce.
The Mystery of the Triforce / The Secret of the Triforce
At the direction of the Great Deku Tree, Link travels to Hyrule in search of Princess Zelda. However, he gets into trouble because he eats food without paying. A mysterious girl rescues Link and offers to find Zelda if he spends a day playing with her, but the two split up as a group of Gerudo mercenaries are after the girl. Link loses her in the chaos and eventually travels to Hyrule Castle alone, only to find out that the girl he met was Zelda herself and the bad man's identity is Ganondorf.
The Search for the Spiritual Stone of Fire! / The search for the spiritual flint!
Link learns where Goron's Rubin is and makes his way to Death Mountain. On the way, Link attracts a filly with his ocarina so that he can reach the mountain much faster. Once there, the keeper of the ruby, Goron Chief Darunia, refuses to part with the jewel unless Link defeats the Dodongo King who prevents the Gorons from receiving their food supplies.
Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly / In Jabu-Jabu's belly
Link receives the Goron's Ruby and ends up at Lon Lon Ranch, where the foal Epona lives. There he meets Malon and the giant owl Kaepora Gaebora, an old friend of the Great Deku Tree. The owl carries Link to Zora's domain, where the last jewel, Zora's sapphire, is located; however, the owner, Princess Ruto, was swallowed up by Lord Jabu-Jabu, the guardian deity of the Zora, who she cares for. Link is also swallowed and faces barinade. After defeating the monster, it turns out that Ruto had gone into hiding because she had no interest in the arranged marriage her father was planning.
The Hero of Time Is Born / The hero of time is born.
With the three jewels, Link returns to Hyrule, who is now attacked by Ganondorf and his monsters. In the midst of the chaos, Zelda and Impa escape, but not before the princess throws the Ocarina of Time to Link. Ganondorf tries to take it from Link after easily defeating him, but he takes the ocarina that Saria accidentally gave Link. With the Ocarina, Link decides to fetch the Triforce himself before Ganondorf does. He finds the master sword and takes it out, then put it on standby for seven years. As the sage Rauru revealed to him while he was suspended, Ganondorf took the Triforce and plunged Hyrule into the darkness. Link also learns of his true legacy as Hylian. Now Link has to wake up the other five wise men to stop Ganondorf.
Hero of Time: Season 2 [2012-2013]
Sword of Legend: The Master Sword / The Sword of Legend: The Master Sword
Link emerges from the temple and saves a Hylian knight from a stalfos, the same stalfos he tried to fight as a child. He soon learns that Zelda has not been seen since the day Hyrule was attacked and that Ganon's tower now stands on the site of Hyrule Castle. To cope with the changes, Link begins his journey with the path to the forest temple. In the Tower of Ganon, the remains of Stalfos Ganondorf reveal that the hero of the times has come. As a result, Ganondorf summons his shadow to kill Link.
The Sage of the Forest: Saria / Der Waldweise Saria
On the way to the forest temple, Link reaches the Kokiri forest, only to find that his parents' house is now in ruins. In the middle of it was Mido, doing his best to protect the forest. Although he doesn't know that Link was the one who saved him, he blamed the hero for causing the attack on the Kokiri people and for bringing Saria to the forest temple. The two enter the forest temple only to meet Phantom Ganon, who has captured Saria in a picture.
To Old and Beloved Friend / An old and beloved friend
At Death Mountain, Link tries to talk to the dragon that terrorizes the Goron, Volvagia. As it turned out, Link, who was looking for the Spiritual Stones, freed Volvagia while it was a cub and befriended him. But Ganondorf used his power to turn Volvagia into a bloodthirsty monster who forced Link to kill his old friend.
Link Vs. Link / link against link
Once in the village of Kakariko, Link is reunited with Epona. He also meets Impa, who is now protecting the village. Under her guidance, Link tries to improve his swordsmanship. But things get worse when a new monster appears that resembles Link.
Shadow Guide: Sheik / Shadow Leader Sheikh
As punishment for Epona's refusal to serve as his horse, Ganondorf sentenced Mr. Ingo to the death penalty. But the Twinrova sisters decide to use it to lure Link into public. When Link learns from Mr. Talon that Malon is being held hostage, he goes to Lon Lon Ranch to save her. But Ingo and a train from Gerudo are waiting for him in the middle of the fight. Sheik reveals that Zelda is somewhere in the cursed wilderness.
The Haunted Wasteland / The Cursed Wasteland
After helping Ruto in the water temple, Link makes his way to the cursed wasteland. He is rescued by Sheik during a desert storm, but when the Gerudo came to them, Sheikh knocks Link unconscious. When Link comes to, he defeats the commanding Gerudo, Nabooru, and tries to escape the Gerudo fortress. Sheikh appears and seems to want to fight Link. But it turns out he's here to help. Furious at this betrayal, Koume and Kotake attack Sheikh. When Link checked the condition of the sheikhs, he noticed the Triforce coat of arms on his hand.
A Fated Reunion
With Nabooru's help, Link brings sheik out of Gerudo Fortress. Link hides in the spirit temple and learns that Sheikh is actually Zelda in disguise. After Ganondorf took over power, Zelda had Impa make her a sheikh in order to pretend to be the descendant of the exiled sheikh and gain Ganondorf's trust, even if this means deceiving Link. It is also revealed that Ganondorf gained only a third of the power of the Triforce. The Twinrova sisters arrive to kill Link and kidnap Zelda, but Nabooru gives Link the mirror shield she recently stole from the temple to use her own magic to kill the witches. But the victory is short, because Ganondorf brings Zelda, the owner of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Ganondorf Defeated! / Ganondorf defeated!
After Link learns more about Ganondorf from Nabooru, he takes her with him to save Zelda. But Ganon's tower is inaccessible until Nabooru awakens as the 6th sage and combines her powers with the others to build a bridge and bring Link into the castle. There Link learns that he owns the Triforce of Courage while fighting and defeating Ganondorf.
A New Journey Begins / A new journey begins
Link and Zelda escape the collapsing tower of Ganon. While it seems to be the end, Ganondorf shows up. The irrepressible hatred he has on Link causes the Triforce of Power to turn him into a monster. It's a long and difficult fight, but Link defeats Ganon before the wise men use their powers to banish the monster into the dark world. Zelda reveals that she is responsible for Ganondorf being able to take over the reins. As the last wise man, Zelda has the power to send Link back to his own time to start things over again. Link reveals his love for Zelda, but Zelda tells him he needs to return, so Link gives her the Ocarina of Time. As a child, Link returned to his own time, which today is free from Ganondorf's evil influence. The new Deku tree is sprouting there and Mido is waiting for his friend to come back. As in the game, Zelda turns around at her garden window to see Link walking forward, and the story ends with the two facing each other in the same pose as on the game's ending screen.
Majora's Mask
It is an adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which was released in 2000 and the English version in 2009, and follows on from the end of the previous adaptation. It's a volume, and the final chapter contains the artist's speculation as to where the Majora mask came from. The volume was published by Viz Media in North America as Volume 3 in English.
According to the manga, which has a different story than the game, the mask itself was an ancient and dangerous artifact, made from the armor of a legendary and evil animal called Majora that danced to dying exhaustion by a being disguised as a human traveler has been. According to a legend invented “by man himself”, whoever possesses the armor of the beast receives great and terrible power. All who approached him, warriors, men and women alike, even with good intentions, were devoured without remorse. The early Terminian tribes used the mask in their accursed bewitching rituals, but when the evils caused by the mask became too much to endure, they locked it off forever in the dark ... so they hoped.
As the mask of the devil, Majora's Mask gained its power from the evil wishes people had in their heads when they were devoured by the beast, or from the curses when the armor was made into a mask. As it passed from member to member in the tribe, it gathered its power until it was too strong to be controlled. The tribe died out, but the mask was still in the dark. The Happy Mask Salesman went to great lengths to get it, but it was stolen (a reference to the phrase, Tattle Tail) by the Skull Kid and his fairies Tatl and Tael on his trip to the Lost Woods. While wearing it, the Skull Kid became obsessed with the evil essence trapped in the mask and lured him to Termina, where he wreaked havoc among townspeople, largely because he interfered with Anju's engagement with Kafei. The biggest problem caused by the mask was that the moon was torn from its orbit and was on a collision course with the capital city of Termina. The moon would have destroyed all life in a fire if Link had not intervened. With the power of the Mask of the Wild Deity, he defeated the Mask of Majora and saved Termina. After these events, the moon was sent back into orbit.
As mentioned earlier, the Skull Kid wronged many people in Termina when he was obsessed. In addition, he sealed his former friends, the Four Guardians, in the masks of evil gods and sealed them in the temples in the four cardinal directions. Link had to free all of them to save Termina.
An original side story at the end of the tape reveals the origin of Majora's Mask.
Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
Based on Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, it comprises 2 volumes. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were published by Viz Media in North America in English as Volumes 4 and 5, respectively.
Four swords
Based on The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, it comprises two volumes and twelve chapters. The second volume contains a so-called omake. The series is published in English by Viz Media in North America in volumes 6 and 7.
The Minish Cap
Written by Akira Himekawa and published in Japan in early 2006, this manga tells the story of Link's adventures in the game of the same name, including a short Omake with Ezlo and Vaati. Viz published an English adaptation of this manga as Volume 8 of their Zelda series on December 1, 2009.
Triforce of the Gods
A manga adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past following the release of the Game Boy Advance port. In his narration, Agahnim is revealed to be a friend of Link's father. Agahnim absorbed the magic and learned how to break the seal of the wise after he was recruited into Ganon's services. When Agahnim was confronted with his friend, he sent him and his wife into the dark world.
Viz published an English version of this manga on February 2, 2010 (renamed A Link to the Past, to match the North American counterpart of the game) as Volume 9 of their Zelda series.
Phantom Hourglass
Originally released in Japan in early 2009, it is based on the DS adventure The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the sequel to Wind Waker. Although the manga retains the game's characters and overall storyline, many of the character's personalities and some in-game events have been changed, causing negative reactions from several fans of the original game. Nevertheless, it continues to receive positive reviews. Viz published an English adaptation of this manga on September 7, 2010 as Volume 10 of their Zelda series.
Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a manga loosely based on the game of the same name drawn by Akira Himekawa. A preview of the first 32 pages of the manga has been included in the Hyrule Historia artbook. The manga serves as the precursor to the story of Skyward Sword.
Twilight Princess
A manga series based on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, written and illustrated by Akira Himekawa, was first published on February 8, 2016. Customization began almost ten years after the game it was based on was released, but only a month before the HD remake for the Wii U, Twilight Princess HD, was released.
Other works by individual mangaka
Novels and Yonkoma Manga
Five novels (published by Futabusha) and several Yonkoma mangas (published by Shiseisha) based on aspects of The Legend of Zelda series have also been published.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Links Log
This manga is an adaptation of The Wind Waker, but parodies scenarios in the game. Although it adapts the majority of The Wind Waker, it skips most of the dungeons and scenes until the climax of the stories. It was released almost immediately after The Wind Waker was released.
Penny Arcade Presents The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
A short comic published weekly in five parts on Nintendo's official The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword website, written and illustrated by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik as part of their Penny Arcade Presents series. The plot is told by Gaepora, Zelda's father.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda | Shonen | TOKYOPOP Manga | Manga shop. Accessed December 31, 2018 .