15. ZELDA

Franchise / home series: The Legend of Zelda

Notable non-Smash games: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998); The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013); The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

Zelda made her Smash debut in Melee, representing the magical, regal side of The Legend of Zelda series. Originally paired with Sheik as a transformable duo, her design highlighted the duality of wisdom and agility. She has since become a standalone character with refined magical abilities.

In gameplay, Zelda is built around powerful, slow-starting magic attacks with high knockback, including Din’s Fire, Nayru’s Love, and Farore’s Wind. She excels at punishing mistakes and controlling space with lingering hitboxes and disjointed magic bursts. Later games introduced the Phantom Knight charge attack, giving her new zoning and pressure options.

Her redesigns across the series reflect various Zelda incarnations—from Ocarina of Time to A Link Between Worlds to a Breath of the Wild-inspired aesthetic. Zelda maintains a loyal fanbase drawn to her elegant animations and mix of zoning, burst damage, and flashy KO potential, solidifying her role as one of Smash’s premier magical fighters.