Super Mario vs. Legend of Zelda and Continuity

Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda may have started with similar character archetypes, but those characters have gone in different directions in the decades since their creation. In the Super Mario series, the eponymous Mario has changed very little from his 1981 debut. He’s a short, stocky, mustachioed plumber wearing overalls and a hat (color subject to change based on power-ups), and he likes jumping almost as much as he likes pasta. Beyond that, there isn’t much to him. His age is unclear, as is his history, and all we know about his family is that he has an equally-mysterious brother, Luigi. Princess Peach shares similarly vague origins, as does Bowser, although Bowser does have anywhere from one to eight children (depending upon who you ask). No matter how the flavor of the specific game changes, the characters are always fundamentally the same. They’re not deep characters, but that’s because they don’t have to be. If anything, their lack of depth is what gives them their appeal. They can be whatever they need to be whenever they need to be, no matter how absurd. Sometimes, Mario teaches typing; other times, he fights wedding-planning rabbits on the dark side of the moon. Neither scenario disrupts the series’ continuity because the series doesn’t need that kind of continuity. As long as Mario is being Mario, he can jump into any scenario and succeed. 

The Legend of Zelda’s silent protagonist shares many surface attributes with Mario, but a key factor differentiates them: the many permutations of Link. Unlike Mario, who is the same character from game to game, The Legend of Zelda series features over a dozen different Links separated by untold generations. The Links all share similarities in appearance and personality, but they’re decidedly different people from game to game. Some Links are young and reckless; others are grown and cautious. A few communicate through bombastic animations and sounds, while the rest maintain a more stoic silence. Most recently, Breath of the Wild’s Link broke with series tradition by discarding his hat and donning all new colors: a vibrant blue, one that sharply contrasts his signature green. These subtle changes help to reinforce the idea that each Link is his own person with wants, needs, and preferences.

 The many generations of Links are divided by more than just chronology and costumes; they also have different backstories. While some Links have nebulous histories like Mario, others have jobs, friends, and families. The Wind Waker’s Link has a sister and a grandmother; Skyward Sword’s Link has a gaggle of classmates; A Link to the Past’s Link has an uncle. These differing backstories contribute to Link’s motivations, which aren’t always as clear-cut as Mario’s. Sometimes, Link’s top priority is rescuing Zelda—a character who’s gone through changes of her own—but other times, he’s more worried about siblings, friends, or the greater population. Since each game has its own Link, each Link can be the kind of person the story needs him to be. He can be childish and fun in bright, colorful games, but he can also be stoic and serious in games with a darker tone. While his ever-changing personality limits his ability to achieve the icon status of a static character like Mario, it grants Zelda’s developers the flexibility to design a Link that’s right for every game.