Zelda: Ocarina Of Time's Manga Tells Us What Happened To Link's Father

Several heroes known as Link have appeared over the course of the long and complex "The Legend of Zelda" timeline. Most haven't had much family to speak of. While uncles or grandparents have raised a few iterations of the iconic figure (per Screen Rant), players rarely hear anything about his parents. Much like the protagonists in "Pokémon," another classic Nintendo series, Link often appears as a child somehow lacking any adult supervision who goes off to have adventures in the wild. This is certainly the case in "Ocarina of Time."

The N64 "Zelda" game features an orphaned Link raised by the Great Deku Tree. The narrative eventually reveals that Link's mother originated from Hyrule and that she fled her home during a civil war, leaving him with the Deku Tree just before her death. Despite this detail, his father remains a mystery. Instead of a reveal on screen, Link's dad receives some backstory in the related manga originally published in Japan in 2000. This story didn't make it to the United States until 2008, but it does provide greater detail about Link's family and the events preceding "Ocarina of Time." 

As explained by YouTuber DidYouKnowGaming?, the manga states that Link's father served as a "member of the guardian house" of Hyrule's royal family. Sadly, he died in the civil war that also claimed the life of Link's mother. This certainly fits with the general tropes and themes of "The Legend of Zelda" series, as Link and Zelda often descend from warriors and protectors of good. Players should note that Nintendo doesn't consider the manga official canon and it actually departs from the game in both small and large ways. Link and Zelda get a romance plot, for example. Still, this seems like a plausible origin for the Link in "Ocarina of Time" and the identity of his unnamed father.

Interestingly, the manga also offers more details about Zelda's father (per DidYouKnowGaming?), revealing that Ganondorf himself killed him. This adds another layer of evil to the antagonist and gives Zelda and Link even more motivation to defeat him. As a non-canon source, fans can take or leave the plot points and details that come from it. Some, however, may enjoy incorporating it into the lore in their own heads for the sake of making the world just a bit richer and more fleshed out.