The English localization of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment tries to claim that Zelda and Link are just friends, a detail strangely absent from the Japanese release.
Zelda and Link's relationship has been debated for as long as The Legend of Zelda has been a thing. Each incarnation of Zelda and Link has a different dynamic from each other, so it's hard to say definitively, but there is one duo that I think we can all agree has a romantic relationship – Breath of the Wild's Link and Zelda.
Skyward Sword's Link and Zelda also clearly understand each other.
We get to see a lot more of Link and Zelda's relationship in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and there are plenty of hints and signs that the two are meant to be more than just friends. Although Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment takes place in the same universe, it seems to go against ZeLink, and it's strangely only in the English version of the game.
Zelda and Link are just friends by their age of imprisonment
Friends who share a bed in Hateno, of course
IvyfulWorld shared a screenshot from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment on Twitter that shows an entry in Lenalia's Journal. In the post, Lenalia talks about training with Zelda, who apparently says she learned her “blade work” from the example of a “knight – and friend” of her own time, apparently referring to Link.
As cute as it is that Zelda learns from Link, the “and boyfriend” is a bit of a bummer, especially since there were clear hints of Zelda and Link's relationship in Tears of the Kingdom (don't get me started on the double bed). To make it even weirder, this only seems to be clarified in the English version of the game.
Twitter user verieas pointed out that Nintendo of America likes to imply that Zelda and Link are platonic by adding things that aren't in the original text. That seems to be the case, as the Japanese release of Age of Imprisonment says that Link is a “knight at her side” without making the whole friend thing clear, so things are a bit more open-ended.
While you could just say that Zelda has been coy about her relationship with Link, as verieas points out, this isn't the first time Nintendo has tried to steer away from the two getting together. Sorry ZeLink shippers – you'll always have Hateno.
