Breath of the Wild focuses mostly on Hyrule a hundred years after Calamity Ganon had brought destruction to the kingdom, but it occasionally lets the player see glimpses of a past life through Link’s flashbacks. Little is known about our hero’s life and who he was before he became Princess Zelda’s appointed knight. Much is left for the player’s imagination, and sometimes it brings something great for other fans to enjoy as well.
Himu is a digital artist who I believe must have wondered the same thing: Who was Link before he was forced to become a hero for an entire kingdom? Their portrait of him wouldn’t leave my mind when I first saw it, mainly because of two things.
What first caught my interest was Link’s solemn expression. He looks troubled by something, perhaps by the news that he’s about to become Princess Zelda’s appointed knight and that Hyrule’s future now lays in his hands. Players of Breath of the Wild know that Link chose to avoid showing any emotions prior to the events of Calamity Ganon’s destruction, but in Himu’s painting, we see Link taking a risk to show his feelings, even if he seems to be alone. It’s a rare moment when Link dares to be vulnerable, perhaps because he knows no one can see him.
The second thing I like about this piece is something I appreciate more than Link’s pained expression. The shadow partly covering his face is intentional and placed just over his eyes and makes the portrait much more interesting than it would be without it. I like to think that the shadow is shaped like the Triforce and the Triforce of Courage is shading his eye, or perhaps a Hylian crest to symbolize the kingdom’s hope being suddenly put upon him, clouding Link’s mind.
Himu’s portrait of Link shows a hero worried about what’s to come and weighed down by the pressure of having a kingdom to save, so much so that he chooses to become expressionless. Perhaps this is the last time he lets himself furrow his brows, and only those who observe the painting are allowed to see it.
But in the end, Link decides to not give up before trying his very best, and that trait is what made him a hero. We can always count on Link to save the world, even if it takes him a hundred years.
