We all know Zelda is a badass and the Princess Zelda alter egos we've seen throughout the history of Zelda games only solidify that fact. From disguising herself to be able to fight unnoticed, to leading a band of pirates, and being a literal Goddess incarnate, she doesn't let anything stop her. To date, there are three very notable characters that have been revealed to be Princess Zelda herself across multiple games. In the upcoming Nintendo Switch game, Breath of the Wild 2, she will simply remain Princess Zelda as she was in the first Breath of the Wild, but maybe in the future we can hope to see more bad babes like these alter egos.
Zelda's Alter Egos: Sheik
The first of the Zelda alter egos to appear was in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She disguised herself as a surviving Sheikah cleverly named Sheik. The Sheikah people are ninja warriors that defend the Royal Family. In Ocarina of Time, they are said to have been largely wiped out protecting the Royal Family in the Civil War. Throughout the game, Sheik guides Link, teaching him songs for the ocarina to help him through his journey. She decided to disguise herself in order to be able to do this without being detected by Ganondorf, who was looking for her to get the Triforce of Wisdom.
Sheik also makes appearances in Super Smash Bros Melee, Super Smash Bros Brawl, and Hyrule Warriors. This disguised character does make a fun brawler in any of these games.
Zelda's Alter Egos: Tetra
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Nintendo took a different approach with one of the Zelda alter egos. Tetra was introduced early in the game with her band of pirates and takes Link to find his sister Aryll. But unlike Sheik, Tetra wasn't an alter ego on purpose. In this case, Tetra wasn't posing as someone else — she simply didn't know she was of the royal bloodline until the end of the game. Before the reveal, Tetra was orphaned after growing up and watched her mother live among pirates, and Tetra took over after she was gone.
After her initial debut in The Wind Waker, she also shows up in Four Swords Adventures and Phantom Hourglass. She is also a playable character in Hyrule Warriors. Although she isn't a playable character or part of the story, you can spot her in Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Smash Bros for Wii U, and Super Mario Maker.
Zelda's Alter Egos: Hylia
Although not displayed in the main story in the same way as Sheik and Tetra, Hylia is another one of Zelda's alter egos worth mentioning. Or rather, Zelda is Hylia's alter ego. In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Zelda discovers that she is the human form of the Goddess Hylia herself. You will see Hylia statues in Skyward Sword, and the latest Zelda adventure, Breath of the Wild, as the Hylian people worship her.
An earned ego
These three characters are all we have seen of Zelda's alter egos so far. They're lovable characters that added a fun twist to the Zelda stories as they continue. The next announced Zelda adventure is a continuation of one of the best Nintendo Switch games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, where Zelda will be herself as she was in the first. Whether she's a ninja warrior, pirate boss, literal Goddess, or simply the princess herself, Zelda is always a badass and we hope to see more of her, and maybe even more alter egos, as the series grows in the future.
