Cameos

The Legend of Zelda series has had a large impact on the video game industry. Subsequently, references to elements from the Legend of Zelda series have surfaced in other video games, ranging from oblique shout-outs to the appearances of actual characters.

999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
While in the ship's kitchen, when Junpei inspects the appetizer plates for the first time, a short conversation ensues in which Junpei says "Well excuuuse me, princess!" to Lotus. This is most likely a reference to Link's infamous line from the Legend of Zelda animated series.

Animal Crossing series
The Triforce, Fused Shadow (called "Midna's Mask"), Majora's Mask and the Master Sword make appearances as furniture or headgear. Additionally, when clicked the Triforce separates and reassembles, and the Master Sword plays the "secret found" jingle. The Hero's Clothes and Hero's Cap resemble Link's clothes and hat, respectively. Clothes resembling those worn by Anju and Kafei can also be obtained. When Katrina, the fortune teller, comes to town or is visited in the city, the Triforce design can be seen in her tent on the wall, and a triangular pattern on the rug. She also makes a reference to Nayru if the player character wears the Hero's Cap or Hero's Clothes.

To obtain the Master Sword replica in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, one must buy a fortune cookie for 2 Play Coins, and receive the fortune that reads, "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this." (the famous quote from the very first Zelda game) They must take that fortune to Timmy or Tommy Nook, and then Timmy or Tommy will give the player the Master Sword replica in return.

In the Nintendo GameCube versions, the sailor Gulliver often tells tales about his journeys at sea. In one story he states "When I fought the sea snakes at Pinnacle Rock! Wait a minute... That wasn't me!", in an obvious reference to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

A clothing item, the Bunny Hood appears in these games, but it may or may not be a cameo, due to it not resembling the Bunny Hood in Ocarina of Time at all.

In Animal Crossing for GCN after one of Kapp'n's salty sea shanties, Kapp'n will sometimes say "Yar. Have ye ever spent a night in a Hyrulian prison?", this is an obvious reference to The Legend of Zelda.

In Doubutsu no Mori, Doubutsu no Mori +, Animal Crossing, and Doubutsu no Mori e+, it's possible to collect NES Games as furniture items and actually play them. One of the secret games is The Legend of Zelda, which is only obtainable in Animal Crossing through the use of Action Replay codes.

Sometimes villagers talk about "a boy in a far off land land, who wears green, and knocks things out of the air with a boomerang". This is probably a reference to Link. When the player catches a loach, the in-game description reads, "I caught a loach! You don't suppose it's Hylian, do you?" When opening another villager's or player's drawer, it will sometimes say on-screen "You found 100 Rupees! But you can't use it here." This is a reference to the currency of the Zelda series.

Another Code series
Trace Memory, the North American version of Another Code: Two Memories, features a small reference to The Legend of Zelda. In the library is a book named The Legend of Zelda Chronology, possibly as a reference to the Legend of Zelda series' timeline, which was uncertain at the time.

A similar reference is found in the sequel, Another Code: R. During a conversation between the characters Ashley and Matthew, Ashley says "It's dangerous to go alone. What if something happens to you?". This most likely refers to the famous words of the Old Man at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda.

Bayonetta 2
In this upcoming sequel to the critically-acclaimed hack-and-slash game Bayonetta, the protagonist, a witch named Bayonetta, has a brand new haircut and clothing style. Her new earrings contain a hexagon shape in the middle that have a Triforce inside them.

Call of Duty: Ghosts
At one point, the player might come across a Rupee-shaped trophy awarded for "Most Bushes Cut and Pots Smashed."

Captain★Rainbow
A character called Crazy Tracy appears in this game. She is believed to be a reference to the character of the same name in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. To further this theory she has a picture of Link and Mario on the wall of her mansion.

Castle Crashers
One of the weapons, the Ice Sword, bears strong resemblance to artwork of the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Additionally, there is a hidden boomerang that somewhat bears a resemblance to the boomerangs found in Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, albeit missing the gem in the center.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadows
According to a Brotherhood Knight Scroll, there is a Great Dekuh Tree that protected the forest from attacks by dark creatures. It was later cursed by Dark Lords. The Great Dekuh Tree is a clear homage to the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time.

Chrono Cross
In the village of Arni, a Triforce appears on the floor of the basement in the Fisherman's Hut.

Daigasso! Band Brothers
The playable song "Zelda no Densetsu Medley" is based on the Zelda series and is a combination of many of the songs from the series.

Dawn of War II: Retribution
When an Imperial Guardsman squad receives a weapon upgrade, they may state the famous line "It's dangerous to go alone, take this".

Donkey Kong series
In Donkey Kong Country 2, Link appears as one of "Cranky's Video Game Heroes". Specifically, Link holds the third place in the rankings for most DK Coins gathered.

In Donkey Kong Country 3, when asking Bazaar the Bear about Baron K. Roolenstein's castle without paying, he mentions something about a cheeky boy called Link who was also looking for the castle earlier.

Many songs from the Zelda series are featured in the game Donkey Konga and its sequels. A slot machine mode which features pictures of characters from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is also featured in Donkey Konga.

Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II
In Circuit Shack in West City, there are six Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, including A Link to the Past.

F1 Race
Link appears at the finishing line of course five.

Fable series
In Fable III, among the many tombstones in Mourningwood reads one that says "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this.", a clear reference to the famous words of the Old Man. The hero's dog will also bark signaling that treasure can be dug up at the grave, unearthing a toy sword, which is made of wood, much like the Wooden Sword.

The name "Zelda" also appears as a randomly generated name for non-player characters, however, the characters themselves may not actually resemble Zelda.

Fire Emblem series
In Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, a sword called the Master Sword appears. The game was released shortly after A Link to the Past. The Master Sword appears again in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 and the remake of Monshō no Nazo.

Final Fantasy series
In the iOS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation and PlayStation Portable versions of the original Final Fantasy, a gravestone in Elfheim reads "Here lies Link." It is commonly believed that the grave is a reference to Link as the resident of the village with long ears and green tunics similar to the Hero's Clothes. In the NES version, the gravestone says "Here lies Erdrick 837 - 866. R. I. P.", a character from the Dragon Quest series, rather than Link. In Whisperwind Cove, a dungeon of the same remake, a fairy has the lines "Hey! Listen!" possibly referencing the voiceover lines of Navi, Link's fairy partner found in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a blue sword titled Master Sword can be found. It is one of the most powerful swords in the game and is thought to be a reference to legendary blade from Zelda mythos.

Find Mii series
In Find Mii, Link's hat and hair is made available as headwear upon the completion of Mirage Tower during the first playthrough of the game. The sequel, Find Mii 2, includes a hat based on Epona, as well as one based on the Triforce.

Game and Watch Gallery 4
Game & Watch: Zelda is featured as a playable game. It is the last game that can be unlocked and can only be unlocked by acquiring a high amount of stars earned from playing other games. The game was very different to its original due to the different screen size of the Game Boy Advance. The bottom screen was reduced. Its height is about ⅔ that of the original screen, but it is almost twice its length.

Golden Sun series
In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, a sprite of Link has been found in unused data of the game. Hacking is the only way to make him appear. He replaces Felix's sprite in the overworld. Due to it being unfinished data, the sprite is slightly glitchy. As soon as Link starts walking, he will remain in his walking animations even if he comes to a full stop, but will automatically stand still as soon as the player presses A to open up the menu. It is unknown what purpose Link would play in the the game, but it was most likely intended to be just a cameo appearance.

Interestingly, in the original Golden Sun, two swords hanging on the wall in Lalivero resemble the Master Sword and Biggoron's Sword.

Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak
The "legendary spoon" that Hamtaro and Bijou must find at one point in the game seems to be a reference to the Master Sword. Its "hilt" bears a strong resemblance to the Master Sword's from A Link to the Past. The spoon is also kept in a pedestal, and requires three marbles to free it, colored red, blue, and green.

One of the various shopkeepers in the game can be pressured to lower his prices. If this is done, he will request "Buy somethin', will ya?", the same line spoken by some of the Merchants from the first Zelda game.

While not as obvious as the above two references, Hamtaro also holds items above his head upon receiving them in much the same manner as Link.

Harvest Moon series
On Sunshine Island, there is a character named Gannon, who shares many physical characteristics with Ganon.

Kirby series
It is commonly thought that the green cap and blue sword that Kirby receives after swallowing a sword enemy are a reference to Link and the Master Sword. Kirby also wields a sword simply called "Master" in a battle against an enemy called "Dark Mind". Kirby is sometimes required to draw the Triforce on the Paint Panic mini-game in Kirby: Canvas Curse.

In Kirby Super Star, Kirby and Blade Knight (as well as Meta Knight and Sword Knight in the game's Nintendo DS remake) can use the Sword Beam attack when at full health (in Kirby's case, only while using the Sword ability), much like in many games in the Zelda series. Other variations of sword beam are seen in the series as well. Kirby Super Star also contains a valuable item called the Triforce, which can be found in the Great Cave Offensive.

Kid Icarus: Uprising
The Underworld Gatekeeper boss has a Triforce symbol on it. Also, the first line of the Idol description for the Fairy Orbitars, "Tired of pixies asking you to listen?" refers to Navi, whose most famous line is, "Hey! Listen!"

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Woodland creatures known as Boggarts wear masks that have a similar appearance to that of the Deku Shield in Ocarina of Time.

Magicka
One of the many weapons the players can find is known as the "Sword of Masters", an homage to the Master Sword. It is located in an area that is extremely similar to the grove where the Master Sword is found in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It can fire a sword beam when the user is at full health, and uses a sound effect reminiscent of the one from A Link to the Past.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Link, along with Samus Aran of the Metroid series, was slated to appear in this game as unlockable characters, but Nintendo did not give Activision permission to include them.

Mario series
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario can obtain an item known as the Warp Whistle, which both looks and sounds like the Recorder (also called the Whistle) from The Legend of Zelda. As in The Legend of Zelda, when played, the Warp Whistle summons a whirlwind that warps Mario to a different world. Also, the overworld music in World 3 sounds very similar to the Fairy's Theme.

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Link can be found sleeping in the inn in Rose Town. If Mario approaches Link, the secret jingle from the Legend of Zelda series will play.

In Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, there is an item known as the "Great Force", which is represented by a golden triangle, evoking the image of the Triforce. Also after the tutorial on using hammers in combat, the Hammerhead Bros get into an argument, and while they are heading back the way they came one of them states "Oops! Well Excuuuuse Me!", likely a reference to the Legend of Zelda animated series.

In Super Paper Mario the character named Mimi will ask Mario to pay for her vases when broken just like Mila's Father from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Interestingly she will not accept coins and wants octagonal gems called Rubees, an obvious reference to Rupee, the currency of the Zelda series. Also, when Fracktail is zapped by Dimentio, he says "I AM ERROR," which is quoting Error from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a supercomputer named "T.E.C." asks Princess Peach how Mario would seal away the thousand-year old Demon, one of the alternative answers is "the mystical sword of legend?", a likely reference to The Legend of Zelda.

In Super Mario 3D Land, Level 5-2 contains elements from The Legend of Zelda for NES, even including the "Item Found" sound effect. When the level's numbers are flipped, it becomes apparent that its placement is a reference to the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
If the player has save data for The Wind Waker on their memory card, the character Psycho Mantis will make a reference to the game.

Metroid series
The concept of light/dark duality in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is commonly compared to that of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In fact, Retro Studios was assisted by the creators of A Link to the Past.

If the player has save data for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on their Wii, and they have the Ship Bumper Stickers unlocked in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, then the emblem present on Link's Hylian Shield and in various parts of Hyrule will appear on top of Samus Aran's Gunship.

In Metroid: Other M, there are several green-colored glowing insects in various areas of the Bottle Ship that bear a great deal of resemblance to fairies in the Legend of Zelda series. They also share the same purpose; guiding Samus to a powerup. Concept art for the Skultera features a drawing with their mouths open, saying "Buy something will ya!"

Monster Hunter
In this game several references to the Triforce are found on the Argosy Captain's book. The Hylian language can also be found on the banners of Loc Lac City. Also the Wyverian race is very similiar to the Hylians: They are rare somewhat, skilled in the arts, and have their own language.

Mother series
In Mother 3, Rope Snake's name is potentially a reference to the recurring enemy snake in the Legend of Zelda series, Rope. It may also be only a reference to the snake's use as a rope.

MySims Agents
In this game, an NPC says the famous phrase "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this!"

Nintendo Land
Nintendo Land is a game that is packaged with most WiiU systems, and includes mini-games based on several famous Nintendo games. One of the mini-games is named Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, and is based on Four Swords, as it involves Miis dressed in costumes of the four Links, with these Mii Links working together to defeat various monsters from the Zelda universe and obtain the Triforce.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All
In the second episode of the game the titular main character thinks the line "Well excuuuse me princess!", in a reference to Link's oft-used catchphrase from the Legend of Zelda animated series.

Pokémon series
In Pokemon Stadium 2, several home video consoles are seen. Interestingly all of them contain a Legend of Zelda game in the cartridge slot (The Legend of Zelda is in the NES, A Link to the Past is in the SNES and Ocarina of Time is in the Nintendo 64).

Soulcalibur II
Link appears as a playable character in the Nintendo GameCube version of this game. The game features many of Link's Swords and Shields as well as a Bow, Boomerang and Bombs. It also makes reference to an Ocarina and Hyrule in his character info.

Super Smash Bros. series
Link appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros.. Princess Zelda, Ganondorf and Young Link appear along side Link in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Young Link is replaced by Toon Link in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Many other Zelda-themed elements can be found in these games including items, stages, enemies, NPCs, stickers and trophies.

Terraria
The Hero's Outfit, which resembles the green tunic and hat worn by Link, is a craftable and equipable item in the game. In the console version of the game, the Hero's Outfit is purple. This is likely a reference to Purple Link from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

Furthermore, there is a sword in the game called the Night's Edge, which is a possible reference to the Four Sword, in that four different swords that correspond to the colors of the four Links are used to craft the weapon.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Link, Zelda and Ganondorf along with several other Nintendo characters appear in the Wii U version of the game as alternate costumes.

Tetris series
If the player successfully completes a B type game at level 9, many Nintendo characters appear, playing various instruments. Among them is Link playing his Recorder.

On the DS version of Tetris, there is a game mode dedicated to Link. The game mode is like the Zelda series in a way that it it is highly based on puzzle solving. Music from the Zelda series also appears in this mode.

WarioWare series
Several mini-games in the series are based on games in the Legend of Zelda series: a game based on the original The Legend of Zelda, in which the player must guide Link into a cave, bypassing patrolling enemies and obstacles; a game involving the use of the Deku Leaf to transport Link to the Forbidden Woods in The Wind Waker; removing the Master Sword from its pedestal in Ocarina of Time; conducting Link and several other characters to play Nintendo music using their instruments; and slashing ChuChus in Phantom Hourglass. Music, sound effects, and stamps of characters from throughout the series are also commonly used.

The Wonderful 101
This is a WiiU game involving a team of one-hundred Japanese-themed superheroes who must stop an alien invasion by utilizing their morphing powers. Just like many other games from this development studio (Platinum Games), it has a large amount of pop-culture and video game references, some of which are Zelda related:
 * Operation 005 takes place in "The Lost City of Lowrule", a play-on-words of Hyrule. Coincidentally, Lorule is also the name of the alternate Hyrule from A Link Between Worlds.
 * The player earns an achievement for slicing all of the grass in the first level of Operation 005.
 * P-Star, a miniature robot that assists and gives the player tips throughout the course of the game, quotes the Secret Moblin's famous line, "It's a secret to everybody."

World of Warcraft
Blizzard pays homage to The Legend of Zelda in World of Warcraft through an NPC gnome named Linken. Located in Un'Goro crater, he shows a resemblance to classic Link and gives the player various quests to recover his memory after finding his equipment on a wrecked raft. The rewards include items resembling the Master Sword and boomerang. Finally, the quests are titled "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" and "It's a Secret to Everybody", both of which are quotes from the original The Legend of Zelda. Other items and pieces of dialogue found during this quest are references to The Legend of Zelda, as well. Also found in Un'Goro Crater is a large reptilian creature named Dadanga whose owner claims that she doesn't like smoke (another quote from the first game and an obvious reference to Dodongos).

Warcraft II
The Triforce appears on a rock in the Temple of the Damned.

Wii Music
One of the music tracks available in Jam Sessions and Mii Maestro is The Legend of Zelda's Overworld theme. In Pitch Perfect, the answer to the question 'Which tune fits the feeling 'I found a pot of gold!' ?' is the Found Item theme. The end pose for the NES horn involves the Mii lifting it above their head in a similar way to Link finding an item, and an image of the Triforce coming out of the horn.

Cameos in the series
There are other appearances within The Legend of Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda
Rupees resemble the gold bars from Clu Clu Land.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
In several houses, there is a picture of Mario on the wall.

Several Chain Chomps from the Mario series appear as enemies.

The Top Secret Room is "owned" by the real person, Chris Houlihan, who won a Nintendo Power contest in the early 1990s. He was rewarded by making an in-game appearance where he telepathically communicates with Link.

The theme that plays in Great Fairy Fountains is similar to the World 3 Map theme from Super Mario Brothers 3.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
A Yoshi Doll can be obtained by playing the Trendy Game.

Christine the goat sends Mr. Write a picture of Princess Peach, claiming it to be her.

A character named Mamu appears. Though he plays the role of a different character, his in-game appearance and Japanese name are identical to Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2.

Richard from the Japanese game Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (translated as For the Frog the Bell Tolls) makes an appearance.

An enemy known as Anti-Kirby resembles the protagonist of the Kirby series. Anti-Kirby is found in the Eagle's Tower dungeon.

Mr. Write is based on Dr. Wright from Sim City.

The character Tarin looks and acts very like Mario from the Mario series.

Many enemies from the Mario series also make appearances. A Chain-Chomp called Bow-Wow even plays the role as an ally. They include:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Once Link enters the Castle Courtyard, where he can talk to Princess Zelda, he can look in the right window. Here, it is possible to see pictures of Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, Bowser and Yoshi hanging on the wall. In the 3DS remake, those pictures are no longer there, but are instead replaced by a scene with Warp Pipes and ? Blocks.

Malon and Talon wear Bowser-like pendants around their necks.

An Arwing from Star Fox 64 appears in Kokiri Forest as a beta enemy of sorts when the game is hacked.

Talon and Sharp are commonly thought to be a reference to Mario while Ingo and Flat are supposed references to Luigi.

Also, in Dodongo's Cavern, a plaque which is thought to read "L is real 2401" can be found. This is most likely a reference to an identical plaque found in Super Mario 64.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
On the Happy Mask Salesman's Backpack, there is a Mario Mask about halfway up. There are also masks that resemble Elvis and Darth Maul.

In the river beneath the Clock Tower are a several pieces of algae that look like Nintendo 64 controllers.

Several characters from Ocarina of Time who are based on characters outside of the Zelda universe reappear in this game.

In the mask subscreen, the line of masks Keaton Mask, Bremen Mask, Don Gero's Mask, Bunny Hood, and Mask of Scents looks like the Star Fox characters Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar. It is unknown if this is intentional or merely a coincidence. The way in which Link obtains the masks also appear similar to the personalities and back stories of the Star Fox characters.

Desbrekoes resemble Skulteras from the Metroid series.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Like in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, enemies from the Mario series appear, although to a lesser extent.

Mr. Write from Link's Awakening makes another appearance in Oracle of Seasons.

Santa Claus is mentioned in Oracle of Seasons after Link slides down Holly's chimney, possibly implying that he acts the same in the Legend of Zelda universe as his real world legend describes.

A trading item in Oracle of Seasons, the Cuccodex, is a reference to the Pokédex in the Pokémon series.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Chain Chomps appear again as a usable item, and Bob-ombs appear as enemies in various levels.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Tingle Tuner, an item used to connect the Game Boy to the Nintendo GameCube is nearly identical to a Game Boy Advance. An application on the Tingle Tuner is the Hand-Me down Tingle Tuner, which appears to be either a classic Game Boy or a Game Boy Color.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Lakitus and Bob-ombs from the Mario series appear as enemies.

Dr. Left (like Mr. Write) is based on Dr. Wright from Sim City.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Fyer, the man who runs Fyer and Falbi's Watertop Land of Fantastication, has a picture of an enemy from the Mario series called a Banzai Bill on his shirt. Also, if Lake Hylia is looked at from Gerudo Desert, some of the rock formations look like Yoshi's head.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Dee Ess Island is an obvious reference to the Nintendo DS, in the name and the shape of the isle.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The whip is a reference to Duster's Rope Snake from Mother 3.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
After stepping on an insect, its spirit leaves its body before disappearing. This is nearly identical to stepping on a cockroach in the Animal Crossing series.

Monopoly
The Nintendo Monopoly board game uses several characters from the Zelda series along with many other Nintendo characters to represent streets in the game. Link, Princess Zelda and Ganondorf are represented on Pennsylvania Avenue, North Carolina Avenue, and Pacific Avenue respectively. Images from various Zelda games can also be seen on the background of the board.

The Looney Tunes Show
In the episode Gribblers Quest, Bugs Bunny is seen playing the game Elves Vs. Fairies Vs. Gribblers, and his Fairy's outfit bears a slight resemblance to Link's. It is unknown if this is coincidence or not.