Princess Zelda and Sheik

2:02 Princess Zelda is the princess of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Link meets her as a child in the castle courtyard, she sends him to gather the Spiritual Stones, and she holds the Triforce of Wisdom. In Nintendo's trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 remake (Sep 8, 2026), she is one of the characters heard speaking for the first time, with a startled "Who, who's there?!", the line she says when Link surprises her in the courtyard, followed by Darunia and Princess Ruto. Later in the game Link is guided by Sheik, a mysterious Sheikah, and the game's best-known twist is that Sheik is Zelda herself.

Quick facts

The princess in the courtyard

9:28 Zelda starts Link's quest. Beyond Hyrule's story video (Oct 8, 2026) tells the scene: Link sneaks past the castle guards and finds, in the courtyard, the girl from his own dream. Zelda has dreamed too, of dark clouds covering Hyrule and a ray of light breaking through, a boy with a fairy carrying a green stone, and she believes the darkness is Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo, who has come to swear a false allegiance to her father. Her plan is to reach the Triforce in the Sacred Realm before him, so she asks Link to collect the other two Spiritual Stones. She gives him Zelda's Letter, and her attendant Impa teaches him Zelda's Lullaby, the royal family's song (see Ocarina songs).

4:15 Her dreams are no secret in Hyrule. Zeltik's lore survey notes that she dreamed dark clouds covered Hyrule "until a ray of light Shone from the forest", obviously Link's journey out of Kokiri Forest, and that "even common folk in Castle Town know about her prophetic dreams".

13:14 The plan goes wrong. When Link returns with all three stones, his nightmare comes true: the drawbridge lowers, Zelda rides out on a white horse with Impa and throws the Ocarina of Time into the moat as she passes him, and Ganondorf, chasing her, blasts Link aside. Through the ocarina, Zelda teaches Link the Song of Time, which opens the Door of Time. Without knowing it, the two children have gathered every key Ganondorf needed to enter the Sacred Realm (see Story).

Sheik, the Sheikah guide

59:58 When Link wakes as an adult, a masked Sheikah warrior called Sheik meets him in the Temple of Time and guides him to the five temples where the Sages wait. Liam Triforce's retrospective (Oct 5, 2020) describes Sheik appearing "before you visit each temple", a guide through a ruined Hyrule who speaks of the Sage waiting there; before the Forest Temple, Sheik's words are "The flow of time is always cruel", and Link learns the Minuet of Forest. Sheik teaches six warp songs in all: Minuet of Forest in the Sacred Forest Meadow, Bolero of Fire in Death Mountain Crater, Serenade of Water in the Ice Cavern, Nocturne of Shadow in Kakariko Village, Requiem of Spirit at the Desert Colossus, and Prelude of Light in the Temple of Time. They take Link to the Fire Temple, Water Temple, Shadow Temple and Spirit Temple.

The reveal: Sheik is Zelda

40:00 Sheik is Princess Zelda in disguise. After the five temple Sages awaken, Sheik waits in the Temple of Time and reveals the truth: for seven years Zelda has hidden from Ganondorf as Sheik. She explains what happened when Ganondorf touched the Triforce: it split, Power going to him, Courage to Link, Wisdom to her. She gives Link the Light Arrows, but revealing herself lets Ganondorf sense her; he traps her in a crystal and carries her to his castle. Zelda is the seventh Sage, who leads the other six (see The Seven Sages).

Sheik is a woman. In the English Nintendo 64 script, Princess Ruto calls Sheik "a young man", and Zelda Wiki notes that her lines are the only gendered references in that version, a quirk of the translation. Nintendo settled it in August 2014, when Bill Trinen, its product marketing manager and the game's translator, told Polygon that Sheik is a woman, "simply Zelda in a different outfit."

10:17 The remake makes that plain. Zeltik's look at the details in Nintendo's footage (Sep 9, 2026) describes the new Sheik as "clearly more feminine with long golden hair worn in a braid", where the original was androgynous, reminiscent of an unused Twilight Princess design; she carries a small blade on her back, and her harp now matches the goddess harp of Skyward Sword. Zeltik notes that Hyrule Historia already ties Sheik's harp to that instrument.

Zelda in the final battle

18:05 Zelda fights beside Link at the end. After Link frees her and the two escape Ganon's collapsing castle, Ganondorf rises as the beast Ganon; in HaskieGaming's Nintendo 64 dungeon guide (Oct 18, 2024), once Link has done enough damage with the Master Sword, "Zelda is going to come in and hit him with a big spell", holding Ganon down so Link can strike the final blow. Zelda and the six Sages then seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm (see Ganondorf and Ganon's Castle).

47:15 Zelda ends the game by giving Link his childhood back. She understands that Link lost seven years because of choices the two made as children, so she takes the Ocarina of Time and plays Zelda's Lullaby to send him back. The last scene mirrors the first meeting: Young Link walks into the castle courtyard and Princess Zelda turns to see him, this time with Link knowing what is to come. The branch this creates is explained on Zelda timeline split.

Zelda in the Nintendo Switch 2 remake

Zelda speaks in the remake: Nintendo says "The characters that Link meets are fully voiced during in-game cutscenes", and its trailer gives her her first voiced lines. Press reports say the regional trailers are dubbed in at least eight languages (Vandal, Sep 9, 2026). Nintendo has not named its English or Japanese cast as of Oct 22, 2026, but two of its regional trailers of Sep 8, 2026 came with names, and both give Zelda and Sheik to the same actress, as the twist requires. LevelUp reports that the Latin American Spanish trailer shared by Nintendo Latinoamérica casts Casandra Acevedo as Zelda and Sheik, and Critical Hits that the Brazilian Portuguese cast shown by Nintendo Brasil has Bianca Lua in both roles; Impa, Ganondorf, Navi, Saria, Darunia and Ruto are cast in each too.

3:17 Sheik has a voice as well. Near the end of Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026, after Impa calls "Gatekeeper! Throw down the bridge!" from the night Zelda flees the castle and Ganondorf declares "Now this world and the Triforce belong to me!", Sheik is heard for the first time in an official video, with a single "Look out!". Nintendo's Japanese battle ad of Oct 16, 2026 also shows Sheik among its fights (Trailers and Nintendo Directs).

28:27 She is also getting an amiibo. In The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct (Sep 8, 2026), Nintendo announces "new amiibo figures. Young Link... as well as Young Zelda. These amiibo unlock special in-game masks." Nintendo's recap dates them for 2027 and calls the masks retro-style; what the masks do has not been announced.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sheik Zelda in Ocarina of Time? Yes: in Ocarina of Time, Sheik is Princess Zelda in disguise. She reveals herself in the Temple of Time after Link awakens the five temple Sages, having hidden from Ganondorf as Sheik for seven years.

Is Sheik a boy or a girl? Sheik is a woman: Nintendo told Polygon in August 2014 that Sheik is "simply Zelda in a different outfit". The English Nintendo 64 script has Princess Ruto call Sheik "a young man", a translation quirk.

What songs does Sheik teach in Ocarina of Time? In Ocarina of Time, Sheik teaches Link six warp songs: Minuet of Forest, Bolero of Fire, Serenade of Water, Nocturne of Shadow, Requiem of Spirit and Prelude of Light.

Who teaches Zelda's Lullaby? In Ocarina of Time, Impa, Princess Zelda's Sheikah attendant, teaches Link Zelda's Lullaby after he meets Zelda in the castle courtyard.

Which Triforce does Zelda have in Ocarina of Time? In Ocarina of Time, Princess Zelda holds the Triforce of Wisdom; when Ganondorf touched the Triforce it split, leaving him Power and sending Courage to Link and Wisdom to Zelda.

Is there a Young Zelda amiibo for the Ocarina of Time remake? Yes: Nintendo announced Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo for 2027 in its Sep 8, 2026 Direct, saying they unlock special retro-style masks in the Ocarina of Time remake.

Who voices Zelda in the Ocarina of Time remake? Nintendo has not named the English or Japanese voice of Princess Zelda as of Oct 22, 2026. In the Latin American Spanish dub she is Casandra Acevedo (LevelUp) and in the Brazilian Portuguese dub Bianca Lua (Critical Hits), each of whom also voices Sheik.

Does Sheik talk in the Ocarina of Time remake? Yes. Sheik says "Look out!" in Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026, and the regional casts give Sheik the same actress as Zelda.

Sources

• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary celebration revealed in new Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026
• El remake de Ocarina of Time vendrá doblado a todos los idiomas y así cambian sus voces, Vandal, Sep 9, 2026
• Remake de The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time tendrá doblaje latino y confirman el reparto oficial, LevelUp, Sep 8, 2026
• Remake de Zelda: Ocarina of Time terá dublagem em português do Brasil, Critical Hits, Sep 8, 2026
• Zelda fans debate Sheik's gender, but here's Nintendo's final word, Polygon, Aug 5, 2014 (as cited by Zelda Wiki)
• Sheik, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Zelda's Lullaby, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Overview Trailer - Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo of America, Oct 14, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Full Story Explained (Spoilers), Beyond Hyrule, Oct 8, 2026 (video)
• 100 Lore & Story Secrets in Ocarina of Time, Zeltik, Nov 19, 2022 (video)
• Yet Another Ocarina of Time Retrospective, Liam Triforce, Oct 5, 2020 (video)
• Interesting Details in Ocarina of Time Remake, Zeltik, Sep 9, 2026 (video)
• Ganon's Castle Walkthrough Part 2 (Finale) - Ocarina of Time - Dungeon Guide, HaskieGaming, Oct 18, 2024 (video)