![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 50. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: Back when [Zelda] was born, I was… [thinks] Influenced by games like Black Onyx and Ultima. The ideal would be not to have any influences at all. But I wanted to take the interesting parts of those games. It makes me feel proud that those people think that my characters are strong. That was something interesting. That was the foundation.
But thinking of what was fun, I thought the character’s process of gaining strength was fun, but I didn’t think the way of playing them was fun. [laughs]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreig35yljsl5l644e2ddfub5d6skin5kmleisejj4imowgyqhwij3hi)
PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 50. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: Back when [Zelda] was born, I was… [thinks] Influenced by games like Black Onyx and Ultima. The ideal would be not to have any influences at all. But I wanted to take the interesting parts of those games. It makes me feel proud that those people think that my characters are strong. That was something interesting. That was the foundation.
But thinking of what was fun, I thought the character’s process of gaining strength was fun, but I didn’t think the way of playing them was fun. [laughs]
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 59. Producer & Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: We made [Link’s] weapons really big for them to be recognizable [in the first Zelda]. We then had to create a hero that would still be visible next to those big weapons, despite his small size. That’s why we thought of a long hat and big ears. For us it evoked a fairy-like character, so we moved along the lines of an elf.
At the time, if you were talking about big ears you were talking about Peter Pan, and because I really liked Disney, we took inspiration from it. … I told myself Peter Pan’s greens would suit our character. And because we were limited to three colors and there was a lot of forest environments in the game—green on green—it fit together quite well, so we went that way.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreidnfgggm7e6lx3jndrxbtkmff4eoptyxbv7k6bgg33joqrxmqoxua)
PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 59. Producer & Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: We made [Link’s] weapons really big for them to be recognizable [in the first Zelda]. We then had to create a hero that would still be visible next to those big weapons, despite his small size. That’s why we thought of a long hat and big ears. For us it evoked a fairy-like character, so we moved along the lines of an elf.
At the time, if you were talking about big ears you were talking about Peter Pan, and because I really liked Disney, we took inspiration from it. … I told myself Peter Pan’s greens would suit our character. And because we were limited to three colors and there was a lot of forest environments in the game—green on green—it fit together quite well, so we went that way.
PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 62. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: I grew up in the countryside of Japan. And what that meant was I spent a lot of my time playing in the rice paddies and exploring the hillsides and having fun outdoors. When I got into the upper elementary school ages — that was when I really got into hiking and mountain climbing.
There's a place near Kobe where there's a mountain, and you climb the mountain, and there's a big lake near the top of it. We had gone on this hiking trip and climbed up the mountain, and I was so amazed — it was the first time I had ever experienced hiking up this mountain and seeing this big lake at the top. And I drew on that inspiration when we were working on the Legend of Zelda.
PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 63. Producer & Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Q: Why did you decide to make The Legend of Zelda, which came out 30 years ago?
Miyamoto: The Indiana Jones movies were out around that time. … I wanted to bring that sense of adventure to a video game. And people playing computer RPGs back then were bragging about how strong their swordsmen had become and were calling each other at night to exchange information. When I noticed that, I thought it was an interesting milieu.
Q: Since it was so absorbing, you wanted to make something similar yourself.
Miyamoto: Yes. So with a world of swords and sorcery as my theme, I decided to make an adventure game based on treasure-hunting, and that was the beginning of The Legend of Zelda.
Four Miyamoto quotes about things that influenced or inspired Zelda 1 (2003, 2012, 2015, 2016)
Via Nintendo Prime, Hyrule Interviews, NPR, and Nintendo.com
#Zelda
#TheLegendOfZeldaQuote
#MiyamotoQuote
![PEOPLE:
- Koji Kondo, age 55. The Legend of Zelda (1986) Composer.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 63. The Legend of Zelda (1986) Producer & Co-Director.
QUOTE:
Kondo: The Legend of Zelda has an opening crawl, so I wondered about what should play during that too. Tezuka-san's written request simply says, ‘title music.’ [laughs] For quite a while, it just played Ravel's Bolero. It really matched the opening crawl!
Miyamoto: You rearranged it for the NES, right?
Kondo: Right. But immediately before finishing The Legend of Zelda, we learned it was still under copyright.
Miyamoto: Oh, I remember that! (laughs) The Copyright Incident! …
Kondo: So I pulled an all-nighter to compose the opening song.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreibg5pe3y6cukeu2zxy2iyqxvqpvye3kidgmirnvd4hvo4bsniwlje)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 46. Producer of Ocarina of Time.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: I like international music such as Inca or Latin. I really wanted to put in an ocarina [in Ocarina of Time], it seemed really Zelda-esque. Playing an instrument is a much more enjoyable way to accomplish things than just casting a spell.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiekiepvwdqcxfhphi6xtdhdjdlf2dmbaaqvrg6tf3wqysifvl6qqi)
![PEOPLE:
- Koji Kondo, age 39. Composer for The Legend of Zelda (1986).
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 48. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
Q: Did Miyamoto have any requests for The Legend of Zelda (1986)?
Kondo: I remember he had me make a lot of different sounds for when you use the flute [when you warp]. He was very particular about that one sound. “It shouldn’t just be ‘pretty’. I want it to evoke something more mysterious”, he told me.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiacj765sdbkq5d5emf5anqkkzpobzswxtkn35szomnrm4irrhsize)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 63. Producer and Director of the first Zelda, General Producer of Breath of the Wild.
- Eiji Aonuma, age 53. Producer of Breath of the Wild.
QUOTE:
Miyamoto: To be honest, I mostly let Mr. Aonuma take care of [Breath of the Wild] and I was very surprised to see some kind of smartphone appear in the game [laugh]. At first, I told myself: ‘Can we really do that?’
But yes, ever since the first Zelda we’ve thought about including technological elements and making Link a ‘link’ between different times through a computer program.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreige4o63dx5ii7ruc4dizv2tttd2gexpegtkcwwjecexxuznrlx47y)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 60. Creator of Zelda, Mario & more.
QUOTE:
"Miyamoto: I thought that we should take advantage of the [Famicom] Disk System’s ability to rewrite data by making a game that allowed two players to create dungeons and then explore each other’s creations. We designed that game, and the overall response was that playing through the dungeons was the best part. We made a one-player game with dungeons under mountains that surrounded Death Mountain, but we couldn’t shake that ‘I want to play aboveground, too!’ feeling, so we added forests and lakes, and eventually Hyrule Field. "](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreihefqzqitnuqqsljpdeuymab7abixahx5t4p2t2fmhn6u55nvbsnm)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 59. Producer & Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
"Miyamoto: We made [Link’s] weapons really big for them to be recognizable [in the first Zelda]. We then had to create a hero that would still be visible next to those big weapons, despite his small size. That’s why we thought of a long hat and big ears. For us it evoked a fairy-like character, so we moved along the lines of an elf.
At the time, if you were talking about big ears you were talking about Peter Pan, and because I really liked Disney, we took inspiration from it. … I told myself Peter Pan’s greens would suit our character. And because we were limited to three colors and there was a lot of forest environments in the game—green on green—it fit together quite well, so we went that way."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreidwxzcw6s3z3oeinj3ye6i5xgcajydvbk3q5hew43fuxe2abeg2pu)
![PEOPLE:
- Koji Kondo, age 39. Composer for The Legend of Zelda (1986).
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 48. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
"Q: Did Miyamoto have any requests for The Legend of Zelda (1986)?
Kondo: I remember he had me make a lot of different sounds for when you use the flute [when you warp]. He was very particular about that one sound. “It shouldn’t just be ‘pretty’. I want it to evoke something more mysterious”, he told me."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreifdr6s66cr5az2bzu4fh56dimsw3ufwxsivarwac5fm3uf4rrldua)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 50. Producer and Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
"Miyamoto: Back when [Zelda] was born, I was… [thinks] Influenced by games like Black Onyx and Ultima. The ideal would be not to have any influences at all. But I wanted to take the interesting parts of those games. It makes me feel proud that those people think that my characters are strong. That was something interesting. That was the foundation.
But thinking of what was fun, I thought the character’s process of gaining strength was fun, but I didn’t think the way of playing them was fun. [laughs]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreibe2zqlidfeufw4kub3npgo7jner4o7y5nmywhyrpuxtr5vtswcdi)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 59. Producer & Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda (1986).
QUOTE:
"Q: And where does Link’s name come from?
Miyamoto: It’s not a very well-known story, but back then, when we started designing The Legend of Zelda, we imagined the fragments of the Triforce as electronic chips! It was meant to be a video game that would take place both in the past and the future.
Because the hero was linking together both eras, we called him ‘Link’, after the English word. But in the end, Link never went to the future and it remained a heroic fantasy game. We can even say there’s absolutely nothing futuristic in the game! [laugh]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreid5lztfqz4xpayax5phb5jenzxtnl4kdufisk57fc27lc5vi2wnf4)
![PEOPLE:
- Takashi Tezuka, age 48. Co-Director of The Legend of Zelda.
- Toshihiko Nakago, age 52. Programmer for The Legend of Zelda.
- Satoru Iwata, age 49. President of Nintendo.
QUOTE:
"Tezuka: I don't really remember when we first began Zelda. [laughs] But I know it started with the dungeons.
Nakago: At the very start, we were developing the game using the arcade system. You mentioned it a little earlier, Iwata-san...
Iwata: We're talking about the Nintendo Vs. System, right?
Nakago: I remember that we started out using the Vs. System.
Iwata: So it wasn't originally made for the Famicom Disk System."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreica4zxepixzc3itc5qcj5sp6xxgavxfk3libfmchlxq7ralbviviy)
![PEOPLE:
- Shigeru Miyamoto, age 60. Creator of Zelda, Mario & more.
QUOTE:
"Miyamoto: I thought that we should take advantage of the [Famicom] Disk System’s ability to rewrite data by making a game that allowed two players to create dungeons and then explore each other’s creations. We designed that game, and the overall response was that playing through the dungeons was the best part. We made a one-player game with dungeons under mountains that surrounded Death Mountain, but we couldn’t shake that ‘I want to play aboveground, too!’ feeling, so we added forests and lakes, and eventually Hyrule Field. "](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreicl3ucxwe7x2k4efuqc6hdcx6jjjlfp7qtyhwupvwzd6yciweilqi)
![PEOPLE:
- Yusuke Nakano, age 47. Illustrator for all Zelda titles from Ocarina of Time to this interview.
QUOTE:
"Q: Taking a look at the main illustration [for the first Zelda], we see Link kneeling at the very center of the image, and the setting for his adventure serving as the backdrop. Does anyone happen to know who was behind this picture?
Nakano: This dates from before I joined the company, so I’m not one hundred percent certain, but I believe it was done by someone from an outside animation studio. During the NES and SNES eras, artwork was frequently outsourced for components like game packaging and manuals. Even within the company, I think that ‘send it to the pros’ was considered common sense when it came to illustration."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreiejujrf3uke2od6rr73glhxyfeb3toycfdyd7ouho67zwt3l7traa)
![PEOPLE:
- Howard Phillips, age 64. NOA Analyst for The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link. Editor of The Legend of Zelda: Tips and Tactics guide and of Nintendo Power..
QUOTE:
"Phillips: When games were submitted [to Nintendo of America] for approval, they were screened by myself and my team of product analysts for sex or nudity, gratuitous violence, profanity or obscenity, or drugs, alcohol, or smoking. If something was considered a violation, it was then shown to the legal department who made the final determination and communicated the results to the licensee. …
As time progressed, the content guidelines system became more squishy as instances of ‘no, but it’s okay’ guideline infractions occurred. The ‘book of magic’ in The Legend of Zelda looks like a bible, there are partially-clad statues in Castlevania and Kid Icarus, cigarettes in Metal Gear."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2e7f2uvcguv4d5qxqnyjmk32/bafkreigtwwnf7dxv2tcjwib3jbnx5uxllfmk33fvmmw7bad37nljz43b3y)
