Princess Zelda is the titular character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zeldavideo game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. She appears in several incarnations throughout the series, generally as a member of Hyrule's royal family and an associate of the protagonist Link.
Though she is the eponymous character, Zelda's story role is often that of a damsel in distress or "donor" who assists Link. In many games, Zelda is captured by the antagonist Ganon, necessitating Link to come to her rescue. Some games have emphasized her magical abilities and importance to the functioning of Hyrule. In several games she is one of the Sages or Champions whose heroism is essential to defeating Ganon; in others she adopts alternative personas to take a more active role in the story. Zelda's alter egos include the ninja Sheik in Ocarina of Time and the pirate captain Tetra in The Wind Waker.