Could Mipha Have Married Link?
I mean, they were dancing with their hands tied.
It’s impossible not to notice Mipha and Link’s adorable relationship in Breath of the Wild. But there is a question that will inevitably come up: could the Zora Princess have married the Hylian knight? Would it have been possible, even if she didn’t die to Waterblight Ganon? There are many obstacles that would’ve halted her proposal regardless of her abrupt death.
6. Muzu and King Dorephan Would Have Disapproved
Muzu, the manta ray-like advisor to King Dorephan and Mipha’s mentor, obviously has had prejudice against Hylians for a long time. Even when Link came to save Zora’s Domain 100 years after her passing, Muzu still stubbornly blamed the knight for supposedly not protecting Mipha as he should’ve.
In Mipha’s diary (Champions’ Ballad DLC only), she worries about the pressure from the royal family she would receive upon admitting her love for Link. Her father King Dorephan would likely have disapproved of her proposal to Link, even after she completed the Zora Armor for Link. This is not an unreasonable disapproval, though. King Dorephan is extremely protective of his beloved daughter and worries that she would expose herself to danger by being close to a knight of the Royal Guard. Even if the king agreed to Mipha’s marriage to Link, Muzu would’ve begged him to change his mind, and it’s not out of the picture for Dorephan to give in.
5. Link Doesn’t Understand Zora Customs
Link is not a sentimental guy. In Ocarina of Time, he didn’t understand the Zora Princess Ruto’s proposal to him as she gave him the Zora Sapphire (her version of the Zora Armor as a marriage offer) and simply went on with his quest. If Mipha handed him the Zora Armor, he either would’ve been outright confused and nodded to her as he does to others, thinking of it as a gift of friendship rather than a proposal. This would’ve likely worked to their relationship’s downfall with Mipha holding out the armor in hope that he would accept and Link being genuinely puzzled.
4. Mipha Was Too Shy to Propose
Mipha writes in her diary she planned to propose to Link atop Vah Ruta at sunset, one of the only times he would be away from Princess Zelda. This sunset scene happens in the “Mipha’s Touch” memory obtained during the “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” main quest. Some have speculated her saying to Link that they could “spend some time together” after Calamity Ganon is defeated (which, sadly, would not happen) was her version of a proposal, but clearly Link did not understand the meaning of this. And if this was her proposal, she would’ve shown him the Zora Armor shortly after as proof. However, she didn’t, and Link accepted it as just another kind word from her.
3. They Would’ve Been Forced Into a Secret Marriage
Link, now required to accompany Zelda every step of the way as her personal guard, would not be able to live the ideal life as Mipha’s husband. Mipha also desires to keep her relationship with Link between the two of them, as she already tries to keep it under wraps around everyone that she’s in love with him. If Mipha ended up going along with the proposal, and she and Link were married, they would’ve been forced without a choice into a secret marriage. If someone did find out that the two of them were a couple, the pressure she already felt from hiding it would only be immensely increased when it is made public, resulting in a reluctant split.
2. Zora and Hylians Are Too Different for Reproduction
Zoras are literally humanoid fish, and Hylians are humans, just with pointy elf ears. Obeying the laws of science, fish and humans cannot get together and have babies. Zora and Hylians are simply too different to ever be able to breed with each other. While Mipha would have loved to start a family with Link, it would not be possible. Zoras lay eggs, and Hylians carry babies in the womb as humans do.
1. Link (Probably) Didn’t Love Mipha Back
All other reasons why Link and Mipha couldn’t have had a successful marriage relationship are valid, but the most important one is the fact that Link most likely did not love Mipha back the way she did him. Marriage is about both sides loving each other very much and desiring to unite. Mipha did show a wife-like love toward Link, but he did not return any of that. While she planned to marry Link, he still considered them merely close friends rather than dating. He probably wasn’t aware of what they had become even at the time Mipha had planned to propose to him.
