Early The Legend of Zelda games included Christian religious symbols

Ansley Morgan Pearson analyzed how religious references in the Legend of Zelda video game franchise evolved from Christian symbols to a unique fictional mythology.

In an essay published in 2019 by Scientia et Humanitas, a journal from Middle Tennessee State University, Pearson identified specific religious icons used in the early titles of the series. The first game, released in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System in Japan, featured a cross on the protagonist Link's shield and on cemetery headstones.

The Japanese version also included an item called Baiburu, which translates to Bible, used to cast fire attacks. When the game was released internationally in English, the developers renamed this item to Magic Book. The second game in the series, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, also featured a cross as a collectible item that allowed players to see invisible flying enemies.

In the 1991 title A Link to the Past, the Japanese version featured a church and a character acting as a priest. Official Japanese guides for the game also showed Link kneeling in prayer before a crucifix. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the series, stated that the Triforce symbol did not originate from a specific religious reference.

He explained that the design was a choice for a triangular power and that any resemblance to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto was coincidental. Miyamoto noted that his inspiration for the game's environments came from his childhood experiences exploring mountains and caves in Kyoto.