Thanks to the success ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo seems eager to keep this money train rolling. What property will they choose to get adapted to the big screen next? Will it beThe Legend of Zelda, or perhaps anotherPokemonmovie will hit theaters?
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The former franchise seems like a safe bet given the success ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomas well. Maybe Nintendo doesn’t need to aim as high as theaters to attract fans though. A small-screen adaptation could be great and these anime studios could help produce a killer version of Link’s next great adventure.
7MAPPA
MAPPA has donea lot of great work over the past couple of years of rising to power.Chainsaw Manwas their big hit from 2022 which blended 2D and 3D animation seamlessly. They tend to work on a lot of darker shows, so a good game for them to adapt would beThe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
That is certainly the darkest game in the series that revolves around death and grief. The hybrid art style would adhere to this strange world Link finds himself in. It would be interesting to see how creepy MAPPA could make the moon look.
6Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibliis the obvious choice when it comes to high-profile anime studios. They are like the Disney of Japan with a plethora of award-winning movies under their belt. Their animation is second to none as their film budgets are extremely high along with the dedication of the artists at work.
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There have already been fan mock-ups ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildin the Studio Ghibli style. It makes sense given that the cel-shaded art style certainly looks like an anime. Also, a lot of the designs and themes could have been inspired by their films such asPrincess Mononoke.
5Studio Trigger
Studio Trigger rosefrom the ashes of another studio, Gainax, that was responsible for such hits asFooly Cooly,Gurren Lagann, andNeon Genesis Evangelion. Their first original title after forming wasKill la Killwhich centered on a young high school girl out for revenge. She wore a magical sailor girl uniform that could transform and her battling classmates also had changeable clothing.
A great game for them to adapt would beThe Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. The Links in that game could put on costumes that had varying abilities added. Studio Trigger knows how to do clothing well and they also have a knack for strong female characters, so maybe three versions of Zelda could replace the Links in the adaptation.
4Sunrise
Sunrise has beenaround for ages and they are mainly responsible for animating theGundamanime. Their latest incarnation of the series is calledMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwould be a good game for them to adapt because of this mech love.
This is a minor spoiler, but there is a fifth party member that can join Link in the game. They live on spiritually as a robot that Link can ride like a mech. The anime could take place in a rebuilt version of Hyrule wherein Purah has constructed a mech unit to patrol the kingdom.
3Toei Animation
Toei Animation isanother anime studio that has been around forever, almost as long as the medium. They have too many anime to name but their biggest show right now isOne Piece. Since they animate a lot of water,The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerwould be the ideal pick for them.
Players can sail around in that game, but there are a lot of land segments too. It gets more creative in the DS sequel,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, so maybe that would be an even better fit. They could also create the anime as a third sequel in this sub-series.
2Ufotable
Ufotable is a studiothat doesn’t have as many anime under its belt as some others on here. The one that counts isDemon Slayer, which is huge. Their movie alone broke records that anime has never seen in the West before.
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As they do a lot of stylistic action, a spinoff in this series would work better than a mainline title.Hyrule Warriors, either the original or sequel, could be an amazing game for them to work on. It would also allow the studio some more wiggle room in the lore department.
1Wit Studio
Wit Studio madea name for itself by covering a majority of theAttack on Titanarcs before getting replaced. Another, more recent hot anime of theirs isRanking of Kingswhich looks unlike anything else on the market. It sort of looks like an amalgamation of European cartoons and anime.
The cute aesthetic of that anime would work withThe Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventureswhich also had a unique style for the series on GameCube.Ranking of Kingsfollows a young prince in his efforts to become the strongest in the world with a heartfelt adventurer’s spirit. Following four young Links around would be somewhat close in tone.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwas released on July 24, 2025, and is available on Switch.
