During a fight with Ganon's monsters, a handsome prince named Façade arrives on horseback, instantly capturing Zelda's attention and putting Link on the defensive. While the pair battle over Zelda's affections, Ganon plots to use Façade's weakness for keeping up appearances to capture the princess.
Ran with The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! live-action episode "Wild Thing".
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- 10-Minute Retirement: For a good portion of the plot, Zelda ignores Link and fawns over Prince Façade, making Link extremely jealous. Her laughing at Link's klutz attack after he tries to impress her with his Impractically Fancy Outfit is the last straw; he calls it quits as the Triforce's protector and leaves the castle without telling her. But when he hears her screaming after Ganon's minions have taken her, he hesitates for only a few moments before racing back to the rescue. ("I'm such a sucker!")
- Always Someone Better: Subverted. Prince Façade seems to be better than Link at every turn. He's more refined, skilled, strong, instantly has Zelda swooning, and soon she's practically forgotten Link exists. Fortunately for Link, Façade eventually shows his true colors as a Prince Charmless when he refuses to rescue a kidnapped Zelda because he didn't want to get his clothes dirty. Link saves the day and Zelda gives Façade the boot.
- Book Ends: When Façade first arrives, he picks up a Rupee Link was after with the comment that he deserves it for defeating the Octorock, putting them at odds from the start. After Zelda yells at Façade for refusing to rescue her, he trips backwards into the mud, dropping the Rupee. Link promptly claims it for himself.
- Conscience Makes You Go Back: Link feels spurned and rejected by Zelda in favor of the prince. Link leaves the castle but hears Zelda's screams for help after the Prince refuses to help her. Link thinks for a moment before turning back to aid her.
- The Dissenter Is Always Right: Zelda is instantly smitten with Façade, and her father treats him in a friendly enough way. Only Link dislikes him from the start. He turns out to be right when Façade reveals that he absolutely refuses to dirty his clothes, even to save Zelda from being kidnapped. However, given that they're both attracted to Zelda, Link could have been simply Right for the Wrong Reasons.
- Foil: Façade and Link are both foreign visitors to Hyrule, they both conflict with Ganon, and they both show attraction to Zelda. However, the episode mostly focuses on the differences between them. Link wears a simple green tunic and cap while Façade is regally dressed. Link carries a sword that fires zaps while Façade wields a common crossbow. Link is a genuine hero in spite of his crude behavior while Façade is a well-spoken fop who'd avoid anything that risks getting his outfit dirty, even if it means leaving others in danger.
- Foreshadowing: When Link holds out his hand for Façade to shake, the prince avoids this offer because it's gotten dirty from Link being dragged around by the Octorok. This is an early hint to the audience that he won't be so quick to play Prince Charming for Zelda if it means going through a swamp.
- Handshake Refusal: When Zelda tries to introduce him to Prince Façade, Link begrudgingly holds out his hand for the prince to shake. Façade declines because it still has dirt on it from Link's battle with the Octorock.
- Hate Sink: Prince Façade is an arrogant, self-absorbed fop who cares for his image more than the victims of evil. Link instantly dislikes him, and Zelda is infuriated when he shows his true colors. Not even Ganon has anything nice to say about him, referring to his arrival as "showing his sickeningly handsome face".
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: When they first meet Prince Façade, Zelda introduces Link as a string of titles, causing his status to deteriorate down to "someone I know slightly." Later, she forgets he exists while talking to Façade.
- Impractically Fancy Outfit: Link wears a big and heavily starched nobleman's ensemble in an attempt to prove he can be just as charming and high-class as Prince Façade. It doesn't work in part because the boots don't fit and make him trip. Everyone laughs, including Zelda, sending Link into temporary retirement.
- Land in the Saddle: After calling it quits as guardian of the Triforce, Link jumps down from his tower window and bounces/backflips off a tent canopy below before landing in the saddle of his horse Catherine. She is startled by this and tries to throw him off, but he stays on and calms her down.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Prince Façade refuses to save Zelda from being kidnapped when the monster takes her through a swamp. Once Link rescues her, she yells at Façade and Façade flinches and falls backwards into the mud, thus getting his "hero clothes" dirty anyway.
- Meaningful Name: Prince Façade is all talk about how brave of a warrior he isnote , but present him with any task that risks getting his clothes dirty and he'll refuse to do it no matter what.
- Near-Villain Victory: Ganon's mooks successfully capture the princess and reach the swamp before Prince Façade can stop them, leaving him dithering on the bank while the mook takes Zelda to his master. Ganon would have won if Link hadn't heard her scream for help and come to the rescue.
- Prince Charmless: Zelda is charmed by Prince Façade of Arcadia. She thinks he's Prince Charming, but what's Beneath the Mask is revealed when he won't rescue her from Ganon's minions... because they're in the mud and he doesn't want to get his clothes dirty.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Prince Façade is an adventurer and is just as competent as Link as a fighter; he's great at close combat despite having a crossbow as his chosen weapon. His only inferiority to Link is that he's just so vain that he puts his looks above all else, seemingly even the safety and wellbeing of others.
- Slobs vs. Snobs: Façade wears a gleaming white and gold outfit and takes special care of his appearance. Link is used to life on the road and defaults to a simple green and brown ensemble. However, it turns out that Façade is too vain to dirty his clothes, even to save Zelda, which destroys her admiration.
