How many hearts does Link start with in the original 1986 Legend of Zelda game?

How to get close to this number

Think about what a starting state has to communicate. A player needs to feel fragile at the beginning and powerful by the end, which means the starting value must be small enough to be memorable and countable at a glance on screen. Three is the canonical answer across the medium for exactly that reason.

The ratio is the design point rather than the number. As the explanation notes, a skilled player can multiply their health several times over by finding hidden containers, and that growth curve is what makes exploration feel rewarding. Starting values in games are chosen to make the ending value feel large, not for any absolute reason.

Worth remembering that the starting figure is a property of a specific game rather than the series. Later entries start players differently, some use a different health unit entirely, and remakes and re-releases occasionally adjust difficulty. A question about a game from 1986 has to name the year, because the franchise has spent four decades revising its own conventions.