In recent years, The Legend of Zelda fans have grown increasingly vocal in their desire to play as the titular character in mainline Zelda games. Many thought that this might finally happen in Tears of the Kingdom, but alas - spoilers - it didn't.
In an interview with IGN before The Game Awards, Eiji Aonuma commented on the possibility of making Zelda playable in future entries. While he doesn't outright say that she will be, he also doesn't rule it out completely:
“Yeah, it is interesting when you think about the name of the series, the Legend of Zelda, but Link is always the main character. And Link has been the main character, and Zelda has always been involved, and they have a relationship and their own rules in each of the games. But it is true that, I think there's always room for thinking about this type of thing and Zelda's role. And there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future.”
As Aonuma's translator was relaying this response, Aonuma reportedly then interjected in English to say "Maybe. Maybe, maybe".
So there you have it. Fans itching to play as Zelda in a mainline game might want to keep their fingers crossed because it sounds like there is at least a possibility, however minor, that Nintendo will grant their wishes.
Since Tears of the Kingdom only launched earlier this year, however, we might be in for a rather long wait until we find out. Take your time, Nintendo.