Is Link a character?

[Hades]

Yesterday a rumor came forth that said that you could possibly be able to change Links gender in the next Zelda. As always the subject is controversial. Some people view being able to pick Links gender as the natural evolution of a ''Link'' between players and game, others think it makes Link a much less defined character.

And I think that second thought is where the conflict of opinions may come from.

The most common argument of the ones that want the gender option is that Link is just the player avatar, a ''Link'' to the game in Nintendo's own words. If Link is just a self insert then it would make perfect sense to be able to pick his gender.

Those on the other side, me among them maintain that Link is a character in his own right and that being able to swap his gender would do him a disservice.
Nintendo once said that the player was meant to project himself in Link but if that was the idea then that idea has changed. Ever since OOT Nintendo has tried to make Link more personable rather then less. Especially Wind Waker and Skyward sword Link aren't just meek little player avatars but their own characters with an established place in the world and with their own personality and initiatives.

So what do you think? Is Link a character in his own right or more of a self insert that would lend himself to more customisation?

 

[Potjeslatinist]

I don't see how it would do Link a "disservice". He's always been more of a player avatar than a fleshed out character.

We've had nearly 30 years of boy Link. Ain't nothing wrong with shaking things up a bit.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

About as much as Gordon Freeman or a chess piece.

But to be fair, when I was a kid I shipped Malon/Link. I still maintain that's the canon relationship from OoT.

But Link is more of a prop.

 

[Aerosteam]

He's more of a blank slate which you can't change the appearance of and has a canon name. Even then the reason why he's called Link is because he's supposed to be the link between the player and the game.

 

[Zhukov]

Only by the sad, sad standards of video games.

It's like calling Gordon Freeman a character. Technically true but basically meaningless.

 

[Silvanus]

He's a character, sure (or technically, a string of characters through the ages). He's an extremely minimalist character, though, with very little defined characterisation.


I don't see why a female Link isn't possible, though. The Link in Wind Waker is, after all, a different individual from the one in OoT, and the one in Twilight Princess is different again. There's no given reason the next incarnation couldn't be a girl.

 

[Hades]

Actually my explicit aim was to NOT make this topic about whether Link should be a girl or not. Its more about whether or not you think he is a character in his own right or not.

 

[Saelune]

Well, there are many Links...so I guess it wouldn't break lore to have a female Link...maybe. Id prefer it be set male or female though. I know not everyone really cares for LoZ lore, but I love lore in general so...

From my understanding, "Link" is reincarnated whenever a hero is needed. I guess a mother is "compelled" to name their kid Link when it happens (or assballs I guess). Zelda however is through a genealogy, and as I understand it, all Zeldas are related, since its all part of the royal family. Really it comes down to how many of these "Links" actually procreate with Zelda or if it matters.

But don't use Linkle or whatever it was. Its a dumb name. Id prefer Link stay male ultimately, but there are worse cases of unnecessary token character changes that need to be stopped. (Fantastic 4) I like my characters consistent.

 

[kris40k]

Link is more of an archetypical hero that reappears throughout time, so I don't see any problem with Link being female during a time.

Edit: Saw your new post.

Its more about whether or not you think he is a character in his own right or not.

No, I don't see Link as a particular character on its own, rather than a collection of heroes of different eras.

 

[Saelune]

Actually my explicit aim was to NOT make this topic about whether Link should be a girl or not. Its more about whether or not you think he is a character in his own right or not.

Yes. Yes he is. Link is rather clearly defined. So is Gordon Freeman.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Depends on the game he's in.

In Wind Waker he's definately a character. He gets happy, sad, tense. He also gets super hyped when he's beaten a Boss. If he didn't have any character I'd doubt he'd be as likeable as he is that game.

In Twilight Princess he's blank hero man with a perpetual expression of determination on his face.

 

[Potjeslatinist]

I think if you're going to look at him objectively and compare him to criteria that make a character (motivations, emotions, background), then yes, he technically is a character.

But he doesn't feel like one. His motivation is "save his world from evil", his emotions are two-dimensional (sad, triumphant), his background is bare-bones. He feels more like an extention of the player's controller, albeit an iconic one. He's more of a neutral beacon around whom the real characters orbit, like Midna.

 

[Skatalite]

Well, like most Nintendo characters he doesn't talk, doesn't have a backstory and doesn't have any flaws, so I'm not sure. He's more of an avatar, like others have said, not really a character.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Link is similar to Samus as a character. They normally don't talk, but you can gather a lot based on facial expressions, responses from other characters, and actions they take. And when they do talk, you just wish that they'd shut up.

But really, that doesn't make them fully fleshed out characters. In fact, gender swapping most Nintendo protagonists won't make much of a difference in the end. No one complains when games like Mass Effect or Fallout 4 let us choose the gender of our character, and Shepard and the Sole Survivor are just as much, if not more, of a character than protagonists like Link. So I really can't say that I'd mind a female Link too much.

Regardless, I'm sure I'd still play a male Link just because I'm used to it. But why take the option away from others?

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Actually my explicit aim was to NOT make this topic about whether Link should be a girl or not. Its more about whether or not you think he is a character in his own right or not.

You probably shouldn't have brought up the controversy if you wanted people to ignore it, especially since the option to chose Link's sex probably has more discussion value since it basically contains the other topic.

Anyway, as for Link being a character, technically he is in the barest possible way. I don't really how this would be comparable to any other sex-swap, since Link doesn't really have enough continuity between games for there to be anything to ruin. In fact, each game he seems to vary in the amount of character he has. Link's most defined character trait is that he wears green most of the time.

Normally when controversies like this crop up I do at least try to see where the other side is coming from, but this is one of those cases where it really seems like nothing more than pettiness to oppose this. Really, the only valid argument I can see is the fact that a female Link would require effort to make that could be put elsewhere, but still.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

He's a character with no characterization, if that makes sense.

 

[DefunctTheory]

He's usually poorly characterized (Ok, 99% of the time). That being said, I do think he's a character.

I wouldn't say I'm one of the people who's been thrown into a rage by 'Linkle...'

Spoiler: Big Image

But I am a bit disappointed that 'Female Link' is the best they can do. I'd be all in for a Zelda game where your a new female character instead of Link, or, you know... we could make a game where the controllable character is also the character in the title.

But no, lets just slap some pony tails on and call it a day. Fuck it.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

He has some minor characterization, kind of enough for a rough draft of a personality, and you can kind of get a grip on who he is. This had been more in the 3D games though, and not the isometric ones, where he has no such thing.

But it's rough. He never has enough to really call him his own character, and changing his gender would do nothing more then alter his appearance, and not his role or minimal personality.