Poll: Would we all be cool with a female Link?

[Valthonis666]

Snicker Snack.

Hmmm, your post brings a thought to mind. Why not, instead of Female Link, make..., what one of the posts earlier mentioned, a Sheik game? where instead of just like... Link nonsensically taking the back seat, or just suddenly sprouting boobs, Zelda gets to grab her bad ass panties and ninja outfit and go bash some skulls.

THAT i would play. So long as we don't suddenly get friggin.... Nova in blue spandex. you CAN have a female character without over sexualization.

 

[Coakle]

Snicker Snack.

Why not, instead of Female Link, make a Sheik game?

Why not both?

Off-topic

My ideal Sheik game would star the Holda, the Princess of Lorule, at the time when Zelda became Sheik. My train of thought leads me to assume Holda would also don an alter ego to fight dire threats to her Kingdom. Lorule doesn't have the Hero, so there's a lot more flexibility in the mythos for Holda.

Spoiler: Holda is also HARDCORE

When you first enter Lorule, Ganon is set free and aiming to finish Link off. Holda appears, binds Ganon with ease, turns to Link and says "Hey". You can feel the her annoyance at the fact she can't lock up Ganon herself since she's not the Hero of Destiny. You later see her walking around her castle while the embodiment of evil is locked up in her basement. She does not care.
She's so tough, that her enemies had to bring in a virtual god from another dimension do deal with her.

 

[chinangel]

would there be much of a difference? Link is fairly effeminate to begin with. Second of all the creator himself said that there HAVE been female heroes, they just haven't done a story with them. The reincarnating spirit of the hero doesn't always choose a male.

So case closed.

 

[FrozenLaughs]

No, I wouldn't be okay. I would, however, be fine with a game where you just play as Zelda

It's a story of reincarnation and recursion and there's nothing in the lore the invalidates the idea of a female child hero taking up the mantle to defend the realm against a recurring threat.

And, more pointedly, in every incarnation to date, over a dozen if you just consider the major titles, Link has always been male. There is, as such, no particular reason to assume it can be altered that has ever been offered beyond mere speculation to the effect that "they haven't said it is impossible". In advocating for this change, one that would literally require nothing more than a swap of character model and re-record of a half dozen sound effects, you basically ask for a meaningless switch that offers nothing of interest or consequence either narratively or mechanically.

By contrast, if you make the Princess the focus of the story, at least you have a basis for doing something different and interesting. What's more, the basis for Zelda being an action hero already exists in the franchise.

I think it's a matter of the Triforce itself jumps generations, and only appears on males, almost like genetics. Not every decendant of Link is male, obviously. Just like Zelda and Ganon. I think every-so-many generations the "stars align" so to speak and the triforces all manifest together.

For any established series with predefined characters, gender swapping isn't needed. We didn't need a female Mario, we had Peach. We didn't need a female Dante, we had Trish. They added a female main character in Gears, they didn't swap Marcus. Samus is a woman, it's far more likely a man would simply be added in similar armor. (love interest?)

I'm sure I could list more franchises but I'm tired. There really isn't a need to gender swap any characters in modern games. Add new ones in the storyline and make them interesting enough people want to play them.

 

[blazearmoru]

Only if Zelda stays female huehue

 

[Maximum Bert]

I have to go with no. Link is fully established to be a male character. If you want a female lead in a Zelda title, I'd suggest making Zelda herself, the lead. While I think it would be a bit more challenging(since Zelda and the Triforce of Wisdom would be a lot easier to locate than Link and the Triforce of Courage), it would definitely be a much more interesting experience.

I vote that instead of making Link into a female character, they make Zelda into the protagonist. She's obviously not as powerless as the plot would have you believe. Smash Bros. and previous Zelda titles show us that she's proficient with several forms of magic, from fireballs to shielding to levitation and even teleportation. Twilight Princess shows her wielding a sword, even if to fire magic from it. The same game shows her to be proficient in horseback archery. So I believe it to be within the realm of possibility for Zelda to wield the Master Sword and several of Link's trademark tools, herself.

Zelda's strengths allow for Nintendo to give us an experience that is also familiar, but different. While Zelda's capable of using several weapons from Link's arsenal, she's much more capable with magic than Link is, which could become a major focus of how Zelda would fight. I'd buy that up in a heartbeat.

Yup totally agree here although I would also be open to another protagonist who is female I suppose but just changing Link to a female would seem very strange I mean I cant see it making much difference gameplay wise (well any really) but that just brings up the question of why to even bother changing it in the first place its just going to confuse people.

If Nintendo ever made a female canon Link I would be very surprised mainly because as he is he is an icon and changing something as permanent about that character as their gender could destroy what they have built up (unless they are very careful) as people are no longer sure who or what the character is. You can justify the change via the lore I suppose but most people wont care about that to most people Link is Link technically different yes but always the same Icon.

Also a Zelda legend of Zelda game would get me pretty hyped for the series again. If they wanted to make a female Link I think they should have done so much earlier on but then again as I have said if they did make a female Link it wouldnt really bother me but I dont think many would see her as Link she would become female Link and male Link would be Link.

 

[FrozenLaughs]

And as for the discussion on Link's name: the original LoZ was envisioned as a game where the hero was able to travel between the medieval past and the technological future. This hero was the "Link" between the two times, and the Triforce pieces were computer chips.

Far too ambitious a project for the 8bit Nintendo and they scrapped the whole future concept during development. He's remained in that time frame ever since, but they re-explored the concept for him being a link between reference points multiple times since.

 

[Frozengale]

No

Why?

Because it would be obvious pandering and wouldn't add anything. Not to mention Link is a blank slate anyways. There is already precedent for a Male Link. There is no precedent for a Female Link. Changing it now would not add anything or prove anything or do anything. If you created a new character, then yes. If Zelda was the one to go on an adventure then yes. If there was any reason what so ever aside from "Hey man! Wouldn't it be cool if, like, LINK WAS A GIRL!" Then yes. But there isn't any other reason. Change for the sake of change brings nothing to the table.

I really wish people would shut up about this and stuff like it. If you want interesting female characters then you need to stop taking well established characters and adding boobs to them.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

I wouldn't have a problem with it. But you might as well just use Zelda instead.

 

[FightingFurball]

considering Link gender especially in the fanfic is ambiguous at best, not much

 

[Clunks]

It's surprising to me the amount of people posting that a female Link would be a bad idea because "Link is Link", when the series puts forth the idea that isn't one speciic character, but rather a collection of traits that make up a possible hero of Hyrule spanning different generations. Hell, even that could eventually branch out into different locations - I wouldn't be surprised if a few games down the line we get something much more radical than a simple gender-swap. Extra-terrestrial Link? Why the hell not?

It's not that a female Link would change anything in particular, it's just given that Link is more construct than character it strikes me as weird that it hasn't happened yet.

A Zelda game would be nice, too, not least because the character has been somewhat ill-served by some of the games. Personally I'd love to play as Tetra, being all badass pirate of the Hyrule seas.

 

[Vykrel]

i dont care about Zelda, so no... but i dont see the point in changing things just for the sake of changing them. why not just have a Legend of Zelda game star another female character, instead of gender bending Link? it is called "The Legend of Zelda", after all. not "The Legend of Link".

 

[Savagezion]

The whole reincarnation/different timelines part is actually official.

Spoiler: Timeline of Legend of Zelda

You can check it out in way more detail at the Zelda Wiki: Zelda Timeline [http://zeldawiki.org/Zelda_Timeline]

So the generally accepted idea that Link, Zelda, and Ganon are all reincarnations during each different iteration of the story is all an assumption, but your assumption that it's all due to a different narrator telling the story is valid?

Tell me, how does your theory fit with the whole "official timeline" thing?

Didn't know about the official timeline thing. So, my bad there. I never found the world of Hyrule interesting enough to explore it past the games as it is all pretty generic and simplistic. (Which I always figured was the idea) Even knowing about it, I still like my own perspective on the series better and will probably ignore it exists as I think I enjoy the series that way better myself. I get that it is official so I am not trying to downplay your trump card, which clearly wins out here. Just saying that I think that I like my version better thus to me it is indeed more valid. That said, I'll concede to it.

 

[Savagezion]

All this gripe, and yet nothing would change.

LoZ is a series of games that I love, but it's nowhere near perfect. It relies on a perhaps lazy 'hero saves the princess' plot nearly every game. Even beyond that, LoZ is the poster boy for Nintendo's image as a rehash/nostalgia developer. Lumping it into the context of society, and all of its problems, LoZ would not shine as an example for gaming significance.


Maybe a gender swap doesnt have to be a big deal? There's evidence all over the thread as to why it would practically work, so I won't go into that here, but my itchiest reason goes against my own opinion; I'm with you that simply gender swapping Link wouldn't be interesting....

To me. But what if someone else likes the option?

I am not saying someone can't like it. My point is don't think this will in any way have a bearing on the whole "female protagonist hoopla" going on right now. LoZ is always a high grossing title purely on namesake alone. Everyone wants to play the newest Zelda game. It's a thing. It's like how CoD: Ghosts now has female soldiers. But that isn't why it sold, it sold because its CoD and to think that adding female PCs to it proves something in the way of how female leads can sell games is really a very desperate attempt to grasp at straws. This really is the same thing. Even if this does well, it means nothing on that front. No gain.

Someone likes the idea? Cool, a kid on YouTube likes turtles. I am not arguing against their right to like it. But I will unapologetically state that I find it monumentally stupid.

Should I stomp all over someone else's preference, even if it IS practically skewed (I.E. among other things wrong with gender swapping Link, simply a girl acting and fighting like a boy)? Are you going to be so tied up with gender representation (in kids no less) to let this affect your experience with the game?

Mostly see above on this but will add that I probably wouldn't like it. It has more to do with character establishment than Link's genitals though. I like that there is a strong root in the story of the series. There isn't many out there like that. I don't see the series as "deep" or "thought provoking", I see it as simple and charming and having so many different tellings of that same tale is what makes it have that strong root where the big stuff in the game doesn't change only the minor. Majora's Mask was an oddball but I enjoyed it. I would also probably enjoy a game where Shiek/Zelda is the protagonist. Neither mess with that strong root. Making Zelda a girl "cuz it would be innovation!" would weaken the whole thing for me. I doubt my outlook will effect your experience with the title. Funny how that works, no?

Besides my inquiries, I'm finding you predicate your argument on the fact that the boy who breaks pots, swings purple-hilted swords, uses various tools, etc. becomes the hero who resolves the plight of the game environment. You don't think that this at least nudges the idea of male empowerment, that it's only the boy who can wield the Master Sword and various tools to save the princess, and ultimately the kingdom? This isn't some horrendous example of gender inequality, but I believe it does go back to my first point.

No I don't. However, first things first. My argument is predicated on the fact that turning Zelda into a girl offers a risk where Nintendo stand nothing to gain and everything to lose. It is a dumb risk to take for no reason. There is absolutely nothing stopping them from making Zelda a bad ass. Matter of fact, I think Nintendo has more to gain and nothing to lose going that route. No risk of alienating any part of your audience and still being able to appeal to those interested. Link being a girl is not reason enough for me to buy a game. If that alone IS reason enough for someone to buy a LoZ game, I would say either they are sexist as it will play as any other LoZ game but now your avatar is a different gender - OR - they are trolling the Zelda fanbase.

Neither get me wrong on my views, either. A gender swapped Link is also a lazy move, just as much as the plot device of Link saving Zelda...AGAIN. But on counts of comparison, I'm choosing a simpler lens to see this through, and it's overall pretty positive for a female Link.

... I don't see where you are coming from here at all. I assume it ties into what you were talking about in the last quoted paragraph, but I seriously am unable to follow the logic. Link is the hero because of destiny which I think the game makes pretty clear. I don't think it ever even hints at it being because he has a willy.

Perhaps we're at the point that the lack of female leads means we MAYBE shouldn't always walk on eggshells, just to 'represent the female person properly'. That sort of view comes with its own set of problems. Let a risk happen; there are positives for a female to be in a game (who's not a blatant sex object[footnote]I'm not so subtly judging you if you do this[/footnote]). To have 'proper' representation would be excellent, and truly (and sadly) groundbreaking, especially for a series as 'ingrained' in its ways as LoZ. But even a sideways step might help.

The eggshells comment got me because it can be taken two ways based on which side of the coin you are on. Who is walking on eggshells changes. It took me a while to get that because of it. I could see Nintendo doing it to out of having to walk on eggshells due to the hoopla I mentioned earlier. Now that I get where you are coming from, I don't think hijacking IPs in the name of women is the right approach. It's far too aggressive and potentially destructive, not to mention hard to predict and could end up hurting more than it helps. What needs to happen is more freedom with new IPs to allow women to be centric without being sex kittens. That has always been the problem; NOT successful male characters aren't women. Going that route offers more dangers of backlash than any potential rewards.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

Sure, it's called Metroid.

OT: I actually think maybe not. Not if it's just for the sake of being a woman. I can't imagine it'd help the plot, I'd prefer they just make a game where Zelda is the playable character. If they made it work and it added something to the game then sure but otherwise its kinda... It'd be like if they made him black. Personally, I'd be stoked. But from a narrative standpoint it'd be really stupid.

 

[Dragonbums]

I think it's a matter of the Triforce itself jumps generations, and only appears on males, almost like genetics.

That has a whole lot more to do with Nintendo choosing familiarity in gender and characters, than it has anything to do with some unspoken canon about who the triforce chooses.

I mean, look at Windwaker. There were no chosen ones. You were basically just some random ass kind who wore a green garb like everyone else who came of age. The only reason you went on an Adventure is because Ganon's bird was stupid and just kidnapped any girl that even so much was the right age of the supposed Zelda.


Nintendo themselves have even shown that they are far from averse to the idea presented in the OP anyway.
It was NEVER canon that the hero was always male.
Never. The heroes only consistent descriptor was that the hero comes in green, is Hylian (In some cases), and can defeat the evil Ganon. That's it.

Sex, skin tone, religious affiliation, none of these things ever crop up.

In fact, going even further, the story never said that the triforce of Wisdom has to be from Zelda either. She's only a constant because it's called the "Legend of Zelda". The only thing that is always unchangeable is Ganon, and that he has the triforce of power. That's it. Even then, there were a couple of games where he wasn't even really present.

Everything else is just fan canon.

 

[Gamer_152]

Sure. I mean Link's a pretty blank slate so it's not even as if it would be that big a change.

 

[Mersadeon]

Ok, first, I don't actually care. Links character isn't influenced by his gender at any point (insofar as he even HAS a character, in some games he's just a blank slate). So his gender really doesn't matter to me. Also, as OP already said, Link isn't the same guy in all the games - I can get behind the notion that his soul reincarnated into a woman.


But just for arguments sake, wouldn't that be the same as asking Superman to be female? Or Catgirl? (Ok, so those have their gender in their name, which makes this a bit weirder, but still!)

 

[Dragonbums]

As for the idea of gender swapping any fictional character being equally as valid. You have to know that Link is uncommon in the genre in that he's one of few legacy characters. The Link in Legend of Zelda is not the same boy appearing in Link to the Past, Windwaker, Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, Minish Cap or Skyward Sword. It's a story of reincarnation and recursion and there's nothing in the lore the invalidates the idea of a female child hero taking up the mantle to defend the realm against a recurring threat.

Well apparently a few pages ago there was a reason why lore-wise Link cant be female, because she would be overpowered as #$%^ as she will naturally have the divine goodies rather than splash around in dungeons and beg for divine power like male link.

They didn't say that Link would be overpowered. They said that Link could do all of those things she normally does. However she has to discover the power inside of her. Which I'm pretty dang sure would only occur near the end of the game anyway.

 

[Bocaj2000]

Wait. Wait. Wait... Link's a guy?

/joke

It would be fine, but I'm more interested in the already established females of the universe. For example, where the hell is my Sheik game?