No thanks- a female protagonist in her own title in the Hyrule world, though, would be interesting.
Poll: Would we all be cool with a female Link?
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I'm not sure I buy that whole "minutia says Link couldn't be a girl" thing, but I really don't want to get into the minutiae. About the only reason that really makes sense is perhaps the relationship between Link and Zelda and the implication that on occasion they contribute to the hero's lineage, but even that could be dealt with if Link was a lady and Zelda was a dude.garcian67 said:
I'm actually pretty surprised anyone would suggest, jokingly or not, that it might be more probable for Link to be a squid than a lady. That's f'ed up, no matter how you look at it.
I'm not blind to the business reasons why Link will never ever be a woman. But, I figured, if it's never going to happen, why not treat it as an academic argument instead of a realistic one? I don't care much for tradition, either. Tradition says women belong in the home and dark-skinned people aren't as good as light-skinned people and a son should follow in his father's foosteps and that homosexuality is wrong. Link was a dog once, for a little while, and that was pretty cool. Hell, someone once made a Zelda game where the hero was a dog the entire game, and we called it Okami, and it was glorious.
Well, sure, I'd be cool with it. But it would be better if they could do something a little bit more than taking a male character and giving them a different gender, ya know? It just seems like the simplest thing, creatively bankrupt. Not very interesting. Why not design and new character to fight in the Legend of Zelda universe? It would still have Zelda, but instead of link, it would be.... I can't come up with a name, but a female elf with a different name and a different look and different items (instead of the Master Sword, what about the "Everlasting Sword" or the "Light Sword")
I have no problems with more female protagonists. That's cool. But come on, be a little bit more creative than taking a male character and slightly altering the design so that the chest is slightly protruding. Creatively, that's not very interesting and requires the most minimal effort. I'm not exactly going to be called a creative genius if my design process involves taking every male character and writing "Female" before it. "Female Mario" "Female Sonic" "Female Nathan Drake" "Female Kratos". See how easy it is?
I have no problems with more female protagonists. That's cool. But come on, be a little bit more creative than taking a male character and slightly altering the design so that the chest is slightly protruding. Creatively, that's not very interesting and requires the most minimal effort. I'm not exactly going to be called a creative genius if my design process involves taking every male character and writing "Female" before it. "Female Mario" "Female Sonic" "Female Nathan Drake" "Female Kratos". See how easy it is?
Why? Link doesn't even talk and we've seen that the world he lives in doesn't seem to have any problem with women being fighters (They just aren't common) so it would just be the same thing. I wouldn't mind... I honestly wouldn't, I just don't see the point.
From an outsiders perspective it seems like there is no reason there couldn't be a female Link. At the same time that change seems like it would mostly be a story aspect(I would guess a minor one at that). Which is fine, but it seems like having a title starring Zelda with a 'magic' angle has greater potential for new story and gameplay elements.
Less a "Female Link" and more a Female lead in the same world.
Less a "Female Link" and more a Female lead in the same world.
I would be cool with it! Since the Hero of Time is often reborn, it would be entirely possible that he was eventually born as a she. I normally am not a fan of forced "genderbent" universes, but this seems more organic and not forced because of the whole Hero of Time thing coming back again and again in different forms.
I think most people are answering yes because it's the "politically correct" thing to do at the moment. Ask yourselves: "would The Legend of Zelda benefit from a female link, or is this just changing the formula for the sake of changing the formula?"
Before I'm bashed for not wanting female protagonists or something, I actually prefer an awesome strong protagonist to a male protagonist. Not because sexuality or anything, I just like the way they tend to handle themselves rather than "BRODUDE MACHO MAN ALL THE WAY"
To me, male Link is just part of what makes the Zelda series what it is. Would you want a male Samus? Oh god please no! A new series with a female protagonist would be fun though.
I vote new franchise... can I do a write-in for the ballot?
Edit: Now that I think about it, new hero, new storyline to the universe would work nicely. Can't be the Hero of Time. Link is the Hero of Time, female protagonist is the Hero of [insert something heroic here]. Eh? I think that'd be really cool actually. I have myself hyped for something that most likely won't ever exist.
Before I'm bashed for not wanting female protagonists or something, I actually prefer an awesome strong protagonist to a male protagonist. Not because sexuality or anything, I just like the way they tend to handle themselves rather than "BRODUDE MACHO MAN ALL THE WAY"
To me, male Link is just part of what makes the Zelda series what it is. Would you want a male Samus? Oh god please no! A new series with a female protagonist would be fun though.
I vote new franchise... can I do a write-in for the ballot?
Edit: Now that I think about it, new hero, new storyline to the universe would work nicely. Can't be the Hero of Time. Link is the Hero of Time, female protagonist is the Hero of [insert something heroic here]. Eh? I think that'd be really cool actually. I have myself hyped for something that most likely won't ever exist.
Link is little more than his design.
He has no real personality, no voice of his own (Toon Link is probably his most emotive version, and even then it leaves much to be desired). All he has is his fated course to fight Ganon and protect Zelda. Really, all three of them are one-dimensional enough that genderbending them would change very little, if anything at all.
Personally, I'd prefer to have Link be a real character before I have him as a girl. Because slapping a pair of tits on him as he is really doesn't accomplish anything.
He has no real personality, no voice of his own (Toon Link is probably his most emotive version, and even then it leaves much to be desired). All he has is his fated course to fight Ganon and protect Zelda. Really, all three of them are one-dimensional enough that genderbending them would change very little, if anything at all.
Personally, I'd prefer to have Link be a real character before I have him as a girl. Because slapping a pair of tits on him as he is really doesn't accomplish anything.
Big fat no to that.
Why? Because there's no point in making Link a female. Making Link a female would simply be a texture change and he doesn't have that macho look so it wouldn't even be a large change. Strap some boobs on and he's pretty much a female Link. It would be utterly pointless and personally it just reeks of pleasing feminists, but it's just a cheap trick to do so.
What I would want to see in an upcoming Zelda game is Zelda being the main character. Link is an established character and the hero of time is the connection between the games. Changing that would only lead to pissing off fans. Also your point is that it wouldn't change anything... why encourage developers to make a new game where the changes are skin deep? You can play Banjo Kazooie and you can play Banjo Kazooie with big head mode enabled or maybe even as a dishwasher. You look different, but it's still the same game.
Now imagine if they made Ocarine of Time except that you're playing as Zelda. You got access to magic other than what Link can use and you can transform into Sheik which would drastically change the gameplay.
Basically you are wishing for a game where they just scream "Look, we're different, we made the main character female!" however that's just as lazy as making a character gay or bisexual without having any situation where his sexuality matters. Let's say Valve made an announcement that Freeman was gay... well, why would I care? He and Link are both silent protagonists. I don't care what sex they are or who they want to bump uglies with because it won't affect the game in any way at all.
Why? Because there's no point in making Link a female. Making Link a female would simply be a texture change and he doesn't have that macho look so it wouldn't even be a large change. Strap some boobs on and he's pretty much a female Link. It would be utterly pointless and personally it just reeks of pleasing feminists, but it's just a cheap trick to do so.
What I would want to see in an upcoming Zelda game is Zelda being the main character. Link is an established character and the hero of time is the connection between the games. Changing that would only lead to pissing off fans. Also your point is that it wouldn't change anything... why encourage developers to make a new game where the changes are skin deep? You can play Banjo Kazooie and you can play Banjo Kazooie with big head mode enabled or maybe even as a dishwasher. You look different, but it's still the same game.
Now imagine if they made Ocarine of Time except that you're playing as Zelda. You got access to magic other than what Link can use and you can transform into Sheik which would drastically change the gameplay.
Basically you are wishing for a game where they just scream "Look, we're different, we made the main character female!" however that's just as lazy as making a character gay or bisexual without having any situation where his sexuality matters. Let's say Valve made an announcement that Freeman was gay... well, why would I care? He and Link are both silent protagonists. I don't care what sex they are or who they want to bump uglies with because it won't affect the game in any way at all.
I don't know many men that would complain about having woman-y types near their male spaces... hurrhurr.Zhukov said:
Sorry...
Otherwise no, I wouldn't have any real problem with it, so long as it didn't feel "just for the sake of it" or shoe-horned in.
As long as it can provide an interesting take on the Zelda franchise, then I don't see why not.
This one might turn out to be long, I apologize in advance..Coakle said:
Also, before we begin, this involves a much more liberal reading of Nintendo's "Official" timeline which, if you've played all the games, makes absolutely no sense and is completely incongruous with the early titles. It seems like they hammered it out in an afternoon because a lot of people were asking them to, rather than actually having designed the games to fit in that manner. Needless to say there IS a timeline to the games, and the order may be important to you depending on how you choose to interpret some of the lore.
There are two main stories in LoZ, that of Link, Zelda, and "Evil" (generally Gannon/Ganon) which, in turn, is representative of the struggle to find a balanced life judged by three virtues, shown as the three pieces of the triforce. The second is that of duality. Depending on the game in question, this duality is shown in different ways. Majora's Mask with the, erm, masks (more of plurality I suppose, but it makes the point) in A Link to the Past, with the Light world/Dark world, in Ocarina of Time with the child and adult worlds, in Wind Waker with the rather desolate present, but glorious past shown through the underwater sections. Twilight princess again with the light/dark worlds and human/wolf link.
Starting with the very beginning, The goddesses create the world, then the events of skyward sword occur. These events explain the origin of everything, so listen closely.
Zelda is the reincarnation of Hylia, a goddess.
Ganon (really should be Gannon here, but damn Nintendo..) is the pure malice of Demise being given form to conquer the world.
Link, through his actions to save Zelda (specifically passing three trials set before him by the goddesses which strengthen his spirit, important later on), becomes "The hero".
These three entities are the entirety of the series, they are destined to repeat this conflict in very similar fashion for the rest of time, as Demise mentions explicitly. Zelda, being the reincarnation of a goddess, must always be female. I hope we can agree on this one.
Ganon, being pure malice given form is technically gender neutral, though I doubt many women would want to claim pure evil as their own. There's also a rather Freudian connection between power and penis, which may or may not have influenced Nintendo on Ganon's gender. In short, Ganon's gender is not quite fixed by the lore, male just makes more sense given his attributes.
"Link" throughout time, is simply a person who possesses the now immortal and timeless Spirit of the Hero. This spirit is what is connected to the triforce of courage, this spirit is what transformed a ritual sword into a weapon against evil and it is this spirit, everyone, that ties all of the links together. The original hero was male, thus it makes sense the spirit of the hero would look for a male body to possess, if for no other reason than natural strength (not that link is particularly beefy, but men are, on average and especially in the time period depicted in the games, stronger than women).
It is also important to note that other than OoT and somewhat in A Link to the Past, link isn't special. Something has to happen to him before he becomes a hero. In wind waker and twilight princess, it is his sister being kidnapped which spurs him to heroism, and thus entices the spirit to place his bets on that person over any other. There is some slight predestination in the series, so it is also entirely possible that the goddesses, knowing full well the cycle is endless, plan ahead of time to have a suitable body ready for the hero when he is needed.
Lastly, there has always been a modicum of attraction between Zelda and Link, this begins first in syward sword, as it is the first game chronologically, and it is entirely likely the goddesses find it necessary that this attraction exists as extra motivation for the hero, and so that the hero and hylia can recognize each other. Were the hero to be female, this attraction would be different, it could not enter the realm of chivalry that embodied by the first heroes (they were knights after all) and instead would either be sexual, or of a close friendship.
In any case, the story has always demanded that courage and wisdom unite against powerful malice to save the world, in this respect, the hero and hylia need to complement each other. Zelda, physically, is timid and weak, yet she knows far beyond her years and is an accomplished sorceress. She alone is not strong enough to stop Ganon due to acting too late/not strongly enough, as shown in OoT.
The hero, is courageous, but simple. He needs guides, the sages and others who can see the bigger picture, who know what must be done to defeat Ganon. Courage alone would get link killed. It needs to be tempered by wisdom, which in most cases does not come directly from Zelda, but from other embodiments of divinity sages, fairies and the like. All these figures do is attempt to lead link to Zelda, while ensuring along the way he has completed the requisite tasks required to weaken ganon's hold on power and secure victory.
This perfectly mirrors the duality from earlier (you remember the tangent about duality, right?). Zelda, feminine, divine, wise, timid. Link, spirited, courageous, rash.
This theme, a Woman tempering a Man's courage with superior forethought and wisdom, this wonderful duality of life, along with the rest of my novel here, is why a female link cannot occur without drastically altering the canon of the series.
Thank you.
I'd prefer something innovative to come to the franchise beyond a gender swap character. Perhaps Zelda could get some play and agency of her own with different mechanics? Or we could play as a good Ganondorf putting obstacles and allies in crucial places to stop the plans of an evil queen and her silent knight progressing as they try to take over the world?
Let's have some switch up sure, but just gender swapping Link would feel like too little. Make a classic Zelda or a radical departure.
Also Nintendo is often shy enough about trying new things in established franchises that I'd prefer them to alter the story or gameplay in a meaningful way. That could include a female Link, but it'd better if it wasn't the take home point from what they did!
Let's have some switch up sure, but just gender swapping Link would feel like too little. Make a classic Zelda or a radical departure.
Also Nintendo is often shy enough about trying new things in established franchises that I'd prefer them to alter the story or gameplay in a meaningful way. That could include a female Link, but it'd better if it wasn't the take home point from what they did!
I think we should make all previous male protagonists female, that way maybe people will shut up about it.