Poll: Should Link be female in the next Lengend Of Zelda

[Exius Xavarus]

wat

They must be. Although I've never seen any of these boyfriends. They must also jump in for a night of fun and then back to the fortress. Although I still don't think that means Nintendo couldn't implement such a thing with the Gerudo if they had wanted. They're pretty much all about "Tits or GTFO."

 

[Rex Fallout]

I think there should there is nothing Over all masculine link and the green tunic is pretty much gender neutral. also I posting because of moviebob the game overthinker

No. Link is a reincarnation of the Heroes spirit, the same spirit of the original Link from Skyward Sword. He is meant to be a reincarnation of THAT character- it doesn't have to be a blood line connection it is simple reincarnation. Link has to be male to be Link (connection to original Link). Just like Zelda is a reincarnation of the Goddess and must be female.

Ganon is dead in two of the timelines though so feel free to make an evil female antagonist I guess.

 

[bafrali]

I don't think Link should be made a female. I DO however want to see a female lead for The Legend of Zelda, I think a game where Link was captured by Ganondorf and Zelda had to venture forth and rescue him. That would be awesome.

I may have something for you



I also have a totally rad game where sonic romances a human princess. So your call pal.

 

[TheCommanders]

Link is a guy??? All kidding aside considering he has no voice, long hair, and wears a green dress I don't think it would be that much of a change. Besides, then Zelda and him/her would have a much more... non-traditional relationship.

 

[Treblaine]

While not totally canon-breaking as Link is not defined as one person but a "chosen one" of each generation, and not necessarily a boy.

But I think if you are going to mix things up with a female lead, have princess Zelda take the reigns. After all, she's already shown she's will to roll up her sleeves and fight when she took on the "Sheik" persona in Ocarina of Time way back in 1998 and again as Piratess Tetra.

It would be a good trend for Nintendo to riff on as we've had a lot of fighting princesses of recent and it seems to be a preferable trope to the all too familiar stereotype of young boy adventurer, yet while retaining the same fantasy themes.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

Instead of a female Link, why not just let us play as Zelda, gods damn it? I knew someone who thought maybe the next Metroid Samus should be a guy. In that case, why not just play as Anthony Higgs or make Houston an actual character? I liked both of them, although I still don't know why he has a Power Suit in the comic...

But yeah, doesn't need to be a female Link. Just let us play as Zelda, or come up with a new character altogether.

 

[Treblaine]

Link is a guy??? All kidding aside considering he has no voice, long hair, and wears a green dress I don't think it would be that much of a change. Besides, then Zelda and him/her would have a much more... non-traditional relationship.

He's repeatedly referred to as a boy, male, "he" and when grown up as "now a man".

But it's a good point, there is little about his character that is essentially masculine, the lead in a Legend of Zelda game could very well be a woman.

Link isn't even a particularly gendered name. In fact it isn't even a noun, its a verb which is hardly masculine.

And there was never any serious romantic relationship between Link and Zelda, it is always put in terms of duty and justice for Hyrule and its people, never "ooh, Link do this for me because you love me". You could just as easily take all dialogue between Link and Zelda (well, monologue really) and it would apply just as well with a Princess petitioning a young Adventuress to serve her home land in a quest.

 

[Lugbzurg]

Uh, isn't that like asking Duke Nukem or Master Chief to become female in the next game? Why take an established male character and genderbend them? Just have a new female protagonist (which every nintendork will go apeshit over) If you have to drink a temporary potion, then alright, but to play an entire game as a rule 63'd Link...nah.

Not really, no. Because there are multiple Links. Much like the whole "Avatar" concept. Korra isn't "Rule 63 Aang", after all. Twilight Princess takes place about 100 years after Ocarina of Time and Spirit Tracks takes place around 3,000 years after it. We might as well be seeing a Zelda game that takes place in the future, sometime.

A real one. Not... this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcvdT2C31oc

 

[Treblaine]

wat

Zelda isn't quite that deep. I used the Gerudo as an example because of their explicitly female population. Gender in Zelda is a lot more shallow than you're describing, especially when it comes to the Gerudo. Not female? Boot to the head. I mean, come on, they have one male every 100 years. Are we to believe that one male is to have sex with all those Gerudo women for a hundred years, and more until the new male is old enough for such a thing? That was sorta just left by the wayside never to be explained. I don't think Nintendo's putting much of an emphasis on sex itself. xP Now, it wouldn't be used for other various things in the game because beyond the Gerudo or the pirates in Termina Bay, gender really doesn't mean a lick. I was speaking strictly about gameplay and used the Gerudo as my example because they are rather black and white about it.

Well it goes both ways.

We don't bat an eyelid when we raid an area and you only meet male opponents, but if it's all women and no men suddenly you realise how weird it is. I think it's simply a case of writers and animators don't create complete functioning societies but focus on a theme (exotic Arabic female assassins) and expand on it's interaction with the protagonist.

PS: a man could easily - in biological terms - be the father to 100 children. The problem would be 100 half-siblings, how do you prevent inbreeding?

 

[Innegativeion]

What's a Lengend?

OT:Uh, isn't that like asking Duke Nukem or Master Chief to become female in the next game? Why take an established male character and genderbend them? Just have a new female protagonist (which every nintendork will go apeshit over) If you have to drink a temporary potion, then alright, but to play an entire game as a rule 63'd Link...nah.

]I'd actually liked to see a Zelda game with Zelda as the main character.

You wanna see Zelda as the hero?

Spoiler: Alright then...

I dunno if you've played skyward sword but I think the implication in this thread is

Spoiler

since "link" is a single reincarnating soul, pretty much like... No, EXACTLY like avatar

Link could wind up female,

Spoiler

also just like avatar

 

[CoronaryThrombosis]

How would changing Link's gender make the game better? Will we be searching for the Tampax instead of the Triforce?

Sorry OP. Seems pointless

 

[Raioken18]

I really like the idea of optional gender, but obviously having 2 different characters play the same role would be a bit odd, how about one where you play as both for different aspects of the game, or two stories side by side.

Possible Spoilers.

I.e. Link is busy doing this part and Zelda is busy doing her own part. I think it would work well in a situation like OoT, like if the Master Sword needed to be recovered as well as the jewels to be collected to open the door in the temple of time. Link could do his original duty of finding the gems, while Zelda would have to escape from Gannon and seek out the Master Sword herself. Both middle parts of the game ending at the temple.

I mean it seems much more likely that Zelda would be accepted by the Gerudo as opposed to Link who is a man or by the Shiekah as she is one of them, while the Kokiri would only accept Link as he is one of their own so to speak, and the only Hylian capable of traversing the Lost Woods.

I think it could work really well if done properly. Above was just if it were related to an old title, but you could build a functioning world around this concept.

 

[Xan Krieger]

You imply Link was a male in the first place with the tights and pointy ears, I refuse to accept that that was a dude. I say yes to the poll since she was a girl in the previous games and so she might as well be one in the next one.

 

[elilupe]

I'm not really sure it's really needed. I mean, I wouldn't be campaigning against it if they ever decided to do it, but Link's gender doesn't matter much, seeing as how he's a (mostly) mute guy who just serves to save the world. So, I don't think he *should* be female next time, but it wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[Smiley Face]

Strictly speaking, while it's entirely possible for that to make sense in the game continuity, the vast, VAST majority of people who play the games have NO IDEA about the game continuity, and as such, there would be a great deal of backlash, confusion, etc., which aren't really necessary when there are other options on the table, e.g., make Zelda the central figure this time around. That would be a much better idea.

 

[aba1]

I don't mind the idea of playing as Zelda or anything but link shouldn't be a girl if only cause it really doesn't make sense with the rest of the series and really just seems pandering and pointless.

 

[Madmonk12345]

I think the role reversal idea of Link and Zelda isn't such a good idea. Link's motivations rarely involve saving Zelda at first, and often are elsewhere, whether saving his sister in Wind Waker, or just outright saving the world in Oot. A more interesting idea would be having Link just refuse to save the world.

After saving the world so many times, it's easy to imagine that link would get tired of saving it. So, this time, when the call to heroism comes for Link, he refuses. Zelda attempts to take up the mantle of the hero who never came.

This leaves room for Zelda to have some characterization, setting her up for both the realization that's she isn't the fated hero and the realization that the hero isn't coming.

 

[Radoh]

I think the role reversal idea of Link and Zelda isn't such a good idea. Link's motivations rarely involve saving Zelda at first, and often are elsewhere, whether saving his sister in Wind Waker, or just outright saving the world in Oot. A more interesting idea would be having Link just refuse to save the world.

After saving the world so many times, it's easy to imagine that link would get tired of saving it. So, this time, when the call to heroism comes for Link, he refuses. Zelda attempts to take up the mantle of the hero who never came.

This leaves room for Zelda to have some characterization, setting her up for both the realization that's she isn't the fated hero and the realization that the hero isn't coming.

'Cept there'd be no reason for him to be sick and tired of saving the world, since the most seasoned Hero of Time would be the one in Ocarina of Time who was also the same guy in Majora's Mask and if I recall correctly also the Oracle games.

No Link has been around for more than a decade or so, why would he be tired of that if it's a different one every time?

OT: I don't much care for the idea so much, since I'm pretty sure the Hero's lineage is Male only.
Something that I would like to see however, and something that doesn't make sense why it hasn't is getting a Prince instead of Zelda.
The reason Zelda's always Zelda is because back when the first Princess was busy being awesome someone decided to make it an edict that all Princesses in the Hylian line would be named Zelda. So why has there never been a Prince before now?

Edit: So I just thought of something.
Link is one reincarnating soul (Excluding Hero of Winds of course), if he were to be a Woman in one incarnation, would that not also cause some major gender identity issues? I'm actually going to flip flop and say that would be really neat to see in a game, course Link's never really been big on characterisation but still.

 

[Yopaz]

Uh, okay, I guess. So, what about Link being female renders her incapable of getting the Triforce and stopping Ganon?

Thank you for proving my point. You don't understand what I am trying to say. I am not against female protagonists, I have never once said so, that is what you have decided what I am saying. I am against plot details that don't lead anywhere. Changing Link into a female changes nothing. Having Zelda as the protagonist can change everything and actually be meaningful and I would enjoy seeing that.

Now if you understand my post that's fine. If not be contempt with believing that I am a sexist/misogynistic asshole.