No matter how many times Link traverses a set of themed elemental dungeons, uses a bow and arrow to hit an unreachable switch, or blows up a wall with a bomb, these mechanics return again and again in each new Zelda game. Up until sometime after The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, most people were okay with retreading similar ground with each release. However, after Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword came and went, fans and critics alike began to worry about The Legend of Zelda's relevance and staying power.
Now 27 years old, it's clear The Legend of Zelda needs significant change to stay afloat with fans and critics alike. At E3 2013, many expected Nintendo to announce an original Zelda for Wii U, but such an announcement never came. Be that as it may, it's clear such a game is in development. Nintendo has said so itself. Leaked rumors of drastic changes, such as open-world environments and Dark Soulsinspired multiplayer, have floated around in the news for the past year.
While these gameplay changes may work great in a Zelda game, we think something much more simple and non-gameplay related needs to be done. Simply put, Link should be a woman in the next Legend of Zelda.
We all know there's a lack of women protagonists in video games, and the disparity isn't about to get any better. E3 is known as the convention where the future of gaming is revealed, but this past E3 Microsoft failed to show a single game with a female lead during its Press Conference and Nintendo only featured Bayonetta 2 during its E3 Nintendo Direct. Sony fared a little better with Transistor and Beyond: Two Souls, but these two examples pale in comparison to the dozens of male-centric games shown by all three hardware developers.
With this in mind, we've put together a list of reasons why Nintendo should give the next incarnation of Link a sex change. After all, who better to lead the gender equality charge than one of gaming's most visible and celebrated mascots in need of some change himself?
5. Link is already androgynous
As far as manly protagonists go, Link isn't one of them. In some games, he's a child. In others, he's defined as a fairy boy. To fight enemies, Link doesn't use a massive, phallic sword or a hypermasculine chainsaw gun. Instead, he uses his wits with slingshots, bows, and boomerangs to take down the biggest bosses. Otherwise, he wields the modest Master Sword. Nintendo clearly hasn't designed Link to be a bastion of manliness.
This androgyny makes it easy for his gender to be changed. Because his features are inherently feminine, most of the models who cosplay as Link at various conventions are women, and the cosplay done by men doesn't hold up as well. Link's slender jaw, non-muscular build, and longer hair fit the female form much better. Therefore, Link's gender switch would be more readily accepted by fans, critics, and the gaming community in general.
4. Nintendo lacks female gaming icons
Like the rest of the gaming world, Nintendo's female characters are scarce. Outside of Samus Aran, Nintendo's remaining women are regulated to sidekick or princess status, more often than not requiring the rescue of the male lead. In fact, taking a look at the Super Smash Bros. Brawl roster, which houses most primary and secondary Nintendo icons, there are only three female characters out of 35, not including alternate forms and whatever gender Jigglypuff is supposed to be. The Wii Fit Trainer was added to the roster this past E3, but she has also been outnumbered by the announcements of The Villager and Mega Man.
Nintendo isn't known for creating new intellectual properties on a regular basis. Since Nintendo began creating games in 1974, the company has ridden on the backs of legacy franchises, and the only franchise in this category that stars a female character is, again, the Metroid series. Nearly 40 years is a long time to only have one prolific female lead.
We're not going to see a new Nintendo franchise anytime soon, so it makes sense to take an existing series and gender swap the protagonist. Who better than Nintendo's already androgynous fairy-boy?
