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Eiji Aonuma: “No one explicitly said that that was Link.”

Q

Qurupeke

Member
I ignored that at first but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I'm still not sure if the character is a girl, but it wouldn't be shocking to be someone else. When I watched the trailer for the first time, the fighting style bugged me. Sure, he/she didn't really give a battle, but the focus on bow and not sword was weird.

Being Ganondorf is another thing that I was thinking, but the character looks to feminine to be him.

Anyway, I don't think we'll wait much to get some answers. Aonuma dropped bombs...
 
K

Kuro

Member
EmpReb said:
bce814c5834efbf42892d05c4ab5ec111367293680_full.jpg


This is what a lot of non anime people here are thinking.. thanks AMP Cruchyroll
Click to expand...

To be fair the "boy" is a trap trope for that anime.
 
L

LaserHawk

Member
JasonMCG said:
Theory:
In Zelda lore, evil comes at some point and the Hero of Time doesn't show. What if this game centers around that time? The Hero never appears and so, to instill hope in her people, Zelda tries to fill the shoes of the Hero of Time?
Click to expand...

I've considered a theory like that.

I wondered if maybe this is a time when they don't know who the new "Link" is. Maybe there are multiple candidates for the new Link (and these different characters are available in multiplayer co-op).
 
Z

Zeyphersan

Banned
Valjean Lafitte said:
What? That's not even remotely true. Link and Tetra went off in search of a new land at the end of Wind Waker, and after the events of Phantom Hourglass they find it. Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years later in the new Hyrule, the new Hyrule isn't discovered 100 years later!
Click to expand...

Oh goddammit..... Alright, here's where I reveal that I never beat Phantom Hourglass. So uh.... my bad.

(I still don't think it's Aryll)
 
A

atr0cious

Member
EmpReb said:
bce814c5834efbf42892d05c4ab5ec111367293680_full.jpg


This is what a lot of non anime people here are thinking.. thanks AMP Cruchyroll
Click to expand...

Art is informed by more than just anime. The artist for this game is a lot better than some sweatshop animation studio, and yet I could still tell you those character's genders in your little strawman, based on the spacing and shape of the characters eyes. Artists are trained in gendered anatomy, and to think that an artstyle would cover up these fundamentals is naive.
 
A

apana

Member
JasonMCG said:
Theory:
In Zelda lore, evil comes at some point and the Hero of Time doesn't show. What if this game centers around that time? The Hero never appears and so, to instill hope in her people, Zelda tries to fill the shoes of the Hero of Time?
Click to expand...

I actually really like this idea. I would miss Link though. The other problem is I think in that timeline Ganondorf wins or something like that.
 
M

magnetic

Member
I don´t really care about the Zelda canon, but man, I would LOVE it if that character was indeed a girl. I haven´t really played any of the newer games (aside LBW) and I instantly felt that something was off about "Link".

I really love playing as heroic, slightly androgynous women in games. I can´t even specifically pinpoint why, I just do.
 
Z

ZenTzen

Member
Xun said:
I have a feeling the backlash will be insane if this is actually just Link/a male character.
Click to expand...

why would it, i reckon there would be more of a backlash if this wasnt actually link

people have been making assumptions based on the most flimsiest of evidences, so them getting mad seems ridiculous
 
Z

zeldablue

Member
This is how Nintendo trolls.

A trailer ends with a wolf howling. Fans go crazy thinking the wolf was Link. They were right.

A picture shows Link without a sword and a girl. Fans go crazy thinking the girl is the spirit of the Master Sword. They were right.

This trailer shows an effeminate Link in new clothes. Fans go crazy thinking it's Zelda. They are probably right.

The faintest hint allows leads to fans going insane but we always speculate/theorize correctly. Don't judge crazy Zelda fans, we know how Aonuma thinks. >:D
 
E

Edzi

Member
WhiteRabbitEXE said:
wat. Link's design changes drastically quite regularly. Look at Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link Between Worlds, they're all completely different. Even OoT Link is pretty different (and prominently features two version of Link). One of the core aspects of Zelda is that Link is a different character every time. I see no reason why Link couldn't be a girl, there's not even anything in the canon that would bar it.
Click to expand...

I think a design/style change is a bit different than a complete gender swap.
 
E

EmpReb

Banned
atr0cious said:
Art is informed by more than just anime. The artist for this game is a lot better than some sweatshop animation studio, and yet I could still tell you those character's genders in your little strawman, based on the spacing and shape of the characters eyes. Artists are trained in gendered anatomy, and to think that an artstyle would cover up these fundamentals is naive.
Click to expand...
Most people are not trained in Art let alone see enough of the manga art to tell certain things. You can talk all you want about Arists buts is the people views on it that shape opinions.
 
H

HolyBaikal

Banned
I would be amazingly happy if this new Zelda game had a playable female character. And I really am hoping that's the case.

But I don't think I'll be too disappointed if they aren't. I like androgyny and while I really hope someday, that we'll have a Legend of Zelda game about a girl or woman. I love seeing video games go against gender stereotypes about what a guy is supposed to look like. And I'm glad that Link's character design is challenging people's stereotypes about when men are supposed to look like.

And challenging gender stereotypes like this is one of my favourite things about Japanese video games.
 
G

GrotesqueBeauty

Banned
I think it's fair to say that it's either a female or Nintendo needs to work on the character aesthetic. Link has been looking increasingly androgynous for several games now, but the narrower more tapered face, blushed cheeks, pronounced lashes, long slender neck, narrow sloping shoulders, and cinched waist are all pretty feminine features. Only the hands retain a somewhat masculine look. And before anyone jumps on me about stereotypes, most of the basic proportion issues are matters of basic biology and morphology. I've never drawn a male model from life with proportions like that. Even TP and SS link had more regular body proportion even as Link's face became progressively more effeminate.

My personal guess, is that the footage shown is essentially a cold opening to the game, or something near the beginning of the adventure. The wide shot it begins with being a nod to OoT's famous opening of riding Epona through the field. I also think this prologue may be a disguised Zelda roaming outside the castle, which there is already a precedent for in multiple Zelda games. It may even be that instead of mere abilities or transformations player might assume multiple characters depending on the narrative. If so I think it would probably force character use at a couple early junctures and eventually give players the ability to switch off. It's a shot in the dark, but would definitely fit in line with reevaluating the series and trying new approaches.
 
G

G.ZZZ

Member
Guys it's clear, she's gonna be the daugther of link AND Zelda, and she's gonna inherit both the triforce of wisdom AND the one of courage, becoming the strongest hero of all time and defying even the goddesses, Majora, and Ganondorf all at once.

#teamgirl
 
B

Brainfreeze

Member
HolyBaikal said:
I would be amazingly happy if this new Zelda game had a playable female character. And I really am hoping that's the case.

But I don't think I'll be too disappointed if they aren't. I like androgyny and while I really hope someday, that we'll have a Legend of Zelda game about a girl or woman. I love seeing video games go against gender stereotypes about what a guy is supposed to look like. And I'm glad that Link's character design is challenging people's stereotypes about when men are supposed to look like.

And challenging gender stereotypes like this is one of my favourite things about Japanese video games.
Click to expand...

I'm basically in this boat. I really don't care if that character is male or female, it's the fact that it's not immediately evident that's cool to me. Hopefully there isn't too much backlash from either side when the truth is revealed, but there almost definitely will be.

I still think the game will feature customization, maybe even multiplayer, and sex will be swappable. Given Aonuma's quotes about revisiting conventions, and specific mentions of multiplayer, that seems to be the most obvious explanation for that character not necessarily being "Link" in a universal sense. I would think choice would make pretty much everyone happy, but we know by now that's not true either.
 
S

Sacul64GC

Banned
G.ZZZ said:
Guys it's clear, she's gonna be the daugther of link AND Zelda, and she's gonna inherit both the triforce of wisdom AND the one of courage, becoming the strongest hero of all time and defying even the goddesses, Majora, and Ganondorf all at once.

#teamgirl
Click to expand...

Or they are twins, Link and his twin sister Aryll and you can pick ether of them. I am fine with ether a female Link, his sister with default name of Aryll or Zelda.
 
S

Syrinx

Member
zeldablue said:
This is how Nintendo trolls.

A trailer ends with a wolf howling. Fans go crazy thinking the wolf was Link. They were right.

A picture shows Link without a sword and a girl. Fans go crazy thinking the girl is the spirit of the Master Sword. They were right.

This trailer shows an effeminate Link in new clothes. Fans go crazy thinking it's Zelda. They are probably right.

The faintest hint allows leads to fans going insane but we always speculate/theorize correctly. Don't judge crazy Zelda fans, we know how Aonuma thinks. >:D
Click to expand...

I was kinda thinking last night about how when Nintendo was revealing Skyward Sword, Miyamoto and Aonuma were very deliberate in the details they wanted people to notice. For instance, when they showed that concept painting it was one of them (I think Miyamoto) who directly pointed out that Link wasn't holding his sword, which led to speculation that Fi was the sword, which ended up being right.

So when Aonuma says "No one explicitly said that that was Link", there's something going on there. I'm not sure that it means the character is a girl, or Zelda specifically, or character creation is involved, but I severely doubt that Aonuma's just going to go "Nah, that was just Link all along, lololol".
 
I

Inquisitive_Ghost

Member
G.ZZZ said:
Guys it's clear, she's gonna be the daugther of link AND Zelda, and she's gonna inherit both the triforce of wisdom AND the one of courage, becoming the strongest hero of all time and defying even the goddesses, Majora, and Ganondorf all at once.

#teamgirl
Click to expand...

I know you're just goofing around, but there are two games in the series where Link actually gains the entire Triforce.
 
L

LaserHawk

Member
GrotesqueBeauty said:
I think it's fair to say that it's either a female or Nintendo needs to work on the character aesthetic. Link has been looking increasingly androgynous for several games now, but the narrower more tapered face, blushed cheeks, pronounced lashes, long slender neck, narrow sloping shoulders, and cinched waist are all pretty feminine features. Only the hands retain a somewhat masculine look. And before anyone jumps on me about stereotypes, most of the basic proportion issues are matters of basic biology and morphology. I've never drawn a male model from life with proportions like that. Even TP and SS link had more regular body proportion even as Link's face became progressively more effeminate.
Click to expand...

I've actually been hoping that just once, they'd make a slightly more masculine Link. Nothing beefy, but maybe he's got a jawline and a build that a man could possibly have. But I think the Zelda fanbase would be even angrier at a "Man Link" than they would be over a Lady Link.
 
P

Phades

Member
MagiusNecros said:
The wrist wrappings remind me of the Gerudo tribe and by extension Ganondorf.
Click to expand...

That would probably be the most interesting story they could tell. Although having Zelda as the protaganist would be interesting to. More than either of those individually, would be having it shaken up to where you play more than one role or point of view throughout the game.
 
G

GrotesqueBeauty

Banned
HolyBaikal said:
No! :<

And I think that's a good thing.
Click to expand...
Because? The series already promotes a number of capable non-sexualized female protagonists. No need to snip the balls off the protagonist. Why not just make it a female and have males in the supporting cast? And if they're going to promote blurred gender lines then why not do it in a franchise with the framework for it and be forthright instead of ambiguous? As it happens though, I don't think Link's design has anything to do with such lofty social intentions. I think Japanese pop culture just has this particular drift right now.
 
H

-Horizon-

Member
G.ZZZ said:
Guys it's clear, she's gonna be the daugther of link AND Zelda, and she's gonna inherit both the triforce of wisdom AND the one of courage, becoming the strongest hero of all time and defying even the goddesses, Majora, and Ganondorf all at once.

#teamgirl
Click to expand...

Flashbacks to the Legend of Korra. The new Hero being all powerful and arrogant haha.
I think I'd be ok if the Hero acted like that at first
 
t-storm

t-storm

Member
My god, seriously, the bullshit that people come up with in this thread.

"This game is going to turn conventional Zelda upside down!"

Hyperbole much? We absolutely KNOW NOTHING about this game.
 
H

HolyBaikal

Banned
GrotesqueBeauty said:
No need to snip the balls off the protagonist.
Click to expand...
That seemed unecessary. Why do people seem to say things like this so often. It seems like being gross for the sake of being gross.

It makes it sound derogatory. Like have male reproductive organs is a good thing and losing them would be a bad thing. Not everyone likes having male reproductive organs and there was no reason to make that comparison.

Reproductive organs are reproductive organs. And shoulders are necks are necks. And faces are faces.

GrotesqueBeauty said:
Why not just make it a female and have males in the supporting cast?
Click to expand...
I think that would be great! But that doesn't mean that Link needs to be masculine.

And what do you mean by framework? What kind of framework is needed to justify effiminate male characters? I don't think that it's something that needs some kind of framework or justification.

GrotesqueBeauty said:
I think Japanese pop culture just has this particular drift right now.
Click to expand...
Well then I'm glad that not all cultures gender polices hypermasculinity. There are plenty of problems in Japanese culture just like any culture, that I don't agree with. But if androgyny is popular and accepted in Japan, then I think that's a good thing.
 
L

LegendX48

Member
t-storm said:
My god, seriously, the bullshit that people come up with in this thread.

"This game is going to turn conventional Zelda upside down!"

Hyperbole much? We absolutely KNOW NOTHING about this game.
Click to expand...
But that's the goal of what Aunoma and co are trying to do...
 
I

Inquisitive_Ghost

Member
-Horizon- said:
I think I'd be ok if the Hero acted like that at first
Click to expand...

I'd be for a little more variation in Link's personality and appearance. You can display some variance while keeping him instantly recognizable, courageous, and humble. The biggest example I can think of is that Spirit Tracks Link was snarky. You could tell by the phrasing of the dialogue choices.
 
S

Spring-Loaded

Member
GrotesqueBeauty said:
Because? The series already promotes a number of capable non-sexualized female protagonists.
Click to expand...

Which don't compare to the lead and (possibly only) playable character.

GrotesqueBeauty said:
Why not just make it a female and have males in the supporting cast?
Click to expand...

There's no reason not to do that, just as there's no reason not to have Link be female here.

GrotesqueBeauty said:
And if they're going to promote blurred gender lines then why not do it in a franchise with the framework for it and be forthright instead of ambiguous?
Click to expand...

If they don't do it with a new franchise, it's because Aonuma/Nintendo simply decided against that. Why not do it with one of their biggest franchises that will sell well no matter what?
 
H

-Horizon-

Member
Inquisitive_Ghost said:
I'd be for a little more variation in Link's personality and appearance. You can display some variance while keeping him instantly recognizable, courageous, and humble. The biggest example I can think of is that Spirit Tracks Link was snarky. You could tell by the phrasing of the dialogue choices.
Click to expand...

Ooooooh! That's another thing I want. Whether this is the main playable character, boy or girl, Zelda or Link or whoever, I want MORE DIALOGUE OPTIONS. I want a game where there are alternate story lines depending on what you say and do. Now of course there will be the true end path, but it would blow my mind if the Zelda team would say, let you choose who to save or not and all that jazz. *hyperventilating at the possibilities*
 
K

Kuro

Member
Okay so I have divined this story from the great beyond.

Zelda is a big tomboy who is always reading books about the great hero of old and she admires him. She wants to be like him rather than a prim and proper princess. When her kingdom is attacked, Impa helps her escape. Zelda decides to save her kingdom on her own and styles herself after the Hero. The game starts off this way with you playing as tomboy Zelda. After a while she meets a very cowardly idiot kid who ends up tagging along with her. Half way through the game Zelda is finally discovered and captured. The idiot cowardly kid decides to muster up some courage to save her. Everyone can fill in the blanks now.
 
S

SoraanTribal

Member
Kuro said:
Okay so I have divined this story from the great beyond.

Zelda is a big tomboy who is always reading books about the great hero of old and she admires him. She wants to be like him rather than a prim and proper princess. When her kingdom is attacked, Impa helps her escape. Zelda decides to save her kingdom on her own and styles herself after the Hero. The game starts off this way with you playing as tomboy Zelda. After a while she meets a very cowardly idiot kid who ends up tagging along with her. Half way through the game Zelda is finally discovered and captured. The idiot cowardly kid decides to muster up some courage to save her. Everyone can fill in the blanks now.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind that except her getting captured. Make it so you can switch control between Link and Zelda - maybe have some cool co-op puzzles.
 
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