Since 1986, The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a defining series for the Nintendo video game company. While every game in the series is different and has changed and grown alongside gaming technology, each game is a retelling of the same legend of a hero named Link, a princess named Zelda, and villain named Ganondorf, or Ganon (Webster, 2016). Taking on the role of Link, players traverse the land of Hyrule to fight and defeat Ganon, save Princess Zelda, and ultimately save the day. Since its inception the franchise has always reached a wide audience, with many players first being introduced to the series as children. As a game which reaches an audience of young impressionable gamers, it is important to understand and look deeply at these gender portrayals and how they might have an impact on how they understand and learn about gender in society.
While he is not the titular character of the series, Link is the main playable character and the hero of the franchise. In choosing a name for the character, creator Shigero Miyamoto chose the name Link because he is meant to connect people together (Thorpe, 2013). While Link has been portrayed in a variety of ways, he has a consistent visual characterization throughout the series. He has light skin, light medium length hair, blue eyes, a slim figure, sharp elf-like ears, and wears a tunic in green or blue.
Although Link is referred to in the game as a male character and uses he/him pronouns, many players and video game scholars alike see him as a more androgynous character. One of these scholars is Megan Blythe Adams, who wrote a piece on the gender variance of Link in her chapter for the book Queerness in Play. She notes the fact that Link is missing many of the secondary sex characteristics which are often present in male characters such as facial hair, a deep voice, and a more masculine figure. Link is meant to be a youthful figure and is a child in many of the games, however even in games where he is meant to be an adult he is missing these characteristics. This androgyny is also clear when comparing Link to the other characters within the series. When comparing Link to Princess Zelda, one can see that they often look quite similar aside from very specific physical features such as their hair, eyes, and clothing. In contrast, Link looks very different from his rival Ganon who is portrayed in a way which is much more explicitly masculine, with a muscular physique and deep voice. Ganon’s features have changed throughout the series, with him even taking on humanoid and monster forms, but he is always distinguished from Link by his larger size and visible strength (Adams, 2018). These portrayals have strong implications and impacts on the children who play the game. Showing Ganon, who has the visual signifiers of a “strong man” being defeated by Link shows audiences that strength is something deeper than physical characteristics.
It is important to note the way in which the designers intended for Link to be a relatable character for players of all identities to connect with (Stang, 2019). While the character is canonically known as Link, many of the games allow players to give him a custom name. He is also what is known as a silent protagonist, never actually speaking but only making action noises such as grunting or shouting when fighting an enemy. He is also deliberately given a less detailed backstory and a minimal personality. Author Sarah Stang refers to Link and other protagonists like this as a “tabula rasa” or a blank slate for the player to use and merge their own identities with as they play the game (Stang, 2019). This further explains the choice for Link to be presented as a more androgynous character. As the player character, the way Link is portrayed has an impact on the children who play the game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), the most recent game in the series, was deemed as appropriate for children ages 10 and up (Sapieha, 2017). In Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory, one would consider the youngest fans of the series to be in the concrete operational stage of development (Scheibe, 2018). At this time in a child’s development, children begin to understand how to mentally manipulate objects and think logically, which is essential for the puzzle solving elements essential to gameplay. Children are manipulating Link himself, and they are learning to act as though they are him. While they may not be able to fully understand the nuances of gender and gender portrayals based on their stage of development, options such as choosing his name or the clothing he wears allow for development of self expression. This makes the fact that he is an androgynous and more inclusive character even more important. However, Link is not a complete tabula rasa, and some of the predetermined elements of his design and storylines are not as inclusive. Link is officially a male character, and is considered to have an aesthetic which has been referred to as “masculine-skewed androgyny.” According to Sarah Stang, this idea has been popularized and accepted in Japanese culture for centuries and is still an incredibly popular trope. However, when this androgyny finds itself moving more toward complete gender-neutrality or gender variance, there is often a shift in how the character is portrayed and perceived. Stang writes about the idea that many JPRG (Japanese Role Playing Game) villains are presented as more effeminate and gender variant comparative to the more masculine androgyny of the hero or protagonist of the story, impling that the gender variance of the villains is excessive and therefore evil. This can be seen in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) when you compare Link to Ghirahim, one of the main antagonists of the game (Stang, 2019).
As a part of the main story of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Link needs to get access to a village made entirely of women who do not allow any men to enter. In order to enter the village, Link must dress like a woman, and is provided traditional clothing by a character named Villa. It is clear from Links body language during the scene that he first dons the female clothing that he is a little embarrassed, but not unhappy to be complimented by Villa.
Once Link is inside the village he is able to pass for a woman without question, and only a few plot relevant characters recognize him as Link. Looking at this moment objectively, one could see it as something really groundbreaking for a male character to do; throwing away pre-existing notions about gender and experiencing things from a new perspective as someone who is perceived as a woman. However, Business Insider author Ben Gilbert writes about this moment from a different viewpoint. First, he refers to Link and Villa as crossdressers, and while that label may be accurate for the situation as Link deliberately dressing as a woman, if you perceive Link as more of an androgynous figure it would not be so absurd for him to wear clothing suited for women. Gilbert also sees this moment more than anything as a joke and a way to make tongue and cheek commentary about the desire fans have had for a strong female protagonist in the franchise, calling the moments where you fight enemies dressed as a woman hilarious (Gilbert, 2017). If this moment plays off like a joke, then it might be doing more harm than good when it comes to teaching children about gender. This could be an incredible learning moment which could inspire young gamers to express themselves however they feel comfortable just like him. The most important thing about Link is that wether he is portrayed in a way which is more masculine, feminine, or androgynous, he is still a hero.
In creating the story of The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto knew he wanted Link to rescue a timeless beauty with classical appeal. In the book Hyrule Historia, Miyamoto writes about a PR representative that suggested writing the story for the game like a storybook. When considering a name for an eternal beauty like the princess, he was reminded of Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of the famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Miyamoto loved the name and The Legend of Zelda was officially created. (Thorpe, 2013). Throughout the franchise Zelda is portrayed with light skin, brown or blonde long hair, pointy elf ears, and is often seen wearing a dress with elements of pink, blue, or purple. She is often portrayed with accessories in her hair, many times wearing a crown across her forehead.
Unlike Link, Zelda has been seen in many forms throughout her time in the franchise. When we consider Zelda and her relationship to gender, one of the most highly discussed and contested conversations is related to one of her alter egos, the character of Sheik. Sheik first appears in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998). This ninja-like companion follows Link throughout his mission and offers assistance and wisdom when needed. While Sheik does not identify in the game with a specific set of pronouns, the character remains androgynous while presenting more physically masculine, with a lower voice, shorter hair, and a muscular physique. Later on in the game we learn that Sheik is in reality Zelda in disguise, attempting to protect herself from being kidnapped by the evil Ganon. Princess Zelda within the game is portrayed in her feminine nature, complete with a full -length dress, makeup, jewelry, and more pronounced breasts.
This has led to much discussion within the player base online over whether or not Zelda actually magically transformed herself into a man to become Sheik, or if Sheik is simply Zelda wearing a disguise. Chris Lawerence covers this topic in his chapter titled What If Zelda Wasn’t a Girl? Problematizing Ocarina of Time’s Great Gender Debate. He says that the gender debate misses the point entirely about what is so unique and special about Sheik. The argument is often about whether or not Sheik is male or female, and doesn’t consider the fact that the character could be neither. He reflects upon Judith Butler’s ideas about performing gender, and how Sheik performs an ambiguous, alternative masculinity that subverts the gender binary which is present and policed in other characters (Lawrence, 2018). Another example of Zelda taking on an alternative performance is in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2002). We meet the character of Tetra, a tomboyish and fearless leader of a gang of pirates. In this story, Link is attempting to rescue his sister and Tetra offers to help. As the story progresses we learn that it is Tetra’s fate to become Princess Zelda. When they reach the castle, Tetra is physically transformed into a more feminine princess form.
Her power and freedom as Tetra is gone, and she is forced to remain hidden instead of journeying alongside Link, as now Ganon is after her. While she does help Link in his fight against Ganon in the final fight, Link is the one who in the end defeats him (Stang, 2019). This is not something which is just isolated to this game. According to Lawrence, in Hyrule masculinity is defined by mobility and action, while femininity is defined by immobility and helplessness (Lawrence, 2018). Each of these portrayals provides ideas about gender that are presented to the children who play the game. Specifically, we can consider Zelda through the lens of social learning theory. Created by Albert Bandura, this theory looks at the way in which children acquire ideas about behavior from watching others and imitating them. (Scheibe, 2018). Children may see the female figures in their life dress up and wear makeup, or the male figures in their life act more tough and learn that these are the behaviors which are expected of them based on their genders. This behavior can also be influenced by the characters which they see in the media they consume and the ways in which they perform gender. So, in the case of Zelda, children are seeing her break out of her assigned or assumed gender roles based on the behaviors of other princesses they might have seen in media, such as the Disney Princesses. Simultaneously, even in these scenarios where Sheik and Tetra exist as alter egos for Zelda, the true Princess Zelda is still a character who is traditionally feminine. As a sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been announced, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the possibility of a new role for Zelda in the series, as a playable character (Paez, 2020). As discussed earlier with Link, a player character is meant to be someone for players to merge their identities with (Stang, 2019). This would be an amazing opportunity to show Legend of Zelda fans all over the world that being a hero is not tied to gender or gender presentation.
While one can analyze Link and Zelda as separate characters, their stories are deeply intertwined and have a combined impact on how a child might understand gender. In schema theory, units of knowledge are conceptualized by individuals in systems known as schemas. These schemas allow for children to create expectations about how something might be, and guide how they interpret new information. A connected theory to this is the gender schema theory, which states that children develop schemas about gender and how boys and girls “should be” based on their experiences and culture. (Pankin, 2013) When considering these gender based experiences children have, much of these experiences come from the media they consume. Both Link and Zelda perpetuate these schemas, with Link acting as the male hero to Zelda’s female damsel in distress. Yet they also both subvert these schemas, helping to create a new schema about the fluidity of the gender rules they may have already learned. By perpetuating and subverting ideas about gender, The Legend of Zelda franchise provides a unique lens for children to learn about expression and develop their own ideas about the impact of gender on daily life.
Works Cited
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Gilbert, B. (2017, March 02). The new ‘Legend of Zelda’ game has a delightfully subversive mission that’s sure to upset some longtime fans. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-crossdressing-2017-3
Lawrence C. (2018) What If Zelda Wasn’t a Girl? Problematizing Ocarina of Time’s Great Gender Debate. In: Harper T., Adams M., Taylor N. (eds) Queerness in Play. Palgrave Games in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90542-6_6
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