Why Zelda is Nintendo’s Most Progressive Series

Wilbur Hayes-Selfe·

Why The Legend of Zelda is Nintendo’s Most Progressive Series

The Legend of Zelda series took off in 1986 after the first games release for the NES. Zelda inspired players, immersing us in the world of Hyrule like never before. Now, in 2022 and 29 instalments later, the series has not only progressed in terms of gameplay but also in themes of strong female characters, gender expression and sexuality. This progressiveness in prominent in Nintendo’s 2017 release ‘Breath of the Wild’  for the switch and Wii U, which has changed the world of gaming as we know it. However, it is clear from instalments such as Ocarina of Time for the [console here] that the Zelda series has not always been progressive.

[insert anicdote] [does this have to relate to progressiveness or just Zelda?]

Female representation

I’m Tired of the lack of positive female representation in video games. Princess peach is hardly given a chance to have a personality, Lara Croft only exists for the male gaze and Zelda manages to make her way to the title but remains an unplayable character.

[statistics of women buying games, why are they so low?]

The Damsel in Distress Trope

Nintendo loves to use the damsel in distress trope in almost every game they make. This is a repeatedly used, sexist cliché that depicts female characters as being in need of rescue by some heroic man. In games such as; Super Mario Bros, [another game here] and Ocarina of time this trope is drilled into the core of the game. During ocarina of time, Zelda is represented as an imposing warrior however, is only seen this way while disguised as a man. When her true identity is revealed Zelda is kidnapped. This is a perfect set up for her to be saved by the main character, Link, despite the fact that both characters are equally efficient in combat and Zelda could have easily saved herself. When asked about the topic, feminist blogger, Anita Sarkeesian said the damsel-in-distress trope, “helps normalise extremely toxic, patronising and paternalistic attitudes.”

Becoming a warrior

Over the past decade, Nintendo has let go of their need for Zelda to be comparable to princess peach. Developers as well as players are realising that there is an important role for Zelda to play in this series. It is her Legend and she should be able to fight in it. So, upon Breath of The Wild’s release we can see that Zelda is now fighting for her place in battle, just as the fans were fighting for her. She is able to overcome battles against Ganon – the games main antagonist – but also overcomes inner battles about her worthiness to be a fighter.

Here is the final fight from breath of the Wild where together link helps Zelda defeat dark beast Ganon for good.

These elements are essential to a game like Breath of The Wild as it is one of the most innovating games in a sense of gameplay and I’m glad it matches that level of attention and detail when it comes to Zelda herself. This makes Breath of The Wild such an important game for girls who love video games but long to relate to a character who feels real and goes through similar struggles.

Gender Expression

The Legend of Zelda series has always had a colourful array of characters but it’s how the games have represented those characters in each game that is most important. In Ocarina of time

the Kakariko carpenters are used as a laughing point based on their sexuality implied and non-traditional gender performance, as well as dressing in pastel colours with more feminine clothing items. In the Japanese version of the game, The Legend of Zelda wiki highlights that, ‘All of the carpenters use female first person pronouns like あたし(wa-ta-shi). They also sometimes end their sentences with the particle わ (wa), which is usually only used by women when expressing emotion. While they are still like this and even more flamboyant in Breath of the Wild, the carpenters are no longer laughed at but instead respected as all the other characters are. Breath of the Wild also features a handful of other gender-non-comforting characters such as Beedle, the merchant who is male but wears a cropped tank and a colourful bug shaped backpack. Breath of the Wild including these small aspects in their game is important representation for members of the LGBT community, seeing characters who look like you in video games is never a bad thing.

Conclusion

Here is the final fight from breath of the Wild where together link helps Zelda defeat dark beast Ganon for good.

The Legend of  Zelda series has learnt from its mistakes and grown over the years, progressing not only in gameplay but inclusivity as well. Nintendo rightfully has increased their audience with Zelda in recent years, however the other games are still important as for where the series stands currently. The Zelda series holds a special place in my heart as well as thousands of others so before the release of Breath of the Wild’s sequel, I would encourage everyone to visit the series and appreciate how far it has come.