
Link is an 80s Anime Lady in This Ancient Magazine Unearthed by Twitter
Now I want to fight Ganon while listening to some Bonnie Tyler.
Modern games put a lot of work into the personality and design of its protagonists. Nearly everyone boasts defining characteristics like scars, backstories, and personality quirks. But a handful of snapshots from an old Japanese game magazine is a good reminder of a time when game heroes were near indecipherable lumps of pixels.
Last week, Japanese Twitter user "Kazzykazycom" shared pictures of a Legend of Zelda guide printed in an old Famicom game magazine called Shonen Captain. The magazine's artist decorated the guide with their own rendition of how they believed Link might look as an actual human being (or Hylian, as it were). Interestingly, the artist made Link a woman—and given the [ahem] slightly provocative poses Link performs in the guide's margins, the artist might've been a bit in love with the sword-swinging warrior.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA1986年に発売された、ある雑誌の一部。発売したばかりなのにリンクが女体化されている…? (勘違いしたのかな) #ゼルダの伝説 pic.twitter.com/U9o0igOfyl
— カジコム/kazzycom (@kazzykazycom) March 29, 2019
The West was notoriously deprived of official character art and localized info for 8- and- 16-bit games, so it wasn't uncommon for our merchandise-makers to totally wing it when crafting supplementary toys, books, and cartoons. But Legend of Zelda is a rare exception; remember that big, beautiful instruction booklet with all its wonderful drawings? It's funny to think an artist in Link's "home country" had to take a guess at what Link looks like off-screen. Wouldn't Japan have access to the same official illustrations we did—or something even better?
Maybe this guide was published before such materials were available on either shore. Kazzykazycom also speculates the artist might've dressed up the magazine's mascot as Link. Or maybe the artist just thought "Screw it, I'm going to draw Link as a cool '80s manga lady." I don't blame them. Thirty years later, we all kind of want a crack at saving Hyrule as a femme Link. Nintendo is getting closer: Link can wear pretty dresses in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, and he pulls it off! Only problem with that is…well, Tri Force Heroes is a bad game. Hyrule Warriors gives us a femme Link through Linkle, but Hyrule Heroes still isn't a mainstream Zelda title, and "Linkle" is one letter off from what you do on the toilet seat when you visit the bathroom while drunk.
Well, mysterious Zelda guide artists: Wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, take comfort in knowing your dream of a lady Link is alive and well three decades later. And with news about a new Zelda game percolating deep in Nintendo's dungeons, who knows what the future will bring?
In other news
NPD: PS5 Sets New US Console Launch Records While Switch Holds Strong
A strong debut for Sony hasn't stopped Switches from flying off shelves.
2
The Last of Us Part 2 Takes Home Top Prize at The Game Awards: Here Are All the Winners
Hades, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Among Us did get some well-earned love too.
10
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Receives a Surprise Ray Tracing Performance Mode Update on PS5
Can't choose between 60 FPS and ray tracing? There's a new mode for you.
1
Quantic Dream Announces Publishing Deal for Dustborn, From the Makers of Dreamfall
Red Thread's dystopian road trip may end up being the first title published by David Cage's newly independent studio.
Need help?
GTA 5 Cheats
Discover all the GTA 5 cheats with this handy GTA V cheats PS4, GTA 5 cheats Xbox One, and PC guide for free GTA money and more. Plus get all the Grand Theft Auto 5 cheats for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Here Are the 10 Best Easter Eggs in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
Find callbacks to films old and new.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Best Mods That You Should Download Now
RDR2 just released for PC players and that means more and more mods are coming in every day. Here are the best mods available right now for Red Dead Redemption 2.
10 GTA 5 Secrets That You Won't Believe
GTA 5 is a massive game, filled with brilliant secrets and Easter eggs. We've rounded up the 10 most amazing GTA 5 secrets.
Newsletter
Subscribe to our weekly newsletters
Get the best of USG in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters.