Daily Debate: Should Future Zelda Games Portray Link as a More Flawed Hero?

For all the reasons I love the Zelda series, the narratives and characters have never been among them. This isn’t really a complaint; my favorite Zelda stories are the ones that introduce the bare minimum incentive to get the player exploring, and then get out of the way. As the series grew, the narrative elements became more prominent and more time-consuming, but remained as simplistic as they had ever been. With the possible exception of Majora’s Mask, every game in the series depicts an unambiguous clash of good and evil waged between infallible heroes and irrevocable villains (Ganondorf isn’t sympathetic in The Wind Waker, sumo me). Nowhere is this more obvious than with Link, the endlessly righteous, blank slate protagonist with the thousand yard stare. I’ve long thought this was a great avenue for change, but what do you think? Should Link be characterized with more personal flaws?

Of course, the reason for Link’s blandness is his original conception as a self-insert character, playing the role of vessel for the player’s engagement with the world. This ethos has long since been abandoned, though. As far back as Ocarina of Time, there have been explicit attempts to instill Link with a history and backstory, but these never result in his character being anything more than a courageous boy predestined to be a chosen hero. I would like to see Link put in scenarios where he has to make difficult decisions. Perhaps there could be a moment where Link has to make a value judgement and a perfect outcome can’t be achieved. Maybe story moments could arise where it’s impossible to save everyone. I know these grim suggestions may not be to everyone’s liking, and there are certainly other possibilities, but if Link’s character is going to be so significant, I’d like to see him be something more than a flawless crusader of goodness.

I imagine someone wishing to push back on my description of Link might be inclined to point the Downfall Timeline or Link’s defeat during the Great Calamity as instances of his failure. There are also times when his courage manifests as hubris and leads to early hardships. These are plot points, however, and not elements of his characterization. It is interesting to see Link falter in his heroic goals, but what I really think future narratives should do is call his heroic status into question. Give us a glimpse into Link’s fears and weaknesses. Force him to make hard decisions. Expose him to the corrupting influence of power. He can still be a hero in the end, but I’d prefer his character be more complex than just “a hero”.

What do you think? Should Link be characterized with more human flaws? Do you already consider him a flawed hero? Let us know in the comments below!

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