Daily Debate: Which of Link’s Voices is the Most Iconic?
Posted on October 16 2019 by Rod Lloyd
Link, the hero of the Zelda series, has had a voice for over two decades now. While he still doesn’t talk much, we’ve heard his screams, grunts, and cries in a handful of Zelda titles. He’s been portrayed as a dashing young man in games like Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword, and he’s been portrayed as a courageous child in games like Majora’s Mask and The Wind Waker. Several voice actors have stepped into the Link role — some more than once — but which one of our hero’s many voices is the most iconic?
My knee-jerk response would be to say that Nobuyuki Hiyama’s take on Adult Link from Ocarina of Time (and Fierce Deity Link in Majora’s Mask) is the most iconic. His performance acted as the template for all future portrayals of the legendary hero, in both mainline Zelda games and crossover titles like Soul Calibur II. However, after some consideration, I would argue that Fujiko Takimoto’s take on Child Link is actually the most iconic. His energetic performance of Young Link in Ocarina was so effective at capturing the essence of the character that Nintendo ended up re-using it in many subsequent games, from Majora’s Mask, to The Minish Cap, to the re-release of A Link to the Past.
But maybe my Nintendo 64 bias is showing with my response. Which of Link’s voices do you believe is the most iconic? Which one do you think represents the quintessential version of our hero? Join the debate in the comments below!
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
