Daily Debate: Should Sheik be Male or Female in Hyrule Warriors?

…We’re

really asking for it here, aren’t we?

The mere mention of

Sheik’s gender is one of those things that can send Zelda fans into all-out RAEG MODE at a moment’s notice. It’s been fiercely debated (read: argued via deafening screaming matches) ever since Ocarina of Time was released; fuel was only added to the fire when the OoT manga, while non-canon, chose to support the side of Zelda actually transforming into a boy for the seven years Link slept through. Meanwhile, the equally non-canonical Super Smash Bros. series treats the alter ego as decidedly feminine. And today we’ve learned that the “survivor of the Sheikah“—as Sheik refers to him/herself in OoT—will be joining the ranks of playable characters in the also non-canon Hyrule Warriors. We just haven’t yet gotten a translation that indicates which gender this game will go with.

So grab your noise-cancelling headphones (and maybe a sturdy suit of armor while you’re at it), and join us for today’s Daily Debate: should

Hyrule Warriors‘ Sheik be male or female?

I know I personally (*takes a deep breath as he prepares to be crucified by half the fanbase*) have always regarded Sheik as a male character being played by a woman. Basically, I like to equate it to old Shakespearean plays—in Shakespeare’s time, women weren’t permitted to perform in plays, so female parts had to filled by men. That didn’t make the

character in the play any less female; it just meant that under the costume and makeup was an actor rather than an actress. And, after a quick genderbending of that example, that’s how I like to think of Sheik: Zelda is still a woman beneath the outfit, but she’s playing a male character. The persona of Sheik is male, being acted out by a female.

But again, this game isn’t canon, so it could go either way, and I’d probably be fine with whichever option they pick. Female? More power to the ladies of

Zelda! Male? Awesome; Hyrule Warriors could use another guy or two on the side of good. Or…maybe… Perhaps keep it completely ambiguous, to the point where even in the midst of battle you have the NPCs wondering aloud which gender Sheik is? My gosh, that would be brilliant. Nintendo needs to troll the fanbase on this point sooner or later, and this would be a fantastic time for it.

Which one would you want?

Artwork by: Sambees