11:34 PM - Chocolate Storm: what if Link were black

[Snow Queen]

So I remember a while back people made threads such as "what if link was gay" or "what if link was female" and stuff like that. I understand. Give minorities some representation and such. But is it really important to have things like that in a Zelda game? Does it matter if Link is black or gay or what have you?

 

[Mipha]

Nope. And saying it does would be racist.

 

[Ayn Stein]

NPC's would be better suited for this purpose, but not a character whose look has been established.

 

[キラ]

I don't care what color Link is. Make him green for all I care. He'll look like a pointy-headed blob.

 

[Blue Canary]

Why would Link be black. I mean, I guess it would kind of make sense because he gets reincarnated, but since he looks pretty much the same everytime he is... it would be weird.

 

[Blackkirby]

Not at all really the only difference would be that he is black. He would still save Zelda, beat villians, save hyrule and the sorts. Its just his color thats different. Thats like changing you characters color in super smash bros they wint fight differntly depending on their color.


Now if there was a game where link was black and it was released I can almost guarantee you that it would spark controversy from someone.

 

[Dio]

So I remember a while back people made threads such as "what if link was gay" or "what if link was female" and stuff like that. I understand. Give minorities some representation and such. But is it really important to have things like that in a Zelda game? Does it matter if Link is black or gay or what have you?

It matters that link keeps the same sort of look that makes people recognise him as link, drastically changing his appearance would upset many people.
Even though his green tunic isn't present in Zelda U, he still looks like link. Change his skin and hair colour and you might as well make a different character.
It's not racist to say the way he looks matters. It's not saying that the white race is superior to the black race. It's saying that link looks a certain way and changing that look would make him look like not link.
Link is never explicitly stated to be straight. He usually has lots of female attention though. In SS you can return the affections of Peatrice who is female, implying he does like women. I don't think it would matter if there were male characters who link could choose to return the affections of in future titles. If the player has it in their mind link is straight they can go for the female option/s or if they think Link should be gay or bisexual they can go for the male options. Maybe he can even go for a Goron. It wouldn't matter because it would be the same link for each player and his romantic choices wouldn't affect the outcome of the game.

 

[Doc]

Because Link has become an iconic character. His look and appearance (blonde hair, green tunic, etc. etc.) is an important trait for him as a character. Changing it now for the sake of changing it just seems unnecessary and, IMO, a tad bit racist. Making him black is not progressive or accepting. It's not like changing Link's skin color is going to wildly change the game and add anything aside from people getting confused and wondering why Nintendo made such a controversial move and will distract from the actual game.

It's like, why not make Mario's hat blue? Because his red hat and clothes have become well established as a part of his character.

 

[misskitten]

I'm undecided. On one hand, Link is an established character with a signature look, but at the same time Zelda's art style changes with almost every game, so it's not entirely outrageous to make some alternations to his skintone (going full contrast would probably be seen as an issue, like it probably would be if they changed Link's gender). But at the same time, it would just be better to create an entirely new playable character with a different look than to try and alter Link for the sake of diversity.

 

[Iridescence]

If Link were black, I wouldn't mind at all. But it would feel really awkward if he were made black just for the sake of making a statement, which at this point would be the only reason of doing so.

I agree it wouldn't hurt Nintendo to make a non-white character. Just look at the Smash Bros. cast - it's all white. So, if we're going to talk about racial diversity in games, it goes well beyond just making Link black.

 

[Dio]

If Link were black, I wouldn't mind at all. But it would feel really awkward if he were made black just for the sake of making a statement, which at this point would be the only reason of doing so.

I agree it wouldn't hurt Nintendo to make a non-white character. Just look at the Smash Bros. cast - it's all white. So, if we're going to talk about racial diversity in games, it goes well beyond just making Link black.

You ever seen Ganondorf? He is no whitey.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Change Link's eye colour and half the fan base would flip, I can't imagine changing his race.

In all seriousness though, Link, as an image, almost as a brand, has its (or his) established look and it should stay that way. I mean it would just seem so random and out of the blue to just go "Link's now a black man!". It wouldn't even do anything for the black community or equality because it would feel almost forced.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

b/c that means making yet another link,its an automatic no way on my book

as for the on topic answer,you might as well make him another character entirely
if you change enough aspects about him that goes too far from his normal looks,people are almost certainly gonna go up in arms and pretty much say "that's not even link anymore"
just changing his race would be the easiest way to get that kind of response,so it definitely shouldn't be a design choice too drastic

 

[Wolf Sage]

Technically speaking, Link isn't "white," either.

 

[Kylo Ken]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vlhtL0AEMs

Thought of this immediately.