General Zelda Am I The Only One Who Actually HATES Link?

[DJ Twitch]

This is something I've been wondering for a long time, is there anyone other than me who plays Zelda, but just does not find the world's favorite fairy boy quite as charming as the general? Don't get me wrong, let me remind you that I do enjoy Zelda games and this is not supposed to just be some petty hate thread, but one of curiosity. Sure I'll make my small minded rant on the matter and all, but I'd really like to know if I'm alone on this matter.

Here's my naïve ramblings if you want to read them.

Spoiler

As video games have evolved from games to 20 hour long interactive movies, one thing has surely been improved; emphasis on character depth. Whether the conception of said character is good or not is a matter of opinion, of course but the character I address is Link... if he can be called a character.

Lately, a lot of games have captured the hearts of many with their protagonists, Zelda especially. However, I do not understand this. Every poll I see irritates me when I see that Link has been placed #1 on top of three dimensional, interesting, and realistic protags such as Solid Snake, Micheal Townley, etc. when Link is put on a pedestal because HE IS TEH HERO OF HYRULE WHO HAS A KEWL SWORD.

I'm not criticizing Link just because he doesn't talk, but because Nintendo wants to have their cake, but not eat it. Link is currently in a middle ground between avatar and character; he get's to be a goody two shoes who does things no sensible person would, that's great and all, but the fact that he has no intelligence beyond doing what the gods said or any distinct characteristics that set him apart from his other incarnations. Sure WW Link had a more cheerful vibe than some of the others, but that's not a personality.

But the crown jewel of all this is; whenever I express disdain for him in a discussion, everything I say is discarded as a joke. People act like there is no such thing as liking a series and hating the main character. But this is just 4chan and whatnot, I know ZD will accept this whether they agree or disagree. Rant over.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

I honestly don't really see anything special about Link. He's a boy who wears green and carries around a sword and shield with his pockets filled with items that could fill up a semi trailer. He runs around, randomly slashing bushes while making obnoxious "HIYAH!" sounds that drive me crazy, then breaks into people's houses and mercilessly slaughters their precious ceramics. He's actually more of a criminal than anything, and should be permanently jailed for his petty crimes against humanity.

 

[the8thark]

Link is not really a character in this sense. He's just the vessel in which to visit all the NPCs who actually tell the story. Link has zero character depth or emotional evolution as he has no emotions to begin with (for the most part).

Terranigma - An old SNES game where you play as a character just like Link. Silent, just a vessel to progress the story though the NPCs conversations. But at the end of the story you really feel for the main character who actually disappears into the nether and into nothingness. I think ZeldaU could do something similar. Hard to explain but those who have played the game will understand what I mean.

 

[Mask-Salesman]

I don't dislike Link, but you are very right that there are other game characters who are far more interesting than Link. I always loved the main characters of the Assasin's Creed series. Kratos was also a videogame character that you kinda got to know better through the course of three games. But the best game for storytelling in my opinion is GTA. You really are playing someone else his life. It's like an interactive movie to me.

 

[Mercedes]

It depends on what Link, to be honest. I disagree with people thinking he's purely just 'the player', in the same vein as a character like Gordon Freeman from Half Life, because he has his own personality and own quirks, he just doesn't talk. A silent protagonist does not inherently make them there just to be 'the player'. So I imagine a lot of people would reply to this in a "You can't hate somebody who is just meant to be you", but I think that's working off the wrong assumption that Link is not a character in his own right. Wind Waker Link especially had quite a lot of personality to him, and I actually quite liked him as a character in that even if he didn't talk. Sure he doesn't have any kind of depth or development, but I guess I don't really look to Zelda, or Nintendo in general, for that type of thing, and it didn't spoil my experience with the games.

I think Nintendo still riding the nostalgia train with this, in a "Link has never spoken so why change it?" kind of attitude I think permeates almost every Nintendo franchise currently today. I'd like to see more depth to a Zelda game but god forbid Nintendo change something so I doubt we'll ever see it. But I definitely don't hate Link. My opinion on him ranges from indifferent to actually quite liking him.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

I like Link, but I do agree that there are better protagonists out there when it comes to having more character. I think the only reason Link is always #1 on some lists is because he's well-known along with being a hot bishonen (if we're talking about the adult Links). Tbh, I wish Nintendo gave Link more of a personality than just being a personality-less avatar who has the intelligence of a rock. Sure there's WW Link, but he's the only incarnation I can think of that actually has a personality while the others feel the same when it comes to having no personalities.

I think Nintendo should give Link some character to him, but it's all up to them, I guess.

 

[Ventus]

Any time your thread title starts with "Am I the only one" you can rest assured that you've defeated your own question. People liek you exist. It's a matter of finding them. To that end I suggest "Who else..." rather than "Am I the only one". Or even just make it "Hatred of Link". ;p
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I feel that you can spend a lot of time hating on the main playable character. But that simply can't change anything from a gameplay perspective. Link is Zelda -- the face of it, anyway,

 

[Vanessa28]

If there is one boring person when it comes to games it is me. I have hardly played any other games besides Zelda and Mario. I only played Kingdom Hearts once and I liked the main character. So yeah I don't hate Link but there are absolute better main characters out there. In fact in some Zelda games I liked a side character better than Link. Does this mean I hate or dislike Link? Absolutely not but to say he is the best is something I disagree with

 

[Sadia]

Well... I actually always really liked and sympathized with Link. But that's mainly because I created dialogues and emotions for him in my head as I played through. (that's what happens when you read too much..) I dunno, I just feel he had a lot of depth in OoT, with his fascinating past and all.

 

[JoyPendant]

I can totally see where you're coming from, but I don't dislike Link at all. I realize there are more interesting characters throughout the games though, but I guess I just don't mind his personality.

 

[Salem]

I think I see what the problem is, Nintendo wants to give Link some character but they also want him to be an "avatar", it would be better to reduce his character to get rid of that weird "inbetween" position between a proper character and avatar.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Well Excuuuse Me Princess! J/K I can understand where your coming from, ol Linky doesn't get much in the way of development or expressions or even so much as a hey or a hi (without the yaah)to his voice. I do like character development and good storytelling as long as the game's fun like the first two Golden Sun games but I can understand why you don't think much of him as an actual character. no hate comin from me

 

[Shadsie]

Am I the only one who HATES Link?

Why, yes. Yes you are.

 

[A Link In Time]

Considering one of my other favorite videogame franchises is Halo, and the Master Chief is also an avatar for the player and a rather bland standalone who consistently manages to triumph, I think this method of storytelling can be effective if the supporting characters are developed enough to take up the brunt of the narrative. Just as the story of the Master Chief is told through characters such as Cortana and Sergeant Johnson, so is Link's narrative unraveled through the plights of Princess Zelda and his accompanying companion.

It's hard to compare the two storytelling styles and tell which is better; they're different and both can work equally well if executed properly. Within the context of the Zelda series, Link should be thought of as an enabler for the events of the story to unfold.

 

[Aewon]

The thing about Link is that he is the "link" between us and the game. Nintendo didn't give him a personality because it's up to us to give him one. I think that's the secret behind his popularity. He's as deep as you want him to be.

Am I The Only One Who Actually HATES Link?

No. Ganon does too.