Gender ratios in Zelda

[Spirit]

During a skulking session around the interwebs looking up Zelda stories and threads outside of ZD I came across a curious comment saying that there weren't enough women in Zelda.

I personally think the gender ratios are perfectly fine in Zelda, in fact it's one of the few franchises I can think of where both male and female characters are in rather plentiful supply.

Nevertheless I began wondering what you guys thought.

Do you think the gender ratios in Zelda are well balanced?

 

[Dizzi]

Uh yea very even, theres even girl and boy toadies!!

 

[Dio]

There seems to be a fairly even ratio of men to women except in the Goron and Gerudo races.

King Zora's butt water polluting the Zora's river turned all the friggin frogs gay though!

 

[Jirohnagi]

Um what, i feel like it's an even spread the series is literally named Legend of Zelda after all, it'd be a bit wierd not to have many woman in it. OOT is a good example it's more towards the female end of things in terms of cast, the majority of the sages are female, and it seems like the more interesting NPCs are female, hell theres an entire race of just women ^^

 

[Doc]

Definitely, I think Zelda has done a fairly great job giving equal representation to both genders. Throughout the series, most significant side characters have always been female. Whenever there is a group of characters, they've been pretty well balanced. And female characters aren't ever resigned to "token female."

I guess it may feel like female characters don't have a role in the series because the games are almost always driven by Link, Zelda, and the antagonist. Zelda usually spends the game trapped away and there haven't been many female villains. Side characters do tend to be women iirc though, especially the one's given actual personality or relation to the story. But Zelda games never have spent much time with a supporting cast so on the surface its easy to miss a lot of great female characters like Impa, Urbosa, Midna, etc.

 

[Hero of Pizza Time]

There are plenty of women in Zelda who are given big roles. 5 of the 7 sages are female. The only deities are female, and well Zelda doesn't really have any other major group of characters other than the familiar trio of Triforce wielders. So most of the main cast is female. That doesn't mean I think men have to be more represented. The artists of the game just feel that most of these character concepts work better when they are female characters.

 

[Castle]

There is never enough wyminz in [insert thing here] for pathetic virtue signaling numbskulls.

Female representation in the Zelda series is off the charts compared to most written works of fiction, nevermind most video games. It is patently absurd to suggest otherwise.

 

[YIGAhim]

It's pretty even compared to everything else. Not too few females at all. This being said, I don't interact with NPCs much

 

[Caramel H]

It's perfectly fine the way it is. There's an entire race that's exclusively women! There's nothing to complain about here.

 

[Jirohnagi]

It's perfectly fine the way it is. There's an entire race that's exclusively women! There's nothing to complain about here.

Amen to that, mind you them gerudo are pretty hot in both senses. Always felt a bit odd knowing that the desert dwellers are solely female and the one dude born among them is immediately king.

 

[thePlinko]

Please tell me nobody actually thinks that there arnt enough women in Zelda.

I just hope things like this don’t cause them to make link a girl in any future titles.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for strong female characters. But changing a character that is traditionally a boy to a girl just for the sake of having a female main character is just stupid

 

[Salem]

I may be wrong but, it's there a higher female ratio of characters in the series?

 

[Farore's Chosen]

They're pretty even yeah. Those people sound like they're whining just because they can.

TLoZ-The old woman, Zelda, Impa
AoL-unnamed townspeople, health lady, magic lady, other Zelda, Impa
ALttP-unnamed townspeople, Syrup, Zelda, Great Fairies
MC-Various townspeople and minish whose names I don't remember, Zelda, Farore, Din, Nayru
TP- Ilia, that other little girl, Zelda, Midna, various townspeople, whats-his-face's sisters, the chick who tips you off about Snowpeak, Agatha
SS-Zelda, Peatrice, townspeople, Water Dragon, Impa
Oracles-Nayru, Din, Farore townspeople, Maple, the Maku Tree, Queen Ambi
LADX-Marin, Madame Meowmeow, that granny lady who likes to sweep
ALBW-Zelda, Hilda, townspeople, several of the sages, Syrup
OoT3D-Zelda, Navi, Koroks, townspeople, Koume and Kotake, Malon, Princess Pain-in-the-Ass, Great Fairy, Sheikah, Gerudo
MM3D-Anju, Zelda, Tatl, Romani and Cremia, Koume and Kotake, Deku Princess, Mayor's Wife, Great Fairy, Townspeople, Lulu, Pirates
WWHD-Zelda/Tetra, Link's sister and grandma, creepy-ass fairy
BotW-Zelda, townspeople, Mipha, Great Fairies, Horse Goddess, Gerudo

The various Goddesses have been mentioned multiple times. That's right, Goddesses. Din, Farore, Nayru, Hylia, the Goddess of Time.

Its kinda amazing that those people don't notice the equal gender ratio. But then again, I guess it's hard to see when one's head is stuck up their rear.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

There are plenty of women in Zelda who are given big roles. 5 of the 7 sages are female. The only deities are female, and well Zelda doesn't really have any other major group of characters other than the familiar trio of Triforce wielders. So most of the main cast is female. That doesn't mean I think men have to be more represented. The artists of the game just feel that most of these character concepts work better when they are female characters.

The giants and some of the light spirits are considered Gods aren't they?

 

[Hero of Pizza Time]

The giants and some of the light spirits are considered Gods aren't they?

I couldn't really tell whether the light spirits are male or female, but I think they are more like angels when it comes to their role.