Should Link Show Emotion?

[Hero of Time]

In another thread regarding a very emotional moment from Skyward Sword, it was proposed that Link should have cried. I think it's a good idea to give Link more emotion, but some think otherwise.

Some say masculinity is a problem, but I don't really think so. Yeah, Link has the Triforce of Courage, but he's never really been all that masculine to begin with. From his appearance to his high-pitched grunts, Nintendo has made it clear that Link is not by any means a macho man. Sure, he can be manly at times, and he surely isn't feminine, but he's never striked me as the pinnacle of masculinity.

Another argument is that Link is a representation of the player - a link into the game, if you will - and therefore should not show emotion. I disagree with this as well, though, because to me, some of the best parts in the Zelda franchise are when Link shows emotion: the aforementioned scene in Skyward Sword when Zelda accepts her fate and when Link reluctantly leaves Outset Island in The Wind Waker being two prime examples of this, along with many others. So while I do agree in that Link should represent the player, I think going along with that, if it's a part where the player is emotional, it seems only logical to me for Link to be as well.

I think Link showing some emotion at certain parts in the games would only benefit the series. I think we've gotten somewhat close to this with incarnations of Link in games such as Skyward Sword and The Wind Waker, but I'd like for Nintendo to go one step further with it.

What do you think, should Link show more emotion or not?

 

[Yoda's LSD Dealer]

Well, in my opinion, Skyward Sword did a great job portraying the emotions of Link. He showed anger, happiness, sadness, and even jealousy. I'm getting a vibe from Nintendo that in future installments of the series they'll elaborate more on the character of Link, but then again Skyward Sword met a lot of controversy. The big N is usually a bit iffy about stepping out of their comfort zone, but developing Link as a character more would only make the series better; just as long as he isn't annoying.

 

[Mr Reaper]

Definitely, but I don't really think crying really works, but I would definitely say he should come close but holds his courage and keeps the determination to keep going, but not so much emotion that it turns into Final Fantasy :shake:, that ruined the series for me after Final Fantasy X.

 

[Zorth]

Of course, he shouldn't be viewed only as a link to the gameworld but as a character too. We need to see him furious, sad, joyful etc. to know that he's a character and this will show development in link's character much more. If Link is courageous at the beginning of the game and courageous at the end then he hasn't developed that much. We need to see him learn to become corageous, see him overcome tragedies, see him happy when accomplishing something etc. to know that he's human afterall and not just a robot.

EDIT: If they really nail it in the next game we'll actually feel his hapiness, sorrow and hate

 

[HyruleLove]

I think it wouldnt be a bad idea. Emotion makes it more exciting for us, the players. I especially loved it when Midna appears in her normal form, and his face was like :0 .
It was priceless, because thats how I felt when I first saw her like that! xD SS was amazing in the sense that, you could feel the emotions from Zelda and Link. It felt like a love story. Who doesnt love , love stories?

 

[Ventus]

I'm for Link showing emotion, yeah, but it just depends on the direction they take it with. He needs to show fury, anger, happiness, confusion sadness...but it needs to be in relation to not something but somethingS that are important. When his guide pops up every so often, he should show looks of confusion, wonder, or maybe even disgust. When he finds that recurring villain for the umpteenth time, he should display a furious look, or maybe a look of fierceness. When he's together in a safe haven, he should laugh with the community. ETC ETC ETC.

This *could* hurt the link to the player, I mean, in Skyward Sword I felt as if Link were more his own character than my player avatar. On the flipside though, it is far more believable for your avatar to display emotion anyway -- unless you yourself are an emotionless person Link shouldn't act that way.

So yes, emotions + Link = a possibly better area of study for Nintendo. :yes:

 

[Hanyou]

I've never thought of Link as anything but overtly masculine. The only one who's blatantly effeminate is Twilight Princess' Link--the other ones are as masculine as most other male heroes their age, in both appearance and behavior. If the perpetually serious, duty-bound Hero of Time isn't masculine, then, well, your definition of masculinity might need some checking. I always got an old-school Heston and even Clint Eastwood vibe from that particular Link, especially for a ten- or seventeen-year-old hero.

As for showing emotion, that's fine, but why does that mean crying? There's nothing wrong with crying, but it is too often invoked in modern storytelling to make a point, and it lends little to the story or character development. One example I like to use is a pivotal scene from James Cameron's Avatar--a particular location is leveled by the villains, and (I counted) a good four to five minutes are wasted on characters bawling about it. Remember when Alderaan was destroyed in the original Star Wars? We get an expression from Leia and a comment from Obi-Wan: "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." That's it. Now, Star Wars wasn't a masterpiece of screenwriting or acting (that would be saved for its sequel), but that's how these things should be handled in visual media. Save brooding for books; it just doesn't translate well to movies or games and it wastes the viewer's or player's time. Unfortunately, I think modern storytellers have gotten a bit carried away, and younger people (I include myself in this group) are more receptive to open, prolonged displays of melodrama without simultaneous character development.

This is part of the reason I prefer 16-bit JRPGs, in general, to more recent ones. While JRPGs are far more open about emotion than, say, Western games, emotions were generally communicated over a longer period, and sometimes with a bit more subtlety, than you're likely to see in more recent ones. That's because sitting through five minutes of brooding wouldn't have been very interesting in 16-bit form. Unfortunately, it's no more interesting in 32-bit form, but they sure liked invoking it a lot more when they had the technology to render facial expressions and, later on, incorporate voice acting.

Which leads me to my last point: Nintendo does a fine job of conveying dramatic emotion, and shows far more restraint than, say, Square-Enix. One of the things I like about the tone of Zelda stories is that we're shown, not told, things. An openly expressive Link in The Wind Waker allowed for this, but even with the more subtle design in Skyward Sword, there is plenty of room for a conservative, restrained approach to drama. Unfortunately, even Nintendo has gotten carried away, with Twilight Princess seeming to let melodrama creep in a bit more (though not so much on Link's part; other characters are mostly responsible for it). It was toned down in Skyward Sword, but I'd still prefer to see them go back to the Link's Awakening-to-The Wind Waker levels of expression. Plenty of expressiveness, not too much time wasted.

Link should show emotion, and has shown emotion. He shouldn't be a space marine. He also shouldn't be a flamboyant, effeminate, modern JRPG protagonist.

 

[Fig]

In some ways Link already shows emotion depending on the situation. When Link finds something that could help him out (rupee, item, key items, etc.) You could see Link letting out a smile. When a serious moment is occurring, Link has a serious face and uses grunts to express himself. So emotion does appear in Link, it just isn't focused on.

 

[CheeseXCrackers]

I think Link's emotions and facial expressions were perfect in Majora's Mask, all the other games took it a little too far. Link is my link into the game! I need to feel connected to him, and if he's over there crying like a woman I'm not going to feel connected, and they might as well not even call him Link anymore. I especially felt disconnected from Link in Skyward Sword, he was showing WAY too many emotions in that game for my taste. The whole purpose of naming him Link was so that the player would feel like they saved the day, not feel like Sora or Cloud saved the day. Y U NO UNDERSTAND THAT!?

 

[The Jade Fist]

I think Link's emotions and facial expressions were perfect in Majora's Mask, all the other games took it a little too far. Link is my link into the game! I need to feel connected to him, and if he's over there crying like a woman I'm not going to feel connected, and they might as well not even call him Link anymore. I especially felt disconnected from Link in Skyward Sword, he was showing WAY too many emotions in that game for my taste. The whole purpose of naming him Link was so that the player would feel like they saved the day, not feel like Sora or Cloud saved the day. Y U NO UNDERSTAND THAT!?

When Link stands up after getting knocked off his horse and skullkid is playing his ocarina, Link has the expression on his face "Link is not amused", completely perfect. And Link has always shown emotion, I don't think we need to see him cry though, thats not Link, Link is more likely to get extremely angry before he gets all sad over something.

 

[sailormars109]

Link does show emotion. He smiles, he gets angry, and he has been sad. REFERENCE: Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword.

 

[Skunk]

I agree that Link should show emotion. It would definitely add a nice touch to the world, but not to much emotion to the point where it's mellow dramatic. On the other hand, a LITTLE mellow drama isn't to bad.

 

[LumiGem]

YES.
I'd like to see Link cry for once. Plus, it'd be really cool to show him being furious, disgusted, confused, and whatever-the-sort at some points. But let's not add a bit too much emotion where it's mellow dramatic, yes? I agree that a little mellow drama isn't too bad.

 

[Spirit]

Yeah he should show emotion. Give us voice acting so he could do what regular games characters do and voice his emotion too...

 

[Dragoncat]

He does show emotion, and I think he did cry a bit at that part in SS.