I'm looking forward to the Legend of Link.

Not gona happen.

You make great points, you really do. And yes, Samus isn't the best example, and yes, it would be far "easier" to change Link's gender than it would be to change Samus' gender.

I cannot give you any arguments that would sway you. I really can't. Yes, tradition is important to me. 20+ years of male Link in a green tunic and all his other quirks are important to me. Female Link, in my eyes, would have so much to prove. She would have to earn her place in my gamer heart and the road would be long and trecherous. On the flipside, a female protagonist would mean that I'd most certainly approach certain situations differently. I'd look at my character in different ways (>.> yes, including that I'd be a bit of a perv about it, but far, far from limited to that. It would be very different. I want to immerse myself into the character and the world, and being a female would change a lot of the roleplay-stuff. You know? Bah, I can't articulate myself very well. I'm trying to say that if I went back to the world of Zelda but as a different character, it could make for a surprisingly fresh experience and really improve stuff. But I'm still very hesitant about the whole female Link! Maybe you play as a female and, much like in the lord of the rings online game, the fellowship moves independently from you, but you can spot them at key locations and interact with them from time to time. Maybe Link needs help sometimes, and sometimes he comes to help you during difficult situations. For once, saving the world isn't the job of one person, you work together but also often completely seperately.)

A few things though: Link as a goron is still Link, because Link just put on a mask. Rabbit Link is the original Link being transformed into a rabbit. This doesn't help your point at all. If Link was born a Goron then things would be different, for sure. Majoras Mask-Link is still the traditional Link all throughout that game. (Link barely has any presence there though, I find it really interesting that to the people of Termina, pretty much everything that Link does is perceived as being solved by those who died. In their eyes, it was not Link who saved the gorons, it was the late Darmani. And so on. Isn't that cool? Passes by, saves everyone almost in secret, then just leaves. So good.)

And the purpose of the gender in Link. Samus's purpose is far greater, for sure. You explained that very well. The comparison to Link is weak. Link does have a purpose in being male though. The male knight saves the (female) princess from (the dragon) Ganon. :) I know, I know. Cliché, old and boring stereotype, but it is still true. That was how he was made. Does it still hold up today? Is it important enough to warrant the male Link? Well, maybe not. But no matter how he started, he has grown a lot since then and more and more things have been added to his character. And again, my feelings about the tradition or whatever is still strong.

I'm not saying that you are or that you should call me an idiot, I'm just saying that my emotions in this case might be stronger than logic. So far, your logic is sound, but it is not enough to convince me.  The biggest problem for me right now is that I can't see why a female Link would be an improvement. What do we lose by not transforming him into a female (or providing the choice). Because personally, I still think that we would lose more by changing it. (LOSE WHAT?! I hear you say. The identity of the franchise. Traditions and emotions. Blargh)

Also, you said something like "and you replied, well why stop there? Why not make him into a squirrel?". In my own, honest opinion: If a gender change is okay, and clothes and age and other things are interchangeable, then what is left? A very brave squirrel could be just as much "a Link" as anything else. Is that because the gender is the sole basis for Link? Is his penis the only thing about him that is truly important? Of course not. But you said yourself, even him being Hylian isn't absolute. Something that does carry over from all the games however is a similar apperance and gear, along with the fact that he is male. If we keep the personality, clothes and gear but make it a girl, then to me, that girl wouldn't have a purpose. Link is Link, and we know this due to his history. And his history is affected by his gender. Again, I'm not formulating myself very well here, but what I'm trying to say is that if Link was the exact same Link we've all come to know and love, actions, appearances, goals bla bla bla BUT he was suddenly a girl, then what would be the point? Surely, to throw away such an oppurtunity would be very stupid. A female experience, a female's thoughts and ideas, a female's view on the world, all of these things could make such a character very interesting and, frankly, super awesome in an old franchise. BUT! If they went through with all of that, the old Link would be gone. There would be 2 completely different Links. *And that is weird* I have no better closing words. GGWP