Why not change the ones we have already? That would send a bigger message. Since Link is a reincarnation, things can change.

What's that Unified timeline thingy and Demise? Never heard of it before.

Exactly how I feel. I have nothing against LGBTQ characters in games, but I smell shoehorning here...

The Unified timeline is the games that take place BEFORE Ocarina of Time.  Basically it goes kike this...

http://zeldawiki.org/images/7/7c/Timeline_Hyrule_Historia.jpg

SPOILERS!!!

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Skyward Sword is the start if the story that is the Zelda Universe.  In this tale, Zelda is not known as Zelda, but the Goddess Hylia who has taken human form.  I won't go too far into it, but Demise is the demon King that Link eventually defeats after forging the Mastersword.  With his dying breath, he sets a curse where the spirit of the Hero Link, goddess Hylia (to be later known as Zelda), and himself (later known as Ganon) would be reincarnated and the battle of light vs dark would commence once again until the end of time.  This is why Zelda is always Zelda, Link is always Link, and Ganon is always Ganon.  As they are reincarnated into new lives, they lose their memory of their previous selves as they are still born anew.  It is not until Ocarina that the timeline splits into the three seen on the chart.

The curse exists in all three timelines, but the events that follow unfold differently based on the conditions present in each world.  Also for the record...

Link to the past, Oracle of ages/seasons, and Links Awakening are all the same incarnation of Link.

Same goes for Zelda 1 and 2 on NES...Windwaker and Phantom Hourglass (spirit tracks is a decendant)...and Ocarina and Majoras Mask.

Also let the record show that Ganon has only needed to reincarnate ONCE thus far as he is usually sealed or resurected, which took place in Four Swords Adventures.  All other Ganons are in fact the same incarnation of Ganon.  In the Adult timeline, he has not yet reincarnated.

All of this can be found in the Hyrule Historia released by Nintendo.  And for the record, A Link Between Worlds takes place several years after Links Awakening, but the timeline has not been updated yet.  Also Hyrul Warriors is a non canon side game that does not take place in the canon timeline, confirmed by Ninty.

Hope this clears it up.  It can be confusing at first, but it makes sense when you put it all together.  There is still room for a lot of fan theories though so a lot of fun can be had with it.

I knew the author of the thread once I read its title. Well played.

Even if Link's not a transgender on Zelda U/HD, he's as girly as can be. And I was right, before the game's reveal I claimed that the new Link would have weird/hipster accessories, would be girly and act in a weird way.

Not sure if serious or not. It seems like a joke, but some people seriously suggest things like that.

You make it sound like it's bad to ask for things like these.

I can't with this. I find this topic so absurdly stupid (not trying to attack you directly nor I think you're stupid so please don't read it that way, but the point really is and I'll try to explain why). Why do they need to change The Legend of Zelda that much?

If you want variety and equality ask for it in NEW games but what's the point in changing an established series just because some want "equality". And what is equality anyway? In order to accomplish equality they would need to make a blank protagonist, where you could create the character from the ground because we are all different in so many ways.

Or they would need to make a white gay Link. A middle class white str8 Link. A str8 black Link/ gay black Link/ bisexual and transgender black Link and the same with asian Links, arab Link, latin american Link... and the same with female Link. And don't forget that women are different BUT every type of body is beautiful so we we'll need blond, brunette, ginger Links, fat Links and skinny Links tall and short female Link, and Goth Link, emo link, catholic Link, jehova witness Link, vegetarian Link, agnostic Link... jeez!! people should worry about other things, and respect the original idea of the creators. It's insulting to say that they should change it. As an artist, I wouldn't change a single thing, when the thing itself is not insulting to anyone, and if people feel that way they have a problem, cause they sure feel insulted everyday because of everything.

Every book, movie, tv series, videogame etc has to have this kind of equality? Let's turn Lara Croft and Samus into hunks because why not! And Harry Potter should be about a teenage lesbian that saves the world, just like trasgender Batman defeating crime as always has but more glamorous than ever. And my favourite: lets turn Mario into Mariah, a forty something year old woman that every single time tries to save christmas with the power of love and high notes from the evil Bawserina, a very feminine turtle that lives in an apple under the dead sea.

I hope that Nintendo leaves link as a male, straight hero who rescues a female princess. I think that society is too hyper-feminized and I think that young boy's need role models who can show them that it's OK to grow up to be strong and protect those around them.

The question is, why? What does it add to the game? They could theoretically give Link a whole backstory about being Transgendered and the difficulties of growing up transgendered but it just wouldn't make sense in a game like this.

Further, we already have an established canon and while Link is a more flexible character then most, such a change would have to be justified and that seems like it would mostly just detract from the game.

I am with Stan Lee on this idea. If you want LGBT characters in art, make them. Don't take established characters with established lore/backstory and throw that out the window to rebuild them.

Lastly, I think "trans" characters are the most difficult to do in a game scenario because the key point of being a transgendered person is not "I used to be a man", it is "I am a woman". Unless you turn a game into a character study (which is quite rare in gaming), the current state of a character is usually all that really matters. For all we know, 90% of game characters are transgendered but they just never went into their past...