Legend of Zelda Pride Double Bill

Hello Dreamers,

It should be a surprise to absolutely no one that I am a fan of the Legend of Zelda franchise. The company is named in part from it after all. Given some of the differences in culture between Japan and Canada/USA, the games did touch on aspects of LGBT that would be considered mindblowing in a Western lens.

I am fully aware that Japan is a rather homophobic nation, and some of that has bled into the games - Ghirahim being an example of that. However, there are aspects of the games that, at least from the POV of a Western player, are actually in support of LGBT pride.

Now, disclaimer: I am a North American looking at a game made in Japan, so there will be cultural dissonance - nuances of Japanese Culture that would go over my Canadian head. Also, nothing analyzed has any real-world implications - this is a look at a work of fiction, so any takes are based on how the creator thinks the world works, not how it actually works.

Ok. Let's go!

On Shiek

For the uninitiated, Shiek is a character from Ocarina of Time. The player protagonist, Link, first meets 'him' as an adult shortly after pulling the Master Sword. Shiek pops by to give hints on where to go next. 'He' also jams out with LInk, strumming a mean harp as Link puffs on an Ocarina - mechanically you are being taught songs meant to warp you about.

I am putting quotes around 'he' in reference to Shiek because, well, 20+ year old spoiler, Shiek is actually Zelda in drag! Using her magic to go so far as to change her eye colour too!

For many players at the time, this would be a breakneck of a plot twist. Remember, up to this point in the franchise Princess Zelda was a typical Damsel in Distress. Needing rescue in the first two games, and in Link to the Past literally rouses you out of bed to go get her, then has to be freed from Turtle Rock anyways.

Before diving into the pride theme here, this would be an early moment of Zelda making herself useful, and not just standing around hoping for rescue.

So, this was interesting for a lot of reasons. For one, the debate question of 'Was Zelda a man for 7 years?' was a thing. While some simply say No - she was a ciswoman in drag, not a transman, others make a point of Well, drag queens are 'shes' even though the performer is usually a cisman.

Others will point out that, in order to fool Ganondorf for 7 years she more or less had to be a man - act like one, be treated like one, and so on. After all, the moment Zelda put her dress back on saying "Surprise Link! I was with you all along!" Ganondorf yoinks her. Some take this moment as a reference that Now that she is a princess again she becomes a damsel in distress again.

My humble opinion? This subplot I think is more akin to the Lua Mulan story - that piece of Chinese folklore about a woman who disguises herself as a man to enlist in the army and spank Mongolian ass. So, with that understanding, yes, Zelda had to live like a man convincingly enough to not arouse suspicion, but only to better hide in the shadows where she could actually be of use to Link., and not be locked in Ganon's Tower for 7 long years. So, she was still a woman in drag.

We are Family

Ocarina of Time also had some interesting family setups. A big deal for North Americans as everyone has had the kool-aid of 'Nuclear Families are the Best! Anything less than that is bad for children! ' I could write an entire article outlining every single confirmed non-nuclear family in Legend of Zelda, however, I'm sticking to OOT for the time being.

So, just to remind people, a Nuclear Family simply refers to a family structure that is a mom, a dad, and children. For it to count: It has to be specified in the game lore that this is the family setup, simply assuming because we never see a parent won't count.

So, with that out of the way:

Link was Raised by the Forest... Literally

The replacement Deku Tree explains to a mature Link the sad reality of how he ended up in the forest in the first place. There had been a war in Hyrule. Link's Mother, caught in the crossfire, fled with her infant son into the woods. While her son, LInk was perfectly fine, she had been mortally wounded. In her dying breaths she beg the Deku Tree for help. While he couldn't save her life, he adopted Link and rose him as a Kokiri.

So his upbringing would have had him be with many brothers and sisters under the protective gaze of the Deku Tree. An innocent existence of not for the events that kickstart the game, forcing Link to become the Hero of Time and the very embodiment of courage!

Malon and Talon

As Link, the player, we first meet Talon (right) sleeping at Hyrule Castle. From there we later meet his brother, Ingo (left), and his daughter, Malon (center). Talon does confirm in a couple of lines that Malon's mother isn't present, though the hows and whys are never explained. Their lives aren't perfect, as Talon is incredibly lazy and Ingo is a resentful arse who sides with Ganon later in the game, leaving Malon singing in the fields while playing with the horses on the ranch they live on.

Still, the three are particularly rememberable, and players can see the effects of game's major plot on them. Still, they are family.

Zelda and Impa

"Uh, Shannon... doesn't Zelda have a family?" you might be thinking. Yes, you are right: we know she has a father we never see, and we can't assume there is no mother due to lack of mention. However, it is canonically confirmed that the king is killed when Ganondorf storms the castle looking for the Triforce. We know Zelda survives thanks to Impa as we see them riding away, then having to tell Ganondorf "That is for me to know and you to find out" when asked where they went.

So, from her preteens onward, Impa would have been Zelda's adoptive daughter, raising her in the ways of her people, the Shiekahs. This we can assume as Impa vowed to protect Zelda, and we know she takes this seriously. Considering Link later meets Shiek we know Impa's teachings had to have rubbed off on her.

Koume, Kotake, and Ganondorf

What? Villians have families too.

According to Navi, if asked during the Twinrova boss fight, Koume (left, the fire one) and Kotake (right, the ice one) were the 'surrogate mothers' of Ganondorf. Now, what that means no one is exactly sure. Did they adopt Ganondorf and raise him like he was their own son? Did one of them birth him and we don't know which one the bio-parent is? Did they do some weird shenanigans in their Twinrova form (where they literally fuse together as one larger woman) and got knocked up by some voe then?

No one is exactly sure. Lore books on the matter simply call them his 'parents' - so no real help in clarifying things. As to whether or not Ganondorf's bio-father was still around, or if there was even a father figure lurking around is both unknown and for the purposes of this article irrelevant. The basic fact that Ganondorf had two mommies would be enough to put him here.

Now, are the twin sisters proud of their special little voe? Well, he does become the Demon King of Darkness and Evil, bearer of the Triforce of Power, and in effect a demigod. They couldn't be more proud.

Hindsight Observation

The 3 that got the golden power, and for a large chunk of the LOZ franchise were the central characters, and had non-nuclear family set-ups, at least at some point, in Ocarina of Time. I personally think it's a coincidence, as this is Nintendo they don't run with themes that deeply. Probably just a way to show their distinction in the canon - that these are extraordinary people in extraordinary times.

All the better for it.