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The Legend of Zelda Wii U: Has Nintendo made Link a girl?

Nintendo has unveiled The Legend of Zelda for Wii U, a beautifully rendered open-world game that looks to have some interesting changes.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr
2 min read

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Nintendo

The brief trailer shown at E3 for the new The Legend of Zelda for Wii U shows off a game that looks spectacular -- a sprawling, open-world adventure in a beautifully rendered world.

Announcing the game, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that the team wanted to revisit the Zelda conventions -- and it looks like one of these might be the game's protagonist.

The trailer shows quite a design difference between the Links we know and love and the hero of the new game. Clad in blue, sporting a ponytail and wielding a bow as what seems to be a primary weapon -- and with a face and figure that look markedly feminine.

Link, of course, has always tended towards the less rugged end of the spectrum, but in images and screenshots, the new hero has a more delicate facial structure and a distinct waistline.

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Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET

There are two plausible paths Nintendo could go for a female protagonist: a female incarnation of Link, which would still fit the Zelda universe; or Zelda herself (Sheik also wore blue), finally getting to be the hero of the game that was named for her. This explanation may be the more likely one; as Aonuma said to Venturebeat, "No one explicitly said that that was Link".

Of course, the main character may not be a girl at all. CNET has contacted Nintendo for comment and will update this story when we get more information.

What do you think of a female hero for The Legend of Zelda? Let us know in the comments below!