Umfrage: ist Zelda: Wind Wakers Held namens „Cat-Eye Link“?

The Zelda franchise has seen its central hero take on many different forms. There’s the sideburns and long-johns of Das Abenteuer von Link, the long body and pointed features of Okarina der Zeit, the eyeliner and fringe of Seitdem geht es (‘it’s not just a phase Muuuum‘) and then shaggy wild explorer of Atem der Wildnis.

And yet, no style is as easily recognisable as the Link that we see in Wind Waker, The Minish Cap, Phantom-Sanduhr und Geisterspuren. The weirdly off head-to-body ratio, the bright colours, the bulbous eyes, this style has created a character all of its own (mindestens, Smash Bros. and amiibo would say so). We know this little guy simply as ‘Toon Link’ and we imagine that most of you would think the same. Immerhin, you want to play in this style on Smash Bros. Ultimative? Du wählst Toon Link. You buy the amiibo? It quite literally says Toon Link auf der Box. But what if that’s not his official name?

Flicking through the Hyrule Historia – a text long understood as die definitive voice for the franchise – you will find that this iconic hero is not referred to as ‘Toon Link’ but ‘cat-eye Link’ instead.

Need proof? It’s right there on page 229 (or in the image below if you don’t have the book to hand).

ein Bogen, der als Tölpel oder Jokel übersetzt werden kann, this might come as a shock to some people. “Cat-eye Link?!” you probably exclaimed, spitting out your Lon Lon Milk in shock, “I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous!” So too must we assume that there are some people out there who have been flying the cat-eye flag for many years now, determined to put a years-old misconception to rest, though we have never come across such brave folk ourselves.

The name makes sense, wir nehmen an. Link’s bulging eyes in this style are probably his most distinctive feature and we guess that their shape and pupil placement are something like a cat’s (if you really, really squint, that is). While it might not be quite as quippy as ‘Toon Link’ (who has time for that one extra syllable these days?) the Hyrule Historia says it to be true and therefore, true it is.

Are we going to be referring to this style of Link as ‘cat-eye’ von jetzt an? In order to avoid having to explain it every single time, wahrscheinlich nicht. But are we going to be leaping at the chance to correct people in a nasally “gut, tatsächlich” tone? You betcha.

So, what do you make of this discovery? Will you be changing the way that you refer to this character? Fill out the following polls and then let us know your thoughts in the comments below!