When the news came out that the wispy, mildly busty Zelda of Smash Bros. Brawl was sporting brown hair instead of yellow, Joystiq mocked any/all potentially shocked fans. Granted, it seems off to get angry about the color of pixelated locks, but the princess of Hyrule has always been blond. So there! Then there’s the fact that in Twilight Princess, Link was rocking a similarly darkened do. It’s like a hair color conspiracy up in here. Seriously, what’s the deal, Nintendo?
Maybe these hair color changes were implemented just to switch things up, but maybe–just maybe–we can totally over-analyze them and draw crazy conclusion from them. So be it! We could say, for example, that Link’s brown hair in Twilight Princess was supposed to make him look older, more mature than other versions of Link–like Wink Waker Link, who’s distinctly and blindingly blond. Then again, the Link of Brawl is very grown-up looking, but also very yellow-haired. Similarly, Zelda’s brown hair might help to distinguish her aesthetically from Link. Of course, it makes sense that no two characters should look too much alike. But I prefer to think that the shift is really about not having a Zelda and Link who could be brother and sister. That way, there’s always the possibility they might still mack it mid-fight…
My biggest problem with this whole hair dying nonsense though is how–dear God, how–can Zelda’s hair be brown and Sheik’s hair be yellow? Either that’s some serious bad planning, or her cross-dressing outfit comes complete with blond bangs.
Bonnie Ruberg is a sex, technology, and video games journalist who contributes regularly to publications like The Economist, Forbes, and The Village Voice. By day she's also a comparative literature PhD student at UC Berkeley, where she studies French, English, gender, sexuality, surrealism and perversion. You can reach her at [her first name and last name, all one big word] AT gmail DOT com.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:04 am
In the original Zelda for the NES, Link’s hair was brown. I remember I used to have a Legend of Zelda sticker book, and just as I type this I miss it dearly. (Check it out at http://www.trsrockin.com/zelda_stickerfun.html) Then his hair got changed to pink in Link to the Past (although it appeared dirty blond in the art,) and to yellow in Ocarina of Time, the beginning of Common Era in the franchise.
I kind of like Zelda’s brunette turn, especially in that outfit; the traditionalist in me says no, but it makes her look kind of Mediterranean to me, and I dig that. Mostly because the whole ‘Aryan hero saves Aryan princess from menacing psuedo-Arab’ motif of the post-3D games always unnerved me.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:03 am
That’s an interesting point: taking away her blonde-ness away also takes away some of her traditional princess-ness. She’s still pretty pale, but at least she’s breaking the mold a bit.
Also, TrannyGetYourGun, I adore your name :).
February 10th, 2008 at 4:18 am
eh, I personally don’t care that they’ve changed their haircolors so many times, especially with the confusion fanboys of old have always had with the offical artwork for the Zelda series (Link has reddish brown and dirty-blond in Zelda 1, 2, and 3, yet in-game, Link has purple-pink hair and Zelda’s a brunette, despite her blond hair in the official artwork).
If anything, I welcome the change.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
well.. i think that Zeldas hair is better as brown and link better stay blond ;) cute couple and i love how nintendo did that :) i have to say tanks :P
June 11th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Why is the Zelda-to-Shiek hair color change a big deal? Her eye color changes from blue to red. Hell, her -gender- might even change.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I think Zelda and Link having Brown hair is awesome,and considering that most people in the game besides them don’t have Blonde hair it would seem kinda appropriate, but really if you want to talk about hair change Look at the Link from “Legend Of Zelda Link To The Past”! now that is something to argue about!…..even though I kinda liked it.
March 7th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I agree with nadia, Link is a gun as blonde and zelda should stay brown from now on.
Also, only people who have got or played (beaten in my case) Zelda Twilight Princess would know that the brown haired hero is not officially link, he is his decendant and they did’nt do this in any other game so nobody thought about that.
But I do still call him link like everyone else : ). LOZ OoT FOR LIFE!!! BEST GAME IN HISTORY!!!!!
May 12th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
You are all forgetting these aren’t actually the same people in the games. I like brunettes better but it is a bit weird having Zelda go brown. Link use to always be brown and I don’t think blonde suits him.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Look,
I’m not the one to judge, but I honestly hate the idea of Zelda going brunette. She’s always been blonde, and the way I see it, Zelda is a dirty- blond in TP, and I somewhat like the sandy blond look. Brown is not her color, and if she’s going to stay that way, then Nintendo, I’m disappointed. It’s time we get a smart blond to stay in Video game History besides one that’s caught in either a space suit or a bikini, or one that’s being rescued by plumbers. Zelda is the most respectable BLOND princess ever to have been created, and it should stay that way. Let’s let the blondes have some glory once in a while!!!! We need to have a chance to be something other than a helpless princess or a stuck up city girl!!! Blond Zelda will last forever!!!
Link is so hot as a blond, and once again, his hair was not brown in TP, but also a dirty blond. I love Link and Zelda, and they will forever be legends, and I think that they should stay in the blond pride. Don’t let the media screw up the best series ever….
From the biggest blond princess Zelda and Link fan,
Blondes4eva
P.S.: ” Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other.”
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 am
Theres some theories that there is different links so, check up on that or somethin
February 9th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Theres nothing wrong with it, besides it makes them look more mature. Also about the Sheik and Zelda comparison for when they are in Brawl..Sheiks eye colours are also different! Red eyes remember? Futhermore, Zelda uses magic to change her eyes, hair and appearance it isn’t crossdressing..Idiot.