Link is the radiant hero in most parts of The Legend of Zelda. With his Master Sword, he slashes down numerous opponents. However, as a developer now admits, Link would be totally helpless in real life. There is a major flaw in his equipment.
Why would Link be defenseless? A cosplayer discovered that there is a flaw in the design of Link’s equipment. The Master Sword is actually much too long to draw it from the sheath in one go.
In a video on X, the cosplayer sakigake_cos shows how he wants to draw his sword. However, it remains just an attempt, as he struggles to pull the Master Sword out of the sheath. Even though he stretches out, he is unable to draw the sword in one swift motion. Clearly annoyed, he gives up by the end of the video.
In the The Legend of Zelda games, Link normally draws the Master Sword with just one hand. That would be completely impossible in real life. Therefore, Link would be defenseless against a horde of Bokoblins and would first have to ask for patience until he has his sword in hand. As if Link didn’t have enough on his plate already, he is actually completely defenseless.
In the latest installment, it is not Link, but Zelda who is the heroine:
Link has been altered for Super Smash Bros.
Is there a variant of Link that can defend himself? In response to the X video, developer Masahiro Sakurai admits that it can’t be that way. He has worked on many parts of Super Smash Bros., a fighting game where characters from the Nintendo universe battle each other.
To make it possible for Link at least in a beat ’em up to defend himself, the development team made an adjustment:
Link in Super Smash Bros. SP was designed to pull the sheath down when the sword is sheathed. That alone wasn’t enough, but if it’s in line with the action and setup of the original, in my opinion, that’s all that matters.
The solution: Link simultaneously pulls the sheath down to draw or sheathe the sword. This way, he can at least defend himself against other opponents like Pikachu, Donkey Kong, or even Princess Zelda herself.
In the video by YouTuber Octopus, you can see for a brief moment at second 18 what that looks like. Link holds his sword in one hand while he pulls down the sheath with the other. This way, he can stow the sword in seconds.
By the way, Link is not the radiant hero that many think he is. In an N64 game, he was able to kill an NPC if the player wanted. Which NPC that was, you can find out here: 24 years ago, the Zelda hero could do something today unthinkable: kill an NPC
