Nintendo on why you can't play as a female character in Zelda: Triforce Heroes

[A Black Falcon]

Your idea to just have a text gender choice probably would work in this game, really... it wouldn't in a game with better, closer-in graphics, but the overhead view and effeminate character design combine to make that a viable option. I don't think Nintendo will do it, but yeah, that could work...

Japan's culture is way behind our's in terms of gender equality, that's for true, and that response really highlights it. I think you misread it though. He's "heard of the concept of a female hero before", his "argument", if you can call it that is "I have women coworkers who haven't complained, so I don't see what you're complaining about", but hey, what can you do?

That explanation for what he's saying is probably even worse than mine, in terms of sexism. And you're probably right about that being what he meant, too. :( I wonder if Japan will ever start to catch up in terms of gender equality.

That out of the way, frankly I never really got too upset over the lack of a female protagonist in Zelda simply due to the lack of ANY protagonists other than Link in the Zelda games. I've said it before, it would be interesting, and I've even got a few ideas for "other side" style stories in games like Ocarina of Time covering what Zelda/Sheik was up to during the whole game, but Nintendo's got to make a choice to actually go beyond just Link so we can get to that point first. Actually, there is that SNES Satelliview version of Link to the Past with both a male and female protagonist (neither of which look or are named Link). I suppose you could say that was the first time they broke that particular mold, but it never seemed to "take", plus it was never released outside Japan.

Oh right, I really should remember that those exist... I really should play that game, in its translated ROM version. I still haven't, yet. But yeah, I definitely have been annoyed before about the absence of playable female characters in Zelda games before. See my thoughts on Twilight Princess, for example...