Despite causing controversy upon his initial reveal, Toon Link has now become a staple of The Legend of Zelda franchise. The character has starred in a sizable console adventure, as well as two portable outings. Even with his appearances in recent Zelda releases, Shigeru Miyamoto has acknowledged that “there are plenty of people who hate the cartoon version” of Link. Miyamoto’s full comments regarding the character can be seen below, though keep in mind it’s a rough Google translation…
“As for Toon Link, I call it ‘Link-eyed cat.’ I’ll admit it took courage to make this design more cartoon. In the end if we took this decision is that the time we really wanted to make a game typical Nintendo. An adventure that represents the soul of our society. So Link is a boy rather usual class, it was completely reinvented with a more streamlined look. Besides, it allowed us to create a real distinction between his adventures on home console and portable. Each has its own identity the coup and that is just fine. So yes, well I know, there are plenty of people who hate the cartoon version … but there he is!”
For now it appears that Toon Link is taking a rest so to speak, but I’m sure we’ll see him in future Zelda projects. Perhaps Nintendo will consider making another a Spirit Tracks sequel, or a full-blown Wind Waker sequel.
