
For most Nintendo fans, seeing the slightest glimpse of Link is enough to instantly recognise one of our favourite heroes. The Legend of Zelda protagonist is famous for his green (or blue) tunic, his (now old) pointy hat, his Master Sword, and even those familiar grunts and "hyah" noises, but we've never seen him quite like this before.
Yes, assuming you've already seen the image above, you've probably figured out that an undressed design of Link has been spotted and shared online for all to see. The art comes from 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion Hero's Edition', a book full of glorious concept art and information, with this particular piece showing exactly how Link should look with absolutely no clothes on. It's a shocking image in more ways than one, as you're about to find out.
Now's the time to discreetly leave the room, hide your screen from your children, and find somewhere to sit down to prepare yourself.

So, there it is (and, also, there it isn't). The image has been doing the rounds after being shared on Reddit by user Owlero and, with Reddit being Reddit, many comments and replies have started to question the anatomy of our sword-wielding champion. One particular note on the concept image says that "shadows should not appear distinctly under his pectorals", which is a very particular but impressively thorough note for the development team.
If you have any thoughts or feelings on this particular topic, feel free to share them with us below. In the meantime, happy Wednesday!
[source reddit.com, via nintendosoup.com]
Comments 151
MY EYES!!!
I don't know what's worse, this or topless Tingle! >.<
I'll make joke so you don't have to.
Where's his Master Sword? ;P
What a hunk.
Well. Safe to say I'll never be able to unsee that!
So he is a girl 🤔
For some reason, I got no reaction to this.
But where's the nipples?
@justin233 Bod Of The Wild
So Link is a transgender man?
It'd weirder if they actually drew his penis.
Bad porn, but good concept art.
I don't know what to say...
Stop making fun, he's just anatomically challenged
In numerous outings, Link is a child. I'd be repulsed if they did draw him with something.
Uh... but why not just draw boxers on him? Or some sort of loincloth?
I can’t unsee this. Great. It’s going to be so weird playing as Link from now on, this image is burned into my mind...
This reminds me of that one scene in the Phantom Hourglass manga.
This is MUCH, MUCH weirder than Mario-nipplegate.
Link is currently selling real estate.
Aside from the obviously missing centerpiece, Link seems to have an oddly feminine build. He has what I can only describe as large "child-bearing" hips and extremely thick thighs with a very petite waistline. Given his robust lower body and relatively weak upper body, I'd say he's rather girlish.
What a world, where Mario can have nipples and a bushy mustache, but the hero of Hyrule can't be afforded even some peachfuzz.
So the big sword was just him compensating all along...
Welp, now we have official art of a naked Link. Of course, expect rule 34 artists to have a field day with this one. Then again, for anyone whose goal is to be an actual artist, anatomy is always helpful. Which is why a canonical image of Link's muscular structure will come in handy to the right people.
I'mma need brain bleach after that one.
My eyes my eyes.....
@AlternateButtons One of my favorite Ghostbusters references
I guess those that wanted a female version of Link technically got your wish lol. The real Linkle perhaps...?
@NintendoFan4Lyf when he finally gets the Master Sword, he'll be good. Long recharge periods can be embarrassing, though.
No one has realized he's got serious foot problems?? He only has 2/10 toes, people! No wonder he has problems climbing in the rain.
@theinstruct0r Good thing no child ever becomes an adult, eh?
I'm also confused how an apparent lack of one organ automatically makes someone another gender
The Legend of Zelda: The Missing Link
@NintendoFan4Lyf - nothing can top that comment
Now I know why he makes those sounds.
Imagine not being able to piss. NNNHHHYYYAAAHHHH!
"You make for a quite a good lookin' gal!"
Super duper edition here https://forbiddenplanet.com/256156-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-creating-a-champion-champions-limited-edition-hardcover/
Main book here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legend-Zelda-Breath-Creating-Champion/dp/1506710115/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542827885&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=breath+of+the+wild&dpPl=1&dpID=41Skm-PEQTL&ref=plSrch
HAHAHA!!!!!
This just made my day
I know most of us in here are joking, but FYI...this is absolutely nothing and says absolutely nothing about Link. As a designer myself, I can attest to the fact that a sketch like this is very normal and a very standard part of pre-production.
Oh no a representation of a naked body.
I mean, I'm 9 and MY EYES AAAAHH
Did we really need this?
Dun dun duuuuun
He must have a nice butt :///
Jokes aside, it is pretty common to anime/cartoon characters in non 18+ media to appear naked without stuff in that region, it is not that it isn't there, it is just that is not supposed to be shown/drawn.
In the words of the Spongebob movie, MY EYESSSSSSSSSSSSS
Quick, someone hand him a Minish Cap!
Dem thighs are T H I C C
I guess 'Links Awaking' was nothing to do with the ol' morning glory then.
Holy sh-beeep-! But hey! At least, Nintendo has the balls (no pun intended; really) to show some nudity. For Sony, this would already be too much. xD
No dong, unsatisfied. said no one ever.
I guess this is what happens when you go alone.
And then 'JUMP UP SUPER STAR' Comes coming at me. Really, I need to retry Mario Oddyssey >.<
Makes sense, Link died and his consciousness inserted into a cyborg.
I wasn't phased but I showed the wife and she said and i quote, "I want to see some Hyrulian peen, c'mon guys!"
...should I be concerned?
@Racthet916 The game is big with children, females, and the Japanese. His design makes perfect sense all things considered. He'd be less relatable to the aforementioned groups if he was modeled just like Marcus Fenix.
I mean, is it really surprising? Nintendo always tries to keep things E for Everyone so do you really think they would actually put genitalia in stuff like this?
"Overall stream-lined design. However I want to subtly accentuate his muscular physique so it doesn't end up smooth"
Mission accomplished I guess
@brunojenso Not only is his sword not skyward... he's got none!
Clearly, he has not regained control of Divine Beast Van Pakagde.
Oh wow he's like most 3D character base models...who would have guessed?
Wait a second....I thought he at least had nipples!
So I was right when I called him “genderfluid ponytail Link”.
Well..... new link you have been EXPOSED!
@HobbitGamer I like to think that it’s just Epona cosplaying as Link, going to Comic-Con between games to raise popularity. Meanwhile, Link is just slashing monsters and wondering why someone named him Lonk in every single game.
Something something Linkle, something something Mario's nipples opening Pandora's box.
Jokes aside, Barbie anatomy trope wasn't invented yesterday. Character design and animation require full height models as a matter of fact, but from the other equally practical viewpoint, they were making a Legend of Zelda, not a Conan Exiles. Move along, nothing to see here (in every sense). XD But overall, it's always great to be granted access to materials like this, the blood of the production and the testimony to all the talent and toil going into worldcraft that is Fiction.
@Silkyinsect_UK This might come as a shock to you, but females also have genitals!
So Link is Trans?
Poor Link... Who did this to him?...
I must say, leaving out an obvious part of human anatomy really points that part out. Imagine him drawn without toes... oh wait...
This is why he never gets the girls.
asexual, conceptional respesentarion of fictional character causes internet shocker
(insert Captain Jack Sparrow joke here)
But... but... where is his hook shoot? ...I mean, his ocarina of time... ehrm... his magical boomerang? Something is fishy here!
@Silkyinsect_UK lol have you ever seen a naked girl? Besides Barbie dolls.
Thats not how a girl would look like neither
(Insert rage and immaturity over a naked body image here.)
Worst Nintendo Art Ever???
wtf what is that shemail please stop with paranormal things
This is actually not fun to see. It’s like they defaced a beloved character! (Defaced/ded*cked), and it just makes you angree to see.
Hmmmm...new Zelda artwork. Lemme see...
...
My eyes!!!!
@Zequio it was a joke you dumb a**
Nintendo finally exposed!
Anyone wonder if they produce such 'structural' drawings for all Nintendo characters. The mind boggles
@Strumpan sigh 😩 it was a joke. I'm more than aware of what a vagina looks like 👍
This is a production image, not dirty fan art... Did anyone really expect they'd draw his master sword and rupees?
So even Mario (and Luigi?) canonically has more... downtown game than Link? XD
@Zequio I'm going to carry on here... I made the joke ironically. When the Zelda games first went mainstream people not in the know thought Link was zelda, a girl. So yh, it was a joke.
@Silkyinsect_UK I was joking too... Im sure you spend a lot of time staring naked girls on internet
@Zequio wow... just wow...
@Silkyinsect_UK relax kiddo, I'm just trolling you.
@Silkyinsect_UK LOL, don't worry, you're in good company (of Carl and Linda Sagan), even the Pioneer plaque has a man with genitals and a woman without.
@NintendoFan4Lyf hahahahahahahahah WTH this reference was actually funny! Hahahahahahahahah!
I just remembered this scene of the game.
https://img.fireden.net/v/image/1489/47/1489473457559.jpg
All jokes aside, even his in-game model looks quite androgenous, his overall physique is quite feminine.
Twilight Princess and Breath Of The Wild have my favourite designs for all the characters.
@Joeynator3000 Tingle always win...
This kind of derails the argument about how Zelda (an alleged female) should star in her own game. Link has no sex organs, therefore there is not a valid argument that TLOZ only has males as playable characters. I don't know about you but I'm relieved.
Don't worry guys.
This is before Link pulls out the master sword.
This is not that SHOCKING everyone has known for awhile now that our man Luigi is the one with the big PACKAGE.., Just check him out when he is in Tennis Shorts ., WoW.
Safe to say he's no Luigi in the lunchbox department...
Link's Intersex? I can dig it.
@NTELLIGENTMAN : If Link was intersex, he would likely have BOTH parts as opposed to neither. This Link's just neutered.
Why do he even save the princess Zelda if he has no diq? Makes no sense
Some things are better left to the imagination
lmao this picture had been around for months
How does Link go to the bathroom?
Sonys version: https://image.ibb.co/cwXAUq/Dskqo-i-XQAAYkl3.jpg
Mmmm The missing Link?
Link is not human but godly?
maybe thats why the Fierce/angry deity appeared. He was angry because he taught zelda was hot, but couldnt do anything hahah. Literally no balls, that's why he needed the triforce of courage 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@blackbox64 Fantastic pun there
Dafuq, I can never unsee this
Link is a T H I C C B O I
@Rika_Yoshitake hahahahahahhahahahaha this was amazing!
On one hand, this comment section has been good for a laugh.
On the other hand, the whole no genitals or nipples to keep nudity PG trope has been a thing for years, especially in the case of transformation sequences. Hell, even digimon has pulled this stunt with biomerge and spirit digivolutions.
https://youtu.be/pLQSyD53vLo
What the hell did i yust watch
It's only a matter of time before someone makes a "fix" for this.
@MushHill_Act1-1 Thanks, I had to scroll so far for somebody to point out how old this is.
Gender neutral, just a sign of the times we live in
So... this is what a Hylian looks like. Do they have big ears to compensate?
“However, I want to subtly accent his muscular physique so he doesn’t end up smooth”
...I think it’s fair to say, one way or another, he ended up smooth.
We already knew he had wide hips and Barbie anatomy was expected.
What kind of annoys me about Link's body in BotW is that several people react to his scars... But his skin looks silky smooth. It feels pretty jarring. I know Link is a pretty boy by design and he shouldn't look like Geralt of Rivia or Ms Fortune from SkullGirls, but considering what he has gone through a burn mark or something on his chest or lower torso wouldn't go amiss and make him a bit more interesting.
Unless the scars are on the parts covered by the shorts...
@AdamTendo He's basically her bodyguard, saving Zelda is his job. Maybe he was chosen because there was no risk of him "dishonoring" her
Princess Zelda is going to be left disappointed...
He's hot ... It's odd.
I used to have a body like that a few years ago but then work and games got in the way along with food lol
@theinstruct0r Child or not, every male is born with that... unless. Ahem.
I think it's enough internet for today.
@HobbitGamer Had to use search to find this comment, and if one was not found, I would have made it myself. But you did it, good sir! Nintendo Life tried to direct our attention elsewhere, but thank you for speaking out for the silenced toe problem!
@NintyNate ....you mean....you’re also missing....8 toes??
@WiX NintendoLife used Feint. It’s not very effective.
Damn, the SJW's got to him, they shamed him so much he had to become a trans woman!
@theinstruct0r Link is not a child in breath of the wild he is over 100 years old 🤔
@Jokerwolf GAMERS RISE UP
I am totally fine with our trans hero. Finally some LGBT representation in a Nintendo game!
@ottospooky James please message me.
Help my eyes are burning
Lol, this is perfectly in line with the "gender" hype. If they had this included the game would have sold tenfold!
WHAT WILL HE UNSHEATH ON ZELDA NOW?
I don't like this kind of censorship.
Everyone knows, there's missing something. It just looks weird. Why not let him wear some underwear? Or just show it. Nudity isn't porn yet. Even young Son Goku often was naked without censoring him (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEz6tia0vPA&feature=youtu.be&t=94)
Reminds me of the part where Chucky tries to compensate for himself in the bride of Chucky
This must be promo artwork for The Legend of Zelda: The Stick of Truth
Now you ladies and gents that were complaining in the DoA thread have been provided your eye candy. DoA is merely kinky. Only Nintendo first party goes full frontal! Nintendo really does reach a wide audience after all.
You won't get this on Playstation!
@Tyranexx After NL this week you're going to become a Sony Pony aren't you?
@NEStalgia: I can take it. I can take ALL that Nintendo throws at me! /Flex
...With my trusty brain bleach.
@Tyranexx lol..... Between doa and naked
snakeLink i think I need some of that mind bleach myself....Forget NLife After Dark, move over E3, this is NLife X3.
I love how someone downvoted your mind bleach....
They're just jealous that they don't have their own mind bleach....
Zelda must have his manhood locked up inside a chastity belt somewhere, and she won't let Link have his part back unless he saves her.
Hung like a fly
You guys slayed me. XD
The first person that says "transgender"; made up bulls@!t, to my face, it's getting slapped in the mouth.
The first person to say "transgender"; which is made up bull, to my face, is getting slapped in the mouth.
Thinking of Kylo Ren topless scene...
Can't unsee, can't unsee!
I’ll just say it:
Why did they not show the back?
Seems appropriate that Link is anatomically incorrectly since he does look like a Ken doll....
forget his package.
He has one big toe and the rest are FUSED?!
So... why isn't h...she allowed in Gerudo town then?
If Paya from Kakariko Village saw this she'd literally faint lol
WHY JUST WHY WHHYYYYYYYY!!!!!
Link’s Awakening
Oh god! I am scared
@AlternateButtons Odd, but I just watched this the other day, and I'm fairly certain he didn't say "Twinkie". Though that is a good Mashup of two different punchlines from two different scenes.
I'm just glad Winston's "Now that's a big Twinkie" line didn't apply here. I mean I know Link has already been Rule-34'd to death, but to have it done as official development art would be somehow much worse.
Ok, Last one.

Ken doll bottom?
D I S A P P O I N T E D
@DABYX Right. "Your wife."
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