Poll: Is Zelda: Wind Waker's Hero Called 'Cat-Eye Link'?

Part of his backstory is that he literally gouged out a cat's eyes and stuck them in his own sockets, so the name fits.

You can't deny that "Toon Link" is official because it's a term that comes from Smash Bros.

both terms are official.

But one is more widely known, because more people have played Smash than have read this sentence from Hyrule Historia.

#ToonLink4Life

In the lead up to Wind Waker he was referred to Cat-Eye link by Nintendo and possibly by Miyamoto/Aonuma going by my memory. I think Smash Bros. Brawl later cemented this incarnation later as Toon Link. It's been 20+ years so I could be wrong.

I find ‘Cat-eye Link’ somehow more endearing than ‘Toon Link’.

Like, pretty much Nintendo’s whole stable* of characters have been said to have a ‘cartoony visual style’ at some point or another, so the prefix doesn’t seem that distinctive.

The only other ‘cat-eye’ characters that Nintendo has produced are all (as far as I know) actual felines — or close enough to it.

*Tempting fate here. If Wolf Link is a thing, a Epona-hybrid Horse Link monstrosity is not off the cards.

There is that bit in Windwaker where he goes meow, so cat-eye Link it is from now on 😺

Recons so?

Those aren't cat eyes!

"Hyrule Historia recons so!"
Homophone corner!

Toon Link. That's my hill, and I'm sticking with it.

@Dr_Corndog
Does that mean he has cat eyes in addition to his own, all squished together?

Tanooki link

https://tenor.com/JIUI.gif

I know this article is supposed to be humourous, but the Hyrule Historia text clearly says "cat-eye Link", not "Cat-eye" with a capital C. So the "cat-eye" bit is merely an attribute added before his name, like "child Link", not the name of the character.

I'll be fine using either name. And I don't care what other people call him. What ever floats your boat!

A timeless art style. It will forever be called the "Toon" style.

@Faucet
Heh, boat... I see what you did there.

@Rambler Ooh, you're getting into the deep lore.

Toon Link & Toon Zelda in Smash Bros. So Toon Link.

Also stop teasing us like this @Nintendolife, I almost thought TWW HD was announced for Switch..

I've heard that the Japanese call him cat-eye Link for a while now, so it's no surprise. They even draw him more cat-like features and costumes sometimes!
But honestly for me, Toon Link just refers to Wind Waker Link when he's in Smash bros. Or 'Tink' on occasion. Otherwise he's just Wind Waker/WW/Wind Link. Or just Link, lol.
Wind Waker is the first Zelda game I've ever completed and fell in love with, so that Link is one of my fav Links.

This is also the same Hyrule Historia that initially mixed up the Fire and Spirit Medallions from Ocarina of Time and depicted Vaati from Four Swords upside-down, is it not?

I think even Hyrule Historia might have the fact wrong, wouldn't Four Swords be the actual debut of Toon Link? I mean, the American version of LttP+FS came out first, the Japanese version of TWW came out a couple of days after that.

As for what I call the different incarnations, if it's for self contained purposes (i.e. while I'm playing a particular Zelda) I refer to him as just Link. While there's more than one like in Smash Bros. or referring to an incarnation in particular, I usually call them "(game abbreviation) Link", except for Young Link (OoT, MM), Adult Link (OoT, Soul Calibur II) and Toon Link (TWW, FS, FSA, TMC, PH, ST, I know here they aren't all the same perse, but it helps that their design and/or voice is the same).

Imagine if when playing The Wind Waker people suddenly started shouting "Yes, cat-eyed Link made it and he'll fight against cat-eyed Ganondorf with the help of cat-eyed Zelda"

I thought it can't get worse than Toon Link. Guess I was wrong xD

I never liked the name Toon Link, it doesn't make any sense. He's not a cartoon. And if you call that a cartoon, then every other Zelda game must be a cartoon as well, they just have different art direction.

Outside of differentiating Smash Bros characters, I’m not sure why this one Link needs a special name when the rest of them are all referred to by what game they appear in. It feels like a flimsy attempt to delegitimize this version that’s just as much Link as any other, a sad remnant of the early pushback to Wind Waker’s art style.

It is Toon Link. ‘Cat-eye’ is a descriptor; if an official Nintendo book described Paper Mario as ‘wafer-thin Mario’, that doesn’t change his name from Paper Mario. Besides, ‘cat-eye’ not being capitalised is a dead giveaway that it’s not the character’s name or title. Silly question.

I reckon this is a filler story.

I need Toon Link to come to Switch so I can buy the game again and play without having to dig my WiiU out of storage since I don't have room to display it/have it hooked up all the time.

Toon Link easily. Cat-eye Link is about as awkward to say as it gets! Toon Link also works better since it helps explain what the Wind Waker art style is. Who would call it Cat-Eye art style? Plus Smash calls him Toon Link. Case closed.

Why is this article talking about cats and Lonk from Pennsylvania, what's the connection

@Astral-Grain Technically, all journalism is filler stories. Technically, your comment is a filler comment. Technically, this is not a filler reply, though.

Toon Link makes sense when it's based on the cel-shaded visual style from Wind Waker. And that label refers to cel animation. Is "Toon Link" perfect when other versions of Link can be considered like cartoons? Probably not. But then those only vaguely resemble cat eyes.

@Tasuki Powerpuff Girls Link.

He should be called gecko-eyed Link instead

The only time I ever heard anyone call him "Cat eye link" was Snake In smash "That kid with the cat eyes"
I used to call young link yink and toon link tink

Medli Thrower Link

I much prefer cat-eye link. I assume this is what he was referred to in Japan before Smash Bros solidified the Toon Link name for him

One thing I do wish I could call it is “Zelda for Switch”
Unfortunately I don’t know if that will ever happen now 😔

Every text book has mistakes!!! This one is pure opinion by the author of the book. Toon Link is what Nintendo calls him in Smash so that's what I call him. End of discussion.

@sanderev Since nothing in the article title said "Switch", would you prefer NintendoLife not use the words Wind Waker and pictures of Toon/Cat-Eye Link in articles until a Wind Waker Switch port is announced?

1) normally ones proper name is not printed in quotation marks

2) those aren't cat eyes. that is a drawing of a human eye.
(edit- on second look, the pupils are a bit vertically elongated! so I get it. I still don't think that's a cat's eye though.)

3) it's Toon Link.

4) I'm ready for "Old Link."

5) see? "Old Link" is a speculative name, so I put it in quotes.

@Caolan114

"I used to call young link yink and toon link tink"

I love this! I'm stealing it unless I forget.

@ChickenJoe Lol your comment is the definition of filler - in that nothing was changed by its existence.

Everyone knows his name is Zelda.

That's just a nickname, Toon Link is the actual title.

@Dr_Corndog Ummmmmmmmmmm no what the heck!?

It's in quotes, I'm pretty sure that's to show that it wasn't an official name.

The original Japanese says:

"通称「猫目リンク」" meaning, "commonly known as cat-eye link". So it wasn't an official name.

Doing a google search on "猫目リンク" does bring up many results with toon link. So I think it was a common way to refer to Toon link in Japan before the official "toon link" name was added in Smash. (he's called toon link in smash in Japan too)

He's just another Young Link really.

If it hadn't been for Cat-Eye Link,
In high school I would've turned to drink,
Which Hyrule did you come from?
Which Hyrule do you think?
Which Hyrule did you come from,
Cat-Eye Link?

@Polvasti That doesn’t really make sense, because “cat-eye Link” is in quotations, implying they go together…

But it seems like a nickname instead of an official name, and I love Toon Link’s name

@Astral-Grain lol gottem cope

Before Smash started referring to that design as Toon Link, my friends and I would refer to him as "Hero of Wind Link" to differentiate from "Hero of Time Link" in OoT, sometimes shortening to "Wind Link" and "Time Link."

People only call him Toon Link because of Smash. Before that, it would have probably been Cat-eye Link.

@Jayvir I remember him being called ‘Wind Waker’ Link before Smash. Even though the same/similar design is used in other games (with technically distinct protagonists) WW is the game the design spawned from and the one it’s most closely associate with.

The only cat I've ever seen with eyes like that was Sakamoto-san from the manga/anime Nichijou. I would not call that a trend. Besides, for years, we've been calling him Toon Link. Even Super Smash Bros. calls him that. So I'm sticking with Toon Link.

A cat-centric Zelda game would be nice :3

Four Swords came out in 2002, not 2003. Dunno how much stock we should put in their nomenclature when they can't even get their release dates right.

Dude,1, this isn't new information or even a new discovery, and 2, this version of Link is Toon Link, not Cat Eye Link, you are seriously reaching here, this is a stupid article

I'm curious why they call him "cat-eye" at all, as his eyes aren't slanted as a cat's eyes. In fact, anyone who draws eyes uses that general shape, what about it is cat-like that isn't human-like? Hm. Think I'll stick to calling him Toon Link as at least that makes some semblance of sense, being Young Link in a cartoon-style.