The Bulbagarden Conversational Chat, Vol. 3

[Satoshi-chan]

Are we doing Super Sexy Man Week again too? Its group still exists from last year.

Super Sexy Man Week rocked!!!

 

[donavannj]

Super Sexy Man Week sounds like a week where they are many more shirtless men as avatars than necessary with bodies that make me feel inferior. (b'-')b

 

[Dewgong Reign]

If I recall, my avatar was an image of Sheik from The Legend of Zelda, because I think he has super sexy eyes.



It's up for intense debate whether Sheik is technically male of female though.

 

[Rainami]

Sheik is totally a chick.

I don't understand why Zelda would bother to change her gender upon transformation. I don't see how she even could. @_@

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Sheik is totally a chick.

I don't understand why Zelda would bother to change her gender upon transformation. I don't see how she even could. @_@

The main argument there is that when disguising yourself for what could be literally the fate of your kingdom, naturally, you would change EVERYTHING, gender and race especially if you could do it convincingly. And Zelda absolutely could, given that she had Impa's magic at her disposal. I mean, the world depends on you pulling off a disguise convincing enough to keep you from being found by Ganondorf. Is Ganondorf really going to be quick to suspect a random, wandering Sheikah boy, as opposed to a blond haired, blue eyed female roughly of Zelda's stature? Zelda would take every precaution she had to. And she wouldn't hesitate to go undercover as a male, either, especially if her kindom depends on it. A Gossip Stone even states she's a complete tomboy.

Now, whether or not this means Zelda actually had a magical sex change and Sheik technically becomes a separate male entity remains to be seen. But it's essentially a given the Sheik persona was intended to be seen as male, or at least androgynous.

 

[Rainami]

....good argument. Can't really say anything against that.

Still unsure on the actual gender of Sheik, through. But I guess it's highly possible that Sheik is a guy.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

Nintendo seems to be teasing us with the hints they drop. In the original game, Ruto seems to have fallen for the disguise and calls Sheik a "young man." In SSB Melee, there's a shot in the opening scene where Sheik's chest is flat, but looks suspiciously like breast bindings. (Suggesting a physical disguise, and not a magical transformation.) In SSB Brawl, there's an infamous screenshot where Sheik seems to have outright prominent breasts, but this could be strange lighting in the game. And in the Ocarina of Time 3D remake, Sheik has a flat chest but ladylike Hartman hips.

And in the Ocarina of Time manga, Sheik is explicitly male, and Zelda's transformation is unquestionably magical. The Gerudo women even seem to have thing for him, and there are implied yaoi undertones in the Link-Sheik relationship. The manga is completely non-canon, however, it does mean that Akira Himekwa (the collaborative two women who wrote and produced the manga art) believe in the idea of a male Sheik as a separate entity from Zelda. And these ladies worked directly with Nintendo just after the release of Ocarina of Time, so that's REALLY saying something, at least to me. After all, my first answer for theorizing is to just ask the developers directly.

 

[Rainami]

Damn, the evidence is all over the place. o_o

The world may never know. :<

 

[Dewgong Reign]

It really just comes down to what is in Sheik's pants. Nintendo are the only ones who know that, and they seem to change their mind all the time anyway.

I am disappoint. :sweatlol:

 

[Reflux]

I always thought Sheik was female, and I guess I won't change unless they say it's male. I used to believe he was male as well, but his body features scream feminine...

Then I played and somehow hear Ruto say: "If you see Sheik, tell him I said thank you." I also thought he might be Zelda's counterpart. So I changed to male.

 

[Dewgong Reign]

It's not that big of a deal to me anymore. It used to be, but Sheik would be an interesting, attractive character as male or female. Or neither... Or both.

 

[Reflux]

Sheik if pretty attractive indeed...now that you mention it.

 

[chimera]

Hi.
Sheik... I don't know how to describe Sheik.

 

[TheCapsFan]

Sheik is better than Zelda, at least in SSBB.

 

[chimera]

Never played that.

 

[TheCapsFan]

Great game. Fun to play alone, or with family and friends. Playing it over internet is fun, too. ^^

 

[DerMißingno]

It really just comes down to what is in Sheik's pants. Nintendo are the only ones who know that, and they seem to change their mind all the time anyway.

I am disappoint. :sweatlol:

Well that's arguable, gender is not necessarily dictated by what is in your pants.

That said, I think Sheik is a girl. Zelda is a girl on the inside and outside, so that's what Sheik is. While I agree that some people who were born female can identify themselves, and should be identified by others, as male and vice versa, I don't think this is the case with Zelda. She became Sheik not as a way to come to terms with her masculinity, but out of necessity to hide from Ganondorf.

Also, I was never convinced by her male disguised. I thought she always looked like a female, even though I didn't know that it was Zelda.

 

[chimera]

I feel like I say "Never watched/played/etc. it" too much.

 

[AlexTheRose]

Umm… boob week? >_< [#1017]

 

[chimera]

I don't see why almost every anime girl has to have impossibly large boobs.