Trans activists outraged ‘Legend of Zelda’ movie will cast female actress as Zelda

Some activists as well as fans of the game have argued that Zelda, who is a female character in the game, is transgender because in "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," she disguised herself as the ninja character "Sheik," who helped the main character in the series, Link, defeat Ganondorf, the villain of the video game, per Breitbart.

Nintendo announced that female actress Bo Bragason will be playing Zelda in the upcoming movie and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will be cast as Link.

"This is Miyamoto. I am pleased to announce that for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason-san, and Link by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen," Nintendo posted to X.

According to Deadline, there was much speculation about who would play Zelda in the movie, with many thinking that transgender-identified male actor Hunter Schafer would play the part of Zelda. But backlash from some trans activists has ensued because Schafer was not chosen for the part.

X user "@transtruther70" posted in response, "I'll NEVER forgive them for not casting hunter, imagine caving into incels that are suffering from the male loneliness epidemic."

Another user wanting Schafer to play Zelda said, "We got robbed," and posted a picture of Schafer alongside Zelda.

“The Legend of Zelda” video game series follows the life of an elf-like character named Link, who is tasked with saving Zelda as well as the land of Hyrule from the villain of the game, Ganondorf, in most renditions of the series.

The first game of the series was “The Legend of Zelda,” which was released in 1986. The latest game in the series is “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,” which was released in 2024.