The Sad Truth About Link's Handedness

Link is supposed to be a left handed icon, but that's changing and the reason why is making me sad.
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#zelda #tearsofthekingdom #breathofthewild

[@RuztyNails33]

I know the Wii can run GameCube games, just pretend I didn't say that part

[@WhimsicalLittledawg]

Oh yeah I forgot about that.

[@bluh4th]

It's honestly a better game without the motion controls. I wish I had the gamecube version instead of the wii version and I'm right-handed

[@Shulkify]

Not every Wii though, later on they made Wii Consoles which lost backwards compatibility.

[@Dat_Thing88]

We are both Left handed :)

[@LevenPM]

I don't have any dominant-handedness at all since they are both dominant with their own activities and their is no overlap to my handedness either. Is it just me or are there other people that aren't dominant at all (and I don't mean both hands are dominant).

[@keimakatsuragi7149]

if you think about it both skyward sword link and breath of the wild link had been trained as knights. and it is known that in some schools endorse learning to use the right hand. and maybe that is what happened to those links. since as you noticed ss link uses the bow and slingshot as a left handed. and if you check in link's house in botw you'll see on the second floor a notebook with a pencil laying on the left side of the notebook (splain dat!).

[@Tina-fj4xo]

Really good theory! I love this idea :)

[@shelbybayer200]

Link's main hand is Left but he's been taught to fight using his Right Meaning he's actually been Ambidextrous the whole time

[@Random-Ant]

Shelby, in alttp he was ambidextrous.

[@sydneygorelick7484]

True! Knights HAVE to use shields, swords, and spears all the same way in order to make defensive formations work properly.

[@pinkie723]

I like that theory! One problem though, Hyrule Warriors Link is a knight and is still left handed. It's been a long time since I played Hyrule Warriors, but I think I remember him being a new knight though, and Hyrule Warriors Link seems more stubborn, running off on his own when the castle gets attacked, so maybe that Link was just too stubborn to use his right hand?

[@benobrien7920]

I remember reading the manga before really getting into any of the games, and Link's left-handedness is treated as a HUGE deal in that. All the characters were like "He's left handed, he must be the chosen hero!" and as a left-hander myself, I found that quite cool.

[@vilmamiralda9036]

Same here, I felt special in some kind of way.

[@kevinyail6040]

Wich manga?

[@soulstice18]

​@@kevinyail6040they're written by Akira himekawa. They aren't canon but they're very well done and I love the way they've they've brought links character to life.

[@MelchVagquest]

I’m right-handed, myself, but always enjoyed that defining trait about Link. With the concept of reincarnation, I felt like it would be one of the determining factors in whether or not you happened to be the reincarnated Hero of Legend.

[@EmberLeo]

It seems to me that they're at least consistent within any given *incarnation* of Link keeping whatever handedness he has, with the exception of Twilight Princess, which you noted has more to do with the controller issue. I don't mind Link *sometimes* being right handed as long as he's still *usually* left handed. I'm kind of amused at the proportions swapping. But I do worry they'll mostly keep him right handed hereafter, and I don't want that. And yes, I'm right handed - but both my full siblings and birth parents are left handed, so I pay a fair bit of attention to the differences.

[@Skylancer727]

Well I think Breath of the Wild was originally intended to have the Skyward Sword motion controls. I think it was scrapped in development as a result of fan backlash of SS and the fact it would make the transition to Switch more difficult. It's clear that BotW was delayed by the idea of making it a Switch game that could run on Wii U and away from a Wii U game ported to Switch.

[@LordofEnd004]

They've changed OoT Link to be right handed in the remake. I didn't mind new or different Links being right handed. But having one retconned away feels pretty bad.

[@dootsouls]

Fellow left handers- I feel your pain.

[@Mario31802]

I prefer using my Left hand, but am Ambidextrous

[@prometheus5997]

Both my parents are right handed, yet here I am a lefty

[@demas5334]

💪🏻

[@AnimeIsMeName]

Thank you

[@AnimeIsMeName]

@@prometheus5997 SAME, my whole family are all right-handed yet I am lefty

[@voidtectonic]

I miss the left-handed Link. I always found him to be so special, and he was important to me. I'm not left-handed, but I understand the struggles of being left-handed. I wish they would give him back that very cool and interesting part of who he was. We need our hero of Courage now more than ever.

[@YumYum820]

Its the damn motion controls...sucks Nintendo changed Link just because of them

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

@@YumYum820 but BotW didn’t have them so wtf

[@Mario31802]

He never was strictly left handed he was always Ambidextrous even in the Sprite work of the original, they were originally planning a Right Handed Link, but to to Technical limitations they made him left, however he still holds his sword in the Right Hand even in the original Sprite pending which direction you face

[@Mario31802]

@@YumYum820 that's not actually true even in the Original LoZ, he was Ambidextrous

[@zebitus5731]

@@Mario31802 He was left handed in the 3D games until skyward sword

[@magickology]

As a kid growing up left handed and with a coordination disability on my right side, Link's left handedness was very special to me. Even now as an adult still with that disability, I look back at twilight princess and ocarina of time and wind waker happily because of the lefty stuff. Sure I played skyward sword and breath of the wild, with skyward sword being a struggle due to my problem, but I would hope we get lefty link back

[@bradenalder9016]

Same hoping there will be a setting in tears of the kingdom that lets us switch it do link is a lefty again

[@Dethneko]

As a right-handed person I was upset Link wasn't left-handed in Skyward Sword and the Wii version of Twilight Princess. The least they could have done was NOT flip the world and give us the option. I'm sure I would have gotten good at it eventually. Certain things I'm used to doing with my left hand, pretty sure swinging a sword in a video game would have worked good enough.

[@nouns7504]

As an ambi left dominant, i use my right hand in fencing, anyone trained uses their right hand, hence why all untrained links use his left hand while the trained links use right for swords and left for everything else

[@dumbidiot1119]

@@nouns7504 im not sure why but I immediately thought of the sword fight near the beginning of the princess bride

[@lindenbree9188]

You probably could have gotten used to it. I'm right handed but out of curiosity I've played through both Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess with my left hand. It's not hard at all, which makes me more annoyed they changed Link's handedness

[@juanrodriguez9971]

I get why Link wasn't lefty in SS, the controllers just couldn't work if you flipped them (any left-handed controller that you will find is a scam, we don't get better with the joystick on the right hand), but the Switch version lacking a left handed mode has no excuse, we could use the left hand to swing the sword since the Joy-Cons are perfect for that.

[@windwaker105]

Using a real sword in your lesser hand may be hard. But swinging a controller would be no problem

[@joannel8905]

The statement about left-handed kids not being able to experience a left-handed Link in TotK hit me so hard T _ T

[@popsicIes]

frrr though. im a leftie & experiencing left handed link in oot made me so happy as a kid

[@nonamemygoodsir]

@@popsicIes im sayin

[@ThomasCapella]

I'm not left handed myself but I've always had a fondness towards Links left handedness. It's just an iconic part of his character to me and I was honestly disappointed when he was shown to be right handed again in Breath of the Wild.

[@Someguy6851]

Same

[@arianewinter4266]

Taking minority traits away always sadens me, humanity is a fountain of diversity but oh so often media streamlines exactly one way to be

[@gabrielabatista6016]

As someone pointed in another comment, Link might just be ambidextrous now. Apparently in Link's house in BotW you can see there's a book with the pen on the left side. Also, they pointed that many knight schools in the past trained the knights to use the right hand in combat, and most right handed links were trained as knights. So... Maybe he just fights with the right hand due to training and habit, but still writes and does other tasks with the left? I mean, I have left handed people in my family that still do stuff the right handed way because that's how they learned; like, my cousin is left handed but plays guitar the right handed way because of this.

[@AngraMainiiu]

@@arianewinter4266 Cringe, diversity is a pointless endeavor. Link being left handed is meaningful because he's based on Miyamoto who is left handed and explored old ruins.

[@Circ]

@@AngraMainiiu "cringe, diversity is a pointless endeavor" -🤓 Okay... Do you have anything to actually add or are you just gonna gloss over the main point of this video and move on thinking you said something special.

[@burritosupreme5310]

God damn right-handed scissors. I feel your pain, Link.

[@wplays4271]

As a kid. I adored that Link was left handed. I was never bullied about it (surprisingly), but i was just happy there finally was a protagonist who preferred the same hand. I really hope that after tears of the kingdom. They go back to a left handed Link

[@CatsRul85]

It took me long then it should have of staring at art work for it to suddenly click that holy shit he's left handed

[@HexManiac-nf1yg]

This is my first time hearing of people being bullied for being left banded

[@CatsRul85]

@Hex Maniac 9000 it's not something that really happens much if at all now but there was a time like waay back, for decades even where there was a heavy stigma against the south paws (like long time ago people were even forced into using their right hand/not allowed to use their left ) thankfully I never had to go through bullying or anything due to being a leftie either

[@wplays4271]

@@HexManiac-nf1yg i should have specified. I was bullied a lot back in the day (like, needing therapy. A lot). So looking back, I’m surprised that being left handed was never used in bullying

[@juanrodriguez9971]

@@HexManiac-nf1yg it was really common back then, actually in some places it was forbidden to be left handed, almost every culture has some kind of negative things atribuyes to left handed people, like in Egypt it is a sign of bad luck, while in Mexico kids' hands would be tied up to the chair so they would learn to write with their right hands. My mother suffered from this, and my grandmother despite being left-handed cannot write with it after so many decades of being forced to be right-handed. We are in a good time to be left-handed.

[@arkenn3497]

I'm right-handed but I too kinda miss the left-handed Link It's just a nice little quirk he had Also being left-handed would give him a advantage in sword fight, since most people are used to fight right-handed foes

[@owenganesmcculloch8591]

Same

[@thomaswest2583]

It wouldn't sword fighting is designed around the right. It's a matter of all the major sword masters are right handed. Attacks ,parries, blocks, etc are taught from a right-hand because the majority of people are right-handed. If you were left handed it put you at a disadvantage. It meant you had to work with a hand you weren't used to. You didn't wield the sword in the left hand

[@waiwai3704]

@@thomaswest2583 Being left handed would absolutely not be a disadvantage by itself. It would only be a disadvanatge for a while if they were to be trained to fight right handed instead. And that disadvantage would only last until they get used to using their right hand, which really doesn't take that long. For example, you could get used to writing with your non-dominant hand within two weeks of practice. But that's still only if they were forced to not use their dominant hand. pretty much all swords can be held the same with either hand, and the techniques used with them can also be done with either hand by simply mirroring the standardised right-handed stances and moves. The exceptions are swords with a Nagel or Ring on one side of the guard. You'd need the guard to be modified/changed/custom made to be properly used left handed. In terms of fighting by yourself, there would be no disadvantage if you were left handed and possibly even an advantage. It's only a disadvantage in groups/formations (which is the main reason most were trained to fight right handed) So for Link, who only ever fights by himself in all games except BotW, it really wouldn't affect him whether he fought left or right handed.

[@thomaswest2583]

@@waiwai3704 The problem is that all sword masters used the right hand it just how sword fighting was done and taught. You can't just switch hands and expect a untrained hand to just magical become good at sword fighting. The disadvantage is the sword master would require you to learn with your right hand because that was what sword fighting hand sword fighting is based around. You would count as untrained if you used your left hand. It's not as easy as just switching hands.Your right hand is trained in attacks, parries, blocks, etc for years. If you just switch hands your gonna go done quickly. Especially if the other fighter has any experience

[@MangoSmoothy]

​@@thomaswest2583I was taught tennis by right handers, i had to mirror there movements in my head to match them to my left but I learned, i even had an edge being left handed

[@Crush616]

Never thought I'd actually hate myself for being right handed, thanks

[@adamking5215]

Don't hate yourself. Everyone is different. I'm left-handed and I don't really care much. Handedness doesn't matter.

[@binothe3rd]

@@adamking5215 it does matter. we are better.

[@aidenwallin3523]

@@adamking5215 It would be great if we could get a game where you could choose which handedness Link has, but then they'd have to create cutscenes with both versions of him. Hopefully they do that in the future, but keep the map the same for both versions.

[@oriond251]

@@aidenwallin3523 tbh they could just mirror the cutscene, they did it for TP on the Wii, mirrored the whole game

[@aidenwallin3523]

@@oriond251 I didn't realize they had a mirrored version. I played TP on Wii but when I looked up a playthrough after, it was mirrored gameplay. Is that why?

[@PieDivide]

small little note: what is portrayed in Link's handedness in Skyward Sword is actually known as mixed handedness! they are commonly confused to be the same thing, and in a lot of ways they are, however while ambidextrousness is the tendency to be able to use both hands as if they were dominant for everything, mixed handedness is the tendency to use specific hands for specific tasks, meaning they can't typically be swapped out freely.

[@cooliociousness]

ohhh cool, that's what i have! never knew there was a word for it :3c my right hand is dominant for most things like writing, but left hand dominant for sign language since it's more flexible (probably cuz my wrist bones are slightly different on each side just like my mom's)

[@rainii7515]

thank you!! i’m actually mixed handed (we believe i was taught right handed to write by teachers but much prefer my left hand for other tasks), and sooo many people don’t get it. kinda fun to share that trait with link lmao

[@flitefulwantssubs402]

Oh lmao that's what I have, I thought I developed it for certain tasks to have my right arm/hand free (ex. carrying/opening bottles with my left hand, but I draw and throw with my right). Maybe that's still why I developed it though lol

[@rainii7515]

honestly though, i cant hold a cup in my right hand without it shaking but i also cant write with my left hand :/

[@teriosshadow17]

What you are describing is "Cross-Dominance"

[@Kur404]

Im right-handed, but im honestly saddened by what nintendo is doing to his handedness. I fell in love with the idea of a left-handed link, and it just hurts seeing this happen to him. Decided to make some of my OC’s southpaws in his honor. Go link 👊

[@Andre-od8vg]

Something that really bothered me while i was learning to handle a sword (aikiken)was that even the left handed samurai were forced to learn the sword using their right, I always switched it and had ro be reminded constantly of that. Maybe it is only in Japanese culture, but I thought that this change on link was because of formal training, not his dominant hand changing because *YeS*

[@heather379]

This is actually a great insight. Very interesting to learn. Even if it isn’t canon in game, this is what I’m gonna pretend happened with Link

[@Nitsirtriscuit]

It’s also really interesting that ninjas used samurai’s right-handed training against them by specifically training left handedness. Samurais practiced with other right handed samurais, so were less prepared for left handed attacks from ninjas.

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

Perfect opportunity to learn left handed and use this ridiculous custom to your advantage.

[@aurin_komak]

@@Nitsirtriscuit would've been really cool then if the yiga clan in botw were left handed, as they're kind of ninjas

[@Kidusrox]

I'm right-handed, but I've always appreciated Link being left-handed. I hope we see the Master Sword in his left hand again someday.

[@LamanKnight]

Yes, this! I've always felt passionate about this exact thing. (Some of you may note, the Kirby in my profile picture is wearing his Link-like hat that he gets while using the Sword ability, and I've actually mirror-flipped the image to make it look like Kirby is left-handed. It's more than a reference to Link; it's also a better representation of me.) I've actually explained some of these very things to people in real life, from the fact that Miyamoto is a southpaw, and that's why Link is too; to how it was such a comforting feeling to see a hero who wielded tools the same way I would. I absolutely relate to the struggles --- maybe not crippling struggles most of the time, but glaring inconveniences --- of trying to learn things in an inverted way, with nobody to teach you how to do it comfortably. There were a lot of things I learned more slowly, and some things I never could use as competently as most, because of how I had to self-teach those skills. So, it was a comfort to see that a character who struggled in the same way I did, still reached a level of mastery while learning on his own. In fact, seeing a lefty hero demonstrating such dexterity helped give me confidence; after many years and a lot of practice, there are a few things I've learned to do even more dexterously than most people can. Because I just imagined myself being like Link, until I essentially was just like him. It honestly did kind of hurt when they made the motion-control Wii games more accessible for right-handed people, with no option for a mirror-flip. (I mean, heck, Ocarina of Time's "Master Quest" in the remakes does a mirror-flip of the entire world, changing Link's handedness along with it. Why couldn't they do that for other Legend of Zelda games?) Besides us losing a southpaw role model when motion controls became a thing, some games were just harder to play. I still feel frustrated when I remember the struggle of playing Metroid Prime 3, holding the controller in the "wrong" hand. Of course, I also felt so happy that I had to comment about it on Miiverse (yes, back when that was a thing), when I first created a save file on Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and the game asked me if my dominant hand was left or right. I may have even teared up a little bit; it was nice to feel included, and to know that I'd be able to play the game with less struggle. So, yeah. I get this. One more thing I want to add to the points in the video, is that there is in-world ("diegetic," if you like that word) significance to Link being left-handed. As you mentioned, researchers aren't really sure why some people are left-handed, nor why it's relatively uncommon. But they do have theories. One of the main theories is that left-handedness eventually showed up in human genetics, because unusual handedness is a natural advantage in combat. Since most people --- lefties included --- are more accustomed to interacting with right-handed humans, we're all better at anticipating movements from that configuration. Guarding against a left-handed strike is a skill that most people will have practiced less often, thus they don't tend to do it as well as guarding against a right-handed strike. I actually saw this in action, during a brief time when I joined a group that practiced fencing. In my very first duel ever, I was going against someone much more experienced than me. The winner would be the first to get ten hits. And even I, a complete rookie, got six hits on my opponent before he got me ten times. The southpaw advantage definitely played a part in that. Anyway, Link fighting left-handed would cause him to experience that too. He would have to take longer to learn his skills, but with enough practice, he would have this special little gift that turns a natural struggle of his into a greater ability to fight. It's kind of symbolically, as well as literally, a demonstration of how being different makes him an especially good hero. *Sigh.* I hope Nintendo never forgets this principle altogether.

[@diddygt]

I'm not left-handed, but I always preferred Link being left-handed. It was a cool minor detail. They should've returned his left-handedness in BotW in my opinion since motion controls isn't a focus. We'll have to wait until after BotW/TotK era Link to see now.

[@nathanm5533]

I never knew there were other people who felt similarly about this lol, that's refreshing!

[@vuke6931]

As a southpaw, I both understand how trivial this seems and understand how deeply important it feels at the same time. I love, love when a character shares my left handed trait, and Link is a perfect example of that. The fact it feels like that's slowly being erased is immensely disappointing.

[@darrenklooosterman3206]

Nice to hear someone who has an uncommonly shared experience to me growing up, the exact way you explained your handedness in life and that connection to link perfectly describes my own, so a soft thanks, for expressing a part of you

[@bozardo101]

Now that breath of the wild came out, I didn't understand why they didn't make Link Left-Handed again. I do miss Left Handed Link because in a way I wanted to be left handed. I am now ambidextrous because of him.

[@thatonepossum5766]

-gasp- This is why! He was corrupting the children with his evil devil's-handedness! Burn the witch! (fully jokes)

[@perpetual_sigh]

As someone who is left-handed, but was made to learn to do everything with his right hand, this strikes a chord with me. Even though I am stronger with my left hand, more confident in learning things with it, and always seem to favour it when I’m not explicitly told to do otherwise (when I’m dealing cards, for example. My grandfather pointed that one out to me years ago), my parents, teachers, and most other authority figures in my life told me to write, draw, and do most other things with my right hand, as it would be ‘easier.’ Now, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken an interest in relearning these actions with my preferred dextrousness in mind. It’s already proving to be a lot easier, and in time, hopefully I’ll master doing things with my left even better than I have with my right.

[@sheridan5175]

No one says that anymore luckily

[@DragonZerul]

I have that with using forks and knives when eating, I never could learn the "proper" way. But in everything else I am right handed.

[@alventuradelacruz522]

Good thing I was very rebelious as a child so I mostly use my left hand

[@daboss640]

I've always wondered if I was left handed and just didn't know, because my writing was always really messy, and I can do a lot of things ambidextrously despite mostly practicing on the right.

[@secretpanda64]

I was made in school to do everything right handed but I never really stopped using my left so a plus is I can write and do just about everything with both hands. I’ve noticed I’m better at doing dextrose things with my left but better with physical things with my right. I mess around on a regular basis shooting a basketball or throwing a football alternating hands every time and can still do well with both. It just sometimes feels off throwing with my left but it just works naturally. Same with writing with my right. I can do it but it takes me longer and feels weird doing so but everything is still perfectly legible. It’s weird but my handwriting looks totally different depending on which hand I use though.

[@Haydawg06]

Headcanon that every time Link is right handed he was just forced to learn the right handed way cause that's how it used to be for all left handed people. I think it especially makes sense in Skyward Sword and BotW because i think those are the only 2 games where he receives formal teaching.

[@ramontavaresdacruz2256]

I'm right handed, but the fact Link was left handed always struck me with a good sense. Exactly because I knew it was uncommon and that added up to his fantasy of a hero in my head. It also reinforced him as an original character, albeit small, being left handed was one of his quirks.

[@SkatingJellyfish]

As a fellow left handed i could relate so hard to this, i too fell in love with link when i realized he was like me in the Wind Waker. I genuinely felt betrayed after botw. For the wii games i thought it couldnt be helped but botw? Why did you have to make him right handed, did miyamoto forget us? I used to think that link being left handed maybe was just a big deal to me but thankfully now i know i’m not alone :’3

[@vaughnhaney7020]

I'm pretty sure the reason he's left handed originally is actually that Miyamoto himself is left handed I myself am right handed but I always loved Link being left handed, it's nice seeing some variety for a change. Tbh I feel like for motion controls they could've just had the player select their handedness at the start of the game and mirror Link's animations during gameplay... They did it for Wii Sports and such

[@IceYetiWins]

They changed it in botw to be different than other Zelda games, like they changed dungeons and the open world

[@IrvingIV]

Link's more useful hand is still the left, parrying can kill Guardians with immense ease.

[@noahnaugler7611]

I think it's interesting that the different incarnations of Link don't all exhibit the same handedness. I find SS Link to be the most like me, primarily right handed, but left handed for certain activities or in certain situations. That is far more naturalistic from where I sit

[@Farinhir]

Maybe he is like me, mixed handed.

[@gelmanbegum9934]

That's called being ambidexterous .

[@TailsClock]

It paints a more depressing image to me. That EVERY Link is left handed, but some versions have to go through the crappy childhood and then training that is sadly relatable to lefties IRL. Where he's only taught how to do things right handed, is told that's the right way to do it, and so he has a much more unnatural time mastering his skills. There are no right-handed or ambidextrous Links at all. There are only those who were allowed to learn left handed, and a few who were onfortunate to have the right-handed ways forced on them.

[@MissMoontree]

Link secretly being ambidextrous.

[@Farinhir]

@@MissMoontree I am not ambidextrous. That is different. Mixed handedness is much more prevalent then ambidextrous.

[@macdongr]

I always loved that Link was left handed. I'm not left handed but I think it's really interesting to see how he swings/uses his weapons.

[@acrimony1611]

As a little kid, It meant so much to me to see one of my favorite heroes be left handed like me, especially when how little of my peers were left-handed as well ( I think there was only around one or two other left handed kids in my grade.)

[@FoxFighter-HellBringer]

My sister is left handed, but is mix-handed. That means she writes with her left hand but does everything else with her right hand. No one taught her to be this way, she just did what felt more comfortable. It's supposedly uncommon, only about 1% prevalence. As someone who is strongly right handed, I often wonder what her brain thinks when she switches from hand to hand.

[@Rammy_Latin]

Yo I'm actually the same as your sister! I'm left handed and I do a majority of tasks with my left hand but there are some things I do with my right (like how I throw) because it just feels more comfortable. Sometimes, there is no thought process behind it. You just do what feels right (or left...)!

[@FoxFighter-HellBringer]

@@Rammy_Latin She's left handed but the only thing she does left handed is write. She does everything else with her right hand, even writing on a whiteboard. It can be easy to forget that she's left handed because she doesn't really use her left hand that often. Even when she was in softball, she pitched, batted, and threw right handed. She said she couldn't even do it lefty.

[@Rammy_Latin]

@@FoxFighter-HellBringer Wait, so she writes with her left hand EXCEPT when writing on a whiteboard?? Ok, well, I don't do _that_ 😅

[@FoxFighter-HellBringer]

@@Rammy_Latin Yeah. She probably trained herself to do it at school.

[@Rammy_Latin]

@@FoxFighter-HellBringer That's really interesting!

[@kohakkanuva3224]

meeting another left-handed person is so special somehow. There's something really cool and reassuring knowing that there are people out there like you.

[@thisiswhatilike54]

13% of Americans are

[@kohakkanuva3224]

@@thisiswhatilike54 considering how many people there are in the US in total, I'd say that's not too big a portion

[@mynappyaphro]

I always take note of left handed people when I happen to come across them. And it happens a fair bit to me. Always put a little smile on my face

[@AdriMario]

1:51 - 2:26 I'm left handed too and the exactly same thing happened to me man, it was amazing!!! I felt too identified with everything said in this video. Back in the times, i came to accept that link was right-handed in wii games, and at least Twilight Princess Link was canonically lefty, but him being right-handed in botw hurt me xD When I was talking to all my friends about this topic, they called me crazy and said that it was just a hand, so watching this video gave me a lot of satisfaction and made me realize that I am not the only one that thought about it and it gave me a feeling of being a part of something, thank you so much. PD: Just discovered your channel, and I love it! You deserv way more subs!

[@doreenlarson5849]

Growing up I read books a lot more than I played video games, but all of the zelda manga really empathized Link being left handed, so even though I’ve only played botw he’ll always be left handed in my heart

[@Ceral_]

Strangely enough, as a right handed person, I feel like I could have still used the motion controls with a left handed link. I can't see how it would have been any more difficult for right handed people. Though, I am saying this as someone who prefer controllers that can be used with both hands and uses both hands with rhythm games and other various things. I think for me personally, a left handed Link in Twilight Princess might have required a little more hand-eye coordination.... but it's not like we would have to hold the controllers in our non dominant hand. And even with that, I'm pretty sure most people would have gotten used to it after the tutorial stage anyway.

[@popsicIes]

you'd be surprised. try wiping your ass with your left hand. even the most mundane things feel horribly wrong with the non-dom hand lmao

[@5-Volt]

I always thought about this too. How hard is it for lefties to point or swing the remote with their non-dominant hand? I don't think it would've been that hard. Plus, you use the nunchuck in both TP & SS. All video game controllers have the joystick & d-pad on the left & buttons on the right. So it would probably feel awkward for even a lefty to have the joystick in the other hand.

[@spiderflash1273]

Before this video, I assumed that the reason SS Link and BotW Link were right handed was for historical accuracy or something, as at one point in time if you were left handed you would still be taught to do everything from the right hand, so maybe these two Links, as formally trained knights, were meant to be interpreted as southpaws who were taught to swing a sword with their right hand because nobody else knew how to use their left hands for something like this. I mean, other than Hyrule Warriors Link and kinda WW Link, I don’t know of any other Links who had any truly formal training to speak of before their adventures, they were all just kinda naturals as far as I’m aware. After this video, it’s a little disappointing to see that my interpretation may have just been wishful thinking on my part.

[@azurephantom100]

All techniques can be done with your left without issue but when it comes to training/sparing is where issues arise opposite handed ppl can fight each other that easily maybe that is why link can beat Ganon so well link had practice fighting minions so he knows tricks to deal with the awkward situation

[@NarrowSpark96]

If I recall correctly, Twilight Princess Link also has formal training and is right handed, which lends more credence to you theory. And Warriors Link is essentially an entire army on his own, so he stops fighting with his right hand because he's not often fighting in formation (or rather, he doesn't need to to defeat monsters). Regardless, I've always believed Link to be ambidextrous and merely prefers his left hand when he fights, though that is clearly not true.

[@ocimau5]

Made it all the way through, and liked and subscribed as this is my first time seeing one of your videos! Love the content even as silly as it may seem. Can’t wait to see more!

[@Qadupae]

The only thing it says to me to have Link right handed, even as a right handed person, is that the team were too lazy to allow for accessibility options, to be able to choose left or right handedness in the options menu. Seriously, that's all they had to do. Even as a righty, Link has always been uniquely left handed to me.

[@CyrienProgredi]

I'm right handed but I frequently imagine characters being left handed. I wish that the default would be left handed and featured a mirrored mode so that left handed users could have a better sense of pride! Edit: saw you only had 160 subs and this seems like a really good video??? I'm subbing.

[@RuztyNails33]

I really appreciate that! I've already got a few more in the pipe, hope you'll enjoy them!

[@sarowie]

there are some strange problems you run into when mirroring the whole world. It starts with simple things like text if you mirror the whole screen. Note that twilight princess wii had an east-west error in the game due to the mirroring.

[@ayanamiayachanJ]

@@RuztyNails33I’m also left handed

[@doutchebags]

Apparently some officials at Nintendo said that Link is right handed in BotW because you press a button on the right side of the controller to swing your sword, on top of the fact that you can't control the direction of your slice with the left stick anymore like previous games in the series let you do (which was apparently one of the strictly gameplay related reasons why Link was still left handed in the older 3D entries). It doesn't help matters when 2D entries make Link left handed when facing north, south, and west, but then make him right handed specifically whenever he's facing east (though games like ALBW and the LA remake don't have this issue because they're actually 3D overhead instead of sprite based 2D).

[@sonicmeerkat]

I do find it strange how the devs coded in a flipped perspective but never gave the option to flip it back as a left handed accessibility setting.

[@anlacehd4135]

I like the way Minecraft goes about it, where you can change ur handedness in the settings. If that was a feature, the devs could really achieve their goal of Link being relatable for everyone.

[@Gildedtongue]

As a right-hander, it kinda saddens me that they took away Link's left-handedness. It was just something different, and special with the character.

[@sarowie]

same feeling here. It does not even need to be "special" as 10% of the population are left handed, but it is specific that link is specifically left handed. Link can change his tunic into different colours. His hair color is inconsistent. He is a different iteration of him self each time - but each time he is left handed (except breath of the wild for some reason - I do not count Twilight princess Wii - that literally happened in a mirror universe)

[@fyreexe4121]

@@sarowie in link's house in botw, there is a pencil on the left side of a notebook, strongly implying link is left handed. however, because he trained as a knight, he was likely taught to use his right hand to fight, as it makes sparring and training easier. his left arm is powerful though; parrying a guardian laser is not easy

[@taiagara]

As a fellow southpaw, I feel your pain. Hell, all of the points you made in this video are things I've been telling my friends for years. It's really comforting to know I'm not the only one who feels slightly alienated and neglected by Link's change in handedness. Your experience with Wind Waker Link at the age of 5 was my experience with OoT Link at the age of 9. There was some unspoken pride about sharing the same dominant hand as my favourite video game protagonist. Skyward Sword and Breath of The Wild Link have both failed to resonate deeply with me, and I'd like to attribute their right-handedness to that.

[@Rammy_Latin]

I was playing one of the handheld Zelda games as a kid and my mom pointed out that he was holding his sword in his left; something I never realized! I felt so validated as a fellow Lefty :3

[@rickychen3360]

1:57...... I can feel that because when I noticed link was left handed as I was, I instantly loved the franchise for that small detail

[@fizzy7140]

Maybe the reason Link is ambidextrous in Skyward sword is again to accommodate the right handed audience- in terms of immersion with holding the Wii remote (bow) in front of you with the right hand. But anyway, I appreciate this video so much. I’m not left handed myself, but the story of seeing a hero “just like you” is really touching, and it was neat to hear it’s because Miyamoto was left handed!

[@queenviren]

Finally someone who gets it. As someone who is left handed, I felt the same joy playing a character I loved being left handed. It can be hard to put into words my feelings about being left handed and link himself, but I feel very similarly to you. Hopefully left handed link makes a triumphant return because with how the switch controls breath of the wild and other games don’t have a reason for him to be right handed at this point.

[@suppishnaruto]

I just know this channel's going to blow up and I'm here for it

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

So am I

[@tylorbronson5349]

Here’s a funny story. I actually first played twilight princess on GameCube, when I visited a friend who had it on wii and ask for me to help with the first time you are in Hyrule castle, in Link’s wolf form, the flipped world tripped my muscle memory up so f***ing much that I asked if there was an option to use my left hand as my main hand, which there wasn’t (later I decided to train myself to be ambidextrous, out of spite)

[@sindrevangenrobberstad2889]

My man!

[@Luigi_Longplays]

Loved the video, you just gained your 864th sub!

[@PJBgamer]

As a right-handed person, I thought it was cool that Link was left-handed! Not many characters are and that made him stand out to me. So when Skyward Sword came out and Link was right handed, it just felt weird to me. Yes, it did line up with my handedness so swinging the sword felt natural, but it felt like a part of the character's uniqueness was lost... This is actually a symptom of a greater problem Nintendo has when making their games accessible. Yes, they love to make things easy to understand, but when it comes to players with special needs or disabilities (low vision, muscular dystrophy, being deaf, or in this example, left-handedness), Nintendo has been really bad at catering to those crowds. It's really sad that leftie Link got caught in the crossfire...

[@rastlin0001]

As a lefty I can truly feel this pain. It does suck, there are very few southpaw's represented in mainstream media

[@popsicIes]

not to mention a good portion of them tend to be evil or side characters

[@ferdburfle2370]

I may be right handed but I loved the old left handed game play because in my mind it just compounded more why link was such a hero because being left handed may be a challenge but image having to learn sword play when you can't use a sword the way anyone else can he learned that by himself and honestly in my kid brain it was such a huge inspiration

[@Cleoli2]

As a lefty I adore the fact that Link is/was left handed and I hope it returns someday. I loved to see other people also loving Link even more because he is left handed. Its interesting what little details like this can do for people

[@marcoasturias8520]

I mean, it makes sense Link changes hands often, since very few times we are playing as the same person, almost every link is at least a couple millenia apart from the previous and the next. And it makes sense in BotW, AoC and TotK all have right handed Link, since that is the very same Link all three times!

[@SailorMya]

I 100% noticed this flips every time even as a righty. If I ever draw pics of Link I keep him a lefty.

[@kdm1234gmail]

only problem I had with my lefthanded ism. Was in school When a teacher found out I was left handed. They would force me to use left handed tools and I had grow up using the normal right handed ones with my left hand. So the left handed ones were incredibly difficult and uncomfortable to hold.

[@potatopotpie5721]

I can't believe that you're this passionate about a twink's hands... I love it

[@ace131484]

As a left hander, and a fan of the series since the original Legend of Zelda, you have put my exact feelings in video form

[@Royalhanburglar]

I really love getting to see what speaks to individuals in their favorite games. I never had even paid attention to his hand positioning like that, it’s so interesting to see what piques the mind!!

[@RoninCatholic]

It always felt to me like the decision to have Link hold his shield in his right hand in the first game was an arbitrary one, and they kept repeating it up through Twilight Princess because it was distinctive. I definitely like it! Hearing it was originally done with specific intention only makes it cooler.

[@FirstNameLastName-oz5ij]

THANK YOU Finally, someone else who feels the same way I did about this. Iirc, Aonuma himself said the decision to make link right handed in botw was because "the button to swing the sword is on the right side." What? The button has always been on the right side. What makes the difference now? Nobody complained about that before. And if this really is the reasoning, I can bet no future incarnation of Link will ever be left-handed again, which makes me really sad. Left-handedness is not only rare but was historically shamed. Teachers would force lefty students to write right-handed, the left hand side was often deemed as the "devil's side" and seen as something evil. My 99-year-old grandma was also left-handed as a kid just like me, but was forced by everyone to use her right hand when she was growing up. Now she basically can't do anything with her left hand except brush her teeth. It's honestly really sad how left-handedness was historically depicted as something negative, so to see a hero (Link) depicted as left-handed made me feel incredibly happy and represented. Finally, left-handedness was being depicted in positive light. To top it all off, 1 in 10 people are left handed, but only like 1 in every 1000 or so fictional characters are left handed, making left-handed fictional characters exceptionally rare. So to take away left-handedness from one of the very few left-handed fictional characters just makes me feel so wronged. I'm just so glad I found this video, and now I don't feel as crazy for feeling the way that I did about Link no longer being left-handed.

[@a-bombmori7393]

I think people really undermine how prevalent discrimination against left handed people actually is. Even left handed people act like it doesn't exist or isn't important. Sure, it's not that common in America nowadays, but it certainly still happens in some communities, particularly in school settings, and it's more common in other parts of the world. It wouldn't be as big of a deal if children weren't the ones most often victimized, typically by people in positions of power over them, like teachers or their parents.

[@jondbarrow]

I agree that he should have stayed left handed. There’s literally no reason they had to change it honestly even for the Wii. They could have easily kept him left handed and had the option to change his handedness depending on your own. I’ve seen people argue that because it’s not the same Link, they are reincarnations, that it would make sense for them to have different handedness. But to me, even as a right handed person Link being left handed is as iconic as his blonde hair, pointed ears, and green tunic. It made him stand out back in the day, adding just a hint of uniqueness to the character. I hope we see it again

[@temporalwolf7054]

One of my earliest memories is coming home from kindergarten (I have memory issues so earlier stuff just... isn't there anymore) with a bruise on my left hand. My mom asked how it got there and I told her that the teacher had smacked it with a ruler when I tried writing with my left hand because holding a pencil in my right was actually kinda painful. Needless to say my mom saw to it that teacher was fired within the week, but the issue remained that being left handed and that being a deviation from the norm was a huge part of my childhood to the point that I'm still a little self conscious about it. I forget when exactly it was - I want to say it was when I was playing Ocarina of Time maybe? - that I realized Link was left handed but something just as small as that did a LOT to make me feel normal. If Link can fight Ganon left handed there's nothing inherently wrong with being left handed. Incidentally, while there's no real understanding of what causes left-handedness, study into left-handedness has come up with an interesting correlation in that most left-handed people tend to exhibit some traits of ambidextrousness. Far exceeding the same rate of that trait showing up in the right handed population to the point that most scientists agree that the reason lefties tend to be more ambidextrous is out of an adaptive necessity. The world caters almost exclusively to the right handed in how products are made that we just... learn to use right handed scissors because we can't find any decent left-handed ones, for example. To the point that it's been my personal explanation that in most things Link *is* still left handed but just... nobody was around to teach him how to swing a sword southpaw and he adapted. Still sucks that he's not explicitly left handed anymore though.

[@dingus_maximus]

I remember seeing a comment on some KZbin video years ago where someone said lefties can never be good artists because they’re just not as dexterous or something. Obviously that’s completely ridiculous and not something anyone should take seriously, but as a left-handed aspiring artist, I just can’t forget that. Maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing, but it’s just a little annoying that my handedness is just one more thing that makes me feel isolated from other people. And like the video said, it’s never been a huge issue in most areas of my life. Hell, I can play Wii games with my right hand like anyone else. I just always liked that Link was a leftie. Hopefully he uses his left hand more in Tears of the Kingdom since his right arm is all messed up. Also, didn’t know Miyamoto was a leftie, that’s really cool!

[@matthewsimon6170]

As someone who's Amipdexterous much like my Favorite Link guiding through the sky, i was going to write with my left as a base, but a teacher didnt let me, calling me vile for doing so and forcing a change. So yeah, apologies Left-Hander's, i get your pain.

[@Chelsea-se5vh]

As a right handed person I love left-handed Link bc I always found it such a cute little unique detail about him

[@soabac0835]

even as a right handed guy zelda was always my favorite series, and i loved the fact he was left handed ! although on skyward sword and twilight princess it got me questioned "why couldn't they just make a switch hands settings ?" in BOTW i was just a bit sad that i couldn't play my favorite character as he was intended to be, a left handed sword master

[@Maiden.of.Artemis]

I feel like since both of these games are using motion controls they should’ve just had an option to be like “is your hero right or left handed in order to make the motion controls more suitable for your adventure”

[@Anytyme06]

I always thought that Link being left handed was so cool! Made him different.

[@Wario_B]

I can relate a ton to liking a character because of a physical trait the 2 of you share! King K. Rool was always one of my favorite villains in Nintendo’s history but his giant bloodshot eye made me really stick with em. I’m basically extremely near-sighted in my right eye and I tend to squint a lot with that eye, but for some reason my left eye is completely fine. Odd comparison but it made me like him since he’s got eye issues too lol.

[@jorgec98]

My dad is ambidextrous, and I try to do some things with both hands at times. I've always had an affinity for left handed people, yet never noticed Link was left handed in those games. I hope they bring it back some day

[@PurplePh0enix]

Although I am right handed, I always liked knowing that Link was left-handed. I remember learning that for the first time while reading one of the Zelda encyclopedias I believe. Feeling proud of myself for knowing that, I went and played many of my Zelda games. For the longest time, I did know that Link was right-handed in TP and SS, but as a played BoTW, something changed. I was just casually running around Hyrule and I thought about that fact that Link is left-handed. I pulled out my sword and experienced horror - Link in BoTW is RIGHT-handed. I felt frustrated by that fact and it still bothers me to this day. Link being left-handed just seemed special to me. This video was really well done btw. I never knew Link in SS was ambidextrous - that surprised me!

[@Lil_Lightning17]

I'm left handed myself and Link being left hand made me really happy. It'd used to bug my dad about that whenever I saw me play any Zelda title till I was big enough to play for myself. And as strange as it sounds I couldn't really enjoy the games with Link being right hand instead of left. Made me sad and felt like something was missing.

[@sylvanstrength7520]

YES! THANK YOU! It meant the whole world to me that my favorite character was just like me! A lot of right handed folk like to tell us we’re over-reacting but they don’t get it.

[@odinvolk6973]

any reason the wii games didn't have a mode for lefties? I've never played the motion controllers (couldn't get the damn thing to work, stuck with the pro controller) is it something that can be learned if you just switch which hand holds the remote and the analog stick? and for the in-game itself switching hands shouldn't be too much of a cosmetic change.

[@PrincessFelicie]

Maybe I'm just a weird southpaw, but when I was a teen I did archery for a few months, and I seem to recall I did it with the left hand holding the bow and the right hand pulling the string...

[@trumbones255]

This was a great video, really got to hand(sorry) it to you. Weirdly enough even though i like left-handed link, I also like them mixing it up with ambidextrous (which is even rarer) for both skyward sword and botw. It makes the links all feel special in their own way, where while someone can relate to any of the older links for being left handed, there are people that can relate with being ambidextrous since it’s not a common thing either. Though that’s just my thoughts, i’m not trying to say left handed link is bad or anything, just that i think it’s cool that they mixed it up. Also though, i do think left handed link will return after tears of the kingdom, and the only reason link isn’t in both those games is actually a lore reason. Mainly with the green hand in the trailers. We know totk was originally botw dlc, so i feel like the hand was going to originally be the last dlc for the game, which is why they stuck with the ambidetrioyasity, but of course the dlc devolved into a sequel where it stays instead. And if your doubt that, because it was the prerelease footage, fair, but i’d like to bring that one infamous link botw link concept art of his hand changing(Oh hey’s he left handed here, but the hand changes in his right hand.) so the concept clearly was there. But after they ended up deciding what the hand would actually be(presumably the hand is canonically right handed…or ambidextrous.) They had to change botw link to coordinate it. I know that sounds kinda crazy, but i hope it gives a glimmer of hope for left handed link’s return, because unless we go back to motion controls, or we get a botw 3, there theoretically should be no reason why link doesn’t go back to left handed.

[@RuztyNails33]

We love a good pun here

[@Cool-fr8dv]

Tbh Breath of the Wild's biggest fatal flaw is that Link is right handed

[@austinatkins9290]

I agree that it is sad that link is now right handed. I did not know link was meant to be left handed an I am left handed! I agree with all that you said here and I am glad that there are people who still feel strongly about thing like this.

[@Omnicharlizard]

This video is exactly how I feel as a fellow south paw. Though my first Zelda game was ocarina of time and smash 64. Having a left handed hero is ultimately what made me initially love the series and when he switched in skyward sword and breath of the wild….something seems lost 🙃

[@robertgamer3112]

Glad to see someone else cares about this. I am right handed, but I always thought Link being left-handed was neat. If the Wii games let you pick Link's handedness I would have picked left handed.

[@Theyaoimistress]

No matter what, for me, Link will always be left handed. No matter the new games.

[@verpaule]

As someone who was left handed... Broke my arm for several years... Had to learn everything to the right... While my left arm is still weaker to this day. I am now confused-Ambidextrous. I do not know myself what side i am on or if i am more left handed or right handed. Some things yes, some things no. Most of the time i can do anything both hands if i try. But neither of them feels right (Or left) to me. So yes, this new version of link... I like it. He's like me. Confused about being right or left.

[@MarkATorres1989]

It does sting a lot knowing that companies will make whatever compromises they can to bleed out as much profit as possible. As a south paw myself, it was always aggravating back in my school years... 2 decades ago wow. Being the only left handed person in my class and oddly being seen as the oddity. - So yeah I'll admit to being bitter about the treatment of an iconic fictional southpaw hero being changed for the profits of a company.

[@AzureLlama]

You know, I've never really payed any mind to it but you really don't see many left handed characters. Only one I remember is Goro Akechi. Note to self: make more characters left handed.

[@tloariart]

Akechi, Link and Sephiroth are the only left handed characters that come to mind, there really should be more!

[@alexanderackerman3807]

There's also Luigi and maybe Rosalina

[@Triforce300]

Finally someone said it. I know it's not huge but how hard is it to have a left handed option?

[@keirawalton2578]

Im right handed and still annoyed they mirrored the entire game on the wii 😭

[@partyrock4144]

I actually saw a neat fan comic that acknowledges this. TLDR twilight princess link lends botw link his shield in a fight but struggles to hold it as it’s built for a lefty

[@ifrit05]

THIS is why I always felt so close to Link, I am also left handed. It was like a special bond we both shared. RIP.

[@Tunabreath2001]

Because of Link, I thought being left-handed was awesome and made you a very selfless hero. I carried this on as an adult and just think it's really cool and special now! Never had any negative thoughts about it but didn't think it would help someone's insecurities... I really miss left-handed Link... I wanted to play with my left hand! I have tried to train myself to become ambidextrous during school and sports but gave up lol

[@hatinacat7344]

Omg I did the same thing! I spent like my entire 5th grade year DETERMINED to use my left hand for everything and I think wanting to be like Link was a big part of it, it’s so funny looking back at old papers and stuff from that time and seeing how godawful my handwriting was lmao

[@Tunabreath2001]

@hatinacat7344 oh my gosh that's AWESOME lol! Also I love your pfp wtf 😂

[@hatinacat7344]

@@Tunabreath2001 lmao thanks 😂your name is pretty great too lmao

[@Tunabreath2001]

@@hatinacat7344 not sure if this is weird but, do you have discord?

[@hatinacat7344]

@@Tunabreath2001 omg i'm so sorry i'm seeing this like 2 months later!!! i never get notifications and i always forget to check them 😭😭😭😭 yeah i have discord! also if it is weird, it can't be any weirder than me replying to this two months later lmaoooo

[@tavalk1800]

Some people can use both hands equally and some use both but prefer use on or the other for different task but could still do the task using the other hand it is just that their mind has to chose one or the other to do a task fast and so your mind will chose what it wants to do a task with for things over time so it can do that task faster later.

[@alicemoonlight123]

Mark Voice: "You're the only one who has the advantage. You're ambidextrous." "No, I'm mixed handed"

[@Wicked_maniac]

Lol glad I’m right handed

[@xKiiCox]

A right handed Link is like a Metroid game with Samus Aran having a foot gun.

[@JasonBoyce]

I think the reason Link was left-handed in the original game was for keeping his attack animation in a specific pixel range so that it was easier for players to see where their sword strikes were going, and they just kept it

[@Tiperia]

I have a fondness for left hand Link. BUT, I am a right handed perfectionist who is happy that he can be Hero Of The Wild for Halloween while using my dominant hand.

[@ginniegill1026]

I hear so many people talk about Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks, but Phantom Hourglass is so underappreciated 😔 It was the first Zelda game ai ever played, and today I feel like the only fan of it....