The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has some gorgeous characters. I’m not talking in terms of graphics or visuals. I’m talking in terms of “were this an actual person who existed in reality, I would be ogling and attempting to date them” levels of attractiveness. Now, when I make this statement, I’m not necessarily referring to the human characters. The Hylians and Gerudo are great and all, but the people who are most attractive in this game are the ones who aren’t actually human. The Zora, Rito,and Fairies are just great.
I first realized this when I sent Link to visit my first non-human settlement in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As I wandered across Hyrule’s plains, some Zora told me to meet with their prince. They were okay looking, if you don’t mind folks with stingrays for hair. It was when I first met Prince Sidon that I realized, “Whoa! This dude’s hot!” He had a vivacious and hilarious personality, a winning smile, and was just plain cool!
It wasn’t just a one-off thing. When I reached the Zora’s domain and learned about Mipha, I couldn’t help but think she was even more beautiful and appealing than Sidon! After reaching the Rito’s perch and meeting Avali, I wanted to know him better too. There are even a few Goron that are chubby-cute. It didn’t matter that these were fish, birds, and basically rocks. They were appealing.
Perhaps the biggest change in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was to the Great Fairies. These are creatures that sometimes look horrifying. I’m talking about you, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask; you ruined Great Fairies. But here, they’re gorgeous again. They’re huge, which might possibly be a little disconcerting, but otherwise stunning and welcoming presences.
The question is, why are all these non-human characters so attractive? Really, they’re incredibly orthodox and foreign. Is it the fact that they are exotic? Perhaps. But, I think it’s instead a matter of great personality inside well designed characters that are mentally and visually appealing. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is great about making us care about characters, which in turns makes them attractive to us in a way they wouldn’t normally be. The same thing happens in games like Mass Effect, Star Fox, Darkstalkers, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog. The way these characters act and their general presence make them appealing.
Think about it. Mass Effect’s Tali is covered in a space suit for the entire series. We know she’s not human, especially because of the hands and feet. But, her background makes us appreciate and love her. Same for Garrus. He’s basically a space dinosaur, but I romanced him multiple times. Darkstalkers’ Q-Bee is a human-bee hybrid, while Felicia is a cat-girl. Both have legions of fans willing to profess their love. Fox McCloud and Wolf O’Donnell’s teams all have their followings. Also, have you ever taken a look at all the Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction out there? There’s a whole wiki for fan-created characters, which naturally people pair with their favorite hedgehogs.
When you play through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, think about the people you meet. Really take a good, close look at some of the Zora and Rito people you meet. Get to know them. Seek out the Great Fairies. I get the feeling you might find them incredibly attractive too.