Growing up in the mid and late 90s, strong female characters were only just starting to make their way into children’s media. A lot of the female depictions I was exposed to in video games were things like the perpetually captured Princess Peach and Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider—a strong woman, to be sure, but what in the world were those proportions?
Then along came Sheik and Zelda from Ocarina of Time.
When Ocarina of Time came out for the N64 in 1998—the same year that Disney released Mulan, making it a big year for badass women—I was still watching video games over my big brothers’ shoulders. I wasn’t actually allowed to touch the system without adult/older brother supervision so it was years, before I was actually able to play through my first Zelda game by myself.
But even as an observer I was obsessed with the Sheik/Zelda storyline. Summary: the princess disguises herself as a member of an ancient warrior race to help the hero defeat the big bad. This two-in-one character made it clear to me that I could be like Princess Peach and wait for someone to unlock the cage, or I could bust out myself.
The duality of Zelda in this game was such a huge inspiration to me as a little girl. I grew up surrounded by boys, and all that came along with them, which produced one serious little tomboy. Even though Zelda was disguised as a guy, it never really clicked in my mind that Sheik was supposed to be male. To me, Sheik was this strong, enigmatic warrior woman who guided Link from the shadows. I wanted to be both Sheik and Zelda before I even knew they were linked. Zelda, even as a child, was intelligent, and confident, and important; and Sheik was fierce, and musically inclined, and rocked the coolest outfit. The big reveal that Sheik and Zelda were one in the same still holds such a high place in my personal video game hall of fame.
Sheik is the hero behind the hero in Ocarina of Time. Sheik is one step ahead of Link the entire time and always there to teach him a sweet new jam to move the quest along. Zelda can’t free herself from the proverbial tower on her own, so she uses magic and a guy to save not just herself, but her kingdom - and probably the world. The power that they share is something I emulated well in to adulthood. As much as I love the hero of time himself, Zelda and Sheik are the real reason I keep coming back to Ocarina of Time over and over.
Princess Zelda is my queen, whether she’s channeling the Goddess in Skyward Sword or doing field research in Breath of the Wild, but Zelda’s masqueraded escapes as Sheik will always hold the most power and influence for me.
