RITO

Another particularly well-developed tribe with a clear real-life influence is the Rito tribe, which was first introduced in The Wind Waker. They are bird-like creatures evolved from the Zoras who dwell high in the mountains and use their home as Post Office for those on the islands scattered over the Great Sea. The Rito are a close-knit, proud community with rites of passage, music and spirits all of their own. This tribe is reminiscent of South American cultures – particularly those from the Andes Mountains – and the influence is noticeable in their clothes and architecture.

Despite the commendable effort in the inclusion of diversity into the worlds of several of the installments in the franchise, there are two negative aspects to this. First, some of these cultures come with some ugly stereotypes associated with the real-life cultures that influenced their creation. For example, the Gorons are generally considered to be brutes of low intelligence because of their simple dialogue, their preference for physical strength and because how easy it is to mislead them, though this is never outright established in the game and is dispersed somewhat by a few intellectual Gorons like Gorko, the anthropologist in Skyward Sword.

In a similar fashion, there’s a very negative connotation associated with the Middle Eastern cultural influence on the Gerudo tribe, particularly their greedy, cheating, thieving tendencies, their reclusiveness and their general mistrust of outsiders, which results in a common fear and distrust of them throughout Hyrule. Moreover, there’s an undeniable segregation of races and cultures that pervades all of Hyrule in the majority of games. In Ocarina of Time, the land separates them and pushes each of these communities to different corners of the world where their preferred ecosystem reigns. In The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, the entire world is separated in tiny islands as a result of the great flood that destroyed Hyrule. In Twilight Princess, the Twilight invasion disconnected parts of Hyrule and access to different areas was near impossible unless Link shifted into wolf-form. And in Skyward Sword, the wildness of a world abandoned for thousands of years had separated the communities that remained when Demise and his demons tried to destroy the humans and the Goddess Hylia took them to the sky. n Jun. 13, 2016, a highly anticipated game was announced at E3, the world’s biggest trade event for the video game industry. It was Death Stranding—the first title developed by renowned game designer Hideo Kojima since leaving video game giant Konami to launch his own studio in 2015.

In fact, aside from when a member from each of the main tribes was needed as the Sage of each of the Temples in Ocarina of Time in order to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, one would be hard-pressed to find an occasion in the entire franchise where there’s any fraternization between the tribes and cultures, especially one where Link didn’t operate as the bridge between them.

What the creators of the series have accomplished is beautiful, but not without flaws. Nonetheless, the effort placed into diversifying the world in this franchise is admirable and has given the gamers and lovers of the series an amalgamation of complex, rich and exciting new cultures and worlds to explore. It might not be perfect, but the Zelda series has effectively conveyed the importance of multiculturalism and of allowing the beauty of the world to shine through the diversity and the profoundly significant differences amongst cultures that in the end unites us all.

Kojima is the creator of the Metal Gear series, which have sold almost 55 million units (as of June 2019) around the world. Fans and staff treat him with the kind of reverence reserved for auteurs— not surprising, considering the visually and thematically rich storytelling featured in his games.

writer:KOTARO OKADA editor:KAZUYUKI KOYAMA

After establishing Kojima Productions in December 2015, Kojima allowed excitement about the new studio to build for months before taking the stage at E3 2016 to rapturous cheers and applause. There, he delivered a simple message to fans and industry professionals alike: “I’m back!” Forty-two months later, he delivered the highly anticipated Death Stranding to the world.

We caught up with Kojima before he departed on a promotional tour for the game that would take him to Europe, the US, and Asia. We discussed his career to date, including his decision to go independent and produce a major title at his own studio. We also asked how his career has influenced his views of what it means to have a goal or dream, and why he continues taking risks well into his 50s.