From the moment Link first equipped that adorable Gerudo attire in Breath of the Wild, the landscape of Gerudo fan art changed forever. All you have to do is search for “Gerudo Link” and you’ll see a flood of amazing fan art, ranging from adorable to badass (with a few creepy ones sprinkled in between). But regardless of what you find, this amusing and unexpectedly cute outfit, which Link must adorn in order to infiltrate Gerudo Town, is rightfully the subject of some incredible artwork.
While most Gerudo Link fan art depicts a kawaii-looking Link posing in his dainty Vai outfit, this piece by Twitter user gyou takes a more dynamic approach. It’s a perfect snapshot of a moment I’m sure we’ve all accidentally (or maybe purposefully, out of curiosity) experienced in Breath of the Wild’s Gerudo Town: getting caught.
Link’s Vai disguise is undoubtedly convincing, given that it allows him to browse the town’s stores and sleep at the inn without suspicious looks. Even the innkeeper, when providing Link with a spa treatment, gives a completely unaware and ironic complement of how she likes his “Voeish figure.” However, the Gerudo will immediately spot Link if he removes the outfit and kick him out for being a Voe. In the game, this plays out in a short cutscene — the guards alert everyone that “A Voe has been detected!” and throw Link out of the main gate, along with a warning to never come back.
It’s true to how it happens in most Zelda installments where Gerudo can capture or throw you out of their base, but it’s a shame that there’s no chase or fight. It’s all automatic. In gyou’s brilliant piece, however — which looks like it could come straight out of a Zelda manga — we get an excellent taster of what that chase or fight might look like if Link was confronted by the Gerudo in Breath of the Wild, who perhaps became too suspicious of his “Voeish figure.”
When I first saw this piece, I was immediately struck by how badass all the Gerudo warriors look. I’m no stranger to gushing about how awesome the Gerudo race is, but I just have to talk about how wonderfully gyou has drawn them here. Their elegant armor and jewelry, bold makeup, and fiery ponytails, combined with their muscular bodies, perfectly encapsulate their powerful womanhood.
This is further emphasized by the other focus of the piece: Link in his Vai attire. He is delicately yet boldly poised, sword in hand, on top of one of the Gerudo’s spears, clearly not ready to leave without a fight. If you look closely, you can see that Link’s right hand is placed down against the hand of the Gerudo guard holding the spear, and there’s a clear size difference in their hands. I think Link in Breath of the Wild is deliberately effeminate, which is why he can so easily pull off his Vai disguise. Gyou has clearly utilized this to contrast the physical differences between Link and the Gerudo, giving us a brilliant reminder of the fierceness of this race.
I also interpret it as a reminder of how strength comes in all shapes and sizes. While I’ll always love how Zelda perfectly blends feminine and masculine qualities for the Gerudo race, it’s good to remember that even someone like Link in Breath of the Wild, with his more effeminate, smaller frame, has just as much fierceness at his disposal. In gyou’s piece Link is clearly unafraid, facing off against one of the Gerudo on top of her own weapon and literally keeping himself steady on her hand. He wears his adorable Vai outfit as confidently as his relentless courage.
