Following the top-down, Zelda dungeon-style level in Super Mario 3D Land and the 8-bit Link level in Super Mario 3D World, it was a little surprising when Super Mario Odyssey arrived without any Legend of Zelda references or cameos. The seemingly closest thing we got was a gameplay mechanic similar to the Merge ability from A Link Between Worlds.
There’s always a connection — a link, if you will — between the Mario and Zelda series if you look hard enough, however. In Odyssey’s case, you may not see it, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
Link may be famously known as a “silent” protagonist, but his shouts, cries, and yelps are still recorded by real human voices. Nobuyuki Hiyama was responsible for the voice clips of adult Link in Ocarina of Time (also later reused for Majora’s Mask’s Fierce Deity Link), the first two Super Smash Bros. titles, and Soulcalibur II. In recent years, Hiyama has also voiced another Nintendo character: Topper, leader of the Broodals in 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey.
Of course, if you weren’t already aware of this, it’s unlikely you’d be able to guess; Topper’s manic, high-pitched wailing is fairly different from adult Link’s macho grunts and screams. Returning to the Topper cutscene with this knowledge, however, I can just about hear hints of Ocarina Link in the Broodal boss’s voice, strangely enough.
Hiyama has performed in a large number of video game and animation roles throughout his career, and Mario and Zelda aren’t the only Nintendo properties in his resume; he also voiced Hero in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Jackal in Bravely Default, and various voices in the Pokémon anime series.
Link may not have uttered any actual words in his Ocarina of Time vocalizations, but those many “hyah!” sounds I heard during the hundreds of hours I’ve spent rolling across Hyrule Field and jump-slashing at monsters are more iconic to me than most lines of video game dialogue. Hiyama is an important part of Zelda’s history, and it’s so great to see him lending his voice to more excellent Nintendo titles.
Be sure to check out the rest of our articles from Super Mario Week, our weeklong celebration of Super Mario Bros.’ 35th anniversary!
