The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake's Divisive Character Models May Reflect Shigeru Miyamoto's Love of Puppetry, Nintendo Veteran Believes

This week’s Zelda Direct finally revealed gameplay for the Ocarina of Time remake. But while the reveal triggered a wave of nostalgia for the 1998 original N64 game, the remake’s art style divided opinion. The new character designs, in particular for Link, came under particular scrutiny.

Weighing in on the topic on Twitter / X, Nintendo veteran Takaya Imamura suggested the new character models may reflect developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto’s love of puppetry.

“What I felt upon seeing this character model (of Link) is that Miyamoto-san’s love of puppet dramas (ningyogeki) is strongly reflected here too!” Imamura said. His opinion is worth considering — Imamura worked at Nintendo for over 30 years, particularly on the Star Fox and F-Zero series, and of course, was the art director for Ocarina of Time’s sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

It’s important to note that Imamura is just speculating here (as he clarified in a follow-up post) on the inspiration behind the Ocarina of Time remake’s character designs. However, Miyamoto’s love of puppets is well-known, and the use of their aesthetics can be seen across other Nintendo series and promotions. Let’s look at some possible inspirations behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s character models.

Aside from Japan’s traditional bunraku puppet theatre, Japanese broadcasters have produced many TV series featuring puppets, particularly in the 1960s and 70s. For example, national broadcaster NHK’s archives under the “ningyogeki” genre category bring up a whole page featuring short clips from puppet TV shows spanning from the 1950s to the present day. Other TV stations got in on the act as well. Japan also imported puppet series including Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, which acquired an enduring fanbase and influence on anime.

Link’s new look seems to be a call back to the whimsy and nostalgia of such TV series (and in keeping with the classic game itself). But some commenters were quick to notice that Ocarina of Time remake’s sharp-nosed, big-eyed characters also bear a strong resemblance to more recent Japanese puppet TV series. Specifically, NHK’s The New Three Musketeers (Shin Sanjushi, 2009-2010), not to mention the 2014 puppet version of Sherlock Holmes. The puppets for The Three Musketeers adaptation were made by legendary Japanese puppet maker Studio Nova, which also made the physical dolls that were used to create Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined’s character models.

Analyzing the new character designs for the Ocarina of Time remake has seen commenters sharing their own comparisons to classic puppet series and movies. The oversized, plastic-looking eyes and prominent facial features have reminded some of 1982 fantasy classic The Dark Crystal (and its more recent Netflix prequel).

Of course, Nintendo fans will have spotted Miyamoto’s fondness for puppets before now. For example, the Star Fox characters strongly resemble The Muppets in style, with actual puppets being used in the TV ad campaign for the series’ very first game back in 1993 (Time Extension).

And who can forget all the puppets used in Nintendo’s 2015 E3 presentation? The game company went all out, teaming up with The Jim Henson company (of The Muppets fame). Miyamoto, then Nintendo America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, and late Nintendo Japan president Satoru Iwata, among others, were all transformed into Muppet-like puppets.

At the time, Fils-Aimé talked to IGN about Miyamoto’s love of puppets. “One of the things that he shared was that in his youth, he used to make puppets," he said. "So that led to a series of brainstorms and it led to our little collaboration with Henson studios and creating the Nintendo muppets. It was a very fun collaboration.”

A remake of such a beloved classic like The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was always going to please some fans and leave others wanting. What do you think of the new character designs?

Are marionette models a good fit for Hyrule or do the sharp-nosed, doll-like faces put you off? Let us know in the comments.