Nintendo responds to debates over Sheik’s gender

The mysterious ninja Sheik, first introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, has always been carefully clothed and voiced so as to prevent blatantly revealing his or her identity, or even gender. The debate rages on: is Sheik a man or a woman?

In a frankly astonishing act of investigation, YouTuber Microraptorgui points out (in the video below) that the sound files used for the all-women Gerudo warriors and Sheik’s surprised gasp are identical, defending the stance that Sheik is, beyond just being a woman, Princess Zelda in disguise.

Nintendo senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen responded to the debate himself. “The definitive answer is that Sheik is a woman—simply Zelda in a different outfit,” he told Polygon.

Hooray. We can all go home now.

[Polygon]