Orientalism in the Zelda franchise and the problem of the Gerudo — an educative thread 🧵

Orientalism in the Zelda franchise and the problem of the Gerudo — an educative thread 🧵

tyrran@tyrranKPX · Mar 19, 2026

Nu Zelda fans really think they deserve to live

What is the orient? Broadly, the Orient refers to the "East of Europe", though it is generally used to refer to Arab countries from Southwest Asia and Northern Africa The term is rooted in a Western and European construction, because — the world is a globe. It doesn't have an east per se.

What is Orientalism? The term was popularized by Palestinian-American author Edward Said, referring to a [western] corporate institution approach to the Orient, "making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it by teaching it, settling it, and ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient" (SAID, 1978).

"But Nintendo is a Japanese company, and Japan is also part of the Orient." Yes, Japan is part of the Orient, but let's not forget that the Orient is a problematic term because of its colonialist aspects, as well as it depicts Asia as exotic and/or inferior (and yes, that includes Japan too). While Japan and other East Asian countries can also fall victim to these stereotypes, it doesn't stop them from catering to Western colonization and engaging in and propagating these stereotypes, even in good faith. And Nintendo has a big problem when it comes to Orientalism, both in the Zelda franchise and elsewhere.

The Gerudo in Ocarina of Time It's irrefutable that the Gerudo have come a long way since their debut in 1998, but the Gerudo in Ocarina of Time contribute to ideologies of colonialism through its settings and characters. The Hylians (European-inspired) are portrayed as the good people, while the Gerudo (Arabic/Islamic appropriated) are portrayed as the bad people, as thieves and pirates. The Gerudo originally used Islamic/Arabic iconography: its symbol was the traditional Islamic crescent moon and star, and the fire temple's soundtrack was of Arabic chanting. Sure, you might argue that "the Gerudo are a fictional race", but you cannot refute that they were heavily influenced by harmful stereotypes of Arabic culture. There is an actual character that flies over the desert on a magic carpet, come on.

The Gerudo in Breath of the Wild The Gerudo's portrayal has greatly evolved since their introduction, but it is still far from perfect, and here I will point you to Link's Vai outfit. The Vai outfit isn't something anyone from any culture would wear, especially not in the desert. It's based on the belly dancer outfit, which was invented in Egypt by a businessman who wanted to market traditional dance to Western tourists. It's made to appeal to orientalism. Likewise, Gerudo Town is built like a harem, and men are constantly seen around town, trying to sneak in. This builds into the sexual fantasy that these women are always sexually available. Link himself must succeed in sneaking in as a man, and that by itself contributes to these orientalist fantasies. The orientalism and sexualization of the Gerudo have been openly welcomed and promoted by the Zelda fandom, as Link in the Vai outfit is often seen and drawn as a fetish by the community.

Okay, now what? The Gerudo's portrayal is rooted in Orientalism, yes. Do we want the Gerudo to be removed from the game? No. What we advocate for is that Nintendo handles their culture with the care that it deserves, without resorting to harmful stereotypes, and listens to SWANA voices.

ok so just another thread about how the Gerudo are problematic by a white person." Yes, I am Brazilian, but I will remind you that my grandparents were born in Syria and Lebanon before they moved to Brazil. I will also point you to my friend @skittybitty_yt's video, which also features SWANA voices.