Legend of Zelda cosplayer highlights the difficulties of Link drawing and sheathing his sword from his back, gets advice from Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai

Link may be a quiet swashbuckling hero in The Legend of Zelda games, but his movements wouldn’t be as fluid in the real world, as evidenced by Japanese cosplayer Sakigake. Shortly after the debut of his new The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Link cosplay photos, Sakigake posted a behind-the-scenes clip of him unsheathing Link’s Master Sword from his back. Needless to say, the video was less-than-flattering: 

Due to the sword’s length, Sakigake was unable to fully draw the Master Sword from its sheath. Real swords aren’t typically worn on their wielder’s backs for this reason; with the practice only being seen in fictional media like anime and films. Despite his failed attempts, Sakigake says that he will practice so he can show off his sword skills in the future. 

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai chimed in on Sakigake’s post, saying that the development team for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate included animations for Link where he lowers his sheathe so that the Master Sword can cleanly fit into its scabbard. This is a stark contrast to other The Legend of Zelda games, where Link contorts his wrist so he can sheathe his iconic weapon without any adjustments. Since Link’s base model in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate uses the Breath of the Wild version of the character, Sakurai hopes that his advice will help Sakigake with his attempts at authenticity. 

Sakigake has since replied to Sakurai’s remark, saying that he will take into account the fighting game’s version of the character when practicing his cosplay. Sakurai then replied to Sakigake, saying that his response was based on his own work with the character. He ended by complimenting Sakigake on his great cosplay.