Zelda cosplayer struggling with “impossible” Link design flaw finds solution after Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai steps in to help

Last week, a Legend of Zelda cosplayer exposed a serious design flaw in Link’s outfit that was preventing them from being able to unsheathe the sword on his back, but after Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai stepped in to help, the cosplayer has found a solution to the problem.

If you’ve been around video game internet in the past week or so, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a video of an impressive Link cosplay made slightly less impressive by the fact that the cosplayer struggles to unsheathe Link’s sword from its scabbard. It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek; the cosplayer who goes by Sakigake gets into Link’s classic attack stance before theatrically trying and failing to draw their sword, proclaiming in the caption, “It was impossible. I will practice.”

Even still, Sakurai eventually became involved after the video went viral (H/T Automaton) and explained that, at least in Super Smash Bros., Link actually moves his scabbard down toward the ground, thereby moving it out of the way for the entire length of Link’s sword to be removed. It’s not exactly clear if Sakigake did the same for their cosplay, but they did reply to Sakurai and say they would “use Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a reference and try to make it look cool next time.”

Either way, you can see in the below video the problem has been resolved. “Now it’s possible,” reads the machine-translated caption.

Sakigake didn’t specify exactly what they did to make Link’s sword more readily unsheathable, but at least we know they’ll be ready for battle the next time they stumble upon a Bokoblin camp.

Meanwhile, Legend of Zelda mastermind Eiji Aonuma says he always focuses on gameplay before story: “I’ve never really made a game where you think of the story first”.