The word "bizarre" doesn't come close to describing the land of Hyrule. The presence of several awkward, maladjusted, and otherwise insane characters leads me to believe that Shigeru Miyamoto had a twisted upbringing. In the spirit of celebrating these oddities, Austin Hargrave -- better known as the "PeanutButterGamer" -- threw together a list of Hyrule's most peculiar residents.
While I'm upset that the Carpet Merchant, a personal idol of mine, received so much hate, this list definitely puts the well-loved Nintendo franchise into perspective. Upon close scrutiny, the Japanese folklore which inspired The Legend of Zelda seems alarmingly foreign. But Hyrule isn't alone in this respect. Have you ever really thought about Super Mario? Between the Tanooki suit and psychotropic mushrooms, I don't really need to make my case.
If you're new to Austin's video series, check out his YouTube channel here!
I participated in (and completed) the March Gamers Challenge, so I'm glad to see another video by the PeanutButterGamer. To be honest, I think the Carpet Merchant should have been number one. Hair that wild cannot go ignored.
I liked the list, but I can think of a few stranger games. You wouldn't be able to fit all the crazies onto a single Top 10 list when it comes to the expansion to Oblivion, The Shivering Isles.
I think you touched on an important aspect here though -- the Japanese culture is responsible for most of these oddities, not the developers. Concepts like the Tanuki suit originate in their folk stories. I'm sure that when Japanese gamers notice our unhealthy obsession with space marines and power armor, they probably raise an eyebrow.
Yes, bottom line: The Japanese are weird....
@Shoe You're weird.
I am error was my bet to be number 1.