Talk: Vilia

Vilia's Gender and Race[]

Controversial Topic
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It bugs me that people insist Vilia is male/a man. She's clearly a trans girl Her entire dialogue makes it very clear. See the dialogue:

Vilia: Oh, my. What a lovely young lad you are. Do you need something from me? What's that? You've heard about a man who snuck into Gerudo Town? Oh, I don't know anything about him... Sorry I couldn't be more help
You're... a man?
Vilia: Oh, my! You sure say the funniest things, young man. Anyway, if you don't need anything, you should be off, then.
Vilia: Well, well... you still haven't give up on your search for the man who snuck into Gerudo Town? I told you I didn't know anything. Do you always doubt someone's word? --Airplaneapril (talk) 12:26, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

Pretending to be a woman does not mean transgender. If someone finds out he is a man, he will lose access to Gerudo Town. Link approaches him to illegally purchase women's clothing. It's like a black market transaction. If Vilia was a cocaine dealer, he would not admit to being one. Everyone believes Link is a woman while in the clothing, and treats him like one. It's nothing more than a disguise and a facade.
Regardless of all this, this is not how we operate at Zelda Wiki. There is no source explicitly saying he is transgender. There are plenty saying he is male however. Sorry, but we can't change this. Hylian pi (talk) 16:03, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

If there is no evidence she is female, then you must also disregard the evidence that she is hylian. There's more evidence she is female than there is that she is hylian. --Airplaneapril (talk) 00:45, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Well, you can actually tell that someone is Hylian just by looking at them. We have tons of unsourced Hylians on Zelda Wiki because they just look like humans but with pointed ears. It just helps to source when possible. It is reliable that the characters would be able to tell Vilia is Hylian by a quick glance, just as they can for Link, but not his gender (Link even gets yelled at by Ploka when he tries to tell her that he is Gerudo). In most cases in Zelda games, gender is apparent through appearance as well, but Vilia is a case which needed a source due to controversy. If you would like to prove that Vilia is female or not Hylian, please find sources that are not stated by in-game characters and we can change it. Until then, unfortunately there is nothing we can do, as we are using the best evidence that we have at the moment. Hylian pi (talk) 01:23, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Gender Citations[]

Adventure Log[]

The game itself, refers to him as a man in the second part of the main quest "Forbidden City Entry". "You were able to find the man who snuck into Gerudo Town, and you got a Gerudo outfit from him. Put that on and you'll be able to pass for a woman while you're wearing it ... " AryAs (talk) 00:03, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

This is acknowledged in the Notes section. TriforceTony (talk) 00:44, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

So the main piece of evidence and everything that involves that mission (to pass as a woman to enter the city) is ignored to be politically correct?
You could practically fix everything by doing the same thing that happens with Sheik "Female (disguised as male)", but in reverse. AryAs (talk) 01:04, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

It is very much similar to the Sheik situation wherein the article covers the persona of the character, not the presumed person behind the persona. This discussion has already been held. The result has been decided and the article is not open for change. TriforceTony (talk) 01:55, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

About Note 1[]

It is true that Vilia adopts a female persona to get into Gerudo town unhindered, however this does not make Vilia female. In case you hadn't noticed, Link, a definite man, pulls the same charade; like Vilia, he is caught out by some folk (Benja etc. for Vilia, Riju, Buliara, Muava etc. for Link) to be a man. Just because Link pretends to be a female doesn't make him a woman, and the same applies to Vilia. He has pink eyes, which can't be natural as not a single other person has them I believe, showing he will do everything possible to make himself look feminine. The viability of Vilia's claims to be a woman is questionable at best. Creating a Champion is canon, but it is unbiased canon: of course Vilia would claim to be a woman as it is in his best interest, but if the developers even state that Vilia is male, then Vilia is male. Argentum kurodil (talk) 11:32, 13 January 2020 (UTC)

I completely agree with that and with what AryAs and Hylian pi have said. Not that my opinion matters any bit. Dogman15 (talk) 04:05, 11 January 2021 (UTC)

Creating a Champion[]

I'd like to point out that Creating a Champion explicitly refers to Vilia as a male on page 97. "This Hylian merchant can be found in Kara Kara Bazaar. He wears a Gerudo outfit and is rumored to have slipped into Gerudo Town, even though men are forbidden there. He will sell Link a similarly designed Gerudo outfit. His name is Vilia, but it is unclear if that is his birth name or not." RavioLorule (talk) 06:36, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Good, now we can put this to rest. Burning Snow 10:20, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Actually, Breath of the Wild supersedes Creating a Champion, so that reference wouldn't work. See the note on the page. — 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ^{(𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤)} 13:38, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

While I agree that he/she is very likely trans, there is not enough info to explicitly confirm this so I can understand why some people want to just stick with the biological sex, something we know to be a fact. If it were up to me, I would list the gender as male but leave a note that there are strong hints to indicate that he/she may identify as female; this would be the fairest and most objective way to handle this. However, wokeness has COMPLETELY taken over the Wikia admin so it doesn't really matter what anyone says. The original spirit of Wikia as a fan-operated site is largely gone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Adventurous541 15:38, December 6, 2021 (UTC)

I will quote TriforceTony on our stance on this: "the article covers the persona of the character, not the presumed person behind the persona." The persona "Vilia" is meant to be female, so that is what we will document. — 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ^{(𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤)} 18:48, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Um... So the developers called him a guy in creating a champion, even though this is released after BOTW, the point of the book is to release behind-the-scenes stuff and other canon stuff about BOTW's Hyrule.
If he was trans, the devs would've called him a "she" not a "he" in the book. So Vilia is a voe who disguised himself as a vai in order to get into Gerudo town.
Also in the adventure log it refers to Vilia as a "he", so um the devs are calling him male, why is he called female in the wiki page?
sorry if I'm being rude or transphobic or whatever, and i probably put this in the wrong spot, but you get my point. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enderdragon12345 06:53, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

This has already been discussed if you read everything above this message. — 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ^{(𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤)} 15:35, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

okay.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enderdragon12345 07:27, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

Hylian or Gerudo?[]

My question is, are we certain Vilia is actually a Hylian? I've encountered other players who assume he's a male Gerudo. While we can't verify that he's a Gerudo, are we able to verify he's a Hylian either? If we're merely assuming he's a Hylian, isn't that speculation? Perhaps his "Race" should be listed as "Unknown" until there's verification either way. - Dermotmacflann (talk) 07:53, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

There are many sources from characters referring to Vilia as a Hylian. A few examples:

"There was that pretty Hylian gal at the general store. It's unusual to see a Hylian girl dressed like a Gerudo..." - Robsten
"I saw a Hylian vai merchant at the inn before. She was wearing traditional Gerudo clothes, which caught my eye." - Ripp
"There's a Hylian vai who likes to relax on the roof. Though in the afternoon, it's probably too hot up there." - Shaillu

- Hylian pi (talk) 10:33, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

All right. :) - Dermotmacflann (talk) 18:10, 27 July 2017 (UTC)

No hope. These people only care about inaccurate and unreliable information as spoken by other characters not familiar with the character in question. They do this to promote their transphobic agenda that was settled a bit earlier (with the whole sheik thing). From what it looks like she isn't pure-blood Hylian but does contain Hylian traits. Ironically, these quotes, which are used to prove her Hylian status, somehow *don't* prove her gender? Really? This wiki is getting more and more trash every time I come here. As the speakers clearly state, she appears to be a Hylian Vai, like Link is. To really drive the point home, there's another quote "If you want to get more lady's clothing, come back anytime..." stating lady's clothes in general, not Gerudo Vai clothes. Vilia also identifies herself as female: ""Going shopping when you don't have any money... You're such a tease, toying with a lady's emotions like that..." Active denial she is male, active assertion she is female. Has women's clothes other than the vai set. Saying she isn't female or trans is legitimate transphobia. The result of all this? As characters have identified her (outside of the rumors of a 'man wearing women's clothes') are that she's a Hylian Vai, as stated earlier. Just like you can be mixed blood/ethnicity irl, this is likely the case for Vilia. --Airplaneapril (talk) 00:11, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

The Wiki understands your concern, but we assure you that we have nothing against women or people who are transgender. The game portrays Vilia as a man, so we archive that information. This is the unbiased approach. The whole basis of Vilia's character is that he is pretending to be a woman, so he has fooled everyone in order to gain entry to Gerudo Town. Normally, his access to the city would be illegal, but he uses this persona to get inside. This is explained through the quest log, which catalogs what is happening and is the source we use for Vilia's gender. I apologize if this may appear ethically wrong to you, but we cannot ignore what the game is telling us, no matter what we prefer Vilia to be. Thank you for contributing to Zelda Wiki and I hope you have a wonderful day. Hylian pi (talk) 01:35, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

This seems to be quite a hot topic, perhaps our most contentious for Breath of the Wild. I don't appreciate the rudeness but I do understand the concerns, so let me weigh in on it.
The premise we have for Sheik is that the persona of Sheik is canonically male, so we refer to Sheik with the same pronouns. Whether Vilia is trans or not, it appears the proper course of action is to treat the situation the same as Sheik's.
If Vilia is indeed trans, then the appropriate pronouns would be she. If Vilia is nothing more than a persona, the appropriate gender/pronouns would be (in order) whichever they use for themselves (by prevalence) followed by pronouns used in reference to them (by prevalence). I think the most prevalent would be she in either case, but that would require confirmation.
At the very least, if we are in the pursuit of presenting information as-is, we should have a Note template to specify that Vilia's gender is debated and that in X circumstance it's Y and in A circumstance it's B. TriforceTony (talk) 02:38, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Except there isn't even a debate. Literally every single character who has actually met her, identifies her as a Hylian Vai, and as a woman. The only time she is not referred in that way is by characters who have never met her, and indeed the quest log (which has you searching out for a man, not Vilia). I'll repeat it again. If you deny this as evidence of her gender identity, you must also deny it as evidence she is Hylian. I edited the article to use the exact same citation for her gender as was used for her race. If this is not a valid citation, please remove it from the identification of her as a hylian. She is not male in any stretch of the imagination. The quest and initial rumors that have you searching for a man, were debunked. In reality Link finds a trans woman who helps him. These are the events that actually play out. If you look at other quotes in the game, again, it shows the gerudo are accepting of those who present female, even if they are biologically male. This is the case for Vilia, and indeed it is the case for Link (who's presenting as a trans woman, despite having an undefined gender identity). If this were not the case, Link would be kicked out of Gerudo town on multiple occasions, but he is not. Where is the confusion here? There is none. It's plain and simple transphobia by the people who refuse to acknowledge that Vilia is a trans woman who helps Link. Some characters indeed misgender her, as they follow a rumor of a crossdressing man. The article should reflect that the rumors are not accurate to the person they're referring to. And indeed, this is acknowledged by the characters Link talks to along the quest. Anything else is simply incorrect and transphobic. If ZeldaWiki insists on being inaccurate, I will encourage people to use the Zelda Dungeon Wiki, or some other wiki that gets it right instead. The most accurate identification would be: Biologically male, identifies as female, identified as male within rumors and female by those who know her. Vilia dresses not to sneak in (trans women are clearly accepted), but to be female. However, she *does* help Link sneak in. --Airplaneapril (talk) 03:03, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

You're speaking to someone who is trans, bear that in mind before you continue.
Gerudo society (frankly, this game) isn't up to speed on trans matters, else Gerudo voe would be much more common. Unfortunately, the game isn't nearly as progressive as you're trying to sell it.
Due to edit warring, the page has been locked. I will do some data collection and will edit the page accordingly when I've compiled enough information. TriforceTony (talk) 03:35, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

The article has been revised to reflect factual information, though the article will remain locked indefinitely given the prior history of transphobic vandalism on the wiki.
However, this is your only warning that if you continue to make ineffectual threats such as encouraging others to flock to another wiki unless you get your way, we will not hesitate to ban you on the spot. There is no place for that childish nonsense and the people who perpetuate it. Good day. TriforceTony (talk) 10:33, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Wait but literally every single character who met Link in Gerudo vai clothes (other than the people who straight up saw through his disguise) refer to him as a "Hylian Vai" also ... so also yeah i'm really confused here Enderdragon12345 (talk) —Message time was unrecorded by author; message posted on 06:57, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

This has already been discussed. We have citations for Vilia being Hylian that you can find on the page and above this message. — 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ^{(𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤)} 15:35, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

That's not what I meant. Everyone calls Vilia a "hylian vai" bc he wears gerudo clothes and is dressed as a vai. And everyone calls link a "hylian vai" also, when he wears Gerudo clothes and is dressed as a vai. So you can agree that Link is a Hylian voe, and Vilia is a Hylian vai. Obviously they're both Hylian... and obviously Link's a voe... But no one can agree if Vilia is a voe or vai. So that's why I'm confused. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enderdragon12345 07:20, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

Race has no effect on gender. The reason people see Link and Vilia as Hylian is because of their lighter skin color than Gerudos. If Vilia was a Gerudo, they would have to be female because a Gerudo male hasn't been born for years before the events of BotW, so for story purposes, Vilia is biologically male but is seen as female. Even if people see Link as a Hylian girl when wearing the disguise, that has no effect on Vilia because... they're different people.
It has already been discussed what Vilia's gender and race will be documented as, and that is very unlikely to change. If you would still like to debate Vilia's gender, I suggest you do so on the Zelda Universe forums or in the #general channel on the [https://discord.gg/eJnnvYb Zelda Wiki Discord server. — 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ^{(𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤)} 17:19, 9 April 2022 (UTC)