If you thought the game had too many girls already, how do you feel now?
Early development artwork for Hyrule Warriors shows a proposed female version of Link.
The revelation comes in the official art book that was included with the Treasure Box version of the game, released only in Japan. The Japanese text calls this version of the character "Rinkuru" rather than the usual "Rinku," which would equate to Linkle.
It is unknown whether the game was originally intended to include an option to choose the gender of the main character before playing the game, or if Linkle was intended as a separate entity to Link. She is simply described in the book as an original character who was rejected during development.