A few weeks ago this was revealed.
This is a female Link, dubbed Linkle by Nintendo. So why is this such a big thing? Well lets discuss Legend of Zelda as a series.
The game in basic terms revolves around the power of the Triforce, an ancient relic said to have created the realm of Hyrule, this triangle shaped symbol based on the symbol of the Hojo Clan in Japanese history consists of three different powers of courage, wisdom and power; these represent the three main characters of Link, Zelda & Ganondorf respectively. Through every era in Hyrule a new Link, Zelda & Ganondorf will always appear in a never ending cycle until the franchise ends. There are no rules as to what these three have to look like as long as Link always wields the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, Zelda is always a princess with potent magical powers and Ganondorf is always the main villain with his own powers to boot.
The nature of Hyrule Warriors bringing together more than one Link opened up the possibilities of a female Link when the new character went live, while not wielding the same equipment as the default Link but wielding dual crossbows which is awesome in it's own way.
However critics were quick to denounce Linkle as not an actual Link with more prolific ones suggesting that it's Link's Kid Sister. But you need to put a few things into context.
1. Those who are criticizing Linkle are the same ones who wanted a female Link in the first place.
2. Legend of Zelda is among the biggest selling franchises of all time, so they need to test the waters with a side game before Linkle can be taken seriously as a main game hero. Nintendo are still a business after all and making the wrong decision could backlash heavily. Fans are keen to remind Nintendo about their exploits with the Philips CD-i so releasing Linkle in this format lessens the pain if it really bombs.
3. Nintendo compared to other game companies have the best history with strong female characters.
That last statement is 100% true, people may see Princess Peach as kidnap bait but to put her situation into context, Peach's kingdom is mostly cowardly mushroom people, Bowser and his army are really difficult to escape from and outside of the main series she plays sports and races on equal terms with the rest of the Mario cast. She has even saved Mario herself.
Each Zelda is vastly different from the last, with some even being pirates and ninjas.
Samus Aran is constantly voted best female character in gaming.
The best known Pokemon champion in the franchise is Cynthia.
Pit does all his fighting under the command of the Goddess Palutena.
Lucina made Fire Emblem a household name in the west when the franchise used to be Japanese only before.
Wario's most frequent adversary is a sassy female pirate.
Rosalina's creation was a response to the criticisms about Peach's character and is widely classed as Nintendo's finest creation in the last ten years.
There are very few female characters outside Nintendo who boast the same levels of strength and popularity.
So my point is, I would welcome Linkle with open arms into the same category as those I just mentioned, because Nintendo is good at making strong female characters.
