Editing Link

{{ArticleIcons|allgames=y}}
:''For fighter info, see [[Link (SSB)]], [[Link (SSBM)]], [[Link (SSBB)]], and [[Link (SSB4)]].''
:''For other variations of Link, see [[Toon Link]] and [[Young Link]].''

{{Infobox Character General
|name         = Link
|image        = [[File:Link Artwork.png|220px|Link]]
|caption      = [[File:ZeldaSymbol.png|50px]]
Official artwork of Link from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}''.
|firstgame    = ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' (1986)
|lastappearance= ''{{s|zeldawiki|Hyrule Warriors}}'' (2014)
|console      = {{s|nwiki|Nintendo Entertainment System}}
|species      = {{s|zeldawiki|Hylian}}
|gender       = Male
|homeworld    = [[Hyrule]]
|creator      = [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
|voiceactor   = Nobuyuki Hiyama (''[[Super Smash Bros.|SSB]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee|Melee]]'')<br/>Akira Sasanuma (''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]'') 
|interwiki    = zeldawiki
|interwikiname= Zelda Wiki
|interwikipage= Link
}}

'''Link''' ({{ja|リンク}}, ''Rinku'') is the protagonist of [[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|''The Legend of Zelda'' series]] by [[Nintendo]]. He has saved [[Hyrule]] and [[Princess Zelda]] from evil many times usually from [[Ganondorf|Ganon]], who serves as the main antagonist of the series. Link is the wielder of the [[Master Sword]] and the holder of the [[Triforce|Triforce of Courage]]. He appears as a main playable fighter in all four [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' games]].

==Character description==
[[File:Link OoT.png|thumb|left|150px|Link's artwork from ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'', on which his design in ''[[Melee]]'' was based.]]
Link's first appearance was in the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', which depicted his quest to rescue Princess Zelda and the land of [[Hyrule]] from the evil [[Ganondorf|Ganon]]. Link's design with a green tunic and a green hat which (like Mario's design) was due to limitations in the NES hardware. This appearance has since been traditional for Link. 

It is worth noting that while there have been many Zelda games, it has not always been the same Link who the player controls. The timelines in which the Zelda games take place skip forward and backward across the centuries, and each time a new Link with a new origin is created, they have received many titles throughout their adventures, which have included the "[[zeldawiki:Hero_of_Time|Hero of Time]]" (referring to the ''Ocarina of Time''/''Majora's Mask'' Link), "Hero of Winds" ([[Toon Link]], from ''The Wind Waker''/''Phantom Hourglass''), or "Hero Chosen by the Gods" (Twilight Princess). Because the Zelda series traditionally does not give Link dialogue during conversations, we do not have much insight into Link's personality. However, it has been shown that Link is a brave and polite young man and is very "humble". 

Because of the different Links, Link's origins can vary, but almost always, he is a young boy (or man) who starts out as a normal person until learning of his destiny to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon (or [[Ganondorf]]) and as his journey presses him, he becomes a hero. In ''Ocarina of Time'', he is a young Hylian, whose mother, before dying, entrusted him into the care of the [[zeldawiki:Great Deku Tree|Great Deku Tree]]. In ''The Wind Waker'', he is a young boy living on Outset Island, given the legendary Hero of Time's clothes. In ''Twilight Princess'', he is an ordinary young man working at [[zeldawiki:Ordon_Ranch|Ordon Ranch]] until several of the villagers' children are kidnapped by monsters which starts his adventure.

One thing that has varied with Link is his age. In some games such as ''The Wind Waker'' and the first part of ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'', Link is a [[Young Link|young boy]] whereas in ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' and the second part of ''Ocarina of Time'', Link is depicted as a young adult.

Link made his first fighting appearance (and first official appearance) Nintendo game outside the ''Zelda'' series in ''Super Smash Bros.'', and has appeared in all instalments of the series since.
<br clear="left">

==In ''Super Smash Bros.''==
===As a playable character===
{{Main|Link (SSB)}}
[[File:Link SSB.png|thumb|left|Official artwork of Link in ''Super Smash Bros.'']]
Link's first appearance in a fighting game is in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' as one of the starting eight playable characters. He is based off his appearance in [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]. He is a slow character, but as the wielder of the Master Sword, Link's melee attacks have considerable range, which often compensates for the lack of speed, allowing him to hit opponents from farther away to continue combos. His [[neutral special move]] is a fast [[Boomerang]] which will return to Link, a property that is useful in both comboing and combo breaking. His [[up special move]] is a [[Spin Attack]], which is powerful but doesn't give him much distance for recovery. In fact, Link's abysmal recovery is often considered to be the main reason for the bottom tier placing of what would otherwise be a powerful fighter with moderate combo potential and versatile projectiles. His [[down special move]] allows him to pull out a [[Bomb (Link)|Bomb]]. Link can throw the bomb so that it explodes after making contact, or he can throw it lightly so that it will not explode. Link is currently tied with Luigi for 10/11th place on the tier list.

Link's in-game character description says:

:'''Link'''
:''Link is the valiant boy hero of "[[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|The Legend of Zelda]]" series in which he fights against the evil [[Ganondorf|Ganon]] to recover the Triforce. Though his tools may change with each adventure, his strength and righteousness remain constant. With his trusty sword and a variety of weapons, he takes adventure head on!''
:Works:
:*''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' (NES),
:*''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' (SNES),
:*''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' (N64)

==In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''==
[[File:Link SSBM.jpg|150px|thumb|Link, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.]]
===As a playable character===
{{Main|Link (SSBM)}}
Link returns in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' as a starting selectable character. While his play style is similar, his moves have been slightly tweaked. His up special move is now a much more reliable recovery jump. His new neutral special move is the [[Bow]], which allows Link to fire an arrow. The arrow's range depends on how long the player holds down the B button. His Boomerang has been moved to be his [[side special move]]. Link has been buffed from ''Super Smash Bros.'' to ''Melee'', ranking 16th on the tier list.

===Trophies===
{{main|List of SSBM trophies (The Legend of Zelda series)}}
As a playable character, Link has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating the Classic mode with Link on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. His Classic Mode trophy reads as follows:

'''Link'''<br>
''Even in his youth, Link was already becoming the warrior who would carry the destiny of [[Hyrule]] (and many other lands) on his shoulders. His epic struggles against the forces of darkness are written in legend, and he is bound to the [[Princess Zelda]] and the archfiend [[Ganondorf]] by the awesome power of the Triforce.''
:*''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', 07/87 (NES)

<center><gallery widths="200x200" heights="150">
File:Link Trophy Melee.png|Main (Classic Mode) trophy
File:Link Trophy (Smash).png|Smash (Red, Adventure Mode) trophy
File:Link Trophy 2 (Smash).png|Smash (Blue, All-Star Mode) trophy
</gallery></center>

==In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''==
{{Main|Link (SSBB)}}
[[File:Link SSBB.jpg|thumb|Link, as he appears in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.|200px]]
Link is again a [[starter character]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. He has undergone a visual update (so that the ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation of Link appears, rather than the ''Ocarina of Time'' one), but he is essentially the same fighter as he was in ''Melee''.

Some of his moves have been slightly tweaked. To match ''Twilight Princess'', his weapons were also visually updated; while his boomerang became the [[Gale Boomerang]] and the [[Hookshot and Clawshot|Hookshot became the Clawshot]] - the former now pulls opponents and items in a small tornado, while the Clawshot homes in on the nearest ledge but cannot grab plain walls. The other changes are that the arrows of his renamed "Hero's Bow" disappear after a distance, and his Spin Attack is now chargeable.

Like all of the game's returning characters, he now has a [[Final Smash]] attack that he obtains when he collects a [[Smash Ball]]. His final smash is the [[Triforce Slash]], in which light from the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand shoots out and traps an opponent in between two large Triforces. Link then dashes at the opponent, unleashes a barrage of sword slashes, finishing with a powerful blow with enough [[knockback]] to [[one-hit KO]] the opponent if nothing gets in the way.

Link has been [[Nerf|nerfed]] from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl'' and is ranked 35th on the current [[tier list]] in F tier.

===Trophies===
{{main|List of SSBB trophies (The Legend of Zelda series)}}
Link has a trophy that is awarded each time the [[Classic Mode]] is completed with Link on any difficulty. See [[Triforce Slash]] for the trophy description of Link's [[Final Smash]], and [[Toon Link]] for the trophies based on ''Wind Waker'' Link:

'''Link'''<br>
''A young man who emerged to rescue Hyrule from peril. He's the bearer of the Triforce of Courage who fights to keep Ganondorf from conquering the world. His green outfit is a constant throughout the series. He's a skilled swordsman, horseman, and archer. He's also proficient with bombs and boomerangs.''
{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=The Legend of Zelda|console2=Wii|game2=The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}
<br clear="all" />

===Stickers===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name
! Game
! Effect
! Characters
|-
| [[zeldawiki:Deku Link|Deku Link]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]
| {{SortKey|DefenseElectric+005}}{{EffectIcon|Electric}} Resistance +5
| {{SortKey|All characters}}{{AllChars|s=16}}
|-
| [[zeldawiki:Epona|Epona]] & [[Link]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]
| {{SortKey|AttackArmLeg+009}}{{TypeIcon|Hand|l=Arm}}{{TypeIcon|Foot|l=Leg}} Attack +9
| {{SortKey|Link Zelda Toon Link Ganondorf}}{{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|ToonLink|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Toon Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Zelda (SSBB)}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Ganondorf (SSBB)}}
|-
| [[Link]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda]]
| {{SortKey|AttackSpecialsIndirect+017}}[[Image:SpecialsIndirect.png|16px|link=Specials: Indirect]] Attack +17
| {{SortKey|All characters}}{{AllChars|s=16}}
|-
| [[Link]]
| [[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]
| {{SortKey|DefenseElectric+031}}{{EffectIcon|Electric}} Resistance +31
| {{SortKey|Link Zelda Toon Link Ganondorf}}{{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|ToonLink|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Toon Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Zelda (SSBB)}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Ganondorf (SSBB)}}
|-
| [[Link]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]
| {{SortKey|DefenseSlash+027}}{{EffectIcon|Slash}} Resistance +27
| {{SortKey|Link Zelda Toon Link Ganondorf}}{{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|ToonLink|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Toon Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Zelda (SSBB)}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Ganondorf (SSBB)}}
|-
| [[Link]] with [[zeldawiki:Goron Mask|Goron Mask]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]
| {{SortKey|AttackSlash+017}}{{EffectIcon|Slash}} Attack +17
| {{SortKey|Link Zelda Toon Link Ganondorf}}{{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|ToonLink|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Toon Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Zelda (SSBB)}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Ganondorf (SSBB)}}
|-
| [[Midna]] & [[Wolf Link]]
| [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]
| {{SortKey|AttackLeg+026}}{{TypeIcon|Foot|l=Leg}} Attack +26
| {{SortKey|Link Zelda Toon Link Ganondorf}}{{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|ToonLink|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Toon Link (SSBB)}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Zelda (SSBB)}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px|l=Ganondorf (SSBB)}}
|-
| [[zeldawiki:Zora Link|Zora Link]]
| [[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]
| {{SortKey|SpecialSwimTime+060}}{{StickerIcon|Swim Time}} +60
| {{SortKey|All characters}}{{AllChars|s=16}}
|}
{{StickerPicBox|Deku Link|Zelda: Majora's Mask}}
{{StickerPicBox|Epona & Link|Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}
{{StickerPicBox|Link|The Legend of Zelda}}
{{StickerPicBox|Link|Zelda: Link to the Past}}
{{StickerPicBox|Link|Zelda: Twilight Princess}}
{{StickerPicBox|Link with Goron Mask|Zelda: MM}}
{{StickerPicBox|Midna & Wolf Link|Zelda: Twilight Princess}}
{{StickerPicBox|Zora Link|Zelda: Majora's Mask}}

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
[[File:Link SSB4.png|thumb|right|Link as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'']]
{{Main|Link (SSB4)}}
Link has been confirmed as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. His design is still based on that of him from ''Twilight Princess''. He recieves a few more buffs, such as his new [[dash attack]], which is Link's staple jump attack from the ''Zelda'' series. {{SSB4|Toon Link}} also returns in the games.
{{clr}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Link - Brawl Trophy.png|Link's trophy in ''Brawl''
</gallery>

==Trivia==
*Link has always had the same [[weight]] as [[Captain Falcon]] in each of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.
*Link is one of 3 Super Smash Bros. characters whose neutral special changed during his jump to Melee, the others being Ness and Jigglypuff. In SSB, his neutral special was the Boomerang; from Melee and forth, he instead uses the Hero's Bow.

{{Characters}}
{{Zelda universe}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:The Legend of Zelda universe]]
[[Category:Link]]
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