Editing Young Link (SSBU)

|image = [[File:Young Link SSBU.png|250px]]

'''Young Link''' ({{ja|こどもリンク|Kodomo Rinku}}, ''Young Link'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was officially confirmed as playable alongside his former successor {{SSBU|Toon Link}} on June 12th, 2018. Although the changes made to {{SSBU|Link}} were not enough to change Young Link's status as a [[clone]], he is not classified as an Echo Fighter. As such, Young Link is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #22]].

As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', {{s|zeldawiki|Fujiko Takimoto}}'s portrayals of Young Link from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}'' and ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]'' were repurposed for ''Ultimate'', with mostly returning voice clips from ''Melee'', and in addition to some new ones sourced from these games.

With the exception of the third method, Young Link must then be defeated on [[Great Bay]].

Young Link is a [[weight|lightweight]] character (same as {{SSBU|Greninja}} and {{SSBU|Isabelle}}), and is the lightest of the three Links, being 3 units lighter than {{SSBU|Toon Link}}. Compared to his alternate timeline counterparts, he tends to be in the middle in regard to mobility. In terms of the rest of the cast, Young Link's [[dash]]ing speed is average, his [[initial dash]] is above average, and his [[air speed]] and [[air acceleration|acceleration]] are both low. His [[falling speed]] is above average, and is actually being the highest of the Links, however his [[fast fall]]ing speed is slower than {{SSBU|Link}}'s, albeit still above average. Finally, his gravity is average and tied with Link's. Overall, Young Link's mobility is very average, with most of his quick movement potential coming from his high initial dash and fall speed.

Young Link's moveset is regarded as one of the best and most reliable in the entire game. While even the best characters in the game usually have one or two moves in their moveset regarded as unusually weak or situational, every one of Young Link's moves is strong and flexible, with a mix of versatile ranged combat and robust up close boxing.

Young Link uses the {{iw|zeldawiki|Kokiri Sword}}, the starting weapon from ''{{iw|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}'' and ''{{iw|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask}}'', granting Young Link disjointed range and giving him the ability to space out his opponents as well as making his sword attacks risky to trade with unless the opponent has disjointed range of their own. Unlike many sword users, however, this is coupled with outstanding frame data. Although the Link archetype has been synonymous with laggy frame data up until ''Ultimate'', Young Link has some of the best frame data in the entire game, with many of his moves being infamous for how quickly they come out and how little cooldown they have. As a result, many moves of his are extremely safe on shield, such as down tilt, neutral air, forward air, back air, and even his boomerang. Additionally, the speed of his moveset makes it reliable for one of Young Link’s most notable aspects: his combo game.

While the Link archetype is one that has never been known for [[combos]], Young Link subverts this by providing one of the most complex and varied combo games out of the entire cast. His [[up tilt]] and especially [[down tilt]] are well designed to start combos, with both simply knocking the opponents up into the air with weak knockback to set up for his [[aerial]]s, while his [[jab]] can transition into a rapid jab for respectable damage, create mixups through his surprisingly fast jab 2 cancel, or be used to jab lock opponents and set up combos with down tilt or up+p or finish stocks with fsmash. However, his aerials are truly what gives him the outstanding combo and boxing game he has. Most of Young Link's aerials are capable of both starting combos as well as continuing them, making their usage very flexible and wide, as well as dealing significant damage.

His [[neutral air]], perhaps his best aerial, is a simple [[sex kick]]. Its late hit in particular is extremely good for combos, being able to both start and continue them well into high percentages and being able to be followed up with a majority of Young Link's moveset. It can also lead to tech chase situations at high percents when the move causes opponents to go into tumble. Meanwhile, the clean hit is very reliable at warding off opponents, prevents other combo-oriented characters from overwhelming Young Link with combos of their own, has enough power to kill at high percentages, and provides him with a fast, safe and reliable out of shield option. Overall, the sheer utility of this move has caused it to gain a reputation as one of the best aerials in the game.

[[Forward air|Forward]] and [[back air]] are both designed similarly. Both attacks are combo attacks that consist of a first weak hit that stuns the enemy in place for a second launching hit. However, these are both meant to be used in different ways. Back air is much more geared towards combos as it comes out fast, has very little lag, and deals minimal knockback, making it easy to follow up with another back air or another move. Forward air is instead a combo finisher as it comes out slower and recovers slower than back air in exchange for having much more power and knockback, providing significant KO power. Notably, canceling either of these moves by landing after the first hit allows Young Link to combo in to almost any move in his kit depending on the situation.

[[Up air]] is a thrust above Young Link that comes out very fast for how strong it is and lingers awhile, making it useful for covering the space above him. It can be used to juggle opponents, as its large disjoint makes it hard to challenge. Additionally, up air is a powerful KO move and can be combo'd into quite flexibly. [[Down air]], while not being a combo tool, serves as a reliable landing option or jump callout due to its lingering, disjointed hitbox and considerable power even on the late hit.

[[Boomerang]] is slower than Fire Arrow, but comes with the perks of more damage, lasting much longer, being able to be thrown at different angles, and returning to Young Link after travelling a certain distance, meaning that the opponent must remain aware of the boomerang’s location even after it has passed them. Boomerang is best used as a lingering trap to grant Young Link stage control and for challenging people above or below you with its many angles. Interestingly, a point blank Boomerang is actually safe on shield against most of the cast, something uncharacteristic of a projectile.

{{b|Bomb|Link}}, Young Link's third and final projectile, is perhaps his most complex and flexible. When used, Bomb functions as a held item, allowing Young Link to throw it forward, backward, up, and down, in addition to z dropping it, which may be used to pressure people below you or drop it and have it lie on the ground until it explodes. Bomb grants Young Link a numerous amount of trapping opportunities, such as being able to use dropped Bombs to cover platforms or ledge getup options, as well as setting up for combos if the Bomb hits an opponent.

This diverse projectile kit allow Young Link to play as a zoner, much like regular Link does. However, while most zoners' weaknesses are their poor frame data and inability to get opponents off of them, Young Link is more than capable of fighting up close and actually likes when his opponents get close to him, as it allows him to take advantage of his combo game. Speaking of his combo game, his last special move, [[Spin Attack]], serves as a surprisingly effective combo starter on the ground, where it knocks opponents up into the air with weak knockback and has little endlag. Starting frame 9 and hitting on both sides, it provides a powerful out of shield option with great damage reward. In the air, it is instead a combo finisher or hard read, reliably KOing opponents at (or beyond) the ledge.

Young Link's [[grab]] game may be the best of the Links and provides him with additional options. Unlike Link, Young Link still retains use of the [[Hookshot]] for his grab, giving him a very long, disjointed grab range in exchange for his grab being laggier than most. Additionally, the Hookshot itself can be used as a [[grab aerial]] attack, often called a Z air. It has the longest range of any of his aerials, and can confirm in to a variety of followups, including nair or up smash for KOs at higher percents. This grab aerial attack also provides him with a tether recovery, which is often much safer than his spin attack. His forward throw is one of the strongest forward throws in the game, KOing middleweights at the ledge of Final Destination around 130% depending on their [[directional influence]]. Young Link's grabs also have solid combo potential as up and down throw both provide combos at low to mid percents. Back throw is the least useful of his throws but can set up for an edgeguard.

Additionally, Young Link's recovery, while much better than in ''Melee'', can be exploitable. His spin attack, while having good reach, travels on a predictable arc and only hits to his sides, allowing him to be edge guarded by characters who can hit his head, or be blocked by characters with counters such as Lucina. Young Link has a variety of options to deepen his recovery potential thanks to his tether recovery and many projectiles he can throw at the stage to cover himself, but in bad situations may be forced to use his up+b in a way that's very vulnerable or predictable.

Young Link's KO potential can also be a mixed bag. His up smash gives him excellent kill potential out of shield, but is risky if it misses. While he has many safe moves that kill such as neutral air, forward air, and forward tilt, they may kill quite late, often requiring the opponent to be past 150%. Young Link is very dependent on his melee hits in order to kill, challenging him to contend with his sometimes-awkward approach game and short reach. As usual this can be mitigated with projectiles, which provide combos even at very high %s and give young link an opening with which to approach. Stale moves can also present challenges--moves like nair and fair may have been heavily involved in combos and neutral, meaning they may be missing their full power when used for a KO. These factors, when combined with a large number of combos and set ups to learn, causes Young Link to have a rather high learning curve, especially at top level play.

In summary, Young Link, despite featuring a very similar moveset to his alternate timeline counterparts, has a unique design and playstyle unlike anybody else in the game. He possesses one of the best zoning and combo games in the cast, giving him the ability to play both hyper defensively and hyper aggressively and switch between the two playstyles on the fly to throw opponents off. Despite rather low representation at top level, most likely due to his high learning curve and inconsistencies, Young Link is regarded as a high tier character, especially with the buffs to his KO power in update 7.0.0, and the few top level players who have chosen to main him have proven his capability to preform well in tournaments.

{{SSBU|Link}} has received a major aesthetic and gameplay overhaul. He is now based on the Hero of the Wild and thus features a heavily reworked moveset to reference his appearance in ''Breath of the Wild''. As Young Link hails from ''Ocarina of Time'', he is closest to his older self's appearances in ''[[Link|SSB]]'' and ''[[Link|Melee]]'', effectively serving as the classic Link archetype for this game. He retains moves and characteristics from ''Melee'' that the Hero of the Wild lacks (most notably a [[flurry attack]] and [[Hookshot]]), yet has also received a few changes that reference his descendant, the Hero of Twilight, as he appeared in ''[[Link|Brawl]]'' and ''[[Link|Smash 4]]''. While these changes further de-[[clone]] Young Link from Link, he remains a full clone instead of a semi-clone due to his large number of shared attacks (compared to Toon Link, who has roughly as many unique attacks as not).

*{{change|Young Link deals less knockback for most of his attacks. This overall weakens his KO potential in comparison to Link, but it also grants Young Link access to new combos when combined with his faster frame data.}}

*{{buff|Young Link's base [[air acceleration]] is higher than Link's (0.01 → 0.02).}}

**{{nerf|The difference between Young Link's falling speed and fast falling speed is much lower than Link's (increase: 90% → 60%), which makes it more predictable when landing and gives it fewer options in the air.}}

**{{buff|Young Link's a neutral attack can be followed by a neutral infinite and a finisher, unlike Link's.}}

**{{buff|The first hit has much less startup lag (frame 8 → 4).}}

**{{change|The third hit uses Link's previous animation that thrusting a sword, instead of swiping vertically.}}

**{{nerf|The third hit have more ending lag (FAF 35 → 36).}}

**{{nerf|It deals less damage (13% → 12% (base)/11% (tip)) and knockback (55 base/82 scaling → 30/85 (blade), 25/85 (body)), make it considerably weaker than Link's.}}

**{{nerf|It deals less damage (11% → 8%) with knockback not fully compensated (30 base/103/111/105/104 scaling → 20 base/130/128/126 scaling), make it weaker than Link's.}}

**{{buff|Although it does not reach as far as Link's, it uses 3 spherical hitboxes rather than 1 extended hitbox, and all 3 hitboxes are wider, improving the move's vertical range.}}

**{{nerf|It deals less damage (14% (tip)/13% (blade)/12% (body) → 11% (base)/10% (tip)) and knockback (70 base/85 scaling (tip), 85/85 (blade), 85/77 (body) → 70/70), make it considerably weaker than Link's.}}

**{{buff|The first hit has less startup (frame 17 → 15) and ending lag (FAF 51 → 48).}}

**{{change|The first hit always deals lower damage (7% (base)/14% (tip) → 6%) and knockback (45 base/12 scaling (base), 30/100 (tip) → 35/40 base/15 scaling).}}

**{{buff|Down smash has less startup (frame 12 → 9 (hit 1), frame 24 → 21 (hit 2)) and ending lag (FAF 55 → 50).}}

**{{change|The first hit launches at a much lower angle (78° → 30°).}}  

**{{buff|The late hit deals less damage (6% → 5%) and base knockback (15 → 10), further improving its combo potential.}}

**{{buff|It has much less ending lag (FAF 52 → 41).}}

**{{change|The second hit launches at a slightly lower angle (44° → 48°).}}  

**{{nerf|Back aerial's first hit's aerial hitboxes deal less set knockback (36 → 20). Combined with Young Link's higher gravity, and the greater delay between the hits, this makes the move connect less consistently.}}

**{{buff|Down aerial has less startup lag with a longer active duration (frames 15-64 → 13-64).}}

***{{nerf|However, the clean hit has a shorter active duration (frames 16-19 → 13-15).}}

*[[Grab|Grabs]]:

**{{nerf|It has a signficantly shorter duration (frames 16-61 → 14-48).}}

**{{buff|The aerial version travels a greater distance, making it more effective for recovery.}}

Young Link has been heavily buffed in the transition from ''Melee'' to ''Ultimate''. His attributes, moveset and general gameplan have all been significantly improved in the transition, and he has gained a better combo game, whereas the changes to the general pace of ''Ultimate'' have contributed to his benefits.

Young Link's speed has been improved from ''Melee'', not just in terms of his mobility, but also his attacks, as many of them have decreased startup and ending lag (such as [[neutral attack]], [[forward tilt|forward]] and [[down tilt]]s, and [[dash attack]]), and his aerials have heavily decreased landing lag (even compared to their [[L-cancel]]ed counterparts in ''Melee''), improving his ability to land. Some of his moves have also been reworked to make them more reliable and effective, such as his [[up smash]] and his [[forward aerial|forward]] and [[back aerial]]s, and the weakening of [[SDI]] heavily benefits his multi-hit attacks. His grab game has also been improved thanks to the universal changes to tether grabs, as they now have less ending lag and a longer duration. His [[forward throw]] also has increased knockback, giving him a new KOing option.

His special moveset has also seen heavy improvements. [[Fire Arrow]] has less ending lag and increased knockback, [[Boomerang]] deals less knockback as a result of its lower damage, grounded [[Spin Attack]] has less ending lag after its final hit, and aerial Spin Attack's hits link into the other much more consistently. Bombs were also significantly buffed, as their multi-hits accumulate their damage faster, they travel farther when thrown, no longer deal damage to Young Link if they hit an enemy head-on, and can be "soft-tossed" or slowly Z-dropped without exploding. All of these changes combined together not only grant Young Link a deceptively improved zoning game, but have also further improved his combo ability from mid-distance.

The changes to ''Ultimate''{{'}}s engine have also generally benefitted Young Link. The universal increase in mobility, the ability to [[Run cancel|use any attack out of a run]] and the increased [[shieldstun]] have vastly improved Young Link's close quarters combat, as he can now close in on the distance with less issue and his attacks' above average damage output renders them harder to punish (most infamously his tilt attacks). The universal reduction to landing lag is an especially notable benefit, as not only this improves his ability to land, but has improved his aerials' safety on shield -despite the reduced shieldstun on aerial attacks-, but has also dramatically improved his combo game up-close outside of his [[down throw]] and {{b|Bomb|Link}}s, with him now having set-up options by virtue of his [[neutral aerial]]'s late hit and the first hits of his forward and back aerials. The removal of [[edgehogging]], the introduction of [[Edgeguarding#Ledge trumping|ledge trumping]] and the changes to invincibility when grabbing an [[edge]] have also notably improved Young Link's recovery, making him much less vulnerable to getting edgeguarded or getting hit if he doesn't grab the stage's edge.

Although he has mostly received buffs, Young Link is not without some nerfs. In exchange for his now excellent combo ability, some of Young Link's attacks deal less damage (most notably his projectiles), now requiring him to string more hits in order to rack up more damage. A few of his attacks also have slightly increased startup and ending lag, while others have shorter durations, bringing them more in line with the rest of the cast. His aerial mobility is also slightly worse (especially when relative to the cast). Additionally, his down tilt and down aerial no longer have [[meteor smash]] hitboxes, meaning that Young Link gains no benefits from the removal of [[Meteor smash#Meteor canceling|meteor canceling]]. In terms of gameplay changes, the changes to [[air dodging]] also hinder Young Link's mobility, as [[wavedashing]] and wavelanding are significantly less effective due to their increased landing lag. Some of Young Link's weaknesses from ''Melee'' also remain, most notably his below average range for a swordfighter (despite it improving in the transition) and his still limited KOing ability.

Overall, Young Link's gameplan has radically changed between both games, which has also resulted in a slight increase to his already high learning curve. Young Link now has reliable damage racking capabilities at all ranges, courtesy of an improved zoning game and a deceptively improved combo game that doesn't require use of his bombs, which now makes it easier for him to close in on the distance against other characters and harder for other characters to keep up with him, and he has less trouble at landing due to his aerials' lower landing lag. However, even with the higher knockback on some of his moves and his new hit confirms, his KOing ability remains below average, which combined with his short range means Young Link still has to take risks in order to KO the opponent. Regardless, Young Link is a significantly better character than he was in ''Melee'', with a larger playerbase in competitive play consisting of players such as {{Sm|colinies}}, {{Sm|SKITTLES!!}}, {{Sm|Supahsemmie}}, {{Sm|T}}, {{Sm|Toast}} and {{Sm|Tweek}}, who have demonstrated Young Link's strong potential when mastered. As a result, Young Link is commonly considered to be a high tier character, though due to other characters receiving similar improvements such as {{SSBU|Greninja}}, {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Roy}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}, and {{SSBU|Wolf}}, his true tier placement remains debatable.

Aside from glitch fixes, Young Link has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but has been buffed overall. The nerfs to the shield damage of various projectiles in update 3.0.0 affect Young Link more negatively than most other characters. However, the version 7.0.0 update gave Young Link increased knockback on a few of his attacks, allowing for more KO options.

*While standing still, walking or crouching, incoming [[projectile]]s that hit Young Link's [[Passive shield|Deku Shield]] will deal no damage and simply push him back slightly. It can block any amount of projectiles, regardless of power.

*Young Link possesses a [[tether]] attack and grab.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=A downward slash, followed by an outward slash, followed by a thrust. If button mashed, Young Link instead performs a rapid flurry of slashes before concluding with an upward slash. The standard neutral attack is based on the final series of strikes that he does to [[Ganondorf|Ganon]] in ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time''.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=A lunging downward slash. It resembles the [[zeldawiki:Targeting|Z-Targeting]] slash he uses in ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' and ''The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask''. It comes out on frame 10 with low ending lag, yet it has good power for its speed, making it a reliable KO option. However, the tip of the sword is a sourspot.

|utiltname= 

|dtiltname= 

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=A lunging downward slash. It comes out quickly at frame 8 without a large amount of ending lag, and it has decent power, giving it some KO potential at the ledge. Just like other attacks, the tip of the Kokiri Sword deals less damage.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=A two-handed, lunging downward slash. If the attack button is pressed again, Young Link will perform a single-handed outward slash. The first hit deals almost no knockback but is a natural combo into the second hit, which deals powerful knockback. Is somewhat fast for a forward smash, coming out on frame 15. Can be combo'd into from neutral aerial's late hit and aerial Hookshot.

|usmashname= 

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=A kneeling inward slash in front of himself, followed by a kneeling outward slash behind himself. Both hits are semi-spikes, making them good for edgeguarding, and is stronger from the front than from the back.

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=A flying kick. It is a [[sex kick]] and one of the fastest aerials in the game at frame 4, making it a very good option to get opponents off of him. Additionally, it has extremely low landing lag, can autocancel in a short hop, and has just as strong of an offense use, as the late hit can function both as a combo starter or can be used in the middle of a combo to lead into a variety of moves. It also has decent power, as it can KO at high percents when edgeguarding. Overall, it is commonly regarded as one of the best aerials in the game, and is a vital part of Young Link's combo game.

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=Two alternating, spinning outward slashes. The first hit traps opponents into the second hit, which deals reasonably high knockback, making it useful for knocking opponents offstage or killing them outright at higher percents. Landing on the ground after the first hit but before the second will cancel the move, allowing for a follow-up into a different attack. It can autocancel in a full hop.

|bairname= 

|bairdesc=A hook kick followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick. It comes out on frame 6 and has the lowest ending lag of his aerials. Functions similarly to his forward aerial, including the ability to drag down foes with the first hit, but trades range and power for reduced start-up. Despite this, it possesses a somewhat disjointed hitbox, and its first hit can reliably KO into any of his smash attacks.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=The {{iw|zeldawiki|Up Thrust}} from ''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link''. It has a long active duration, and its high damage and knockback allow it to KO at around 130% with the clean hit, but despite that, it has very fast start-up at frame 5. However, its long active duration makes it punishable if not used carefully, and it has a strict autocancel window, as it can only autocancel in a double jump.

|dairname= 

|dairdesc=The {{iw|zeldawiki|Down Thrust}} from ''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link''. Unlike Link's similar move, it does not meteor smash even with the clean hit. Deals high knockback, making it one of Young Link's most reliable aerial KO moves, but is dangerous to use offstage due to its long duration and high ending lag. Landing the clean hit on an opponent or their shield will cause Young Link to bounce upwards.

|zairname=Midair Hookshot

|zairdesc=Shoots his {{iw|zeldawiki|Hookshot}} forward. Can be used to [[Tether recovery|grab stage ledges]]. As of update 7.0.0, it now has above-average hitstun and faster start-up, making it an excellent combo starter at nearly any percent, even allowing for KO confirms into up smash, forward smash, or forward aerial.

|grabname=[[Hookshot]]

|grabdesc=Fires his Hookshot straight forward. Functions as a tether grab and can be used for tether recovery. Like other tether grabs, it has higher lag than normal grabs in exchange for much longer range.

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=Quickly hits the opponent with the pommel of the Kokiri Sword.

|fthrowname= 

|fthrowdesc=A front kick. As of update 7.0.0, it is easily Young Link's strongest throw, and one of the strongest forward throws in the game, starting to KO middleweights around 130% from the edge of [[Final Destination]].

|bthrowname= 

|uthrowname= 

|uthrowdesc=Raises the opponent overhead and slashes them upward. It starts to KO around 190% on Final Destination. If the initial sword slash hits another opponent, they will be launched at a very low angle, allowing for edgeguard setups. It has some combo potential at low-to-mid percents.

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=Pins the opponent to the ground and performs an [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Elbow drop|elbow drop]]. It can be used as a combo starter, although not reliable as in ''Melee''.

|nsdesc=Wields the {{iw|zeldawiki|Fairy Bow}} to fire a {{iw|zeldawiki|Fire Arrow}}. It can be charged up for more power and range. The arrows send opponents at an upwards angle with low knockback and high hitstun, making it a good aerial combo starter. In addition, it has low start-up and ending lag, making it an excellent combo/spacing tool all around.

|ssdesc=Throws his {{iw|zeldawiki|Boomerang}} forward. It can be angled diagonally and deals damage when returning to Young Link. It can combo into an aerial at most percents.

|usdesc=[[zeldawiki:Spin Attack|A series of spinning, outward slashes]]. It has very quick start-up, making it a potent out-of-shield option. Just like the Spin Attack of the other two Link incarnations, it can be charged when grounded for more damage. Similarly to Toon Link's version of the move, it hits multiple times on the ground, with the final hit launching opponents. However, Young Link's version of the Spin Attack is different than the variants the other Links have: instead of dealing strong horizontal knockback, Young Link's Spin Attack deals weak vertical knockback, making it unviable as a KO tool but useful as a combo starter. The aerial version can carry opponents to the upper blast line, and KO them there at high enough percents.

|dsdesc=Pulls out a {{iw|zeldawiki|Bomb}}. Just like in ''Melee'', the explosion from the Bomb hits multiple times. The Bomb explodes after hitting a surface or enemy, or after enough time passes. The Bomb's weak knockback makes it useful as a combo starter. It can be used to extend Young Link's recovery, as the damage from the explosion will take him out of helplessness.

|fsdmg=60%

*Descends onto the stage while surrounded by rays of blue light that shine down from the sky, referencing the Ocarina of Time's powers. Upon landing, he equips the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield. This is akin to [[Link (SSB)|his older self]]'s on-screen appearance in ''SSB''.

*'''Up taunt''': Holds the Kokiri Sword up in the air.

*'''Side taunt''': Places the Deku Shield on his back and watches [[Navi]] fly around him.

*'''Down taunt''': Sheaths the Kokiri Sword and places the Deku Shield on his back and takes a drink of {{s|ZeldaWiki|Lon Lon Milk}}.

*Looks around himself.

*Kicks the toes of his boots on the ground, as if knocking off the dirt.

SSBUYoungLinkIdle1.gif|Young Link's first idle pose

SSBUYoungLinkIdle2.gif|Young Link's second idle pose

|Jon - ger Link! || Liiiink niño! || Yu - nyy Link! || So - nyeon Lin - gkeu!

*'''Left:''' While holding his sword in a reverse grip, adjusts his belt and flicks his nose. Based on one of Young Link's idle animations in ''Ocarina of Time''.

*'''Up:''' Stabs forward with his sword, then holds it up, giving off a battle cry. This is nearly identical to one of Link's poses other than the camera angle and Link using his right hand to hold the sword, while Young Link uses his left hand.

*'''Right:''' Sheathes his sword, dusts his hands off, and puts them on his hips while grinning.

==In competitive play==

Young Link was met with a considerable amount of hype when he returned to the series after 17 years, last appearing in ''Melee''. By the time ''Ultimate'' was released, there were high hopes for him due to his amazing combo game and damage racking potential from his projectiles. {{Sm|Tweek}} found success with the character in the early months of ''Ultimate'', winning tournaments such as {{Trn|Glitch 6}} and {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}. Players believed that because of these strengths and strong results, Young Link was seen as a viable high-tier or top-tier character, and the best of the three Links. As time went on, players began discovering his weaknesses, which include inconsistent KO power and a linear, slow recovery, making him relatively easy to edgeguard. Tweek went on to drop the character in favor of {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} and {{SSBU|Wario}}. As a result, Young Link was then seen as a high-tier or an upper-mid tier. In 2020, update 7.0.0. granted Young Link a multitude of buffs, which fixed his problem of KOing at higher percents and having a confirm off of his grab aerial. This caused many to again consider him a high-tier or even top-tier and the best fighter from ''The Legend of Zelda''. Because of this, coming out of nowhere, {{Sm|Toast}} amazed the crowd with his breakout performance at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}, placing 7th, taking sets off of many top players, including {{Sm|Samsora}} and {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}.

 

In the online scene, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Young Link has a more prominent representation and a much stronger pick in Wi-Fi tournaments. His safe aerials and already strong projectiles are buffed online due to increased lag and reaction time being taken into account. Currently, the character's Wi-Fi meta is being represented by players such as {{Sm|SKITTLES!!}} and {{Sm|colinies}}.

===Notable players===

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

''See also: [[:Category:Young Link professionals (SSBU)]]''

====Active====

*{{Sm|Alphicans|Canada}} - Has a strong Young Link secondary. Placed 5th at {{Trn|The Pinnacle 2018}} with solo Young Link, as well as 1st at {{Trn|Salt Flats 2019}} and 9th at {{Trn|SKL: Prairie Pummel}} as one of his characters. Has wins over {{Sm|Jw}}, {{Sm|Lemmon}}, and {{Sm|Slime}}.

*{{Sm|Biddy|USA}} - The best Young Link player in Tri-state. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Player's Ball Ultimate}}, 13th at {{Trn|The Scarlet Classic V}} and 65th at both {{Trn|EVO 2019}} and {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Wishes}}, {{Sm|LeoN}}, {{Sm|Suarez}}, {{Sm|Jul}}, {{Sm|Mew2King}}, and {{Sm|The Great Gonzales}}.

*{{Sm|colinies|USA}} - One of the best Young Link players in the United States. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Steel City Showdown}}, 3rd at {{Trn|COST 2019}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Collision 2019}}. Ranked 2nd on the [[Ohio Smash Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Felker|France}} - One of the best Young Link players in Europe. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Le Colossel de M3R}}, 17th at {{Trn|European SEL Clash}}, 25th at both {{Trn|Stunfest 2019}} and {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Leon}}, {{Sm|Maeda}}, and {{Sm|WhYYZ}}.

*{{Sm|Jdizzle|Australia}} - The best Young Link player in Australia. Placed 1st at {{Trn|BigWinChampionship 2}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Phantom 2019}}, and 7th at {{Trn|Expand Gong 4}}.

*{{Sm|Kobe|USA}} - One of the best active Young Link players in the world. Placed 13th at both {{Trn|Smash Conference United}} and {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}}, 33rd at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}, and 49th at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Kyros|USA}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|2GG: All In}} and 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}. Has wins over {{Sm|ChocoTaco}}, {{Sm|Aikota}}, {{Sm|Runes}}, {{Sm|ChillyChilli}}, {{Sm|BONK!}}, and {{Sm|Cyro}}.

*{{Sm|RFang|USA}} (#45) - Co-mains Young Link and {{SSBU|Pichu}}. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Clash Of The Carolinas III}}, 49th at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}, and 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} using both characters.

*{{Sm|SKITTLES!!|USA}} - The best Young Link player in Nebraska. Placed 1st at [https://smash.gg/tournament/pg-keys-to-evo-smash-ultimate-final-showdown/events PG Keys to EVO: Smash Ultimate Final Showdown], 9th at {{Trn|Paradigm Shift 2019}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}}. Ranked 1st on the [[Nebraska Power Rankings#Ultimate|Nebraska Ultimate Power Rankings]] and 24th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank]].

*{{Sm|SS|USA}} - The best Young Link player in Arizona. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Ascension II}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Ascension}}, and 9th at both {{Trn|Ascension III}} and {{Trn|Ascension IV}}.

*{{Sm|Suinoko|Japan}} - The best Young Link player in Japan. Placed 9th at {{Trn|KVOxTSB 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 4}}, 25th at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}, and 33rd at both {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} and {{Trn|Umebura SP 3}} with solo Young Link.

*{{Sm|Toast|USA}} - The best active Young Link player in the world after {{Sm|Tweek}} dropped the character. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Just Roll With It! 12}}, 7th at {{Trn|Just Roll With It! 11}}, {{Trn|2GG: Run it Back}}, and {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}, 13th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, 17th at {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|The Big House 9}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Raito}}, {{Sm|Kola}}, {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}},  {{Sm|Peabnut}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, {{Sm|VoiD}}, {{Sm|Wishes}}, and {{Sm|MVD}}.

 

*{{Sm|T|Japan}} (#15) - Considered one of the best Young Link players in Japan. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Midwest Mayhem Ultimate}} with solo Young Link, and 17th at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 2}} in conjunction with {{SSBU|Link}}. Although he hasn't officially dropped the character, he now only uses Link in brackets, and very rarely uses Young Link or any of his other characters anymore.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} (#3) - Formerly the best Young Link player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Glitch 6}} and {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}} and 7th at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|WaDi}}, and {{Sm|Jakal}}.

|2||{{Head|Young Link|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}} Young Link||[[Temple]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|The Legend of Zelda|Song of Storms}}''||If the player is using the Dark Young Link costume, the CPU player will be the {{Head|Young Link|g=SSBU|s=20px}} default Young Link.

|3||{{CharHead|Sheik|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Gerudo Valley]] ([[Ω form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|The Legend of Zelda|Gerudo Valley (Remix)}}''||

|5||{{CharHead|Ganondorf|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Bridge of Eldin]] (Ω form) ||''{{SSBUMusicLink|The Legend of Zelda|Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}''||

Young Link was one of the many imprisoned fighters that fell under [[Dharkon]]'s control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is a necessary unlock found in the [[Sacred Land]] sub-area on the bottom right corner of the land which makes up the Triforce of Courage. The player must rely on the owl statues which will guide the player to [[List of spirits (The Legend of Zelda series)|Saria's spirit battle]]. Unlocking her spirit clears out a tree stump that blocked access to his unlock battle. Once Young Link is unlocked, the Triforce of Courage appears in the center of the map. If {{SSBU|Zelda}} is unlocked, the path leading to {{SSBU|Cloud}}'s unlock battle and the Master Sword clears out.

{{-}}

Young Link's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Young Link in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

Additionally, this incarnation of Link makes an appearance in a few primary and support spirits under other forms.

==In Spirit battles==

===Character Showcase Video===

*Young Link and {{SSBU|Pichu}} share the longest gap between playable appearances in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, with seventeen years between ''Melee'' and ''Ultimate''.

**This has been noted by both of their ''Super Smash Bros.'' blog's "Today's Fighter" descriptions.

**Similarly, Link's ''Twilight Princess'' and "Fierce Deity" costumes (being recolored from his Tunic of the Wild alternate costume, which exposes his knees), were colored in a way so that his trousers were indeed lengthened and not simply just recolored.  

**Additionally, the cuffs of his boots is not fully modeled when looking at them from below.<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/a5c5PG6.jpg]</ref>

*When Young Link activates his side taunt where Navi flies around his head, if the game is slowed down to 1/4 speed, she can be seen flying into her initial position from offscreen. This suggests that Navi's model is kept somewhere offscreen and changes location on activation of the taunt, however, when the taunt ends, she returns back into his hat like normal and does not appear to fly back offscreen.

*Young Link, {{SSBU|Marth}}, Lucina, {{SSBU|Roy}}, {{SSBU|Chrom}}, and {{SSBU|Wolf}} are the only characters that use their crouching animation from their previous ''Smash Bros.'' game when holding a small item.

**Out of all of them, Young Link is the only one who's doesn't revert to his previous idle pose when holding a small throwable item.

*Young Link's [[Star KO]] voice clip, unusually, begins with a short pause. {{SSBU|Ivysaur}} also has this trait.

**This was also the case for his Star KO voice clip in ''Melee''.

*In German, the name tag and voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" ('''der''' Jonger Link). He shares this trait with {{SSBU|Dark Pit}}.