Young Link (SSBU)

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Young Link in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearance	in Melee
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triforce Slash

“	He’s back after 17 years! Young Link is faster than Link but he’s also lighter, making him easier to launch.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Young Link (こどもリンク, Young Link) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially confirmed as playable on June 12th, 2018. Young Link is classified as fighter #22.

As in Melee, Fujiko Takimoto's portrayals of Young Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its sequel Majora's Mask were repurposed for Ultimate.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee

NOTE: SmashWiki is not speculative. Please refrain from adding detailed data values derived from pre-release gameplay footage, such as the E3 demo. Such data (damage values, launch trajectories, frame data, etc.) are subject to change before the official release.

Although Young Link is still faster and lighter than Link, he still shares most of his moveset with Link in spite of the latter's own Breath of the Wild-based alterations. Despite this, he is not classified as an Echo Fighter. Young Link now even shares some traits from Link's previous incarnation in Smash 4 in some aspects as well.

Aesthetics

• Due to the game's graphical improvements, Young Link's design gains additional detail, particularly in his hair. His colors are more subdued than they were in Melee.
• Young Link is relatively bigger; he is almost as tall as regular Link.
• Young Link is much more expressive. Like Diddy Kong, his hat is also "looser" on his head and pops off during certain animations, such as his down aerial.
• Young Link now has an entrance animation, similar to Link's animation from the original Super Smash Bros.
• Young Link's taunt from Melee executes significantly faster. In addition, he has two new taunts: one where he triumphantly lifts his sword into the air while grinning, and another where Navi flies around him, akin to Link's side taunt in Brawl and Smash 4.
• The Kokiri Sword now has a bronze hilt. It leaves behind a white trail with blue accents, as opposed to a pure white trail in Melee.
  • Additionally, Link's yellow and blue Spin Attack sword trail from Smash 4 is recycled for Young Link, as Link now has a unique sword trail.
• Young Link now has three additional alternate costumes, bringing his total up to the standard eight. His black alternate costume has also been altered to better resemble Dark Link.
• Young Link's victory animation where he adjusts his belt is slightly different. He now holds the Kokiri Sword and after adjusting, flicks his nose with his thumb.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Young Link's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 4).
• Young Link dashes much faster.
• Young Link's fall speed has been reduced.
• Young Link's midair jump is significantly higher. This improves Young Link's ability to recover back to the stage.
• Young Link now has a fast fall speed more in line with the rest of the roster, in comparison to his almost unnoticeable fast fall in Melee. This greatly increases the versatility of his air game, and allows him to use various mix-ups that other characters possess.
• Young Link's Deku Shield now protects him from projectiles while walking, similar to the shields of all other Link incarnations.
• Young Link is slightly heavier, improving its survivability.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's third jab has slightly more horizontal range.
• Neutral attack infinite is now a flurry of slashes that transition much faster, and has a finisher in the form of an ascending slash.
• Forward tilt covers more vertical range. It also has a faster startup.
• Down tilt has much quicker startup and ending lag. In addition, it deals more damage at the tip.
• Up smash has more ending lag.
• Up smash's hits chain together much more reliably.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have significantly less landing lag, having even less than when L-canceled in Melee.
• Neutral aerial deals less damage.
• Forward aerial is no longer a single degrading hit, and instead hits twice like Link's.
• Grab aerial has drastically decreased landing lag, allowing for combo opportunities.

Throws/other attacks

• Young Link's grab has significantly less ending lag, making it safer to use.
• Young Link jumps a bit higher when performing his up throw.
• Up throw has more ending lag.
• Hookshot is no longer a wall grapple, and is instead a tether recovery.
  • This removes the ability to grapple to any wall, reducing its versatility.
  • Hookshot's range and safety has improved to compensate.

Special Moves

• Fire Bow's arrow now lights up when nocked, and ignites when completely charged, compared to in Melee where the arrow does not light up at all. This is purely aesthetic, as the arrows are always on fire regardless of charge length.
• Fire Bow's arrows have been redesigned to more closely resemble the artwork found in the manual for Ocarina of Time.
• Fire Arrows now disappear after a brief amount of time in the air.
• Fire Bow has significantly decreased ending lag, and the arrows fly much further than before, even when not fully charged.
• Young Link has a new throwing animation for the Boomerang.
• Young Link's Boomerang is much bigger and thrown vertically instead of horizontally when released, increasing its coverage immensely.
• Grounded Spin Attack deals one less hit (12 → 11) during its multi-hit portion of the attack. In addition, all of its hits now deal slightly less damage overall.
• Grounded Spin Attack can now be charged, as with the other incarnations of Link.
• Aerial Spin Attack preserves much more momentum after being used, and Young Link can move more during its animation. In addition, the move's vertical recovery has increased.
• Like with Link's Bombs in Super Smash Bros. 4, the explosions from Young Link's Bombs do not damage him if they hit an opponent.
• Young Link's Bombs travel further when thrown.
• Compared to previous incarnations of Bombs, Young Link's Bombs deal noticeably less self-damage if they detonate just after being thrown.
• Young Link now has a Final Smash, that being Triforce Slash. Visually, this variant resembles Link's version from Smash 4, but the final flourish and slash have altered animations: Young Link rears his hand back and does an outward slash, instead of a stab.

Role in World of Light

Young Link was absent in the World of Light trailer, though he presumably became a spirit alongside the rest of the galaxy (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed its beams of light.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Young Link's amiibo.

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  Young Link on Great Bay.

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  Tossing his Bomb at Wario on Castle Siege.

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  Idling with Toon Link's Fairy on Skyworld.

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  Drinking Lon Lon Milk with Inkling on Temple.

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  Performing his down aerial in his Dark Link-based costume on the Umbra Clock Tower.

• 

  Tossing his Boomerang on Onett.

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  Young Link drinking his Lon Lon Milk with Simon on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Carrying his Bomb with Bomberman on Temple.

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  Idling with Mario on Tomodachi Life.

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  With all playable The Legend of Zelda veterans on the Great Plateau Tower.

Character Showcase Video

<youtube>qpzDPfCzB7g</youtube>

Trivia

• Young Link's official artwork is based off of the pose he strikes after using his grounded Spin Attack.
• Young Link and 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.
• The belt around Young Link's sheath appears to have back-face culling, as it's shown to disappear when seen from the other side. This is mostly noticeable whenever he's shown drinking Lon-Lon milk at the end of his character showcase video.