Toon Link (SSBB)

This article is about Toon Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For Links in general, see Link, and for the Wind Waker Link in other contexts, see Toon Link.

Toon Link in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triforce Slash
Tier	C+ (13)

Toon Link (トゥーンリンク, Toon Link) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His appearance is derived from the Link that appears in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. However, Toon Link looks slightly more realistic in Brawl than in The Wind Waker. This can be seen by comparing his standard trophy and his Outset Link trophy, as his character model in Brawl is not cel-shaded like that of his model in The Wind Waker. Additionally, "Toon Link" is simply a reference name to give distinction between the Links that appear in Brawl and to not confuse him with his fellow childhood counterpart Young Link (again, a reference name). In actuality, he is simply named Link and comes from a different era and timeline branch than Twilight Princess Link does. As a semi-clone of Young Link, they share a number of similar moves.

Toon Link is currently ranked 13th on the tier list at the top of the mid-high tier (the highest ranked character of all The Legend of Zelda characters). Toon Link's biggest asset is his variety of versatile projectiles, which when combined with his great jumping ability and air mobility, gives him one of the strongest camping abilities and makes him one of the most difficult characters to approach. Toon Link additionally has a strong aerial game, with the aforementioned efficient jumping and aerial mobility, and access to fast, powerful aerial attacks, in addition to a damaging zair, which is useful for keeping opponents at a distance and setting up subsequent attacks. Toon Link also has two great combo starters in his up tilt and back aerial that can combo into themselves, a far reaching and relatively safe recovery, and strong approaching capabilities from his fast movement speed and projectiles. Toon Link however suffers from substandard KOing ability, possessing finishers that aren't that powerful with short reach, or in the case of his up smash, being too predictable while lacking strong enough traits to make up for it. Toon Link additionally possesses short reach throughout his moveset, and a very punishable grab that lacks the reach to make up for its high ending lag (in addition to possessing rather poor throws). Toon Link overall has strong matchups (with his only counter being Meta Knight), and has achieved above average tournament results (which have been especially strong in Meta Knight-banned tournaments).

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 400 VS. matches.
• Complete Classic Mode with any character on any difficulty after finishing The Subspace Emissary, then defeat Toon Link.
• Find Toon Link in The Forest stage after completing the Subspace Emissary. It can be found by entering a secret door close to the beginning of the level. Note that this method will not show the challenger approaching screen, as that is replaced by a cutscene of Toon Link challenging the player.

The player must then defeat Toon Link on Pirate Ship.

Gameplay differences between Young Link and Toon Link

Toon Link replaces Young Link from Melee, with some noticeable changes in his fighting style.

• Toon Link uses his sword for more attacks than Young Link does, due to his shorter legs.
• Toon Link's Hero's Bow shoots farther and charges faster, but his arrows are slower and do not set targets on fire like Young Link's do. However, two can be fired out of a short hop using a certain technique providing for an effective fence of pain.
• Toon Link's Bombs do not perform combos like Young Link's and are weaker than Link's, but they have a bigger blast radius and a different smoke explosion, which was taken from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
• Toon Link's down tilt does not meteor smash like Young Link and has medium knockback.
• Toon Link's up smash is a single slash, rather than three, and it is a much better and stronger finisher.
• Toon Link's recovery is significantly longer, as he has less fall time and higher second and third jumps.
• Toon Link's neutral, back, and forward aerials are different (neutral aerial is two slashes, one forward and one backward, back aerial is a standard backward slash, and forward aerial is a standard forward slash. Young Link's neutral aerial was a Sex Kick, his forward aerial was two slashes forward, and his back aerial was two kicks backwards).
• Toon Link's up aerial is better and stronger finisher than Young Link's.
• Toon Link's down aerial goes straight down, is much faster, and is easier to control. However, it is more dangerous to use and can lead to a self-destruct if it is used offstage, does not connect with an opponent, and is not used properly as it is a Stall-Then-Fall that has a long falling distance and will not stop until it is used at very high altitudes, leaving Toon Link unable to recover.
• Toon Link's down aerial meteor smash is in the beginning of the plunge; Young Link could only meteor smash on any frame with his down aerial if the opponent was directly above him and touched the hilt of his sword; this move, unlike Toon Link's, does set opponents on fire if the meteor smash sweetspot connects.
• Toon Link is much lighter than Young Link.
• Toon Link's hookshot goes farther than Young Link's.
• Toon Link is floatier than Young Link.
• Toon Link's boomerang is bigger, slower and doesn't fly as far as Young Link's.

Attributes

Toon Link falls under the archetype of a small but nimble character. True to his small frame, he is floaty and a lightweight. Toon Link also has the ability to wall jump. His attacks generally have decent range and disjointed hitboxes (although poor compared to other swordsmen), and little lag. Toon Link's aerial game and overall mobility is superb, but he has problems KOing due to his few reliable KO moves. His best KO move is his up smash, but it is predictable. His down smash has semi-spike knockback at low damages, but it is not as powerful. The second hit of his forward smash has good knockback, but it can easily be evaded with DI, thus leaving him vulnerable. His tether grab has decent range, but it leaves him vulnerable if it misses. Projectiles, his bombs in particular, are also part of Toon Link's game, which are great for mindgames, and (like Boomerangs) can be used to combine with other attacks.

He has a decently powerful ranged game due to having 3 projectiles and a grab aerial, as well as a shield to automatically block most other projectiles while standing in a stationary position (although his idle poses negate this). His Stall-Then-Fall down aerial can negate horizontal knockback (although it can also cause some unwanted self destructs), which sets up the rest of his recovery, and can also make use of bomb and tether recoveries. On the downside, his recovery is predictable, fairly easy to edge guard due his floatiness, and gives only decent distance overall. Ultimately, Toon Link becomes what his player makes of him in combining and using his advantages to mitigate disadvantage.

Moveset

For a more detailed information regarding Toon Link's moveset and attack hitboxes, see this page.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Toon Link slashes twice then thrusts his sword forward. Primarily used as a way to create space against close-up opponents.
			2%
			5%
Forward tilt			9%	Toon Link raises his sword and swings it to the floor, similar to Link's, but with less KO power. Decent horizontal knockback makes it tolerable for edge-guarding if the blast line is nearby.
Up tilt			9%	Quickly does a swipe overhead. Can hit on the left or right side of Toon Link. Can combo into itself at low percents, and then an aerial at higher percents.
Down tilt			9%	wipes his sword along the ground. Ideal for edge-guarding if an off-stage opponent is trying to grab a ledge. Can sometimes cause opponents to trip.
Dash attack			10% (blade), 8% (tip)	Slashes directly in front of him, dealing diagonal knockback. Deals slightly less damage at the tip.
Forward smash			10%	Toon Link pulls back and swings his sword in front of him. When the attack button is pressed again, he does another slash. The first slash leads into the second, with good horizontal knockback.
			13% (front), 11% (rear)
Up smash			15% (clean), 11% (late)	Toon Link performs a single overhead strike. Has a very similar appearance and range to his up tilt, but with much more knockback and damage.
Down smash			6% (hit 1 grounded), 7% (hit 1 aerial), 11% (hit 2)	Toon Link sweeps his sword in front of and then behind him along the ground. The first hit leads into the second hit on grounded opponents and cannot be SDI'd. The first hit deals more damage on aerial opponents, which knocks them upwards with decent knockback.
Neutral aerial			10% (hits 1-2)	Slashes on both sides, front then back, in mid-air. The first hit can bring the target into the second hit, provided the enemy is positioned properly. Good to use as a quick approach.
Forward aerial			13%	Swings his sword upward. Good for edge-guarding in terms of leaving the stage to intercept the recovering enemy.
Back aerial			10%	Slashes backwards with his sword. Can chain into itself at low percents and can KO foes at higher percents.
Up aerial			14% (clean), 12% (late)	Sticks his sword above him, like Link's up aerial, though it has more knockback. A great move for juggling at mid percents, and a good KO move at later percents.
Down aerial			16% (clean), 13% (late), 8% (after bounce), 5% (landing)	Sticks his sword straight down, similar Link's down aerial. However, Toon Link stalling momentarily in midair before launching straight downwards very quickly with no horizontal control. The beginning of the downwards descent can meteor smash the opponent powerfully, but it's very risky because if he misses, he will most likely self-destruct.
Grab aerial		Hookshot	4%	Fires his Hookshot straight in front of him, just like Link's tether recovery but with shorter range. The only part of the attack which hits is the tip of the Hookshot. This attack is unique in the sense it can be used instantly out of an air dodge (a typical combo is a short hop, air dodge, tether recovery), and is practically lagless when Toon Link hits the ground.
Grab			—
Pummel			2%	Hits opponent with the hilt of the Master Sword. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			3% (hit), 4% (throw)	Drops opponent quickly and shoulder tackles them forward. Oddly, the first hit of his forward throw is considered a leg attack despite being clearly a shoulder tackle. This is possibly due to an error in his moveset coding.
Back throw			3% (hit), 4% (throw)	Rolls on his back with the foe and kicks the foe backward.
Up throw			5% (hit), 2% (throw)	Throws opponent upward and slashes them. Good combo tool.
Down throw			3% (hit), 4% (throw)	Brings the foe down and shoulder tackles them on the floor. Opponents gets launched behind Toon Link
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Does two slashes front and back.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Does another two slashes front and back.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Essentially the same as his other two floor attacks.
Edge attack (fast) Edge getups (fast)			8%	Pulls himself up into a front flip and slices downward.
Edge attack (slow) Edge getups (slow)			10%	Slowly climbs up and stabs in front of himself.
Neutral special		Hero's Bow	4-12%	Link equips his bow, with the arrows serving as projectiles. Charging increases the speed, distance and damage dealt by an arrow. Arrows are much floatier than Link's, making them very useful even with no charge, but are also notably slower.
Side special		Boomerang	8% (near), 5% (middle), 3% (return)	Tosses a boomerang that flies forward to hit opponents, and returns to the user while still being able to hit foes. Can be angled up or down. A "smash throw" (similar to performing a smash attack) increases the distance the boomerang can travel. Close up, it can be used to follow up with another attack, and on the way back, can disrupt foes (Ex. If Toon Link gets grabbed) and turn the tide of battle albeit with weak knockback.
Up special		Spin Attack	Uncharged 1% (hits 1-9), 3% (hit 10) Charged: 1.6% (hits 1-9), 4.8% (hit 10) Aerial: 4% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-4), 4% (hit 5)	Toon Link sticks his blade out and spins around rapidly, hitting opponents multiple times before knocking them in different directions. Useful for catching rolls. The grounded version can be charged for more damage, while the aerial version gives him vertical and horizontal ascension.
Down special		Bomb	3% (explosion), 5% (throw), 6% (smash throw), 2-7% (dropped)	Toon Link pulls out a bomb. The bomb can be thrown upwards, downwards, left, or right, and if Toon Link is in the air, he can press the grab button to drop the bomb on the ground. If Toon Link drops a bomb while he is close to the ground, the bomb will land on the ground and will not explode until the fuse runs out, but other players can pick up the bomb and use it themselves. The blast radius of the bombs larger that Link’s bombs, but deals less damage. This move is a very good move for setting up combos and can grant him an extra Spin attack if used skillfully.
Final Smash		Triforce Slash	5% (traping), 4% (hits 1-15), 18% (hit 16)	Toon Link locks onto an opponent and proceeds to slash them repeatedly with his Master Sword. A luminous image of the Triforce appears around the opponent as Toon Link slashes them. The final strike launches the opponent.

Taunts

• Up: Conducts with his Wind Waker baton, at the end of which, a sound from when Toon Link plays a melody in The Wind Waker is heard.
• Side: Puts his sword away and looks around the environment.
• Down: Panics while slashing his sword around wildly, which tires him out.

On-screen appearance

Appears from an explosion that is similar to the ones used in The Wind Waker, and then quickly sheaths and unsheathes his sword.

Cheer

Toon Link's NTSC and PAL cheer

Toon-Link!

Victory theme

This flourish is a cover of the music that played whenever Link obtained a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda.

Victory poses

• He waves the Wind Waker baton.
• He tries to catch a pig but ends up tripping and falling on his bottom and begins rubbing it gently with a small sigh as he falls.
• Similar to the previous pose except he catches the pig and holds it above his head, all while struggling trying not to drop it.

Idle poses

• Looks on both sides of him.
• Stomps the tip of his boot on the ground.

In competitive play

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Notable players

See also: Category:Toon Link professionals (SSBB)

•  Hyro
•  Jash
•  Kingtoon
•  MJG
•  Southpaw
•  Jerm

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Toon Link in SSE.

Toon Link is an optional character in the Subspace Emissary, like Jigglypuff and Wolf, who can only be unlocked after the mode has been completed . To find him, players must enter a new door in the Forest which appears after defeating Tabuu for the first time that takes them to the Pirate Ship, where Toon Link prepares for battle. Defeating Toon Link will add him to the player's team. He does not have an actual role in the overall plot.

Exclusive stickers

These stickers can only be used by Toon Link, or a select few including him:

• Boomerang: [Weapon] Attack +4
• Colin: [Specials: Direct] Attack +4
• Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule: [Electric] Attack +31
• Darknut: [Slash] Attack +13
• Epona & Link: [Arm, Leg] Attack +9
• Fierce Deity Link: [Slash] Attack +21
• Happy Mask Salesman: [Leg] Attack +9
• Hylian Shield (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess): [Slash] Resistance +10
• Lantern: [Flame] Resistance +7
• Legend of Outset: [Arm] Attack +26
• Linebeck: [Throwing] Attack +20
• Link (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past): [Electric] Resistance +31
• Link (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess): [Slash] Resistance +27
• Link (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker): [Flame] Attack +31
• Link with Goron Mask: [Slash] Attack +17
• Link's Grandma: [Arm, Leg] Attack +2
• Lon Lon Milk: Launch Power +18
• Midna & Wolf Link: [Leg] Attack +26
• Moblin: [Slash] Attack +15
• Octorok: [Leg] Attack +4
• Piece of Heart: Heart Container Effect +50
• Salvatore: [Electric] Attack +9
• Sheik: [Body, Spin] Attack +17
• Tingle (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker): [Flame] Resistance +24
• Young Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap): [Normal] Resistance +16
• Zant: [Weapon] Attack +7
• Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time): [Flame] Resistance +18

Stickers

Toon Link uses his sword for all of his attacks except his back throw, forward throw, and down throw. Because of this, he benefits greatly from [Slash] and [Weapon] Damage boosts. Toon Link has more ranged specials than direct, so a [Specials: Indirect] boost would also be beneficial to him.

Alternate costumes

Toon Link's alternate costumes in Brawl

Trophy

Toon Link's trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Toon Link.

Toon Link's trophy in Brawl

Description

Link as he appeared in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, with big eyes and an expressive face. He lived peacefully on Outset Island until a bird captured his little sister, and he came to her rescue. In The Wind Waker, he had to crawl, press up to walls, and the like. His green clothes were worn on his 12th birthday and are the lucky outfit of the hero of legend.

: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Trivia

• Toon Link's zair can be used to save him from a KO at extremely high damages, ranging up to even higher than 300%, if an attack hits him low enough that his tether is within grabbing distance of the ledge as he passes by it. This requires very fast reaction to pull off, and is not often seen in competitive play due to there being few semi-spikes with KO power (which are the only type of moves that can hit Toon Link low enough to being within grabbing distance of the ledge).
• Despite being able to crawl voluntarily when unequipped in The Wind Waker, Toon Link is unable to crawl in Brawl; Mario and Pit are the only other characters who act this way.
• Toon Link holds the world record for Level 4 and Level 5 Target Smash (Level 4 completed in 9.05 seconds, and Level 5 completed in 6.65 seconds), Co-op Target Smash Level 1 with Falco (2.66 seconds), and Co-op Target Smash Level 5 with another Toon Link (4.11 seconds).
• The parting in his hair is reversed from how it looks in The Wind Waker. Additionally, it isn't affected by gravity or wind.
  • Along with his hair, his hat also disobeys gravity, with the hat usually staying in a limp position while falling, as opposed to the tip being above the rest of his body.
• Toon Link has the same idle poses as Young Link in Melee.
• If Toon Link eats Superspicy Curry and doesn't move or attack after the effect wears off, he will not take his sword and shield back out until he finally moves or attacks.
• Toon Link is one of the few known characters to have an obvious error in his moveset coding: while the first hit of his forward throw is quite clearly a shoulder tackle, for sticker purposes it is considered a leg attack. This is likely an error caused by copying moveset data from Link.
• Toon Link has the most semi-spikes in Brawl.
• Jigglypuff, Toon Link, and Wolf are the only characters in Brawl that are not part of the main Subspace Emissary story, and are also the only ones in Brawl that required a challenger approaching battle in all possible ways to unlock them.
• Toon Link and Sheik are the only The Legend of Zelda characters in Brawl that are not placed on the F tier.
  • He is also the only The Legend of Zelda character to not be placed on the low tier.

External links

• DOJO!! Page
• Toon Link Character Guide at SWF
• All Of Toon Link's Advanced Techniques at SWF
• Toon Link's hitbox size of each of his moves