Link (SSB4)

Link in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Triforce Slash
Tier	G (42)

Link (リンク, Link) was confirmed to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4.

Just like in Brawl, Link's voice clips are directly recycled from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, in which he was voiced by Akira Sasanuma.

Link is ranked 42nd out of 56 on the tier list, placing him in the G tier. This is a noticeable improvement from his standing in Brawl, where he was ranked 35th out of 38. Link's assets are his multiple projectiles in Hero's Bow, Gale Boomerang, and Bomb, which serve as great disputers and tools for combos, camping, gimping, and approaching. Aside from projectiles, Link's Master Sword has good, disjointed reach and is quite powerful. His recovery, having been greatly buffed from Brawl, is also quite versatile, with a tether grab and Bomb's ability to remove helplessness. His rather high weight further bolsters his survivability, easily allowing him to take advantage of rage with his already powerful attacks. However, Link remains held back by his relatively sluggish frame data, with moves quite easily punishable if whiffed, and his high weight and slow mobility render him vulnerable to combos, especially from the fast, rushdown-oriented characters that are prevalent in the metagame. Despite Link's new assets, other characters gained more significant buffs, weakening the effects of his own buffs in the metagame. Link generally has mediocre tournament results, though he does have a number of dedicated mains to his credit, such as Scizor and Izaw.

Attributes

Link is a heavyweight character with a strong projectile game, as well as a decent combo game with moves such as his neutral attack, up tilt, down tilt and down throw. While his attributes are balanced overall, Link's Master Sword gives him good range, above average strength and a disjointed hitbox, while his mobility and frame data are below average. Armed with his various projectiles, his Hylian Shield that blocks opposing projectiles if he is standing still or walking, and a versatile recovery, Link is a durable and generally defensive character who relies on appropriate use of both camping and his combo game to be successful, which is often dependent on the match-up.

Link's special moves all have their uses. Hero's Bow is a strong option against characters who struggle at approaching and good long ranged pressure, Gale Boomerang is a decent spacing option, and Spin Attack can be used to punish rolls while providing much better recovery than in Brawl. However, Link's Bombs are perhaps the most versatile tool in his arsenal, as they have many uses. Throwing a bomb at a foe can cause enough hitstun to help Link's approach and/or set up combos. If the opponent shields, the Bomb simply bounces off, allowing it to be used for spacing. Even holding a Bomb long enough for it to explode can be useful; while doing so damages Link, it gives him a small vertical boost and removes him from being helpless, aiding his recovery and/or allowing him to break out of combos.

Despite this, Link retains some of the flaws from his previous appearances. Even though his recovery (one of his most significant flaws in SSB and Brawl) has been noticeably improved, Link is susceptible to combos from faster characters such as Sheik; as a result, he must make good use of reads, spacing and camping to avoid giving the advantage to such characters. To this end, his neutral aerial is a sex kick that allows him to break out of many combos, and is therefore one of his most useful moves.

Overall, Link is a well-balanced character and a popular choice among beginners who must also take note of some difficult-to-perform techniques with him. However, unlike Mario, another beginner-friendly character, Link's somewhat sluggish nature makes it difficult for him to do well at higher levels of play. He is capable both as a zoning-oriented and a spacing-oriented close combatant, but due to his below-average frame data, he must be played defensively to be used to his full potential and must use the various tools at his disposal to avoid being overwhelmed by the speedy and combo-oriented characters that are prevalent in the metagame.

Changes from Brawl

Link has been significantly buffed in his transition from Brawl to SSB4, in which he was considered the fourth worst character. As he received many faster and stronger attacks in exchange for slightly lowered damage outputs, these buffs overall outweigh the nerfs. Both his ground and aerial games have been improved, and his combo game has strengthened as a whole. His grab game has also considerably improved, with some grabs having better angle placements or knockback altogether. He also is a potent edgeguarder, with his down aerial now capable of meteor smashing, as well as more offensive options against opponents on the ledge. Additionally, significant buffs to Spin Attack and his Clawshot as a tether recovery grant him excellent survivability. Lastly, his camping game has also been improved in many areas, most notably his Bombs being significantly buffed, and the speed increase on his Hero's Bow.

Link also benefits from the general physics changes brought to SSB4, such as the new edge-trump mechanic further helping his already great recovery, as well as being able to utilize and maintain rage effectively due to the extremely high base knockback his attacks have, as well as his strong endurance. Lastly, he is one of the only characters to not be affected noticeably from the general nerf to camping. Ultimately, Link is significantly better than how he was in Brawl and is virtually as good as was in Melee, though his current viability is somewhat debatable due to the majority of the returning cast having also been buffed to varying degrees.

Aesthetics

• Link once again appears as the The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess incarnation. However, instead of retaining the subdued color scheme used in Twilight Princess that was also carried over to Brawl, his overall color scheme is now noticeably brighter to appear in line with the more vibrant aesthetics used within SSB4. This is coincidentally similar to Link's appearances in other games within The Legend of Zelda series that use a more colorful aesthetic than Twilight Princess.
• Master Sword's trail is now a blue blur with white accents that leaves afterimages, rather than a fully blue blur like in Brawl.
• Link has a new standing idle animation.

Attributes

• Link walks slower (1.2 → 1.188).
• Link dashes faster (1.328 → 1.3944).
• Link's air speed is faster (0.8084 → 0.88).
• Link's gravity is higher (0.089 → 0.096).
• Link's backwards Roll animation is now based on the ones used by the Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
• Hylian Shield can now block projectiles even while walking. Additionally, Link now flinches when a projectile or bomb explosion hits his Hylian Shield, making it more reliable when attempting to block multiple projectiles. It normally blocks any projectile in front of him, even while crouching or during idle poses.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%).
• Forward tilt has decreased ending lag.
• Up tilt's knockback has been significantly increased, allowing it to KO at low percentages.
• Down tilt deals 1% less damage (12% → 11%) and has significantly decreased knockback. However, it comes out faster making have less KO power but better combo ability.
• Link has a new dash attack, the Jump Attack from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is significantly stronger, as it is capable of KOing under 150% and even lower if the tip hits. It also has a much larger hitbox. It also launches opponents horizontally, vertically, diagonally and even backward depending on which hitbox connects, which allows for follow-ups.
• Dash attack has considerably increased startup (8 frames → 20).
• Forward smash deals less damage (15%/20% → 14%/13%) and the second hit has increased ending lag.
• Forward smash is stronger, with its first hit being able to KO if it hits near or at the tip. Additionally, its second hit is stronger and can follow up from the first hit like Toon Link's.
• Forward smash's sourspot's position has been altered and portions of it are now irreversible.
• The window of time that the attack button can be pressed after the first hit of forward smash in able to activate the second hit has been significantly tightened, leading to less accidental activation of the second hit, but making it so that one cannot use the delay as much in order to hit with the second hit.
• Up smash's last hit deals 1% more damage (10%/9%/8% → 11%/10%/9%) and deals much more knockback. Its hits also connect together better.
• Down smash's first hit deals more knockback while its second hit is now a powerful semi-spike.
• Down smash's first hit's angle has been slightly altered.

Aerial attacks

• Clean neutral aerial has been split into two hits. As a result, it no longer has a consistent damage output and instead each hit has a specific damage output (10% → 11%/9%).
• Late neutral aerial has decreased knockback overall and is capable of setting up combos thanks to its very low ending lag.
• Forward aerial is much faster and has decreased landing and ending lag.
• Forward aerial deals more damage (9% → 11% (hit 1), 12% → 13% (hit 2)).
• Back aerial deals 3% less damage (11% → 8%).
• Back aerial has decreased start-up.
• Up aerial's hitbox is more disjointed and it briefly makes Link's hurtbox shorter, which allows it to connect better, juggle opponents and KO more reliably. It also has decreased ending and landing lag.
• Clean and late down aerial deals less damage (22% → 18% (clean), 18% → 15% (late)).
• Down aerial's bouncing hit deals 3% more damage (8% → 11%). It can now meteor smash during its start, similarly to Toon Link's in Brawl. It also does not meteor smash grounded opponents, allowing it to bounce for a second hit. It also has significantly less ending and landing lag, which makes it safer when bouncing off opponents, and allowing him to recover if falling off the stage. Its reach has also increased.
• The strong hit of down aerial deals 4% less damage (22% → 18%). It now KOs in the 110%-130% range instead of under 75% and is more difficult to land.
• Grab aerial deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).
• Grab aerial covers much more distance when used as a tether and comes out much faster as an attack.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab has decreased start-up and ending lag.
• Edge attack's animation has been changed. It is now a crouching thrust that resembles the Crouch Stab used by the Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
• Forward throw has decreased ending lag (39 → 34).
• Down throw's angle altered (110° → 83°). This allows for better follow-ups and juggling.
• Down throw's second hit deals 1% less damage (4% → 3%). However, this results in lower knockback, which allows for better follow-ups and juggling.

Special moves

• Hero's Bow charges faster.
• Gale Boomerang has increased knockback and launches opponents vertically, which allows for follow-ups.
• Spin Attack covers much more vertical and horizontal distance. The attack comes out and ends sooner and KOs earlier. The uncharged Spin Attack deals 2% more damage (12% → 14%).
• Spin Attack's back half KOs 19% later.
• Spin Attack's animation has slightly changed. Link now spins the Master Sword at subtly different angles, although this has no obvious change in power or range compared to Brawl due to its hitbox placements having also slightly changed.
• Bombs deal 3% more damage (5% → 8%) if they hit the opponent's feet. Bombs' fuses are shorter and Link can attack and detonate his own Bombs in midair after throwing them, improving his Bomb-aided recovery. If a Bomb explodes due to colliding with an opponent, the explosion no longer hurts Link.
• Bombs now absorb large projectiles, such as a fully charged Charge Shot and a fully charged Aura Sphere, which aids Link's camping game and defense.
• Triforce Slash deals 23% less damage (83% → 60%).

Version exclusives

• Bombs are bigger. However, this does not seem to affect gameplay.
• Prior to update 1.0.8, Clawshot, as a grab, will come out shorter and will drop, but also ends faster.
• Clawshot's animation has been changed. It no longer falls to the ground as it retracts, much like the Hookshot in SSB.

Update history

Link has been heavily buffed via game updates. In 1.0.4, the knockback of the first hit of his forward smash was lowered, allowing it to connect a lot better into the second hit. In 1.0.6 though, he received a mix of buffs and nerfs which reduced his KO potential and damage racking ability, but increased his range and comboing game. However, update 1.0.8 brought Link significant buffs in the form of a much more effective grab game and better KOing options; the latter of which helps mitigate the nerfs to his KOing potential that update 1.0.6 brought. In update 1.1.0, his grab game was slightly buffed, as his dash and pivot grabs each became one frame faster. 1.1.3 and 1.1.5 also brought several buffs, which further increased his already high KOing potential. Finally, he was indirectly buffed due to the changes on the shield mechanics in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, as the increased shieldstun and the fact that hitlag modifiers now apply on shielding opponents improve Link's close-range game by making his moves safer on shield. This has resulted in him being viewed as a better character than how he was during the initial release of SSB4.

1.0.4

• Non-tipped forward smash's first hit's has lower base knockback (60 → 47), allowing it to more reliably lead into the second hit.
• Link can no longer throw a bomb with down special to cancel landing lag (outside of special moves which already could not be canceled).
  • This hinders the safety of his aerials and air dodge, hinders the combo potential of his aerials and it prevents Link from canceling hitstun if he lands while in non-tumble hitstun.
• Link can no longer throw a bomb with down special to cancel tumble hitstun.
  • This not only makes Link considerably more susceptible to combos, since he can no longer throw a bomb to cancel the hitstun and act sooner but this also considerably hinders his endurance, since he can no longer throw a bomb and then utilise momentum canceling to survive longer.

1.0.5

• Quickfire Bow and Power Bow now behave like they do in the version. The Quickfire Bow charges, comes out and ends faster, while the Power Bow functions oppositely.
• Hylian Shield now blocks Blaster's lasers.

1.0.6

• Uncharged Spin Attack deals 2% more damage: 12% → 14% and KOs 17% earlier.
• Spin Attack's back half KOs 19% later.
• Spin Attack comes out 3 frames faster and ends 4 frames sooner.
• Spin Attack and Shocking Spin Attack's second hitboxes' Z-offsets increased: 6.6 → 7.
• Neutral attack's first hit ends sooner: 27 frames → 19. It also no longer has any interruptibility frames, removing Link's "jab cancel death combo".[1]
• Non-tippered dash attack deals 1% less damage: 13% → 12%.
• Nop-tippered dash attack's knockback growth decreased: 78 → 72.
• Dash attack's hitbox comes out 1 frame faster: frame 21 → 20.
• Down tilt's knockback scaling was decreased. This lowers its KO power, but makes it better at comboing.
• Forward smash's sourspot's position has been altered.
• Parts of forward smash have been made irreversible.
• Down aerial's reach increased by 50%.

1.0.8

• Down tilt deals 1% less damage: 12% → 11%, its knockback decreased and it comes out faster. This lowers its KO power, but further improves its combo ability.
• Up smash's hits connect together better, with all three hits now connecting when the move lands and the first two hits now dragging the opponent toward Link instead of stunning them.
• Clawshot now behaves like it does in the version. Link's grab range has been doubled in terms of Clawshot length and grab distance. Clawshot also grabs just before it droops back down to the ground, while Link's standing grab has been sped up by two frames.
• All grabs' ending lag decreased: 66 frames/77 frames/79 frames → 61/65/66.
• Forward throw's ending lag decreased: 39 frames → 34.
• Down throw's launching angle altered: 110° → 83°. This allows for better follow-ups and juggling.
• Down throw's second hit deals 1% less damage: 4% → 3%. However, this results in lower knockback, which allows for better follow-ups and juggling.
• Spin Attack's knockback growth increased: 84 → 85 (stage 1), 80 → 85 (stage 2), 80 → 82 (stage 3).
• Stage 2 Shocking Spin Attack's knockback growth increased: 80 → 82.

1.1.0

• Spin Attack's hitbox placements adjusted.
• Dash and pivot grabs come out 1 frame faster.

1.1.1

• Shocking Spin's original hitboxes deal more damage: 14% → 16%, 9% → 11%/12%, 7% → 8%, 5% → 6%.
• Shocking Spin received another hitbox that deals 14%.

1.1.3

• Forward smash second hit knockback growth: 85 → 89.
• Down smash first hit angle: 75° → 78°.
• Down smash's first hit's knockback altered: 26 (base)/90 (growth) → 40/88. This allows it to KO slightly earlier.
• Forward aerial first hit damage: 8% → 11%.
• Forward aerial first hit base knockback: 10 → 20.
• Forward aerial first hit knockback growth: 132 → 130.
• Forward aerial second damage: 10% → 13%.
• Forward aerial second hit knockback growth: 105 → 100.
• Down aerial no longer meteor smashes grounded opponents.
• Down aerial has a new early hitbox designed to hit only grounded opponents; it deals less knockback (25 base/40 growth) and launches at an angle of 55° instead of meteor smashing. This allows Link to hit foes a second time with the attack right after bouncing off them, dealing a massive amount of damage (26% if both hits connect), which works until they reach about 60% damage.
• Down aerial's second bounce deals more damage: 8% → 11%.
• Spin Attack and Shocking Spin are slightly faster.

1.1.5

• Down smash hit 2 KBG: 57 → 63
• Dash attack KBG: 78/72 → 85/77
• Dash attack angles: 45/60/70° → 45/50/55°

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	A diagonal slash and a horizontal slash followed by a thrust. Loosely based the final blow that the Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time dealt to Ganon. Is a natural combo with fast start-up and little knockback.
			2.5%
			5%
Forward tilt			13%	An overhand swing with moderate start-up, but high knockback.
Up tilt			9%	An overhead arcing slice. Has good juggling capabilities at low percentages, great combo potential at medium percentages and decent KOing potential at somewhat higher percentages.
Down tilt			11%	A low-angled swipe across the ground with vertical knockback. Meteor smashes opponents (except those hanging on the ledges as of update 1.0.6) in contact with the base of the sword to Link's arm. Has great combo potential and is sometimes safe on block due to its fast start-up and ending lag.
Dash attack		Jump Attack	14% (tip), 13% (non-tip)	A leaping downward slash used by the Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Deals horizontal knockback when tipped and vertical knockback when hit close, and will KO at early percentages.
Forward smash			14% (tip), 7% (non-tip)	Lunges forward with a wide swing forward, dealing good damage and knockback when tipped. The Master Sword's base has extremely little knockback, designed to naturally combo into an optional second hit, an ouward swing with greater KO power.
			13% (tip), 12% (non-tip)
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 11%/10%/9% (hit 3)	Three overhead arcing slashes. The first two slashes combo naturally into each other, while the third finishes the combo. Can KO before 100%.
Down smash			17%/16%/14% (hit 1), 12%/11%/10% (hit 2)	A low slash in front and then behind Link. First hit sends opponents at a vertical trajectory while having slightly increased damage and knockback the closer one is to Link. Second hit is a powerful semi-spike with slightly increased damage and knockback on his blade.
Neutral aerial			11%/9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. Acts as a sex kick with relatively fast start-up and little landing lag. Deals more damage when closer to his boot, as well as more knockback during the first few frames of hit. The sweetspot has light KO power.
Forward aerial			11% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2)	Spinning 360˚ while slashing twice. The first hit has more knockback, while the second hit can only connect if the first hit does not or if the opponent is at a low percentage. Has decent KOing potential.
Back aerial			3% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2)	Two back kicks. They have very little landing lag, but deal low damage.
Up aerial		Up Thrust	15% (clean), 13% (late)	A leaping upward thrust used by the Link from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. It has moderate landing lag unless used alongside a full hop. This move is quite powerful and has a long-lasting hitbox (longer than airdodges) that is difficult to dodge, making it a good KOing option.
Down aerial		Down Thrust	15% (early), 18% (clean), 15% (late), 11% (bounce)	A leaping downward thrust used by the Links in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. It is possible for Link to "bounce" on opponents into a second hit. The early hit is a powerful meteor smash. If the strong non-meteor hitbox lands, it results in considerable knockback being capable of KOing under 130%. However, it is difficult to land a strong non-meteor hitbox than the meteor hitbox, as it requires Link to hit with the rising hilt on start-up, or immediately after the initial meteor hit, but before the weak hit.
Grab aerial		Clawshot	2.5% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)	Fires his Clawshot forward in the air with great range and no landing lag. Link can cancel his air dodge at any point via his tether, however it will not cancel the landing lag suffered from the dodge. The Clawshot also serves as a tether recovery that auto-snaps the ledge, covering great horizontal distance.
Grab		Clawshot	—	Fires his Clawshot forward. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the chain snaps straight back once fully extended, like the Hookshot from Super Smash Bros.; in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the chain drags on the ground as it does in Melee and Brawl.
Pummel			2.1%	Hits the opponent with the Master Sword's hilt. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Releases the opponent from his pummel and front kicks them away.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)	Takes his opponent behind him and back kicks them away.
Up throw			5%/4% (hit 1), 2% (throw)	Raises the opponent above him and slashes upward. A decent KOing option at high percentages.
Down throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Drops the opponent onto the ground and elbow drops them. It can combo reliably into his up tilt, up smash and aerial attacks.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Does two slashes front and back.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	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 Edge getups			7%	Stabs forward while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Hero's Bow	4%-12%	Equips his Hero's Bow, with the arrows serving as projectiles. Charging increases the speed, distance and damage dealt by an arrow.
	Custom 1	Power Bow	4%-20%	At the cost of heavily increasing the charge time of the move, the arrows deal very heavy knockback when fully charged, enough to KO at medium to high percentages. Uncharged or half-charged arrows have extremely limited range and power, dropping near Link's feet with no charging.
	Custom 2	Quickfire Bow	4%-8%	Shoots magical arrows that charge quickly and travel in a straight line. Decently spammable, but with low range and a lowered maximum damage output.
Side special	Default	Gale Boomerang	7% (near), 5% (middle), 0% (far/return)	A projectile which damages opponents as it flies away and drags opponents towards Link during its return. Can be angled up or down. A "smash throw" (similar to when performing the input for a smash attack) increases the distance it can travel.
	Custom 1	Boomerang	9% (near), 7% (middle), 5% (far), 3% (return)	Behaves like the Boomerang from SSB and Melee, which deals damage both when the boomerang is thrown and when it returns. It deals less knockback, but can be aimed easier.
	Custom 2	Ripping Boomerang	4% (near), 2% (middle), 1.5% (far), 0.7% (return)	Travels across a much shorter range, but also deals multiple hits of low damage and adds a stunning effect to the opponents. Great for setting up combos.
Up special	Default	Spin Attack	12%/9%/7%/5% (ground), 4% (air hit 1), 2% (air hits 2-8), 4% (air hit 9)	Spins repeatedly to perform a powerful slash. This move functions differently when grounded and airborne; an aerial Spin Attack is used as recovery which grants Link great vertical distance. Hits eight times in the air. A grounded Spin Attack is akin to most The Legend of Zelda games, and functions similarly to a smash attack with great knockback.
	Custom 1	Shocking Spin	16%/11%/12%/8%/6% (ground), 4% (air hit 1), 1% (air hits 2-4), 6% (air hit 5), 14% (additional hitbox)	A much more powerful electric version that has great KO power. The downside is that Link's recovery is much shorter and has poor horizontal motion, making it function very similarly to how Spin Attack did in SSB. The aerial version can semi-spike, but cannot hit backward.
	Custom 2	Whirling Leap	—	A strictly recovery-based version that deals no damage, but travels much higher and much farther, even to the point of not relying on momentum and performing multiple left and right movements.
Down special	Default	Bomb	5% (upper body), 8% (feet), 9% (down smash aerial, feet)	An item-based explosive projectile. On contact with a surface, it explodes, dealing damage to opponents and can hurt Link as well, though the Bombs do not cause damage to Link if the explosion hits an opponent. The explosion can grant him an extra Spin Attack if used skillfully. Oddly, it will deal 8% when it hits the opponent's feet.
	Custom 1	Giant Bomb	8%-10%	A massive Bomb with a huge explosion hitbox, which deal more damage and knockback. However, they cannot explode when thrown at the opponent, and explode based on time or an attack. They deal damage based on range.
	Custom 2	Meteor Bomb	5%	Weaker Bombs with a noticeably short fuse. However, they meteor smash anyone hit by them with moderate knockback. On the ground, it will halt opponents in their tracks due to considerable stun. It is not practical for recoveries in any way, as the Bombs simply meteor smash Link, though it allows him to survive vertical KOs longer with luck.
Final Smash		Triforce Slash	1% (first hit), 3% (hits 2-15), 2% (hit 16), 15% (hit 17)	Sends out a beam of light from the Triforce of Courage symbol on the back of his hand to stun enemies in front of him. If the beam comes in contact with a single enemy, Link dashes forward and slashes them repeatedly while they are trapped in a Triforce-shaped energy field, with the last hit being a powerful stab and launching the trapped enemy away. Capable of trapping multiple fighters in the barrage of slashes, but knocks them away before dealing the last slash.

On-screen appearance

• Small whirlwinds appear on the battlefield, from which Link appears. Link then proceeds to equip the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Swings the Master Sword twice and twirls the sword before sheathing it. This is similar to his victory pose in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which he performs after defeating a boss, learning a hidden sword technique, or sheathing his sword upon the defeat of harder-to-defeat enemies.
• Side taunt: Link takes out a fairy that appears similar to Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The fairy then proceeds to fly around as Link watches it until it returns to his pocket.
• Down taunt: Link pulls in his right knee and draws the Master Sword back behind his head in a threatening crane stance. It originates from Super Smash Bros. and may be loosely based on the attacking pose used by the Link from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Oddly, Navi does not appear prominently in Twilight Princess, but is likely based on the blue fairy Wii Remote cursor in the Wii version of the game.

Idle poses

• Takes a battle ready stance.
• Looks behind himself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Link! Link! Link!	Rin-ku!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the tune that will play when Link obtained a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

• Link thrusts the Master Sword forward, holds it up to his face, then thrusts it to the sky while letting out a kiai.
• Swings the Master Sword three times and then looks to the right. His "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros., albeit ending with him facing a different direction.
• Swipes the Master Sword once, twirls it behind his head, then sheaths it. This is based on his special sheathing animation in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which occurs if he puts away his sword immediately after defeating an enemy. Link does a similar animation during his up taunt.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Link	1211	1213	2211	2213	1311
	1313	2311	2313	1231	3211

Notable players

•  Drigo Toes
•  HyruleHero
•  Izaw
•  LinkEa
•  Rooky
•  Scizor

Trophies

Link

Green tunic? Pointy hat? Yep, it's Link, all right! In this game, his sword and shield make for effective attacking and blocking, and his bow, bombs, and boomerang will spice up any battle. He's even brought his Clawshot for grabbing enemies and edges. Jeez, just how much stuff can Link carry?

Green clothes? Pointy hat? Yep, it's Link, all right! In this game, his sword and shield make for effective attacking and blocking, and his bow, bombs, and boomerang will spice up any battle. He's even brought his Clawshot for grabbing enemies and edges. The hero of Hyrule is really kitted out for a brawl!

: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)

: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (04/1992)

Link (Alt.)

If Link was on a desert island and could only pick one item, it'd be his powerful sword. This weapon is key to his down-air attack, a move with great launching potential and the ability to strike twice. He can also strike twice with his side smash—the second blow deals more damage and launches harder.

Of all of his weapons, Link's sword may be the most lethal. His down air attack has incredible launching power. What's more, he'll bounce up afterwards, allowing for a follow-up strike. His side smash can also be followed up with a more powerful second blow that sends foes flying - just press the button again straight away.

: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)

: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (04/1992)

Triforce Slash (Link)

Link makes use of the Triforce of Courage to trap foes, and then he launches a 16-blow combo. The final mighty blow has the power to launch opponents off the stage. When Link prepares the attack, the ray of light he emits must strike a rival, or the attack will fail. Shielding will do nothing to stop this powerful attack.

Link traps a foe in mid-air with the power of the Triforce of Courage, then he delivers a 16-strike sword combo. The final strike has formidable launching power. If the ray of light at the start of the attack doesn't hit, the whole thing ends there. Helpfully, though, the ray of light's range and speed are incredible, and shields won't block it.

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Triforce Slash

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Fated Battle: Link must fight Ganondorf in a two stock battle. If the battle lasts through the third transition phase on the Castle Siege stage, two Dark Links will appear.
• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Link is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are starter characters from the original Super Smash Bros. game.
• Princess Punch-Up!: Link serves as an ally in a one stock battle against Peach and Mario.
• The Demon King and the Goddess: Ganondorf must initially defeat a team of Link and Zelda. After the two are defeated or some time has passed, Giant Palutena appears and the player must defeat her as well.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: Link is one of the characters Ike must defeat. All opponents wield swords.

Co-op Events

• A Fairy Nice Trip: Link and Pac-Man must survive against four Kirbys until the stage reaches Fairy Land.
• Final Battle Team-Up: Link, in his dark alternate costume, is one of the opponents that two players fight in this event. All opponents are antagonists in their respective universes.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players choose a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Link in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Link's amiibo.

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  Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Link's up special in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Link and Pit preparing their arrows.

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  Link's forward tilt with Kirby watching.

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  Link's Spin Attack colliding with Toon Link's against Donkey Kong.

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  Toon Link throwing a Bomb at Link.

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  Toon Link and Link use their Spin Attack on the ground.

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  Link's down aerial showing its new meteor smash effect on Samus.

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  Link using the first hit of neutral attack while Marth performs his forward tilt.

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  Link using his Clawshot.

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  His side taunt.

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  Link and Peach on Battlefield.

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  His appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, posing with Toon Link.

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  Link stealing a ledge from Mario.

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  Link's and Pit's arrows colliding in the air.

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  Forward aerial.

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  Link using the Gale Boomerang.

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  Link and Samus simultaneously grabbing a ledge with their tether recoveries.

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  The costume inspired by the civilian clothes worn by the Link in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

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  The Dark Link costume.

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  Link as he appears on the cover for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Trivia

Link's bind pose in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• On Link's first victory animation, if the player looks at Link's eyebrows, they can see that Link's eyebrows are lighter, only to go back to their original darker shade once the victory animation ends.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, with a glitch prior to patch 1.1.0 that enabled the player to see characters' bind poses, it could be seen that Link's bind pose was modeled in an unusual way, without forming a "T" shape like other bind poses.