Link

For fighter info, see Link (SSB), Link (SSBM), Link (SSBB), Link (SSB4), and Link (SSBU).

Link
Official artwork of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Debut	The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018)
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
Species	Hylian
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Hyrule
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Voice actor	Nobuyuki Hiyama (SSB/Melee) Akira Sasanuma (Brawl/SSB4)
Article on Zelda Wiki	Link

Link (リンク, Link) is the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Unlike the majority of Nintendo protagonists, there are several, distinct incarnations of Link seen throughout The Legend of Zelda series. Regardless, they all share the same destiny as heroes whose courageousness enables them to defeat powerful forces of evil and stop their conquests, most notably Ganondorf/Ganon. Other hallmarks shared by the Links are their ability to wield the Master Sword and their possession of the Triforce of Courage, although these are not depicted universally.

As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Link has been featured as a playable character throughout the Super Smash Bros. series. However, he holds the distinction of doing so in name only, due to three incarnations (the Hero of Time, the Hero Chosen by the Gods and the Hero of Hyrule) appearing as playable characters. By extension, preteen incarnations have also been playable, with the first instance of this occurring in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Link is marketed as one of Nintendo's flagship characters alongside Mario, with some sources considering him one of the greatest Nintendo characters and gaming protagonists of all time.

Character description

Link's first appearance was in the original The Legend of Zelda, which depicted his quest to rescue Princess Zelda and the land of Hyrule from the evil Ganon. Link is designed with a green tunic and a green hat, which, like Mario's design, was due to the NES' hardware limitations. This appearance has since been traditional for Link, with the exception of his appearance in Breath of the Wild, which nevertheless features versions of his traditional green clothes as unlockables.

It is worth noting that while there have been multiple games within The Legend of Zelda series, it has not always been the same Link who the player controls. This is evident with the fact that are there multiple timelines within the series, wherein many games typically feature a new Link with a new origin. Notable examples include Hylia's Chosen Hero (referring to the Link from Skyward Sword), the Hero of Time (referring to the Link from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask), the Hero of Winds (referring to the Link from The Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass), and the Hero Chosen by the Gods (referring to the Link from Twilight Princess). However, each incarnation of the hero is tasked with defeating the main antagonist of the story, most frequently Ganondorf/Ganon, from either taking over the world or, in other cases, destroying it.

Due to the The Legend of Zelda series giving Link simple and concise answers that the player can pick instead of traditional dialogue, there is very little insight into the personalities of the majority of his incarnations. While the only incarnations to expressively show distinct personalities are the ones from The Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass, Twilight Princess, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild, universal traits among Link's incarnations are bravery, humbleness, and politeness.

One thing that has varied with Link is his age. In some games, such as The Wind Waker and the present timeline of Ocarina of Time, Link is a child, with these two particular incarnations being represented as playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Breath of the Wild, and the future timeline of Ocarina of Time, Link is depicted as a teenager. However, the only teenage Links to appear as playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series are the Hero of Time and the Hero Chosen by the Gods, his descendant in Twilight Princess.

Regardless of his varying ages, Link almost always starts out as a normal person until learning of his heroic destiny and, as his journey presses onward, gradually progresses into a full-fledged hero. For example, Ocarina of Time features him as a young boy whose mother, before dying, entrusted him in the care of the Great Deku Tree. The Wind Waker also features him as a young boy, albeit living a happy and carefree life on Outset Island alongside his grandmother and younger sister. In Twilight Princess, he is an ordinary young man working at Ordon Ranch. In Breath of the Wild, he is an amnesiac knight who was tasked with protecting Hyrule 100 years prior to the events of the game, and regains his memories and experience throughout the adventure.

In Super Smash Bros.

As a playable character

Official artwork of Link in Super Smash Bros.

Link's first appearance in a fighting game, and by extension his first official appearance in a Nintendo game outside of his home series, is in Super Smash Bros. as one of the eight starter characters. The incarnation that appears is the Hero of Time from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. He is a slow, heavy character whose Master Sword grants him many disjointed attacks that allow for ranged combat. His neutral special move is Boomerang, which is a fast attack that will return to him. His up special move is Spin Attack, which boasts impressive power, but is cited as his main weakness due to its lackluster recovery potential. Lastly, his down special move is Bomb, which can be thrown either directly at opponents for combos, or to rest on the ground. Due to his flaws, Link is currently ranked 11th of 12 on the tier list, placing him in the C tier.

Link's in-game character description says:

Link

Link is the valiant boy hero of "The Legend of Zelda" series in which he fights against the evil Ganon to recover the Triforce. Though his tools may change with each adventure, his strength and righteousness remain constant. With his trusty sword and a variety of weapons, he takes adventure head on!

Works:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES),
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES),
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Link, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

As a playable character

Link returns in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a starter character. While his playstyle has been largely retained, his moves have been slightly tweaked. Spin Attack is now a much more reliable recovery move. Like the rest of his fellow veterans, he received a fourth special move, with his being Bow. It is a neutral special move that allows Link to fire an arrow, with the arrow's range being dependent on how long the player holds down the B button. As a result, his Boomerang has been moved to be his side special move.

Link has been buffed in the transition to Melee. In addition to retaining his Master Sword's disjointed range and his numerous projectiles, Spin Attack covers more distance in the air and his faster air speed. However, he has a very slow dashing speed, and is easy to combo due to his heavy weight and quick falling speed. Thanks to his buffs, Link is currently ranked 18th out of 26 on the tier list. This places him at the bottom of the E tier, and renders him as the lowest ranking mid-tier character.

Trophies

As a playable character, Link has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating the Classic Mode with Link on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. His Classic Mode trophy reads as follows:

Link
Even in his youth, Link was already becoming the warrior who would carry the destiny of Hyrule (and many other lands) on his shoulders. His epic struggles against the forces of darkness are written in legend, and he is bound to the Princess Zelda and the archfiend Ganondorf by the awesome power of the Triforce.

• The Legend of Zelda, 07/87 (NES)

• 

  Main (Classic Mode) trophy

• 

  Smash (Red, Adventure Mode) trophy

• 

  Smash (Blue, All-Star Mode) trophy

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Link, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

As a playable character

Unlike the previous two installments, Super Smash Bros. Brawl does not feature the Hero of Time. Instead, he has been succeeded by his descendant, the Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. While this Link's playstyle is essentially the same as his ancestor's, some of his moves are slightly different in order to match their aesthetics and functionalities in Twilight Princess. This is most apparent with the Gale Boomerang and the Clawshot: the former can pull opponents and items toward Link with a small tornado, while the Clawshot can grab an edge, but not plain walls. Other changes include the arrows of his renamed Hero's Bow, which now disappear after a distance, and his Spin Attack now being chargeable.

Like the rest of the cast, Link has a Final Smash that he obtains when he breaks a Smash Ball. In his case, his Final Smash is the Triforce Slash, in which light from the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand shoots out and traps an opponent in between two large Triforce-shaped force fields. Link then dashes at the opponent, unleashes a barrage of slashes, and then finishes with a powerful blow with enough knockback to one-hit KO the opponent if nothing gets in the way.

While this Link's attacks are stronger, his mobility and recovery are very poor, to the point that the latter is comparable to his ancestor's in SSB. Due to his weaknesses largely outweighing his strengths, Link is currently ranked 35th out 38 on the tier list. This places him in the F tier, and renders him as a bottom-tier character.

Trophies

Link has a trophy that is awarded each time the Classic Mode is completed with Link on any difficulty. See Triforce Slash for the trophy description of Link's Final Smash, and Toon Link for the trophies based on The Wind Waker Link:

Link

A young man who emerged to rescue Hyrule from peril. He's the bearer of the Triforce of Courage who fights to keep Ganondorf from conquering the world. His green outfit is a constant throughout the series. He's a skilled swordsman, horseman, and archer. He's also proficient with bombs and boomerangs.

: The Legend of Zelda

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Triforce Slash

Link with a Smash Ball, releasing his ultimate attack. Light flares from the Triforce symbol on the back of his hand and rushes out to meet the enemy he faces. The enemy gets trapped within the glittering Triforce, is quickly cut to shreds, and is launched by the last strike. The attack works on one enemy at a time, so it's best to go after the character in first place.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Wolf Link

Link's alternate form in the Twilight Realm. In this form, he cannot use weapons such as swords or shields, but he can attack with a ferocious wolf bite. He also has a number of unique skills inherent to his beast form, such as a keen sense of smell, the ability to dig, and a loud wolf howl.

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

• 

  Link trophy.

• 

  Wolf Link trophy.

• Triforce Slash-Brawl Trophy.png

  Triforce Slash (Link) Trophy.

• ===As a playable character===
• ==Gallery==
• 

  Link's artwork from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which inspired his appearance in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

• 

  Link's artwork from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which inspired his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4.

Trivia

• Link and Captain Falcon have shared the same weight value throughout the Super Smash Bros. series.
• As of Melee, Link is one of only three characters who has a forward smash that can unleash a second hit upon a second button press. Fittingly, he shares this trait with Young Link and Toon Link.