Aesthetics
Link's design is explicitly based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its forthcoming sequel. His hair is now a dirty blonde color, instead of a lighter blonde; his default outfit is the blue Champion's Tunic and the Hylian Trousers, with the more traditional green Hero of the Wild set as an alternate costume.
- The Master Sword's design has also been updated, having a glow reminiscent of that when encountering Malice.
- Link has a new Boxing Ring title and Palutena's Guidance conversation to coincide with the design change.
- Link holds the Master Sword with his right hand and the Hylian Shield with his left. As a result, all of Link's animations have been horizontally flipped.
- Link has several altered animations, including a new idle pose with his legs positioned farther apart, his sword and shield held up at all times, and does not bounce in place. Many of his animations have also been altered to more easily transition into his updated idle.
- Link's new on-screen appearance involves him gliding onto the stage using the Paraglider.
- Link has a new side taunt where he holds the Master Sword in front of him with both hands while it glows, similar to one of Ike's taunts. This replaces his Fairy taunt from previous games, which has been given to Young Link.
- Link's up taunt is much faster, as he no longer twirls the Master Sword before sheathing it.
- Link's victory animation where he swings his sword then sheathes it shows him swinging it back, no longer twirling his sword before sheathing it. He also faces away from the camera while doing it.
- Link is slightly more vocal overall.
Attributes
Like all characters, Link's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 7).- Link walks faster (1.188 → 1.247).
- Link runs faster (1.3944 → 1.534).
- Link's traction is much higher (0.064 → 0.113).
- Link's initial dash is significantly faster (1.3 → 1.98).
- Link has increased air speed (0.88 → 0.924).
Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).- Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 31 → 36).
- Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
- Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
- Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
- Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 50).
- Link's head hurtbox has been reduced and he sports a slightly thinner hurtbox overall; compounded with his longer Master Sword, this gives him a more favorable disjoint.
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack:
- The third hit has higher knockback scaling (50 → 70), allowing it to set up edgeguards more effectively.
- The first hit has smaller hitboxes (3.8u/4.5u/3u/2.5u → 1.8u), noticeably decreasing its range.
- All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.6× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)), giving opponents more time to SDI each hit and DI the last hit.
- The first and second hits have altered angles (95°/80°/361°/361° (hit 1), 90°/78°/60°/50° (hit 2) → 361°/361°/180°/361°) and knockback (35/30 base/37 scaling (hit 1), 38/10 (hit 2) → 25/20 base/25/15 scaling) to keep opponents close to Link, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock, but hinders their previously guaranteed jab cancel setups.
- Neutral attack's speed has been modified overall.
- The second hit has less startup (frame 6 → 5) and transitions into the third faster (frame 11 → 8).
- The first and third hits have less ending lag (FAF 28 → 24 (hit 1), 37 → 35 (hit 3)).
- The second hit has more ending lag (FAF 21 → 26), removing its jab cancel setups.
- The third hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 6-10 → 6-7).
- Neutral attack's damage has been redistributed, with the first two hits dealing more damage (2.5% → 3%) and the third hit dealing less (5% → 4%).
- The third hit involves Link swiping vertically instead of thrusting his sword.
- Forward tilt:
- The clean hit's hitbox has been placed farther from Link (X offset: 6.2 → 7.8), improving the move's range despite its smaller hitboxes (4.3u/2.8u/2.1u → 4u/2.8u/2.1u (early), 5.2u → 3.5u (clean)).
- Forward tilt has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 40).
- It always sends opponents in the direction Link is facing, even if hit from behind.
- It causes the screen to shake when the sword hits the ground.
- Up tilt:
- Up tilt's sword hitboxes have been placed farther from Link (X offset: 5/0 → 8.4/2), considerably improving its range despite its reduced hitboxes (3.6u/4.32u/2.88u/2.16u → 3.4u/4.3u/2.7u/2.16u).
- Up tilt deals more damage (9% → 11%), with its knockback scaling compensated (122/130/124/123 → 103/111/105/104).
- It has a new animation, starting from behind Link rather than from his front.
- The sword no longer reaches the ground in front of Link before its hitboxes cease, making it more difficult (or sometimes impossible) to hit short or crouching opponents.
- It has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.9×).
- Down tilt:
- Down tilt has less startup (frame 11 → 10).
- It has more horizontal range (Z offset: 16.6u → 17.5u).
- It deals less damage (11% → 9%).
- However, its knockback was not compensated, allowing it to combo for longer, and even serve as a KO confirm at higher percents into Spin Attack.
- It has more ending lag (FAF 29 → 31), though its combo potential is compensated by Link's faster jumpsquat.
- It has a smaller hitbox (3.1u → 2u), reducing its vertical range.
- It can no longer meteor smash aerial opponents.
- It launches at a higher angle (80 → 85), improving its combo potential.
- Dash attack:
- The changes to jostle mechanics allow dash attack to hit opponents close to Link more easily, as he can no longer go through them during startup.
- It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.4×, which combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks makes it safer on shield.
- The strong hit has been moved slightly farther from Link (X offset: 8u → 8.5u), and the mid hit has been moved back (X offset: 3.8u → 3u), slightly increasing the range of the strong hit overall.
- It has slightly smaller hitboxes (3.5u/3.8u/3u → 3.2u/3.5u/3u).
- The sweetspot has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.2×).
- Forward smash:
- Both hits of forward smash have less ending lag (FAF 52 → 51 (hit 1), 68 → 61 (hit 2)).
- The first hit shoots out a spinning Sword Beam as a projectile when Link is at 0% damage, in reference to multiple Zelda games where his sword shoots out beams when he is at full health. Charging forward smash increases the size, distance and damage of the projectile, dealing between 5% and 13% damage. This gives him a new long range option, while increasing the total damage of his forward smash at close range.
- The first hit's innermost hitboxes have different angles (75°/55° → 69°/60°) and deal less knockback (47 base/15 scaling → 45/12), while the second hit has less startup (frame 12 → 10), allowing them to connect together more reliably.
- Both hits have noticeably more range on the sword hitboxes (X offset: 0.5/6.2 → 2.7/8.5 (hit 1), 1/6 → 1.5/7.5 (hit 2)).
- The closest hitbox of the first hit is larger, with tip's hitbox slightly reduced to compensate (3.5u → 4.2u (close), 3.8u → 3.5u (far)).
- The second hit has larger hitboxes overall (4u/4u/3.6u/3.2u → 4.5u/4.5u/3.5u/3.5u).
- The first hit has increased startup (frame 15 → 17) and transitions into the second hit slower (frame 20 → 22).
- Up smash:
- All 3 hits have had their sword hitboxes placed farther from Link (X offset: 0/5.5 → 2.5/8.5 (hits 1 and 2), 5.5 → 7 (hit 3)), significantly increasing its range despite the move's reduced hitbox sizes (4u/4.4u/4.5u → 3.5u/3u/4.8u (hits 1 and 2), 4.3u/4.3u/3.5u/5.2u → 4.3u/4.3u/3u/5.2u (hit 3)).
- The final hit has higher knockback scaling (96 → 101).
- Down smash:
- The first hit's hitboxes have been redistributed so that the weak hits have the lowest priority (14%/16%/17%/16% → 16%/17%/16%/14%), making it easier to land the stronger portions.
- Down smash has larger hitboxes (3.5u/3.5u/2.9u/2.5u → 3.5u/3.6u/3.4u/3u (both hits)).
- The first and second hit have had their sweetpots moved farther from Link (Z offset: 5.8 → 7.5 (both hits)), noticeably increasing its range and making the sweetspots much easier to land.
- It has more startup on both hits (frame 9 → 12 (hit 1), 21 → 24 (hit 2)), and more ending lag (FAF 50 → 55).
Aerial attacks
- All aerials have less landing lag (10 frames → 6 (neutral, back), 12 → 11 (forward), 23 → 14 (up), 32 → 19 (down)).
- Forward aerial:
- Forward aerial's animation has been sped up, with the gap between hits being shorter (12 frames → 8). This allows it to connect both hits more reliably.
- The second hit deals more knockback (30 base/100 scaling → 43/120) and launches at a slightly lower angle (45° → 44°), being as powerful as the first hit in Smash 4 .
- Both hits have had their farthest sword hitboxes moved farther from Link (Z offset: 17u → 18u (hit 1), 15.5u → 17.5u (hit 2)), increasing its range.
- Forward aerial has more startup for its first hit (frame 14 → 16), and more ending lag (FAF 50 → 52).
- It auto-cancels later (frame 51 → 53).
- Both hits deal less damage (11% → 8% (hit 1), 13% → 10% (hit 2)).
- The first hit deals significantly less knockback (20 base/130 scaling → 31/25/33/25/33/26 base/28/30/30/30/28/26 scaling), no longer KOing until around 800%. It also has different angles (45° → 43°/367°/47°/367°/47°/38), a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), and uses weight-independent knockback.
- This allows it to connect into the second hit even at high percents, and coupled with its lower landing lag, improves its combo potential on landing from low to mid percents.
- However, this completely removes the first hit's previously high KO potential, requiring Link to land the slower second hit in order to KO with the move.
- Back aerial:
- Both hits of back aerial deal more damage (3% → 5% (hit 1), 5% → 7% (hit 2)).
- The first hit launches at different angles (72°/68° → 73°/70°/66°), has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), deals different set knockback to grounded and aerial opponents (40 → 50 (grounded)/36 (aerial)), and uses weight-independent knockback. These changes allow it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
- The second hit has less startup (frame 18 → 15), thus reducing the frame gap between hits.
- The second hit has lower base knockback (70 → 45), but higher knockback scaling (70 → 98). This allows it to combo more reliably at low percents, while also significantly improving its KO potential, KOing middleweights at around 200% from the center of Final Destination.
- The second hit has less active frames (frame 18-22 → 15-17). The move's total duration was also not compensated for the second hit's faster startup, increasing its ending lag.
- The first hit has slightly smaller hitboxes (4.5u/4.8u/5u → 4u/4.5u/5u).
- The second hit has a slightly different animation.
- Up aerial:
- Up aerial's clean hit has increased knockback (18 base/88 scaling → 23/93), improving its KO potential .
- It auto-cancels earlier (frame 47 → 43).
- It has an altered hitbox placement (X offset: 6u → 6.9u) and an increased stretch offset (X2 offset: 0u → -1.5u) relative to its hitbox placement, increasing its vertical range overall.
- It has a smaller hitbox (6u → 4.5u), reducing its horizontal range.
- It has an increased hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.2×).
- Down aerial:
- Down aerial has been reverted to possessing only a clean hit and late hit like in Brawl, with its early hit being removed. The clean hit remains mostly unchanged against grounded opponents, but meteor smashes aerial opponents like the early hit in Smash 4.
- Because of this change, the move can KO grounded opponents much more reliably. The meteor smash against aerial opponents is also stronger, due to its knockback not being compensated for the clean hit's higher damage compared to the previous early hit.
- Due to the removal of the early hit, down aerial can no longer combo into its bounce-off hit as effectively at higher percents, reducing its damage potential.
- Down aerial's hitboxes are smaller (5u → 4u (clean), 6u → 4.2u (late)).
- The clean hit (against grounded opponents) and late hit launch at a lower angle (65° → 60°), with the former also having decreased knockback scaling (80 → 78), slightly hindering their KO potential.
- All portions of the move have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.2×).
- It has a different animation, with a more exaggerated downward thrust.
Throws and other attacks
- Link grabs opponents with his hand instead of using his Clawshot.
- All grabs have noticeably less startup (frame 12/14/15 (standing/dash/pivot) → 6/9/10) and ending lag (FAF 62/66/67 → 35/43/38), making them safer to use at close range, and allowing Link to set up into them more effectively.
- However, all grabs have much shorter range, and their hitboxes have a shorter duration (6 frames (standing), 8 frames (dash, pivot) → 2 frames (all)).
- Link no longer has a grab aerial or a tether recovery due to losing the Clawshot.
- However, this allows him to Z-drop items without triggering the grab aerial's lengthy animation.
- Pummel:
- Pummel deals less damage (2.1% → 1.3%).
- It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has much less startup (frame 4 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 7).
- Link's forward, back, and down throws deal knockback to bystanders, making them safer to use in battles with multiple opponents.
- Forward throw:
- Forward throw launches at a more favorable angle for edgeguarding (50° → 33°).
- It has slightly more ending lag (FAF 36 → 38).
- It deals less damage (4% → 2.5% (release); 7% → 5.5% (total)).
- It has higher base knockback (55 → 75), but lower knockback scaling (120 → 85). This allows it to knock opponents offstage more easily at low percents, but reduces its already lacking KO potential.
- It has an altered animation where Link swings his foot upward as opposed to thrust kicking the opponent.
- Back throw:
- Back throw deals less damage (4% → 2.5% (release); 7% → 5.5% (total)), with only its base knockback somewhat compensated (50 → 67).
- Down throw:
- Down throw has one frame less ending lag (FAF 50 → 49). Combined with Link's faster jumpsquat, this increases its combo potential.
- It has drastically increased knockback scaling (85 → 125), KOing middleweights at around 250%. This further improves its combo potential at low to mid percents, but weakens its KO setups into up aerial at high percents.
- Its speed is no longer weight-dependent. This improves its combo ability on heavyweights, but reduces it on lightweights.
- Edge attack:
- Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).
Special moves
- Bow and Arrows:
- Link uses the Traveler's Bow from Breath of the Wild instead of the Hero's Bow.
- Arrows fired have a bright tip, making them easier to track. Arrows will also become momentarily lodged in opponents' bodies.
- The move has less startup (frame 18 → 16), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 47 → 45), improving its camping ability.
- Arrows have higher knockback scaling (66 → 71).
- Arrows that fail to hit an opponent will linger on the ground for a longer period of time, and can be picked up as throwable items. Arrows used in this way deal little damage and knockback, allowing them to set up combos. Using the Bow and Arrows while holding an arrow causes Link to fire two arrows at once for 1.5× as much damage.
- Arrows can be picked up by opponents and thrown at Link.
- Arrows can no longer be held indefinitely upon reaching full charge, being fired automatically if held for more than three seconds.
- Boomerang:
- The more traditional Boomerang has replaced the Gale Boomerang, functioning as it did in Smash 64 and Melee.
- Boomerang has regained its damaging hitbox while returning, allowing Link to interrupt opponents' attacks and perform combos more reliably than he could with Gale Boomerang's returning windbox.
- It deals more damage (7% → 8% (clean), 5% → 6% (late)), which increases further if used as a smash special move (7% → 9.6% (clean), 5% → 7.2% (late)). In addition, the returning hitbox deals 3% damage.
- Its throw distance has been increased.
- It damages Link if it gets reflected back at him.
- It has received negative shield damage (0 → -4 (clean), -3 (late)), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
- Due to the removal of the Gale Boomerang, Link can no longer perform the Gale Guarding technique.
- Boomerang travels more slowly upon returning. This increases the amount of time the hitbox is active, but also increases the amount of time it takes before Link can throw it again.
- Rather than simply disappearing, the Boomerang will drop to the ground and disappear in a puff of smoke if it is intercepted by another projectile.
- The Boomerang cannot be rethrown during this animation, reducing the utility of Boomerang in trade situations.
- Spin Attack (grounded):
- Spin Attack has more vibrant graphics and generates a blue "slash" around Link. Link moves his arm while charging the move, and the Master Sword glints with light up to three times, referencing the three levels of charged attacks in Breath of the Wild. The grounded version is an inward spin.
- Link has separate voice clips for grounded and aerial Spin Attacks.
- The grounded version has less startup (frame 8 → 7), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 78 → 77).
- The grounded version's sweetspot hitbox is larger, with its sourspot smaller to compensate (3u → 3.5u, 3u → 2.8u).
- The grounded version's early and clean hits deal more knockback (early: 86 scaling → 88, clean: 48 base/86 scaling → 52/88).
- Spin Attack (aerial):
- Each hit has a longer duration (frames 8/11/16/19/22/26/31/38/47-48 → 8-9/12-13/16-17/19-20/22-23/26-27/31-32/38-39/47-49).
- The multihits have a significantly reduced SDI multiplier (1× → 0.3×), making it much harder to escape from.
- Due to the Sakurai angle sending aerial opponents at a lower trajectory (45° → 38°), the last hit is worse for KOing off the top blast line, but better for KOing off the sides.
- The front hits use one large hitbox instead of 3 smaller ones (5u/4u/4u → 6u (hit 1), 5u/4u/4.5u → 6u (hits 2-3), 5u/4u/4.5u → 7u (hit 4)).
- Remote Bomb:
- The spherical Remote Bomb from Breath of the Wild replaces Bomb as Link's down special. Rather than exploding on contact or after a short time, the Remote Bomb bounces off opponents and objects, and can be launched around by attacks (including Link's). It is detonated by inputting down special again, similar to Snake's C4. Alternatively, it detonates automatically after about 30 seconds. This changes up Link's item play and recovery tactics substantially.
- Remote Bomb's 30 second fuse allows it to remain in play much longer than Bomb's 3.66 seconds.
- The explosion has a significantly larger blast radius.
- The explosion deals significantly higher knockback, improving its KO potential. It also launches opponents at a more horizontal angle, allowing it to edgeguard more effectively.
- Remote Bombs themselves can lock opponents if thrown lightly.
- Remote Bomb's detonation has 12 frames of startup before it can damage the opponent. It also cannot be manually detonated if it is held by an opponent; if attempted, Link will try to generate another Remote Bomb, but this will fail and give him high ending lag.
- Only one Remote Bomb can be on the field at a time, as opposed to two traditional Bombs.
- The explosion damages Link even if opponents are caught within it.
- The Remote Bomb itself deals less damage when hitting an opponent (5%/9% → 1%), since it no longer explodes on contact and cannot be detonated while held by the opponent.
- Remote Bomb cannot be detonated while Link is helpless, preventing him from using his up special multiple times offstage. This hinders Link's vertical recovery.
- However, in a similar vein to Snake's C4, Link can Z-drop and quickly detonate a Remote Bomb on himself to supplement his recovery, especially at higher percents due to its higher knockback.
- Remote Bomb's explosion deals consistent damage (5%/9% → 7%).
- Remote Bomb lacks the flame effect.
- Ancient Bow and Arrow:
- Link's new Final Smash is the Ancient Bow and Arrow, replacing Triforce Slash. It is functionally similar to Zelda's Light Arrow and Dark Pit’s Dark Pit Staff from previous games, although it only deals a single powerful blow to the first opponent in the arrow's path along with any bystanders.
- Ancient Bow and Arrow has more horizontal range than Triforce Slash.
- It deals significantly less damage than Triforce Slash (60% → 35%).