- For fighter info, see Link (SSB), Link (SSBM), and Link (SSBB).
- For other variations of Link, see Toon Link and Young Link.
| Link | |
|---|---|
 Official artwork of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. | |
| Universe | The Legend of Zelda |
| Debut | The Legend of Zelda (1986) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Console/platform of origin | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Species | Hylian |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Hyrule |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Voice actor | Video games Fujiko Takimoto (Young Link: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, SSBM) Nobuyuki Hiyama (Adult Link: Ocarina of Time, SSB, Melee) Sachi Matsumoto (Toon Link; The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Brawl) Akira Sasanuma (Twilight Princess, Brawl) |
Link (リンク, Rinku) is the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series by Nintendo. He has saved Hyrule and Princess Zelda from evil many times. Link is the wielder of the Master Sword and the holder of the Triforce of Courage. He appears as a main playable fighter in all three Super Smash Bros. games.
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's design with a green tunic and a green hat which (like Mario's design) was due to limitations in the NES hardware. This appearance has since been traditional for Link.
It is worth noting that while there have been many Zelda games, it has not always been the same Link who the player controls. The timelines in which the Zelda games take place skip forward and backward across the centuries, and each time a new Link with a new origin is created, they have received many titles throughout their adventures, which have included the "Hero of Time" (referring to the Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Link), "Hero of Winds" (Toon Link, from The Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass), or "Hero Chosen by the Gods" (Twilight Princess). Because the Zelda series traditionally does not give Link dialogue during conversations, we do not have much insight into Link's personality. However, it has been shown that Link is a brave and polite young man and is very "humble".
Because of the different Links, Link's origins can vary, but almost always, he is a young boy (or man) who starts out as a normal person until learning of his destiny to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon (or Ganondorf) and as his journey presses him, he becomes a hero. In Ocarina of Time, he is a young Hylian, whose mother, before dying, entrusted him into the care of the Great Deku Tree. In The Wind Waker, he is a young boy living on Outset Island, given the legendary Hero of Time's clothes. In Twilight Princess, he is an ordinary young man working at Ordon Ranch until several of the villagers' children are kidnapped by monsters which starts his adventure.
Of the home console games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was intended to be set earliest, to which The Wind Waker (which shows many things from Ocarina of Time) and Twilight Princess were alternate sequels, branching off from the "Adult" and "Child" endings of OoT respectively (with Majora's Mask set between OoT and TP). However, the next game in the series, Skyward Sword, is set a considerable time prior to the events of OoT.
One thing that has varied with Link is his age. In some games such as The Wind Waker and the first part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link is a young boy whereas in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the second part of Ocarina of Time, Link is depicted as a young adult.
Link made his first fighting appearance (and first official appearance) Nintendo game outside the Zelda series in Super Smash Bros., and has appeared in all instalments of the series since.
In Super Smash Bros.
As a playable character
Link's first appearance in a fighting game is in the original Super Smash Bros. as one of the starting eight playable characters. He is a slow character, but as the wielder of the Master Sword, Link's melee attacks have considerable range, which often compensates for the lack of speed, allowing him to hit opponents from farther away to continue combos. His neutral special move is a fast Boomerang which will return to Link, a property that is useful in both comboing and combo breaking. His up special move is a Spin Attack, which is powerful but doesn't give him much distance for recovery. In fact, Link's abysmal recovery is often considered to be the main reason for the bottom tier placing of what would otherwise be a powerful fighter with moderate combo potential and versatile projectiles. His down special move allows him to pull out a Bomb. Link can throw the bomb so that it explodes after making contact, or he can throw it lightly so that it will not explode.
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
As a playable character
Link returns in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a starting selectable character. While his play style is similar, his moves have been slightly tweaked. His up special move is now a much more reliable recovery jump. His new neutral special move is the Bow, which allows Link to fire an arrow. The arrow's range depends on how long the player holds down the B button. His Boomerang has been moved to be his side special move. Link is ranked 16th on the tier list (mostly because of his recovery), meaning that Link was buffed and he is a better 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
Main (Classic Mode) trophy
Smash (Red, Adventure Mode) trophy
Smash (Blue, All-Star Mode) trophy
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In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Link is again a starter character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He has undergone a visual update (so that the Twilight Princess incarnation of Link appears, rather than the Ocarina of Time one), but he is essentially the same fighter as he was in Melee.
Some of his moves have been slightly tweaked. To match Twilight Princess, his weapons were also visually updated; while his boomerang became the Gale Boomerang and the Hookshot became the Clawshot - the former now pulls opponents and items in a small tornado, while the Clawshot homes in on the nearest ledge but cannot grab plain walls. The other changes are that the arrows of his renamed "Hero's Bow" disappear after a distance, and his Spin Attack is now chargeable.
Like all of the game's returning characters, he now has a Final Smash attack that he obtains when he collects a Smash Ball. 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 Triforces. Link then dashes at the opponent, unleashes a barrage of sword slashes, finishing with a powerful blow with enough knockback to one-hit KO the opponent if nothing gets in the way.
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 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
Trivia
- Link, Snake, Sonic, and Donkey Kong are the only characters to be playable in fighting games outside the Super Smash Bros. series - of the Nintendo characters, Link appeared in the Gamecube version of Soulcalibur II, where most of his moves are heavily based on his move set in Super Smash Bros. Melee, while DK was a bonus opponent in the Wii remake of Punch-Out!!.
- Link has the lowest average tier position the original twelve SSB characters (his average tier position is 21), and is the lowest placed character on the Brawl tier list to have appeared in all three Super Smash Bros. games.
- Link has always had the same weight as Captain Falcon in each of the Super Smash Bros. games.
- Link and Mario are the only characters in Smash Bros. history to have different versions of themselves listed as different characters (Link has Young Link and Toon Link, whereas Mario has Dr. Mario).
