Link

Link (リンク) is the main protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series. He is the everlasting hero of the setting, having appeared throughout the ages in a neverending line of incarnations. The various heroes who use the name Link are courageous young boys or teenagers in green clothing who leave their homes to save the world from evil forces threatening it.

Over the course of his adventure, Link defeats legions of evil monsters, explores vast lands, helps anyone he meets who is struggling, navigates deadly dungeons, and collects mythical items while pursuing his quest for justice and peace. In the end, he succeeds in his quest and becomes a legendary hero. He is considered an iconic character in video gaming and the very symbol of the Zelda franchise, and remains one of the most popular video game protagonists.

Appearance
Link's physical characteristics fluctuate from game to game, though he usually has light-colored hair (ranging from brown to blonde to orange), blue eyes, and a medium build. Other characters sometimes think of him as handsome. It is unlikely that Link's age exceeds nineteen years at any point in the series thus far.

In A Link to the Past, he was depicted as having pink hair in-game, due to graphics limitations, although the artwork for the game depicts him as having auburn hair. Similarly, Link's Awakening DX and the Oracle games depicted Link's overworld sprite as having black hair, presumably for the same reason as Link's pink hair in A Link to the Past, although the in-game cutscenes and to a certain extent photos depicted him with auburn/light-colored hair, alongside his character artwork.

In promotional material for Breath of the Wild, Link wears the Champion's Tunic and a simple pair of Hylian Trousers and does not usually wear head armor in promotional artwork, save for the Hylian Hood in the artwork of him riding on horseback that serves as the basis for the Link (Rider) amiibo. Unusually, Link does not receive a set of Hero's Clothes until much later in the game.

In many installments of the series, Link is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Several games mention a Triforce mark on Link's left hand, which identifies him either as a chosen hero or the holder of the Triforce of Courage. Teenage incarnations of Link have rather well-built physiques while younger versions of him are at least moderate in size. Surprisingly in Twilight Princess, Link appears to be slightly short for his age, with both Zelda and Midna (in her true form) being clearly taller than him. Interestingly, Link bears a resemblance to Peter Pan, as they are both elf-like, wear green clothing, fight with swords, and are sometimes accompanied by a Fairy. Link also fights his shadow in some games, either Dark Link or Shadow Link, just like Peter. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Legend of Zelda series, has stated that he used Peter Pan as a bit of an inspiration for Link's design in The Legend of Zelda.

According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, there were initially plans to give Link a button nose similar to that of Mario, but his wife rejected it, citing that Nintendo already gave too many funny noses to their characters and suggested a more handsome nose for a change.

Personality
A peculiarity of Link, as well as other characters, is the several different incarnations of the person throughout the Legend of Zelda series. He is implied to be somewhat sleepy or lazy at first since at some point near the beginning of every game except the first two, Majora's Mask, Oracle games, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess and Tri Force Heroes, he is sleeping or dozing off.

Since Link is not usually shown to speak, his personality is mainly determined by his actions or others' comments about him. Currently only one incarnation of Link was ever shown to speak and it was the Hero's Shade; the regretful Hero of Time. However most incarnations are capable of speaking though generally most of Link's text dialogue is simply his responses when speaking to others which are selected by the player thus he is often depicted as soft spoken individual. In Breath of the Wild, several characters lampshade this aspect of his character with it even annoying Revali and Princess Zelda. Princess Zelda even took it as a sign of contempt for her and assumed he hated her. However after Link saves her life she apologies for her earlier mistreatment of him causing Link to open up to her and reveals that his silence is the result of the burden he carries as the chosen hero as despite his talent Link still has doubts though choose to silently bare his burden as everyone is counting on him, indicating Link in Breath of the Wild and possibly other incarnations silence is due to the burden of their heroic destiny. Breath of the Wild is the first game to provide an explanation for Link's trademark silence. Additionally Mipha's Diary implies Link's silence began after he was chosen by the Master Sword as she had known him since he was four years old. During one of Link's recovered memories, Princess Zelda even quotes Link's advice on soothing horses verbatim while thanking him for his advice allowing him to remain a silent protagonist as unlike Link it is shown that Zelda in Breath of the Wild is quite talkative and even talks to herself contrasting their personalities. Interestingly, despite losing his memory Link retains his silence though he is made aware that he has an important destiny by Princess Zelda's telepathic messages from the moment he awakens. Additionally his silence could have become so habitual over time that it remained present despite his amnesia.

It is shown that Link possesses basic characteristics found in a heroic character; bravery, compassion, determination, and wisdom. He would even go as to save others that were his enemies. These characteristics allow him to wield the complete Triforce without a problem. However in Breath of the Wild both Mipha and Zelda note that Link can be courageous to the point of recklessness which Mipha reveals Link has struggled with since childhood as he often required her to heal his wounds and in a recovered memory Princess Zelda warns him their is a thin line between courage and recklessness while tending to his wounds after a serious battle with a horde of monsters even noting Link should excise caution in the future. Link is shown to be dedicated to his knightly training and position as Zelda's personal bodyguard following her father's orders to protect her no matter how difficult Zelda was when she resented him. Even when Zelda pleaded for Link to save himself he dutifully defended her despite his own exhaustion and injuries showing incredible dedication to his duty worthy of a Knight of Hyrule.

Being dexterous, Link can quickly understand the complex mechanics behind things or figure out an opponent's weakness to use against them. This has proven invaluable in many situations, with both foes and allies alike showing surprise at his ingenuity. In Breath of the Wild and various titles he is essentially a born prodigy capable of mastering weapons and techniques easily as well as being a capable archer and swordsman even as a child with the Breath of the Wild incarnation capable of besting adult knights at just four years old making him the youngest incarnation known to be capable of wielding a sword.

Link deeply values his ties with loved ones. His care towards allies has been noted several times, and is considered by some to be one of his greatest strengths.

Abilities
Link is remarkably proficient with a wide variety of weapons, instruments, and other items, being able to use them immediately upon obtaining them. His preferred weapon of choice though, are swords. In each of his adventures, Link's primary form of combat becomes sword fighting, usually with a shield unless the sword requires two hands to wield or times when he does not have a shield. Most incarnations of Link wield a sword with their left hand, though there are notable exceptions.

Notably in Breath of the Wild, Mipha's Diary reveals that at the age of four, Link was already a prodigal swordsman capable of besting grown adult knights. He even trained his childhood friend Bazz in swordsmanship who would later become a Zora Knight Captain assigned to guard the Zora Throne Room.

In some of his adventures, Link is shown to have great aptitude with hand-to-hand combat, as well as immense superhuman strength. In Twilight Princess, he is able to best the Gorons in sumo wrestling (albeit while wearing the Iron Boots), and later proves capable of overpowering Ganondorf himself in a sword lock. In Skyward Sword, Link can wield Koloktos's massive sword, and eventually grows powerful enough to best the Demon King Demise in a duel.

However, preteen incarnations of Link are usually portrayed as more vulnerable in comparison. In The Wind Waker, when Link loses his sword in the Forsaken Fortress, he must rely on stealth and enemies' weapons to make it through, and will swiftly surrender if spotted by the enemy's searchlights. Later, when facing Ganondorf for the final time in sunken Hyrule, Link is swiftly overwhelmed by him, partially due to being caught by surprise.

It is likely though, that all preteen incarnations of Link do have the potential to become as powerful as their older counterparts. A clear example to this comparison would be how Link was unable to defeat Bubble enemies in The Legend of Zelda, yet could do so in the sequel; The Adventure of Link. This can be reasoned as the result of Link maturing in both skill and power with age.

Some incarnations of Link know how to use magic, as the ones in The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Breath of the Wild have shown.

The Legend of Zelda
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link is chronologically the third Link in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

Link is a hero that was asked by Impa, the royal nursemaid, to save Princess Zelda from the evil Prince of Darkness, Gannon, who is seeking out the shards of the Triforce of Wisdom. Link finds the pieces before Gannon does, and in the end, destroys the villain with a Silver Arrow, saving Zelda. Link's character and background are given little explanation in the game, although the prologue describes him as "burning with a sense of justice."

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Link's name was a holdover from one of the earlier concepts for The Legend of Zelda where the player had to travel between the present and the past and collect electronic microchips (which would later be used as the Triforce pieces in the actual game), indicating he was the link between the past and future.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The Adventure of Link is set six years after the events of The Legend of Zelda. With Link having rescued Zelda and defeated Ganon, the Royal Family has reclaimed both the Triforce of Power and Wisdom. Peace seems to have returned to Hyrule.

Yet, the remnants of Ganon's army still remain active. They plan to revive their master by spilling the blood of his vanquisher, Link, onto his ashes. To do so would require Link to become a sacrifice. Thus, Ganon's army spreads chaos throughout Hyrule, seeking to end Link's life.

Despite Link's efforts to stop Ganon's army, the situation becomes increasingly difficult to remedy. However, on his sixteenth birthday, a Triforce mark appears in Link's left hand. Link decides to consult Impa about this. Startled to see the Triforce mark on Link's hand, Impa leads him to the Northern Castle. There, she instructs Link to use his Triforce mark to open the castle door. Heeding Impa's instructions, Link touches the door and opens it. Entering the castle, Link sees a girl sleeping on top of an altar, in a state of suspended animation.

Impa tells Link that the girl is the "first" Zelda from far ago, who is under a curse. Once Impa is done disclosing to Link the origin of the "Legend of Zelda", she takes the scroll and six gems placed on the altar and gives it to him. Link is then explained by Impa that only those with the Triforce mark can read what is written on the scroll. Half in doubt, Link looks through the scroll. To his surprise, he is indeed able to read its content.

The scroll instructs the reader to place each gem in Hyrule's six other palaces, so that the barrier placed around the Great Palace will disappate. Then, they are to overcome the guardian that awaits them so as to obtain the Triforce of Courage and reunite it with the other two pieces.

Once Link finished reading the scroll, Impa tells him that the Triforce can lift the curse placed upon Zelda as well as bring peace to Hyrule once more. Link silently nods to Impa and starts his new adventure.

Defeating Ganon's army and placing each gem in their respective palaces, Link gain entrance to the Great Palace. Braving through the traps and monsters that lurk there, Link encounters a mysterious old man. Presumably, to serve as a final test for Link, the old man proceeds to summon Dark Link and makes Link fight it. After Link defeats his dark counterpart, the old man approaches the hero and gives him the Triforce of Courage.

Going back to the palace where Zelda is placed in, Link uses the complete Triforce to lift the curse. Now free from the curse, Zelda thanks Link as well as calls him "a real hero" for saving Hyrule. The curtains then slowly fall with Zelda seemingly embracing Link.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages is chronologically the first Link in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

Link lives with his uncle in a house near Hyrule Castle. One night, Link receives a telepathic message from Princess Zelda in his sleep; the princess claiming to be locked in the dungeons of the castle. Link awakens to find his uncle preparing to come to Zelda's aid, and is told to remain in his bed. After his uncle's departure, however, Link ignores his command and follows after him to Hyrule Castle. Following further advice from Princess Zelda, Link finds a hidden entrance leading inside the castle; inside a passageway, he finds his uncle, who has been mortally injured in battle. In his final moments, Link's uncle asks Link to save Zelda from her prison, giving him a sword and shield, as well as teaching him the Spin Attack, before he passes. Link navigates the castle and rescues Zelda from her cell, and the two make their escape through a secret passage connecting the castle sewers to the Sanctuary.

The Loyal Sage residing in the Sanctuary tells Link of Agahnim, an evil wizard who has usurped the throne and plans to break a seal made hundreds of years ago by Seven Wise Men. The seal was placed to imprison Ganon, King of Thieves, in the Dark World, which was once the Sacred Realm before Ganon invaded, obtained the legendary Triforce, and used its power to turn the realm into a land of darkness. Agahnim intends to break the seal by sending the Seven Maidens, the descendants of the Seven Wise Men who made the seal, into the Dark World, allowing Ganon to break free and complete his plan to rule both worlds. The only thing that can defeat Agahnim is the Master Sword, a sword forged to combat evil. To prove he is worthy of wielding it, Link needs the three Pendants of Virtue.

With the aid of Sahasrahla, elder of Kakariko Village, Link is able to retrieve all three pendants, and takes them to the resting place of the Master Sword and is able to draw it from its pedestal. Upon obtaining the blade, Sahasrahla contacts him and tells him to go to Hyrule Castle and use the sword's power to break the barrier placed around the castle tower that serves as Agahnim's stronghold. On the way to the castle, Link is contacted by Zelda again, who tells him that Hyrule Guards have attacked the Sanctuary. Link arrives at the Sanctuary moments after the soldiers have vacated, where he learns from the dying sage that Zelda has been taken to the Hyrule Castle Tower. Link goes to rescue her, but he arrives too late to stop Agahnim from sending Zelda to the Dark World. After Agahnim is defeated in the ensuing battle, he sends Link to the Dark World as well.

To stop Ganon and save Hyrule, Link must rescue the Seven Maidens from dungeons scattered across the Dark World. Once the Seven Maidens are freed, they use their power to break the barrier around Ganon's Tower, where Link faces Agahnim again. After the hero defeats Agahnim for a second time, Ganon rises up from Agahnim's body, turns into a bat, and flies away. Link chases him, finally confronting him inside the Pyramid in the Dark World. After a battle resulting in Ganon's demise, Link touches the Triforce and wishes for Hyrule to be restored to its former state. With peace restored to the land and his uncle restored to life, Link returns the Master Sword to its resting place in the Lost Woods. This Link seems to have become intimate with Zelda later on, as hinted in the Oracle games and A Link Between Worlds.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Link's Awakening is the first game to take place outside of Hyrule and the main storyline involving the Triforce and Ganon. Link is traveling aboard a ship, across the ocean toward destinations unknown, when a fierce storm sets in, leaving him shipwrecked. The hero awakens in the house of his rescuer, a young girl named Marin, whom he initially mistakes for Princess Zelda. Marin explains to Link that he has been marooned on Koholint Island. Link is given his shield by Marin's father, Tarin, and proceeds to retrieve his sword from the beach where he washed ashore. An owl then appears, telling Link about the dangers of the isle and instructing him to search for the eight Instruments of the Sirens, which will allow Link to wake the enigmatic Wind Fish and leave the island. The instruments are contained in the island's eight dungeons and are guarded by Nightmares, evil beings who seek to prevent the awakening of the Wind Fish.

On his quest to retrieve the instruments, Link explores the entire island, through forest, desert, and mountains, receiving aid from the Owl along the way. Furthermore, Marin joins Link in his quest for a time, and they develop an implied romantic relationship. In an eastern shrine, Link uncovers a mural on which is written the truth of Koholint Island: the island and all its inhabitants are but a dream of the Wind Fish, and should it be awakened, they will cease to exist. To continue the Wind Fish's slumber and thus establish control over Koholint Island indefinitely, the Nightmares begin attempting to dissuade Link from awakening the deity by telling him that since he, too, is in the dream, he will also be erased from existence if the Wind Fish wakes.

After collecting all eight Instruments of the Sirens, Link stands before the Wind Fish's Egg on Mt. Tamaranch, and plays the "Ballad of the Wind Fish", which he had learned from Marin, on his Ocarina. Inside the egg, Link does battle with the many forms of DethI, the leader of the Nightmares. Upon defeating his foe, Link is thanked by the Owl and greeted by the Wind Fish, who bids him to play the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" once more. Doing so ends the dream of Koholint, causing the island and all its inhabitants to disappear. It is revealed, however, that Link was not erased from existence, contrary to the Nightmares' statements.

Link awakens clinging to a piece of his wrecked ship in the middle of the ocean and smiles as he sees the Wind Fish fly overhead. It is unknown what happened to Link afterwards as he no longer had a ship to sail. It is hinted, though, in A Link Between Worlds that he eventually returned to Hyrule.

Hyrule Historia states the Link in this adventure is the same Link from A Link to the Past and the Oracle series. The adventure that Link has in this game takes place after the events of the Oracle series.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is chronologically the fourth Link in the Unified Timeline and the first Link in the Child Timeline.

Link is born during the Hyrulean Civil War, and is left in Kokiri Forest by his dying mother in an attempt to spare him from the widespread violence. From then on, Link is fostered by the Great Deku Tree, who raises the Hylian child as a Kokiri so that he will fit in with his peers. However, as Link does not possess a fairy like other Kokiri, he is always something of an outsider, especially in the eyes of Mido, the self-appointed "Boss of the Kokiri".

When Link is a child, the Gerudo King Ganondorf places a curse on the Great Deku Tree in retaliation for the guardian's refusal to hand over the Spiritual Stone of Forest. The Great Deku Tree sends the fairy known as Navi to Link, who serves as the boy's Fairy companion for the duration of the game. With Navi's guidance, Link acquires a sword and shield and defeats Queen Gohma, a parasitic monster placed inside the Great Deku Tree by Ganondorf. His health sapped by Ganondorf's curse, the Great Deku Tree bestows the Spiritual Stone upon Link before his death, bequeathing the boy to travel to Hyrule Castle and speak with Princess Zelda. Upon exiting the forest, Link's childhood friend Saria gives him the Fairy Ocarina, with which he can play the various songs he learns on his journeys. Upon reaching Princess Zelda inside Hyrule Castle, the princess tells Link about Ganondorf's malicious plans to take over Hyrule, and tasks Link with finding the Spiritual Stones of Fire and Water. Link retrieves the two remaining Spiritual Stones, aiding the Goron and Zora peoples who guard them in the process, and sets off for Hyrule Castle Town to place them in the Temple of Time. Just outside the town, he encounters Zelda and Impa as they flee from Ganondorf, who has seized Hyrule Castle. Zelda manages to toss Link the Ocarina of Time as she flees, which he uses in conjunction with the three Spiritual Stones and "Song of Time" to open the Door of Time, revealing the Master Sword, which he pulls from the Pedestal of Time. Upon doing so, however, Link is sealed inside the Sacred Realm for seven years, as in his current form he is not judged capable of saving Hyrule as the Hero of Time. Link awakens seven years later as a young adult, in the safety of the Temple of Light inside the Sacred Realm. During these seven years, Ganondorf has gained the Triforce of power and conquered Hyrule. Rauru, the Sage of Light, informs Link of the conquest of Hyrule, and instructs him to find the other five sages. Link traverses five temples in order to rescue the sages and awaken the power within them. They are Saria, the Sage of Forest; Darunia, the Sage of Fire; Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water; Impa, the Sage of Shadow; and Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. With these five sages awakened, Princess Zelda reveals herself to Link as the seventh sage, only to be captured by Ganondorf. Aided by the power of the remaining sages, Link is able to enter Ganon's Castle and navigate its depths. He defeats both the King of Evil's Gerudo form and his monstrous Ganon transformation, freeing Hyrule and Princess Zelda. The princess then sends Link to the Child Timeline to regain his lost seven years.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Having been returned to his childhood by Princess Zelda at the end of Ocarina of Time, Link goes on a search for a "beloved and invaluable friend", implied to be the fairy Navi. While traveling deep inside the Lost Woods, Link is ambushed by the Skull Kid and his two friends, the fairy siblings Tatl and Tael. The Skull Kid makes off with Link's Ocarina of Time, and in the subsequent chase, Link is transported into the parallel world of Termina, where the Skull Kid uses his magic to turn Link into a Deku Scrub. During this process, Tatl becomes separated from the Skull Kid and Tael, and joins Link in order to find them, becoming his fairy companion for the remainder of the game.

In the caves beneath Termina, Link meets the mysterious Happy Mask Salesman, who agrees to return Link to his normal shape if Link returns Majora's Mask to him, an artifact of ancient power that was stolen by the Skull Kid. As Link embarks on this quest, he learns little by little of the looming catastrophe threatening the land: the Moon in the sky has assumed a horrible, evil face and has abandoned its orbit, and will collide with Termina in exactly three days. Link's quest to restore himself quickly becomes a quest to save the land, during which he not only returns to his original form, but acquires masks enabling him to freely transform between his Hylian, Deku, Goron, and Zora forms.

Eventually, Link succeeds in freeing the Four Giants, enigmatic deities who can halt the Moon's descent, and confronts the Skull Kid. At this point, Majora, the evil entity residing inside Majora's Mask, abandons its now useless host and retreats into the Moon. Link chases after it into the strange core of the Moon, and after a long and heated battle against the three incarnations of Majora, the entity is finally defeated and the menacing Moon disappears. Upon returning the now lifeless mask to the Happy Mask Salesman, Link leaves his new friends and continues his journey, while the people of Termina once more celebrate the dawn of a new day. During the celebration, a Zora identical to Link's Zora form is seen performing with The Indigo-Go's, implying that Link may have returned to the carnival temporarily, though this is never clarified. It was hinted in Twilight Princess and confirmed in Hyrule Historia that this Link later became the Hero's Shade since he lived in regret for not being remembered as a hero despite his actions, as well as not passing down his skills to the next generation. This would continue on until the events of Twilight Princess.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Link is already a hero at the beginning of these games, as he is the same Link from A Link to the Past according to Hyrule Historia. The two Oracle games begin very similarly, with Link traveling to the shrine of the Triforce. Inside, the sacred relic transports him to a world in desperate need of a hero: Labrynna in Oracle of Ages, and Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons. Link meets and befriends Nayru the singer in the former, and Din the dancer in the latter.In Labrynna, Link must use his ability to travel back and forth in time via the Harp of Ages to save the land from the clutches of the Sorceress of Shadow, Veran. In Holodrum, he must use the season-changing powers of the Rod of Seasons to end the ambitions of the General of Darkness, Onox. After completing one game, starting a linked game using a password from the first, and completing it, a secret final quest can be accessed in which it is revealed that Koume and Kotake were behind the exploits of both Veran and Onox, planning to use their actions as a catalyst to revive Ganon. After defeating both the witches and the resurrected Ganon himself, Link sets sail to an unknown destination.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in Four Swords is chronologically the third Link in the Unified Timeline.At the outset of the game, Link travels with Princess Zelda to check on the Four Sword, an ancient blade said to seal Vaati, a powerful wind mage. As the two enter the Four Sword Sanctuary, Vaati breaks his seal, absconding with Zelda in order to make her his bride. As Link comes to, he is instructed by three Fairies to draw the Four Sword, which splits the hero into four copies of himself: One green, one red, one blue, and one purple. Together, the four Links journey across Hyrule to meet three Great Fairies, each of whom gives the Links a key necessary to enter Vaati's Palace. Inside, the four Links defeat Vaati after a fierce battle, sealing him inside the Four Sword once more. With Hyrule saved, the four heroes return the Four Sword to its pedestal, thus merging back into one being.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
As written in Hyrule Historia, this Link is chronologically the first Link in the Adult Timeline.

This Link lives on Outset Island on the Great Sea, the region above Hyrule after it was flooded by the gods to prevent Ganondorf from conquering it. Link is celebrating his birthday, and it is customary on the island for one to receive the Hero's Clothes to honor the legendary Hero of Time when they reach the age the Hero was during his quest. Shortly after this, the Helmaroc King captures Link's sister, Aryll, prompting Link to travel with Tetra and her pirates to the Forsaken Fortress. Link initially fails to rescue Aryll, but is rescued by the King of Red Lions, who helps him in his quest to save his sister. Link is eventually successful and is also able to defeat Ganondorf after retrieving the Master Sword and restoring its power. With this quest complete, Link, Tetra, and her pirate crew set sail in search of a new land. Although the game inspires speculation about Link's possible relation to the Hero of Time (namely, his family shield which was rumored to be used by the Hero himself), this theory is discouraged by the King of Red Lions, who is in fact the King of Hyrule, when he tells the sea spirit Jabun that "[Link] appears to have no connection to the legendary one." He may, however, be unaware of the shield's rumors. The fact that he managed to pull the Master Sword out of its pedestal (which is said to only be capable of someone related to the Knights of Hyrule) does hint something, however. After Link overcomes many hardships, the King of Red Lions names him the Hero of Winds, and Ganondorf declares Link to be the Hero of Time reborn.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in Four Swords Adventure is chronologically the third Link in the Child Timeline.Concerned that the seal which keeps Vaati in the Four Sword may be weakening, Zelda and the rest of the Seven Maidens summon Link and open the way to the shrine of the Four Sword to investigate. However, Zelda and the other maidens are captured and imprisoned by Shadow Link. Despite the fact that it will release Vaati, Link is forced to draw the Four Sword from its pedestal in order to split himself into four and have the strength to go and rescue the maidens. The Links save all seven of them and collect the four Royal Jewels, which they use to reveal the Tower of Winds. Climbing the tower, the Links reach the Realm of the Heavens, where they defeat the Shadow Links and reclaims the Dark Mirror from which they were created. After another furious battle, the Links defeat Vaati, not sealing him as before, but apparently slaying the wind mage for good. Afterward, Ganon, the true mastermind behind all the events, attacks Zelda and the Links personally. The final battle ensues; the Links are able to defeat Ganon, and with the help of the Seven Maidens, seal him within the Four Sword. The sword is then returned to its sanctuary and sealed there, and the Links are combined into one again.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in The Minish Cap is chronologically the second Link in the Unified Timeline.

Link is the grandson of Smith, the blacksmith for Hyrule Town. He lives just outside the town with his grandfather and goes to the Picori Festival with his childhood friend, Princess Zelda. During the award ceremony for the festival's sword tournament, the winner, Vaati, shatters the legendary Picori Blade and releases the monsters that had been sealed in the Bound Chest. Princess Zelda uses her power to send the monsters away, and despite Link's attempt to defend her, Vaati turns the princess to stone to prevent her from interfering with his plans.

Afterward, the King of Hyrule sends Link to Minish Woods to find the Minish, in the hopes that they can reforge the broken Picori Blade so that it can be used against Vaati, the Wind Mage. As he travels though the woods, Link meets Ezlo, his companion throughout the game. Ezlo sits on Link's head throughout his adventure to defeat Vaati and restore Zelda. Aside from his frequent advice and sarcastic comments about Link's quest, Ezlo grants the hero the power to shrink down to Minish size.

Meeting with the elder of the Minish Village, the ancient Minish explains to Link that in order to make the Picori Blade powerful enough to stop Vaati, then he will need to acquire the four Elements, which embody earth, water, fire, and wind. Once Link recovers the Four Elements, he brings the Picori Blade (renamed the White Sword) to the Elemental Sanctuary hidden within the courtyard of Hyrule Castle.

The blade is then infused with the Elements, turning the White Sword into the Four Sword. In the meanwhile, Vaati covers Hyrule Castle with his evil and brainwashes King Daltus to use him as a way to oppress Hyrule and gain information concerning the Light Force. Learning that it is an energy of sorts that has been passed down through female members of the Royal Family, Vaati realizes it currently resides within Princess Zelda. He then plots to fully take away from her, which would mean the princess's death.

Coming to Zelda's rescue, Link goes to Hyrule Castle, where he stops Vaati from completely absorbing the Light Force in the nick of time. Engaging the megalomaniac in battle, Link defeats the Minish and restores Zelda to her original state. With the evil threatening Hyrule stopped, the remorseful Elzo laments all the trouble he indirectly brought. He then realizes that the Minish Cap can be used to fix things, and tells Zelda to use its power to fix things back to normal. Complying with Elzo's request, Zelda puts on the Minish Cap and uses it alongside the Light Force residing within her, undoing all the damages done.

The time to part now coming, Elzo states his goodbyes to Link and Zelda, as well as giving Link a real green hat since he only had Ezlo as a hat before. Complimenting Link by saying that the hat suited him, Ezlo looks at his friend one last time before departing.

Like the incarnation in Four Swords Adventures, this Link has almost the exact same character design as the Link from The Wind Waker, other than his hat.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in Twilight Princess is chronologically the second Link in the Child Timeline. This Link is often referred to by fans as the "Hero of Light" because of his acts to restore the Light to Hyrule; however, there are those who refer to him instead as the "Hero of Twilight". "Hero of Light" is a fan made title that does not appear in any official material, although his true title in this game is "Hero Chosen by the Gods".

Link is a rancher in Ordon Village who is around sixteen years old. He has a Triforce shaped birthmark on his hand, strongly implying that he possesses the Triforce of Courage, though possibly it is merely there as a mark of a Chosen Hero. One day, Rusl, the town's only warrior and swordsmith, requests Link to be his proxy for a trip to Hyrule to deliver the Ordon Sword and Ordon Shield which the Royal Family ordered. As he prepares to leave, King Bulblin and his forces attack, knocking out Link and kidnapping his friends Ilia and Colin, along with the other children.

After regaining consciousness, Link is drawn into the Faron Province, which has become blanketed with Twilight. The Twilight morphs Link into a wolf. He is imprisoned by Shadow Beasts, but escapes with the help of Midna. They then escape and meet Princess Zelda who tells them of the situation. This prompts Link to restore Hyrule to its natural state while being assisted by Midna (for her own agenda). Later, Link delivers Light back to the Faron Province, with the help of Midna, and awakens as the Chosen Hero, now back in Hylian form while also donning his ancestor's tunic. He soon gets transported into a ghostly place where he encounters the Hero's Shade. The Hero's Shade tells Link that his current power is not enough to save Hyrule and offers to teach him the seven hidden skills, provided that Link chooses to seek him out. It is also hinted in the game and confirmed in Hyrule Historia that the Hero's Shade is the Hero of Time himself, and this incarnation of Link is his descendant. Once Link learns all seven skills, the Hero's Shade proudly states his confidence in his descendant and moves on to the afterlife.

Link and Midna venture to collect the Fused Shadows, which can be used to defeat Zant, the king of the Twilight Realm, who covered Hyrule in Twilight. Their plan fails however, when they are attacked by Zant. Zant injures Midna and forcibly turns Link into a wolf using a Shadow Crystal. With the help of Lanaryu, Link and Midna escape and go to Zelda for help. She then tells the duo about the Master Sword which can break the curse on Link. Zelda then seemingly sacrifices herself to save Midna upon learning of her true identity. This prompts Midna to change her attitude.

Upon gaining the Master Sword and using it as well as a Shadow Crystal to freely change into Hylian and Wolf forms, Link and Midna venture out to regain the shattered parts of the Twilight Mirror in order to access the Twilight Realm again. After searching throughout Hyrule along with the help of others, the duo manage to defeat Zant, bringing them to their battle against his master. Learning that Ganondorf is using his powers to control Zelda, Link and Midna manage to free her from his corruption and faces off against the Gerudo's beast form. Just when Ganandorf's beast form is stopped and Zelda gets revived, the madman tries to unleash a devastating attack, prompting Midna to use her powers to send Link and Zelda outside of Hyrule Castle while she uses the powers of the Fused Shadow to try and stop their foe.

Sent to Hyrule Field where they see that the castle has been destroyed, Link and Zelda learn that Ganondorf defeated Midna as he shows them the Fused Shadow, which he crushes with his bare hands. Not willing to let his friend's sacrifice be in vain, Link, with the help of Zelda, Epona, and the Light Spirits, defeat Ganondorf in a horseback battle, leaving them to their final battle.

On a one on one sword battle, Link overpowers Ganondorf and plunges the Master Sword deep within him, ending his terror. Stating ominous words to Link and Zelda before he succumbs to his wounds, Ganondorf's curse is lifted, restoring both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm (as well as their people) to their natural states. The Light Spirits then appear in front of Link and Zelda, where they also reveal that they revived Midna into her Twili form. Seeing his friend unharmed causes Link to smile in relief.

Afterwards, Link and Zelda witness Midna's departure to the Twilight Realm, as well as her destruction of the Twilight Mirror in order to ensure the tragedy never repeats itself. Link afterwards returns the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time, and returns to Ordon Village, but he later leaves the village with Epona. At the very end, the Throne Room of the Hyrule Castle is seen, revealing that the Castle was rebuilt. This may indicate Link is going there, but this is unconfirmed.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
This Link is the same Link from The Wind Waker. After the ending of The Wind Waker, Link and Tetra set off to find the land that would be the next Hyrule after the former kingdom had been completely destroyed. After Tetra is captured by the Ghost Ship, Link makes a bold effort to save her but is knocked out. When he wakes up, he meets a fairy named Ciela, who becomes his companion for the rest of the game. He also meets Linebeck, who helps him by letting him use his ship. Link acquires a new sword, Oshus's Sword, which Oshus lets him have.

Link finds three spirits which allow him to find the Ghost Ship, where Tetra is being held. He saves her but finds that she is now made of stone, due to her life force being drained. To undo this, Link must defeat Bellum, an evil being inhabiting the Temple of the Ocean King. To defeat it, Link needs the Phantom Sword, a weapon made of the three Pure Metals. After Link finds these metals, Zauz forges the Phantom Sword's blade, and Oshus creates the handle out of the Phantom Hourglass. With the Phantom Sword in hand, Link defeats Bellum and restores peace. It is revealed that the world Link explored was an alternate dimension, and Link and Tetra are sent back to their own realm. During the whole adventure, only ten minutes passed in Link and Tetra's world, and it at first seems as if the whole experience was a dream. However, Link finds an empty hourglass in his pocket and sees Linebeck's ship sailing away in the distance. This causes Link to smile in joy.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in Spirit Tracks is chronologically the second Link in the Adult Timeline.

Link is originally an apprentice engineer, who becomes a hero by saving the land of New Hyrule from the evil of Malladus. Throughout his adventure, he works together with the spirit of Princess Zelda, who inhabits a Phantom form in certain situations. His appearance is similar to that of the Link from Phantom Hourglass, however, his voice is now similar to that of the younger Link from Ocarina of Time.

The game opens as Link, an apprentice railroad engineer, travels to the castle of Princess Zelda to attend a Graduation Ceremony, where the honor of Royal Engineer will be bestowed upon him by the princess herself. As she rewards Link for his service, she slips him a note, warning of the suspicious Chancellor Cole, and to take a hidden path and meet her in secret. She requests Link's help in investigating the mystery of the vanishing Spirit Tracks. Zelda is restricted to her quarters but needs Link's help sneaking out of the castle to figure out why the Spirit Tracks are mysteriously disappearing all over the land. Zelda then presents Link with a change of clothing&mdash;the Recruit Uniform&mdash;which will help Link blend in and trick the similarly dressed guards.

After their success, the two finally make it out of the castle and bump into Alfonzo, Link's Master Engineer, who taught him how to become an engineer. As Alfonzo was once a soldier, he helps Zelda and Link escape on a train towards the Tower of Spirits. However, the tracks begin to vanish from underneath the vehicle. After a spectacular crash, they are stopped halfway by Chancellor Cole and his second-in-command. The pair easily defeats Link and Alfonzo, and go on to remove Princess Zelda's soul out of her body. Chancellor Cole then takes Zelda's body and uses it as a vessel in an attempt to revive Malladus.

When Link awakens, he finds himself in Hyrule Castle. Zelda's spirit floats in, and Zelda learns she lost her body and that no one can see her but Link and a few Lokomos. Zelda then leads Link to a sword. After a bit of training, she then directs Link to head to the Tower of Spirits to retrieve her body. To help Link, Princess Zelda's ghost inhabits a Phantom and aids Link in stopping Chancellor Cole and reviving herself.

With the help of the Lokomos (and Byrne later on), Link and Zelda managed to defeat Malladus as well as put Zelda's soul back in her body. With the battle over, they were soon assured by Anjean that Byrne wasn't truly dead when he sacrificed himself. She then told them more about the Lokomos as they went go back into the heavens. The duo then went back to the castle, much to the others' joy.

In the epilogue, depending on the answer Link gave to Zelda when she asked what he will do after the battle is over, one out of three scenes will play. In each one, the scene begins with Zelda writing in a book, as the Teacher accompanies her. If Link answered train engineer, the final scene shows Zelda hearing the Spirit Train whistling; where she approaches the window and greets her savior as he navigates through the Forest Realm. If Link answers swordsman instead, the scene shows her approaching the window to see Link training, where he is accidentally injured in a comical way. Lastly, if Link tells her that he's still unsure regarding either career or skips the scene, the final scene simply shows Zelda continuing with her work.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
In "Skyward Sword", Link is seventeen and a half years old, and as written in Hyrule Historia, he is chronologically the first Link. However, this conflicts with a statement made by Zelda near the beginning of the game where she refers to the goddess Hylia entrusting her Sailcloth to a chosen hero. Many players assume this refers to the Link of Skyward Sword when he time travels towards the end of the game. However, this is questionable as the legend was handed down throughout Skyloft which was sent into the sky from before the era Link travels back to. The Skyward Sword manga later elaborates on the existence of this earlier incarnation of Link and depicts him as the first wielder of the Master Sword who used its ability to raise Skyloft into the Heaven's shortly before dying. It should be noted though, that the manga is not considered canon and the previous hero's origin may have been entirely different.

Link is the hero chosen by the goddess Hylia to complete a task that will decide the very future of the world. A resident of Skyloft, he attends the Knight Academy, a boarding school for those wanting to become Knights of Skyloft. Like all denizens of The Sky, he owns his own Loftwing; in particular, he owns a rare Crimson Loftwing. At the beginning of the game, Link wears clothes similar to those worn by other residents of Skyloft. This incarnation of Link is the earliest known appearance of the character in the timeline, and due to the gameplay, which is designed for right-handed use, this Link seems to be right-handed as well. It is possible though, that the game was mirror imaged and thus this Link is also left-handed as well. A peculiarity with this Link is his confirmed use of honorifics in the Japanese version, using words like "boku" and "anata" in dialogues that the player is given the option of choosing.

Link is childhood friends with Zelda, daughter of the academy Headmaster, Gaepora. A person jealous of Link's closeness to Zelda is Groose, who attempts to sabotage Link's chances of entering and completing the Wing Ceremony at the beginning of the game by kidnapping his Loftwing. Despite a few setbacks, Link eventually recovers his Loftwing and obtains the Bird Statuette, earning him a moment alone with Zelda. After he receives her Sailcloth, the two embark on a flight together; however, they are attacked by a black tornado, and Zelda is taken away to a land below the clouds.

Link is thrown from his Loftwing, and a mysterious blue figure appears in his dreams. When he awakens, he finds Gaepora standing before him, wanting to know what happened to Zelda. After Gaepora leaves, Link hears a voice outside his door. Seeing the mysterious figure in the hallway, Link follows her to the Statue of the Goddess, where she opens the door to a chamber found inside the statue. Here, he finds the Goddess Sword, and the figure reveals herself to be Fi, the spirit inhabiting the sword. Using the sword to open a path through the Cloud Barrier, Link accompanied with Fi begins their search for Zelda on The Surface.

Several times throughout his quest, Link is confronted by Ghirahim, the self-proclaimed Demon Lord, who was also the very being that conjured the black tornado. The self-proclaimed Demon is revealed to have also been after Zelda to use as a sacrifice. By using Zelda as a sacrifice as Ghirahim revealed, he would be able to revive his master. Link soon finds out that Zelda is on a journey of her own to purify her spirit, protected by the Sheikah Impa. Eventually, Zelda and Impa seek refuge within a Gate of Time to elude Ghirahim's grasp. An Old Woman reveals to Link that a second Gate of Time exists; but to activate it, he must infuse the Goddess Sword with three Sacred Flames. For each Sacred Flame that Link gathers, the sword transforms, until it becomes the Master Sword.

With the Master Sword in hand, Link activates the Gate of Time and meets up with Zelda in the past. She explains to him that she is a physical reincarnation of the goddess Hylia; who became so in order to combat Demise, the ancient Demon King, the very same being whose beast-like form Link sealed away earlier with the help of a reformed Groose. Told by Zelda the only way they can defeat Demise is to collect the Triforce and wish for his destruction, Link sees Zelda seal herself away to keep the Demon King from freeing himself. Saddened to see her in such a state, Link tries to stop her in vain.

Link then journeys further and obtains the Triforce, preventing Demise from re-emerging. The seal placed upon Zelda is then broken in the present, and Link happily reunites with her. Just when they regrouped with their friends however, Zelda is taken away by Ghirahim into the past, for there his master Demise still exists. Not willing to let the fiend have his way, Link and Groose chase after him.

Although Link defeats Ghirahim again, Demise is still freed from his imprisonment. Learning that Zelda can still be revived by defeating Demise, Link challenges him to a duel. An amused Demise accepts and goes to a different realm to use as the location for their duel. Following after him, Link fights and defeats Demise in an incredible battle, with the shocked Demon King admitting to Link as superior to him.

Before he succumbs to his wounds however, the Demon King tells Link that this was not the end. The hatred that Demise holds and the curse of the Demon Tribe have not been vanquished, and would continuously return to plague future generations. Having said these words, Demise's body dissipates in a dark mass. The remains of Demise are then sealed inside the Master Sword by Link, per Fi's instructions. Returning to his own world, Link sees that Zelda has been revived, much to his relief.

With Demise being vanquished, Link and his friends decide to return to their own time. Before they do so however, Fi asks Link for a moment of his time. Telling him that their time to part has come, Fi asks Link to place the Master Sword back into its pedestal, which will cause her to fall into an eternal slumber. Though hesitant, Link is encouraged to do so by a saddened Zelda, and places the holy sword back into its resting place. Immediately after Link places the Master Sword back into its pedestal however, Fi appears before him one more time. Telling Link that she felt happiness and hoped to meet him again, Fi peacefully states goodbye to her friend.

After stating their own goodbyes to Impa, who assures them that they will eventually reunite, Zelda, Link and Groose return to their own time. There they meet the Old Woman, who reveals herself to have been Impa all along before passing away.

The day being saved, Groose returns to the sky, whereas Zelda decides to remain on the surface. She then asks what Link intends to do. Link sweetly smiles at Zelda as the scene shows Link and Zelda's Loftwings flying back into the sky, implying that he chose to stay with her.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
As written in Hyrule Historia, the Link in A Link Between Worlds is chronologically the second Link in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

Link is a Blacksmith's apprentice who experiences frequent nightmares of Princess Zelda being snatched away by a pig-shaped creature, which often causes him to be late for work. After a brief encounter with Yuga, Link warns Zelda of the new threat, and she gives him the Pendant of Courage and tasks Link with protecting Hyrule. In his next encounter with Yuga, Link gains the ability to enter and leave walls as a painting, which becomes a vital ability in his quest.

After finding the other two Pendants of Virtue and drawing the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link rushes to Hyrule Castle to defend Zelda, but finds himself too late, arriving as Yuga is turning Zelda into a portrait. After battling Yuga once again, Link chases after him through a glowing fissure in the wall and finds himself in what seems to be a darker Hyrule Castle, where he witnesses Yuga revive and merge with Ganon, granting him the Triforce of Power. However, before the combined villains can attack Link, he is saved by Princess Hilda, who explains to Link that he is in Lorule, a darker version of Hyrule. After she teleports Link out of the castle, he blacks out and wakes up in the Lorule Blacksmith's house.

Link then goes on a quest to find the portraits of the sages throughout Lorule, and the sages grant the Triforce of Courage to him upon his success, allowing Link to confront Yuga. Upon reaching the top of Lorule Castle, Hilda reveals her intentions to save her realm by stealing Hyrule's Triforce and commands Yuga to take Link's piece of the Triforce. After Link defeats Yuga once, the villain turns Hilda into a painting and steals the Triforce of Wisdom from her, revealing that he intended to take the Triforce for himself all along. He then battles Link again, even more powerful now that he holds two Triforce pieces. Mid-battle, Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which he uses along with the Master Sword to ultimately defeat Yuga.

Zelda and Hilda are restored, though Hilda does not relent until Ravio appears. He takes off his mask, revealing that he is Link's Lorule counterpart and that he once served Hilda. Hilda declares Ravio a traitor, but Ravio convinces her that she shouldn't destroy Hyrule to avert Lorule's fate, admitting that their land is doomed. Hilda agrees to send Link and Zelda back to Hyrule using the remaining power in Ravio's bracelet, and they end up in Hyrule's Sacred Realm, with the Triforce in front of them. They both wish for Lorule's Triforce to be restored, saving the parallel world. Link then returns the Master Sword to the Lost Woods.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Multiple Links appear in Tri Force Heroes, and can obtain different items and abilities depending on what they wear. According to a twitter post by Nintendo of America, the player's Link is the same character as the protagonist of A Link Between Worlds. He has come to Hytopia wearing a disguise to hide his heroic origins. Upon reaching Hytopia he is recruited as a Totem hero and told to venture into the Drablands to defeat the evil witch known only as The Lady.

It should be noted the general design of the character is also different from the A Link Between Worlds character, featuring a design more closely resembling the cell shaded Link from The Wind Waker while the A Link Between Worlds Link more resembled the A Link to the Past incarnation. A character named the Faux Hero who is not accepted as a Totem Hero with a distinct resemblance to the Link from A Link Between Worlds also appears outside Hytopia Castle. Additionally when in Hytopia Link has his traditional blond hair but when venturing into the Drablands his hair changes to either green, red or blue depending on the player's colour.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Link appears again as the main character in Breath of the Wild for the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch. Befitting the game's title, Link lives off the land in a survivalist fashion during his quest to save Hyrule in Breath of the Wild. Via use of the amiibo Rune with the Wolf Link amiibo, Link can summon Wolf Link as a partner, thus acting as a separate character in this game. According to a loading screen tip, Wolf Link comes from another plane of existence and can't be seen by other people, similar to the Golden Wolf from ''Twilight Princess. ''This indicates that he may be the spirit of the Hero of Twilight.

The game contains several references to various past incarnations of Link, such as Midna's Helmet referring to the Hero of Twilight in its description. Through the use of certain amiibos, Link can acquire armor sets based on the Hero's Clothes worn by past incarnations as well as an armor set based on Fierce Deity form from Majora's Mask. He can also acquire armaments associated with said past incarnations: a Sword based on his classic incarnation, the Hero of Time's Biggoron Sword, the Hero of Wind's Sea-Breeze Boomerang and Hero's Shield, Fierce Deity Link's Fierce Deity Sword, and the Hero of Skyloft's Goddess Sword (depicted as a separate weapon from the Master Sword).

Like Tri Force Heroes, Link can wear different types of clothing. He can also become barefoot and bare chested with only a pair of boxer shorts as an irremovable undergarment. Link is in said state at the start of the game, though can find an Old Shirt and Well-Worn Trousers early on to wear.

Like Skyward Sword and Wii version of Twilight Princess, this Link is also shown as right-handed, with it being unclear if the game was mirror imaged or not.

Story
Chronologically, it is revealed that Link spent some of his childhood in Zora's Domain, becoming close friends with Mipha and joining a group of Zora children called Big Bad Bazz Brigade. Mipha notes that despite his young age, Link was a prodigal swordsman capable of besting even grown adults. However he was also reckless and often suffered injuries which Mipha healed with her ability.

Eventually, Link left Zora's Domain and returned several years later, having grown into an accomplished Knight of Hyrule and current wielder of the legendary Master Sword. Similarly, his personality had significantly changed, becoming more silent and withdrawn. On a subsequent visit, Mipha informed Link of a Lynel from Ploymus Mountain that had been terrorizing Zora's Domain (a potential sign of Calamity Ganon's growing power). Link left to confront the beast alone. Yet, Mipha stubornly refused Link's request that she return to Zora's Domain, and instead accompanied him. When the Lynel attacked them, Link skillfully fought and defeated the beast as Mipha watched in amazement. Link was hailed as a hero by the Zora, as recorded in two weathered Zora Stone Monuments (one is a duplicate located in Zora's Domain). The Zora Helm was enshrined in Toto Lake in Link's honor as well.

Hailing from a lineage of royal knights, including his own father, Link was chosen to become the Hylian Champion in the Champions group. The group consisted of Zelda, the Commandant, Link (as previously mentioned) and four other selected heroes from across Hyrule. These heroes were Daruk, the Goron Champion, Mipha, the Zora Champion, Revali, the Rito Champion, and Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion, who all piloted the Divine Beasts, technological marvels of extreme power. When it was discovered that Calamity Ganon was attempting to construct a new physical body and return, the group was summoned to stop him just like in ages past. Being the Hylian Champion, Link was also assigned as Zelda's personal knight.

During Link`s early days as Zelda's knight, he had a poor relationship with the princess, due to her resentment towards Link`s progress. She was also shown to be annoyed by Link`s tendency to be silent, which only reinforced Zelda`s mistaken belief that he despised her.

One day, Zelda was attacked by the rogue Yiga Clan Sheikah, who attempted to assassinate her, to eliminate the threat she posed to Ganon as the Princess of Hyrule. Without hesitation, Link defended Zelda from the threat, to her surprise. Moved by Link`s selfless action, Zelda repented her previous manner towards him and apologized.

No longer holding any animosity towards each other, Link and Zelda began to open up with each other. At some point, Zelda questioned Link on his silent demeanor. Though reluctant, Link eventually reveals to Zelda that with so many eyes on him, he felt he had to stay strong and silently bear the burden, a feeling that Zelda herself knew all too well. This revelation caused Zelda to realize that she was so absorbed with her own problems that she failed to see how others were also struggling with their problems. Feeling closer to Link than before, Zelda now wished to talk and know more about him.

However, while they were sealing Ganon away, Ganon used an unexpected strategy by corrupting the ancient relics around Hyrule. He then summoned four Scourges and sent them to each Divine Beast, who in turn killed the machine's respective Champion pilots. Having corrupted the Guardians and taken control of the Divine Beasts, Calamity Ganon laid waste to Hyrule.

Link and Zelda, however, managed to flee the initial destruction. However, the battles proved to be too difficult and Link became severely injured trying to protect the princess. Zelda, the last one standing, then sealed Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle along with herself in a desperate attempt to stop him. However, prior to this she made sure to instruct Impa and Purah to send Link's body to the Shrine of Resurrection to be healed. She also told Impa to give Link a new mission when he would awake, to free the corrupted Divine Beasts and defeat Ganon. Over the next one hundred years Link slept recovering from his injuries, Zelda battled Ganon, who was slowly sapping her divine power to break free. Link was thought by most to have perished during the Calamity, though the Sheikah and Yiga Clan were aware of the truth. In the Necluda province, Link's actions defending Fort Hateno became legendary and he was regarded as a hero by the local inhabitants unaware of his survival. However, most of the Zora Council of Elders blame Link and the Hylians for Mipha's death during the Calamity, straining relations between the Zora and Hylians. Some Zora such as King Dorephan and Prince Sidon feel differently though, blaming neither. However, Link's defeat during the Great Calamity lead to both the monuments and temple in Toto Lake dedicated to him being neglected.

Breath of the Wild begins with Link awakening from a deep slumber in the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau, having no recollection of his memories. He is then guided by a mysterious voice, which marks the start of his adventure. Link has several companions throughout the game, such as Zelda, who wears a blue shirt with Hylian embroideries like him. Other companions include Princess Mipha, Daruk, Revali and Urbosa, each whom wear blue scarves. Later on in the story, Link gains access to the four abilities given by each pilot, allowing him to create a large area of lightning around him, a large gust of upwind, and an impenetrable shield that completely covers him. Link is also gifted with Mipha's healing power as well.

Though physically the same age as during the Great Calamity, Link is chronologically over 100 years old, a fact which he humorously confirms when trying to convince a Gerudo that he is more than old enough to drink. His aging was halted by the Slumber of Restoration, though the untested process took a century and left Link in a weakened amnesiac state.

One hundred years later, Link awakens and receives the Sheikah Slate within the Shrine of Resurrection. With the aid of a mysterious Old Man, Link manages to survive on the Great Plateau and uses the Sheikah Slate to activate a Sheikah Tower that unlocks Towers and Shrines throughout Hyrule. The Old Man guides Link to explore three shrines on the Plateau in exchange for his Paraglider. Link manages to make it through the Shrines and receives Spirit Orbs from the Sheikah Monk for completing each Shrine's Trial. The Old Man then asks Link to meet him at where the Shrine's intersect which he discovers is the ruins of Temple of Time.

There the Old Man reveals himself to be none other than the spirit of King Rhoam, who explains he was unsure as how to approach Link after he awakened due to his amnesia. King Rhoam decides to tell Link the truth about Hyrule`s situation. King Rhoam entrusts Link with defeating Calamity Ganon to save both Zelda and Hyrule. He then directs Link to seek out Impa of Kakariko Village. The King also allows him to keep the Spirit Orbs as collecting them was simply a test meant to help Link gain strength. After giving him the Paraglider the King's spirit departs and the Old Man disappears from the Great Plateau leaving behind one last entry in The Old Man's Diary for Link. Afterwards Link is directed to pray to the Temple of Time's Goddess Statue. During his prayer, Link is contacted by Hylia whom had apparently regained her divinity since Skyward Sword presumably after her mortal incarnation's life had ended. Hylia explains the Spirit Orbs role as offerings and he can trade four of them for either a Heart Container or Stamina Vessel whenever he prays to one of her Goddess Statues which are located in various towns, the Temple of Time, and Forgotten Temple. Other Spirit Orbs are acquired through completing various shrine trials throughout Hyrule thus they serve to hone Link's abilities. The Sheikah Monks are Hylia's devoted followers whom exist to prepare Link to fulfill his role as the Hero Chosen by the Master Sword.

Meeting up with Impa and her fellow Sheikah, Link is tasked with freeing the Divine Beasts from Calamity Ganon's influence. He also meets Impa's granddaughter Paya who had prayed for Link's return for her grandmother and great aunt Purah's sake, though upon meeting him, Paya became smitten with him developing a crush on him and becoming nervous around him due to shyness. Impa notices Link's Sheikah Slate is missing data and some of its original components such as the Camera Rune, Album, and Hyrule Compendium. She directs him to meet the director of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab to get it fixed. Link is warned by the Sheikah to beware of the Yiga Clan who have been hunting for him. In the Necluda region, Link learns of a battle that took place at Fort Hateno during the Great Calamity which spared Hateno Village allowing it to recover following the Great Calamity during the Age of Burning Fields while he slept. In Hateno Village, he is lead by Purah to believe her assistant Symin is the lab's director as a practical joke. After her deception is revealed, Purah who had been reduced to a six year old after an experimental reverse aging rune went too far requests Link restore power to her lab by relighting its Furnace with Blue Flame. This restores power to her Guidance Stone which is needed to restore the Sheikah Slate. After having him test the Camera Rune, Purah mentions Robbie is living at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab in Deep Akkala working on gear to assist Link. She also explains she can upgrade his Sheikah Slate's Runes in exchange for Ancient Materials. Purah notes the album contains pictures taken by Zelda a century ago, which she believes could help restore his lost memory. She directs him back to Impa as she was closer to Princess Zelda.

Link returns to Impa who reveals she somehow knows about Purah giving him the runaround though does not seem to be aware of Purah's condition. Impa looks at the Sheikah Slate and notes the pictures were indeed taken by Zelda and suggests he find the places the pictures depict to help him recall his lost memories. She tells him to return after he has visited at least one of the places depicted in the pictures as their is something she wishes to give him. Link can visit them in any order but some areas a dangerous such the location of the first picture the Sacred Ground Ruins which is located near Hyrule Castle Town Ruins in Central Hyrule which is Guardian infested area. However Link can learn how to combat them at the Ta'loh Naeg Shrine which contains a trial that teaches Link combat techniques while fighting a Guardian Scout like Perfect Dodge and Perfect Guard. It is also advisable to visit Robbie in Deep Akkala. At first, Link finds an out Gossip Stone like machine in the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. Speaking to it causes Robbie and Jerrin to appear. Robbie is unsure of Link's identity fearing he might be a member of the Yiga Clan in disguise. Jerrin will also refuse to speak with him until he proves his identity to Robbie. Link must remove his body armor to show Robbie his old battle scars which he recognizes as Robbie and Purah cared for him while he was injured and placed him in the Shrine of Resurrection. Happy to finally be reunited with Link, Robbie reveals he has developed high tech anti-Calamity weapons to combat the Guardians which cannot be freed. However he reveals that his modified Guidance Stone, the Ancient Oven Cherry is without power as his Furnace's Blue Flame burned out. Robbie's age prevent him from doing so and his wife Jerrin is jealous of Cherry due to Robbie naming it after his first love which had caused problems during their marriage which Link can read about in Robbie's Memoirs within the lab. The Ancient Furnace is located in Tumlea Heights west of the lab though the area is guarded by monsters making it more difficult than lighting Purah's Furnace and Akkala experiences rain and thunderstorms. However once the furnace is lit power to Cherry is restored and he can speak to her to immediately start crafting Ancient Soldier Gear as long as he has Rupees, the correct Ancient Materials, and Arrows to forge Ancient Arrows. Robbie is elated Cherry is working and rewards Link with three Ancient Arrows as payment for his help. Ancient Arrows are extremely powerful though it is best to save them for confronting Guardians. Robbie requires Link to pay Rupees as his lab requires the funding. Akkala Ancient Tech Lab is one of the few places that sells weapons, bows, and shields all designed to combat Guardians. Additional the Ancient Armor set grants resistance to Guardian attacks such lasers. Properly equipped with Ancient Soldier Gear can make fighting Guardians easier allowing Link to access the Sacre Ground Ruins. However there are other less danger memories to recall. The wandering Sheikah artist Pikango can help give Link hints to the location of places to recall memories after helping him out with a side quest in Kakariko Village. Once he has found the location depicted he will find a glowing area where he can recall a lost memory of that location. After recalling his first memory, Link can return to Impa to receive his Champion's Tunic which Impa had kept safe for him while he slept. This Tunic allows him to see enemy hit points as a number instead of a health bar and once fully upgraded it grants 32 defense the highest of any single piece of armor. Unlike other games, the story of Breath of the Wild is not truly linear thus Link can take on most available quests and side quests at his leisure.

However in order to defeat Ganon, he must free the Divine Beasts which serve as the game's main dungeons. They can be tackled in any order though freeing a Divine Beast makes the nest boss harder. The best place for Link to start is Vah Ruta in the Lanayru Great Spring as it allows Link to aid some of his oldest friends, the Zora whom unlike most people he knew are still alive a century later as Zora age at a different rate than Hylians. To help navigate his why their Link can activate the Lanayru Tower which gives him a map of the region. He also meets the Zora Gruve who informs him that Prince Sidon is in need of Hylian assistance with a problem. On the way to Inogo Bridge where Prince Sidon is waiting, Link encounter the wondering Hylian journalist Traysi whom is the author of Rumor Mill, a series of books that report on various rumors which Link can find in Stables, Inns, and at Enchanted in Kakariko Village. Traysi notes Sidon asked her for assistance though she was put off by his personality and doubts he really is a prince and warns Link not to listen to him finding his whole story suspicious but Link takes Gruve's word over Traysi as he unlike her is a Zora and identified Sidon as the Zora Prince. At the bridge Prince Sidon unaware of Link's identity approachs Link as he had Traysi and the Hylian Hunter Quince but both where unable or unwilling to help. Link agrees and Sidon swims up Zora River back to Zora's Domain which Link must make the journey by land and travelling through Lizalfos and other monster infested areas. During the journey Link encounters never ending rain and eventually discovers its source is coming from Vah Ruta in the East Reservoir Lake. He also encounters Zora Stone Monuments along the way which record Zora history and are scattered throughout the Lanayru Great Spring region. Upon reaching Zora's Domain he finds it is one big ornate sculpture crafted by Zora stone masons 10,000 years ago. Their he encounters the Zora Knights Rivan and his daughter Dunma. Rivan recognizes Link revealing they are old childhood friends from the Big Bad Bazz Brigade along with Gaddison and the group's leader Bazz. Rivan is pleased Link is alive after a century of believing he perished during the Great Calamity. Dunma however is quick to remind her father of his duties and in conversation reveals she is less than 100 though is old enough to have reached maturity and become a Zora Knight, though has no idea who Link is beyond him being an old friend of her father. Rivan warns Link to be weary of the Zora Elders like his father Trello as they hold Link responsible for Princess Mipha's death during the Great Calamity. Link encounters other acquittances from his past such as Kodah whom once had a crush on him in her youth and even wanted him to choose between her and Mipha though is now married to Kayden and they run the Seabed Inn together with Kodah working as greeter while her husband is innkeeper. Both are happy Link survived the Great Calamity and treat him as an old friend. The Eldes with the exception of the priest Kapson however are outraged Link still lives as Rivan had warned him. Near the throne room, Link encounters Bazz whom reveals he once trained under Link and has since become captain of the Zora Knights following in the footsteps pf his legendary father "Demon" Sergeant Seggin who is training to build up his Shock Resistance by touching a Shock Arrow which most Zora cannot wield as they are vulnerable to electricity though Seggin is more resistant than most which is why Sidon enlisted him in confronting Vah Ruta which Seggin happily agreed to despite being retired as Mipha was his former student whom he trained in combat. Seggin believes the torrential rain is Mipha's tears and wants to stop Vah Ruta so Mipha's soul can rest in peace and like Trello depises Link. However Bazz eagerly allows his friend to enter the throne room where he meets Prince Sidon and his father King Dorephan. Dorephan immediately recognizes Link whom he is shocked though pleased to learn is alive though disheartened to learn of Link's amnesia though like Impa explains the situation. Sidon having been too young to remember Link is shocked to learn Link's identity but happy to learn he is his elder sister's comrade and childhood friend. However their advisor the Elder Muzu opposes Link helping them though Dorephan knows he is their best hope for stopping Vah Ruta whom threatens to flood the reservoir which was created by Hylian ingenuity and Zora architecture to combat flooding that once occur in the Lanayru province every decade or so. The Zora Kings swore an oath to watch over and guard the reservoir to protect the area from flooding which has remained unbroken for ten thousand years. In order to stop Vah Ruta they must attack its water pumps with Shock Arrows to shut of the water according to Princess Zelda's research. However Seggin failed to fire enough arrows forcing Sidon to seek out Goron before realizing they'd be to heavy to carry before settling on Hylian aid, which Muzu, Seggin, and most of the Eldes refused to consider as they hold the Hylians and Link responsible for the Great Calamity. King Dorephan however supports Prince Sidon's decision as do most of the younger Zora including Link's old friends. King Dorephan gives Link Zora Armor crafted by Mipha which Muzu is so outraged by he leaves refusing to assist Link. King Dorephan explains Mipha made the armor especially for Link causing Prince Sidon to realize Mipha was in love with Link as it is customary for Zora Princesses to craft armor for their future husbands which was inspired by the "Miracle of the White Scale". In the past a Zora Queen wove one of her white scales into her husband's armor as he went off to wage war against a Lizalfos General hoping her love would protect him. An errant sunbeam hit the scale blinding the general saving the king from a deathblow and allowing him to rally his knights to victory inspiring the tradition. Prince Sidon leaves to talk to Muzu whom is unaware of Mipha's feelings for Link. The Zora Armor grants Link increased swim speed and allows him to swim up waterfalls like a Zora. Link can also help Sidon reveal Mipha's true feelings for Link to Muzu with Prince Sidon pointing out the armor fits Link perfectly. The conversation with Muzu and Sidon near Mipha's statue jogs Link's memory causing him to recall riding on Vah Ruta with Mipha at sunset before the Great Calamity where she talks to him about their impending conflict with Ganon.

His memory restored and Muzu finally understanding Mipha was in love with Link advises him to go to Ploymus Mountain to acquire Shock Arrows needed to take on Vah Ruta but warns him of a dangerous monster living there, a Lynel. Link should speak to Laflat before setting out as she requests he take a picture of the Lynel living up their with the Sheikah Slate. He also learns of the Zora Helm by solving a weathered Zora Stone Monument like a word puzzle which reveals Link once slayed a Lynel living in Ploymus Mountain that had been terrorizing the Zora people and that the Zora Helm was enshrined in Toto Lake. Link can also find various pieces of Zora equipment in Zora's Domain including the Ceremonial Trident dropped by Trello though he is unable to give it back to Trello as he refuses to accept Link's help with anything. On the way to the mountain he encounters his old friend Gaddison whom like Bazz and Rivan is happy to see him. At Ploymus Mountain, after taking its picture Link confronts his greatest challenge yet, a Lynel which are some of the most dangerous enemies he will come across however defeating it rewards Link with Shock Arrows and valuable Lynel series equipment. Once he has enough Shock Arrows, Link should return to Zora's Domain to show Laflat the picture who rewards him with the Zora Greaves, completing the Zora Armor set. The Zora Helm allows him to perform an underwater spin attack while the Zora Greaves increase swim speed and complete the set allowing Link to receive a set bonus once each piece is upgraded to two stars or higher which reduces Swim Dash Stamina consumption. The Zora Armor set is ideal for swimming and travelling through areas of water. Once ready to confront Vah Ruta, Link meets Prince Sidon at East Reservoir Lake. There is a bed at the Reservoir dock Link can sleep in to recover health. Riding on Sidon's back, Link attacks the beast's pumps with Shock Arrows while destroying Cryonis Blocks and Spiked Balls created by Vah Ruta using his Cryonis Rune. After an epic battle, Link successfully shuts down all four water pumps allowing him to enter Vah Ruta. Sidon leaves freeing Vah Ruta to Link whom enters the beast. Inside Link finds pools of Malice connected to Glowing Eyeballs which he destroys with arrows causing any malice they are connected to to dissolve. Link uses terminals to control Vah Ruta to access different areas. Eventually he reaches the main control unit which upon accessing triggers his battle with the dungeon's boss Waterblight Ganon. The Scourge of Vah Ruta Waterblight Ganon is a phantom made of malice and ancient technology created by Ganon to kill Mipha and corrupt Vah Ruta. Link battles and defeats the phantom avenging Mipha's death while at the same time freeing her trapped spirit whom bestows upon her beloved Link the power of Mipha's Grace before taking control of Vah Ruta happy to have been reunited with Link. Freeing Vah Ruta and Mipha's spirit also convinces the other Elders to let go of their hatred and accept Link as an ally once more and he is celebrated as a hero once more. King Dorephan happy to learn Vah Ruta is free and under the control of his daughter's spirit rewards Link by giving him Mipha's Lightscale Trident the most powerful Zora Trident which can be reforged by its creator Dento if it breaks. Dento can also reforged the Ceremonial Trident as well. Zora's Domain becomes more accessible as the torrential rain has stopped and Link can take on more side quests.

Game & Watch: Zelda
Link is the protagonist, whose mission is to find eight pieces of the Triforce and rescue his "sweetheart", Princess Zelda, from the eight dragons that kidnapped her. In this game, Link is equipped with a sword and shield, but can also pick up a Tomahawk to fight the dragons. This is the only game in the series to feature such an item.

The Legend of Zelda Game Watch
Similar to Game & Watch: Zelda, Link is the protagonist and must find the eight pieces of the Triforce. In each room of the game's eight dungeons, Link must acquire an item and use it to defeat the enemies in the room in order to proceed. He must also collect a bomb for use in defeating Aquamentus, who serves as the boss of each dungeon.

Link's Crossbow Training
Link is the protagonist of this game, which is a direct spinoff from Twilight Princess. Since the game involves mini-games that require the use of the Wii Zapper, he wields a Crossbow as his only weapon.

Hyrule Warriors
Link is the main character in this action-focused spin-off game. He is one of the new recruits of Hyrule's Imperial Guard but has been discovered to have great talent in swordplay as well as using speed and quick footwork to defeat enemies. Link is the focal subject of the primary antagonist Cia. Link's appearances from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword will be available as alternate costumes via downloadable content. When Link is defeated as an enemy, he drops the Materials Link's Boots or Link's Scarf. Link's Classic design (Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Link to the Past) also appears as an alternate costume as well. The Goron Tunic & Zora Tunic recolors of his Standard Outfit can also be unlocked as alternate costumes.

Young Link also appears as a DLC character. This version of Link wields a slightly larger version of his Kokiri Sword and Fierce Deity's Mask from Majora's Mask.

Hyrule Warriors Legends
In addition to Link and Young Link, Toon Link appears as one of the playable characters in Hyrule Warriors Legends for the 3DS and through synchronization Toon Link can become playable in the Wii U version of Hyrule Warriors as well.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
Link, Toon Link, and Young Link once again appear in this version. In this version, Link can also acquire an outfit inspired by his Breath of the Wild incarnation.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Concept Artwork of Adult Link from the development indicates that his adult form may have been intended to appear in the game. It was either scrapped/replaced by or eventually evolved into the concept of the Fierce Deity. Additionally, there is an unused mask of Young Link's face, which may have been used to turn Link back into his Hylian form.

The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage
Link was set to be the protagonist of this game, but the game was cancelled and never released. In it, Link's mission would have been to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon by collecting the eight pieces of the Triforce of Courage. He would also have to obtain the Rod of Seasons from another dimension where he would meet the Uura Tribe.

Super Smash Bros.
Link is one of eight characters initially available, and is based on his appearance as an adult in Ocarina of Time. Aside from the traditional green tunic, three alternate tunic colors may also be chosen: red, blue, and blueish white. While the former two are clearly inspired by, respectively, the Goron and Zora Tunics from Ocarina of Time, the latter is decidedly reminiscent of the color his clothes take in The Legend of Zelda when the Blue Ring is worn. Link has many of his signature weapons and techniques at his disposal, including the Master Sword, the Hylian Shield, Bombs, the Boomerang, the Hookshot, the Spin Attack, the Jump Thrust, and the Downthrust.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Link comes equipped with the Bow in addition to the equipment he had in the original Super Smash Bros. While his swordplay is formidable, Link is at his best when utilizing all the tools and weapons at his disposal alongside his fighting skill, rather akin to his usual portrayal in the Zelda series. Link's Hookshot now has the ability to latch onto the ledge of the arena, giving him a slight edge should his jump not be enough to recover back onto the stage. Link's appearance is again based on his adult Ocarina of Time incarnation, but is graphically improved due to the GameCube's abilities, appearing similar to his portrayal in the Space World 2000 demo.

Melee also introduces Young Link, a child version of Link based on his younger Ocarina of Time incarnation, as a secret unlockable character. Like in Majora's Mask, he can wield a bow and Hookshot, though strangely these have their Ocarina of Time appearance. He is more agile, but weaker than the older Link: he jumps considerably higher and can perform wall jumps, which adult Link cannot, but his sword and bombs inflict less damage. Additionally, Young Link's sword and Hookshot have less range, and his Bow shoots Fire Arrows rather than traditional arrows.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Link has essentially the same weaponry as in previous installments, but as he is now modeled after his Twilight Princess incarnation, his array of tools and weapons have changed accordingly. Bombs now use their distinct jagged design from Twilight Princess, the Clawshot replaces the Hookshot, and the Boomerang is replaced with the Gale Boomerang. Toon Link appears in the game as a secret unlockable character who appears to replace Young Link, and is based on Link's appearance in The Wind Waker.

Both characters' Final Smash are the Triforce Slash, which traps an enemy in a large apparition of the Triforce, allowing Link to deliver repeated slashes before shattering the Triforce and sending the opponent flying with a powerful final blow. If there is another player directly behind the one caught in the Triforce Slash, that character will also take some damage. In The Subspace Emissary, Link is seen pulling the Master Sword from its resting place in the middle of an unnamed forest, alongside his fairy.

There are twelve stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that depict Link:

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Link and Toon Link have returned as playable characters in the fourth installment of Super Smash Bros. Regular Link's appearance is now based a mix of the Skyward Sword Link and Twilight Princess Link while Toon Link is based on his updated Wind Waker HD design. Not much has changed in the mechanics of the two heroes. They both still wield the Master Sword and their regular shields.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Link is set to return in the fifth installment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time, he appears as his incarnation from Breath of the Wild, and can wear either his Champion's Tunic or the Tunic of the Wild. His moveset has some alterations; namely, a new down special move, Remote Bomb Rune, and a new Final Smash, Ancient Bow and Arrow.

Soulcalibur II


Link is a playable character appearing exclusively in the Nintendo GameCube version of the game, in which he is modeled on Link's incarnation from Ocarina of Time. Link's inclusion in the game is believed to be the primary reason why the GameCube version of Soulcalibur II became the best-selling. Notably, Link is one of only two characters in the game who utilizes true projectile attacks, in the form of his Bow, Boomerang, and bombs.

Not much is revealed of Link's story, but it is known that after investigating a series of natural disasters across Hyrule, he discovered that they were caused by an evil wizard, and was summoned by Princess Zelda in order to defeat him. After doing so, Link found that the wizard had been possessed by Soul Edge, an evil soul-devouring sword from another dimension. Quickly pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal and taking with him the Ocarina of Time, he embarked on a secret journey to this other world in order to destroy Soul Edge, knowing full well that the resurrection of the evil blade must be prevented at all costs. When the game is successfully completed it is revealed that by destroying Soul Edge, Link not only saves his own homeland from peril, but also maintains the tranquility of the world in which the sword resided. After learning of this, the hero then quietly returns to Hyrule, with a faint echo of his ocarina being the last heard of him.

In battle, Link utilizes many special moves believed to be (though not explicitly identified as) references to techniques from The Legend of Zelda games. For instance, the Rocket Stab attack may have been inspired by the Pegasus Boots from A Link to the Past. The Jump Thrust and Downthrust attacks may be from The Adventure of Link, and a backflip and Jump Attack are nearly identical to attacks used in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Much like the Super Smash Bros. series, Link has a total of four costumes, which is more than any other character&mdash;although they differ only in color. He is considered a mid-tier character by the tournament community. His design is largely based on his adult version in Ocarina of Time. His design in the game was also notorious for including a faint imprint of his private parts on his tights.

Although Link is not playable in Soul Calibur III, the Create-a-Soul's Sword and Shield moveset is similar to his own, only with Zelda-related moves like the Bombs, Bow, Boomerang and Spin Attack removed.

Dynasty Warriors VS
Link appears as an alternate costume in Dynasty Warriors VS (Shin Sangoku Musou VS), a hack-'n-slash Dynasty Warriors series for the Nintendo 3DS. Link's physical appearance in Dynasty Warriors VS is based on his appearance from Skyward Sword. The costume can be unlocked by completing the game's tutorial.

Monster Hunter series
Link's attire appears as an Armor Set in Monster Hunter 4 and its expansion game Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, two games in the Monster Hunter series. He is equipped with the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Sacred Bow, boomerang, bombs, and a type of bone flute. He likewise appears in Monster Hunter XX as DLC, his appearance reflecting his attire in Breath of the Wild.

Mario Kart 8
Link is available as a downloadable playable character for Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. A Zelda-themed vehicle known as the Master Cycle is be included in his DLC pack as well. In Mario Kart 8: Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch, all of this content, alongside the rest of the DLC packs featured in the Wii U version is already included within the game without extra purchase.

This Link primarily appears as his Skyward Sword incarnation, though his Breath of the Wild incarnation appears as an update to Deluxe. While the Skyward Sword incarnation is his only appearance in the Wii U version and initial versions of Deluxe, the Breath of the Wild incarnation appears as his default appearance following his update, with the Skyward Sword incarnation as an alternate.

When jumping a ramp, Link may either perform a Spin Attack mid-air or hold out the Triforce.

Diablo III
An item called the "Champion's Tunic" was to be present in the Nintendo Switch version of Diablo III, where players could get a Link-themed aesthetic armor set. The set was removed in favor of the "Legend of Ganondorf" set.

The Legend of Zelda TV series
Link is depicted as a traveling adventurer who settles in Hyrule Castle and takes the "job" of guarding the Triforce of Wisdom from the evil wizard Ganon. He is a brave, yet boisterous warrior who loves to twirl his sword in one hand before, during and after battles. He is right-handed in the cartoon, despite him being depicted as left-handed in most media. Link's voice was provided by Johnathan Potts. A slightly altered version of this Link, voiced by the same actor, appeared in four episodes of Captain N: The Game Master.

Link constantly attempts to impress Zelda in order to earn her affections, but she often rebuffs his advances and spurns him for his behaviors; the few times she agrees to kiss him, they are always interrupted by another character or event. He makes his affections for Zelda very clear and frequently tries to get her to kiss him. Link's catchphrase, "Well, excuse me, Princess!", is often uttered as a reaction to his failed advances towards Zelda, or her displeasure with something he has done wrong.

CD-i games
Link appears in the CD-i Zelda games produced by Phillips. In Link: The Faces of Evil, he is the protagonist and sets foot in the kingdom of Koridai to stop Ganon and rescue Zelda with the prophet Gwonam as his guide.

In Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, the roles are reversed. After King Harkinian does not return from his visit to Gamelon to aid Duke Onkled, Zelda sends Link to Gamelon to find her father per the King's instructions. After Link does not return for quite some time, Zelda and Impa journey to Gamelon to find them. Zelda discovers that he has gone into an intense battle with an unclear outcome, and that he has encountered Lady Alma along the way and given her his canteen for a kiss (which Zelda later gets from Alma). In the ending, Link is revealed to be trapped in a mirror in which Alma was checking herself and was freed when Zelda smashed it on the wall (why or how he was there is never explained).

Link was voiced by Jeffrey Rath in these games. His personality mirrors that of the animated series as he constantly tries to get a kiss from Zelda and lives in the palace with the Royal Family. In the third CD-i title separate from the first two, Zelda's Adventure, Link is captured by Ganon and is eventually rescued by Princess Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda comics
Following a storyline similar to the TV series, this comic ran for only four issues. In the comic, Link is not from Hyrule but is said to have come from the western land of Calatia, and this is the only land he shows more loyalty to than Hyrule. In one issue, when Zelda accuses Calatia's Queen Seline of stealing the Triforce and forces Link to choose between Seline and herself, Link stands by his queen.

Although these are not considered technically a part of the Zelda canon, the comic book series published by Valiant were reprinted in Nintendo Power magazine and authorized by Nintendo, so some fans accept them as being factual.

Allies
Although some of these relationships have not been easy at the start, Link very much cares for his friends and allies and tries to help them in their time of need. While some may occasionally mock or taunt Link at times, they do trust him and know that he is a true hero.

Princess Zelda
Possibly his closest relationship, Link and Zelda are usually shown to be very caring towards each other. This is to the point where it has been theorized to be romantic by others. Although not explicitly confirmed in a video game title, this theory is based on hints given in the games, interviews with the game creators, and content of the animated series, comics, and manga (although the last three are generally considered non-canonical).

One hint of a romance between Zelda and Link is given at the end of The Adventure of Link, when the awakened Princess apparently kisses Link under the falling curtain.

Some cutscenes in Ocarina of Time featuring the two together have also been interpreted as signs of attraction. While Link and Zelda are escaping Ganon's Castle, Zelda will show her concern for Link by shouting out whenever he is hurt. Moreover, in the game's final scene, Zelda and Link are floating in the sky together, sharing a decidedly sentimental (if not necessarily romantic) moment where Zelda states her apology for involving Link in the events of the game.

If the Oracle games are played as sequels to each other, the ultimate ending sequence shows Zelda lightly kissing Link on the cheek. Link swoons while hearts float above the pair's heads, and Zelda looks away, blushing. In The Wind Waker, when Zelda is asked to stay in hiding in Hyrule Castle while Link restores power to the Master Sword, she waves goodbye to Link, asking him to be careful. Afterwards, if Link visits one of Beedle's Shop Ships after meeting with Jabun, Beedle will ask Link if he knows Tetra. He then says "You have a bashful look on your face, Mr. Customer. You can't hide it from me! Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk", implying that he can tell Link has feelings for Tetra.

Despite having little interaction with Link in Twilight Princess, Zelda worked flawlessly with him in their horseback battle against Ganondorf, managing to overwhelm the Demon King with their excellent teamwork. When Zelda asked Link for his assistance in defeating Ganondorf, Link offered his hand as a response. It is also thinkable that Link later went to meet her once the events of the story were over, as was somewhat hinted at in the end credits.

Spirit Tracks features several moments that can be interpreted romantically. Early in the game, during the Graduation Ceremony, Zelda walks into the room in front of Link, who is bowing down respectfully. Link then looks up and gasps, blushing at her in amazement. He is then scolded by Chancellor Cole for raising his head without permission. Later, when Zelda's spirit is separated from her body following the first encounter with Chancellor Cole and Byrne, Link is the only one who can see her besides the Lokomos, demonstrating a clear and strong bond between himself and the Princess. After Zelda and Link defeat Byrne in the Tower of Spirits, Byrne, disbelieving, comments that he was beaten by two mortals. Zelda, while still possessing a Phantom, says that when she and Link combine their strength, no one can defeat them. Link turns to her, surprised. The background turns white and Zelda's Lullaby plays as they both laugh and high-five, gazing at each other all the while. Toward the end of the game, before the final battle against Malladus, Zelda is reunited with her body, and is no longer able to levitate. Link runs underneath her to catch her as she falls, and she lands on top of him and knocks them both to the ground as well as knock Link out for a few seconds. Upon awakening, Zelda, overjoyed to have her body back, embraces Link, causing him to blush. Finally, after Malladus is defeated, Zelda and Link watch Anjean and Byrne's spirits ascend to the heavens. The camera then lowers to show Zelda and Link holding hands while Zelda's Lullaby plays in the background. He then slightly squeezes Zelda's hand. Depending on the answer Link gave to Zelda concerning her question on what he will do after the battle with Malladus was over, the epilogue will show her waving towards Link when she hears him in action.

Skyward Sword has several noticeable romantic moments between Link and Zelda. Early in the game, Zelda wants Link to be the first to see her outfit for the Wing Ceremony. She worries over him and she does not want him to fail at becoming a knight. When Link's Crimson Loftwing is hidden by Groose, Zelda assists Link in finding his Loftwing. After Link wins the Wing Ceremony, Zelda jumps off the ledge and Link catches her almost as if she was expecting him to. She then congratulates him on winning. Afterwards, Zelda mentions that she is very happy to be atop the Statue of the Goddess with him. She also gets extremely close to him and almost implies that the two are to kiss, before she pushes him off the statue. Afterward, Zelda bashfully asks Link to go out flying which they do. She then tells Link how amazing the day was, and that she would remember it forever. At the Temple of Hylia, when Zelda states she must seal herself to keep Demise in place, she sheds tears of sadness and states before all this, she was happy just being with Link on Skyloft, demonstrating deep feelings for Link. Link desperately tries to stop her and when she is sealed, Link lowers his head in sadness, showing his deep feelings for her. Much later in the game, when Link releases Zelda from her sealed state, Link runs up and catches her from falling and both of them hug and walk out smiling at each other, holding hands, before Ghirahim ruins the tender moment. During the ending, Zelda asks what Link will do now. Link sweetly smiles at her while their Loftwings fly off toward the sky, implying that he chose to stay on the Surface to live with Zelda.

A Link Between Worlds features some gossip told to Link by the Rumor Guy. He tells Link that one of the Castle staff had seen Zelda sneaking off every night. When she followed her, she saw Zelda staring at the painting in Hyrule Castle depicting the Link and Zelda from A Link to the Past cuddling with each other, implying they became more intimate with each other. This also hints the Zelda in A Link Between Worlds wants to have a similar relationship with the Link of her time.

Breath of the Wild is notably the first and only game where Zelda held feelings of animosity towards Link's talent and the ease at which he seemed to adapt to his role as the chosen Hero while she the Princess of Hyrule struggled to awaken her divine sealing powers. Zelda also took his trademark silence as proof he despised her through in truth Link was a devoted royal knight whom silently bore the weight of his destiny on his shoulders. Link was a dutiful knight whom did his best to serve Zelda as her personal bodyguard despite Zelda not wanting him around her as he was a constant reminder of her own failings, even ordering him to return to the castle and stop following her when he interrupted her attempts to access the Tena Ko'sah Shrine without his assistance despite realizing it was only designed to open for the Master Sword's Chosen whom she knew was Link as he already wielded it. However he ignored her orders and Zelda was forced to tolerate his presence. While travelling near Lake Kolomo to visit Daruk to help him learn to control Vah Rudania, Zelda admitted she was amazed how the Divine Beasts had been constructed by people revealing her admiration for the Ancient Sheikah though she stops briefly and tells Link that the Master Sword is side to contain the voice of an ancient spirit and asks if he has mastered the sword enough to her it though Link does not respond to Zelda's snide question indicating he can't. During a visit to Gerudo Desert, Zelda use Gerudo Town law to allude Link's protection detail forcing him to seek Urbosa's aid in sneaking into Gerudo Town though Zelda had already slipped out. However Urbosa later found her working on Vah Naboris and informed Link who arrived quickly. Zelda grew frustrated by his persistence and continued to treat him poorly. However this all changed when Zelda was cornered by three Yiga Footsoldiers near Kara Kara Bazaar. Just as one of Yiga's Vicious Sickle was about to snuff out her life, Link defeated the Yiga knocking the sickle out of the Yiga's hand with the Master Sword and scaring the other two of with a simple glare. Afterwards Zelda felt guilty for her previous behavior as Link had saved her life despite how poorly she had treated him. As a result, Link began to open up to Zelda about the burden he carried causing Zelda to realize she how absorbed she was with her own problems and realized that despite his talent, Link still struggled with the immense pressure he was under which was the reason behind his silence. She was also surprised to discover he had a gluttonous appetite. As a result, Link and Zelda grew closer and bonded as kindred spirits who bore Hyrule's fate on their shoulders. After defeating a horde of monsters at Eldin Canyon single-handedly, Zelda mended Link's wounds though warns him their is a fine line between courage and recklessness, noting as brave as he is he is not immortal showing she came to care about Link's well-being as he did her safety. She also took the increase in monster attacks as an omen signalling Ganon's return was imminent and they needed to be prepared. However while they got along well, Zelda could still cause Link trouble such as when she in her axcitement attempted to take advantage of Link's appetite and physical conditioning for experiment, insisting him consume a Hot-Footed Frog she caught while they were resting on Irch Plain in order to test out its special properties, failing to realize it had to be cooked with monster parts into a Hasty Elixir first, showing Zelda could still be humorously pushy with Link at times though she didn't mean him any harm as her excitement at catching the frog for study clouded her better judgement. Zelda also came to admire Link's dedication to training and noted he was following in the footsteps of his father, though openly wondered if his situatione had been more like her own and all he was ever told was that his fate was to be a knigt yet he discovered he was not cut out for fighting, would he have chosen a different path. Link witnessed Zelda's strained relationship with King Rhoam during their confrontation on the bridge leading to Zelda's study but listened silently during Zelda and Rhoam's argument. Link also witnessed Zelda struggles to awaken her powers though stood dutifully by her side. Link however continued to open up more and even advised Zelda on however to better communicate with her horse by soothing it which she thanked him for and revealed she was trying to be a bit more empathic towards her steed by outfitting it with the Royal Horse Gear. Zelda would also reveal to Link her hope that her powers would awaken at the Spring of Wisdom but unfortunately they did not and the Great Calamity occurred. Zelda joined Link and their fellow Champions in confronting Ganon but their allies were kiled. As the fled away from Hyrule Castle Town, Zelda broke down in grief of losing her father, fellow Champions, and Kingdom while lamenting her research was all for nought and her feelings of being powerless and failure crying in Link's arms he silently consoled.

During the confrontation with Guardians at Fort Hateno, both refusing to sacrifice each other for their own safety, no matter what peril they may be in. Link refused to flee dutifully protecting Zelda as he had always done despite his injuries and Zelda's insistence he flee rather than watch him die trying to protect her. This is to the extent where Zelda unconsciously awoke her powers (despite previously being unable to do so, no matter how hard she tried) by shielding Link from a Guardian`s attack, showing how much his life means to her. When Link succumbed to his injuries, Zelda wept at his body, lamenting his death. Upon learning from the Master Sword that Link is still alive and can be saved she remembered the Shrine of Resurrection she and Purah had discovered was built to treat injured soldiers. Zelda wasted no time in ordering the Sheikah that found them to take Link to the Shrine on the Great Plateau. Leaving Link in the care of her Sheikah allies, Zelda entrusted the Master Sword to the Great Deku Tree promising the sword its Master would return. She tried to convince the Deku Tree to give Link a message but he refused believing it was better it came from her. Encouraged by the Master Sword she had a role to play Zelda decided to use her newfound powers to hold Ganon at bay sealing herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle that was once her home. 100 hundred years later, Zelda telepathically speaks to an awakened Link, giving him words of advice and warn him when a Blood Moon rises at midnight causing Ganon's peak power to resurrect slain monsters. She reveals that her seal on Ganon can barely contain him though she manages to keep him partially contained. Impa and her father's spirit both note Zelda has been fight to keep Ganon sealed for a century while waiting for Link to wakeup. At Hyrule Castle, Zelda aids Link in his battle with Calamity Ganon's second form, Dark Beast Ganon, gifting him with the Light Bow and giving him advice on how to defeat him. After Link hits Ganon's weak spot, Zelda herself appears, freed from her own sealing magic. She then uses her powers to seal away Ganon for good, entrapping him in an explosion of light. As she and Link reunite face-to-face for the first time in a hundred years, she asks him with a smile if he remembers her. At the end of the game, Link and Zelda walk toward their horses to begin their new adventure of rebuilding her kingdom together visiting Zora's Domain.

Interestingly, it is revealed by Kass after completing all of his shrine quest riddles, that his mentor had been in love with the princess, yet noticed she "only had eyes for her appointed knight". This hints that Zelda holds deep feelings toward Link, with it being unclear if Link reciprocates these feelings. However this may have been his mentor's jealous interpretation as Zelda's bond with Link could be a completely platonic close friendship as Link is one of the only people capable of understanding the burden she carries. It should be noted while Zelda admits to admiring his dedication to his training and cares about his well being her diary contains no hints of growing romantic feelings or physical attraction to Link, unlike Mipha and Paya's diaries which make their feelings for and attraction to Link very clear. This provides potential supporting evidence that Zelda feelings for Link are likely platonic though its possibly that she avoided writing her private romantic feelings presumably out of fear that the castle staff or possibly even Link himself might read it. However it is implied that Link may have romantic feelings for Zelda as while disguised as a girl if Link refuses to sit in during Ashai's "Voe and You" Class she will ask if Link already someone that "she" (due to Ashai being fooled by Link's disguise) care deeply for causing to act shy and embarrassed implying he does and that person is implied to be Zelda. It may also explain why Link is so fiercely protective of Zelda in addition to his knightly duty. Mipha may have been aware of his attraction to Zelda which might explain her feelings of jealousy towards Princess Zelda and Link spending time alone together due to Link's occupation as Zelda's personal bodyguard. Paya even wonders in her diary if Link has feelings for Zelda and is apparently supportive of them being a couple despite the thought causing her to feel pain in her heart as the entry was made when Paya was still in the process of coming to understand her own romantic feelings for Link though Paya herself ultimately decided she did not care if her feelings were ever reciprocated just happy to have known what love for someone felt like indicating she maturely accepted the possibly Link was in love with Zelda whom he knew more personally than Paya herself.

Family Members
Although Link is not often together with his family in most games, the ones that have been shown have a close bond with him. In A Link to the Past, Link's uncle lived together with his nephew peacefully until a telepathic call for help from Zelda came to them. This made Link's uncle try and rescue her while he asked Link to remain in the house for his own safety, showing genuine care. Later on when Link was reunited with his uncle, he found him to be mortally injured. He then asks Link to save Zelda while using the last of his strength to give Link his weapons and teaching him the Spin Attack. He then fondly recalls their time together before drawing his breath in the middle of his sentence. He was later revived when Link used the Triforce to undo Ganon's destruction.

In Ocarina of Time, it was explained that Link's mother protected Link from the Hyrulean Civil War by entrusting him to the Great Deku Tree while being fatally injured. This heavily hints how much she cared for her child.

In The Wind Waker, Link was shown to have a sister named Aryll and a grandmother. The bond between them seems to be very close. In fact, the initial reason why Link even went on his journey was to save Aryll when she was kidnapped by Ganon's minion. When Aryll was kidnapped and Link was going on his journey, Link's grandmother was devastated. This became to the point where she actually could not recognize her grandson due to the heavy burden she felt until Link used a fairy to heal her. She then assisted Link by giving him Elixir Soup whenever he asks for some and giving him 20 rupees she was saving up. At the end of Wind Waker, they were both sad to see Link leave when he decided to go with Tetra's crew after they stopped Ganon and his plot.

While not too much was shown, it seems that Link's grandfather from The Minish Cap has a normal relationship with his grandson with whom he lives together with.

He was also assisted by his ancestor, the Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess  by learning the hidden skills from him. While teaching Link the hidden skills, the Hero's Shade had his regrets eased in doing so and was able to pass on after teaching the final move to Link. The Hero's Shade then states his confidence that Link will succeed in his journey. He also referred to Link as his child which shows that he accepts Link as his descendant. This is in fact, one of the main reasons why he helped Link in the first place. The Hyrule Historia, reveals the Hero's Shade is the ghost of the Hero of Time indicating the Hero of Twilight is his direct descendant. Interestingly the Hero's Shade speaks archaically like his adoptive father the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time.

In Breath of the Wild, Zelda notes how Link was following in his father's footsteps by becoming a member of the Royal Guard just like his father. She also implies Link choose to become a knight of his own volition and was not pressured into it though wonders how he would have reacted if his upbringing had been more like hers and even sounded envious implying his father was supportive of Link's dreams and did not force him to become a knight despite his son's raw talent and prodigal skill. Given his choose vocation, Link presumably idolized his father and Zelda implies he seeks to follow in his father's footsteps. His father's fate is unrevealed though presumably he died before, during, or after the Great Calamity. It is implied he bonded with and befriended the Zora Bazz as a boy due to their shared backgrounds as they where both sons of accomplished knights as Bazz's father was the legendary shock resistant Zora Knight "Demon" Sergeant Seggin.

Epona
As the horse that acts as Link's steed, they have a close relationship with one another. While not having too much dialogue in most of the games she appears in, Epona does seem to be loyal toward Link regardless. While initially cautious towards Link in Ocarina of Time, she eventually warms up to him when he played Epona's Song. This is explored further in the Adult Timeline when she was rescued by Link from Ingo when he gained control over the ranch. In the Child Timeline, the same Epona also acted loyal towards Link in Majora's Mask, by ignoring Skull Kid's orders when she was stolen by him. She quickly recognized Link and acted as his stead once more after reuniting with him.

In Twilight Princess, she helped Link with his job as a wrangler and seems quite attached to him. This was to the point where she recognizes Link in wolf form and hopes that he returns to Hylian form as soon as possible. He is also the only person able to calm Epona when she is running around Kakariko Village in distress.

In Breath of the Wild instead of being Link's default steed, she appears as a special horse and like Link has attained legendary status in Hyrule being known as Epona the Horse of Legend by the stable managers. Link can summon Epona with the amiibo Rune in areas accessible to Horses. Unlike other horses, she is automatically tame, gentle and fully bonded with Link and like all unregistered horses can be ridden bareback. However she is apparently fussy about her appearance as the stable hands note she doesn't like her mane or equipment to be changed, thus Link cannot have her mane styled or change her bridle and saddle from the special bridle and saddle she receives by default after being registered indicating she can be stubborn and free spirited, though she does permit him to hold onto her mane to control her while riding her bareback when she lacks a bridle and saddle as he has no reigns to control her with. Despite her Gentle nature, Epona has balanced stats with four stars in each category making her a trusty steed who will no throw Link off like Wild temperament horses do if he pushes her too hard simply refusing to run when out of stamina. Link can feed her like other horses though since she has max bond automatically the only benefit to doing so is feeding her Endura Carrots or Roasted Endura Carrots left on the ground to temporarily increase her stamina to give her three extra yellow Carrot Spurs.

Impa
Although not exactly appearing in the first series, Impa was the reason why Link began his journey. She was the one who asked Link to defeat Ganon and save Hyrule. This would become a prominent theme in some other games she appears in. A few years later after Ganon's defeat, she told him about the story of another Zelda and the curse that was inflicted upon her by a Magician when she refused to tell her brother the Prince of Hyrule the location of the Triforce of Courage as well as how to undo it leading Link to confront Dark Link to acquire the Triforce of Courage to free the sleeping Zelda from her curse.

The Impa from Ocarina of Time followed Zelda's orders and dutifully helped Link on his quest. She also seems to have realized Link as a brave person as hinted through her dialogue. After awakening as a Sage she also assures him Zelda is alive and she will reunite with him when the time is right foreshadowing Sheik later revealing herself as a disguised Zelda.

The Impa from Skyward Sword as a young woman was initially harsh towards Link and berated him on their first meeting for being late (despite how difficult the situation was for him at the time). She also didn't think Link was a worthy hero until he proved her wrong however she may have been testing him to take his role more seriously. She later congratulated him for saving the world. The Impa in the present, on the other hand, seems to have become more gentle and understanding as she explained to Link what he should do though this is likely due to knowing him from her past thus knows he will grow into a capable hero.

In Breath of the Wild, the elderly Impa's relationship with Link is similar to past depictions, assisting and advising him in his quest to defeat Calamity Ganon. She is shown to be respectful towards Link whom she as been waiting one hundred years after he was placed in the Slumber of Restoration. Like King Rhoam, she advises and guides Link, has faith in his abilities and believes he will save Princess Zelda. She is also incredibly patient with the amnesiac Link though is disappointed he does not remember her though Paya notes in her diary her grandmother has been in good spirits since his return and had never seen her grandmother so happy. She also took care of his Champion's Tunic while Link slept and returns it to him after recovering a single memory. After he recovers all 12 memories, she reveals the final memory's location by showing him a printed photograph Zelda left that is displayed in her house which directs him to the old battleground near Fort Hateno. This leads him to recall his memory of the battle that lead to his injuries indicating Impa was fully aware that Zelda's pictures were meant to help Link recover his memory in the event their fears were realized though she apparently hoped that would not be the case explaining her disappointment though she remained in high spirits as she and Zelda had prepared for that very scenario. Presumably she held the last picture as it revealed the event that led to his life threatening injuries. However her patience has its limits as she tells him to drop the subject of the location of Paya's birthmark as Paya is embarrassed about it location (which is made worse by Paya's crush on Link which Impa apparently became aware of according to Paya's Diary) and tells him to respectful not bother the Sheikah Heirloom that her family has protected for generations upon generations stating that even an esteemed guest such as him must respect her family's tradition which she takes seriously. However unlike her granddaughter she apparently does not suspect Link is the prophecized hero that will be chosen by the heirloom, though given her patience she may suspect it though decides that if he is fated to wield it then such a time will present itself which ultimately comes to pass when the Sheikah Heirloom is stolen which allows Link to help her loyal bodyguard Dorian deal with the sins of his past as a former Yiga Clansman thus Link not only fulfills the prophecy but comes to Dorian's aid and defeats a Yiga Blademaster that had threatened Dorian's family, Impa, and Paya thus saving Kakariko Village from an outside threat that Impa suspected or may have been aware of. She may have also allowed the theft to give Link the opportunity to help the Sheikah deal with the problem given her faith in his abilities to resolve the situation. Purah even notes to Link how incredibly patient her younger sister is explaining that Impa's patience is a core aspect of her personality in sharp contrast to her impatient elder sister Purah thus Impa's patience attitude towards Link is apparently not unique. According to Paya's diary Impa simply smiles when the lovestruck Paya innocently asks for medicine to deal with a pain in her heart caused by wondering about the nature of Link's relationship with Zelda which causes her to feel conflicted as while she is consciously supportive of them being a couple the very thought pains her due to her own growing infatuation with Link. Paya tries to ask Dorian and Cado both of whom have had wives (Dorian is a widower while Cado is estranged from his wife Rola) what her grandmother's behavior meant but got the same reaction. Presumably Impa recognizes her granddaughter is in love though since Paya is new to such feelings as she is shy and is admittedly not good at talking to young men her own age (Link is physically still a young adult despite having lived for more than a century which Paya is fully aware of) she allows Paya to discover it on her own again showing her patience. Impa apparently has no problem with Paya's romantic feelings towards Link indicating she would approve of Paya trying to start a romantic relationship with Link if she chooses to. In npt interfering, Impa allows Paya to come to terms with her feelings in a mature fashion as Paya is happy to have known such feelings of love even if Link never reciprocates her feelings in the same way again showing the value of Impa's patience. However she does respect her granddaughter's privacy as she never reveals Paya's infatuation to Link and forces him to drop the subject of her birthmark's location as Paya is embarrassed to tell Link its location and is not comfortable revealing such an intimate detail about herself to him yet, with Impa apparently preferring to let Paya tell Link when she is ready to again a sign of Impa's valuing patience. Impa herself apparently prefers to stay out of her granddaughter's relationship with Link (save for sparing Paya embarrassment over her birthmark) simply allowing Paya to talk about her feelings while neither encouraging or discouraging her showing she respects that any relationship between should occur in its own time and would ultimately be between them.

Purah
In Breath of the Wild, Purah is Impa's elder sister and an expert in ancient Sheikah technology who worked with Zelda and Robbie in researching ancient technology before the Great Calamity discovering both the Sheikah Slate (which she named) and the Shrine of Resurrection. When Link was injured and near death, Zelda entrusted Purah and her subordinate Robbie with taking him to the Shrine and placing him in the Slumber of Restoration to save his life. Purah would later write about the events in her diary. Purah herself affectionately calls him Linky and is aware of his history and abilities. However unlike her younger sister grew impatient with waiting for his return even contemplating going to the Great Plateau and kicking him awake though realized her assistant would probably refuse to help and that she couldn't get their in her six year old body after a mishap with an experimental anti-aging rune. However despite her impatience it did not stop her from playing needless practical jokes on the amnesiac Link though these may have been payback for making her, Impa, Robbie, and Zelda wait so long, though Purah herself is partially to blame as she failed to test the slumber of restoration properly which she notes in her diary was an error in hindsight though chalks it up to a learning experience before contemplating getting Link to help her out with errands as Link is more than capable unlike her assistant Symin indicating she is not above taking advantage of him. She is however somewhat patient with him and answers his questions and despite warning him not to really has no problem with him reading her diary though pretends to be angry while playing a practical joke on him. She is also comfortable revealing her regressed age to him despite having kept it from her own family and colleagues save for her assistant Symin whom was present during said experiment and witnessed its aftermath. She is also not above charging Link to use her Guidance Stone as she admits to not like to let people use it for free (Link must lrelight her Furnace which acts as payment to use it to restore the Sheikah Slate's missing components and pay with ancient materials to upgrade his runes) forcing Link to pay Rupees to upload pictures only allowing him to test it out for free once though this was mainly to satisfy her intellectual curiosity. However it is suggested she does so out of necessity as she notes her lab's poor financial situation. Purah is also comfortable with telling Link about her and Impa's relationship and even her opinion of Impa whom is too patient and wound up way too tight for Purah's taste though admits she loves her younger sister and isn't embarrassed to admit Impa often kept Purah's antics from getting too out of hand despite it making Purah look immature compared to her younger sister. She was also quick to figure out Link was responsible for activating the Great Plateau Tower that caused the buried Sheikah Towers to rise restoring power to the Shrines of Trial scattered throughout Hyrule thanks to her being a top researcher and realizing the Sheikah Slate was intended for him all along. However she dislikes him speaking to her while standing on the table next to her finding it annoying presumably due to it reminding her of her age regressed condition and apparently dislikes how short she has become as she has to stand on a chair. However she seems to attributes this behavior to being a side effect of the Slumber of Restoration however it is unclear if she is being sarcastic when she makes a note of it. However if Link persists she orders him to get down if he wishes to talk showing her patience is less than Impa's.

If Link removes his body armor near her she will note "Fascinating..." to herself though if spoken to will simply take the opportunity to exam his scars which she notes have mostly healed presumably intrigued to exam the results of healing in stasis for a century though she does seem upbeat upon talking to to him while immodestly dressed so its possible she finds Link attractive though is better at hiding it than Paya as she is at least 126 years old (she was apparently in her 20's at the time of the Great Calamity and thus only a couple years older than Link though physically she is currently younger than either him, Zelda, Impa, and even Paya however is working on a way to reverse her condition to a more acceptable age presumably in her physical prime) and has known Link since the Champions' inauguration as she took the Picture of the Champions and presumably printed it. In her diary she simply notes how young and courageous he was and initially believed his skills would have defeated Calamity Ganon in a glorious fashion but they all underestimated Ganon's cunning and millennia of experience combating the incarnations of the Hero, members of the Royal Family, Sheikah, Hyrule's army, and allies as well as Ganon's long history of manipulating his enemies into a false sense of security before turning the tables on them. If Purah has any attraction towards Link presumably it is not as strong as Paya's or she long ago accepted that he was uninterested or let go of any idea of potential romance with him due to his destiny and/or potential relationship with Zelda. Alternatively she simply finds him physically attractive though has little interest in pursuing him romantically as she seems more devoted to her research as unlike Impa and Robbie she is unmarried (unless she remained single and sought to regain her youth in an effort to be with him explaining her irrational impatience and the risks she took by experimenting on herself with an untested rune which was potentially dangerous). Additionally her nickname may be another indication of possible infatuation. However like Zelda, Purah's true feelings for Link are open to interpretation thus could be physical, romantic, or entirely platonic.

Paya
In Breath of the Wild, Paya is Impa's granddaughter and Purah's grandniece. Ever since she was a child, Paya heard stories of the slumbering Hylian Champion whom her grandmother and grandaunt had been waiting to return to save Hyrule from Ganon and free Princess Zelda from her burden of keeping Ganon sealed. Before Link awakens, Paya prays that he will return soon for her grandmother and grandaunt's sake as both are elderly (she is unaware Purah had regressed to a six year old via an anti-aging experiment) and had waited over a century. Little did she know her prays would be answered when Link appeared carrying Princess Zelda's Sheikah Slate. Upon recognizing him as Master Link whom her grandmother told her about, Paya was overwhelmed as he had not aged since being placed in stasis and she found him to be dashingly handsome apparently not expecting him to be around her own age which caused Paya to have trouble speaking to him as she was admittedly not good at talking to young men which was made worse by her finding Link attractive as she was not use to such feelings. However she insisted he meet her grandmother telling him to ignore her reaction to his presence and later noted in her diary how happy Impa was even after learning of Link's amnesia. Paya also wrote down aspects of Link's appearance she found attractive making her attraction to him all to plain to see for anyone that read it. Little by little, Paya became comfortable to talk to Link and did her best to answer his questions provided they weren't too personal as she tends to freak-out when Link asks Paya about herself though makes matters worse when she mentions her Papaya seed shaped birthmark while explaining the origin of her name. The location of the birthmark is embarrassing and Paya cannot bring herself to tell Link such an intimate detail about herself despite volunteering the information in the first place though Impa forces Link to drop the subject though Paya promises to tell him someday when she is ready. She also freaks out when he asks about the mark on her face assuming their is something wrong with her face (presumably a pimple or other blemish as most teenage girls would especially in the presence of someone their infatuated with) before remembering the protective tailsman tattooed on her forehead and calms down immediately before explaining its cultural significance and purpose. She can also be a bit jumpy around Link as he often startles her when she is busy working, praying, or righting in her diary indicating she is still a little nervous around him. She also becomes overwhelmed by the sight of Link immodestly dressed (barechested without Body Armor) presumably due to her attraction to Link and being unable to properly maintain her composer to the point she nervously requests he dress more appropriately though she does move her fingers to take a peek before shyly covering her eyes again. However her diary reveals she is not fully aware of her feelings which go from simple attraction to a full blown crush. Paya even begins speculating on Link's relationship with Zelda and while consciously supportive of them becoming a romantic pair the very thought pains her heart thought she innocently assumes she is sick and requires medicine which she tries to acquire from Impa who simply listens and smiles recognizing Paya is in love though keeps this to herself forcing Paya to figure it out on her own allowing the shy Paya to come to terms with her feelings. Ultimately Paya's love for Link matures though she accepts that she is fine if Link never returns her feelings simply happy to have known love and Link himself. However she still remains shy around him and tries to downplay the significance of her diary when writing in it or if Link attempts to read it in her presence despite noticeablely freaking out while trying to dismiss it as uninteresting indicating she is not comfortable with her true feelings being revealed to him. It is unclear if Link has any attraction to or romantic feelings for Paya though reading her diary when Paya is sleeping or not around to stop him makes Link aware of her attraction and growing infatuation perfectly clear to him though he will not let Paya know he is aware of her true feelings indicating he respects her feelings and tactfully opts to stay silent on the issue until Paya is ready to reveal them to him herself. Alternatively he may wish to avoid a situation where he may be forced to reject her as he may be in love with Zelda as Paya suspected or has lingering feelings for his childhood friend Mipha upon regaining his memory of her. Additionally Link's amnesia may put him in a difficult state emotionally and may be simply unprepared to handle any romantic entanglements as he is currently busy trying to fulfil his destiny (additionally he may wish to avoid upsetting Paya whom is Impa's granddaughter and Purah's grandniece thus not wanting to alienate two of his few surviving allies).

Seven Maidens
Throughout the dialogue from the Seven Maidens, it is clear that they see Link as their hope against Ganon and his minions. They were all grateful for what Link did for them and thanked him for his actions. They used their magical powers to assist their friend despite the dangers of doing so. In Four Swords Adventure, they trusted Link enough to protect them while they checked on the seal. They were able to help him defeat Ganon by sealing him in the Four Sword.

Malon
There has been speculation and heated debate about the possibility of Malon being Link's love interest. Evidence to support this theory include one of the Gossip Stones outside the Temple of Time stating that Malon dreams of a knight in shining armor, Talon joking that Link should marry his daughter, and Malon always acting cheerful around Link, especially after he rescues Epona.

Additionally, Malon is the only female besides Navi in either the supporting or main cast who does not become a Sage, which some interpret as being prohibited to having romantic relationships; when Princess Ruto awakens as the Sage of Water, she says that she cannot offer Link her love now, as she must guard the Water Temple and he must continue his quest, and when Saria awakens as the Sage of Forest, she tells Link that it is their destiny to live in different worlds, though the latter may be a result of Link's aging and true identity as a Hylian. It is also unknown whether any of these characters awaken as Sages in the Child timeline that arises when Princess Zelda sends Link back in time to live out his childhood.

It is possible though, that once a Sage has fulfilled their duties, they are free to pursue romantic relationships with others. Indeed, Tetra is shown to be a member of the Royal Family of Hyrule, despite the only known surviving member in the Adult Timeline being Princess Zelda, hinting that she is Tetra`s direct ancestor.

In the Hyrule Historia, it is confirmed that the Hero's Shade is the Link from Ocarina of Time and the ancestor of Link in Twilight Princess. Many fans take the fact that Link is a rancher in Twilight Princess to support this theory. Link also happens to know Epona's song, which Malon stated that her Mother sang to her as a baby. It may be that the song was passed down to Twilight Princess's Link as with Malon before him. However, it is possible that Link from Ocarina of Time merely passed down all the songs he knew to his offspring which was passed down all the way to Twilight Princess Link, rather than just Epona's Song. Indeed, Link in wolf form can howl other songs from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask in order to meet the Hero's Shade, hinting he actually knew them (although this could be because he learned them from the Howling Stones). It should be noted though, that Link in no way needs an ancestry of ranchers in order to be one himself, as he may have simply became a rancher by choice or necessity.

Marin
The only other character besides Zelda that Link has clearly shown a romantic interest towards, Marin also seems to hold romantic feelings for the young hero. She was the one who saves Link after he washed up on Koholint Island, nursing him back to health with her father Tarin. The two spend quite a lot of time with each other afterwards, with Link at one point apparently hoping for something to happen between them. At another point, Marin tells Link about her dream and states to Link that she wants to know wants to know everything about him, but immediately laughs it off in a awkward way.

The two later share a series of misadventures with one another, such as Marin falling on top of Link when they both go down a well and Marin picking up the Trendy Game shop owner with a grabbing claw. Later on, Marin gets kidnapped by some monsters and placed on a rotting segment of the bridge crossing between the Tal Tal Heights, with Link coming to her rescue. Once rescued, Marin is about to tell something towards him, but her father ruins the mood.

Around the end, if Link talks to Marin after getting the Ocarina and learning "Ballad of the Wind Fish" she will thank him for all his help and tells him that he is the kindest boy she knows, followed by her revealing that she made her wish to the Wind Fish. She however, somewhat playfully refuses to tell him what it was she wished for. Marin also asks that Link always remember her and the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" when he leaves the island, saying that she would never forgive Link if he forgot. Once Link is successful in his quest and awakens in the real world, he sees the Wind Fish and smiles, understanding that his adventure with everyone in Koholint Island (including Marin) was real.

Somewhat disturbingly, if Link causes mischief near Marin such as hitting a cucco she will call him a  "bad boy", but if Link hits the cucco multiple times, Marin changes her attitude for a moment and encourages Link's action.

One possible reason for Link's attraction towards Marin is her uncanny resemblance towards Zelda, initially mistaking her as the princess when they first met. The non-canon 4-koma manga of Link's Awakening frequently pokes fun at Link for having an intimate relationship with both Zelda and Marin, either of the two calling Link a cheater or showing signs of jealousy towards each other. In the end, despite Link having feelings for Marin during the events of Link's Awakening, he eventually became intimate with Zelda as revealed in A Link Between Worlds.

Navi
Although Navi didn't think of Link too highly when they first met, she did warm up to him and became very caring in her role as his Guardian Fairy. She encouraged him in hard times and gave him advice against enemies. In time, Navi learned of how great of a hero Link was as he overcame enemies and trials. Their friendship had indeed become quite strong as Navi seemed saddened when she parted with Link after their adventure. In turn, Navi was the reason why Link left Hyrule in Majora's Mask to find her, where she is referred to as a 'beloved and invaluable friend'. It is currently unknown if they ever reunited with each other.

Seven Sages (Ocarina of Time)
In Ocarina of Time, Link was helped by the Seven Sages upon awakening them. Impa and Princess Zelda count among the Seven Sages; the other five sages are listed below.

As Kaepora Gaebora, Rauru encouraged Link when he first stepped out of the Kokiri Forest as well as giving him some advice. After doing so, Rauru left his friend while leaving him a promise that they will meet again. He later kept his promise by appearing in front of Link a number of times to give him advice, as well as carrying him twice when Link couldn't progress on his own. He also complimented Link on his growth later on and gave him one final advice on defeating Twinrova and encouraged him again. In his true form, Rauru told Link about the situation when he awakened from his seven year slumber and gave him instructions on what to do as well as the Silver Medallion.

Presumably, because they were childhood friends, Saria was quite caring towards Link even after seven years had passed. She was the one who taught Link her song as well as gave him the Fairy Ocarina. This would later prove helpful in his journey. She was said to be the only one who stood up for Link out of all the Kokiri when Mido spread false rumors about him being responsible for the Great Deku Tree's death. Unlike the other Kokiri, she also recognized Link when he became a teenager. It is thought that Saria is the one the Deku Tree instructed to raise Link during his time in Kokiri Forest and this is why she knows his true identity as a Hylian.

While Link wasn't immediately respected by Darunia as a small child, he soon proved himself after helping the Gorons defeat their enemy. This caused Link to become sworn brothers with Darunia which shows the new found respect that Darunia gained for his friend. The respect Darunia gained for Link was enough for the Goron to name his child after him.

Quite obnoxious and rude towards Link at the start, Ruto has a rather odd relationship with him. At first refusing his help while inside Jabu-Jabu's stomach, she eventually accepted it and ordered him to carry her while on their journey. After the whole ordeal was over, she came have feelings for Link and gave him the last spiritual stone while considering themselves to be engaged (because the stone also acted as an engagement ring between Zora people) with Link unaware of her thoughts. She also seemed happy to see Link after seven years and asked for his help to save her people. When she awakened as a sage, she told Link her feelings but then told him that he should continue his journey while she remained as a sage.

When Nabooru met Link in the past, she looked down on him for being a small child. She was alternatively however, willing to trust him to get the Silver Gauntlets for her. She later became grateful towards Link when he saved her in the Adult Timeline and complimented him for the kind of person he became.

Tatl
Although Tatl was initially quite hostile towards Link, along with the fact that she was partly responsible for him losing Epona and getting turned into a Deku Scrub, they did eventually become friends. As rude, bossy, and uncaring as she acted towards Link, she did stick with him throughout their adventure, partly for her own sake. At some point though, she began to feel bad for what she had done to Link and apologized for her actions. Their relationship turned better after this. While Tatl still retained some of her demanding attitude towards Link, she also became kinder towards him. She was also truly grateful for what Link did for Termina and her friends. This was best shown when she states her thanks to Link before his departure.

The King of Red Lions
One of the first individuals to show kindness to Link beside the residents of Outset Island, the King of Red Lions acted as both a mentor and a father figure towards him. This is shown throughout their adventure, with the King of Red Lions guiding Link as his companion, and eventually trusting him enough to reveal his true identity as Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule.

Notably, the King of Red Lions was the one who gave Link his title as "the Hero of Winds". With Link braving through many arduous tasks, the former king of Hyrule understood him as the chosen hero, being a personal witness to his actions. Furthermore, the King of Red Lions saw Link as a dear friend, one whom he hoped for to have a bright future. During the final confrontation with Ganondorf, the King of Red Lions wished on the Triforce to completely drown Hyrule. This was done so that Link and Tetra would not be bound to the sunken kingdom, but instead find hope and prosperity for themselves.

Once Ganondorf was defeated and Hyrule was nearly completely flooded, the King of Red Lions decided to remain in his fallen kingdom, while ensuring that Link and Tetra would rise to the surface. Saddened to see his friend's state, Link reached his hand towards the King of Red Lions one last time, as a gesture to accompany him. For a slight moment, the King of Red Lions raised his hand towards Link, only to stop at the last second. The King of Red Lions had chosen his fate, and saw his friend drift back to the surface.

Ciela
Unlike most of Link's other sidekicks, Ciela was kind and friendly towards him from the start. She was genuinely concerned for his well-being and grew annoyed whenever Linebeck was mistreating Link or herself. Having seen Link's heroics up close, Ciela holds him in high regard, crediting the hero for his numerous accomplishments.

Once Ciela regained her memories as the Spirit of Time and Courage, she became more eager than ever to help Link on his quest. She even goes to assure him that with their combined might, they will succeed in their quest. Though having become more confident in herself, Ciela is shown to have not lost her respect and affection towards Link in the process. When Tetra is returned to her former self and thanks Ciela for doing so, Ciela modestly tells her that Link was the one who saved her.

Hypothetically, it is possible that her interaction with Link is what allowed Ciela to see the good in Linebeck, despite having felt nothing but contempt towards the sailor at first. From the time spent with Link, Ciela may further learned the importance of compassion and understanding.

When their time to part was near, Ciela warmly tells Link she would like to stay with him, but since she is a spirit who serves the Ocean King, they now have to say good-bye. Link nods to his friend's words and reaches his hand towards her one last time, before a mist covers the Ghost Ship, bringing him back to his own world.

Linebeck
Although he was rescued by Link from a trap, Linebeck at first did not care much about Link, as he cowardly ran away from the dungeon without concern towards his savior. He also initially helped Link and Ciela only for personal gain and refused to help them at one point when he found there was no treasure to get. His personality gradually changed while being with Link and Ceila though, as he became more loyal and lost his cowardly personality, to the point of directly assisting them near the end. He also felt ashamed when he became a pawn for their enemy despite it not truly being his fault. Link and Ciela understood the situation and was genuinely pleased to see Linebeck okay. Link also smiled when he saw Linebeck's ship after returning to their own world. In the end, Linebeck seems to have truly gotten to like his friends.

Ezlo
Despite being quite sarcastic towards Link, Ezlo is nonetheless a friend towards him. He also seems to have eventually gotten used to being Link's hat to the point where Ezlo once stated that he hid an "eggy snack" in Link's hair about a month ago and forgot about it. Once the Minish World began to close for another hundred years. Ezlo is saddened to leave the human world. As a parting gift, Ezlo gives Link a floppy green hat, similar to what he had looked like while serving as Link's cap. He then noted that it was the first time he saw Link wearing a hat. He then stated it suited him. While heading towards the portal to his world, Ezlo stops for a moment to say goodbye to his friend.

Midna
A rather uneasy partnership at first, Midna was initially planning to use Link for her own personal gain and acted despotic to him. She rather sarcastically asked Link if he was okay in a difficult situation though, hinting some concern. When Zelda seemingly sacrificed herself to save Midna however, she became more open towards Link and called him by his name as well as genuinely showed her care for him. She also stopped being so demanding towards him and became a reliable partner as well as a friend. Link in turn, also thought of Midna as a friend as he was relieved to see her unharmed after their fierce battle against Ganondorf. Throughout their adventure, Link and Midna's relationship had shifted from uneasy to true friendship. Towards their parting moment, Midna is saddened at saying goodbye to her friend, breaking the Mirror of Twilight with a tear.

Crimson Loftwing
Link's bond with the Loftwing that he befriends prior to the events of Skyward Sword is strong. Their connection was an immediate one as they apparently worked together even when they first met, which Gaepora states made Zelda slightly envious. By working together, Link and the Crimson Loftwing are able to win the Wing Race despite other competitors attempting to sabotage them. Even Pipit, who won the previous Wing Ceremony, admits that he would not have won if Link and his Crimson Loftwing entered alongside him. The bond between the two is similar to Link's bond with Epona.

Fi
Partially due to her programming, Fi initially showed no attachments toward Link as a friend, only being with him per Hylia's instructions. Serving Link as her "master", Fi willingly listened to his commands and gave him advice when she felt it was necessary, in a formal and calm manner. While on their journey though, Fi comes to see what kind of a person Link is and how people have been helped by him, bringing about a change in her.

After Link defeats the demon king Demise, Fi instructs him to return the Master Sword back into its pedestal, as their mission was completed. Fi then explains that placing the Master Sword back into the pedestal would cause her to fall in eternal slumber, to Link's shock. Though understanding Link's hesitance and feeling saddened herself, Zelda convinces Link to do so. Immediately after Link places the Master Sword back into its pedestal however, Fi appears before him one more time.

Telling Link that the memories she has of the time spent with him is among the most precious data stored within her, Fi states that she feels happiness. Remembering the words of gratitude that many before had said to her master, Fi thanks Link and wholeheartedly hoped that they meet again. Link smiles and nods to his friend's words. Fi then falls into her slumber, with Link assured that his friend was at peace. Ultimately, Link and Fi had built a bond of friendship and camaraderie between each other.

King Rhoam
After his death during the Great Calamity the spirit of the Last King of Hyrule, King Rhoam takes it upon himself to guide Link when he wakes up inside the Shrine of Resurrection. However unsure how to approach him, the King takes the disguise of an elderly woodcutter living alone on the Great Plateau. He guides Link to the Shrines and teaches him how to survive in the wilderness of the Plateau. He is also somewhat proud of his performance as the Old Man but he apologizes to Link in his diary after having revealed his true identity and giving him the quest to "Destroy Ganon" and directs him to "Seek Out Impa" at Kakariko Village for further guidance. The diary reveals that King Rhoam has total faith in Link's abilities and believes that he will defeat Ganon and free his beloved daughter, Zelda who has been fighting 100 years to keep Ganon under seal. After giving Link the Paraglider, Rhoam disappears from the Plateau.

According to Daruk's Training Journal, King Rhoam witnessed Link's skill when a Guardian went out of control during a test at Hyrule Castle. As the Guardian attacked with deadly beams, Link grabbed a nearby Pot Lid and deflected a beam back at the Guardian defeating it. Daruk notes the King recognized Link's ability and was the one responsible for Link being appointed Captain of Princess Zelda's royal guard detail. During Recovered Memory #12: "Father and Daughter, Link kneels when King Rhoam appears before Princess Zelda as she is observing a Guardian Stalker being tested. Link remains silent as Rhoam admonishes Zelda for not dedicating every moment to unlocking her sealing powers and does not dare speak up for Zelda in her defense implying he was either too respectful and/or intimidated by the King of Hyrule. Towards the end of the game, King Rhoam (alongside the Four Champions), watch Link and Zelda from afar before moving on to the next world.

It is suggested he lingered after death partially due realizing the value of Zelda's research which ultimately saved Link's life thus his recognize his dismissal of Zelda's research as her neglecting her royal duties was wrong and that he put too much faith in her sealing powers and the ancient technology originally used to defeat Calamity Ganon in the past, rather than trusting his daughter's judgement which might have lead her to discover the Shrines and Sheikah Slate's true purpose much sooner which may have prevented Link from becoming injured in the first place. This would explain King Rhoam's watching over and guiding Link as his way of making up for his failures by aiding the one person capable of understanding his daughter's situation and the only one capable of defeating Ganon to free Zelda from her burden.

Knights of Hyrule
In the past of Breath of the Wild, Link was a member of the Knights of Hyrule. The son of a member of Hyrule's Royal Guard a select group of knights within the order that protects the Royal Family of Hyrule, as a four year old child Link accompanied a Hylian envoy to Zora's Domain. Though only four years old, Link was already a capable swordsman whom could best grown adult knights. By the time he returned to Zora's Domain a couple years later, he was already an accomplished knight within the order whom had been chosen by the Master Sword. Link was a dutiful knight whom was eventually recognized by King Rhoam after he demonstrated quick thinking and bravery when he used a simple Pot Lid to deflect a laser back at a Guardian which had gone out of control during a test at Hyrule Castle defeating it. As a result he became the youngest person appointed to the position of Imperial Guard Captain in Hyrule's history and was assigned to be Zelda's personal bodyguard. However he was assumed to have perished during the Great Calamity and by the time he had awoken a century later, the Knights of Hyrule had either been killed or died out leaving Link the only surviving member of the order. Upon defeating Dark Beast Ganon, Link continued to serve as Zelda's bodyguard as they both worked to rebuild the kingdom of Hyrule.

Sheikah Monks
The servants of Hylia whom test Link throughout his journey in Breath of the Wild have waited untold centuries for the next Hero to appear so they may prepare Link to confront Calamity Ganon. Some offer blessings to Link after he accesses their shrines while others test his mind with puzzles, or his body and skill with combat trials. The Sword Monks require him to prove himself by facing an illusionary gauntlet to unlock the true power of the Master Sword permanently. Monk Maz Koshia requires Link face the Final Trial which includes a challenge of combat between Link and the monk. Maz Koshia rewards Link with the Master Cycle Zero upon defeat. Upon completing all 120 Shrine Trials, the monks recognize Link as a true hero by bestowing upon him a set of Hero's Clothes made by them especially for him.

Robbie
In Breath of the Wild, Robbie is Purah's former subordinate and Guardian researcher who worked with Purah and Zelda before the Great Calamity and worked with Purah to care for Link after he was injured. Robbie's Memoirs reveal he felt responsible for Link's condition as he negligented to develop ancient weaponry as he had been too focused on researching Guardians and ensuring they would be operational to confront Ganon only for the Great King of Evil to turn them against Hyrule which lead to Link's injuries. After seeing the broken Guardians near Fort Hateno while escorting Purah to Hateno Village, Robbie decided to avoid making the same mistake and began working on development of Ancient Soldier Gear as anti-Calamity armaments. After constructing the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab in an old lighthouse in Deep Akkala, Robbie began development of these armaments eventually automating the process by modifying his Guidance Stone in the ancient oven Cherry. Like Impa, Robbie got married and started a family while he waited. However when Link first arrives Robbie is careful presumably out of fear of the Yiga Clan whom can disguise themselves as Hylians. Link must either relight his lab's furnace or talk to Robbie bare-chested to allow Robbie to recognize Link now healed battle scars, either of which prove his identity to Robbie whom is eager to help him and boldly offers to join forces to defeat the Calamity with Robbie providing him equipment through Cherry, though due to having constructed and funded his lab all by himself requires payment in Rupees though justifies it as research funding though does apologies and gives Link three free Ancient Arrows as a sample of his work and thanks for relighting his furnace. Robbie is also open with Link about his martial problems with Jerrin due to her irrational jealousy over Cherry whom Robbie named after his first love. He also deduces Purah's condition from Link's responses to his inquiries about how Purah is doing though is accustomed to Purah's impulsive personality and relieved to know she hasn't changed indicating he is not surprised her anti-aging research experiment mishap that reverted her to a six year old. He is shown to be patient with Link and even apologies after his lengthy introduction speech before getting to the business at hand showing consideration for Link awhom he becomes aware is amnesiac as Zelda, Purah, Impa, and he had feared due to the untested Slumber of Restoration.

Big Bad Bazz Brigade
Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison are a group of Zora children whom Link became friends with as a child. Bazz and Link where quite close and came from similar backgrounds as their fathers were both accomplished knights. Due to Link's skill, Bazz trained under Link in swordsmanship becoming a Zora Royal Knight Captain in adulthood. Unlike their fathers, Bazz and Rivan did not hold Link responsible for the Great Calamity. All three where also happy to learn of his survival and welcomed his aid in dealing with Vah Ruta. However Gaddison refused to come to Talley Town noting she is a soldier but directs Link to Kapson. Rivan is so happy to see Link's alive that his daughter Dunma has to remind him to focus on his job as he becomes easily distracted when they talk about the past.

Zora Council of Elders
The Council of Elders of Zora's Domain is made up of Zora who where adults during the Great Calamity. Mipha's death hit them hard and Link became a convenient scapegoat as he had been close to Mipha yet failed to protect her. His survival only made matters worse. Only the priest Kapson did not hold any animosity towards Link. Most of the elders are verbally hostile towards Link with Muzu even outraged King Dorephan gave Link the Zora Armor Mipha had made unaware it had been made especially for him until Prince Sidon reveals Mipha was in love with Link. Muzu has a change of heart and decides to help Link advising him where to acquire Shock Arrows. However the other's refuse to accept Link's help and hold onto their hatred until Link frees Vah Ruta. Afterwards the remaining elders let go of their hatred of Link and the Hylians. Dento even becomes willing to reforge the Lightscale and Ceremonial Tridents when they break.

King Dorephan & Prince Sidon
Mipha's Father is an old acquaintance of Link's as Link is the childhood friend of his daughter Mipha and an old friend of the Zora people. Dorephan does not blame Link for Mipha's death knowing that she loved Link greatly and is happy to learn of Link's survival even giving him the Zora Armor Mipha made for Link with the intention behind it to one day marry Link which Dorephan was aware of as the armor is traditionally made for a Zora Princess' future husband. Like Impa, he is dismayed to learn of Link's amnesia though does his best to explain the current situation before asking for his assistance showing great faith in his abilities and seeing his return when the Zora are in desperate need of Hylian assistance as the work of fate as King Dorephan is well aware of Link's heroic destiny.

Prince Sidon however was too young to remember Link and did not recognize him. However Sidon quickly accepted Link's aid even before learning his true identity and was pleased to learn Link was the Hylian Champion. He also recognized the significance of the Zora Armor fitting Link as proof of his elder sister's love for the Hylian. Together they fought the corrupted Vah Ruta with Link riding on Sidon's back though Sidon left freeing Vah Ruta to Link whom avenged Mipha's death and freed her spirit, leaving both Dorephan and Sidon extremely grateful to the man Mipha loved. Link and Princess Zelda would later visit them after Ganon's defeat implying they would continue to work with Link and Zelda in rebuilding the Kingdom of Hyrule to create a bright future for the Hylians and Zora.

Unlike Impa, Purah, Robbie, and Zelda, Dorephan and Sidon were unaware of Link and Zelda's survival until Link appeared and informed Dorephan of Zelda's order to free the Divine Beasts indicating they assumed Link and Zelda had perished with Mipha and the other Champions.

Champions
In the past of Breath of the Wild, Link is shown to have strong relationships with most of his team. At the end of their dungeons, they give Link words of comfort and their abilities.

Daruk is shown to have a caring relationship to Link, similar to Darunia with the Hero of Time, becoming sworn brothers not long after they first met. According to Daruk's Training Journal, Link and him became sworn brothers shortly after they met when Link was fighting monsters on the mountain. Daruk came to Link's aid, only to be surprised by Link's Goron-like strength. This distracted Daruk from the monsters, forcing Link to save Daruk as well. Humorously, Daruk once gave Link a Rock Roast, assuming he would enjoy it as food. Though likely not enjoying it as Daruk intended him to, Link apparently managed to consume the Roast Rock without any serous injuries. Notably, Daruk gave Link advice on being Zelda's personal guard, brought up the idea of giving Link a ceremony welcoming him into the champions, and affectionately called him "Little Guy". Before leaving for his Divine Beast, he assures Link that that the Champions will have his support.

Unlike the other champions, Mipha was shown to have already known Link as a childhood friend having known him since he first visited Zora's Domain with an envoy of Hylians. He would eventually leave Zora's Domain and would return several years later having grown into an accomplished Knight of Hyrule capable of wielding the Master Sword which Mipha was proud to hear. She is stated to have eventually fallen in love with Link much like Princess Ruto whom fell in love with the Hero of Time, though it not shown whether Link ever reciprocated her feelings though he did care about her as he insisted she return to Zora's Domain while he was tracking down a Lynel that had been terrorizing Zora's Domain. Link even protected Mipha from the Lynel when it attacked them. According to Kodah, she once competed with Mipha for Link's affection indicating Mipha wasn't the only female Zora to have feelings for the Hylian, though it is implied she lost to Mipha as she eventually married Kayden. Mipha even went to the point of creating Zora Armor for him, as is tradition for Zora princesses to do so for the man they choose to marry. Mipha however was jealous of Princess Zelda when Link was assigned to be Zelda's personal bodyguard though this was mainly due to the fact that Zelda got to spend time alone with Link. However Mipha did not let her jealousy of Zelda being close to Link consume her and remained civil towards her Hylian counterpart. Mipha even considered asking Link to marry her and prayed to the legendary Zora Princess whom fell in love with a Hylian swordsman (implied to be Ruto) for the courage to tell Link her true feelings. She is stated to have often healed Link's wounds using her power, and her memory is shown of her declaring a promise to Link to always heal his wounds. She had apparently been healing his wounds ever since he was four years old as Link was known to be reckless and often ended up injured despite being a prodigal swordsman capable of besting grown adults. Upon being released in Vah Ruta, she states her hope was to see Link one last time.

Revali, the Rito archer, is shown as having the least friendly relationship with Link. Revali shows a slight resentment towards Link, seeing him as a rival. He tends to boast his abilities towards Link and note his flaws, agreeing with Zelda on their (initial) resentment towards the hero. However, after being trapped in spirit form inside his Divine Beast for 100 years, Link eventually saves the fallen Rito. Revali then accepts that Link is the superior one, though he refuses to tell him, still acting superior.

Urbosa treats Zelda in a slightly sisterly or motherly way, and thus tries to make sure that Link will be a good bodyguard for her, trusting that he takes care of Zelda. He even seeks Urbosa's aid when Zelda uses the Gerudo Town law forbidding men to allude him. It is implied that Urbosa taught Link to disguise himself as a woman to enter Gerudo Town (which he would relearn from Vilia a century later) to search for Zelda but she had already left town. Urbosa later found Zelda who fell asleep while working on Vah Naboris and Urbosa sent word to Link whom reached her quickly than she expected. She decided it was best for Link and Zelda to work things out on their own and was relieved when she found the two had eventually bonded after Link had foiled an assassination attempt on Zelda by the Yiga Clan. After rescuing her spirit, Urbosa ensures Link that what happened to the Champions was not his fault, showing that she does still care for him.

Link can obtain the Picture of the Champions from Kass after completing "EX Champions' Ballad" which he places next to his bed in his house as a cherished memento and reminder happier times with his fallen comrades and Zelda.

Popularity
The character Link has been overall well-received by critics and fans. In the 1988 and 1989 Nintendo Power Awards given by Nintendo Power magazine, readers voted him as "Best Character". He was voted by readers as the number one and three "Best Hero" in the 1993 and 1994 Nintendo Power Awards, respectively. In 2005, Link and his creator were awarded stars on the "Walk of Game" along with Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario. Game Informer magazine listed Link as the number one "Hero of 2006." Link has appeared multiple times in the annual "Character Battle" contests on the popular gaming website GameFAQs, in which players vote for their favorite video game characters, and he is the only character to have won more than once. Also, in one of IGN.com's 2007 "Hero Showdowns," Link was voted the favorite hero.

Moreover, due to his popularity, he has made cameo appearances in other media, most notably other video games, even those not released by Nintendo. One famous example of this is in the game Final Fantasy, wherein a gravestone that reads "Here lies Link. 837 - 866. R.I.P" is found; however, this was changed to Erdrick, a Dragon Warrior hero, in the American NES and European PlayStation versions. Link has also appeared in television shows such as South Park, Robot Chicken, and The Powerpuff Girls.

Link was also ranked the #1 most heroic character ever in gaming in GamesRadar's "Top 100 Best Heroes in Video Games" countdown. GamesRadar claimed he is "the embodiment of the virtue of courage and heroism, single-handedly embarking on epic quests, helping those in need no matter how small the task, and showing his kind-hearted soul to everyone he meets." and "the personification of what a hero is."

Reincarnation
A common theory as to why each incarnation of Link looks similar and have similar abilities is that they are reincarnations of one another. It is notable that when Demise put a curse onto the Skyward Sword, Link, and Zelda, he stated "Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the Spirit of the Hero." which may have been referring to reincarnation. It should be noted however, that Link from The Wind Waker could not be the reincarnation of the Hero of Time since the latter went to the Child Timeline and effectively disappeared from the Adult Timeline. According to the King of Red Lions, the Hero of Winds has no connection to the Hero of Time, though it is unclear whether he is referring to blood relation or reincarnation with this statement. It is worth noting that Ganondorf believes the Hero of Winds is the Hero of Time reborn, though his claim has no concrete evidence and it should theoretically be impossible as the Hero of Time would presumably reincarnate in the Child Timeline.

Link from Twilight Princess also could not be the reincarnation of the Hero of Time since, according to Hyrule Historia, he not only met the Hero of Time as the Hero's Shade, but is however his descendant. However the Hero of Twilight could be the reincarnation of an earlier hero while being a descendant of the Hero of Time whom had not passed on until after his descendant learns his Hidden Skills easing the regrets of the Hero's Shade allowing him to pass on presumably to reincarnate into the next hero. Its also possible only certain incarnations are reincarnations of a previous hero.

Relatives
Another theory as to why each incarnation of Link looks similar to one another is that they are actually related to one another. This is supported by the fact that the Hero of Time is the ancestor of Link in Twilight Princess as well as how it is stated in A Link to the Past that the Master Sword can only be pulled out from its pedestal by the ones who carry the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule. It is possible that when Demise stated "Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the Spirit of the Hero," when he put a curse on Link and Zelda, he was actually referring to the "Spirit of the Hero" as a form of will or a set of personality traits rather than the soul itself. If this is the case, this could explain each Link's connection with the Triforce as well as their abilities in physical, mystical, and spiritual ways.

This may mean when he was stating "Those who share the blood of the goddess" he was referring to Skyward Sword Link and Zelda's descendants as the other incarnation of Links rather than the Royal Family of Hyrule, where an alternate reason for the Royal Family having magical powers is the Light Force as hinted in The Minish Cap. This would explain why Link faces other adversaries aside from Ganon, with Zelda (or other members of the Royal Family) sometimes not being present to support the side of good in games such as as Majora's Mask, Link's Awakening and Tri Force Heroes The original Japanese text that Demise states is that his hatred and the Demon Tribe will go under an "evolution", which may mean the curse could involve other villains apart from Ganon himself.

Alternatively, given that most games are separated by long periods of time its possible that the Link and Zelda from Skyward Sword are the ancestors of both the Knight's Bloodline and Royal Family of Hyrule which became separated into distant family lines with the Royal line inheriting Hylia's sealing powers as implied in Breath of the Wild and the Knight's Bloodline inheriting the fighting abilities and ability to wield the true power of the Master Sword which the Royal line can apparently touch and wield though are apparently incapable of using its true power against evil as neither Tetra or Princess Zelda in Breath of the Wild tried to wield the sword against evil even when they had it in their possession. Additionally though this would make most incarnations of Link and Princess Zelda distant relatives they would likely be separated by several generations thus a romantic relationship between them would not be too problematic and presumably most would be ignorant of any distant familial relation between their family lines in any case as it is likely such a familial connection has been long forgotten.

If each Link is related to one another, they need not be related along a single line of descendants. For example, the Hero of Winds cannot be a direct descendant of the Hero of Time since the latter returned to the Child Timeline immediately after his victory over Ganon while being a young preteen in a teenager's body, but provided the Hero of Winds can trace his lineage to Skyward Sword Link, the theory still holds. It is possible that the reason why the Master Sword can only be pulled from its pedestal by someone who carries the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule is actually a sub-conscience decision by Fi, who is the spirit of the Master Sword.

Destiny
In addition to the Knight's Bloodline and reincarnation, its possible the some Link's simply share the the same heroic destiny due to being chosen by fate or the Master Sword. Thus some could be relatives while others are reincarnations or both (a incarnation being the descendant of one hero while being the reincarnation of another hero or an incarnation being reincarnated into their direct descendant or the descendant of a blood relative), while others are simply individuals chosen to bare the same destiny which may be the case of the Hero of Winds as the King of Red Lions may have meant he was neither a reincarnation nor a descendant of the Hero of Time whom had been effectively removed from the Adult Timeline. Presumably the Hero of Winds was charged to bare the same destiny as the Hero of Time and may have been reincarnated into the Link of Spirit Tracks and/or related to him (either directly or through his sister Aryll).

Madas
It is possible that in the contemporary Hylian language during the events of Skyward Sword, Link's name may be "Madas" when pronounced. This would explain why Fi, when talking to Link in dialogue that uses his name, often says "Madi Madas" with "Madi" possibly being "Master" in the language or Madas is "Master" while "Madi" is Link as Fi generally calls Link "Master" for short in text dialogue. Alternatively, it is possible that Fi's words are gibberish used repetitively in the game, similar to Midna in Twilight Princess.

Etymology
Link's name is based on his status as a "link" between the player and the game world, as stated by Eiji Aonuma in an interview: "When a player is playing a Zelda game, my desire is for the player to truly become Link&mdash;that's why we named him Link, so the player is linked to the game and to the experience." According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Link's name also was the result of a holdover idea for the first game where the player character was a time traveler and trying to collect electronic chips to travel between different points, which indicated that he was the "link" between the Past and Future. Originally, Miyamoto wanted to name him Christo, after his grandfather, but later changed his mind.

Notes and references
Link Link リンク (キャラクター) pt-br:Link Link