Link

Link is the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series of videogames.

A peculiarity of the character is that there are several different incarnations of Link throughout the whole Legend of Zelda series, although they share a number of distinctive characteristics. The existence of multiple Links is made obvious on many occasions in the games; for example, the introduction sequences of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap refer to an ancient, legendary champion, identical in appearance to Link. Miyamoto confirmed that there were multiple Links in late 2003. However, the exact chronology of the Legend of Zelda series is subject to debate among fans, and apart from a few fairly clear pairings it is uncertain which of Link's incarnations appears in each of the games.

Common attributes of all "Links"
Link is a courageous boy or young man—it is unlikely that his age ever exceeds 19 years at any point in the series. In Legend of Zelda games, he usually leaves his home and relatives at an early age to pursue his destiny and fight Ganon, his archenemy, or other servants of evil. In almost all LoZ games, except for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link is a child when he begins his quest. This is made clear through Link's body dimensions in the 3D games and by his lack of sexual awareness: when certain characters exhibit sexual behavior in parts of some games, Link is taken aback, rather than tantalized.

Link's adventures mostly take place in his native kingdom of Hyrule, although The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages are set in other locales. Link is closely associated with the Triforce of Courage and thus with the goddess Farore and her color, green. Recovering the Triforce of Courage is a key part of some LoZ games like The Adventure of Link and The Wind Waker.

Legend of Zelda titles give few hints at Link's personality; ellipses ("..." and variations thereof) are sometimes used to replace Link's speech and can be interpreted in various ways, but his actual words are almost never given. He speaks (or thinks) a few sentences in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and speaks his name in other games, but he is usually silent. Moreover, the top-down 2D view in many of the games is not well-suited to depict his facial expressions. However, a defining trait of his character seems to be his bravery, an attribute consistent with his role as the rightful bearer of the Triforce of Courage. In The Adventure of Link, it is explicitly stated that the quest for the Triforce of Courage is to be a trial for whomever seeks it. Despite his young age, and the adversity that he has to face, alone for the most part, Link rarely shows signs of fear or cowardice (although he sometimes expresses fear of allies for comic effect). Nintendo's Zelda.com Encyclopedia also describes Link as humble.

Appearance
Link invariably wears a green tunic and a cap, at least for a certain period of time during each game (he also wears different-colored clothes in some Legend of Zelda titles), although the shades of green vary. Link's Kokiri tunic in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is of a somewhat darker tone than his tunic in The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap. This is probably partly due to the radically different artistic styles of the aforementioned games: the first two having near-realistic graphics, whereas the two others have a comic-inspired style.

Link's hair color changes throughout the series, ranging from brown in the first Legend of Zelda game, to pink in Link to the Past, to yellowish-orange in Ocarina of Time, to gold-blonde in The Wind Waker.

Link has pointed ears resembling some conceptions of elves. These are apparently a distinctive trait of the Hylian race and allow them to hear messages from the gods.

Several games mention a Triforce mark on Link's left hand; the instruction booklet for The Adventure of Link reveals that this mark identifies him as the champion who will find the Triforce of Courage. There is also a segment in the clip shown in the beginning of Super Smash Bros. Melee showing three hands coming together, each bearing a white triforce. In Twilight Princess the Triforce mark is on his right hand because, unlike the other Links, he is right handed.

Allies
Link is essentially a lone adventurer. Although Zelda games feature more interaction with friendly or neutral non-player characters (NPCs) than some adventure games, such as the Metroid series, these characters rarely take an active part in Link's quest. At best they provide him with hints, maps or useful items. The main exceptions are the three animal companions appearing in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons that Link uses as mounts, and the sages from The Wind Waker.

There are too many NPCs who help Link in some way throughout the series to name them all here. Nevertheless, some can be considered particularly memorable, either because they occur in many Legend of Zelda games, or because they play a major role in the plot.

Fairies
Fairies are common in Legend of Zelda games. In all titles, Link can find small fairies which help him by healing him fully before disappearing. In A Link to the Past, The Minish Cap and the 3D LoZs, these can be captured in bottles and kept for later "use". Great Fairies are a somewhat rarer sight, and provide Link with items useful to his quest or upgrade his purses, bags or quiver so he can carry more bombs, arrows or rupees (the currency of Hyrule). Ocarina of Time also introduced Navi as Link's fairy companion, and the fairy Tatl accompanies Link in his journey through the world of Termina, in Majora's Mask.

Tingle
Tingle was introduced in Majora's Mask as a 35-year old man who wanted so much to be a fairy that he dressed up in green clothing and flew around, suspended on a giant balloon. When anyone popped his balloon, he would land and sell that person a map. Link got many of his Termina maps through Tingle. Tingle later appeared in Hyrule in Wind Waker, unaged after a thousand years. Imprisoned on Windfall Island, he offers Link his services in exchange for his freedom. He gives Link a Tingle Tuner, which directs Tingle and commands him to do certian things, like drop bombs on enemies. He also translates ancient maps for a price.

Sages
In Ocarina of Time, Link meets seven Sages during his adventure. It is speculated that these legendary figures are the Seven Wise Men / Sages mentioned in the prologue of A Link to the Past. They are also referenced in The Wind Waker in the form of stained glass windows in the Old Hyrule Castle.

In The Wind Waker, Link meets Medli, a winged young girl from the Rito tribe, living on Dragon Roost Island and Makar, a member of the Korok, a tribe led by the The Great Deku Tree. Medli plays the harp and Makar is a violinist. It is eventually revealed that they are both destined to become Earth and Wind sages, respectively, to replace Laruto (of the Zora) and Fado (of the Kokiri), who were killed by Ganon.

To restore the power of the Master Sword, Link must help them reach the inside of the Earth and Wind temples so they can begin their prayers. Inside both temples, Link has to work in synergy with the aspiring sages and use their special abilities to trigger certain mechanisms. By playing the Command Melody, Link can take possession of their bodies and the player can directly control Makar or Medli; this is crucial in solving some of the temples' puzzles.

Oracle series animals
In the two Oracle games, Link meets creatures that can carry him around and even attack enemies, which is a first in the series (Link's horse Epona in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask could only run them over).


 * Ricky is a talking, boxing kangaroo Link meets in Holodrum. When Link is in his pouch, he can jump with him over holes and defeat enemies using Ricky's punch. Ricky can shoot a Tornado from his fists if you hold the attack button down. Flashes similarly to Link when he charges his Sword.


 * Moosh is a blue, flying polar bear which Link can ride to fly over a short distance. If the jump Button is held down when he's at his peak in the air, Moosh will float in the air, float, and then butt stomp. Moosh flashes similarly to Link when he charges his Sword.


 * Dimitri is a Dodongo, a dinosaur-like creature that Link can use as a mount, both on the ground and on water. Goes much faster in water, and can also eat some enemies, such as Moblins.

Kafei
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Link assists Kafei (who has been transformed into a child) throughout the game in finding the Sun Mask that Sakon stole from him, which was to be involved in his marriage with Anju. When the player reaches Sakon's Hideout, he must negotiate a plethora of traps and monsters in order to reach the Sun Mask before the time runs out. During this time the player is briefly able to control Kafei directly. When Kafei is seen delivering his mail, he is always wearing a Keaton Mask.

Epona
Epona is Link's horse that apears in few games such as Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask.

Other Appearances
Link has appeared in many other non-zelda games, as a playable character, an ally or an enemy.

Super Smash Bros series
Link is one of eight characters available at the beginning of Nintendo's 1999 fighting game, Super Smash Bros. No special information is disclosed about Link in this game. Link sports his traditional green Kokiri tunic (the player can also choose from a few alternate tunic colors inspired by Link's Ocarina of Time tunics, including red (Goron) and blue (Zora); a purplish white color inspired by the effect of the Blue Ring from the original Legend of Zelda is also present). He also has some of his usual weaponry arsenal from the Legend of Zelda series at his disposal, including bombs, his boomerang and a hook shot, and is presented in the Ocarina of Time style as an adult.

Link is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the 2001 sequel to Super Smash Bros. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he comes equipped with his bow in addition to the equipment he brought with him to the original Super Smash Bros. While his swordplay is formidable, Link is at his best when utilizing all his tools and weapons alongside his fighting skill, rather akin to his motif in the LoZ series. This makes Link one of the most versatile and flexible close range fighters in the game, although in both games he suffers from somewhat poor jumping ability. In Melee however, he is given the ability to use his hookshot to latch onto the ledge of the arena, giving him a slight edge should his jump not be enough.

The game also introduces Young Link, the younger version of Link from most of the games in the series, as a secret unlockable character. He is more agile but weaker than the older Link, and his hookshot has a shorter range. His Kokiri Sword and bombs also inflict less damage than adult Link's Master Sword and bombs. Young Link's quiver is stocked with fire arrows rather than traditional arrows. He also jumps considerably higher than Adult Link. According to Young Link's trophy description, he is said to be the "true" Link. It is known that Miyamoto originally considered Link to be an adolescent child adventurer as opposed to his form as a young man. The Twilight Princess version of Link will be in the newest edition of the series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Soul Calibur 2
Appearing in the GameCube version of Soul Calibur 2, Link is shown as a playable fighter in his adult age. Not much is known about the story, but it is known that Link, after saving Hyrule from an evil wizard that was being controlled by a fragment of Soul Edge, goes on a quest to destroy the evil sword. Quickly pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal, he embarked on a secret journey, a journey which Zelda knew nothing about. He left Hyrule to destroy Soul Edge, so that the evil blade would not bring harm to Hyrule or anyone else ever again.

The GameCube version of Soul Calibur 2 is said to have been more popular than its PlayStation 2 and Xbox counterparts; many believe that this is due to Link's presence, since the GameCube is not the most popular current generation console among gamers. Link was also notable in this game for being the only character with true projectile attacks (his trusty bow and arrow, boomerang, and bomb) - only Spawn, an Xbox exclusive character, could do the same. Link was also given a unique fighting style on par with any of the "regular" characters, and even had several moves from previous Legend of Zelda games, for instance, a dashing sword attack inspired by the A Link to the Past's Pegasus Boots, the upper and under cut jumping attacks from The Adventure of Link, and a backflip/jump sword attack nearly identical to attacks used in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. As in the Super Smash Bros. series, he had a total of four costumes, although they differed only in color (green, red, blue, and a very light blue), which as it happened was more than any other character had in any version of the game.

Minor Cameos

 * Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls - Link's name appears on a tombstone in Elfland. In the NES version, the tombstone is Erdrick's from Dragon Warrior.


 * In many Kirby games, when Kirby obtains the "sword" power-up, he also gains a green cap identical to Link's.


 * World of Warcraft - A gnome NPC named Linken makes an appearance in the MMORPG World of Warcraft. He is dressed similarly to Link and gives players quests that, once completed, give the player "Linken's Boomerang" and "Linken's Sword of Mastery". The player also recieves a photograph of Linken standing with a female gnome that looks remarkably similar to Princess Zelda.


 * Final Fantasy Tactics Advance- The player can get a sword called Master Sword identical to Link's Master Sword.


 * Super Mario RPG - Link is found heavily sleeping inside an inn.