Hero's Shade

The Hero's Shade is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Once a famed swordsman of Hyrule, he died with the eternal regret of never having passed on his knowledge of the art of the sword. He manifests himself as a spectral golden wolf in the world of the living, and as an armored, skeletal warrior in the strange otherworld of the Ghostly Ether. The Hero's Shade's left eye glows bright red, while his right eye is missing; as a wolf, it is closed and appears scarred, while as a warrior, it is unlit and transparent.

The Hero's Shade is impervious to attacks and cannot be damaged, although he can be knocked down during training sessions. He also possesses the ability to replicate himself, which he uses during training sessions involving multiple enemies, and is left-handed.

According to the book Hyrule Historia, the Hero's Shade is the ghost of the Hero of Time, the Link seen in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Biography
When Link, a young man from Ordon Village, learns of his destiny to overcome the evils of Zant, usurper to the throne of the Twilight Realm, the Hero's Shade sees the potential for a master swordsman within him. In his golden wolf form, he approaches Link on his way to the Forest Temple, and transports the youth to the Ghostly Ether.

In the Ghostly Ether, the Hero's Shade offers Link his knowledge of the sword. After teaching him the first skill, the Ending Blow, he tells Link that in order to meet him again, he must approach a Howling Stone in wolf form and howl the notes that the stone echoes. When Link successfully does so, the Hero's Shade will appear somewhere in the land of Hyrule as a golden wolf. Link can then approach the wolf in his human form to enter the Ghostly Ether and learn a new skill. However, before he is allowed to learn a new one, Link must prove his mastery of the previously learned skill by utilizing it against the Hero's Shade, who seems to grow frustrated with Link when he forgets or has a hard time mastering a skill.

When Link has learned six of the Hidden Skills, the Hero's Shade makes his final appearance in front of Hyrule Castle and teaches Link the Great Spin Attack. His destiny fulfilled, the Hero's Shade then passes on to the world of spirits. Interestingly, even though Link seemingly blacks out during his sessions with the Hero's Shade, Midna never remarks on it, nor does she seem to notice anything amiss.

Gallery
Sombra del Héroe

trivia

 * the Hero's shade is the first Link to speak.
 * He is the first Link to directly interact with another Link.