Link

Link (リンク) is the protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series. He is usually depicted as a courageous young boy or a teenager in green clothing who leaves his home and any relatives to pursue his destiny and fight the evil powers threatening the land, growing to become a legendary hero. Link's appearance fluctuates 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. Interestingly, Link bears a resemblance to Peter Pan, as they are both elf-like, wear green floppy hats, fight with swords, and are sometimes accompanied by a Fairy.

Link is frequently the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. 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. This mark is also noticed by Nayru and Din in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, respectively. Triforce marks appear prominently in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess; in Ocarina of Time; this mark is the embodiment of the Triforce of Courage within Link.

A peculiarity of Link is the several different incarnations of the character throughout the Legend of Zelda series. The existence of multiple Links is made obvious on many occasions in the games; for example, the prologues 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. Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed this in late 2003. All of these links share a number of common characteristics, including appearance, bravery, and selflessness. Link may be somewhat sleepy or lazy since at the beginning of every game except except the first two, he is sleeping or dozing off. Since Link does not have extensive dialogue, clues to his personality come from his actions and other characters' comments about him.

At the beginning of nearly every game, Link is just a regular child or young adult, with little to no specialized skills. By the end of the game, however, Link invariably becomes a full-fledged hero with many abilities. He grows to be an exceptional swordsman throughout each game, usually learning powerful sword techniques such as the Spin Attack. Link also demonstrates great physical strength, which is sometimes amplified by items such as the Silver Gauntlets. His seemingly innate skill with a plethora of other weapons and items, such as projectiles, hand-to-hand weapons, magical items, and a variety of unique tools, allows him to adapt to and overcome each new obstacle he encounters.

Link almost always holds his sword in his left hand; the only exceptions are the Wii version of Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, as these games utilize motion control and therefore must accommodate for the fact that most people are right-handed. Some games, such as The Adventure of Link, depict Link holding the sword in separate hands when facing different directions, suggesting that he might be ambidextrous. A more likely explanation is that this is merely a side effect of sprite mirroring, which allows for less memory to be taken up, allowing the data to fit on the cartridges of the games in question.

Link is remarkably proficient with a wide variety of musical instruments, being able to use them immediately upon obtaining them. In many games, Link uses an instrument with powerful magical abilities, such as the Ocarina of Time, the Harp of Ages, and the Spirit Flute.

Link is considered an iconic character in video gaming, and remains one of the most popular video game protagonists.

The Legend of Zelda
Link is a hero summoned 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 having a burning sense of justice.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Being a sequel set not long after the original game, The Adventure of Link features the same Link as The Legend of Zelda. Link is now fifteen years old, approaching his sixteenth birthday. Although Ganon has been killed, his army of monsters remains active throughout Hyrule. They plan to revive Ganon by spilling the blood of his murderer, Link, onto his ashes. Impa finds a Triforce mark on Link's hand as he approaches his sixteenth birthday, and explains that he is the hero chosen to awaken an ancient Princess Zelda from her sleeping curse. Link places a crystal in each of Hyrule's six palaces, and ultimately destroys Dark Link, receives the Triforce of Courage, and awakens the age-old Princess Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Link goes on a journey when he receives a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, who says that she is locked in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle. As the message closes, Link finds his uncle ready for battle, and is told to remain in bed. After his uncle leaves, however, Link ignores his command and follows him to Hyrule Castle. When he arrives, he finds his uncle seriously wounded. With his last breaths, Link's uncle tells Link to rescue Princess Zelda from her prison, giving him a sword and shield. After his uncle dies, Link navigates the castle and rescues Zelda from her cell, and the two escape into a secret passage through the sewers that leads to the Sanctuary.

Link is told by a sage in the Sanctuary that Agahnim, a wizard who has usurped the throne, is planning to break a seal made hundreds of years ago by the Seven Wise Men. The seal was placed to imprison a dark wizard named Ganon 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.

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. After retrieving these, Link takes them to the resting place of the Master Sword and is able to draw it from its pedestal. Upon obtaining the blade, Link is telepathically called to the Sanctuary by Zelda, who informs him that Hyrule Guards have arrived. Link arrives at the Sanctuary moments after the soldiers have vacated, where he learns from the dying sage that Zelda has been taken to Hyrule Castle. Link goes to rescue her but arrives too late; Agahnim sends Zelda to the Dark World. Link then defeats Agahnim in battle, but is subsequently also sent to the Dark World.

To 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 restores Hyrule to its state before Ganon intervened.

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 across the ocean in a ship when a fierce storm sets in, shipwrecking him. When the hero awakes, he is informed by his rescuer, a young girl named Marin, that he is 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 temples and are guarded by Nightmares, evil beings who seek to prevent the awakening of the Wind Fish.

Link's quest for the instruments takes him all over the isle, through harsh deserts, white-water rapids, and lofty mountains. After collecting all eight Instruments of the Sirens, Link is able to enter the Wind Fish's Egg atop Mt. Tamaranch, inside which he battles Dethl, the leader of the Nightmares. Upon defeating his foe, Link is thanked by the Owl and greeted by the Wind Fish, who bids him plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish on the Instruments of the Sirens. Doing so ends the dream of Koholint, causing the island and all its inhabitants to disappear. 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.

The Link featured in this game may be the same Link from A Link to the Past or the Oracle series; in the latter, he is seen leaving on a ship similar to the one he begins on in Link's Awakening. Link's ability to jump on his own with the help of the Roc's Feather is a first for a top-down perspective Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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 nine years old, 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 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 to open the Door of Time and pull the Master Sword 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 to find he is sixteen, having aged seven years in the safety of the Temple of Light inside the Sacred Realm, while Ganondorf has touched the Triforce and extended his reign over all of Hyrule. Rauru, the Sage of Light, informs Link of Hyrule's conquest, 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 back in time to regain his lost seven years. This was later revealed to have created two alternate timelines: the one in which Link defeats Ganondorf as an adult leads to the events of The Wind Waker and its sequels, while the one in which he is returned to his childhood results in the events of Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

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 necessary to 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.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Link is already a hero at the beginning of these games, leading to speculation that he is the same Link from another Zelda title. 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. In the former, Link meets and befriends Din the dancer; in the latter, Nayru the singer.

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 both games and with the use of a Link Cable, a secret ending 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
At the outset of the game, Link travels with Princess Zelda to check on the seal placed on Vaati, a powerful wind mage. The seal on Vaati has weakened and Vaati escapes. He kidnaps Zelda to make her his bride. Link sets out to save Zelda and restore the seal on Vaati by drawing the Four Sword to split into three other copies of himself. Together, the four Links work together and Vaati is ultimately defeated and sealed once more in the Four Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This Link lives on Outset Island in the Great Sea, which is Hyrule after being flooded by the Gods. He 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. Since the Hero of Time was sixteen years old when he defeated Ganondorf, it is possible that Link is turning sixteen. Based on Link's physical appearance, however, it seems more likely that this custom refers to time the Hero of Time when he started his quest, at the age of nine. 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 Link is rescued by the King of Red Lions, who helps him in his quest to save his sister. Although the game inspires speculation about his 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, the King of Hyrule, who tells the sea spirit Jabun that 'He appears to have no connection to the ancient one.' After a large number of 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
The Link in this game may or may not be different from the Four Swords Link. Link is friends with Princess Zelda. When Zelda and the maidens go to the shrine of the Four Sword, Link is tricked into drawing the Four Sword from its pedestal by Shadow Link. This releases Vaati, who was sealed in the sword. The power of the Four Sword splits Link's soul into three other replicas of himself, and the four Links venture to save the maidens and Zelda, who were abducted and trapped in Crystals. Link saves all seven of them and collects the four Royal Jewels, which he uses to reveal the Tower of Winds. Climbing the tower, the Links reach the Realm of the Heavens, where he defeats the Shadow Links and reclaims the Dark Mirror from which they were created. After another furious battle, Link defeats 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
Link is the grandson of Smith, the blacksmith for Hyrule Town. He lives just outside the town with his grandfather. After Vaati shatters the Picori Blade, Link is sent to Minish Woods to find the Minish. There he finds Ezlo, his companion throughout the game.

In the game itself, Ezlo sits on Link's head throughout his adventure to defeat Vaati and restore Zelda from her petrified state, a result of Vaati's precaution of her inherent power. After advancing toward the blade and wiping out a group of Castle Guards assigned to protect the blade, Zelda intervenes. As Vaati prepares to attack, Link notices Zelda is in danger, so he runs in front of her and raises his Small Shield (Which Zelda had won for him a few moments earlier). During these events, Vaati attacks the duo with a petrification curse, blowing Link away (Knocking him out in the process, but protected from the petrification effects, thanks to his shield) and turning Zelda to stone. Aside from his frequent advice and sarcastic comments about Link's quest, Ezlo grants the Hero the power to shrink down to Minish size, to traverse the land of Hyrule with a Minish eye.

Chronologically, The Minish Cap is the prequel to Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. Like the incarnation in Four Swords Adventures, this Link has almost the exact same character design as Wind Waker Link, other than his hat. This game is also sometimes considered to be the first game in the series by fans as the introduction mentioned a Hero of Men - not a Hero of Time. A picture depicted the hero in green clothing, but with no hat. At the end of this game Link acquires the real green hat, as he only had Ezlo as a hat before. Ezlo then said that the hat suited him.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Link is a rancher in Ordon Village who is around 17 years old. He sports a Triforce shaped birthmark on his hand, strongly implying that he currently 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 the Royal Family ordered. As he prepared to leave, King Bulblin attacks, 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, blanketed with Twilight. The Twilight morphs Link into a wolf. He is imprisoned by Shadow Beasts, but escapes with the help of Midna.

Later, Link delivers Light back to the Faron Province, with the help of Midna, and awakens as the Chosen Hero, now donning Link's trademark green clothing. 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. It is said in the Twilight Princess manual that this Link later becomes chief of Ordon village, but this was never seen in the game itself. 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".

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Link is the same Link as in The Wind Waker. After the ending in 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 gets knocked out. When he wakes up Link meets a Fairy companion who helps him reunite with her. He also meets Linebeck, who helps him by letting him use his ship. He has 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 she is made of stone, due to her life force being drained.To do this, Link had to defeat Bellum, an evil being inhabiting the Temple of the Ocean King. But to defeat him, he needed the Phantom Sword, a sword made of the three Pure Metals. After finding these metals, Zauz forges the Phantom Sword and Oshus creates the handle out of the Phantom Hourglass. With the Phantom Sword in hand, Link defeated Bellum and restored peace. At the end it is revealed that the world they explored was another world, so Link and Tetra were sent back. The whole adventure took ten minutes in their world, and it looks like it was a dream. Then Link finds an empty hourglass in his pocket, and sees Linebeck sailing away in the distance.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
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 up with Link, an apprentice railroad engineer who travels to the castle of Princess Zelda to attend a Graduation Ceremony, where the honor of Royal Engineer will be bestowed onto 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: she's 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, but as they're off to investigate, the tracks start vanishing right out underneath the vehicle. After a spectacular crash they are stopped halfway by Chancellor Cole and his second-in-command. The pair easily defeat Link and Alfonzo, and go on to murder Princess Zelda. Chancellor Cole then takes Zelda's lifeless 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 after a few moments, Zelda learns she is dead and that no one can see her but Link and a few Lokomos. With her help, Zelda leads Link to a sword. After a bit of training she then directs Link to head to the Tower of Spirits where she might be brought back to life. To help Link, Princess Zelda's ghost inhabits a Phantom and aids Link in stopping Chancellor Cole and reviving herself.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Link is the protagonist of the upcoming title, which has been announced to be the earliest entry in the series timeline. His appearance is similar to that of the Link from Twilight Princess, albeit rendered in a cel-shaded style similar to The Wind Waker; interestingly, before receiving his classic green garb, Link dresses in a style similar to the Ordon Villagers. Link was born and raised in Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds where he attends a boarding school with Zelda and his peers. Everyone owns a bird for transportation, and Link's rare red bird causes others to be jealous of him.

When a land beneath the clouds, ruled by evil forces, is discovered, Link goes there in search of Zelda, who has gone missing. Link has to travel between the two lands during his quest. The titular Skyward Sword, which has the ability to take on a humanoid form, is the driving force behind his traveling between lands. The Skyward Sword transforms into the Master Sword at some point in the game. Similarly to the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Link is right-handed in this game, making Skyward Sword the first game in which Link is canonically right-handed. It has been announced that in Skyward Sword, Link will be older than all other previous incarnations.

Non-canonical appearances
Although information is only considered series canon if it comes from the games or instruction booklets (where there is conflict, the games themselves are the accepted source), or occasionally other Nintendo materials, there are a number of other officially licensed Zelda stories.

The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage
Link was set to appear in the unreleased game Mystical Seed of Courage. In the game Link would have 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.

Link's Crossbow Training
Link is the protagonist of this Twilight Princess spinoff. He wields a Crossbow as his sole weapon.

Game & Watch: Zelda
Link is the protagonist who must 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.

Super Smash Bros.
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, although the player can also choose from three alternate tunic colors: a red tunic inspired by Ocarina of Time's Goron Tunic; a blue tunic inspired by the Zora Tunic from the same game; and a purplish white tunic, reminiscent of the effect of the Blue Ring from the original The Legend of Zelda. Link has many of his signature weapons and techniques at his disposal, including bombs, the Boomerang, the Hookshot, and the Spin Attack. He is presented in his adult incarnation from Ocarina of Time.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Link is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the 2001 sequel to Super Smash Bros. In Melee, he 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 his tools and weapons alongside his fighting skill, rather akin to his motif in the Zelda 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. 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. 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
The newest edition of the Smash series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, features the Twilight Princess version of Link. The hero returns with essentially the same weaponry as in previous installments, with the Clawshot replacing the Hookshot and the Gale Boomerang replacing the regular Boomerang. Young Link, in the guise of Toon Link, is featured as well.

Both characters' Final Smash is the Triforce Slash, which entraps an enemy in a large apparition of the Triforce, allowing Link to deliver repeated slashes before shattering the Triforce 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 a Fairy.

There is a total of twelve stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that depict Link.

Soulcalibur II
Appearing in the GameCube version of Soulcalibur II, in his Ocarina of Time adult appearance, Link is a playable fighter. Not much is known about Link's story, but it is known that Link, after investigating a series of natural disasters across Hyrule, discovers that they were caused by an evil wizard, and is summoned by Princess Zelda in order to defeat him.

After defeating this wizard, he finds 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.

If the player beats the game with him, it is revealed that after destroying Soul Edge, he not only saved his own homeland from peril, but also maintained the tranquility of the world in which the sword resided. After learning of this, he then quietly returns to Hyrule, with a faint echo of his Ocarina being the last heard of him.

The GameCube version of Soulcalibur II 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 sixth generation console among most 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, the Rocket Stab attack may have been inspired by the Pegasus Boots from A Link to the Past. The Upthrust and Downthrust jumping 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, although they differentiate only in color, which as it happened was more than any other character had in any version of the game. He is considered a mid-tier character by the tournament community.

The Legend of Zelda TV series
A set of Zelda cartoons aired on Fridays from 1989 to 1990 as a part of DiC's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. The series loosely followed the Zelda games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, mixing settings and characters from those games with original creations.

Link is depicted as a traveling adventurer who settles in Hyrule Castle and takes the "job" of guarding the Triforce of Wisdom from 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 voice 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. This relationship is very similar to that of Moonlighting characters Dave Addison and Maddie Hayes; he makes his affections for Zelda very clear and frequently tries to get her to kiss him.

The Legend of Zelda comics
Following a storyline similar to the TV series, this comic only ran for 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.

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 the 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." 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 Final Fantasy, wherein a gravestone that reads "Here lies Link. 837 - 866. R.I.P" is found; in the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation and PlayStation Portable version of the game. Link has also appeared in television shows such as South Park, Robot Chicken, and The Powerpuff Girls.

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."

Gallery
Link Link リンク (キャラクター)