The given reason is: Covered on the Link page. Any info on this page that is not on that page is to be moved.
Discuss this on the article's talk page, and if possible, improve the article in order to extend its life.
This article has been flagged for deletion since September 24, 2024.
The Hero of Time is the Link who appears in the two critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 games Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and later in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit, and the name is specifically his legendary title.[1] The young hero is bestowed this title upon awakening from his seven-year slumber after retrieving the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time.[1] By traveling through time to awaken the Six Sages and stop the King of Evil Ganon from conquering Hyrule, Link's tale as the Hero of Time becomes a legend that is passed down through many generations, proving to be of great relevance to both the Mythology in the franchise as well as the timeline in which the games take place.[2] According to the official timeline of The Legend of Zelda series, the Links from Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker, known as the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of Winds, respectively, are his successors, with the former being his descendant as well. The Hero of Time's predecessors are the incarnations from Skyward Sword, The Minish Cap and Four Swords, the former being the Legendary Hero himself. The Hero of Legend from A Link to the Past would be his potential successor if Ganon ultimately defeated the Hero of Time.
Biography[]
The Rise of the Hero of Time[]
Main article: Ocarina of Time
In the earliest days of his life, the Hero of Time grew up in the Kokiri Forest believing that he was a Kokiri, but in reality he was an orphaned Hylian, due to his dying mother left him under the guardianship of the Great Deku Tree as a baby during the Hyrulean Civil War. Because the Hero of Time was not a Kokiri despite being raised as such, Link did not possess a Fairy companion, which led to him being ostracized by the majority of the Kokiri tribe, with the exception of his close friend Saria and the Deku Tree. He himself had been plagued with ominous nightmares about a princess on horseback fleeing from a wicked man dressed in black. One day, the Hero of Time was bestowed with a blue female Fairy named Navi by the Great Deku Tree to help guide him on his grand quest to save Hyrule. At the beginning his adventure, Link managed to save the Great Deku Tree from a dangerous parasite inside and earning the Kokiri's Emerald, the first of three Spiritual Stones. But, despite Link's brave efforts, the Kokiri Forest guardian was already doomed by the man in black's curse and ultimately dies as a result after the Deku Tree tells his destiny to meet the princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, and save the land as the new chosen hero by the Golden Goddesses, in which he must leave the sacred forest.
In the land of Hyrule, with a little bit of help by a rancher girl named Malon, upon meeting Zelda inside the courtyard of Hyrule Castle (who also shares the dreams of the man in black and even had a vision of Link) for the first time, she tells Link the legends that speak of the Triforce, the omnipotent mythical Golden Power created by the three Goddesses said to reside in the Sacred Realm, which has the powerful ability to grant any wishes of whoever touches it, whether it is good or bad.[3][4] Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo tribe, aware of his advantage of the Triforce not being able to discriminate against evil, schemes to enter the Sacred Realm to claim the golden relic for himself, and thus rule the world.[5][6]Although Zelda had told her father, the King of Hyrule, about her dark dreams and Ganondorf's likely betrayal, he doesn't believe the young princess' important warning. Link even sees the evil man through the window Zelda herself was looking at, swearing "allegiance" to the King (despite Ganondorf himself soon spotting him). With them being the only ones in the whole kingdom knowing the villain's plan, the duo agreed to stop him and save Hyrule with all their power. Just before leaving the castle and resumes his quest, Link met Zelda's attendant and personal bodyguard Impa, one of the last surviving members of the Sheikah tribe, who escorts him back to Hyrule Field safely.
However, with the unwitting assistance of a young courageous boy in green named Link and Hyrule's Princess Zelda, after the former collects the remaining Spiritual Stones - the Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire, and meeting more new friends along the way such as Darunia and Princess Ruto after solving their troubles within Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu's Belly, respectively, Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle, with the young princess escaping on horseback with Impa - exactly like in his earlier nightmare. But Zelda herself notices Link, and, in a desperate move, throws the Ocarina of Time toward him as she entrusts him to finish his duty of protecting the Sacred Realm. Link then meets Ganondorf in person, and although the boy boldly tries to challenge him by drawing his weapons, he was no match for the Gerudo King, as the villain knocks Link to the ground with a blast of magic energy, and then Ganondorf seemingly chases after Zelda and Impa again. After looking on in frustration, Link soon enters the Temple of Time to open the Door of Time using the Spiritual Stones, which inside lies the Master Sword, a legendary weapon with the power to repel evil. What the young hero or the princess of Hyrule does not know, however, was that Ganondorf had been secretly following the former as he entered the Temple, as he quickly realized Link has the Royal Family's Ocarina given by Zelda. When Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, he was sealed by the blade without warning, as he was too young of age to bear the title as the "Hero of Time". In addition, the Sacred Realm was opened as Link pulled the Master Sword, as it is also one of the keys to the secret place like the Ocarina of Time. Consequently, as the magical seal is beyond his control, he helplessly watches Ganondorf entering the Realm (before mocking the hero for letting him reach his ultimate goal), touches the Triforce, and expresses his vile wish to conquer Hyrule.[7]
Although the King of Thieves was successful at reaching the Sacred Triangle thanks to his smart thinking and things are not going according to plan for Link and Zelda, their mission of stopping and defeating him did not entirely fail, however; Because Ganondorf's heart was not in balance due to his wickedness, the Triforce itself separated into three component parts upon being touched by the Gerudo leader, leaving him with only the blessing of the Golden Goddesses he believed to be the most important, the Triforce of Power (Din), and transforming the Sacred Realm into a corrupt world of evil.[8][9] The remaining pieces are given to two special individuals chosen by destiny; Therefore, the Triforce of Wisdom was then bestowed upon Princess Zelda and the Triforce of Courage upon Link, respectively, granting themselves untold sources of mystical abilities by the essence of Nayru and Farore as well (although Zelda and Link themselves were not quite aware of their newfound crests until much later). Even though his strength became god-like by the one Triforce piece he ultimately acquired, Ganondorf was not satisfied with just Power alone and is determined to search and steal the other two from Zelda and Link in order to gain complete control of the world and truly become invincible.[10] Link himself was then put into suspended animation within the Chamber of Sages for seven years until he matured enough to properly handle the Blade of Evil's Bane.[1] Meanwhile, throughout this near-decade gap in time, with the young hero being absent and Hyrule Castle now defenseless, Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to take over the kingdom, likely murdering the King of Hyrule in the process, and become its new king, transforming the entire world into a dark age and forcing Zelda into hiding as a member of the Sheikah named Sheik, patiently waiting for the hero's late return.[11][12]
The Legend of the Hero of Time[]
Now a young adult, Link eventually awakens as the Hero of Time while Rauru, the Sage of Light, explains to him what had happened during his long sleep and he must prove himself worthy of his new title. Using the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time plus instructions by Sheik, Link travels back and forth in time through the past and future, and across Hyrule to seek the Six Sages (most of which revealed to be his childhood friends), who were said to have the power to bind Ganondorf and return peace to Hyrule.[2][13]In addition, they also grant the young man some of their own power in the form of Medallions. When all Sages are at last awakened after destroying various dangerous monsters within six different Temples, including Ganondorf's surrogate mother Twinrova and even his own evil shadow at one point, he returns back to the Temple of Time, where Sheik tells Link another legend about the meaning of the Triforce and why it split, who are the three bearers, and ultimately reveals himself using the Triforce of Wisdom to be Princess Zelda in disguise (who is also revealed to be the seventh Sage and their leader). The princess is pleased to see her invaluable partner in person after 7 years and tells Link her ultimate plan to seal Ganondorf to the Evil Realm, but she needs help from his exemplary courage, once more. She then gives him the powerful Light Arrows, as these special weapons of light can penetrate the Evil King's defenses. But their reunion was cut short when Ganondorf himself, who have been long waiting for such a time to come of Zelda fully exposing herself to Link, suddenly captures her in a magic crystal, and the Evil King tells his adversary to enter his castle, known as Ganon's Castle, where Hyrule's formerly stood, for a final showdown if he wishes to rescue the princess, laughing wickedly.
With the assistance of the Six Sages, Link was able to storm the stronghold via a colorful metallic bridge, dispel six powerful elemental barriers (possibly freeing the Sages themselves) with the Light Arrows, and challenge Ganondorf the Evil King at the inner sanctum once and for all. Upon reaching the throne room at the top of the tower where the powerful Gerudo warlock himself is waiting (confidently playing his theme song on a pipe organ in the process) and Princess Zelda held hostage above, all three of their respective Triforce pieces begin to resonate and attempt to become whole again, much to Link and Zelda's surprise. A one-on-one Dead Man's Volley duel between Link and Ganondorf engages soon after. But, the Evil King, despite his great strength, was gravely injured by Link, to the point he even vomits blood. In disbelief that he himself would be bested by the "kid" who is now the Hero of Time, in a burst of anger and frustration, Ganondorf obliterates the ceiling of the tower, though Link himself remains completely unscathed, likely from the Triforce of Courage protecting the hero from the magical blast, before collapsing face down to the ground, apparently dead. Princess Zelda is now freed from her crystal prison.
But, then, as Zelda begins to feel pity about Ganondorf not being able to properly control the powers of the gods due to his evil heart, the tower suddenly begins to crumble, as Ganondorf himself intentionally uses his power to make his own castle collapse in order to kill his foes under the rubble. Link and Princess Zelda manage to escape and watch the entire keep falling before their very eyes. When the destruction is over, the duo believe they are finally victorious. However, a loud bang is heard, and they realize something was very wrong. As the Hero of Time defends the princess and bravely begins to investigate at what caused the noise, with no warning, a fiery barrier traps Zelda again, and then, Ganondorf, still alive, rises out of the ruins of his now-destroyed castle. Link aggressively draws the Master Sword toward him in a threatening display, daring his archenemy to challenge the hero again, since he just beat him before. Furious and filled with hatred for Link, Ganondorf takes the dare and unleashes the Triforce of Power to the fullest extent, transforming himself into a huge and vicious boar-like demon, which is none other than his true form - Ganon. Armed with two gigantic golden swords, the monster catches Link off-guard (due to his and Zelda's shock by the grotesque transformation) and temporarily knocks the Master Sword out of his hands, forcing the Hero of Time to fight the villain once more in a dramatic, intense battle to the death, more dangerous than anything he has ever faced before, as the fate of Hyrule is now at stake. Ganon himself is unimaginably powerful and his body appears to be indestructible due to the essence of the Goddess Din bestowed upon him, but, Link miraculously finds his Achilles' heel: the tail. With the full combined might of Link's raw skills, the Master Sword, Light Arrows, the Triforce of Courage, and the aid of the Seven Sages and Navi, the Hero of Time eventually manages to weaken Ganon, causing the deadly beast to collapse in pain and the fire barrier to disappear.
Taking her opportunity, Princess Zelda uses her powers to hold Ganon down as she commands the hero to deliver the final blow, but her energy didn't last very long, however. The Master Sword then suddenly glows at its full power. Link, ready to put his archnemesis to sleep for good as he himself is filled with righteous hatred for the monster just as much as Ganon has for him, ultimately slashes the Demon King's face three times, then, in a rather nasty move, furiously thrusts the Master Sword straight into his mouth (with blood spilled yet again), resulting in Ganon, not killed by the seemingly lethal attack, somehow, gets back up roaring and flailing about in agony (likely due to the max-powered Triforce of Power making him able to survive in spite of the legendary blade's ability to vanquish evil). Nevertheless, as the villain is mortally wounded a second time, this gave Zelda and the Six Sages the chance they desperately needed to finally bind Ganon and throw him back into the void of the Evil Realm, thus ending the Evil King's seven year reign over Hyrule.[14][15] Defeated at last by Link's hand, the King of Evil, reverted back to his human form with the Triforce of Power still in his hand, and in a fit of rage and complete shock, threatens the Hero of Time, Princess Zelda, and the Sages he will return one day to exterminate their descendants to make them all pay for his ultimate defeat and imprisonment once the seal is broken (foreshadowing the events of The Wind Waker).[16]
With Hyrule now finally at peace, while saying their goodbyes (with the two apparently standing in Hyrule's atmosphere), Princess Zelda uses her power as a Sage with the Ocarina of Time and Triforce of Wisdom to send the Hero of Time back to his original age via seven years into the past, this time for good, in order to regain his lost childhood, as compensation for his heroic role of taking down Ganondorf, and, with guilt, claiming the tragedy that had befallen Hyrule was merely her own mistakes as a child and dragged Link into the ordeal.[17] Through her instructions, the Master Sword is also left in the hero's wake, being returned to its pedestal in turn, sealing the Sacred Realm entirely and therefore closing the road between times. With this act by the princess in the future, the Hero of Time vanishes completely from this branch of Hyrule's history, leaving only his legend behind, as she unknowingly split the present timeline into two and thus created new history, called the Child and Adult Timeline - the latter being the actual universe where all of Ocarina of Time's events were unfolded, and Link is heading to the former, therefore marking the beginning of the Hero of Time's gradual downfall. With him being completely sent back to his childhood by Zelda, Link's Triforce of Courage in this particular timeline also shatters into multiple fragments and are scattered throughout the land, which would be found again one day by another Hero that would have need of its power at his own adventure.
The Hero of Time's Terrible Fate[]
Main article: Majora's Mask
Now back to his original time permanently, in the alternate Child Timeline, Link's trusted Fairy companion, Navi, with her mission completed, suddenly flies away and utterly leaves him without a word to spare. With the memory of his adventure still intact, the Hero of Time returns to the Hyrule Castle Courtyard, and warns Princess Zelda and the King of Hyrule about Ganondorf's conspiracy and what the "future" would unfold if the Gerudo King was not immediately stopped and arrested, in order to prevent the previous events from ever occurring again, as he's well-aware of their archenemy's coming assault, and using the Triforce of Courage remaining on his left hand as evidence.[18] He gains the Royal Family's trust and stayed in the castle for a short while. After Link tells Zelda he must leave for a secret and personal journey, the princess entrusts Link with the Ocarina of Time, this time in person, and instructs him to head far away, to completely thwart Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm and have himself ultimately imprisoned (and eventually sentenced to death in the events of Twilight Princess) by the King. After saying goodbye (again), the young hero then departs from Hyrule, riding on his horse Epona with the magical Ocarina in hand to seek for his missing fairy friend. Upon Link's departure from the kingdom, however, the Triforce of Courage in this branch of the timeline, due to himself being separated from the "elements that made him a hero", ultimately vanishes from the Hero of Time's hand, therefore losing the great mystical powers bestowed upon him by the essence of the Goddess Farore.[19]
No longer protected by the power of the Triforce and months later in the process, in a distant forest at the very outskirts of Hyrule, the Hero of Time was suddenly ambushed and stumbles into a parallel universe known as Termina, which was being threatened to be destroyed by its sinister Moon in three days, by the Skull Kid, under possession of a powerful evil entity called Majora's Mask. He was then instructed by the mysterious Happy Mask Saleman (who apparently knows him from Hyrule) to take the ancient mask from the Skull Kid as soon as possible, resulting in Link forced to put his search for Navi on hold and do another adventure within this strange Hyrule-like world, in which this quest to stop a second villain turned out be even darker than the last. With the aid of the Ocarina of Time to travel through time once again, special transforming Masks in the form of a Deku Scrub, Goron, and Zora (one includes becoming a giant), a new tomboyish Fairy partner named Tatl, and the Four Giants upon saving them from capture by the forces of evil within four Temples, Link overcomes many tough obstacles as well as helping various people across the land through their own troubles (earning over a dozen regular masks doing so) like he did before at Hyrule. He even regains a few of his older items such as the Lens of Truth, the magic Arrows, including Light, once more at one point. Very late in his second quest, the young Hero of Time also obtains a mysterious transformation mask resembling his adult self's face, which such rare item's dark powers are said to be just as dangerous as Majora's Mask itself. This particular strange mask is none other than the Fierce Deity's Mask, which would prove especially useful for Link in the final battle...
In the eventual final showdown against the mastermind behind Majora's Mask's evil (which took in three increasingly more powerful forms), taking place inside the Moon, Link easily defeats Majora in a harsh battle with the tremendous strength of his ferocious Fierce Deity form, ultimately destroying the wicked monster and the Moon itself, and saves Termina from its imminent destruction. The now-freed Skull Kid gave thanks and seemingly recognized Link as the one who taught him "that song" in the Lost Woods. The Happy Mask Salesman also appears with the now-powerless Majora's Mask in his possession, and bids Link farewell, but not before commenting that the young Hero of Time had made a large number of people happy and should return back to Hyrule. Soon after, he part ways with Tatl and leaves the land on Epona to resume his original quest of searching for Navi, though Link eventually notices a tree stump in a band of light in the very same place where he was originally ambushed, showing a drawing of himself, Skull Kid, Tatl, Tael, and the Four Giants waving, by the Skull Kid himself as a remembrance. However, as soon as Link left Termina and seemingly returns back to Hyrule, the universe itself ceases to exist due to Majora's ultimate defeat, causing the young hero's history of rescuing this place to erase entirely - just like in the end of his previous adventure in Hyrule after defeating Ganondorf. Consequently, the Hero of Time is once again back to square one, with no lasting evidence of himself saving either world. At this point, Link's future whereabouts and activities are unknown.
A Legendary Hero Who Never Was[]
Main article: Hero's Spirit
As time went on, despite he indeed rescued his homeland as well as Termina from certain doom and made a strong impact in the Adult Timeline that will forever live on, unfortunately, as the Hero of Time now lives in the Child Timeline - a completely different universe with his legendary title being non-existent and virtually all of his friends were lost, and he is unable to return back to the other where he belongs due to the Sacred Realm being completely sealed, thus forever trapped in this alternate dimension, Link continued to lament the fact that he was not remembered as a hero at all after he was returned to his original time against his will by Princess Zelda immediately after defeating Ganon in the events of Ocarina of Time - a questionable decision in spite of her good intentions - and his great heroic achievements were tragically unrecognized to the world even after warning the Royal Family and stopping Ganondorf entirely (and his act of getting the Gerudo warlock executed was in vain when the villain survived due to the Triforce of Power and then cast into the Twilight Realm). In addition, Link never found Navi after the events of Majora's Mask, a beloved friend who simply abandoned him without saying goodbye. When he eliminated Majora, an evil perhaps psychopathic demon about as dangerous as Ganon himself, although the Skull Kid did seem to recognize him, the Happy Mask Salesman and Tatl also never gave Link a proper thanks for his hard efforts due to themselves being focused on their own goals. Plus, Termina itself was an ill-fated world destined to disappear regardless if he saved it or not, due to the fact that land was made from the Skull Kid's memories and Majora's Mask's power. In the end, with his two traumatic journeys apparently all for naught, Link, sadly, was never in relative peace, and is filled with complete regret of his actions for the rest of his life and remained isolated from the many hardships, ironically like how Zelda in the seven-year future felt about Hyrule falling under Ganondorf's rule due to her own actions.[20]
The once great but now-disregarded hero eventually passes away at an unknown age. However, even after his death, the Hero of Time was unable to go to the afterlife because of the non-stop regrets that kept him tied to the world of the living, feeling that he was unable to pass on the lessons of his life to the younger generations. Therefore, Link remained restless, but his final wish would soon come. In order to finally ease his inner demons and at last pass on his long-lost masterful knowledge of the arts of the sword, the Hero of Time teaches seven powerful techniques known as the Hidden Skills to his descendant, the Link of Twilight Princess, known as the Hero of Twilight, in the form of a ghostly Stalfos-like swordsman and pale golden wolf known as the Hero's Spirit, taking place over a century after his time as the chosen hero by the Goddesses, in order to help this new Link become stronger to match his level and destroy Ganondorf for good as a worthy successor.[20][21] After the Hero of Twilight learns all of the Hidden Skills, the Shade's regrets are finally eased and the Hero of Time ultimately rests in peace into the afterlife.
In the distant future of this timeline, a new incarnation of Ganondorf rises and another new Link, multiplied into four, fights and defeats him as well as Vaati, in Four Swords Adventures. However, the legend of Hero of Time is once again forgotten.
A Doomed Legend[]
Main article: Great Flood
Meanwhile, back at the Adult Timeline, following Ganon's brutal defeat, Link's legend as the Hero of Time was fondly remembered and had passed for many generations during Hyrule's longtime peace. However, due to Princess Zelda's decision of permanently sending him back to his original time and unintentionally into the Child Timeline, the world was ultimately left without a hero, and over time, the powerful seal of Ganondorf by the Six Sages, thought to be forever in effect, eventually failed for unknown reasons, causing the Gerudo King to become free as his beast form. Now finally risen from the earth's ground, well-aware of his dreadful promise for revenge by eliminating their descendants for being defeated by Link and his long imprisonment in the corrupted Sacred Realm at the end of Ocarina of Time and the Triforce of Power was never lost, darkness began to cover Hyrule again. With Ganon ultimately returned, people began to pray that the Hero of Time would also return to once again save the land by traveling through time. But the legendary Hero never appeared at all, as Link himself as well as his trusted allies from his era were long gone to history at this point. Because of Hyrule's total defenseless state, the villain manages to completely take over the kingdom with even less difficulty than in the past events of Ocarina of Time, as he had no resistance whatsoever. By this time, the current King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, although he managed to temporarily extract the Triforce of Power as well as splitting the Triforce of Wisdom into two fragments, the king was unable to stop Ganon. In so, he pleaded to the Goddesses via the full Triforce to flood Hyrule away with a worldwide torrential downpour (not before the gods themselves telling chosen people to flee into the mountaintops), sealing the kingdom and Ganon under what will become the Great Sea. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but the Hero of Time's legend survived the wind's breath.
As more time continues to pass, in the events of The Wind Waker, Ganon broke the seal once again (though now significantly weakened and reverted to his human form) to claim the Triforce yet again. On a faraway island, a customary tradition exists where young boys reaching the same age as the Hero of Time would wear a green tunic and hat and search for swords to honor his legend. One day, a completely new Link - the Hero of Winds, came of age and earns this clothing for his birthday, and began his own adventure where he would revive a few memories of the Hero of Time as his successor in this timeline and even destroy the King of Evil himself with the help of an unwitting descendant of Princess Zelda and King Daphnes himself as the King of Red Lions, by the unexpected kidnapping of his younger sister Aryll. In the distant future leading to Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, two swords, the Phantom Sword and Lokomo Sword, respectively, are forged to purposely resemble the Master Sword in homage of the Hero of Time's legendary usage of the sacred weapon.
The Tragic Defeat of a Great Hero[]
Main article: Fallen Hero Timeline
Despite Ocarina of Time's ending of the Hero of Time being triumphant over Ganon and this particular event is only possible during gameplay (as there is no unique cutscene or cinematic for it in-game), if the complete opposite were to occur in the Final Boss battle and Link tragically dies by the main antagonist's hand regardless of his human or beast forms, a third branch of the canon timeline would take place known as the Downfall Timeline. In this rather sad scenario, the Hero of Time fails his mission and Ganondorf is consequently completely successful at getting rid of his biggest obstacle to conquer Hyrule. With the King of Evil ultimately victorious, he then steals the Triforce of Courage from the now-dead Link's body and also takes Princess Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, making himself obtain the completed Triforce and thus gaining the True Force at last. In spite of the seemingly hopeless situation, the Seven Sages all refuse to give up; As a last resort, similar to the true ending of the game, they each quickly use their combined power to seal Ganon away into the Evil Realm. Although Hyrule is now at peace for the moment, Zelda, the Six Sages, and Navi all mourn the loss of their great hero and beloved friend who had sacrificed himself to help save everyone in the land.
As time pass leading to the Era of Light and Dark, the doorway to the Sacred Realm opened again, causing an event known as the Imprisoning War, where people battled to claim the Triforce but never returned. An army of Ganon's minions came forth. The King of Hyrule of this era commands the Seven Wise Men to seal the gate, which they were successful, though many Knights of Hyrule were wiped out, leaving the kingdom impoverished. Eventually, a dark wizard named Agahnim brainwashed Hyrule's soldiers, killed the King, and made six of the seven descendants of the Seven Wise Men, the Maidens, disappear into the Dark World, to weaken the seal of Ganon. The last Maiden is a new Princess Zelda, and she uses telepathy to call out to the incarnation of Link of this point of time, the Hero of Legend, to begin his own adventure. This is where the events of A Link to the Past takes place. Much like in the Child Timeline, the legend of the Hero of Time in the Downfall branch where the games A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, Echoes of Wisdom, The Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link all occur in this order, is completely lost.
Legacy[]
The legend of the Hero of Time becomes of great significance in the development of the Zelda Timeline and the mythology in The Legend of Zelda series, and therefore this incarnation of Link is likely the most important in the long-running franchise. His climactic battle against Ganondorf marked the point in which the timeline split into three different branches: the Downfall, Child and Adult Timeline. Princess Zelda's plan with Link to save Hyrule by retrieving the Triforce before the villain resulted in the King of Evil ultimately obtaining the Triforce of Power,[22] leading eventually, in one continuity, to Link's tragic defeat by Ganon's hand and the formation of the Downfall Timeline.[23] In the alternate continuity where Link succeeds in defeating Ganon as seen in the ending of Ocarina of Time, the princess sends the Hero of Time back to his original time, creating two timelines; the Child Timeline and the Adult Timeline. In the latter of the two, the Triforce of Courage is shattered and the Link in the Adult Timeline vanishes from existence due to the time paradox, resulting in Hyrule eventually being flooded since there was no hero whatsoever to defeat Ganon once the Seven Sages' seal broke.[24] In the former, the Hero of Time becomes filled with regret by not being remembered as the legendary hero that saved Hyrule from Ganon or Termina from Majora's Mask, eventually leading him to linger on as the Hero's Spirit in the Era of Twilight.[20]
Although Hyrule was flooded in the Adult Timeline and the memory of the kingdom vanished, the legend of the Hero of Time transcended through time. In Outset Island, it became a custom to clothe boys in green once they came of age.[25][26] A statue depicting the Hero of Time is also prominently displayed in the sunken Hyrule Castle, demonstrating how meaningful the legend of the brave boy clothed in green was to the citizens of Hyrule. When the Hero of Winds, the Link from The Wind Waker, defeats Puppet Ganon, Ganondorf compared this particular hero with the Hero of Time, his predecessor, who had defeated him hundreds of years ago, claiming he is that Link reborn.[27]
Relationships[]
In his childhood, aside from Navi the Fairy who is summoned by the Great Deku Tree to be his partner, the Hero of Time establishes the relationships of certain individuals that will come to his benefit in his adult years, after pulling the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. Link is the one to establish his beneficial and plot-necessary relationship with Saria, and Mido's dislike for him can be attributed to this in addition to the Great Deku Tree's favor for him over anyone else, namely Mido himself.[28] The young hero also strikes up a friendship with Princess Zelda, and indirectly with Impa as well, while conversing with her about Ganondorf and the fate of her kingdom in the Hyrule Castle courtyard, after vanquishing the parasite from the Great Deku Tree. In helping Darunia reopen the Dodongo's Cavern (who calls him his Sworn Brother), and saving Princess Ruto from the depths of the stomach of Lord Jabu-Jabu (who claims she is engaged with him after giving the Zora's Sapphire), Link had, unbeknownst to him, met and aided almost all of the future Sages who would, in turn, ultimately help him in his quest to save Hyrule from the Evil King Ganondorf in the young hero's adult years.[29][30] Even after returning to his childhood for the second time to enter the Spirit Temple, he continues this by befriending Nabooru by agreeing to aid her in overthrowing Ganondorf. He is also the one that forms the initial bond with Epona and Malon. In addition, he also met and befriended the scarecrows Bonooru and Pierre, which the latter would aid him controlling the flow of time in Termina. The Skull Kid, once freed from Majora's Mask, remembers Link as the one who taught him Saria's Song. Although Link did befriend Tatl, her tomboyish behavior has made the hero's relationship rocky (although she eventually admits she admires him deep inside). He had never directly spoken to Tatl's brother Tael, however.
Personality[]
Like with most other Links in the series, as he is known as a "silent protagonist", although he displays distinctive vocals of grunts and screams, the Hero of Time is not seen speaking or emoting to a large degree in the games where he is playable, although the optional texts the player can choose when talking to certain characters implies he is not necessarily mute. He is a benevolent, intelligent, highly brave, honest, calm, and selfless individual with a humble heart, though Link himself often appears serious or stoic (especially as an adult) in the original N64 versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, a few spin-off games, and some official artwork, and rarely smiles (the 3DS remakes shows him a bit more relaxed). Despite his rather quiet, "just business" behavior in his in-game appearances, some media such as the Akira Himekawa manga series depict Link in a significantly more cheerful or expressive manner. Twilight Princess and Hyrule Historia serve as the only real look into his thoughts and feelings. Like all other incarnations of Link, the Hero of Time is also shown to be very helpful and caring to others throughout his journeys in both Hyrule and Termina, even if it wasn't related to his main quest, willing to sacrifice his own personal deeds no matter the outcome.
As the Hero's Shade, where he does actually speak (likely due to the fact he's no longer controlled by the player), he is shown to be much sterner and blunt, telling his descendant, the Link from Twilight Princess, that the latter's current skill level dishonors their bloodline upon first meeting him, regardless of him already possessing the Triforce of Courage like the Hero of Time himself once did. The Hero's Spirit also reflected on his former time as a hero, saying that the path to becoming a true hero is a long one, and that while he himself accepted the tough life as such, the former Hero of Time regretted that he couldn't pass on the lessons he had learned. As he trained the Hero of Twilight in his long-lost arts of the sword, the Shade reminded the latter that he must continue to improve his skill and courage himself so that he could become the savior Hyrule needed to defeat Ganondorf, as he saw his former self fully reflected in his descendant. Once the Hero of Twilight mastered all of the Hidden Skills, the ex-legendary hero proudly told his student/successor that he now knew all of what it took to be a true hero, even addressing him as his "son", and could now march forth with his vision unclouded at last. Even as a specter, the Hero of Time continued to aid the land of Hyrule and its people with the best of his ability just like when he was alive.
Fighting skills[]
The Hero of Time, like all other incarnations of Link due to himself possessing the spirit of the Legendary Hero, is a character with incredible levels of courage destined to destroy evil, and he is almost always seen with a sword and shield in hand, normally the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield as a child or the Master Sword and Hylian Shield as an adult (though he has various other related weapons such as the Biggoron's Sword or Mirror Shield). As with the Links in the older games of The Legend of Zelda series, the Hero of Time is born as a fearless fighter with no apparent teacher and only experience in battle serving as his lessons, but ultimately is an expert. As heavily suggested by his aforementioned "serious" personality and explained in the Zelda Encyclopedia, even at a young age, due to Link's endless training as an elite swordsman, archer, and magic user, as well as possessing the Triforce of Courage which augments his abilities to vast proportions by the essence of Farore, the Hero of Time already displayed an immense amount of bravery, discipline, stealth, and skill that only grew further when he became an adult and reached professional levels as the Hero's Spirit, proving himself a master warrior comparable to a Hylian Knight and even impressing the Gerudo, whom themselves are feared fighters in their own right (and the only other male they considered remarkable being their king, Ganondorf, whom Link himself defeated). Likewise, Impa and Sheik, themselves Sheikah, also find Link's natural fighting talents worthy of attention. Although the Hero of Time did ultimately lose the sacred Triforce piece in Majora's Mask due to an unfortunate sequence of events, his raw skills did not decrease whatsoever, but actually continues to improve, as can be observed in-game by himself being more acrobatic and able to frontflip or somersault over ledges, as opposed to a normal jump in the previous N64 title.
The Hero of Time is capable of destroying dangerous enemies with ease such as the Dinolfos, Stalfos, the Poe Sisters, Dead Hand, Gerudo Thieves/Pirates, the Garo Master, Gomess, the deadly Iron Knuckles, and even the ancient undead king of the Ikana Kingdom, Igos du Ikana. In addition, stronger foes known to potentially destroy Hyrule or Termina such as Phantom Ganon, Volvagia, Bongo Bongo, Twinrova, or Goht are also slayed by Link's hand. He is so proficient that not only he himself defeated the two extremely powerful demons responsible for all of his troubles in a duel - Ganon and Majora (the latter which he actually killed), but also himself as a shadow, indicating excellent capabilities of combat adaptation, strength, speed, and great knowledge of the art of the sword. Outside of being a sword fighter, Link uses a wide variety of items such as his signature Ocarina of Time, the Fairy Slingshot, Hookshot, elemental magic Arrows by his Bow, his transformation masks, and many more such as the Megaton Hammer, Zora Tunic, or Naryu's Love to overcome many obstacles in his adventures. He is also comfortable at sneaking around heavily guarded locations, as seen in Hyrule Castle Courtyard, Gerudo's Fortress and Pirates' Fortress, with the Stone Mask adding extra help to his benefit for the latter. Interestingly, unlike other incarnations of Link where the hero gains an increase of defensive power through special clothing or rare items (such as the Red Ring in The Legend of Zelda), the Hero of Time obtains it through the magical powers of the Great Fairy of Courage in both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Finally, his villainous Fierce Deity's Mask item serves as his weapon of last resort. Although not used in combat, his Silver and especially Golden Gauntlets also grants Link superhuman strength.
In Twilight Princess, as the Hero's Shade, as demonstrated from his teachings of the Hidden Skills, some of the Hero of Time's advanced techniques are so dangerous to the point that if his descendant were to learn them, they pose an immediate risk to his life, as seen with the Helm Splitter and Mortal Draw. He can also create afterimages and shoot Sword Beams from his blade. Being a specter, he does not feel any pain had the Hero of Twilight perform those special moves onto him even with the Master Sword, suggesting himself to be immortal (plus the sacred blade was designed to destroy evil while the former Link is obviously not).
In his spin-off appearances such as the Super Smash Bros. series, Hyrule Warriors, as well as SoulCalibur II, alongside the traditional Spin Attack, Jump Attack, Hookshot, Bow, Boomerang, and Bombs, the Hero of Time, in either his Young or Adult age, can perform unique moves not featured in Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask such as swift kicks (although he technically can do this as Zora Link), the Dash Attack, Jump Thrust, Down Thrust, throws, and even the Triforce Slash. Some attacks in the latter game include Link twisting opponents' arms, shoving his foe's back with his shield before stomping on his/her shoulder, violently tackling one into a forward roll or firing an Arrow with his Bow towards one's leg, indicating a more brutal fighting style than in a typical 3D Zelda game and even Smash Bros..
Despite his extraordinary skills as a heroic character and indeed proved himself worthy of his title, however, the Hero of Time is not invincible; There are cases where he had been caught off-guard in both of the canon games where he is playable such as the evil spirit of Bongo Bongo escaping the well in a burning Kakariko Village knocking him down while attempting to protect Sheik in Ocarina of Time or the Skull Kid ambushing him in the Lost Woods with the help of Tatl and Tael in Majora's Mask, alongside official artwork of himself being caught by Morpha, as well as some media such as the Akira Himekawa manga series where he had been nearly beaten down by several antagonists at various points. In fact, as much of a legendary hero this incarnation of Link is, his own possible defeat would have dire consequences for Hyrule's fate, as explained in the Downfall Timeline if he were to be ultimately killed by Ganon.
Lore-wise, the Hero of Time is a highly skilled and experienced assassin, rivaling if not surpassing other particularly strong Links such as the Hero of the Sky, Hero of Legend or Hero of the Wild (from Skyward Sword, A Link to the Past and Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, respectively) and he is even the mentor of the Hero of Twilight himself.
Other Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[]
- See SmashWiki's article on Young Link for more information.
The Hero of Time appears in both his child and adult forms in Super Smash Bros. Melee. His adult form is a default character while his child form has to be unlocked. There are two ways to unlock his child form, including by playing 500 Vs. matches, or Completing Classic Mode with 10 different characters, including Adult Link and Zelda. The player will then be challenged by Young Link, and upon defeating him, Young Link will become a playable character. His appearance is based on his younger and older counterparts as seen in Ocarina of Time, since he wields the Kokiri Sword and the Deku Shield during combat as a child, and the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield as an adult. Young Link is more agile, but weaker while Adult Link is slower, but stronger. Young Link has some of the same weaponry and moves as his adult counterpart, but they are usually accompanied with a few changes, like his Hookshot and Boomerang having a shorter reach. Great Bay serves as the home stage of Young Link, and Hyrule: Temple is the home stage of Adult Link.
Both Adult Link and Young Link can choose different color tunics, including the Goron and Zora tunics, and a black tunic. When the Young Link taunts his foes, he drinks a Bottle of Lon Lon Milk, then wipes his mouth.
Young Link's special moves are the same as the adult version. He wields the Fairy Bow from Ocarina of Time as his neutral special move; however, instead of it shooting normal Arrows like Adult Link's, Young Link shoots Fire Arrows, although they do not travel as far as Adult Link's and inflict less damage. Young Link's side special move is the Boomerang. Bombs function as both Link's down special move, while the Spin Attack is their up special move as well as his Template:Ssb:recovery. Young Link's Spin Attack is weaker than Adult Link's, but it can trap nearby foes in a cyclone of slashes upon performing this move.
The Hero of Time is replaced by Toon Link and a Link resembling the incarnation in Twilight Princess in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, for his child and adult forms. Both appear as Trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
# | Trophy | First Game / Move | Description | How to unlock |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Link |
The Legend of Zelda 07/87 |
Even in his youth, Link was already becoming the warrior who would carry the destiny of Hyrule (and many other lands) on his shoulders. His epic struggles against the forces of darkness are written in legend, and he is bound to the Princess Zelda and the archfiend Ganondorf by the awesome power of the Triforce. | Complete Classic Mode as Link |
8 | Link [Smash] |
B: Bow Smash B: Boomerang |
Burdened with a shield, a heavy sword, and plenty of equipment, Link is not a very mobile character. Nevertheless, he's skilled with the blade, and his varied supply of missile weapons makes him a powerful fighter. To master Link, you must control the pace by balancing your long-range attacks with head-to-head swordplay. | Complete Adventure Mode as Link |
9 | Link [Smash] |
Up & B: Spin Attack Down & B: Bomb |
Link's Bow, Boomerang, and Bombs all take time to wield, so you may want to try drawing them in midair to prevent your foes from attacking you while you're vulnerable. The Spin Attack can score consecutive midair hits, and the final slash is very powerful. Link's Bombs are his trump card, but he can't pull one out if he's carrying another item. | Complete All-Star Mode as Link
|
70 | Young Link |
The Legend of Zelda 07/87 |
Link's younger incarnation is often considered to be the true Link: he was a young boy in the very first Legend of Zelda game, and he has appeared as a youth in most of the subsequent games. Since his debut on the original NES in 1987, Link's appearance has changed over and over again, each time adding to the mystique of his incomparable story. | Complete Classic Mode as Young Link |
71 | Young Link [Smash] |
B: Fire Bow Smash B: Boomerang |
Young Link is lighter and faster than his older self, and his Kokiri sword packs less punch. Even though his Boomerang has a shorter range, he has greater control over it. He's a smaller target, and while his Hookshot has less reach than older Link's, you can still use it in midair as a last ditch attempt to grab a ledge. | Complete Adventure Mode as Young Link |
72 | Young Link [Smash] |
Up & B: Spin Attack Down & B: Bomb |
With a youthful spring in his step, Young Link can perform amazing wall-jumps. Once he hits a wall, tap the Control stick in the opposite direction to send him leaping upward; you can practice to your heart's content in Target Test. His Spin Attack can strike multiple times even on the ground, and although it's hard to discern, so do his Bombs. | Complete All-Star Mode as Young Link |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Although his adult form remains absent from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (being replaced by the Breath of the Wild incarnation of Link) the Hero of Time reappears as Young Link. His moveset is almost identical to how it was in Super Smash Bros. Melee, with slight changes.
Trivia[]
- In spite of his highly unfortunate story as a tragic hero, the Hero of Time is universally the most popular and iconic Link in the The Legend of Zelda series community, not only due to the breakthrough success of Ocarina of Time and its sequel or his major importance in the mythology and timelines according to Hyrule Historia, but also setting the standard for most future incarnations since, the praised voice performances of Fujiko Takamoto and Nobuyuki Hiyama for his child and adult self, respectively, and even having a unique, god-like transformation, effectively giving him his legendary status.
- The opening cutscene of The Wind Waker shows the Hero of Time defeating Ganon as a child, when he was in fact an adult in Ocarina of Time during the final battle. In the same scene, Link also fought him without a shield while Ganondorf battled only in his beast form, unarmed.
- Notably, the adventure of the Hero of Time in the game's prologue seems to be not entirely based on the actual events of Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, as alongside the aforementioned differences, it too shows him riding Epona as a child in the Adult Timeline rather than the Child Timeline, as his legend was remembered there.
- Although the "Hero of Time" is technically his adult self, as explicitly explained in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker and some media claimed Link's title as a child.
- As it is never explained by Nintendo what happened to the Hero of Time after the events of Majora's Mask and before becoming the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess, fans have created many unconfirmed theories about the character, such as Link killed in battle during a very intense war as a knight at Hyrule in his adulthood or inside the Lost Woods while searching for Navi due to the decayed skeletal appearance wearing swordsman armor, as well as the loss of his Triforce of Courage.
- Ironically, according to Hyrule Historia, it is possible that the Hero of Time was once a Hylian Knight himself.
- Unlike all other incarnations of Link in The Legend of Zelda series, the Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time, despite destiny ultimately separating them and none displayed direct affection (although it is heavily implied Princess Ruto attempted to kiss him upon rescuing her), shares a somewhat romantic relationship with four different female characters, three of which whom are also Sages: Princess Zelda, Saria, Princess Ruto, and Malon. Because of this, many fans strongly considered this particular Link to be a ladies' man or in a love triangle. Story-wise, however, he is technically engaged with Ruto, as the Zora princess vows the Hero of Time her husband when obtaining the Spiritual Stone of Water, as it is also called the "Zora's Engagement Ring", even though Link himself was not aware of being Princess Ruto's fiancé due to his important goal of helping Hyrule's princess, Zelda, and, more likely than not, the fact he was still at a young age.
- In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga, Kaepora Gaebora, the owl form of the Sage of Light, Rauru, indeed directly tells Link that he is popular with the ladies after meeting Saria, Zelda, and Malon, but not yet Ruto, in which the young hero's response was to hush up, implying he is relatively aware of his relationships. Earlier in the same manga, Zelda can be seen giving Link a kiss to his cheek after agreeing to stop Ganondorf.
- Nabooru, the second-in-command of the Gerudo and Sage of Spirit, also shows interest in Link when she realizes how handsome he is as an adult, and regrets that she should've kept the promise of "something great" she said to him as a child.
- Although never confirmed by Nintendo and despite the aforementioned possible marriage with Princess Ruto, some fans speculated that Malon may have ultimately won the Hero of Time's affections among the four girls in the events leading to becoming the Hero's Spirit well after Majora's Mask, due to the fact that her wish was to have a knight in shining armor wiping her feet one day according to a Gossip Stone in Ocarina of Time, as well as that Link himself could possibly be one according to Hyrule Historia. His descendant in the Child Timeline, the Link from Twilight Princess, initially a rancher like Malon, knows Epona's Song, the song she herself teaches the Hero of Time. This is however, likely just pure coincidence.
- Even Navi has a slight fondness for Link, as according to Shigeru Miyamoto in an interview, she is jealous of Princess Zelda and feels something for the young hero. In the manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time by Akira Himekawa, the Fairy tells Link she loves him before parting ways with him at its climax.
- Game release-wise and chronologically among the series, the Hero of Time is the third and fourth incarnation of Link, respectively.
- Although the Hero of Time's Fierce Deity form by the Fierce Deity's Mask is not actually required to complete Majora's Mask, Link defeating Majora as such is stated to be canon according to Hyrule Historia.
- In addition to Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask and their remakes, as he is featured in Twilight Princess (as Hero's Spirit), three games of the Super Smash Bros. series (original, Melee, and Ultimate), Hyrule Warriors (Young Link), the critically acclaimed 2002 Namco fighting game SoulCalibur II (as a guest star), and likely the SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo, as well as a cameo in The Wind Waker, the Hero of Time made more appearances than any other incarnation of Link.
- The Hero of Time is the only incarnation of Link to be hugged by another character other than Princess Zelda, based on the events of Majora's Mask. If Link were to help Cremia, the Terminan adult counterpart of Malon, deliver her rare Chateau Romani milk to the Milk Bar after protecting her from the Gorman Brothers' ambush during the night of the Second Day, and the Romani's Mask was already obtained, there is a 50/50 probability for himself to receive a Huge Rupee (even if the counter is full) or an affectionate hug from her as a reward.
- As displays of direct affection are extremely rare in The Legend of Zelda series, the hug from Cremia in Majora's Mask is the second instance since the ending of The Adventure of Link where Link were to be embraced, and another would not be seen until the final battle of Spirit Tracks (although the linked Oracle game shows Zelda kissing Link in its ending upon defeating the incomplete Ganon).
- It is often presumed by fans that the Hero of Time had never been hugged before in his life or at least is not used to it, as during this moment, Link can be seen simply standing with his arms hanging loosely, and in the events of Ocarina of Time, he was terrified when several Gorons attempted to hug him after obtaining the Spiritual Stone of Fire from Darunia (though this is may be comic relief), as well as he was orphaned by the Great Deku Tree as a baby.
- Surprisingly, Cremia's heartwarming hug towards the Hero of Time was not originally planned for the game. According to Yoshiaki Kolzumi, he stated that it was actually made out of an animation mistake during development; When Link's position was being set up, his face was too close and lodged into Cremia. But instead of removing it, the team immediately decided to rework the error and left it in the final game, saying this would have been every boys' dream, including himself.
- In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga adaptation, the Hero of Time's blue earrings are a gift from Impa and are a rite of passage for young Sheikah men, in spite of Link himself not being such people.
- Despite this title is the first to be properly established in the series for the main protagonist, the Hero of Time is the second incarnation of Link to have a "Hero" title to distinguish from others, while the first is the Hero of Legend from A Link to the Past. The next in order so far are Hero of Winds, Hero of Light, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Sky, and Hero of the Wild, from The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild, respectively.
- Although The Legend of Zelda has Princess Zelda claimed to Link as the "Hero of Hyrule", it is unlikely it was used as a title.
- According to Hyrule Historia, the Hero of Time's age is 10 as a child and 17 as an adult, though it is debated in other sources; For example, the Link from The Wind Waker, was given his Hero's Clothes upon reaching the same age as the Hero of Time when he first set out his Hyrule journey as a tradition, and his Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and amiibo state he is 12, thus suggesting Adult Link to be 19 as well. In SoulCalibur II, however, his age is depicted as "--" (unknown).
- The Hero of Time's model in Ocarina of Time, although seen in official artwork, has the strap on his shoulder for carrying his scabbard and shield is missing, due to the graphical limitations of the Nintendo 64. It is also missing in the original Super Smash Bros. as well. Despite this, it is fixed in Majora's Mask via increased memory by the Expansion Pak, and in Ocarina of Time 3D.
- On a similar note, the Hero's Clothes in The Wind Waker, which is supposedly a replica of the Hero of Time's outfit, also lacks the strap.
- If one looks closely in the introduction scene of Ocarina of Time, when Link is having his nightmare about Princess Zelda and Ganondorf, and Navi meeting him soon after, his eyes can be seen still open before he shivers and turns his head around. This is a developer oversight, and was fixed in the Nintendo 3DS remake.
- Although Link's exact height is unknown, when compared to the corrected measuring graph in the pool in the Lakeside Laboratory via the Iron Boots in Ocarina of Time 3D, the Hero of Time stands 1.7m (5'7") tall in height as an adult, which is around the average for a man. Interestingly, Princess Zelda (and Sheik) is slightly shorter than Link, but Impa, the Sage of Shadow and Zelda's attendant, stands taller than him. On the other hand, as a child, Link stands shorter than Zelda.
- His Fierce Deity Link form in Majora's Mask is exceptionally tall, likely the same as Ganondorf, who himself measures 230cm (7'6¾") in Ocarina of Time according to Hyrule Historia.
- Himself as the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess, due to his Stalfos-like ghost form, stands much taller than when he was alive.
- The Hero of Time's appearances in other media usually depict Link of average size, but appears oddly short in SoulCalibur II.
- In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga, the Hero of Time was shown training with Impa as well as a Hylian Knight named Captain Orsen in its sequel. However, in the original games, unlike most other incarnations of Link, he is a self-taught fighter. Due to his constant increase in raw skills until his death, he even became an instructor in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit - something no other Link in the long-running franchise had done.
- In the post-credits cutscene of Link meeting Princess Zelda in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard for the second time in Ocarina of Time and Ocarina of Time 3D, the Triforce of Courage can be seen resonating on his left hand.
- In Twilight Princess, some of the items the Hero of Twilight obtain in his adventure such as the Hero's Bow and even some residents claim of an ancient hero of the past known in Hyrule. This implies the Hero of Time's actions throughout his life in the Child Timeline might not be completely forgotten.
- The statue of the Hero of Time seen in Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker has somewhat of a resemblance to the Hero of Winds incarnation in that it depicts him wearing the same exact clothing and even has the Mirror Shield based on its appearance in-game (despite the N64 titles have much different designs).
- In the event Link is defeated in Ocarina of Time as an adult and the player consequently receives a Game Over, the Hero of Time can be heard saying "Yuck!" as he collapses, marking the first time in The Legend of Zelda series he speaks English words in a mainline game, before The Wind Waker's "Come on!" as widely believed.
- In the beta version of Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time was originally going to summon Epona using a reed whistle. Although this was scrapped, this concept would be reused for Twilight Princess' Horse Call.
- Similarly, the running slash attack seen in that title was originally planned for Ocarina of Time but was cut for unknown reasons.
- Although sometimes falsely assumed as such by fans, the Hero of Time is not the first instance in the franchise to feature an older Link, as this debuted in The Adventure of Link. However, his appearance and notability in Ocarina of Time has become a trademark image of the character to many, despite the majority of the games in the longtime series depicted Link as a child.
- As the Downfall Timeline branch of the Zelda Timeline is ultimately the possible result of Link defeated by Ganon, in spite of Ocarina of Time's actual ending of being the opposite, this would make the Hero of Time the only incarnation of Link to have canonically lost.
- Surprisingly, during early development of Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time were to begin his adventure in Hyrule already as an adult, as his child self was not originally planned.
- In Ocarina of Time 3D, the Hero of Time's fighting stance via Targeting is slightly altered from the original Nintendo 64 version, where Link can sometimes be seen twirling his sword in a nearly identical manner as his descendant in Twilight Princess. This only happens as an adult, however.
- The Hero of Time has the most transformations over any incarnation of Link - five.
- The Hero's Spirit being the Hero of Time himself has been met with controversy by fans of the series, especially ones who played the Nintendo 64 games, as the form in Twilight Princess shows this rather iconic Link in a horrific, sad, decayed state vaguely explained how he become such.
- Although the Hero of Time has no direct counterpart in Termina unlike his Sworn Brother Darunia (Darmani III) and supposed fiancée Princess Ruto (Lulu), Kafei in Majora's Mask is remarkably similar to Link in that he shares the same personality and animations as himself, and during a part of the Reuniting Kafei and Anju sidequest where they must acquire the Sun's Mask inside Sakon's Hideout, he can even be controlled by the player (a first for the series) and can also punch.
- The Hero of Legend incarnation in A Link Between Worlds, however, would have a genuine counterpart in Lorule, known as Ravio. But in stark contrast to Kafei or Link himself, this character has a fearful personality rather than courageous. Coincidentally, he is associated with purple rather than green like the former.
- Link's actions by strictly following Zelda/Sheik's orders throughout Ocarina of Time's storyline solely to save Hyrule led some fans to believe the Hero of Time is simply a pawn of the princess of his era.
- The introduction of Majora's Mask explains a slightly different reason for the Hero of Time's departure as opposed to Hyrule Historia. Although he is indeed looking for Navi, the game says that Link is also fed up with the dangerous battles he experienced in his previous adventure in Ocarina of Time.
- It should also be noted, as the N64 title was made well before the introduction of the official timeline in 2011, its plot says that in Hyrule, Link's legend was echoed by the Royal Family, which suggests that there is no evidence in-game that the timeline by Ocarina of Time's events had split into two and Link himself being in an alternate universe.
- Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask combined, the Hero of Time has obtained a total of over 200 items (including reused), 9 Swords (two are Kokiri Sword variants), 5 Shields (two are different Mirror Shields), and accomplished 22 Dungeons (13 which are main). He also fought 163 different enemies including reused, 24 Mini-Bosses (excluding re-encounters), and 17 Bosses including Ganon and Majora's forms.
- The Hero of Time's encounter with his descendant in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit marks the first time based on canon content where a Link directly speaks with another incarnation of himself.
- Although often considered to be the most climactic defeat of Ganon in the The Legend of Zelda series, some fans also viewed the Hero of Time's final blow in the Final Boss battle of Ocarina of Time as arguably the most violent scene in the entire franchise as well, due to the beast spewing red blood in the original v1.0/v.1.1 NTSC builds of the N64 game as well as himself stabbing the monster directly in the mouth (Ganondorf also pukes blood when defeated). Due to controversy, this has resulted in all subsequent versions (including PAL) and releases, including its remake, being censored by Nintendo with the blood changed to green and in Ocarina of Time 3D, the Master Sword instead hits Ganon in the forehead much like in some later games' final blows with the scared blade, to tone down the violence, as the game was in fact rated Everyone (E) by the ESRB and would not risk it being re-rated to Teen (T). The 3DS remake, however, has the Everyone 10+ (E10+) rating. No other Zelda game in the long-running series since Ocarina of Time features realistic colored blood.
- Stained blood can also be seen in Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple. It remains red even in later v.1.2 versions and the remake.
- The Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga also shows the finishing blow of Link striking Ganon on the forehead rather than in the mouth.
- Link's Hero's Shield and updated Kokiri Sword that replaced his Deku/Hylian Shield and older version of the sword in the events of Majora's Mask is possibly due to the Royal Family giving him adequate gear to help him on his second adventure.
- Darunia's son, in honor of his Sworn Brother for saving the Goron species during his youth, is named after the Hero of Time - Link.
- Link also encounters another Goron sharing his name who has a reservation for the Stock Pot Inn in Majora's Mask.
- Though not clearly evidenced in-game or his other appearances such as the Super Smash Bros. series or SoulCalibur II, most fans presumed Adult Link in Ocarina of Time as merely his child self in a grown-up body and vice versa in Majora's Mask. This is likely due to the fact that he was forced into a magical sleep for 7 years to become the Hero of Time upon pulling the Master Sword, and thus the experience of his growing life was skipped entirely.
- In the Akira Himekawa manga adaptation for the former, however, this is strongly depicted, as Link was completely clueless about what happened to him between his sleep and awaken, and his behavior remained generally childish through the second part of the story.
- Perhaps humorously, due to Adult Link's realistic reaction when taking fall damage, some fans like to make fun of it by jokingly believing he said "Ay, sh**!", although he never actually said profane language.
- The close-up official artwork of Adult Link, interestingly shows the Hero of Time equipped with the Master Sword but without the Hylian Shield.
- Although the Hero of Time did not manage to kill Ganon in Ocarina of Time unlike Majora in its sequel, due to his archenemy surviving the otherwise fatal blow by the Master Sword thanks to the Triforce of Power and the main antagonist himself being at peak strength (as well as he doesn't have Silver Arrows which are guaranteed to destroy him), he is still indirectly responsible for his death as Ganondorf in Twilight Princess; The finishing attack onto his open wound by his descendant, the Hero of Twilight, during the final battle, the Ending Blow, is actually one of the seven Hidden Skills learned by the Hero's Spirit.
- Similar to Epona, Link's model in Majora's Mask is slightly taller than how he appears in its prequel. This indicates the Hero of Time had gained a small growth between the games' events.
- Interestingly, in his crossover appearance in SoulCalibur II exclusively for the GameCube version, although not canon to either The Legend of Zelda or Soul series whatsoever, the Hero of Time's in-game story not only references his two adventures in Hyrule and Termina, but also A Link to the Past as well. In this game, Link pulled the Master Sword in the Lost Woods as opposed to the Temple of Time, and he had already rescued Hyrule from an evil magician (possibly Agahnim) before entering the Soul universe as he learns the controlling force behind the wizard was by a deadly evil entity sword called Soul Edge, where he must destroy it. When Link eventually succeeds in his quest and encounters the Soul Calibur, a powerful holy weapon similar to the Blade of Evil's Bane, therefore saving the world entirely, he quietly leaves to return back to Hyrule, like in the ending of Majora's Mask. Most of his available arsenal in SoulCalibur II are from the N64 games where he is playable such as the Biggoron's Sword or Great Fairy's Sword, but a few of such are also items predating Ocarina of Time, specifically the Magical Sword/Shield (named "Magic Sword" in-game), Cane of Byrna, and even the Bug Catching Net. He can even wield Soul Edge itself in the shape of his trademark Master Sword and Hylian Shield weapons. In addition, like in the Super Smash Bros. series, the Blue Ring tunic from the original The Legend of Zelda is also available as an alternate costume much like his Goron and Zora Tunics. Although Link himself is technically suitable for Soul Calibur, because he is pure of heart like the fighters Talim and Siegfried (the Soul series' main protagonist), the Hero of Time does not have an unlockable weapon based on it, likely due to the fact he already wields the Master Sword, rendering it unnecessary.
- Coincidentally, the Hero of Time's child and adult voice actors, Fujiko Takamoto and Nobuyuki Hiyama, also voiced Taki and Siegfried/Nightmare, respectively, as well as Yoshimitsu for the latter, when set at the Japanese language. The game itself is also the last time of Hiyama himself reprising his role as Adult Link before his official retirement for voicing the character.
- SoulCalibur II also marks the first and so far only instance where Link was to be featured in a true fighting game as well as a non-Nintendo title. Although he did previously appear in the first two Super Smash Bros. games, that series has a completely different ruleset where characters are battling on platforms and therefore is considered distinct from conventional fighting titles.
- Link would not get another official crossover until Mario Kart 8 in 2014, 11 years after the release of SoulCalibur II, though this game uses the Hero of the Sky (Skyward Sword) incarnation.
- Despite the Link from The Wind Waker, known as the Hero of Winds, is the Hero of Time's successor in the Adult Timeline and is possibly his descendant like the Hero of Twilight from Twilight Princess, this incarnation is said to be unrelated to the legendary hero in-game according to the King of Red Lions when speaking to Jabun, likely due to the fact centuries have passed since the events of Ocarina of Time and the Hero of Time himself was sent back to his original age into the Child Timeline by Princess Zelda in his era.
- Alongside being the most important Link in the mythology and official timelines, in terms of power-scaling, the Hero of Time is likely one of, if not the strongest incarnation of The Legend of Zelda series' main protagonist; In addition to possessing the traditional Master Sword, Triforce of Courage, Mirror Shield, Light Arrows, as well as having a large and unique arsenal of items other Links do not have such as the Lens of Truth, transformation masks, three magic spells with power of the Golden Goddesses themselves, etc., he himself defeated a prime Ganon while the King of Evil himself almost completely took over Hyrule for seven years, destroyed another powerful demon called Majora and even fought and beaten his own shadow, each of which in a one-on-one fight with no assistance (despite Princess Zelda attempting to hold Ganon down just before the final blow). Physically, he is able to wield the two-handed weapons Biggoron's Sword or Megaton Hammer in one grip when equipped during cutscenes as well as in SoulCalibur II (the Breath of the Wild incarnation for example holds the former like a zweihänder giving its size) and can rival Ganondorf's Triforce of Power superhuman strength with the Golden Gauntlets. His skills in sword combat are so great, that as an immortal ghost, he is even the teacher of the Hero of Twilight to help his descendant defeat Ganondorf in Twilight Princess by showing him how to perform his own highly advanced techniques (Hidden Skills), and, most notably, the mysterious Fierce Deity Link transformation by the Fierce Deity's Mask in Majora's Mask, a deadly form restricted only for boss battles, is widely believed to be the most unstoppable form of any Link possible among the franchise's community, as it is capable of destroying such foes very quickly, including Majora's Mask itself, due to its incredible raw power. The Fierce Deity can even slice the seemingly indestructible Moon in two with a single focused slash as seen in Hyrule Warriors.
- Despite not being canon to the Zelda series, in SoulCalibur II, the Hero of Time also defeated Inferno, the fiery demonic being behind the extremely powerful Soul Edge - a cursed sword capable of devouring souls, after saving Hyrule from an unknown potent wizard.
- In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he is capable of performing the Triforce Slash as his Final Smash like his other incarnations in-game.
- In the Akira Himekawa manga adaptation of both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Link can be heard saying minor profanities, often "Damn".
- Unique among other incarnations of Link and in a rather dark way, as seen in both of his adventures in Hyrule and Termina, the Hero of Time is capable of eating spirits. When he captures a Poe in a Bottle and then uses it, Link consumes the Poe Soul in the same manner as Milk or a Potion (which randomly recovers or depletes portions of his Life Energy). However, he cannot do this with the Big Poe variant.
- The Hero of Time's evil shadow doppelgänger, Dark Link, in Ocarina of Time, shares his voice, but is distorted and slowed down to give a demonic feel. Interestingly, he also appears under a dead tree, serving as a contrast to Link's youth surrounded by living green trees in Kokiri Forest.
- In Super Smash Bros. Melee, if Link grows giant via a Super Mushroom, his own voice becomes identical to that of his dark counterpart.
- The Hero of Time is the only incarnation of Link to switch between ages within one mainline game - Ocarina of Time, although he was originally going to do this in Majora's Mask as well by a unique transforming Mask closely resembling his face but was scrapped during development and was replaced by the Fierce Deity's Mask to become Fierce Deity Link instead. Concept artwork of his adult self can be seen in Hyrule Historia's section of the latter game (see gallery).
- The Hero of Time, alongside Navi, has a pop culture appearance in the popular 1998 Cartoon Network superhero TV series The Powerpuff Girls, in the season three episode "Child Fearing", where the character Mayor plays a Zelda game on his Nintendo 64. Based on the then-new Ocarina of Time, Link, without a shield, repeatedly runs directly into walls with Navi saying her infamous line "Hey!", before suddenly being crushed by a block and even kills the Fairy with a single horizontal slash with his sword (presumably the Kokiri Sword), in which both incidents has him taking three Hearts in damage, despite the latter not actually taking hits. Consequently, he gets a Game Over, in spite of having one Heart Container remaining.
- In addition to SoulCalibur II and their iconic role as the Hero of Time, Fujiko Takimoto is also known as the Japanese voice actress of Badtz-Maru and Cherry (Lloromannic) from Sanrio's Hello Kitty franchise, young Asuma Sarutobu from the Naruto series and more, while Nobuyuki Hiyama performed as Hiei from the YuYu Hakusho series, Gai Shishioh from King of Braves GaoGaiGar, among others.
- The Hero of Time's earliest appearance was possibly the Zelda 64 Spaceworld 1995 tech demo, where the demo was an early test of the N64's capabilities for a Zelda game. Although in 3D, Link's appearance is based on A Link to the Past rather than his final design in Ocarina of Time.
- Story-wise, despite Ganon is the Hero of Time's archnemesis and Majora is another comparable foe for Link, his worst enemy is likely Dark Link, as this enigmatic enemy is equal to the hero's skills with almost no weaknesses.
Nomenclature[]
Names in Other Regions | |||
---|---|---|---|
Language | Name | Meaning | |
Japanese | 時の勇者 (Toki no Yūsha) | Hero of Time | |
ChineseSI | 时光之勇者 (Shíguāng zhī Yǒngzhé) | Hero of Time | |
ChineseTR | 時之勇者 (Shí zhī Yǒngzhé) | Hero of Time | |
FrenchCA | Héros du temps (OoT3D) | ||
German | Herr der Zeiten (OoT), Held der Zeit (OoT3D) | Lord of Times, Hero of Time | |
SpanishLA | Héroe del Tiempo (OoT3D) |
Gallery[]
Playing the Ocarina of Time
With Navi
Drawing the Fairy Slingshot
Ocarina of Time 3D child artwork
Crouch blocking with Hylian Shield
Carrying a Bomb
Drawing the Fairy Bow
Climbing a block
Opening a Treasure Chest
With Epona
Holding the Razor Sword
With Tatl
As Deku Link
As Goron Link
As Zora Link
Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Link and Tatl with the Razor Sword and Mirror Shield
Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Deku Link playing the Deku Pipes
Majora's Mask 3D artwork Goron Link playing the Goron Drums
Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Zora Link playing the Zora Guitar
Link entering the Great Deku Tree
Vs. Queen Gohma, the Boss monster of the Great Deku Tree
Link meets his archenemy Ganondorf for the first time
Link pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal to become the Hero of Time
Vs. Volvagia, the Boss of the Fire Temple
Vs. Morpha, the Boss of the Water Temple
Link destroying two Deku Babas with a Spin Attack
The Hero of Time, with Sheik fighting against a multitude of Ganondorf's minions
Artwork of Majora's Mask, featuring the Hero of Time on Epona, in various forms alongside the Skull Kid
Majora's Mask artwork of The Hero of Time, with Tatl, in Clock Town looking up to the Moon above
Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Fierce Deity Link, with the four Moon Children and Majora's Incarnation in the background
Early illustration of Ocarina of Time's main cast alongside the Hero of Time
Artwork of Ocarina of Time 3D, with Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field
MM3D artwork featuring the Hero of Time (holding the Mask of Truth) with many other characters including his various transformation
Adult Link concept art, with an early design of Ganon
Ocarina of Time Child Link model with Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield
Ocarina of Time Adult Link model with Master Sword and Hylian Shield
Wearing the Goron Tunic
Wearing the Zora Tunic
Child Link defending with the Deku Shield in Ocarina of Time
Child Link at Hyrule Field, in Ocarina of Time
Link finding the complete Triforce in the beta version of Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time fishing in the Fishing Hole in Ocarina of Time
Link horse racing against Ingo from Ocarina of Time 3D
Link meeting Navi in Ocarina of Time 3D
Link listening to the Great Deku Tree about his destiny to meet Princess Zelda, in Ocarina of Time
Link placing the three Spiritual Stones in order to open the Door of Time, in Ocarina of Time
Child Link attempting to pull the Master Sword out of its pedestal in Ocarina of Time 3D
The Hero of Time meeting Darunia's son Link (Goron) in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time breaking a Giant's Knife
Link carrying the powerful Biggoron's Sword
Link fighting against a Wolfos via Z-Targeting at the Forest Temple, in Ocarina of Time
Link fighting Phantom Ganon, the Boss of the Forest Temple, in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time pushing a mirror in the Spirit Temple, in Ocarina of Time
Link meeting Nabooru, in Ocarina of Time
Link playing the Prelude of Light with Shelk in Ocarina of Time
Link arriving at Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time using the Rainbow Bridge to enter Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time
A large pillar of granite being lifted by the Hero of Time via the Golden Gauntlets within Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time
The Triforce of Courage resonates on the Hero of Time's left hand, in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time standing face-to-face against his archnemesis, Ganon, in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Hyrule, where he must fight Ganon in a climactic duel, in Ocarina of Time
The Master Sword glowing with Power to Repel Evil in the Hero of Time's hand, In Ocarina of Time
Child Link with the Triforce of Courage in his hand during the ending cutscene of Ocarina of Time
The young Hero of Time cursed by the Skull Kid to transform into a Deku Shrub, in Majora's Mask
Link violently picked up by the Happy Mask Salesman in Majora's Mask 3D
Link meeting a Keaton in Majora's Mask
Link dancing with the Rosa Sisters in Majora's Mask
Link with Pierre the Scarecrow in Majora's Mask
Link helping Cremia delivering her special milk to the Milk Bar, in Majora's Mask
Link, in all of his Mask forms, playing Ballad of the Wind Fish at the Milk Bar, in Majora's Mask
The Hero of Time using the Mirror Shield to reflect light into a Sun Switch in Majora's Mask
Link facing a Floormaster in the Ikana Castle in Majora's Mask
Link meets his semi-counterpart Kafei
Link falling into an abyss of time as he returns back to the First Day using the Song of Time, in Majora's Mask
Link giving the Giant's Mask to a Moon Child in Majora's Mask
The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Termina, where he must destroy the evil entity behind Majora's Mask, in Majora's Mask
As Dark Link
The Hero of Time facing his evil mirror image in a brutal duel inside the Water Temple, in Ocarina of Time
Fierce Deity Link firing a Sword Beam in Majora's Mask
The Hero of Time fails to stop the Moon from crashing Termina, in Majora's Mask 3D
Saria congratulating Link for finally having a Fairy companion, in Ocarina of Time
The Hero of Time listening to young Princess Zelda about Ganondorf's plan, in Ocarina of Time
A young smitten Princess Ruto almost kisses the young Hero of Time after rescuing her, in Ocarina of Time
The Zora princess swims toward Link to reward him with her "engagement ring" (Zora's Sapphire), in Ocarina of Time
Young Princess Ruto excitedly requesting the Hero of Time's marriage proposal upon seeing the Zora Mask, in Ocarina of Time
Adult Link meets an equally grown Princess Ruto in the Chamber of Sages, in Ocarina of Time
Link talks to adult Malon in an earlier build of Ocarina of Time
Cremia giving the young Hero of Time a much deserved hug after helping her deliver her Chateau Romani, in Majora's Mask
As the Hero's Spirit
The former Hero of Time (right) teaches his descendant, the Link of Twilight Princess, the Hidden Skills, in Twilight Princess HD
The Hero's Shade demonstrating the Helm Splitter, narrowly missing the The Hero of Twilight's head, in Twilight
The Hero's Spirit teaching the lethal Mortal Draw, in Twilight Princess
The Hero of Time as the White Wolf howling from Twilight Princess HD
The Hero of Time's legend art in The Wind Waker's intro
The Hero of Time fighting and defeating Ganon with the power of the Master Sword and Triforce of Courage, in the intro of The Wind Waker
The Hero of Time, on Epona, departs Hyrule, before Ganon breaks from his seal hundreds of years later in The Wind Waker
Artwork from Super Smash Bros.
The Hero of Time playing the Ocarina of Time in a nighttime Hyrule Field, as seen in the intro cutscene of Super Smash Bros.
Link in the intro cutscene of Super Smash Bros. Melee
Young Link preparing to shoot a Fire Arrow in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Adult Link drawing his Bow in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Young Link performing a Jump Thrust in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Adult Link attacks with a Down Thrust in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Young Link throwing the Boomerang in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Adult Link firing the Hookshot in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Child Link sees his soon-fiancée Princess Ruto in danger in front of Barinade, in the OoT manga
Young Link meeting Princess Ruto for the first time in the OoT manga
Adult Link and Princess Ruto swimming together in the Water Temple, in the Ocarina of Time manga
Link and Ruto fighting against Morpha in the OoT manga
Kaepora Gaebora teasing the young Hero of Time for having multiple girlfriends after meeting Saria, Zelda, and Malon (but not yet Ruto) in the OoT manga
The young Hero of Time celebrating with Darunia in the OoT manga
The Hero of Time reunites with Impa after seven years, in the OoT manga
Link encounters Dark Link in the OoT manga
The Hero of Time killing Volvagia with a single slash to the neck, in the OoT manga
Link encounters Koume and Kotake in Fortune Teller disguises in the OoT manga
The Hero of Time's Triforce of Courage resonating alongside Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, in the OoT manga
Link and Zelda in shock as Ganondorf furiously rises and transforms into Ganon via the Triforce of Power, in the Ocarina of Time manga
The Hero of Time faces the vicious Demon King Ganon, in the Ocarina of Time manga
The Hero of Time delivers a powerful Jump Attack onto Ganon's face and body, in the OoT manga
Skull Kid transforming Link into Deku Link in the Majora's Mask manga
Link angrily captures Tatl for her hostile behavior in the Majora's Mask manga
The Hero of Time reluctantly agrees to help the Happy Mask Salesman recover the Majora's Mask, in the MM manga
Link defeating Odolwa with a Spin Attack in the Majora's Mask manga
A flashback memory of the Hero of Time fighting Ganondorf in the Majora's Mask manga
Majora's Mask gives Link the Fierce Deity's Mask for a game of "tag", in the MM manga
The Hero of Time transforms into the ferocious Fierce Deity Link, before going after Majora for the final showdown, in the Majora's Mask manga
Link (top) on the Gamecube box art of Soul Calibur II
Using the Bow in Soul Calibur II
Using the Boomerang in Soul Calibur II
Using the Bomb in Soul Calibur II
Performing the Jump Attack
Executing the Dash Attack in Soul Calibur II
Executing a Spin Attack in Soul Calibur II
Link in the Blue Ring tunic in Soul Calibur II
Link wielding the Magical Sword in SoulCalibur II
The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Soul Calibur II, where he must destroy Inferno
Young Link in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Young Link with a Fairy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Young Link drinking Lon Lon Milk in Super Smash Bros, Ultimate
Young Link executing his Final Smash, Triforce Slash on Mario in SSBU
Young Link's standard outfit in Hyrule Warriors
Young Link with the Kokiri Sword in Hyrule Warriors
Young Link portrait in Hyrule Warriors, with Navi
Young Link playing the Ocarina of Time next to Ganondorf in Hyrule Warriors
Fierce Deity slicing the Moon in half with his Focus Attack in Hyrule Warriors
Link defeating Queen Gohma in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic
Link learns about the Triforce and Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic
Link meeting Princess Zelda before encountering Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic
Link pulling the Master Sword in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic
Link, filled with dark regrets, transforming into the Hero's Spirit in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic
Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field in the Ocarina of Time 3D opening screen
Link's House in Ocarina of Time
Adult Link's height next to Impa's
The Hero of Time in an unused waiting position with the Fairy Bow
Link fighting against an Arwing from the Star Fox series, in Ocarina of Time
Child Link lands a high-five with his adult self, with Saria, in the Nintendo Power comic
Akira Himekawa artwork
Akira Himekawa artwork, with the Hero of Time meeting his Adult Timeline descendant, the Hero of Winds
Shigeru Miyamoto's signature and drawing of the Hero of Time from the 1998 Nintendo Power
Nintendo 64 bundle featuring the Hero of Time
Official merchandise, as Dark Link
Majora's Mask amiibo
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo
Official merchandise, with Tatl and drinking a Red Potion
Official merchandise, wearing Majora's Mask
Official merchandise, holding the Mask of Truth
Official merchandise, as Fierce Deity Link
See Also[]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch.... Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time.... However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time.... Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years. And now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time!" — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend..." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods..." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "The three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the gods somewhere in Hyrule. The power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity... If someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil...That is what has been told..." — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule..." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm. He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it! And, he wants to conquer Hyrule...no, the entire world!" — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace... Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil..." — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "If the heart of the one who holds the sacred triangle has all three forces in balance, that one will gain the True Force to govern all. But, if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts: Power, Wisdom and Courage. Only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce...the part representing the force that one most believes in." — Sheik (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "He went on to invade the Sacred Realm... Ganondorf had become the Evil King, and the Sacred Realm became a world of evil." — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "The one who holds the Triforce of Courage is... You, Link! And the other, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom... is the seventh Sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all... It is I, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda." — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of darkness and monsters." — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself... With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "The power of the Sages remains. When the power of all the Sages is awakened... The Sages' Seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm... I, Rauru, am one of the Sages... And... Your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword! Keep my spirit with you... And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!" — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "I'm using my power to hold the Evil King! You use your sword and deliver the final blow!" — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Ancient Creators of Hyrule! Now, open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the void of the Evil Realm!!" — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "YOU... CURSE YOU...ZELDA! CURSE YOU...SAGES!! CURSE YOU...LINK! Someday... When this seal is broken.... That is when I will exterminate your descendants!! As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand...." — Ganondorf (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Link, give the Ocarina to me... As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it." — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Link warned Princess Zelda of what the future would bring. Hearing his words, the princess entrusted the Ocarina of Time to Link and instructed him to travel far away in order to prevent Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 110)
- ↑ "When the Hero of Time was called to embark on another journey and left the land of Hyrule, he was separated from the elements that made him a hero. It is said that at that time, the Triforce of Courage was split into eight shards and hidden throughout the land." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Link, the descendant of the Hero of Time: [...] The spirit of Link's ancestor, the Hero of Time, teaches him his secrets. Ever since returning to the Child Era, the swordsman has lamented the fact that he was not remembered as a hero. This is the reason he passes down the proof of his courage and his secret techniques to the Link of this era, addressing him as "son"." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 118)
- ↑ "Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those that came after. At last, I have eased my regrets." — Hero's Spirit (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "We must not let Ganondorf get the Triforce! I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my power! He shall not have it! You go find the other two Spiritual Stones! Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and then defeat him!" — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Ganondorf the thief obtained the Triforce of Power and managed to get his hands on Princess Zelda. The Hero of Time, Link, challenged him in a battle that would determine Hyrule's very existence, and lost." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 92)
- ↑ "The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them. ...But the hero did not appear." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "What became of that kingdom...? None remain who know. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath. On a certain island, it became customary to garb boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend..." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Today is a day to celebrate! It is the day that you become the same age as the young hero spoken of in all the legends." — Grandma (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Yes, surely you are the Hero of Time reborn..." — Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us! Shoot! How did you get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree? Huh?! Grumble...grumble..." — Mido (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Thank you, Brother! I really appreciate what you did. I thank you on behalf of the entire Goron race! You turned out to be a real man, just as I thought you would!" — Darunia (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Link... I would have expected no less from the man I chose to be my husband. Zora's Domain and its people will eventually return to their original state." — Princess Ruto (Ocarina of Time)