Link: Difference between revisions

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A peculiarity of the character is that there are several different incarnations of Link throughout the entirety of the ''Legend of Zelda'' series, although they share a number of distinctive characteristics. The existence of multiple Links is made obvious on many occasions in the games; for example, the introduction sequences of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap]]'' refers to an ancient, legendary champion, identical in appearance to Link. [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] confirmed this in late 2003.

== Attributes ==

Typically, Link is a courageous boy or young man—it is unlikely that his age ever exceeds eighteen years at any point in the series. He is noted by the King of Red Lions to be suprisingly dull-witted in their first encounter. In most games in the series, he usually leaves his home and relatives at an early age to pursue his destiny and fight his arch-enemy, [[Ganon]] or other servants of evil. In almost all ''Legend of Zelda'' games (the exceptions being ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'') Link is a child when he begins his quest. In certain games, Link has no experience in sword training by default, but in some games Link can receive sword training from certain characters.

The ''Legend of Zelda'' titles give few hints at Link's personality; ellipses are invariably used to replace Link's speech with certain exceptions, but his actual words are almost never given. He speaks (or thinks) a few sentences in ''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'', and speaks his name in some of the other games, but usually remains silent. Moreover, the top-down 2D view in many of the games is not well-suited to depict his facial expressions. However, he is described as humble and a defining trait of his character seems to be his bravery, an attribute consistent with his role as the rightful bearer of the Triforce of Courage. In ''The Adventure of Link'', it is explicitly stated that the quest for the Triforce of Courage is to be a trial for whomever seeks it. Despite his young age, and the adversity that he has to face, Link rarely shows signs of fear or cowardice.

Link also has numerous [[tunic]]s, clothing, and armor such as the different tunics appearing in ''Ocarina of Time'' and the [[Zora Armor|Zora]] and [[Magic Armor|Magic Armor]]s in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]''.

== Appearances ==

[[File:Link Normal - Item2.gif|right|Link as he appears in ''The Legend of Zelda'']]

[[File:Downthrust_(The_Adventure_of_Link).gif|right|Link as he appears in ''Zelda II'']]

[[File:Link (A Link to the Past).gif|right|Link as he appears in ''A Link to the Past'']]

In the SNES version of ''A Link to the Past'', Link's Uncle's dying words were: "Zelda is your...". This unfinished sentence led many to speculate on its cryptic meaning. It was believed that the sentence should have been "Zelda is your ''sister''", though this was not confirmed until the [[Game Boy Advance]] remake, in which the Uncle's dialogue was rewritten to explicitly state that it is Link's destiny to save Zelda. Link goes on a journey when he receives a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, who says that she is locked in the dungeon of [[Hyrule Castle]]. As the message closes, Link finds his uncle ready for battle, telling Link to remain in bed. After his uncle leaves, however, Link ignores [[Link's Uncle|his uncle]]'s command and follows him to Hyrule Castle. When he arrives, he finds his uncle seriously wounded. Link's uncle tells Link to rescue Princess Zelda from her prison, giving him a sword and shield. After his uncle dies, Link navigates the castle and rescues Zelda from her cell, and the two escape into a secret passage through the sewers that leads to a [[Sanctuary]].

To save Hyrule, Link is required to rescue the [[Seven Maidens]], descendants of the Seven Sages, from dungeons scattered across the Dark World. Once the seven maidens are freed, they use their power to break the barrier around Ganon's Tower, where Link faces Agahnim again. After Link battles Agahnim for a second time, Ganon rises up from Agahnim's body, turns into a bat, and flies away. Link chases him, finally confronting him inside the Pyramid of Power in the Dark World. After a battle resulting in Ganon's demise, Link touches the Triforce and restores Hyrule to how it was before Ganon intervened.

''Link's Awakening'' is the first game to take place outside of Hyrule and the main Triforce-Ganon storyline. Link was traveling across the ocean in a ship when a storm catches him. When he wakes up he is in a strange [[Koholint Island|isle]]. He is found by a young girl named [[Marin]]. Link must first retrieve his shield and sword, for later investigation the island. An [[Owl]] tells Link about the dangers of the isle, and tells Link to search for the eight [[Instruments of the Sirens]] in each temple to wake up the [[Wind Fish]], the deity of the island.

In this game, Link has the ability to jump on his own with the help of the [[Roc's Feather]], a first for a top-view perspective Zelda.

''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' is confirmed by Miyamoto to be the first game canonically in the series, making that game's incarnation the first Link and arguably the most famous one of all due to his status as the legendary Hero of Time.

Link retrieves the two remaining Spiritual Stones, and sets off for [[Hyrule Castle Town (Ocarina of Time)|Hyrule Castle Town]] to place them in the [[Temple of Time (Ocarina of Time)|Temple of Time]]. Before entering the town, Zelda gives him the [[Ocarina of Time]] while she is being chased by Ganondorf. Link returns the stones to the Temple of Time, and the [[Master Sword]] is revealed to him. However, after pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link is frozen in time for seven years, since the sword did not consider him old enough to carry the title of the Hero of Time. During these seven years, Ganondorf takes over [[Hyrule]]. Upon awakening, Link is an adult between sixteen and nineteen years old. [[Rauru (sage)|Rauru]], the Sage of Light, informs him of Hyrule's takeover, and instructs him to find the other sages: [[Saria (sage) | Saria]], the Sage of Forest, [[Darunia (sage)|Darunia]], the Sage of Fire, [[Princess Ruto]], the Sage of Water, [[Nabooru (sage)|Nabooru]], the Sage of Spirit, and [[Impa]], the Sage of Shadow. Link gathers the remaining sages, and enters [[Ganon's Castle]]. He defeats Ganondorf, in both his [[Gerudo]] form and in his [[Moblin]]-like [[Ganon]] form, and frees Hyrule. Zelda then sends Link back in time to before the events of the game occurred. Thus creating a split in the timeline, the events leading to Ganon's defeat in this game leading to the events of ''The Wind Waker'', and in the past, where Ganondorf's plot is uncovered before the events began due to Link's knowledge of the future, leading to the events of ''Twilight Princess''.

[[File:Link and the Razor Sword.png|thumb|left|130px|Artwork of Link from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]'']]

This is the same Link from ''Ocarina'' after Zelda returns him to his childhood. He is on a search for a "lost friend" (generally believed to be Navi who left him in the [[Temple of Time (Ocarina of Time)|Temple of Time]]). Link had to save [[Termina]] by re-living the same three days over and over (restarting from the first day he arrived in [[Clock Town]]) so the moon would not destroy Termina (which was what would happen if the cycle was allowed to complete itself), by using the Ocarina of Time until he released the [[Four Giants]] from each of their prisons. He then had to play "Oath to Order" on the Ocarina to summon them at midnight of the third day. Once the Four Giants halted the moon, Link traveled inside with [[Tatl]] the fairy and defeated [[Majora's Mask (boss)|Majora's Mask]], [[Majora's Incarnation]] and [[Majora's Wrath]], causing the Moon to disappear and saving Termina on the "Dawn of a New Day". Navi, on the other hand, had never been found.

[[File:Link_and_the_Rod_of_Seasons.png|right|thumb|Link as he appears in the ''Oracle of Seasons''|100px]]

This incarnation is already a hero at the beginning of the game, leading to speculation that he is either the Hero of Time or the Link from A Link to the Past. The two games begin very similarly, with Link going to the shrine of the [[Triforce]]. Depending on which game, Link either meets [[Din (character)|Din]] the Dancer (in ''Oracle of Seasons''), or [[Nayru (character)|Nayru]] the Singer (in ''Oracle of Ages''), and becomes friends with either of them.  

Link has the ability to change seasons in [[Holodrum]] with the [[Rod of Seasons]] and the ability to travel back and forward in time in [[Labrynna]] using the [[Harp of Ages]]. After finishing both games, he had to foil a plot by [[Twinrova (Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons)|Twinrova]] to revive [[Ganon]] using Zelda as a sacrifice. After ending their plans, he sets sail to an unknown destination, which may be concluded in [[Link's Awakening]]

[[File:Four Swords Adventures Links.png|thumb|200px|The team of four Links attempting to collect [[Rupee]]s]]

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

[[File:Link Wind Waker 1.png|left|thumb|Link with the [[Wind Waker]]]]

This Link lives on [[Outset Island]] in the [[Great Sea]], which is Hyrule after being flooded by the Gods. He is celebrating his 11th birthday, which is customary on the island for receiving the [[Hero's Clothes]] to honor the Hero of Time legend. (Interesting to note is this has sparked rumors that the timelines may know of each other, as the Adult Link timeline would only know of The Hero of Time as an adult and not the age of the child.) Link ventures to the [[Forsaken Fortress]] to track down the [[Helmaroc King (The Wind Waker)|Helmaroc King]] who abducted his sister, [[Aryll]], with the help of [[Tetra]] the pirate. Link initially fails to rescue Aryll, then, Link is rescued by the [[King of Red Lions]] who helps him in his quest to save his sister. Although the game inspires speculation about his possible relation to the Hero of Time (Namely, his family shield which was 'rumored to be used by the Hero himself', this theory is discouraged by the King of Red Lions, the King of Hyrule, who tells the sea spirit Jabun that 'He appears to have no connection to the ancient one.' Although Ganondorf says that he is the reincarnation of the Hero of Time.) After a large number of hardships, the King of Red Lions names him the '''Hero of the Winds'''.

[[File:Z11 01 big.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Link and his three copies]]

The Link in this game may or may not be different from the ''Four Swords'' Link. Link is friends with [[Princess Zelda]]. When Zelda and the [[Seven Maidens|maidens]] go to the shrine of the Four Sword, Link is tricked into drawing the Four Sword from its pedestal, releasing Vaati, by [[Shadow Link]]. Link's soul is split into three other replicas of himself, and the four Links venture to save the maidens and Zelda, who were abducted and trapped in [[Crystal]]s. Link saves all seven of them, collects four Royal [[Jewel]]s, climbs the [[Tower of Winds]] and defeats Shadow Link and the [[Dark Mirror]] in the heavens. In the end, Vaati is killed, and [[Ganondorf|Ganon]], who was the mastermind behind all the events, is sealed in the Four Sword by the Links. This Link and his replicas have almost the exact same character design as the Wind Waker Link, even though otherwise the game is not cel-shaded.

[[File:Normal linkstabbing.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Link and [[Ezlo]]]]

Link is the grandson of [[Smith]], the blacksmith for [[Hyrule Town]]. He lives just outside the town with his grandfather. After [[Vaati]] shatters the Picori Blade, Link is sent to [[Minish Woods]] to find the [[Minish]]. There he finds [[Ezlo]], his companion throughout the game.

At the end of this game Link acquires the real green hat, as he only had [[Ezlo]] as a hat before. [[Ezlo]] then said that the hat suited him.

Link is a rancher in [[Ordon Village]] who is around 17 years old. He sports a Triforce shaped birthmark on his hand, physical evidence that he possesses the [[Triforce of Courage]] from his ancestor of ''Ocarina of Time'', the Hero of Time. One day, [[Rusl]], the town's only warrior and swordsmith, requests Link to be his proxy for a trip to [[Hyrule]] to deliver the [[Ordon Sword]] and [[Ordon Shield]] the [[Royal Family]] ordered. As he prepared to leave, [[King Bulblin]] kidnaps [[Ilia]] and [[Colin]], Link's friends, along with other children, and draws Link into the [[Faron Province]], blanketed with [[Twilight]]. The Twilight morphs Link into a wolf.

This Link is often referred to by fans as the '''Hero of Light''' because of his acts to restore the Light to Hyrule; however, there are those who refer to him instead as the '''Hero of Twilight'''.

Link is the same Link as in ''The Wind Waker''. After the ending in ''The Wind Waker'', Link and [[Tetra]] set off to find the land that would be the next [[Hyrule]] after the former kingdom had been completely destroyed. After Tetra is captured by the [[Ghost Ship (dungeon)|Ghost Ship]], Link meets a [[Ciela|fairy companion]] who helps him reunite with her. He also meets [[Linebeck]], who helps him by letting him use his ship. He has a new sword, [[Oshus's Sword]], which [[Oshus]] lets him have.  

=== ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks]]'' ===

== Allies ==

Link has fought alongside multiple allies. The first true side-kick of Link was [[Navi]] in ''Ocarina of Time''. [[Tatl]], [[King of Red Lions]], [[Ezlo]], [[Midna]] and [[Ciela]] played the same role as Navi in later games.  

== Other appearances ==

=== In other media ===

Although information is only considered series [[wikipedia:canon (fiction)|canon]] if it comes from the games or instruction booklets (where there is conflict, the games themselves are the accepted source), or occasionally other Nintendo materials, there are a number of other officially licensed ''Zelda'' stories. Many of these explore [[#Link|the relationship with Link]] in greater depth than the actual games.

Following a storyline similar to the TV series, this comic only ran for four issues. In the comic, Link is said to have come from the western land of [[Calatia]], and this is the only land he shows more loyalty to than Hyrule. In one issue, when Zelda accuses Calatia's [[Queen Seline]] of stealing the Triforce and forces Link to choose between Seline and herself, Link stands by his queen.

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

[[File:KirbyLink.png|Right|150px|thumb|Kirby sporting Link's hat and the [[Master Sword]]]]

*In many ''Kirby'' games, when Kirby obtains the "Sword" ability, he also gains a green cap identical to Link's.

*In ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', Link can be found sound asleep inside Rose Town's inn. If you attempt to talk to him, the 'puzzle-solved' theme plays.

*In ''Shining Soul II'' - The Master Sword is one of the weapons the player can use.

*In ''Donkey Kong Country 3'' at any general store if you ask about the castle and don't pay for the information the shop keeper will make a remark about a cheeky boy called Link who was also asking about the castle.

*In ''F1 Race'' at the end of course five Link is waiting at the finish line.

*It is known that the creator of ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' Shigeru Miyamoto had once intended Link's name to originally be Chris or Christo after his godfather. Later it was changed through a board and staff meeting. That is why in few early games opening certain menus would replace the word "Hearts" with a "CHR" or "CHRI". It is also rumored that in the game ''The Adventure of Link'' that at about the middle point of the game, if Link walked into a void in a corner where a tree was half-stuck in a mountain that link would enter a broken conversation where a chat would appear with the words "My Christo it's dangerous." The game crashes shortly after this message appears as Link can not make any actions.

== Disclaimer ==

{{Attribution-Zeldapedia}}

[[Category:Hylians]]

[[Category:The Legend of Zelda characters]]