User:GiverOfThePeace/Sandbox3

“	I've visited all thirteen places and remembered everything that was between me and Zelda. It's hard to imagine how she overcame all the hardships fate had in stock for her... I must save her soon, to see the smile on her face again.	„
	~ Link’s journal

Summary

Link is the name shared by the main protagonists of The Legend of Zelda series. There are many incarnations of Link, each possessing the spirit of the hero, with some of them being blood-related as well. They are chosen by the Golden Goddesses to protect the land from evil whenever deemed necessary. They often need to complete a series of trials to mature into the chosen hero. In most games of The Legend of Zelda series, their adventures take place within Hyrule, traveling through the land, collecting important items, and defeating a wide variety of enemies while trying to save both Princess Zelda and her kingdom from the clutches of Ganon or other villains. The first Link was introduced as a young Sword-wielding boy, but the identity, appearance, and role of each incarnation of Link has varied from game to game. Many of them are given titles to identify them, such as the Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time and the Hero of Winds in The Wind Waker. He is considered an iconic character in video gaming and the very symbol of the Zelda franchise and remains one of the most popular video game protagonists to date.

Background

In almost all the games (with the exception of The Adventure of Link, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild) Link starts his journey as a child or young adolescent Hylian and has not yet been depicted as being older than his late teens at any point of the series. Moreover, he is usually portrayed as having been orphaned at an early age: the only game that mentions Link's mother is Ocarina of Time, who died after she escaped to the Kokiri Forest with Link as a baby from a fierce war in Hyrule, leaving him in the care of the Great Deku Tree. In games such as A Link to the Past and The Wind Waker, Link lives with his uncle and grandmother, respectively, but leaves his home in order to fulfill his destiny as the savior of Hyrule or another land. In all games thus far, Link has been descended from the Hylians. In A Link to the Past, Link is said to be the last descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, and as such is destined to rescue Princess Zelda. In many games, he has or earns the Triforce mark on the back of his left hand, either to signify the possession of the Triforce of Courage.

Because Link bears the Spirit of the Hero, all of Link's incarnations each possess an unbreakable spirit. One feature in Link's personality that is greatly emphasized is his courage. He is often depicted as a humble yet brave and courageous boy who steps up to the task of saving the kingdom of Hyrule (and many others), a task to which he seems destined. As such, he is often associated with the Triforce of Courage and the goddess Farore: in Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Courage activated when Link stepped into the Twilight, and it protected him from becoming a lost soul, instead turning him into a wolf. He rarely shows signs of cowardice and is always willing to use his strength and valor to save and help those around him, as seen in The Wind Waker where he asks Tetra and her pirate crew to allow him to go with them on their ship in order to save his sister Aryll.

Link’s never been shown speaking or have any written dialog (other than in two instances in The Adventure of Link, and in The Wind Waker within the Tower of the Gods where Link calls "Come on!" to the Servants of the Tower), which has led some people to believe him to be mute; his voice actions are limited to shouts and grunts. In addition, Link does not show signs of a strong and deep personality, nor does he present much of his personal motivations. However, the idea that Link is mute is disproved by his ability to interact with other characters in conversation; for example, in Twilight Princess, Jaggle once states that Link's voice carries well, and in The Wind Waker, Link can be heard using short phrases such as "Come on!" at certain points throughout the game. The true reason for this blankness and apparent muteness lies in Link's own essence: He seems to be the personification of the immersion experience, and in that way he is an extension of the player, a "link" between the player and the Zelda universe. Miyamoto and Nintendo designers themselves pointed out several times that the focus of the series lies in the player's personal experiences and in the concept of "the player being the hero," with Link as his/her avatar.

In that way, he was made blank so the human player can fill him with his/her own characteristics, experiences, motivations, feelings, thoughts and emotions. While he is traditionally known as Link, even his name is chosen by the player. This is in order to allow the player to enter this fantasy world and to have an intimate experience with it, and with those who live in it. So, the intention is for his role in dialog and plot to be filled with the words and thoughts of the player, to some extent. His speech is usually replaced with simple and concise answers that the player can pick.

Link also seems to have a particular fondness for sleeping. Most of the games begin with him oversleeping and having to be woken up by some other character. This seems to be done to show that at the beginning of the game he is a regular boy, while by the end he is a true hero.

Invariably, Link wears a green tunic and a long, floppy green cap, at least for part of each adventure, although the shades of green vary. He also wears different clothes during parts of some Zelda games, most often color variations on his basic outfit (except for the Magic Armor and Zora Armor in Twilight Princess). Physically, Link usually has light-colored hair ranging from light brown to blonde, large eyes ranging from blue to dark, and a medium build. Furthermore, Link dons special gauntlets or bracelets that help him boost up his strength, such as the Power Bracelet or the Golden Gauntlet. In several games, various female characters often comment on Link's physical attractiveness, calling him "cute" or complimenting his great eyes.

Link is also depicted as left-handed in almost all games, with the exception of the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild, which depict him as right-handed, the same hand most people use to hold the Wii Remote and to attack. There is no option for left-handers, but in the GameCube version of Twilight Princess, Link is a traditional left-hander. Arguably, Link is still left-handed in Twilight Princess, proved by the fact that the Wii version is mirrored (just like the Master Quest in Ocarina of Time 3D) and that in Twilight Princess HD Link is again left-handed. Currently, Link's "canonical" appearance in Twilight Princess is still as a left-handed version. However, Skyward Sword depicts Link as right-handed and is the only option available in-game.

A peculiarity which Link shares with many video game characters is the uncanny ability to effortlessly carry around many cumbersome items. The concept is known as Hammerspace and allows Link to carry an enormous array of large and heavy items, without the use of a bag of any kind. For example, where does he store the Biggoron's Sword when not in use? And how can wearing the Iron Boots make him any heavier, if he was already carrying them with him? This is addressed in the non-canon The Legend of Zelda TV series in which in a couple of scenes Link is seen taking items out of a bag, which then "grow" to normal size when taken out so he can use them, and "shrink" when he puts them back into the bag.

Link is depicted throughout the series as an impressive swordsman. He usually begins his adventure as an average boy with little to no swordsmanship skills. When trouble arises, however, Link demonstrates a natural aptitude for the ways of the sword and is able to best his enemies easily: in The Wind Waker, Link goes to Orca to learn how to wield a sword in order to help Tetra from the Forest of Fairies. It is further noted by Orca himself that Link's ability to use a sword is firmly present in his veins. As the game progresses, Link becomes known for his swordsmanship as well as his ability to quickly adapt to a wide variety of items and skillfully wield them, such as the Boomerang, the Bow, and the Grappling Hook, among others.

In some games, Link can learn advanced sword techniques and complicated move-sets: in The Minish Cap, the Blade Brothers teach the young hero various sword skills by using Tiger Scrolls, and in Twilight Princess, the Hero's Spirit shares his knowledge of the sword by teaching Link seven Hidden Skills to help him become more powerful and save Hyrule.

Additionally, Link is portrayed as having an excellent physical condition, performing backflips easily as well as being able to best others in sumo-wrestling, as seen in Twilight Princess. However, despite this, Link is usually defenseless without a sword or an item. This is depicted in The Wind Waker, where Link loses his sword after being launched into the Forsaken Fortress and must use his stealth abilities to get it back: if he is spotted by an enemy, he quickly surrenders due to his inability to fight back. Although in some games Link is easily able to pick up large stones or push blocks many times his size, other games require him to use special bracelets or gauntlets to further increase his strength, such as the Power Bracelet or the Titan's Mitt.

As seen in The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time, Link is capable of using magic spells such as Din's Fire provided that he possesses a Magic Meter, which is usually granted to him by a Great Fairy.

Link is also talented in playing a wide variety of instruments. This is first shown in the original The Legend of Zelda, in which the young hero plays the Recorder to open up secret entrances or transport him to various parts in the overworld. Since then, Link has competently played other instruments such as the Ocarina, a pan flute, a guitar, the drums, and a Harp, all of which play a major role in each of the respective games in which they appear. Not only is Link a proficient instrument player: he is also adept in using a conductor's baton to conduct other players.

Skyward Sword

The Link in Skyward Sword is the tenth Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and currently the earliest incarnation of Link chronologically to appear in-game.

In Skyward Sword, Link has lived his entire life on the floating island of Skyloft, situated above the clouds. He is childhood friends with Zelda, and they attend the Knight Academy together, where he is often bullied by rival student Groose. Link and the other students prepare for the annual Wing Ceremony, an important part of the initiation of new knights of Skyloft. After the ceremony, Link and Zelda go for a flight together on their Loftwings, when Zelda and her Loftwing are pulled below the clouds during a sudden and unusual storm. That night, Link is visited by Fi, a being sent by the goddess Hylia in order to help him search for Zelda on the Surface. Fi leads Link to the Goddess Sword, and the following day, he ventures to the Surface. On the Surface, Link meets an old woman in the Sealed Temple at the Sealed Grounds. This woman assures Link that Zelda is safe and has embarked on a quest of her own, and that he needs to continue to track her. While searching for Zelda, Link discovers that Zelda is also being followed by two other people: Impa, a servant of Hylia sent to protect Zelda on her quest; and Ghirahim, a self-proclaimed demon lord who claims responsibility for the storm that dragged Zelda to the Surface.

Eventually, Link finally catches up to Zelda with Impa at the ancient Temple of Time, but their reunion is cut short when Ghirahim finds and attacks the duo. Impa holds Ghirahim at bay as Zelda grant Link the Goddess's Harp. He then holds off Ghirahim in order for Zelda and Impa to escape through the Gate of Time, which Impa destroys as soon as she and Zelda are through. Back at the Sealed Temple, the old woman shows Link a similar portal that leads to the same place as the portal at the Temple of Time, and explains that Link needs to strengthen the Goddess Sword in order to use the portal. In order to strengthen the sword, Link must temper it in the Sacred Flames hidden in various places on the Surface. Before he can set out on his new quest, however, a giant beast known as The Imprisoned, which was sealed in a pit outside the temple, breaks its seal and begins to climb toward the temple. With great effort, Link stops it and reseals it before it can reach the temple, and then sets out in order to find the Sacred Flames. After passing the three trials of the goddess, gaining spiritual growth, and transforming the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword, Link returns to the portal in the Sealed Temple. Before he can use the portal, the Imprisoned breaks its seal again. Link reseals the creature again with the aid of Groose, who had followed Link to the Surface on his second visit to the Sealed Temple. Link then enters the second Gate of Time and reunites with Zelda, who explains that Link is the goddess's chosen hero, before telling him that she, as Hylia's mortal reincarnation, must remain in a deep sleep to keep the demon king Demise, the true form of the Imprisoned, sealed within his prison. She then informs Link that he must find and use the Triforce to destroy Demise so that she will be able to wake up in their own time.

Link sets out to the Sky Keep and obtains the Triforce, using its might to wish for the eradication of Demise. Zelda is finally released from her duty in the present, but shortly after, Ghirahim abducts her and transports her to the past, planning to resurrect Demise in that time period. Despite Link's attempts to stop him, Ghirahim sacrifices Zelda's soul to Demise, thus allowing Demise to break free of his seal. Link then challenges Demise, who is impressed with Link's courage, and thus accepts the challenge. Ultimately, Link defeats Ghirahim and Demise, and seals the remains of the demon king in the Master Sword. But before being sealed, Demise warns him that his hatred will be reborn as a being to pursue domination of the world, as well as those with the blood of the goddess and spirit of the hero, in a cycle without end. Back in the present, Zelda decides to remain on the Surface, and wonders what Link plans to do. Link smiles, hinting that he, too, plans to stay on the Surface with Zelda and help her watch over the Triforce.

The Minish Cap

The Link in The Minish Cap is the seventh Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the second Link chronologically.

Link is the grandson of Smith, the blacksmith of Hyrule Town. They live just outside the Town in South Hyrule Field, and Link goes to the Picori Festival with his childhood friend, Princess Zelda. During the award ceremony for the Festival's sword-fighting tournament, the winner, Vaati, shatters the legendary Picori Blade and releases the monsters that had been sealed in the Bound Chest. Princess Zelda uses her power to send the monsters away, and despite Link's attempt to defend her, Vaati turns her to stone to prevent her from interfering with his plans. Afterward, the King Daltus sends Link to the Minish Woods to find the Minish, in the hopes that they can reforge the Broken Picori Blade so that it can be used against Vaati. As he travels through the Woods, Link meets Ezlo, who serves as his companion throughout his quest. Aside from his frequent advice and sarcastic comments, Ezlo grants Link the power to shrink down to Minish size. Link meets with the elder of the Minish Village and is told that in order to reforge the sacred Picori Blade, he must acquire the Four Elements, the embodiment of the sacred powers of earth, fire, water and wind. After finding the Earth Element in Deepwood Shrine, Link is told to take the Broken Picori Blade to Melari, the elder of the Mountain Minish, in order to reforge the Picori Blade into the White Sword.

Once Link gathers the Four Elements, he brings the White Sword to the Elemental Sanctuary hidden within the courtyard of Hyrule Castle. There, it is infused with the Elements one by one, fully restoring the sacred Four Sword – a legendary blade with the power to split one warrior into four. During Link's quest to find the Four Elements, Vaati impersonates King Daltus, using him as a disguise to search for the Light Force. After restoring the Four Sword to its full power, Link and Ezlo discover that the Light Force has been passed down through Hyrule's princesses, and actually resides within Princess Zelda herself. Vaati secretly follows them, and upon discovering the true hiding place of the Light Force, prepares to extract it from Princess Zelda. Link rushes to her rescue, vanquishes Vaati, and uses the power of the Four Sword to restore Princess Zelda. With Vaati defeated, the Mage's Cap is donned by Princess Zelda and used to restore Hyrule from the damage Vaati had caused. Due to her righteous wish and the power of the Light Force within her, many miracles happen as a result. With the land saved, Ezlo, whose curse had also been broken, leaves Link, returning back to the world of the Minish.

Four Swords

In Four Swords, when Link takes the Four Sword, he is divided into four different Links (Green, Blue, Red and Purple), each with their own style and personality. Working together, the Links must find 3 keys that lead to Princess Zelda, who was captured by Vaati the wind mage. Link travels with Princess Zelda to check on the Four Sword, a legendary blade said to seal Vaati, a powerful wind mage. As the two enter the Four Sword Sanctuary, Vaati breaks his seal, absconding with Zelda in order to make her his bride. As Link comes to, he is instructed by three Fairies to draw the Four Sword, which splits the hero into four copies of himself: one green, one red, one blue, and one purple. Together, the four Links journey across Hyrule to meet three Great Fairies, each of whom gives the Links a key necessary to enter Vaati's Palace. Inside, the four Links defeat Vaati after a fierce battle, sealing him inside the Four Sword once more. With Hyrule saved, the four heroes return the Four Sword to its pedestal, thus merging back into one being.

Ocarina of Time

The Link in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is the third Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the fourth Link chronologically.

In Ocarina of Time, Child Link has been raised as one of the Kokiri, the children of Kokiri Forest. Unlike the other Kokiri, Link does not have a Fairy companion and is thus shunned by their self-proclaimed leader, Mido. Link has a nightmare involving a princess fleeing from a man who then attacks him. The boy's life changes one day when the Great Deku Tree, the forest's guardian, sends Navi the Fairy to Link with instructions to bring him immediately. A curse has been cast on the Great Deku Tree, and he asks Link to break it. While Link is successful in defeating the monsters inside the Tree, the Great Deku Tree was doomed to die before Link started. He had been cursed by a man named Ganondorf, as revenge for not giving him the Kokiri's Emerald. He warns Link that this evil man seeks the Triforce, and fears a great calamity will befall Hyrule should he seize it. Before passing away, the Great Deku Tree directs Link to Hyrule Castle where he is to find Princess Zelda.

At the Hyrule Castle garden, Link meets Princess Zelda. She believes that Ganondorf is seeking the Triforce. Zelda's description of Ganondorf matches that of the man who killed the Great Deku Tree, as well as the man from Link's nightmare. Zelda asks Link to obtain the three Spiritual Stones so that he can enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it, and ultimately save Hyrule. Link collects the other two stones: the first from Darunia, the leader of the Gorons, and the second from Ruto, the princess of the Zoras. Link returns to Hyrule Castle, where Ganondorf is pursuing Zelda and her caretaker Impa on horseback, as in his earlier nightmare. Link attempts to stop Ganondorf, who warns him not to interfere with his plans. After Ganondorf rides off, Link retrieves the Ocarina of Time that Zelda had left behind for him. Inside the Temple of Time, Link uses the Ocarina of Time and the Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. Through the door, Link finds the Master Sword, a legendary sword forged to destroy evil. As he pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link is sealed away, and Ganondorf appears and claims the Triforce for himself. Seven years later, an older Link is awakened as the Hero of Time by Rauru, the Sage of Light. Rauru explains that Link's spirit was sealed for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf, who is now the King of Evil. The seven Sages can imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, but five are not aware of their identities as Sages. Link is returned to the Temple of Time; there he meets the mysterious Sheik, who guides him to temples under Ganondorf's control. Link defeats the evil lurking in each temple, thus awakening Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa and Nabooru as the Sages. Link also returns to the Kokiri Forest, where he finds that none of his friends have grown up, and most now no longer recognize him. After awakening Saria as a Sage, Link also finds that the Deku Tree Sprout has sprouted as the successor to the Great Deku Tree. He reveals Link's hidden past and explains to him that he is not a Kokiri, but actually a Hylian, orphaned in the wars that raged before Hyrule was united. While in the Lost Woods, Fado also references the fact that Link is not a Kokiri by asking Link if he is going to become a Stalfos. When Link was a baby, his mother fled with him to Kokiri Forest and, mortally wounded, left him under the Deku Tree's protection. He was brought up as one of the Kokiri and knew no differently.

After the five Sages awaken, Sheik reveals herself to be Princess Zelda in disguise and the seventh Sage. She tells Link that Ganondorf's heart was unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into three pieces. Ganondorf acquired only the Triforce of Power, while Zelda received the Triforce of Wisdom and Link the Triforce of Courage. Ganondorf then kidnaps Zelda and imprisons her in his castle. The other six Sages help Link enter the castle, where he fights to the evil king's sanctum. There, Link frees Zelda and nearly defeats Ganondorf, but he destroys the castle in an attempt to kill Link and Zelda. After the duo escapes the collapsing castle, Ganondorf emerges from the rubble and engages Link. Using the Triforce of Power, he transforms from his human form into a boar-like monster named Ganon and immediately knocks the Master Sword from Link's hand. With Zelda's aid, Link retrieves the Master Sword and defeats Ganon. The seven Sages then seal Ganondorf into the Dark Realm. The battle now over, Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his original time to live out his childhood, at which point Navi departs. He is last seen when he encounters Princess Zelda again in the Castle Courtyard to warn her about Ganondorf and the future events that would unfold.

The Fallen Hero Timeline is the alternate timeline in which Link, the Hero of Time, despite his best efforts, was defeated by Ganondorf in the final battle. This turn of events created the timeline containing A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link.

A Link to the Past

The Link in A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages and Link's Awakening is the second Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first Link chronologically in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

In A Link to the Past, Link lives with his uncle in a house near Hyrule Castle. During this time, the land of Hyrule was plagued by a sudden disaster, until the wizard Agahnim appeared at the court of the King of Hyrule and quelled the upheaval. Named chief adviser to the throne, he soon seized power from the king and kidnapped the six Maidens, descendants of the seven Sages of long ago. The Maidens were taken to the castle tower and never seen again. One night, Link is awakened by a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, who says that she is locked in the castle dungeon. As the message closes, Link finds his uncle ready for battle, telling Link to remain in bed. After his uncle leaves, however, Link ignores his uncle's command and follows him to the dungeons under the castle. When he arrives, he finds his uncle mortally wounded. Link's uncle tells Link to rescue Princess Zelda from her prison, giving him his sword and shield. Link navigates the castle and rescues Zelda from her cell, and the two escape into a secret passage through the sewers that leads to the Sanctuary, where they meet the Loyal Sage. Link is informed that Agahnim intends to open the seal to the Dark World, a realm once sealed off long ago by the seven Sages when Ganon and his army of evil were banished into the Sacred Realm, which became the Dark World. The kidnapped Maidens were sent into the Dark World to open this seal, and Agahnim intended to do the same to Zelda. Link is told by the man that the only thing that can defeat Agahnim is the Master Sword, and the Sage tells him to seek the elder Sahasrahla to learn more.

Link finds the elder near the Eastern Palace. To prove that he is worthy to wield the Master Sword, Sahasrahla sends Link to find the three Pendants of Virtue, hidden in dungeons across Hyrule and guarded by mythical defenders. Sahasrahla becomes Link's mentor, offering him hints and advice at key stages of his journey. After retrieving the Pendants, Link takes them to the resting place of the Master Sword deep in the Lost Woods. As Link draws the sword from its pedestal, Zelda telepathically calls him to the Sanctuary, informing him that soldiers of Hyrule Castle have arrived. Link arrives at the Sanctuary moments after the soldiers have vacated, where he learns from the dying Sage that Zelda has been taken back to Hyrule Castle. Link goes to rescue her but arrives too late; Agahnim sends Zelda to the Dark World which opens the seal. Link then faces Agahnim in battle and defeats him, but fails to kill him as Agahnim teleports Link to the Dark World as well.

To save Hyrule, Link is required to rescue the seven captive Maidens from dungeons scattered across the Dark World. Once the seven Maidens are freed, including Princess Zelda, they use their power to break the barrier around Ganon's Tower, where Link faces Agahnim again. Link defeats him a second time, and Ganon rises from Agahnim's body and flies away. Link chases after him, finally confronting him inside the Pyramid of Power at the center of the Dark World. After a battle resulting in Ganon's demise, Link touches the Triforce and restores both the Dark World and Hyrule to their former state before Ganon intervened.

Oracle of Seasons

In the Oracle of Seasons soon after A Link to the Past, Link is summoned by the Triforce to save the land of Holodrum. Upon his arrival, he is cared for by a young girl named Din who takes him to meet the troupe of performers that she's a part of; however, soon after, General Onox appears and captures Din, revealing that she is actually the Oracle of Seasons who was just disguising herself as a dancer. The seasons soon begin to go out of control now that Din has been kidnapped, and it is up to Link to return Holodrum back to normal. With the help of the Rod of Seasons, Link acquires the eight Essences of Nature scattered all over the land in order to restore the Maku Tree's power and enter Onox's Castle. After the young hero defeats the evil menace and rescues the Oracle of Seasons, peace returns to Holodrum and the order of nature is back to its normal state.

Oracle of Ages

In Oracle of Ages, soon after Oracle of Seasons, Link is again summoned by the Triforce to save the land of Labrynna. Upon landing, he hears a cry for help, and he soon finds that Impa, Zelda's caretaker, is being surrounded by monsters. Link easily scares them off, and Impa asks that he help her search for a woman named Nayru. After finding Nayru, it is revealed that Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows, possessed Impa in order to manipulate Link into leading her to Nayru, who turns out to be the Oracle of Ages. Veran quickly takes over Nayru's body, which she uses to alter events in the past to ruin the future. It is Link who, with the help of the Harp of Ages, travels through time in order to rescue the Oracle and restore the ages back to normal. After Link frees Nayru from Veran's possession, the Oracle of Ages teaches the young hero a song crucial to his quest in collecting the eight Essences of Time scattered over the land of Labrynna. Unfortunately, soon after, the Sorceress of Shadows possesses Ambi, the queen of Labrynna in the past, and takes refuge in the Black Tower. Link, with all the Essences in hand, heads over to the sinister tower to defeat Veran once and for all. After this adventure, Link sets sail to an unknown destination aboard a ship.

Link's Awakening

In Link's Awakening, Link is seen aboard his ship after leaving the land of Labrynna; however, he is soon caught in a deadly thunderstorm which results in the destruction of his ship. His unconscious body is later found by Marin on a faraway island's shores. When he awakes, he discovers that he had miraculously been washed ashore on Koholint Island and makes preparations to leave it by first finding his missing Sword. A mysterious Owl then approaches Link and tells him about a sleeping being on Koholint Island, the Wind Fish, and that Link can only leave the Island once the Wind Fish has been awoken from its eternal slumber. To awaken the Wind Fish, Link had to embark on a long journey and go through many Dungeons to retrieve the Instruments of the Sirens.

Link is eventually instructed by the Owl to go to the Ancient Ruins where he reads the Writing on the Wall and discovers the startling truth about Koholint Island. It is but a dream inside the mind of the Wind Fish which has been invaded by Nightmares and who is unable to awaken. If the Wind Fish awakes, Koholint Island will disappear. Link had been pulled into the Wind Fish's dream world and is now the only one who can awaken it. He eventually acquires all eight Instruments of the Sirens and defeats all of the Nightmares, thus awaking the Wind Fish. As Koholint Island fades away, Link is forced out by a stream of water and awakens to find himself on a wooden board, back in the ocean. When he looks up, he sees the Wind Fish flying overhead and smiles.

A Link Between Worlds

The Link in A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes is the eleventh Link in The Legend of Zelda series, and the second Link chronologically in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

In A Link Between Worlds, Link dreams that he is in an unknown realm with a familiar character. He is about to engage in battle, but Gulley comes into Link's room and wakes him up from his sleep. In the Blacksmith's Forge, the Captain of the Guard comes to pick up the new sword that the Blacksmith forged for him. But he forgets it as he leaves, and Link is sent to return it to him. Shortly afterward, he encounters Yuga, who has transformed the Captain into a Painting on the Sanctuary's wall after he tried to defend Seres, the Priest's daughter. He then traps Seres herself in a Painting. Using the Forgotten Sword, Link attacks Yuga, but Yuga evades the attack by Wall Merging. Link crashes into the wall and is knocked unconscious. After this, Yuga leaves with Seres' Painting in hand. Link eventually wakes up in his house and meets a mysterious person named Ravio. After telling Ravio about Yuga, Link is instructed to go see Princess Zelda. Asking if he can stay in Link's house, Ravio gives him a strange bracelet in exchange. When Link meets Zelda, she gives him the Pendant of Courage and tells him to go meet Sahasrahla. Once Link does this, he is then told to find Osfala, who is in the Eastern Palace, and is a descendant of the Seven Sages. Sahasrahla worries that Yuga may go after him next. Link meets Osfala at the entrance to the Eastern Palace, but Osfala simply laughs off Link's warning about Yuga, telling the young hero that he is just as powerful as the Seven Sages were. He then leaves to confront Yuga. However, after traversing the Eastern Palace, Link runs into Yuga yet again, who turns Osfala into a Painting, just as he did Seres. Link battles Yuga, managing to best him with the help of the Bow he rented from Ravio. In a fit of rage, Yuga traps Link as a Painting and leaves. However, Link escapes with the help of Ravio's Bracelet and discovers he could now turn himself into a Painting and back at will with the bracelet.

Meanwhile, having collected the Seven Sages, Yuga quickly takes over Hyrule Castle. Link meets Sahasrahla again, who instructs Link to obtain the Pendants of Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Only then will he be able to wield the Master Sword in order to access the castle. After completing this task, Link obtains the Master Sword and delves into the castle, where he finds Yuga with a Painting of Zelda. Yuga then escapes through a mysterious crack in the wall via his ability to Wall Merge. Link pursues Yuga to the other side, where Yuga has begun the process of reviving the evil Ganon, using the power of the Sages to do so. Once Ganon is resurrected, Yuga merges with him, becoming even more powerful. Link is saved by Princess Hilda and is told he is in the kingdom of Lorule - a counterpart of his own Hyrule. Link is then given a new task - to rescue and awaken the Seven Sages. Upon awakening all of the Sages, Link is granted the power of the Triforce of Courage. After Hilda's failed attempt to steal the Triforce from him to save her kingdom, Link faces off against Yuga Ganon and defeats him. Afterwards, Link and Zelda are taken to the Lorulean version of the Sacred Realm, through which they return home to their own Sacred Realm. There, they find Hyrule's Triforce and wish for the Lorulean Triforce to be restored. After the credits, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal.

Tri Force Heroes

In Tri Force Heroes, Link passes through the kingdom of Hytopia on his travels after certain, undisclosed events. He is the same hero from A Link Between Worlds, and dresses differently to hide his heroic origins. While passing through Hytopia, however, he is spotted by an assistant of Madame Couture, who recognizes his traits of having pointed ears, long sideburns, and side-parted hair. According to a prophecy in the land, these are the traits characteristic of the fabled Tri Force Heroes. Link learns that the kingdom's princess, Styla, has been cursed by a witch to wear an irremovable, tacky outfit. Her father, King Tuft, has sent an urgent request to kingdoms far and wide looking for heroes who match the description of the Tri Force Heroes, hoping that they can save his daughter and put a stop to the witch. Link is drafted into the kingdom's Witch-Hunting Brigade, and is paired with two other Links as they venture forth into the Drablands, the witch's domain. The other Links are of unclear origin.

The Legend of Zelda

The Link in The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link is the first Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the third Link chronologically in the Fallen Hero Timeline.

In the original The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule is engulfed in chaos after an army led by Ganon invaded it and stole the Triforce of Power. In an attempt to prevent Ganon from acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom, Princess Zelda splits it and hides the eight fragments in secret dungeons throughout the land. Before the princess is kidnapped by Ganon, she commands her nursemaid Impa to find someone courageous enough to save the kingdom. While wandering the land, the old woman is surrounded by Ganon’s henchmen, though a young swordsman named Link appears and rescues her. After hearing Impa’s plea, he resolves to save Zelda and sets out to reassemble the scattered fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom, to become powerful enough to defeat Ganon. Link located the eight underground labyrinths, defeats several guardian monsters, and retrieves the Triforce fragments. With the completed Triforce of Wisdom, Link is able to infiltrate Ganon’s hideout and defeats him with the Silver Arrow. Link picks up the Triforce of Power from Ganon’s ashes and returns both pieces of the Triforce to Princess Zelda, restoring peace to Hyrule.

The Adventure of Link

In The Adventure of Link, set six years after The Legend of Zelda, the now-sixteen-year-old Link notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand, resembling the crest of Hyrule. He seeks out Impa, who responds by taking Link to the North Castle, where a door has been magically sealed for generations. Impa places the back of Link's left hand on the door, and it opens, revealing a sleeping maiden inside. Impa tells Link that the maiden is the original Princess Zelda of Hyrule from long ago, and the origin of the "Legend of Zelda". Long ago, Zelda's brother, the Prince of Hyrule, had tried to force her into telling their recently deceased father's secrets concerning the last of the three golden treasures of his kingdom, the Triforce of Courage. Princess Zelda refused to reveal its location, and the Magician, who had accompanied the prince, tried to strike her down with a spell in anger. Zelda fell under a powerful sleeping spell, but the wizard was unable to control the wildly arcing magic and was killed by it. The prince, filled with remorse and unable to reverse the spell, had his sister placed in the castle tower, in the hope that she would one day be awakened. He decreed that princesses born to the royal family from that point on would be named Zelda, in remembrance of this tragedy. Impa says that the mark on Link's hand means that he is the hero chosen to awaken Zelda. She gives Link a chest containing six crystals and ancient writings that only a great future king of Hyrule can read. Link finds that he can read the document, even though he has never seen the language before; it indicates that the crystals must be set into statues within six palaces scattered all over Hyrule. This will open the way to the Great Palace, which contains the Triforce of Courage. Only the power of the combined Triforces can awaken the enchanted Zelda. Taking the crystals, Link sets out to restore them to their palaces. Meanwhile, although Link had defeated Ganon, the remnants of his army remain scattered across Hyrule. They plan to revive Ganon by killing Link and spilling his blood onto Ganon's ashes.

Ultimately, Link restores the crystals to the six palaces, defeating a strong guardian within each one to do so, and enters the Great Palace. After venturing deep inside, Link battles a flying creature known as the Thunderbird, followed by his own shadow guarding the Triforce. After defeating them both, Link then claims the Triforce of Courage and returns to Zelda. The three triangles unite into the collective Triforce, and Link's wish awakens Zelda.

Child Timeline

The Child Timeline is the timeline that follows Link after being sent back to his original time after defeating Ganon in the Adult Timeline. He warns Princess Zelda about Ganon's actions in the Adult Timeline, which creates the timeline containing Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures.

Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask occurs shortly after Ganondorf's defeat, when Link is sent back to his childhood at the end of Ocarina of Time, beginning a new history in which Ganondorf never rose to power. After leaving Hyrule and riding deep into a mysterious forest in search of Navi, he is ambushed by a Skull Kid who is possessed by Majora's Mask, who steals Link's horse Epona and the magical Ocarina of Time. Chasing the Skull Kid, Link falls into a crevasse and arrives in a world called Termina. He must save this land from the evil of Majora's Mask, which has drawn the moon into a decaying orbit, which will cause it to crash into Termina's capital city in three days. Link uses the Ocarina of Time (reclaimed early on) and the Song of Time, which sends him back in time when he plays it, to relive these three days again and again in order to prevent the disaster. Along the way, Link finds many magical masks of his own, a handful of which allow him to transform. Those masks can turn him into a rock-like Goron, a petite plant-like Deku Scrub, a graceful aquatic Zora, or the powerful Fierce Deity Link.

Eventually, Link succeeds in freeing the Four Giants, enigmatic deities who can halt the Moon's descent, and confronts the Skull Kid. At this point, Majora, the evil entity residing inside Majora's Mask, abandons its now useless host and retreats into the core of the Moon. Link give chase, and after a long and heated battle against the three incarnations of Majora, the entity is finally defeated and the menacing Moon disappears. Upon returning the now lifeless mask to the Happy Mask Salesman, Link leaves his new friends and continues his journey, while the people of Termina once more celebrate the dawn of a new day. It is unknown whether or not he returned to Hyrule.

During his life after Majora's Mask, up until and after his death, he lamented the fact that he was not remembered as a hero despite saving both Hyrule and Termina, and was unable to pass on his skills and teachings to the next generation. In order to ease his regrets and finally pass on his knowledge, he teaches the seven Hidden Skills to his descendant, the Link of Twilight Princess.

Twilight Princess

The Link in Twilight Princess is the eighth Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the second Link chronologically in the Child Timeline branch.

In Twilight Princess, Link is a youth who has been raised as a wrangler outside of Hyrule territory in Ordon Village. He is fascinated by swordsmanship and horse riding. His mentor, Rusl, requests that Link go in his place to deliver a sword he has made for the Royal Family of Hyrule. Before Link can go on this journey, his village is attacked by King Bulblin and his band of Bulblins, who carry off the village children. Pursuing them, Link encounters a wall of Twilight blocking the way. A Shadow Beast pulls him beyond the wall into the Twilight, where he is transformed into a wolf and imprisoned in Hyrule Castle's dungeon. Link is soon freed by an imp-like Twili being named Midna. She agrees to help him if he obeys her unconditionally. She guides him to Princess Zelda in the castle tower. Zelda explains that Zant, the King of Twilight, has stolen the light from three of the four Spirits of Light and conquered Hyrule. In order to save the kingdom, Link must first restore the Light Spirits by entering the Twilight-covered areas and, as a wolf, recover the Spirits' lost light. Accompanied by Midna, Link restores the light to the Light Spirit Faron and is returned to his Hylian form. During this time, Link also helps Midna locate the fragments of the Fused Shadow, relics containing powerful dark magic. In return, she helps Link find Ordon Village's kidnapped children. Once Link has restored the Light Spirits and found all of the Fused Shadow Fragments, they are suddenly ambushed by Zant. After he relieves Midna of the Fused Shadow fragments, she ridicules him for abusing his tribe's magic, but Zant responds that his power comes from another source as he uses it to turn Link back into a wolf. He then leaves Midna to die from the world's light forced upon her, prompting Link to bring her to Zelda to help her. Link learns that he needs the Master Sword to return to human form. Zelda sacrifices herself to heal Midna with her power before vanishing mysteriously. Moved by her sacrifice, Midna agrees to help Link find the Master Sword. After finding the legendary blade, Link is cleansed of the magic that kept him in wolf form, transforming it into the Shadow Crystal. Using this crystal, Link is able to switch between both forms at will.

Midna leads Link to the Mirror of Twilight located deep within the Gerudo Desert, the only known gateway between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. However, they discover that the mirror is shattered. The ghostly Sages there explain that Zant tried to destroy it, but he was only able to shatter it into fragments; only the true ruler of the Twili can completely destroy the Mirror of Twilight. They also reveal that they used it a century ago to banish Ganondorf, the Gerudo leader who attempted to steal the Triforce, to the Twilight Realm when executing him failed. Assisted by an underground group called The Resistance, they meet in Castle Town, Link and Midna set out to retrieve the missing shards of the mirror, defeating those they infected. Once the portal is restored, Midna is revealed to be the true ruler of the Twilight Realm, usurped by Zant when he cursed her into her current form. Confronting Zant, Link and Midna learn that Zant's coup was made possible when he forged a pact with Ganondorf, who asked for Zant's assistance in conquering Hyrule. After Link defeats Zant, Midna recovers the Fused Shadows, but destroys Zant after learning that only Ganondorf's death can release her from her curse. Returning to Hyrule, Link and Midna find Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle, with a lifeless Zelda suspended above his head. Ganondorf fights Link by possessing Zelda's body and eventually by transforming into a beast, but Link defeats him and Midna is able to resurrect Zelda. Ganondorf then revives, and Midna teleports Link and Zelda outside the castle so she can hold him off with the Fused Shadow. However, as Hyrule Castle collapses, it is revealed that Ganondorf was victorious as he crushes Midna's helmet. Ganondorf engages Link on horseback, and, assisted by Zelda and the Light Spirits, Link eventually knocks Ganondorf off his horse and they duel on foot before Link strikes down Ganondorf and plunges the Master Sword into his chest. With Ganondorf dead, the Light Spirits not only bring Midna back to life, but restore her to her true form. After bidding farewell to Link and Zelda, Midna returns home before destroying the Mirror of Twilight with a tear to maintain balance between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. Near the end, as Hyrule Castle is rebuilt, Link leaves Ordon Village heading to parts unknown.

This incarnation of Link is given the title "Hero of Twilight."

Four Swords Adventures

The Link in Four Swords Adventures is the sixth Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the third Link chronologically in the Child Timeline branch.

Concerned that the seal which keeps Vaati in the Four Sword may be weakening, Zelda and the rest of the Seven Maidens summon Link and open the way to the shrine of the Four Sword to investigate. However, Zelda and the other maidens are captured and imprisoned by Shadow Link. Despite the fact that it will release Vaati, Link is forced to draw the Four Sword from its pedestal in order to split himself into four and have the strength to go and rescue the maidens. The Links save all seven of them and collect the four Royal Jewels, which they use to reveal the Tower of Winds. When he followed Shadow Link down to the Four Sword Sanctuary, he pulled the Four Sword splitting him into four like in the original Four Swords, but when he pulled the sword Vaati was released from the seal once again. After the Links saved Zelda and the maidens, got the four Royal Jewels from different heroes of Hyrule, and defeated Vaati, Zelda and the Links fought against the dark lord Ganon and, with the help of the Seven Maidens, seal him within the Four Sword and restored peace to Hyrule. The sword is then returned to its sanctuary and sealed there, and the Links are combined into one again.

This incarnation of Link is given the title "Hero of Light," due to the hero's courage and being the only one who can free Hyrule from darkness.

Adult Timeline

The Adult Timeline is the timeline that follows Link being sent to the Child Timeline after the Hero of Time defeats Ganon in the final battle. Ganondorf is sealed within the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages but, with Link sent back in time, the world is left without a Hero. This turn of events created the timeline containing The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.

The Wind Waker

The Link in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass is the fifth Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first Link chronologically in the Adult Timeline branch. Link appeared similar to the Four Swords and The Minish Cap incarnation with blonde hair, dark eyes and an infantile face.

After the valleys of ancient Hyrule are flooded in a deluge, Ganondorf's power is mysteriously tamed for ages before his dark energy begins to be felt over the Great Sea. Link lives on Outset Island on the Great Sea, the region above Hyrule after it was flooded by the gods to prevent Ganondorf from conquering it. Link is given the green tunic and hat on his birthday to commemorate the Hero of Time, but an attack by the Helmaroc King in which his sister is kidnapped starts him on a whirlwind adventure. Link quickly sets sail and acquires the King of Red Lions in his quest to recover Aryll after she is kidnapped by the Helmaroc King and taken to the Forsaken Fortress. Instead of simply rescuing his sister, Link is drawn into a sequence of events that eventually puts the fate of all the islands of the Great Sea in his hands. Once again, Ganon has appeared with limited power. Link is pulled into the conflict between the island inhabitants and Ganondorf's increasing presence as he, with the help of the Wind Waker, races to recapture the ancient power of the Triforce and the Master Sword before Ganondorf's true power is realized.

Eventually, the King of Red Lions sees fit to grant Link the title Hero of Winds in honor of his ongoing struggle with the forces of evil. In the final showdown Link defeats Ganondorf for good, stabbing him in the head with the Master Sword. The King of Hyrule's wish with the Triforce was to give Link and Princess Zelda a future, and at the end of the game they set out to find a new land to be the next kingdom after Hyrule.

Phantom Hourglass

The events of Phantom Hourglass takes place months after Ganon's defeat at the end of The Wind Waker. Link is a child sailing with Tetra and her crew in search of the Ghost Ship. When they find it, Tetra jumps aboard but is kidnapped, so Link goes after her but instead falls into the sea. Link is awakened on Mercay Island by a fairy, and they set out on a journey to find Tetra. Link and Ciela traverse the World of the Ocean King, rescuing the Spirits of the Ocean King and Tetra, and forging the Phantom Sword which can slay Bellum, the devil behind all this misfortune. At the end of the game, Oshus returns Link, Tetra, and Linebeck to their world, thanking them for their help.

Spirit Tracks

The Link in Spirit Tracks is the ninth Link appearing in The Legend of Zelda series, and the second Link chronologically in the Adult Timeline branch.

In Spirit Tracks, taking place many years after the Hero of Winds found the new Hyrule, Link is a child who lives with Niko in Aboda Village. He is an apprentice of a master engineer, named Alfonzo, who has helped him in order to become a Royal Engineer. When Zelda presents Link with a certificate for this achievement, she also gives him a letter, telling him to meet with her, to discuss her suspicions over the mysterious Chancellor Cole as well as the disappearing Spirit Tracks. When Link sneaks Zelda out of the Castle, they meet up with Alfonzo, who escorts them to the Tower of Spirits by train. However, as the Spirit Tracks begin to fade, they crash, and are then ambushed by the chancellor, who attacks the trio. Link and his master are knocked unconscious while Zelda's spirit is separated from her body, which is seized by Cole's apprentice, Byrne. Link awakes back in Hyrule Castle to discover that Zelda is now a ghost and that Link is the only person who can see her. After visiting Anjean in the Tower of Spirits, he agrees to help her in defeating Chancellor Cole and recover her body in the process.

After Link and Zelda travel up to the Tower of Spirits to recover a Rail Map, a Phantom Knight attacks him, but Zelda charges at the Phantom just in time to take control of its body. After this, Link and Zelda begin their journey to restore the Tower of Spirits and the Spirit Tracks, traveling across the overworld using the Spirit Train that is granted to Link by Anjean. Whenever Link returns to the Spirit Tower to obtain another Rail Map, Princess Zelda possesses a Phantom's armor in order to aid the young hero. As the pair continues to travel, Link and Zelda establish a close friendship as the two get to know each other better.

Once Princess Zelda recovers her body from Malladus with the aid of Link, the two together face up against the Demon King, who has now taken over Chancellor Cole's body. Together, Link and Zelda deal the final blow on Malladus using the Lokomo Sword, and shortly after, Anjean and the rest of the Lokomos depart towards the heavens. As they leave, Anjean entrusts Princess Zelda to watch over the land, asking Link to help her as well. Link and Zelda are then seen holding hands as they witness the departure of the Lokomos. Unlike other instances where Link departs from the land after having saved it, the young hero stays in Hyrule to fulfill Anjean's request, where he continues to be either an engineer or a warrior, depending on which Link chose. This is witnessed when Princess Zelda gets up from her seat in her office and waves out the window after having heard either a train's whistle or the clanking of swords.

=Unknown Timeline

Breath of the Wild

The events of Breath of the Wild begin with Link, a Knight of Hyrule, awakening from a deep sleep in the Shrine of Resurrection. He is guided by a mysterious voice to take the Sheikah Slate and embark to the outside world, told that he must "shine upon Hyrule once again." He then exits the Shrine and is free to explore Hyrule. Outside the Shrine, he finds an Old Man who later informs him that the Calamity Ganon was a source of many evils 100 years ago, until it was sealed in Hyrule Castle, which has been able to contain it for the past century. The Old Man also mentions that the Calamity Ganon is close to breaking free, giving Link the task to save Hyrule.

Link can choose to go to each of the four Ancient Shrines on the Great Plateau and acquire a Rune at each one that will grant him special abilities for the Sheikah Slate.

Link is afflicted by amnesia, as he is unable to remember anyone or anything from prior to his rest in the Shrine of Resurrection.

The reason for Link maintaining silence through much of the game is explained in Zelda's Diary, which states that it is because, with so much at stake, he finds it necessary to be strong and silently bear his burdens, which caused him to stop showing outward emotions.

Apparently, he is something of a glutton, and greatly enjoys a good meal.

Links

The Links refers to a group of characters who are the result of Link after he is split into multiple copies of himself. In Tri Force Heroes, the Links are individual heroes instead. Link is split into four copies in Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and The Minish Cap. These four heroes are also collectively known as the Four-Who-Are-One. In Tri Force Heroes, there are only three Links, who are known as the Tri Force Heroes. In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the Links are featured only in the games' Battle Modes. The series has used the Links for games that include multiplayer and co-op gameplay, with the exception of The Minish Cap, where Link is only briefly split to solve certain puzzles and fight enemies. In multiplayer modes, each player takes control of a Link. In games where single-player mode is offered, the player can switch control between Links.

Appearances

The Links made their first appearance in Four Swords. After Link and Princess Zelda leave to investigate the Four Sword, which seals the wind mage Vaati, Zelda is suddenly captured by Vaati after he reveals himself. Link is unable to help her and is knocked out, later reawakened by the Great Fairies. Link is split into four after he pulls the Four Sword out of its pedestal by the Fairies' urging. Now tasked with saving Zelda, the Links must work together to get to where she is being held and rescue her from Vaati's Palace of Winds.

The Links travel across the land to several Stages, fighting enemies and collecting Rupees along the way. They compete against each other to collect as many Rupees as possible, but also cooperate with each other to accomplish tasks. At the end of the stage, depending on how many Rupees in total were accumulated, the Links receive a Key from the stage's Great Fairy and are then ranked by how many Rupees each Link collected. The Link with the most Rupees is awarded a Medal of Courage.

The Links eventually reach the Palace of Winds and defeat Vaati. His body is absorbed back into the Four Sword, and Zelda is freed from his hold. With Vaati again imprisoned and the Links' destiny fulfilled, the Four Sword glows as it returns Link to his former self. The Four Sword is then returned to its pedestal.

If there are only two or three players, Link will only be split into two or three Links, respectively. In Four Swords Anniversary Edition's single-player, only two Links are used. The player can choose the tunic color of the second Link and switch between the two to complete tasks.

Four Swords Adventures

In the Hyrulean Adventures mode in Four Swords Adventures, Link is again split into four copies of himself upon drawing the Four Sword. Link is called by Zelda to investigate the Four Sword's seal, after dark clouds sweep over Hyrule. However upon opening the Four Sword Sanctuary's portal with the aide of the Shrine Maidens, Shadow Link emerges from the opening as Zelda and the Maidens are captured and encased in dark crystals. Link follows Shadow Link into the Sanctuary, where he willingly draws the Four Sword from its pedestal to combat Shadow Link, despite the risk of freeing Vaati, and splits into four. The removal of the blade subsequently releases Vaati, who then sends the Links flying away by a twister.

The Links awake to the voice of Kaepora Gaebora in Lake Hylia, who tells them that Zelda and the six Maidens have been captured by evil forces. However, due to Vaati's magic, the Four Sword has been robbed of its former power to vanquish darkness. He informs them that they must collect Force Gems to return the blade to its full strength, only then can they find and rescue the Maidens and Zelda, before finally facing Vaati. Like in Four Swords, the Links work together and also compete to collect as many Force Gems as possible, as opposed to Rupees. While on their search for Force Gems, the Links also meet Tingle, who is also looking for Force Gems under the belief that he will become a real Fairy if he collects enough. This results in a small rivalry between the Links and Tingle, who occasionally race against each other for large Force Gems. At the end of every stage are Dark Barriers that must be dispelled, by collecting enough Force Gems to strengthen the Four Sword. After completing a stage in multiplayer, the Links are then ranked by how many Force Gems they have collected.

In a single-player game, the Links can group together to form preset Battle Formations (Cross, Wide, Long, Box), to aide in solving puzzles, pushing blocks, fighting enemies, and performing other tasks. Although the Link donning the green tunic is the default leader, the option exists to use any Link to lead the others.

In a Shadow Battle, the Links instead fight each other in a competitive match.

Navi Trackers

In the game mode Navi Trackers, exclusive to the Japanese and Korean release of Four Swords Adventures, the four Links are tasked with finding Tetra's Pirate Crew around a maze with limited time, in order to receive and collect as many stamps as possible. In the game mode's intro, the Link in green is surprised to see doubles of himself, implying that this game mode features different Links from the Hyrulean Adventures mode in Four Swords Adventures. In the single-player campaign, Link instead faces off against Tingle.

The Minish Cap

Link and his copies in The Minish Cap During his adventure in The Minish Cap, Link reforges and empowers the broken Picori Blade (which had been destroyed earlier by Vaati) into the White Sword with the Four Elements. The empowered White Sword grants Link the ability to create an additional copy of himself at certain multi-colored tiles, by powering up a Spin Attack charge, holding it until the green gauge is filled, and moving across the colored tiles. The addition of each new Element in the Elemental Sanctuary grants Link an additional copy of himself, up to four.

The Link copies are not individual Links, but rather cloned apparitions that mimic Link's every movement and wear exactly the same green tunic. The clones can be used to perform grouped tasks such as pushing large blocks, or fighting certain bosses such as the Gyorg Pair and Vaati. The placement of the tiles set the formations in which the clones would aid Link in these instances. The Link copies do not last long, however, and will disappear as soon as the green gauge depletes itself. The clones will also instantly disappear if they are interrupted; such as from touching a wall or obstruction, or by being hit by an enemy attack. Pressing the R-button will also immediately make the Link clones vanish.

Tri Force Heroes

In Tri Force Heroes, there are only three Links: green, blue, and red. Collectively, they referred to as the Tri Force Heroes. The green Link is the same hero as in A Link Between Worlds, who arrives to Hytopia after certain events. He dresses to hide his heroic origins. The origin of the two other heroes, also called Link, is unknown. The three Links gather at Hytopia after King Tuft sends an urgent request asking for heroes to assemble to save Princess Styla, who has been cursed by a witch to wear an ugly outfit she cannot take off. The King's request urges for heroes who fit the following criteria: those with pointed ears, sideburns, and side-parted hair. While passing through the land, Link comes across the town during its perilous time. He is immediately spotted by Madame Couture's Assistant and recognized for having these traits, and is urged to join the Witch-Hunting Brigade. As only groups of three can enter the Drablands, the witch's domain, Link is paired with two more heroes as they venture into the land and combat its guardians. As these heroes gather, their hair colors also change to match their tunics rather than remaining blond.

As in previous games, the Links are used in the game's multiplayer, and cooperate with each other to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. In single-player, Link can instead be accompanied by two Doppels that can be controlled and switched between at a time. The Links can stack on top of each other as a Totem to reach higher elevations, allowing them to solve different puzzles and fight enemies. To help communicate between players, the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS allows for Icons to be pressed, which appear on the top screen. These icons display a range of simple messages, such as to form a Totem or to draw others near. The icons can grow larger with repeated use, to stress the respective message. The Links can also wear an assortment of Outfits, which gives them different powers when worn.

Powers and Stats

Tier:

Name: Link

Origin: The Legend of Zelda

Gender: Male

Age: Approximately 9-19 (varies between games). Approximately 117 in Breath of the Wild

Classification: Hylian, Reincarnated Spirit of the Hero

Attack Potency: Universe level (Was able to best Demise in close combat, possesses the Fierce Deity Mask, which he used to defeat Majora, and defeated Ganondorf even while he was empowered by the complete Triforce in direct combat), higher with equipment

Speed: At least Sub-Relativistic+ with Massively FTL reactions (With the full Triforce, he should be significantly faster than his BotW incarnation even during a Flurry Rush)

Lifting Strength: Class E (Superior to the Four Giants)

Striking Strength: Universal

Durability: Universe level, higher with equipment (Well above the likes of Majora and Demise, as well as Ganondorf with the complete Triforce's power)

Stamina: Very high (Able to physically exert himself for hours at a time, even as a kid, and show no signs of fatigue afterward, consistently gets up immediately after suffering grievous wounds of all sorts). Extremely high with the Triforce

Range: Extended melee range with swords and other melee weapons. Varies from tens of meters up to thousands of kilometers with various pieces of equipment. Low Multiversal via Reality Warping with the Triforce

Powers and Abilities:

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Magic, Flight, Weapon Mastery, Expert of Martial Arts and Wrestling, as well as a wide variety of miscellaneous skills, Non-Corporeal, Self-Sustenance (Type 1 and 2), Immense willpower, Immortality (Types 1, 4 and 7), Regeneration (Mid-Low),Shapeshifting (Capable of turning himself into a Wolf and a Fairy), Flight (As a Fairy), Enhanced Senses (Via "Sense", as Wolf Link), Non-Physical Interaction (Has always been able to attack ghosts), Fire Manipulation (The "Fire" spell causes fireballs to shoot from his sword, and Din's Fire creates a large expanding fireball), Electricity Manipulation (The "Thunder" spell strikes all enemies with lightning, as does Urbosa's Fury), Healing (The "Life" spell heals Link), Resurrection (Mipha's Grace revives Link with extra health once per day), Transmutation (The "Spell" spell turns enemies into bots), Attack Reflection (The "Reflect" spell reflects magic off of his shield, and Daruk's Protection reflects projectiles), Statistics Amplification (The "Shield" spell increases Link's defense, and the "Jump" spell allows him to jump higher), Teleportation (Farore's Wind creates a warp point he can teleport to), Forcefield Creation (Daruk's Protection creates a forcefield that blocks attacks, Temporary Invincibility (Nayru's Love creates a forcefield that gives Link temporary invincibility) Duplication (The Hero's Shade can split himself into three), BFR (The Hero's Shade can send people to the ghostly ether), Resistance to: Darkness Manipulation (Constantly battles Ganon, who wields this), Morality Manipulation (Can stand in Ganon's Malice without being corrupted), Death Manipulation (Can resist Sharp's Death Song long enough to play the Song of Storms), Mind Manipulation (Agahnim can't Mind Control him, the Fierce Deity Mask doesn't corrupt him, and he can look into the Twilight Mirror without winding up like Yeta), Time Manipulation (Unaffected by Timeshift Stones. Can move in the Time-Stopped Hyrule Castle without the Master Sword), and Existence Erasure (Resisted the erasure of the Wind Fish’s dream)

Regeneration (Low-Mid with items), Power Nullification (Of Magic, with the Master Sword), Sealing (Sealed Demise with the Master Sword and Vaati with the Four Sword), Information Analysis (Fi, the spirit inside the Master Sword, can read the opponent like a book), Power Absorption (Absorbed the three goddesses' flames with the Master Sword), Extrasensory Perception (Shards of Agony let him know if something is hidden nearby. Can track other people with Drowsing), Holy Manipulation (The Master Sword and Silver Arrows are both capable of killing Ganon) Petrification (Turned Ganondorf to Stone with the Master Sword), Regeneration Negation (Up to Low-Godly with the Master Sword and Silver Arrows, can kill Ganon), Energy Manipulation (Via sword beams and Skyward Strike), Fire Manipulation (Via Fire Rod, Magical Rod, Blue Fire, Fire Gloves, Fire Weapons, and Bombos Medallion, Electricity Manipulation (Via Ether Medallion and Thunder Weapons), Ice Manipulation (Via Ice Rod, Ether Medallion, Ice Weapons, and Cryonis Rune), Poison Manipulation (Via Purple Chu Jelly), Sand Manipulation (Via Sand Rod), Earth Manipulation (Via Hammers and Quake Medallion, which can create earthquakes), Plant Manipulation (Via Magic Beans), Air Manipulation (Via Tornado Rod, Gale Boomerang, Wind Waker, etc.), Weather Manipulation (Via Song of Storms and Rod of Seasons), Water Manipulation (Via Water Rod), Can turn into a 2D being (Via Ravio's Bracelet), Magnetism Manipulation (Via Magnesis Rune and Magnetic Gloves), Empathic Manipulation (Via Couple's Mask and the Song of Healing), Light Manipulation (Via Light Arrows and Light Armor), Sleep Manipulation (When eaten, Magic Mushrooms sometimes put the foe to sleep), Age Manipulation (Mystery seeds have the potential to revert targets into children), Size Manipulation (Can shrink with the Gnat Hat and grow with the Giant's Mask), Time Manipulation (Has various equipment capable of stopping time, and can stop enemies with the Stasis Rune), Spatial Manipulation (The Switch Hook switches two things in space, and the Cane of Pacci flips things upside down), Soul Manipulation (Song of Healing can soothe troubled souls), Existence Erasure (Ancient Arrows erase those hit by them, consigning them to oblivion), Sound Manipulation (Possesses various magical instruments), Probability Manipulation (Via Cursed Tights and Lucky Loungewear) Forcefield Creation (Via Magic Armor and Cane of Byrna), Transmutation (Has various methods of transforming enemies, including Magic Powder and the Quake Medallion), Possession (Can control statues with the Dominion Rod, and the Command Melody can take control of people), Summoning (Can summon his wolf counterpart), Teleportation (Various songs in Ocarina of Time), Invisibility (The Magic Cape and Stone Mask allow him to turn invisible), Creation (The Cane of Somaria creates blocks to attack foes with), Healing (Via various potions and fairies), Resurrection (Via fairies and Secret Medicine), Mind Manipulation (The Mask of Truth can tell when people are lying, and the Gibdo Ring can force Undead to dance), Time Travel (Can travel through time with the Ocarina of Time and the Harp of Ages), Portal Creation (The Harp of Ages creates portals to other time periods), Absorption (The Mirror Shield can absorb and reflect energy), Acausality (Type 1, Veran was unable to kill him by changing his past), Can cause damage by being touched, Can reduce all damage to one heart, Resistance to: Elemental Manipulation (Electricity, Fire, Ice, via various rings and armors), Energy Manipulation (Via Blue Luck Ring), Sand Manipulation and Vector Manipulation (Via Quicksand Ring), Transmutation (Via Moon Pearl), Illusion Creation (The Lens of Truth dispels illusions), Absorption (Some rings transform Link, making him lose his powers but granting him immunity to like likes), Sleep Manipulation (The All-Night mask makes him unable to sleep), Power Nullification (The Whisp Ring makes him immune to the effects of bubbles)

Immense Willpower, Resistance to Magic (Triforce of Courage), Amplified Magic, Healing, Shapeshifting, Telepathy, Precognition, Divine Wisdom (Triforce of Wisdom), Immortality (Types 1, 2, and 3), Regeneration (Low-Godly), Invulnerability (Triforce of Power), Existence Erasure, Mind Manipulation, Resurrection, Healing, Power Nullification, Transmutation, Reality Warping and Resistance to it (Full Triforce)

Standard Equipment:

Swords

Master Sword: The Master Sword, or the Sword of Evil’s bane. Link’s most signature sword. It is “super effective” against evil beings, can petrify and seal, negate transmutation and regeneration, repel magic, and has a spirit inside of it named Fi that can analyze enemies, talk to Link (and apparently Zelda), and several other things. Furthermore, the wielder can fire sword beams. Those who attempt to wield the sword without being worthy/ready wind up with their souls put to sleep until they are. Those who aren’t strong enough to wield the sword have their power sapped until the unworthy either gives up or dies.
Four Sword: The Four Sword will split Link into four equally powerful beings, and can also seal, shoot sword beams, and repel evil magic. It is also useful for limited time travel into the past.
Lokomo Sword: The Lokomo Sword is a powerful sword capable of defeating the demon Malladus,and contains a lot of Force Power.
Phantom Sword: The Phantom Sword is another Force empowered sword, but this one has Link resist soul attacks and life force absorption and is imbued with the power to control time. It is Link’s main weapon in Phantom Hourglass.
Fierce Deity Sword: A giant double helix sword wielded by Link when he dons the Fierce Deity Mask. It’s a two handed sword that can fire giant spirals of energy beams, while also being an extremely powerful melee weapon that requires two hands to wield. It is likely the strongest sword in the entire franchise, not counting Ghirahim’s true form.
Great Fairy’s Sword: A double handed longsword granted by the Great Fairy of Ikana Canyon. It’s a magical weapon that’s incredibly powerful, and can even be used when Link’s powers are nullified or sealed.
Magical Sword: The most powerful sword in the classic Legend of Zelda game.
Seashell Sword: The sword Link gets when he finds 20 Secret Seashells in Link’s Awakening.
Gilded Sword: The most powerful normal sword in Majora’s Mask. It is an upgraded version of the Razor Sword, being boosted with Gold Dust. It seems to have some sort of Acausality (Type 1), as it doesn’t disappear when Link goes back in time, unlike its previous form.
Biggoron’s Sword: One of Link’s strongest swords, forged by the giant Goron Biggoron. At the cost of using two hands and therefore losing shields and defenses, it is incredibly powerful, dwarfing the Master Sword’s power in Ocarina of Time

Shields

Hylian Shield: An incredibly powerful shield that is said to be unbreakable. It is iconic to Link’s appearance.
Mirror Shield: Another powerful shield. Along with being very close to the defensive capabilities of the Hylian Shield, it is capable of reflecting and absorbing energy.
Shield of Antiquity: Link’s shield in Phantom Hourglass, and passed down to the later Link in Spirit Tracks. It is just as durable as the Hylian Shield.
Magical Shield: The best shield in the classic Zelda game, and the shield Link uses throughout Zelda II. It is incredibly large, and blocks incoming energy attacks.

Miscellaneous

A bunch of different weapons and shields in Breath of the Wild

*Magical Boomerang: The first canonically dungeon-acquired item in the entire series, Link has many versions of this classic item. The first one, and the one most seen in the 2-D games is this. If thrown, it goes forward, and homes back onto Link. Those who are hit are either damaged or stunned. Phantom Hourglass has a version where Link guides its initial path. The version in Wind Waker can target a five things before thrown to home onto it.

Bomb: Link also has many versions of this item. This only covers the basic version. These kind of bombs can be either placed, thrown, or rolled, and explode after a set period of time.
Magical Rod: Link’s first rod. It fires a fireball across the screen. Combined with the Book of Magic, Link can do this in succession.
Bow: There are many iterations of this item, but they all function the same. Link can deftly shoot arrows from it. There are many types of arrows: Fire, Ice, Silver, Light, Bolt, Bomb, and Ancient. Fire, Ice, and Bolt are self explanatory. They fire arrows with fire magic, ice magic, or lightning. Silver and Light arrows kill evil, the former even rendering them to dust and preventing regeneration with a single one. Bomb Arrows attach both into a single weapon, and fires them akin to a rocket launcher. Ancient Arrows consign all who are hit by it to oblivion, erasing them from existence.
Raft: Simply carries Link across a body of water
Stepladder: A horizontal ladder that helps Link cross small pits nigh-instantly.
Blue Candle: A magic candle that can fire fireballs a short distance forward.
Recorder: Link plays a tune on the instrument that summons a tornado to whisk him away akin to teleportation.
Hammer: Link has a wide variety of these as well. And for the most part, they serve similar functions. They’re slow but powerful weapons that pound things into the ground and destroy obstacles in the way. Link has a normal hammer, a Megaton Hammer, a Magic Hammer, and a Skull Hammer.
Cross: A crucifix that allows Link to see invisible enemies.
Bottles: Allows Link to store bottled items. He has a plethora of them.
Super Bomb: A giant bomb that follows Link. It can be set to create a great and powerful explosion.
Quake Medallion: A medallion that allows Link to create giant earthquakes, and can turn enemies into slime.
Bombos Medallion: A medallion that allows Link to create a massive omnidirectional inferno.
Ether Medallion: A medallion that allows Link to rain lightning from the sky, doing massive damage, and freezing all enemies unlucky enough to survive.
Bug-Catching Net: A net used for catching bugs and faries. Surprisingly, it is very good at reflecting magic.
Cane of Somaria: A magical cane that allows Link to create magical blocks that damage those that come in contact with it. Link can detonate it whenever he wants.
Cane of Byrna: A magical cane that makes Link intangible, but on top of that, gives him a damaging forcefield just in case.
Magic Cape: A cape that makes Link intangible, invisible, and invincible for as long as he has the magic power for it.
Hookshot: Another of Link’s iconic items. It allows Link to grab onto things from afar and either drag them in, or drag Link to them. It has a few variations. The Longshot is the same, but longer. The Clawshot allows Link to hang onto the things that he’s dragged onto. There are two Clawshots. The Gripshot works the same way as well.
Fire Rod: A magical rod that can shoot pillars of flames.
Ice Rod: A magical rod that can shoot magical blue energy that freezes on contact.
Magic Mirror: A mirror that when gazed into, returns Link to the normal world if he’s been BFR’d.
Flute: A woodwind instrument that summons a duck that flies anywhere he pleases.
Roc’s Feather: A feather that lets Link jump considerably higher. It can be combined with/upgraded to Roc’s Cape to give him gliding or limited flight.
Magic Powder: A magical powder that has varying effects, but the most common one is that when sprinkled onto an enemy, it turns them into slime.
Shovel: Lets Link dig.
Ocarina of Time: Link’s most iconic musical instrument. Unlike a majority of them, it does stuff outside of combat. Link can time travel, change the time of day, teleport to certain locations, create statue duplicates, heal souls and turn them into masks, summon rainstorms, call on his horse or his scarecrow friend, and trigger secrets depending on the song.
Deku Nuts: A seed from a Deku Baba that explodes in a light when thrown at the ground, and does minor damage, but stuns enemies.
Slingshot: A weapon that fires seeds at enemies for minor damage and stunning. It can be upgraded to the Hyper Slingshot or the Scattershot, which fires a large group of them.
Deku Stick: A stick. It can be swung or thrown as a weapon or lit on fire.
Lens of Truth: A mysterious Sheikah item that sees the invisible and dispels illusions when gazed through the eye of it.
Bombchu: A bomb shaped like a mouse. It can be placed and it moves on its own until it either hits something or its fuse runs out, in which it explodes.
Shard of Agony: A shard of a piece of Sheikah technology that shakes and alerts Link when something hidden is nearby.
Seed Shooter: A gun that exclusively fires seeds.
Ember Seed: A seed containing fire essence. It can be thrown to achieve effects relating to fire, including burning enemies.
Scent Seed: A seed that attracts enemies to its smell.
Gale Seed: A seed that creates a giant gale that sends Link to anywhere he wants, or BFRs the enemy in a warp if hit by it.
Pegasus Seed: A seed that if eaten, speeds up Link, and if it hits an enemy, stuns them.
Mystery Seed: A seed that gives hints. If it hits an enemy, it does either: any of the previous four effects, turn them into Cukemans, or revert them into babies.
Harp of Ages: The main item in Oracle of Ages. If played, it allows Link to go anywhere in time, or create portals in certain areas.
Strange Flute: A flute that summons his boxing kangaroo buddy Ricky, his Dodongo friend Dmitri, or his flying bear pal Moosh.
Switch Hook: A hookshot like weapon that instead of grabbing onto something and pulling either the user or the grabbed item in, it raises the two linked things up and switches the place of the two spatially.
Rod of Seasons: The main item in Oracle of Seasons. It allows Link to change the weather and the seasons at will.
Magnetic Gloves: Gloves that allow Link to attract or repel magnetic items. If the item is stuck in the ground, then Link himself is attracted or repelled.
Bow Wow: A chain chomp from the Mario series on a chain leash that attacks all of Link’s enemies.
Deku Leaf: A magical leaf that grows in size if needed. It can be used to create a large gust of wind if flapped, or even to glide in the air if used as a parachute.
Wind Waker: The titular item of the game with the same name, and the second most iconic instrument of Link’s. It can be used to change the direction of the wind, summon teleporting cyclones, change the time of day, or even possess things and people.
Grappling Hook: An item used to grapple onto things and swing from place to place. It can also be used to steal items from enemies. It can also redirect attacks.
Telescope: Allows Link to see far.
Picto Box: Allows Link to take pictures.
Remote Bomb: A special kind of bomb that only detonates when the detonator is pushed.
Gust Jar: A jar that acts like a vacuum, sucking in large amounts of air, which draws in things of all sorts, and spitting it out. The Gust Bellows act the same.
Cane of Pacci: A magical cane that flips all caught in its magical attack upside down. It also turns pits into supercharged trampolines.
Ocarina of Wind: Acts the same as the aforementioned Flute, but instead of summoning a nameless duck, it summons a bird named Zeffa.
Gale Boomerang: A boomerang possessed by some sort of wind spirit, which when thrown, creates a small tornado around it, which can draw things in as well as stun with wind and blow windmill-like switches. It can also target multiple things.
Water Bomb: A bomb that can be used underwater. It’s designed to look like a Bombfish.
Bombling: A spider version of a bombchu.
Spinner: A ride-able top that can skate on quicksand and spin around as an attack. It loses steam quickly unless it can latch onto a rail.
Ball and Chain: A giant flail that can be swung around and thrown for massive damage, at the cost of speed.
Dominion Rod: A magical rod that can possess statues.
Horse Call: A reed instrument that can summon Epona.
Crossbow: A type of bow that holds like a gun and fires like one.
Phantom Hourglass: The titular item of the game of the same name. It allows Link to stop time for 6 seconds.
Whip: A whip that can latch onto enemies, steal their stuff, strip them of their weapons and armor, and latch onto other things.
Whirlwind: A pinwheel like item that creates small tornadoes that lift things into the air.
Sand Rod: A magical rod that can create large pillars of sand.
Sailcloth: A cloth given to Link by Zelda. It can be used to slow his descent while falling.
Beetle: A giant mechanical beetle that can be steered around. It can be used for scouting, or hitting things Link can’t reach.
Tornado Rod: A magical rod that creates tornadoes.
Scoot Fruit: A fruit that when thrown on the ground, creates a smoke that makes Link magically evacuate.
Foul Fruit: A fruit that when thrown on the ground, repels enemies.
Water Rod: A magical rod that summons pillars of water.
Fire Gloves: Gloves that allow Link to shoot fireballs.
Shiekah Slate: A tablet that is made by the Sheikah. It functions as the map. Its main purpose is to activate runes. The Magnesis Rune pours out energy that allows Link to control anything metal. The Remote Bomb Rune allows Link to place round or square bombs. The Stasis Rune allows Link to stop time, but store the kinetic energy of the things he stops, so his hits stack up. The Cryonis Rune creates ice pillars from water. The Camera Rune allows Link to render a visible image into a picture. The Master Cycle Zero Rune summons a motorbike for Link to ride on. The Amiibo rune summons useful things, but is pure DLC.

*Fire: Allows him to shoot fireballs from his sword in place of Sword Beams. This does not require Link to be at full health.

Life: A spell that restores life energy.

Shield: A spell that increases Link’s resistance to damage.

Jump: Doubles Link's jump height.

Thunder: A spell that inflicts extreme damage to everything nearby.

Fairy: Turns Link into a fairy.

Spell: Transforms enemies into small, slime-like creatures called bots.

Reflect: Strengthens Link's shield, allowing him to block formerly unblockable attacks.

Din's Fire: Engulfs the area around him in an expanding fireball.

Farore's Wind: The first cast sets a glowing orb that serves as a waypoint: the second instantly returns Link to the set waypoint.

Nayru's Love: Surrounds himself in a magical diamond-shaped barrier that renders him invulnerable to harm.

Mipha's Grace: A skill that resurrects Link akin to how fairies do, but brings Link back to beyond peak condition.

Urbosa's Fury: A powerful item that lets Link summon several surges of lightning. Can be charged.

Revali's Gate: Link is capable of summoning large gusts of wind that let him soar into the air with his paraglider.

Daruk's Protection: An item granted by the champion Daruk that allows Link to be protected from all damage.

*Clock: A powerup that when collected, allows Link to stop time for all on the battlefield indefinitely until Link leaves said battlefield.

Magic Jar: A collectible that restores his magic.

Doll: A strange doll that are collected throughout Zelda II. If Link dies, one of them vanishes from his possession, and he revives

Guardian Acorn: A powerup that when collected, makes Link take half damage until it wears off.

Piece of Power: A powerup that when collected, makes Link do double damage until it wears off.

Rapid Fire Crossbow: A powerup that allows Link to fire arrows from his crossbow like a machine-gun.

Potions

Red Potion: Heals Link a good bit when drank.

Green Potion: Restores Link’s magic.

Blue Potion: Does both.

2nd Life Potion: Completely restores Link’s vitality. Has two uses.

Secret Medicine/Magic Potion: Revives Link if he falls in battle.

Stamina Potion: Restores Link’s stamina and makes its depletion slow to a halt for a limited time.

Rejuvenation Potion: Restores Link’s health a bit and restores the strength of his shield.

Air Potion: Helps Link hold his breath for longer for a limited time

Guardian Potion: Halves the damage Link takes for a limited time.

Purple Potion: Heals Link and revives him if he falls in battle. It can also releases a wave of powerful energy.

Yellow Potion: Completely heals link and renders him invincible for a limited period of time.

Other Bottled Items

Blue Fire: Releases an omnidirectional blaze of blue fire, which is hot enough to melt red ice, and the flame can never go out.
Golden Bee: Releases a friendly bee that attacks all enemies of Link.
Fairy: Releases a fairy that either heals Link or revives him if he dies.
Charm: Charms given by the oracle versions of the goddesses. Din’s severely boosts Link’s attack, Nayru’s severely increases his defense, and Farore’s does both, but to a lesser extent of either.
Elixir Soup: A soup given to Link by his grandmother. It completely restores his health and magic, and doubles his strength until he gets takes damage.
Chateau Romani: A drink bough that was made by Romani, the Termina version of his friend Malon (child version). It completely restores his magic and makes it unlimited for a whole three days.
Great Fairy’s Tears: The tears the Great Fairy cried while praying. Drinking it completely heals Link and doubles his strength for a limited time.
Lantern Oil: Refills his lantern.
Chu Jelly: Jelly with the same effect as a red potion, blue potion, lantern oil, poison, or Great Fairy’s tears depending on the variation.
Mushrooms: Weird magical mushrooms that have varying effects. They’re normally ingredients for Magic Powder. If ingested, there’s varying effects. The most common is either a long sleep or transmutation into a woodland creature.

*All the armor in Breath of the Wild

Clothes

Red Mail: The strongest of Link’s natural clothing. Reduces damage taken by ¾.
Mermaid Suit: A suit that allows Link to swim perfectly underwater, but costs him his legs (they’re covered by a fish tail).
Goron Tunic: A red tunic that reduces fire damage by a lot.
Red Clothes: Boosts the power of Link’s sword by a lot. Acquired only in Link’s Awakening DX.
Magic Armor: A suit of armor that renders him immune to damage (to an obvious extent) as long as he has a steady supply of either magic or money to feed it.
Bear Minimum: A suit that gives Link two extra hearts and gives him a high chance to dodge attacks, but takes double damage if hit.
Big Bomb Outfit: An outfit that turns all bombs into big bombs.
Boomeranger: Allows boomerangs to have selective intangibility and pass through enemies after damaging them.
Cacto Clothes: A cactus suit that damages all who touch it.
Cheer Outfit: An outfit that increases the energy of all Links by 50%
Cheetah Costume: Allows Link to run faster.
Cozy Parka: Increases Link’s traction and prevents Link from being frozen.
Cursed Tights: While Link dodges half of all attacks, he takes double damage from them.
Dapper Spinner: A suit that allows Link to do quicker spin attacks.
Dunewalker Duds: A suit that makes Link walk on quicksand without sinking.
Fierce Deity Armor: A knockoff of the armor that the Fierce Deity wears. Link cannot be knocked back, can fire a massive amount of sword beams, and does double damage.
Fire Blazer: An outfit that lets Link fire three fireballs instead of one with the Fire Gloves.
Goron Garb: Link dresses up like a Goron and gains a nigh-immunity to fire and lava.
Gust Garb: Increases the range of the Gust Garb.
Hammerwear: Link dresses up like a Hammer Bro from the Mario series. It doubles the power of the Magic Hammer, and also allows it to create shockwaves and it has a quicker swing rate.
Jack of Hearts: This armor gives Link an extra heart.
Kokiri Clothes: Clothes of the Kokiri. Link can fire three arrows at once.
Lady’s Ensemble: Link dresses up like Lady Maud. This increases the frequency as hearts and increases his hearts.
Light Armor: Allows Link to illuminate the area passively.
Lucky Loungewear: Allows Link to dodge 25% of all attacks.
Ninja Gi: This ninja getup lets Link do triple damage when dashing, and lets him to dash instantly.
Queen of Hearts: Gives Link 3 extra hearts.
Robowear: Link dresses up like a robot, and it increases the power, range, and speed of the Gripshot.
Rupee Regalia: Has rupees drop more frequently.
Serpent’s Toga: While standing still, Link turns into stone and becomes invulnerable.
Spin Attack Attire: A samurai like uniform that allows Link to do a Big Spin Attack.
Sword Suit: Allows Link to shoot sword beams at full health and doubles the damage of swords.
Sword Master Suit: Allows Link to shoot Sword Beams from his Sword at full health, deal double damage, and have twice as much range with his Sword.
Tingle Tunic: Link dresses up like Tingle, and with it, gets three chances to avoid taking damage from pits, represented by balloons.
Torrent Robe: A robe that doubles the size of the pillars of the Water Rod.
Zora Costume: Allows Link to swim faster in water and swim against strong currents, as well as damage enemies while swimming past them.

Accessories

Power Bracelet: This item comes in several different forms. There’s the Silver/Golden Gauntlets, the Titan’s Mitts, the Handy Glove, the Goron Bracelet, and the Power Glove. The function of all of these are to increase Link’s lifting strength, allowing him to lift the heaviest of items.
Pegasus Boots: The boots of these allow Link to move incredibly fast, however in one direction. It also gives Link a dash attack. There is a small charge-up time for this.
Moon Pearl: A pearl from the Tower of Hera. It prevents Link from being transmuted.
Iron Boots: A pair of incredibly heavy and magnetic boots. They make him heavier and make him sink into water.
Hover Boots: A pair of magical boots that allow Link to walk on nothing for a few seconds.
Gnat Hat: A magical hat that allows Link to shrink down to the size of a gnat.
Mole Mitts: A pair of mitts that allow Link to dig underground with the utmost ease. There’s a similar item in Skyward Sword called the Digging Mitts.
Fireshield Earrings: Earrings that give Link resistance to extreme heat.
Ravio’s Bracelet: A bracelet given to Link by Ravio, his Lorule counterpart. It allows him to merge into walls to become a painting.
Life Medal: A medal that increases Link’s health.
Potion Medal: A medal that increases the length of temporary potions.

Masks

Mask of Truth: A mask that allows Link to read minds.
Deku Mask: A mask resembling the Deku Butler’s son, and contains the soul of him. It turns Link into a nigh-carbon copy of him, therefore turning him into a Deku Shrub. He can skip on water, fire bubbles, and fly from a flower.
Goron Mask: A mask containing the soul of Darmani, the Goron chief. It turns Link into a nigh-carbon copy of him, therefore turning him into a Goron. He has increased strength, a fire punch, a high resistance to fire, and can roll quickly while extruding spikes from his body.
Zora Mask: A mask containing a soul of the Zora guitarist Makal. It turns Link into a nigh-carbon copy of him, therefore turning him into a Zora. He acts sort of like his normal adult self, but can fight with his fins, has a natural maneuverability in water, has a bio-electrical damaging aura that must be activated, and can launch his fins like a boomerang.
Fierce Deity Mask: One of the strongest artifacts in the entire series. It turns Link into the Fierce Deity, which vastly increases his stats and allows him to rapid-fire spiral beams of energy.
All Night Mask: The mask prevents Link from sleeping. It used to be a torture mask.
Blast Mask: A mask that acts like a bomb (that doesn’t go away) when Link activates it. Unless Link is shielding, it damages him as well.
Bremen Mask: A mask that plays music and makes small animals think he’s their leader.
Captain’s Hat: A mask that makes the undead think that he is one of them, and therefore stops their attacks.
Couple’s Mask: A mask that when worn, softens people’s hearts, and ends fights.
Giant’s Mask: A mask that turns Link into a giant.
Gibdo Mask: A mask that makes zombies and mummies dance.
Mask of Scents: A mask that makes Link’s sense of smell go through the roof.
Stone Mask: A mask that turns Link invisible, and renders him to ignored even if he’s attacking someone or in their way.
Hero’s Charm: A charmed mask that allows Link to analyze the health of the enemy.
Hawkeye: An owl mask that also allows Link to see far, but it can also be attached to Link’s bow to function as a sniper rifle, but for bows.

Rings

Red Ring: A ring that turns Link’s (and Zelda’s, weirdly) clothes red and reduces damage taken to a quarter.
Grip Ring: A ring that makes Link able to scale walls to perfection.
Power Ring: A ring that increases damage done by a lot, but damage taken goes through the roof.
Armor Ring: A ring that boosts defense a lot, but decreases attack by the same amount.
Red Ring: A ring that doubles damage done.
Blue Ring: A ring that halves damage taken.
Green Ring: A ring that increases damage done by 1.5x and decreases damage to ¾ of its original sense.
Expert’s Ring: A ring that makes Link’s fists as strong as his bombs (without any boosts).
Bomb Ring: A ring that increases damage done by bombs by 25%.
Steadfast Ring: A ring that decreases Link’s knockback.
Pegasus Ring: A ring that increases the time of the effect of the Pegasus Seeds.
Toss Ring: A ring that doubles the distance thrown by items lifted by the Power Bracelet or similar items.
Heart Ring: A ring that naturally helps Link heal just by him walking.
Swimmer’s Ring: A ring that increases swimming speed.
Charge Ring: A ring that reduces the charge time of the Spin Attack to a quarter.
Light Ring: A ring that makes Link able to shoot Sword Beams even after taking damage, but after enough damage, negates that.
Bomber’s Ring: A ring that lets Link set more bombs.
Green Luck Ring: A ring that reduces the damage of traps by half.
Blue Luck Ring: A ring that reduces the damage from beam attacks by half.
Gold Luck Ring: A ring that reduces the damage from falls by half.
Red Luck Ring: A ring that reduces the damage from floor traps by half.
Green Holy Ring: A ring that negates the damage from electrical attacks.
Blue Holy Ring: A ring that negates the damage from fireball attacks.
Red Holy Ring: A ring that negates the damage from small rocks hitting him.
Snowshoe Ring: A ring that prevents Link from sliding on ice.
Roc’s Ring: A ring that prevents Link from falling through cracked floors.
Quicksand Ring: A ring that prevents Link from sinking in quicksand, or from being moved by conveyor belts or water currents.
Discovery Ring: A ring that allows Link to sense hidden things by making a sound.
Octo Ring: A ring that turns Link into an Octorok. While he can do no damage, he can’t be absorbed, nor slip on ice.
Moblin Ring: A ring with the same effect as the Octo Ring, but instead, it’s a Moblin.
Like-Like Ring: Another transformation ring with the same effects but turns him into a Like-Like.
Subrosian Ring: Another transformation ring with the same effects, but turns him into a Subrosian.
First Gen Ring: Another transformation ring with the same effects, but turns him into a sprite version of himself from the classic Zelda game.
Spin Ring: A ring that allows Link to spin twice instead of once while doing the Spin Attack.
Bombproof Ring: A ring that prevents Link from taking damage from his own bombs.
Double Edged Ring: A ring that increases damage done, but damages Link every time he swings.
Whisp Ring: A ring that prevents Link from having his powers nullified/sealed.
Peace Ring: A ring that prevents bombs from exploding if Link’s holding them.
Zora Ring: A ring that allows Link to dive underwater without breathing.
Whimsical Ring: A ring that lowers the damage of Link’s sword, but occasionally has the damage go through the roof.
Protection Ring: A ring that makes all damage taken to one heart.

Other

Ezlo: Ezlo, a powerful wizard, acts as Link's hat after he is turned into one by Vaati. He acts as a guide for advice, a parachute for Link, and can shrink Link to the size of a Minish under the right circumstances.

Intelligence: Gifted. Can quickly figure out all the puzzles in various dungeons, has completely mastered the use of dozens of weapons with little to no practice, and is able to discern the weakness of any enemy he fights within minutes

Weaknesses: Many of his ranged weapons and gadgetry have limited ammunition, and several of his powers and abilities are tied to his immense arsenal. Additionally, has a limited, albeit large, pool of magical energy from which to draw in order to fuel some of his powers. Several BotW items require a cooldown period

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

Spin Attack: Link's signature sword attack. He winds his sword behind him then releases a 360-degree horizontal sword slash. Variants of this move exist, such as the Great Spin Attack, where the spin is accompanied by a release of magic energy.
Hurricane Spin: Link winds his sword behind him, similar to the regular Spin Attack, but released attack causes Link to spin around like a top for a few seconds, followed by a few seconds of cool-down due to dizziness.
Skyward Strike: Link holds his sword towards the sky, gathering power, then slashes, releasing a wave of sacred energy that follows the arc of the swing.
Sword Beam: Fires an energy blast from his sword. While each individual version varies in effect, it usually requires that he be at full health to use it.
Shield Attack: Bashes with his shield, stunning opponents and reflecting some projectiles.
Back Slice: Tumbles around an opponent to quickly perform a rising slash targeting their flank before they can react to face him.
Helmsplitter: Leaps over an enemy with an acrobatic spin, slashing open the back of their head from behind.
Dead Man's Volley: The act of reflecting an energy blast at the opponent repeatedly as they do the same until one is incapable of reflecting the energy blast in time. A reoccurring event in the Legend of Zelda series. Also known as "playing Energy Tennis" by some.
Z-Targeting: An in-game representation of his ability to focus in on a single target, and of his skills as a duelist and marksman.
Mortal Draw: Link's riskiest, yet most powerful attack. Link drops all guard, sheaths his sword and waits for an enemy to get in close. Once in range, Link quickly draws his sword and swings a devastatingly powerful slash at the closest enemy. While this kills most non-boss enemies in-game in 1 slash, and most boss enemies in 3 slashes, this does not always apply to other characters in a VS situation.
Ending Blow: Link's signature method of finishing an opponent, in which he leaps upon a downed enemy and impales them. While this kills enemies instantly in-game regardless of their health, this does not always apply to other characters in a VS situation, as not all other characters can logically be killed via impalement with a holy sword.

Note: Click here for the Link (Composite) Respect Thread.

Explanations

Explanation of Link's statistics enhancements. The full details are covered here. This will only go over the stating.

Durability

Defense (Regular): Great Fairy of Courage's Blessing (Ocarina of Time) = 50% = .5 Great Fairy of Courage's Blessing (Majora's Mask) = 50% = .5 Spirit of Wisdom Nerl's Blessings = 75% = .75 Guardian Potion = 50% = .5 Faore's Charm = 25% = .25 Nayru's Charm = 50% = .5 Guardian Acorn = 50% = .5 Blue Clothes = 50% = .5 Shield Spell = 50% = .5 Red Mail (ALBW) = 25% = .25 Blue Mail (ALBW) = 50% = .5 Red Mail (ALTTP) = 25% = .25 Blue Mail (ALTTP) = 50% = .5 BoTW Armor = 75% = .75 Armor Ring = 25% = .25 Armor Ring L-2 = 50% = .5 Armor Ring L-3 = 75% = .75 Red Luck Ring = 50% = .5 Gold Luck Ring = 50% = .5 Blue Luck Ring = 50% = .5 Green Luck Ring = 50% = .5 Blue Ring (Oracles) = 50% = .5 Blue Ring (Legend of Zelda) = 50% = .5 Ring of Protection = 50% = .5 Green Ring = 75% = .75 Red Ring (Legend of Zelda)= 75% = .75

Defense (Against Fire Attacks): Goron Tunic I = 25% = .25 Goron Tunic II = 50% = .5 Goron Tunic III = 75% = .75

Defense (Against Water Attacks): Zora Tunic I = 25% = .25 Zora Tunic II = 50% = .5 Zora Tunic III = 75% = .75

Defense (Against Lightning Attacks): Magic Armor I = 25% = .25 Magic Armor II = 50% = .5 Magic Armor III = 75% = .75

Defense (Against Light Attacks): Sacred Shield I = 25% = .25 Sacred Shield II = 50% = .5 Sacred Shield III = 75% = .75

Defense (Against Darkness Attacks): Mirror Shield I = 25% = .25 Mirror Shield II = 50% = .5 Mirror Shield III = 75% = .75

Into different categories- Just the blessings: 1/16. That's 6.25% damage taken from attacks. Just the armor: 9/256. That's 3.515625% damage taken from attacks. Just the rings: 813802083/10000000000000. That's 0.00813802083% damage taken from attacks. Just the rings and blessing, no armor: 1788139/5000000000000. That's 3.576278E-5% damage taken from attacks. Total for regular defense: 3929/625000000000. That's 6.2864E-7% damage taken from regular attacks. Total With Including Elemental damage: 5893/10000000000000. That's 5.893E-8% damage taken from elemental attacks.

Attack Potency

Noble Sword = x1.5 Master Sword (Oracles) = x2 Biggoron's Sword (Oracles) = x2 White Sword = x2 Master Sword (ALTTP) = x2 Koholint Sword = x2 Master Sword (Ocarina of Time) = x2 Razor Sword = x2 Master Sword (Wind Waker) = x2 Phantom Sword = x2 Lokomo Sword = x2 Goddess Longsword = x2 LV 1 Master Sword = x2 LV 2 Master Sword = x3 Gilded Sword = x3 LV 3 Master Sword = x4 Great Fairy Sword = x4 Fierce Deity Sword = x4 Giant's Knife = x4 Biggoron's Sword (Ocarina of Time) = x4 Magical Sword = x4 Master Sword (Skyward Sword) = x4 Tempered Sword = x4 Golden Sword = x8 Piece of Power = x2 Red Clothes = x2 Power Ring Lvl 1 = x1.25 Power Ring Lvl 2 = x1.5 Power Ring Lvl 3 = x2 Red Ring = x2 Expert's Ring = x4 Fierce Deity Armor = x2 Sword Suit = x2 Sword Master Suit = x2 Hammerwear = x2 Ninja Gi = x3 Razor Seed = x2 Elixir Soup = x2 Faore's Charm = x1.5 Din's Charm = x2 Great Fairy Tears = x2 All BoTW Damage Combined = x2.7

Technique Modifiers Spin Attack = x2 Jump Attack = x2 Throwing Weapon = x2 Attacking Frozen Enemy = x3 Sneak Strikes = x8

Source for some of the Attacks and Defense buffs here: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/472313-the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-ages/66591039

Into Different Categories- With Stat Amps: 138,240x damage With Stat Amps along with spin attack: 276,480x damage With Stat Amps along with jump attack: 276,480x damage With Stat Amps along with throwing weapon: 276,480x damage With Stat Amps along with frozen attack: 414,720x damage With Stat Amps along with sneak attack: 1,105,920x damage With Swords: 9,663,676,416x damage With Sword & Stat Amps (Minus BOTW): 1,335,906,627,747,840x damage With Sword & Stat Amps: 3,606,947,894,919,168x damage With Sword & Stat Amps along with spin attack: 7,213,895,789,838,336x damage With Sword & Stat Amps along with jump attack: 7,213,895,789,838,336x damage With Sword & Stat Amps along with throwing weapon: 7,213,895,789,838,336x damage With Sword & Stat Amps along with frozen attack: 10,820,843,684,757,504x damage With Sword & Stat Amps along with sneak attack: 28,855,583,159,353,344x damage

Note: We only use the stat enhancements and none of the sword because this would imply he's holding 50 swords at once. It can be used in a versus thread but do note it will not be added to the profiles. The durability is an exception we assume he has every ring, tunic, and armor.

Others

Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches:

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Summary

Background

Skyward Sword

The Minish Cap

Four Swords

Ocarina of Time

A Link to the Past

Oracle of Seasons

Oracle of Ages

Link's Awakening

A Link Between Worlds

Tri Force Heroes

The Legend of Zelda

The Adventure of Link

Child Timeline

Majora's Mask

Twilight Princess

Four Swords Adventures

Adult Timeline

The Wind Waker

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

=Unknown Timeline

Breath of the Wild

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Four Swords Adventures

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The Minish Cap

Tri Force Heroes

Powers and Stats

Swords

Shields

Miscellaneous

Potions

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Explanations

Durability

Attack Potency

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