Link

Link is the hero of The Legend of Zelda franchise making his debut in the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom Disk System video game The Legend of Zelda. Link is the default name given to the player character in each of the Legend of Zelda titles, and there are in fact many different iterations of Link, each one arising when a great evil approaches. Outside of the core video games, Link has appeared in mangas, television shows, and merchandising. He is one of the most recognizable video game characters, which is due to each variation of Link looking similar to the previous one, with nearly identicle clothes and hair.

The character has graced the cover of many magazines, appeared as the topic of philosophical discussions, and is one of the many characters in the Super Smash Bros. series, also appearing exclusively in the GameCube version of Soul Calibur 2. His popularity is almost unparalleled due to his instantly recognizable appearance. His green clothing which includes a tunic and a floppy hat have been featured in all of the titles, and holds a symbolic meaning to what the character signifies.

Character
Link tends to always be a Hylian who doesn't know his true power until it is needed. He reigns from peaceful villages from the likes of the Kokiri Forest and possesses a variety of different weapons. His primary weapon of choice is the Master Sword, a powerful sword mended solely on the basis to destroy a soul filled with evil whose skin is not easily permeated. Depending on the game, Link will be either a young boy or a teenager. Each game usually contains a magical item that is only found in that particular game, such as the baton from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or the Ocarina of Time from the Nintendo 64 games. Link will use these items to complete his quest and defeat the antagonistic creature who threatens the entire world.

Each version of Link is left handed excluding the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess which was done solely for accessibility purposes. In the video games Link never utters a word other than a few noises that he makes when attacking or being attacked. This makes him a silent protagonist, a character who doesn't talk simply because the developers felt it would be wise to let the players decide what he says instead. Because of this, Link's personality isn't as well known as it could be. Each of the characters wears a similar style of clothing which is based off of the clothes of an iteration of the character from long ago. The clothes include a green tunic and a floppy green hat.

The exact chronological order of all the games is unknown to players, though theories have been made by fans. The character's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has said that at Nintendo there's a large document that contains every bit of information regarding to the story of Zelda, including the official timeline, though Nintendo has yet to release it to the public. It is known that after the events of Ocarina of Time, two timelines were created. All of the games, excluding perhaps The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, are contained within these two timelines.

A common feature found in most video games is the concept of hammerspace - having a nearly endless pocket in which he carries all of his items in. For example, during most of the game all you see is Link's sword and shield, though somehow he is also holding hammers, iron boots, bows and arrows, a grappling hook, multiple different swords and tunics without it even stunting his movement. Notably, the Iron Boots, when on, will cause Link to walk very slowly - however, even though he's carrying it throughout the game it causes no effect whatsoever unless they're on.

The Nintendo Entertainment System era
Shigeru Miyamoto had made quite the name for himself with his extremely popular Mario series. Debuted in the early 80's, Mario became the most recognizable character in the industry. His success was furthered when Miyamoto directed Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. After the game's success, Miyamoto went to work on a completely different title for the NES and, in Japan, Famicom Disk System. Titled The Legend of Zelda, the game would be one of the most immersive games ever created. It was so large that it was the first game that required a battery based save system so that players could return later and play.The Legend of Zelda was also the first game to star Link. In The Legend of Zelda, Link was chosen by an Old Man to save Hyrule. The Old Man gave him a sword, and Link went off. In this game, Hyrule is largely desolate, with all the citizens going underground to protect themselves from freely roaming monsters. The final enemy, Ganon, is clearly in control of the land. Link finds the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom in eight dungeons, then ventures to Ganon's dungeon for a final confrontation in order to save Princess Zelda. The game's story wasn't much, but it was a nice introduction and was enough to get fans begging for a sequel, which was offered to them later with the release of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Zelda II was vastly different from the first game in the series. It didn't contain an overworld in the same vein as the first title but rather the action segments would take place in a sidescrolling environment. The game is often times frowned upon by the gaming community who adores the first game and even by Miyamoto himself, who has said that he's always viewed the game as a failure. In Adventure of Link, the same Link as before finds out from Impa that he has in possession the Triforce of Courage. Zelda has been put to sleep by her brother and a magician. Link must go to six Palaces in order to release the seal on the Thunderbird Palace, where he goes on to defeat the Thunderbird in order to release the seal on Zelda. In addition, Ganon's minions are wreaking havoc in Hyrule again, hoping to sacrifice Link in order to bring back Ganon. Link defeats the Thunderbird, but then confronts his own Shadow, Shadow Link. Ganon never actually appears in this game save for an image on the Game Over screen. The two NES titles were released, and the series had sold millions. It was time to move on to another console, that one being the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System era
With the SNES came the potential for more dramatic stories, enhanced graphics and much improved gameplay. Super Mario World had already made a big splash and Nintendo was hoping to replicate the game's success with another sequel. The director of Super Mario World, Takashi Tezuka (who was also a prominent figure in the development of the original Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda) was put in charge of the new Zelda title for the SNES which was called The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Link comes back in A Link to the Past. This time, he has an uncle who is a Knight of Hyrule (note: this is a separate entity of Link that wasn't present in the previous two titles. This game was the first title to confirm that there were more than one Link). Link recieves a telepathic message from Zelda, who has been imprisoned by a wizard named Agahnim. Agahnim was an advisor to the King of Hyrule, but then brought upon him a Coup in order to gain control. Link tells his uncle, who goes off to the castle. Zelda contacts him once more, and he goes to her. Link finds his uncle injured inside the castle and takes his sword and shield to save Zelda. He rescues her, and then she tells Link that in order to fell Agahnim, he will need to contact a wise man, Saharasla.

Upon finding Saharasla, it is described to Link that in order to defeat the evil that has arisen, a hero must wield a blade powerful enough to pierce Ganon's skin. There is only one such sacred blade, and it is known as the Master Sword (note: this is the first game the sword appears in). In order to wield the blade, one must be an ancestor of the Knights of Hyrule. Link proves his worth and finds three pendants that are scattered across Hyrule and guarded by fierce monsters. After doing so, he is given access to the sword, and quickly goes off to Zelda's aid after learning of her kidnapping. After arriving in the castle, Agahnim transports Zelda to the Dark World. Link defeats the wizard, though is soon thereafter transported too by Ganon. After this, Saharasla informs Link that he must save the seven maidens that were transported here in the beginning of the game. After doing so, the maidens combine their power and give Link access to Ganon's Tower. Link battles the beast, and after defeat Link takes the Triforce, and wishes that the former glory of Hyrule would return, which happens due to the power of the Triforce, thus ending the game.

The Game Boy was released in 1989 and was welcomed to an unparalleled of success when compared to other handheld efforts. It was about time for Nintendo to release a game within the Zelda series for the Game Boy, which lead to the creation of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. In Link's Awakening, Link finds himself on an island after a dreadful ship wreck. Soon after, he is taken to Tarin's house, where Link will meet Marin (Tarin's daughter who resembles Zelda). Once Link ventures outside, an owl tells him that he must find and play the 8 sirens to awaken the Wind Fish to return back to his homeland, Hyrule. Each siren is heavily guarded by a boss found inside of a dungeon. Once he traverses through every dungeons, and destroy every boss, he will be able to play the instruments, and wake the Wind Fish. It is soon revealed that this story is nothing but a mere dream (the wind fish's dream) that Link is trapped inside. Though to get out, he must still play the sirens, which will wake the fish up, thus getting rid of the dream and saving Link.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The SNES's time had past and it was time to release a new console. Tentatively titled the Nintendo Ultra 64, Nintendo eventually removed the Ultra due to copyright problems with Konami and released the Nintendo 64. Announced for the console was a new Zelda title originally named Zelda 64. Impressive graphics complimented what seemed to be fluid and exciting gameplay, and little did players know that the game would become so much better looking as development progressed and the game inched closer to its release.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is often hailed as the greatest video game of all time. In it, the game begins in Kokiri Forest where Link is awakened by Navi the Fairy who informs Link that the Great Deku Tree wishes to see him. He seeks out a sword and shield upon the request of one of the Kokiri kids, and visits the Great Deku Tree who tells Link of a dastardly villain who cursed him after refusing to hand over one of the three Spiritual Stones. Desiring for the curse to vanish, he asked Link to travel inside his great body and destroy it. Link did so, though the curse had taken effect and the Great Deku Tree died before telling Link of his great adventure that would soon begin. He gave him the Forest Emerald and drew his last breath, with which he told Link to seek out the Princess of Hyrule. Link traveled to Hyrule Castle where he met Princess Zelda, who foretold the future through a dream of hers. The dream was dark and grim and featured Ganondorf, the evil tyrant who cursed the Deku Tree, as the prominent figure. The King of Hyrule may not have seen through him, though Zelda did, and saw that he wished to have the Triforce for his own. Zelda asked that Link find the two other Spiritual Stones in order to open the realm that houses the Triforce, and did so by visiting the locations of the Goron and Zora races. After finding the third Spiritual Stone, he traveled back to Hyrule Castle only to find that Ganondorf had attacked Hyrule. Zelda and her faithful servant Impa escaped, and passed by Link. Zelda tossed an Ocarina into the moat, and vanished. Ganondorf followed, though was never able to find them.

Using the three Spiritual Stones and the newly acquired Ocarina of Time, Link opened the door of the Sacred Realm. There layed the Master Sword, with which he would be able to defeat Ganondorf. He thrust it from its pedestal, thus opening the way to the Triforce. However, Link was too young a boy to kill Ganondorf, and was thus sealed away for seven years. After withdrawing the blade, Ganondorf entered the realm and took the Triforce for himself. Link would have to wait for many ages until he would be old enough to defeat the beast.

Seven years later, it was revealed that Ganondorf's heart was not balanced in power, courage and wisdom. Thus, upon acquiring the Triforce, it was split into three parts and would find its new location within those whose attributes accurately signify power, courage and wisdom. Power was to Ganondorf, wisdom to Zelda, and courage to Link. Ganondorf would need to find the two of them in order to gain the ultimate power he so desired.

Meanwhile, Link, now an adult, would need to seek the help of six Sages. Each one rested within a temple, and Link would need to conquer each one in order to awaken them and their power. After doing so, a seventh Sage was revealed, Zelda. With their combined power, Link was able to enter the tower of Ganondorf that was suspended in mid air above a pool of flowing lava. He crossed the newly made bridge and entered the building. He climbed to the top, defeating waves of enemies and completing challenging puzzles, only to come across Ganondorf once and for all. He defeated him, though the tower where he was stationed started to collapse and he and Zelda had to escape. They did so, though outside Ganondorf transformed into his beast form Ganon and a new battle ensued. Link tactically thought out a battle plan and executed it perfectly, defeating Ganon and restoring peace to the land.

Majora's Mask and the Oracle games
The team behind Ocarina of Time immediately went to work on the game's successor after it managed to become the best selling game in the series. Eiji Aonuma, who as one of the game's many directors in Ocarina, became the primary director of this game. Miyamoto had past the torch to him and a new leader would helm the series from there on out. The first result was a game considered the darkest title on the Nintendo 64. Enter The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Link is set back to when he was a child after defeating Ganondorf as an adult. After being sent back, he goes off on an adventure to look for his lost friend (seemingly Navi from Ocarina of Time), and thus leaves Hyrule via Epona. While riding through woods in Termina, a corrupted Skull Kid attacks Link, steals his Ocarina and kidnaps his horse. After attempting to claim what is rightfully his, he falls into the land of Termina, which desperately needs Link's help from Majora's Mask, which recently took over Skull Kid's body, explaining the recent ambush.

Majora's Mask's most devious plan was pulling the Moon from its initial orbit and bringing it closer to the planet. Within three days the moon would crash smack dab in the middle of Termina, bringing the entire destruction to it. Link was obligated to stop these horrors from occurring. Link manages to get his Ocarina back, and playing a special song on it rewinds time by three days. Certain things that Link alter in those three days, however, will stay altered rather than reverting to their previous state. Link then needed to use this to his advantage and call the Four Giants so that they could push the moon back into its orbit. Doing so, however, would not rid of Majora's Mask. So, with sword in hand, Link thwarted the monster after being dispatched from Skull Kid, thus saving Termina from an almost inevitable destruction.

The next game after Majora's Mask was unique since it was released as two separate games. Each one contained different stages, characters, and the overall theme was different too. Developed by Capcom's now defunct Flagship studio, the games were The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. Released alongside each other, the games would have Link acquiring the ability to change either the season or the year. In each game Link would have to stop Twinrova from reviving Ganon.

GameCube era
With the GameCube came a new look for Link in the form of Toon Link (he was named this in Super Smash Bros. Brawl). This new, cel-shaded look was given to a new iteration of Link in the game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. When first revealed, fans were skeptical, but their fears were soon subdued when they played the game. In the game, Ganondorf vows to retake Hyrule back from the sea that flooded it, so that he might one day rule it. A dark energy is felt through the world and Link, the hero of the winds, sets sail via the King of Red Lions after his sister is abducted by the Helmaroc King. At first Link's primary goal is to simply save his awaiting sister, though a series of events occur that causes him to be brought into a much more serious situation that requires him to thwart the demon king Ganondorf. As always, Ganondorf attempts to come in possession of the Triforce so that he can have ultimate power. Also, if he manages to do so, then he won't turn into the boar that he is destined to turn into. While in most titles Link is simply known as the Hero of Hyrule or Time, the King of Red Lions assumes that another name suits him well this time around - the Hero of Winds, as the character wields the Wind Waker, a magical wand that allows its user to control the winds. In the end of the game, Link wields the Master sword and plunges it through Ganondorf's head, turning him to stone.

The game wasn't nearly as successful as Ocarina of Time, and Eiji Aonuma planned to create a title more unique, and thus created The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure. Hoping to cause a surge in sales, the game focused on multiplayer. In this game, there are four styles of Link. There is green, blue, red, and purple. While they are all Link, and they fight together, they encounter a new foe named Vaati. Vaati was origionally just a normal human, until he made a wish, and he had become a giant eye.

After Four Swords Adventures, Capcom's Flagship studio created their last Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance. This is often considered the first game in the series chronologically. The game casually starts with Link and Zelda attending a festival in Hyrule where the winner of a competition would be rewarded with a sword crafted by Link's grandfather. Chronologically, The Minish Cap is usually considered the very first video game in the series, thus making this Link the first incarnation of the hero. At the festival, Vaati, desiring the golden light contained within a chest that encased various evil monsters, broke the sword that kept the evil within. The monsters escaped, and after turning many of Hyrule resident's into stone, including the princess, Link was asked by King Daltus to reforge the sword by finding the legendary Picori.

Link managed to find the little creatures by placing the Picori that was cursed and turned into a hat Ezlo on his head. Using Ezlo, Link could shrink to the size of a Picori and thus converse with them. With the help of Ezlo, a cast of other characters and a bunch of weapons, Link managed to defeat Vaati and restore peace to the world.

Wii era
In 2004 Nintendo announced a new, realistic looking Zelda game at that year's E3 press conference. The game, announced for the GameCube, would be delayed by a year and would eventually be released in late 2006 for both the GameCube and the recently released Wii.

At the beginning of Twilight Princess, Link is just an ordinary farm boy; but when an evil King Bublin kidnaps his best friend Ilia, he is thrust into a world of Twilight created by Zant, the twilight king and is transformed into a wolf. A strange creature by the name of Midna offers to help Link get back to human form, but first they must meet Princess Zelda, who tells them to revive all the fountains of the sages and retrieve the Fused Shadow pieces to defeat Zant. However, once you do this, Zant steals the Fused Shadow and uses it for his own. Link must travel to Arbiter's Grounds to find the mirror chamber, the only access point to the Twilight world. He must retrieve the lost mirror shards from all around Hyrule and put them back into the mirror chamber to open the Twilight world to finally defeat Zant. Once he is beaten, the sages of the mirror chamber tell Link the story of how Ganondorf was locked inside and took over Zant's mind to make him evil. Midna urges Link to go back to Hyrule Castle to save Princess Zelda from Ganondorf's wrath. Link defeats him, thus restoring peace to the land of Hyrule. The same Link that appeared in Twilight Princess would later appear in the Wii Zapper compatible title Link's Crossbow Training, a spinoff game without a strong plot.

The next game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, was released a year later. The game takes place after the events of The Wind Waker, and stars the same characters. Tetra jumps aboard a pirate ship they were searching for though doesn't come back. Link must then go out and save her with the help of a fairy named Ciela and a ship captain named Linebeck. The game retains the sea traveling elements from the previous game but emphasizes on accessibility by letting you route your course beforehand and removing the wind aspects. Link manages to find the equipment needed in order to fell the beast that kidnapped Tetra and in the end everything returns back to normal.

In 2009 The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is set to be released on the DS. Taking place one hundred years after Phantom Hourglass, this game stars yet another cast of characters. The seas that submerged Hyrule in water have condensed and the citizens of Hyrule have founded the technology to create trains. Trains will be the main form of transportation in this new video game. A new game is also planned for the Wii, though a name has yet to be given to the game. In it, however, it appears that Link is much older than ever before and is without a sword. A mysterious girl will also appear in the game, though her role is unknown.

Outside appearances and cameos
Link has been featured in various non-Zelda games, most of which are games published by Nintendo, though some third party titles as well. He has appeared as a playable character in all three Super Smash Bros. games.

Super Smash Bros. series


Link has appeared in every Super Smash Bros. video game since the original on the Nintendo 64. The Link that appears in all of the games is the adult version. The character from the original and Super Smash Bros. Melee is the iteration from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time while the character from Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the Link you play as in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It should be noted that in Melee, there is a character by the name of Young Link that is the younger version of the Link from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask, while he was replaced by Toon Link in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the character from The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass.

Link's special moves consists primarily of his arsenal from the games. His Bomb move will cause him to pull a bomb out of his tunic. He won't automatically throw the bomb, but rather he'll be given a few seconds before it explodes either in his hands or in the air. His Boomerang move will make him toss a boomerang at a foe. Subsequently after this it'll come back to the player. His Spin Attack is his recovery move. Finally, he'll use his Bow and Arrows to shoot players from afar. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, his Final Smash is Triforce Slash.

SoulCalibur II
Link was a playable character in the GameCube version of the Namco developed fighter SoulCalibur II. The Link found in this game was the one featured in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time instead of the one present in The Wind Waker. Link, who had already appeared in Super Smash Bros. and its sequel, was becoming quite the fighter as this would mark his third appearance in a fighting video game. Shigeru Miyamoto said that because of Super Smash Bros., he didn't feel it was unnatural to have Link as a playable character in the game, and fans were delighted to see the return of the adult Link from Ocarina of Time. He retains various attacks from the games, and wields multiple weapons including the Master Sword, boomerang, Fairy Bow, bomb, and others. The Master Sword is his main weapon, and can be changed (as can his Hylian Shield). The various other swords present in the game include (note that not all replacements are swords) the Razor Sword, Armos Series, Megaton Hammer, Cane of Byrna, Mirror Shield, Magic Sword, Biggoron's Sword, Soul Edge, Great Fairy Sword, and the Bug Catching Net.

Cameos

 * In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Link is at the end in Cranky's video game heroes if the player did not get enought DK coins to beat his place. Video game stars Mario and Yoshi would also appear here as well.
 * Link can be found sleeping at an inn in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Samus Aran, another famous Nintendo character, can also be seen sleeping in another inn.
 * One of the names on the scoreboard in the Nintendo 64 version of MariO Golf is Link.
 * In Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii, Link's hat and tunic are available as clothing items.
 * Link is one of the various characters who will cheer for the player in F-1 Race.
 * In a town inhabited of elves in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy for the Famicom and the Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II GBA remake Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls, Link's name is on one of the tombstones. While technically Link is not an elf, he does resemble one. In the Final Fantasy spin-off Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Game Boy Advance, the Master Sword is one of the items the player can acquire.

Conception
Link was created by Shigeru Miyamoto when he wanted to create a character who would traverse lands and uncover secret dungeons. Link was to be a boy open to the world, and his name stems from the "link" he has with the player. Though in game canon his name is Link, the player can usually name the character whatever they wish to.

Already Released: ''The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Adventure of Link The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass ''