Link
Link (リンク) is the main protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series. He is the everlasting hero of the setting, having appeared throughout the ages in a neverending line of incarnations. The various heroes who use the name Link are courageous young boys or teenagers in green clothing who leave their homes to save the world from evil forces threatening it.
Over the course of his adventure, Link defeats legions of evil monsters, explores vast lands, helps anyone he meets who is struggling, navigates deadly dungeons, and collects mythical items while pursuing his quest for justice and peace. In the end, he succeeds in his quest and becomes a legendary hero. 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.
Attributes
Appearance:
Link's physical characteristics fluctuate from game to game, though he usually has light-colored hair (ranging from brown to blonde to orange), blue eyes, and a medium build. Other characters sometimes think of him as handsome. It is unlikely that Link's age exceeds nineteen years at any point in the series thus far. In A Link to the Past, he was depicted as having pink hair in-game, due to graphics limitations, although the artwork for the game depicts him as having auburn hair. Similarly, Link's Awakening DX and the Oracle games depicted Link's overworld sprite as having black hair, presumably for the same reason as Link's pink hair in A Link to the Past, although the in-game cutscenes and to a certain extent photos depicted him with auburn/light-colored hair, alongside his character artwork.
In many installments of the series, Link is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Several games mention a Triforce mark on Link's left hand, which identifies him either as a chosen hero or the holder of the Triforce of Courage. Teenage incarnations of Link have rather well-built physiques while younger versions of him are at least moderate in size. Surprisingly in Twilight Princess, Link appears to be slightly short for his age, with both Zelda and Midna (in her true form) being clearly taller than him.
Interestingly, Link bears a resemblance to Peter Pan, as they are both elf-like, wear green clothing, fight with swords, and are sometimes accompanied by a Fairy. Link also fights his shadow in some games, either Dark Link or Shadow Link, just like Peter. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Legend of Zelda series, has stated that he used Peter Pan as a bit of an inspiration for Link's design in The Legend of Zelda.
According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, there were initially plans to give Link a button nose similar to that of Mario, but his wife rejected it, citing that Nintendo already gave too many funny noses to their characters and suggested a more handsome nose for a change.
Personality:
A peculiarity of Link, as well as other characters, is the several different incarnations of the person throughout the Legend of Zelda series. He is implied to be somewhat sleepy or lazy at first since at some point near the beginning of every game except the first two, Majora's Mask, Oracle games, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess and Tri Force Heroes, he is sleeping or dozing off.
Since Link is not usually shown to speak, his personality is mainly determined by his actions or others' comments about him. Currently only one incarnation of Link was ever shown to speak and it was the Hero's Shade; the regretful Hero of Time.
It is shown that Link possesses basic characteristics found in a heroic character; bravery, compassion, determination, and wisdom. He would even go as to save others that were his enemies. These characteristics allow him to wield the complete Triforce without a problem.
Being dexterous, Link can quickly understand the complex mechanics behind things or figure out an opponent's weakness to use against them. This has proven invaluable in many situations, with both foes and allies alike showing surprise at his ingenuity.
Link deeply values his ties with loved ones. His care towards allies has been noted several times, and is considered by some to be one of his greatest strengths.
Abilities:
Link is remarkably proficient with a wide variety of weapons, instruments, and other items, being able to use them immediately upon obtaining them. His preferred weapon of choice though, are swords. In each of his adventures, Link's primary form of combat becomes sword fighting, usually with a shield unless the sword requires two hands to wield or times when he does not have a shield. Most incarnations of Link wield a sword with their left hand, though there are notable exceptions.
In some of his adventures, Link is shown to have great aptitude with hand-to-hand combat, as well as immense superhuman strength. In Twilight Princess, he is able to best the Gorons in sumo wrestling (albeit while wearing the Iron Boots), and later proves capable of overpowering Ganondorf himself in a sword lock. In Skyward Sword, Link can wield Koloktos's massive sword, and eventually grows powerful enough to best the Demon King Demise in a duel.
However, preteen incarnations of Link are usually portrayed as more vulnerable in comparison. In The Wind Waker, when Link loses his sword in the Forsaken Fortress, he must rely on stealth and enemies' weapons to make it through, and will swiftly surrender if spotted by the enemy's searchlights. Later, when facing Ganondorf for the final time in sunken Hyrule, Link is swiftly overwhelmed by him, partially due to being caught by surprise. However in Breath of the Wild Mipha's Diary reveals that at the age of four during his first visit to Zora's Domain, the young Link was already a prodigal swordsman capable of besting grown adult knights. He even trained his childhood friend Bazz in swordsmanship who would later become a Zora Knight Captain assigned to guard the Zora Throne Room. However the four year old Link was also quite reckless causing him to suffer injuries regularly which Zora Princess Mipha healed using Mipha's Grace. Additionally The Diary of Revali reveals Revali heard tales of Link's ability to best grown knights as a child. By the time of his second visit several years later he was already an accomplished Knight of Hyrule who was able to wield the Master Sword and capable of defeating a Lynel while protecting Princess Mipha during a subsequent visit. Following the formation of the Champions, he was promoted by King Rhoam to Captain of the Imperial Guard detail assigned to Princess Zelda, making him Zelda's personal bodyguard becoming the youngest knight to hold the position according to Purah's Diary. Daruk's Training Journal reveals that while one of the Guardians was being tested at Hyrule Castle, it went out of control and started shooting deadly beams. However Link grabbed a nearby Pot Lid and deflected one of the beams back at the Guardian. King Rhoam saw Link's actions that day and appointed him to guard Princess Zelda to protect her as she often studied ancient technology thus Link could protect her should another incident occur. During his time as Imperial Guard Captain, Link foiled an assassination attempt on Zelda by the Yiga Clan at Kara Kara Bazaar.
It is likely though, that all preteen incarnations of Link do have the potential to become as powerful as their older counterparts. A clear example to this comparison would be how Link was unable to defeat Bubble enemies in The Legend of Zelda, yet could do so in the sequel; The Adventure of Link. Additionally both the Hero of Time and Link from Breath of the Wild became stronger as they matured. This can be reasoned as the result of Link maturing in both skill and power with age. However even Link's adult incarnations are not infallible as both his Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild incarnations have had trouble dealing with infiltrating areas protected by female Gerudo Guards such as Gerudo's Fortress and Gerudo Town. Additionally the Breath of the Wild incarnation and Hero of Time both suffered great failures during their lifetimes with the Hero of Time lingering after death as the Hero's Shade due to his regrets while his Breath of the Wild incarnation lost many friends and comrades only succeeding in saving Hyrule one hundred years after the Great Calamity with only Zelda, Impa, Purah, Robbie, and several Zora being still alive.
Some incarnations of Link know how to use magic, as the ones in The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Breath of the Wild have shown. Additionally several incarnations are known to wield and/or utilize advanced ancient technology the most notable being his Breath of the Wild incarnation.
Link (リンク) is the main protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series. He is the everlasting hero of the setting, having appeared throughout the ages in a neverending line of incarnations. The various heroes who use the name Link are courageous young boys or teenagers in green clothing who leave their homes to save the world from evil forces threatening it.
Over the course of his adventure, Link defeats legions of evil monsters, explores vast lands, helps anyone he meets who is struggling, navigates deadly dungeons, and collects mythical items while pursuing his quest for justice and peace. In the end, he succeeds in his quest and becomes a legendary hero. 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.
Attributes
Appearance:
Link's physical characteristics fluctuate from game to game, though he usually has light-colored hair (ranging from brown to blonde to orange), blue eyes, and a medium build. Other characters sometimes think of him as handsome. It is unlikely that Link's age exceeds nineteen years at any point in the series thus far. In A Link to the Past, he was depicted as having pink hair in-game, due to graphics limitations, although the artwork for the game depicts him as having auburn hair. Similarly, Link's Awakening DX and the Oracle games depicted Link's overworld sprite as having black hair, presumably for the same reason as Link's pink hair in A Link to the Past, although the in-game cutscenes and to a certain extent photos depicted him with auburn/light-colored hair, alongside his character artwork.
In many installments of the series, Link is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Several games mention a Triforce mark on Link's left hand, which identifies him either as a chosen hero or the holder of the Triforce of Courage. Teenage incarnations of Link have rather well-built physiques while younger versions of him are at least moderate in size. Surprisingly in Twilight Princess, Link appears to be slightly short for his age, with both Zelda and Midna (in her true form) being clearly taller than him.
Interestingly, Link bears a resemblance to Peter Pan, as they are both elf-like, wear green clothing, fight with swords, and are sometimes accompanied by a Fairy. Link also fights his shadow in some games, either Dark Link or Shadow Link, just like Peter. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Legend of Zelda series, has stated that he used Peter Pan as a bit of an inspiration for Link's design in The Legend of Zelda.
According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, there were initially plans to give Link a button nose similar to that of Mario, but his wife rejected it, citing that Nintendo already gave too many funny noses to their characters and suggested a more handsome nose for a change.
Personality:
A peculiarity of Link, as well as other characters, is the several different incarnations of the person throughout the Legend of Zelda series. He is implied to be somewhat sleepy or lazy at first since at some point near the beginning of every game except the first two, Majora's Mask, Oracle games, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess and Tri Force Heroes, he is sleeping or dozing off.
Since Link is not usually shown to speak, his personality is mainly determined by his actions or others' comments about him. Currently only one incarnation of Link was ever shown to speak and it was the Hero's Shade; the regretful Hero of Time.
It is shown that Link possesses basic characteristics found in a heroic character; bravery, compassion, determination, and wisdom. He would even go as to save others that were his enemies. These characteristics allow him to wield the complete Triforce without a problem.
Being dexterous, Link can quickly understand the complex mechanics behind things or figure out an opponent's weakness to use against them. This has proven invaluable in many situations, with both foes and allies alike showing surprise at his ingenuity.
Link deeply values his ties with loved ones. His care towards allies has been noted several times, and is considered by some to be one of his greatest strengths.
Abilities:
Link is remarkably proficient with a wide variety of weapons, instruments, and other items, being able to use them immediately upon obtaining them. His preferred weapon of choice though, are swords. In each of his adventures, Link's primary form of combat becomes sword fighting, usually with a shield unless the sword requires two hands to wield or times when he does not have a shield. Most incarnations of Link wield a sword with their left hand, though there are notable exceptions.
In some of his adventures, Link is shown to have great aptitude with hand-to-hand combat, as well as immense superhuman strength. In Twilight Princess, he is able to best the Gorons in sumo wrestling (albeit while wearing the Iron Boots), and later proves capable of overpowering Ganondorf himself in a sword lock. In Skyward Sword, Link can wield Koloktos's massive sword, and eventually grows powerful enough to best the Demon King Demise in a duel.
However, preteen incarnations of Link are usually portrayed as more vulnerable in comparison. In The Wind Waker, when Link loses his sword in the Forsaken Fortress, he must rely on stealth and enemies' weapons to make it through, and will swiftly surrender if spotted by the enemy's searchlights. Later, when facing Ganondorf for the final time in sunken Hyrule, Link is swiftly overwhelmed by him, partially due to being caught by surprise. However in Breath of the Wild Mipha's Diary reveals that at the age of four during his first visit to Zora's Domain, the young Link was already a prodigal swordsman capable of besting grown adult knights. He even trained his childhood friend Bazz in swordsmanship who would later become a Zora Knight Captain assigned to guard the Zora Throne Room. However the four year old Link was also quite reckless causing him to suffer injuries regularly which Zora Princess Mipha healed using Mipha's Grace. Additionally The Diary of Revali reveals Revali heard tales of Link's ability to best grown knights as a child. By the time of his second visit several years later he was already an accomplished Knight of Hyrule who was able to wield the Master Sword and capable of defeating a Lynel while protecting Princess Mipha during a subsequent visit. Following the formation of the Champions, he was promoted by King Rhoam to Captain of the Imperial Guard detail assigned to Princess Zelda, making him Zelda's personal bodyguard becoming the youngest knight to hold the position according to Purah's Diary. Daruk's Training Journal reveals that while one of the Guardians was being tested at Hyrule Castle, it went out of control and started shooting deadly beams. However Link grabbed a nearby Pot Lid and deflected one of the beams back at the Guardian. King Rhoam saw Link's actions that day and appointed him to guard Princess Zelda to protect her as she often studied ancient technology thus Link could protect her should another incident occur. During his time as Imperial Guard Captain, Link foiled an assassination attempt on Zelda by the Yiga Clan at Kara Kara Bazaar.
It is likely though, that all preteen incarnations of Link do have the potential to become as powerful as their older counterparts. A clear example to this comparison would be how Link was unable to defeat Bubble enemies in The Legend of Zelda, yet could do so in the sequel; The Adventure of Link. Additionally both the Hero of Time and Link from Breath of the Wild became stronger as they matured. This can be reasoned as the result of Link maturing in both skill and power with age. However even Link's adult incarnations are not infallible as both his Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild incarnations have had trouble dealing with infiltrating areas protected by female Gerudo Guards such as Gerudo's Fortress and Gerudo Town. Additionally the Breath of the Wild incarnation and Hero of Time both suffered great failures during their lifetimes with the Hero of Time lingering after death as the Hero's Shade due to his regrets while his Breath of the Wild incarnation lost many friends and comrades only succeeding in saving Hyrule one hundred years after the Great Calamity with only Zelda, Impa, Purah, Robbie, and several Zora being still alive.
Some incarnations of Link know how to use magic, as the ones in The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Breath of the Wild have shown. Additionally several incarnations are known to wield and/or utilize advanced ancient technology the most notable being his Breath of the Wild incarnation.
