Link

tittles

A Link to the Past Legendary Hero[1] Hero of Hyrule[1] Link's Awakening Legendary Hero[2] Ocarina of Time Sworn Brother[3] Hero of Time[4] Boy without a Fairy[5] Dodongo Buster[6] Ghost Hunter[7] Majora's Mask Professional Escort[8] Oracle of Ages Hero of the Essences[9] Hero of the Zoras[10] Zora Hero[11] Four Swords Hero[12] The Wind Waker Wind Waker[13] Hero of Winds[14] Four Swords Adventures Hero of Light[15] Twilight Princess Hero[16] Ordonian[17] Heroic Brother[18] Master Link[19] Messenger to the Heavens[20] Heavenly Messenger[21] Divine Beast[16] Hero of Twilight[22] Phantom Hourglass Hero Chosen by the Ocean King[23] Spirit Tracks Recruit[24] Skyward Sword Chosen Hero[25] Sky Child[26] LD-Link-16[27] Hero of the Skies[28] A Link Between Worlds Hero of Hyrule[29] Breath of the Wild Hero of the Wild[30] The Hero Awoken from a Long Slumber[31] The Knight who Sacrificed Himself for the Princess[32] Hylian Champion[33] Champion of Hyrule[34] Bird-Man Research Assistant[35] Tears of the Kingdom Sir Link The Crystal Trap Wonder Warrior[36] Hyrule Hero[36] Apprentice Adventurer[36] Gallant Greenhorn[36]

Allies

Link's Awakening THIEF[37] Ocarina of Time Child Link[38] Mr. Nice Guy[39] Mr. No-Fairy[40] Majora's Mask Grasshopper[41] Mr. Fairy[42] Green Hat Boy[43] Oracle of Seasons Super Link[44] The Wind Waker Mr. Fairy[45] Mr. Sailor[46] Four Swords Adventures Mr. Fairy[47] The Minish Cap Biggie Small[48] Bomber Man[49] Book Worm[50] Cabin Boy[51] Cloud Jumper[52] Dig Dug[53] Ghostbuster[54] Gramps[55] The Hero[56] Itsy-Bitsy Hero[57] Jump Man[58] Link the Librarian[59] Link Squared[60] Mini-Miner[61] Minish's Best Friend[62] Mr. Clean[63] Mr. Fairy[64] Muckraker[65] Puddle Jumper[66] Stair Climber[67] Super Smasher[68] Swamp Thing[69] Tiny Mover[70] Tiny Townie[71] Triple-Strength Link[72] Webmaster[73] Whirling Dervish[74] Wind Waker[75] Wisp Whacker[76] Twilight Princess THIEF[77] Mr. Important Hero[78] Mr. Link[79] Brother[80] Brudda[81] Mr. Heavy[82] Phantom Hourglass Goro-Link[83] Skyward Sword Master Shortpants[84] A Link Between Worlds Mr. Great Hero[85] Tri Force Heroes Numero Uno Chum[86] Mr. Hero[87] Breath of the Wild Linky[88] Linny[89] Mr. Cute Voe[90] Mr. Hero[91] Mr. Traveler[92] Ms. Boots[93] Little Guy[94] Good-Lookin' Gal[95] Nice Girl[96]

Race

Hylian

Homeland

Hyrule

Gender

Male

family

Uncle Ocarina of Time Father Mother The Wind Waker Link's Grandma Aryll (younger sister)[98] The Minish Cap Smith (grandfather) Twilight Princess Hero's Spirit (ancestor)[100] Breath of the Wild Unnamed father[101]

friends

Princess Zelda, Saria

Age

17 years old

Link's Crossbow Training

In Link's Crossbow Training, Link travels around the land of Hyrule shooting targets, enemies, and more in order to perfect his Crossbow skills. The game most likely takes place after the events of Twilight Princess - where Link is presumably hunting down remaining monsters.[148] In the game, Link has very little interaction with other characters.

trivia

Being the main protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, Link has been widely described by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest or most iconic video game characters of all time. Shigeru Miyamoto has claimed that Link's green tunic and hat were inspired by Disney's version of Peter Pan.[260] Himself having a Fairy companion in some games such as Navi is also a reference to the character Tinker Bell. This also applies to Dark Link being based on Peter Pan's shadow. In The Adventure of Link, Link appears to speak when he finds the Mirror in Saria Town, saying "I found a mirror under the table." Link also appears to speak while inspecting the fireplace in the town of Kasuto, saying "Looks like I can get in the fireplace." In Breath of the Wild, he speaks when examining the cooked fish around the Campfire in Lurelin Village, commenting, "These grilled fish look really good. I wonder if they were caught locally...". This also occurs when he looks at Paya's diary, saying, "Must be Paya's diary. Must not look... Must not look... Must not look...". Furthermore, in the Japanese version of Breath of the Wild, the Adventure Log is written entirely from Link's perspective. In A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, The Minish Cap, the original The Legend of Zelda, or any other 2D-based game of the series, whenever Link faces east, he swings his Sword as if he was right-handed, due to Link's sprite being flipped horizontally; this also happens when Link performs a Spin Attack while facing east, spinning the opposite direction to what he normally would. Despite most The Legend of Zelda games featuring the older Link depicts him supposedly as an adult at around 17 years of age, he is not technically such by real-life standards but rather just short, as most countries' legal age of adulthood - including Japan, is 18, making him still an adolescent. In A Link to the Past, for unknown reasons, Link's hair appears as pink; in official art for the game, it is a light brown. It is possibly due to the graphical limitations of the Super NES. On a similar note, Link's Awakening, Link's Awakening DX, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages depicted Link with dark hair during standard gameplay, and with blond hair during cutscenes such as the opening and endings of the game (and in the case of Link's Awakening DX, the photoshoot events), due to a limited color palette. Although his offical height is technically unknown, using the Iron Boots in the pool in the Lakeside Laboratory and comparing to the corrected measuring graph in Ocarina of Time 3D, Link stands 1.7 m (5'7") tall as an adult in Ocarina of Time, which is about the average height of a man.LinkRuto2 Link is no stranger to having certain females taking fondness of him, as easily showcased in Ocarina of Time Due to Link's handsome appearance and sometimes his heroic actions, some games such as Breath of the Wild and other media within the franchise have at least one female character having a love interest in him, usually Princess Zelda. However, in the Nintendo 64 title Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time has a notable number - five (Zelda, Princess Ruto, Saria, Malon, and possibly Nabooru), which caused many fans to strongly consider this particular incarnation of Link to be a ladies' man or in a love triangle. Early screenshots of Majora's Mask show Link with an item resembling a Mask of his face. This has led many to believe that the adult version of himself from the game's prequel was originally planned to be in the game; however, the Link Mask is not present in the final version and was likely replaced by the Fierce Deity's Mask. Concept art for Adult Link also appears in the Hyrule Historia book, with the explanation that his inclusion may have been a prototype for the Fierce Deity form; Fierce Deity Link's model and animations are based on Link wielding Biggoron's Sword as an adult in Ocarina of Time and even shares the same voice. Link's crossover appearance in the 2002 Namco game Soul Calibur II (exclusively on the GameCube release and features the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time) marks the first and so far only time the character appears in a fighting game, unlike the Super Smash Bros. series. It is also the only game where Link is featured in a non-Nintendo title. Due to the iconic, possibly misnomer name of the franchise, The Legend of Zelda, some fans have erroneously mistaken Princess Zelda as the main hero of the franchise rather than Link or Link's name being Zelda. Ironically, the currently upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has the princess herself officially being this title's main protagonist for the first time since the debut of Zelda series in 1986. In the German and Italian versions of The Minish Cap, Smith is Link's uncle rather than his grandfather.[citation needed] Among the many incarnations of Link throughout The Legend of Zelda series, the Hero of Time is by far the most popular among the franchise's community, due to this hero's legendary status by the critical success of Ocarina of Time and its sequel, as well as his high importance in the Zelda Timelines and mythology according to Hyrule Historia, despite having one of the most sorrowful stories. He is even mentioned in The Wind Waker and is seen in Twilight Princess in the form of a ghostly Stalfos and golden wolf known as the Hero's Spirit. As Link is designed to be a "silent protagonist", similar to Mario from the Super Mario franchise, he only displays grunt and yell vocalizations. However, he is not necessarily mute, as in the rare exception seen in The Wind Waker, he says "Come on!" to Medli, Makar, and the statues in the Tower of the Gods when they must follow him. In addition, in the 3D games, when speaking to certain characters, the optional texts the player can choose implies he does actually talk if required. In other media of the franchise, such as the comics, cartoons, etc., Link speaks in full sentences like other characters.TP Link being taught being the Hero's Spirit Twilight Princess marks the first time in the core series where two different incarnations of the franchise's main protagonist meet, as seen with the Hero of Twilight (left) being taught by the Hero's Spirit (right), who is actually the Hero of Time Since the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess is in fact the Hero of Time, this makes Twilight Princess the first game to feature a Link having proper conversations on his own as opposed to simple responses chosen by the player or utterances during gameplay, as well as having two Links meet in canon content that are of different eras.[100] The second instance of the latter is when Link from Breath of the Wild can summon the hero from Twilight Princess in wolf form to aid him on his adventure. The Links featured in Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild are the only Links that are right-handed. Link also appears as right-handed in the Wii version of Twilight Princess, in Ocarina of Time 3D's Master Quest, and in Master Mode in Twilight Princess HD. This is due, however, to the gameplay being mirrored and therefore not actually so. While the Link from Skyward Sword is right-handed, his appearance in Mario Kart 8 is shown as left-handed, as he holds the Master Sword with his left hand when doing a trick. The same goes for Breath of the Wild Link. Though most characters in the series named "Link" are the main protagonist, there are a few exceptions, such as Sera's pet Cat from Twilight Princess, Abe and Rose's pet Pig in The Wind Waker and a Goron named Link in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Hyrule Historia suggests the possibility that each "Link" may have all had different names, a reference to how Link can be named anything in the games by the player.[261] The exception to this is Breath of the Wild's Link, who is explicitly named as such and whose name cannot be customized by the player. Although Link is canonically male, early press releases for The Legend of Zelda, in particular the 1986 Shonen Captain Magazine, depicted Link as female, causing some fans to mistaken the character as such to this day.

Breath of the Wild

The events of Breath of the Wild begin with Sir Link,[131][132][133] 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."[134] 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.[135] Link must 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.[136] Link's Father was also a Knight of Hyrule,[101] though his family was not nobility.[137] It is rumored that his hometown may have been Hateno Village, and as he was from the countryside, his promotion to both Champion and the personal bodyguard of the princess made some nobles unhappy.[138] According to Mipha's Diary, when Link was only four years old he traveled to Zora's Domain with a group of Hylians on order from King Rhoam. Even though he was so young, he was already an exceptional swordsman. Mipha describes him as being curious and full of energy at this age, but also reckless.[139] When he was twelve or thirteen years old, Link drew the Master Sword from its Pedestal, the location of which had long been a mystery.[140] By the time Link had become a young man, he was much quieter and outwardly colder than he used to be, though Mipha could tell that inside he was still the same kind person.[141] 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.[142] After awakening from the Shrine of Resurrection without his memories, Link is much more expressive and lighthearted as he does not remember the burdens and expectations that made him stay silent in the past.[143] Apparently, he is something of a glutton, and greatly enjoys a good meal.[144] According to Steen's grandfather, Link exclusively ate and trained with Swift Carrots a hundred years ago.[145] At the very least, Link used the Master Sword a hundred years ago[140], making the other claims untrustworthy at best. This incarnation of Link is given the title of Hero of the Wild.[146]

Tears of the Kingdom

Following the events of Breath of the Wild, Link and Princess Zelda help rebuild the kingdom of Hyrule from the devastating aftermath of The Great Calamity. A few years later, Link and Zelda explore the depths of Hyrule Castle, leading to major discovery’s about the events of the Imprisoning War, and the founding of Hyrule. After further exploration, the couple find the remains of a mummified Ganondorf, seeming defeated with a mysterious object holding him in time. Link loses his right arm against the Demon King and the Master Sword shattered from his attack. As the Demon King awakens, the floor beneath Zelda collapses. Link dives to grab her but disappears from his view. He was later grabbed by the arm of King Rauru, and teleported away from the place. Link awakens in a damp cavern. His right arm has been replaced the arm that saved him and the Master Sword, completely broken. Upon emerging, he finds himself on Great Sky Island—a grand, ruined island in the sky. Upon reaching the Temple of Time at some form of pedestal, the Master Sword requested Link to place it on. There, it was sent back into a long, distant past where it was received by Zelda. Afterwards, Link received a telepathic voice from Zelda, where he "must find her."[147] With no other options, Link dived from the Temple of Time and back to the surface of Hyrule. After returning to land, Link began on a grand quest across the Hyrule Kingdom to find Zelda, while uncovering a plot that threatens the world once more. After diving down to Hyrule, Link comes across Lookout Landing, A new town in Central Hyrule. After Arriving in Lookout Landing, Link speaks to Purah, who tells him to go to Hyrule Castle. After he goes the the Castle, he returns to Lookout Landing to find out that strange phenomena are happening in the various regions of Hyrule. The Rito of the Hebra region have been dealing with a massive blizzard raging above the skies of the Hebra Mountains. The Gerudo of the Gerudo region have been dealing with a "sand shroud" and unusual monsters called Gibdos. The Gorons of the Eldin region have become addicted to Marble Rock Roast, causing them to ignore their work and become lazy. The Zora of the Lanayru region have been dealing with sludge falling from the sky and polluting their water.

Skyward Sword

In Skyward Sword, Link has lived his entire life on Skyloft. He is childhood friends with Princess Zelda, and they attend the Knight Academy together, where he is bullied by rival student Groose.[116][117] He shares a divided room at the Knight Academy with Fledge. On his desk can be seen several tools along with an incomplete wood carving project, and on his bookshelf, two completed and painted projects of his Crimson Loftwing and a Remlit, suggesting he practices wood carving as a hobby. SSHD Wooden Statues Model The Wooden Statues found inside Link's room In the morning of the Wing Ceremony, Link is having a nightmare about The Imprisoned. He is woken up in shock by Zelda's Loftwing that brought him a Letter from Zelda.[118] After waking up, Link prepares himself for the 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 grants 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,[119] gaining spiritual growth,[120] and transforming the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword,[121] 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,[122] 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.[123] 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.[124] Link sets out to the Sky Keep and obtains the Triforce, using its might to wish for the eradication of Demise.[125] 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.[126] 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 both 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.[127] Back in the present, Princess Zelda decides to remain on the Surface, and wonders what Link plans to do.[128] Link smiles, hinting that he, too, plans to stay on the Surface with Zelda and help her watch over the Triforce. This incarnation is given the title of Hero of the Sky. He is also the Legendary Hero himself, as it is confirmed by Hyrule Historia to be the origin of every incarnation of Link.

A Link to the Past

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 seven Maidens, descendants of the Seven Wise Men (Sages) of long ago. The Maidens were taken to the castle tower and never seen again. One stormy 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 by them 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 corrupted Dark World. The kidnapped Maidens were sent into the Dark World to open this seal, and Agahnim intended to do the same to Zelda, who is the final one. 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, Princess 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, killing him, and in a shocking turn of events, Ganon himself rises from Agahnim's dead body and flies away. Link chases after the pig-like beast, 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 with a wish, ultimately restores both the Dark World and Hyrule to their former state before Ganon intervened. This incarnation of Link has the title of Hero of Legend.

The Legend of Zelda

In the original The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule is engulfed in chaos after an army of monsters 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 restored Triforce of Wisdom, Link is able to infiltrate Ganon’s hideout and ultimately destroys him with the Silver Arrow. Link picks up the Triforce of Power from Ganon’s ashes for himself 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 16 year old Link notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand, resembling the crest of Hyrule.[102] 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 (as shown in the Game Over screen). 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, infamously known as Dark Link, guarding the third piece of 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.

apparence

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 promotional material for Breath of the Wild, Link wears the Champion's Tunic and a simple pair of Hylian Trousers and does not usually wear head armor in promotional artwork, save for the Hylian Hood in the artwork of him riding on horseback that serves as the basis for the Link (Rider) amiibo. Unusually, Link does not receive a set of Hero's Clothes until much later in the game. 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. Miyamoto has revealed that if Link were to speak it would ruin immersion and that he wants people to feel as if they are Link. Currently only one incarnation of Link was ever shown to speak and it was the Hero's Shade; the regretful Hero of Time. Most incarnations are capable of speaking; in Breath of the Wild, Princess Zelda quotes Link's advice on soothing horses verbatim. Breath of the Wild expands on the reasoning for Link's silence; it is the result of the burden he carries as the chosen hero, and despite his doubts, he silently bears his burden. Mipha's Diary implies that Link's silence began after he was chosen by the Master Sword, as she had known him since he was four years old. 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. In Breath of the Wild both Mipha and Zelda note that Link can be courageous to the point of recklessness, which Mipha reveals Link has struggled with since childhood. 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. Notably in Breath of the Wild, Mipha's Diary reveals that at the age of four, 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. 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. 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. This can be reasoned as the result of Link maturing in both skill and power with age. 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.