Link


 * For fighter info, see Link (SSB), Link (SSBM), and Link (SSBB).

Link (リンク, Rinku) is the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series by Nintendo. He has saved Hyrule and Princess Zelda from many evils. The wielder of the Master Sword and the holder of the Triforce of Courage. He appears as a main playable fighter in all three Super Smash Bros. games.

Character description
Link's first appearance was in the original The Legend of Zelda, which depicted his quest to rescue Princess Zelda and the land of Hyrule from the evil Ganon. Link was designed with a green tunic and a green hat which (like Mario's design) was due to limitations in the NES hardware. This appearance has since been traditional for Link.

It is worth noting that while there have been many Zelda games, it has not always been the same Link who the player controls. This is because the Zelda series timeline depicts that many years pass between the last adventure and thus, whenever a new evil rises, so too does a new hero.

One thing that has varied with Link is his age, in some games such as The Wind Waker and the first part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link is a young boy whereas in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the second part of Ocarina of Time, Link is depicted as a teenager. But it is unlikely that his age ever exceeds 19 at any point in the series.

Because the Zelda series does not use full voice acting, we do not have much insight into Link's personality. However, it has been shown that Link is a brave and polite young man and is very "humble". Link has also received many titles throughout his adventures. Sometimes he is called the "Hero of Time" (Ocarina of Time), "Hero of Winds" (The Wind Waker), or simply "Chosen Hero". (Twilight Princess)

Because of the different Links, Link's origins can vary, but almost always, he is a young boy (or man) who starts out as a normal child until learning of his destiny to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon (or Ganondorf) and as his journey presses him, he becomes a hero. In Ocarina of Time, he is a young Hylian, whose mother, before dying, entrusted him into the care of the Great Deku Tree. In The Wind Waker, he is a young boy living on Outset Island, given the legendary Hero of Time's clothes. In "Twilight Princess", he is an ordinary young man working at Ordon Ranch until several of the villager's children are kidnapped by monsters which starts his adventure.

The Zelda series timeline is often a source of debate among fans, (though most seem to agree that Ocarina of Time is the first game chronoically.) Aside from a few exceptions (Zelda II being a direct sequel to original game, Link's Awakening taking place after A Link to the Past, Majora's Mask taking place directly after Ocarina of Time, Phantom Hourglass taking place after the Wind Waker,) most Zelda games seem to take place at least 100 years before or after the previous game in the series.

Link made his first fighting appearance (and first official appearance) Nintendo game outside the Zelda series in Super Smash Bros., and has traditionally appeared in all installments of the series since.

As a playable character

 * Main article: Link (SSB)

Link's first appearance in a fighting game is in the original Super Smash Bros. as one of the starting eight playable characters. He is a slow character, but as the wielder of the Master Sword, Link's melee attacks have considerable range, which often compensates for the lack of speed, allowing him to hit opponents from farther away to continue combos. His B-move is a fast Boomerang which will return to Link, a property that is useful in both comboing and combo breaking. His B-Up move is a Spin Attack, which is powerful but doesn't give him much distance for recovery. In fact, Link's abysmal recovery is often considered to be the main reason for the bottom tier placing of what would otherwise be a powerful fighter with moderate combo potential and versatile projectiles. His B-Down move allows him to pull out a Bomb. Link can throw the bomb so that it explodes after making contact, or he can throw it lightly so that it will not explode.

In Single-player
In the game's single-player mode, Link is the first character you must face on the Hyrule Castle stage.

As a playable character

 * Main article: Link (SSBM)

Link returns in Melee as a starting selectable character. While his play style is similar, his moves have been slightly tweaked. His B-Up move is now a much more reliable recovery jump. His new B-move is the Bow, which allows Link to fire an arrow. The arrow's range depends on how long the player holds down the B button. His Boomerang has been moved to his B-forward attack.

In Single-player
Link can be fought in the Underground Maze where if the player comes across the Master Sword, they will be taken to a battle with a different colored Link until they come across the Triforce. It is possible to complete the stage without fighting Link at all.

Link is featured in the following Event Matches:
 * Event 3: Bomb-fest: This match pits your character against the team of Link and Samus with one stock each on the Princess Peach's Castle stage. Link and Samus only use their bomb special moves, but all the bomb (or likewise) items will appear on the stage.
 * Event 18: Link's Adventure: You play as Link as you face Dark Link on the Hyrule Temple stage. Both have 2 stock each. (Dark Link is just a completly blacked out form of Link. Not the black character costume.)
 * Event 20: All-Star Match 2: Link is the second opponent you must fight in this series of staged battles. Your character battles him on the Great Bay stage, and your character has 2 stock while Link has 1. With a timer of four minutes, you must defeat him and the other four characters with the overall time and life you have: Samus, Zelda, Captain Falcon, and Fox.
 * Event 29: Triforce Gathering: You play as Link with Zelda as your partner. You face Ganondorf on the Hyrule Temple stage.
 * Event 34: Seven Years: As Young Link, you fight Link with 3 stock each on the Great Bay stage.
 * Event 41: En Garde!: As Marth, you face Link in a 2 stock match on the Hyrule Temple stage.

Trophies
By tradition, Link as a playable character is featured on his personal 3 trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Link on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

 * Main article: Link (SSBB)

In a maneuver both traditional and expected, Link has been confirmed as a starting playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He has undergone a visual update, (so that he appears in his Twilight Princess incarnation, rather than his Ocarina of Time one) but he is essentially the same fighter as he was in Melee. Some of his moves have been slightly tweaked, though. His boomerang returns as the Gale Boomerang so it has an effect of pulling opponents and items in a small tornado. His Bow is now referred to as the Hero's Bow, but it's unknown if it's any different than his Bow from Melee. His Spin Attack is now chargable. His Bombs appears relatively unchanged aside from design. Also, for his grab move: he now uses the Clawshot in place of the Hookshot, which can also latch onto ledges, but unlike the previous game, it now automatically homes in on the nearest ledge. Like all of the game's returning characters, he now comes equipped with a Final Smash attack that he obtains when he collects a Smash Ball. His final smash is the Triforce Slash, in which light from the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand shoots out and traps an oppoent inbetween two large Triforces. Link then dashes at the opponent and unleashes a barrage of sword slashes and after which, he does a finishing strike, which if knocking the opponent out of the ring, is sure to KO them.