Link


 * For fighter info, see Link (SSB), Link (SSBM), Link (SSBB) and Link (SSBWU/3DS).
 * For other variations of Link, see Toon Link and Young Link.

Link (リンク, Rinku) is the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series by Nintendo. Link is the wielder of the Master Sword and the holder of the Triforce of Courage. He appears as a main playable fighter in all 4 Super Smash Bros. games.

Character description
Link's first appearance was in The Legend of Zelda, 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.

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 around the age of 12 whereas in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the second part of Ocarina of Time, Link is depicted as a young adult around 17.

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 "Hero Chosen by the Gods" (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 person until learning of his destiny to save Hyrule 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 villagers' children are kidnapped by monsters which starts his adventure.

Link made his first fighting appearance (and first official appearance) in a 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
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 right/left 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. Link's in-game character description says:


 * Link
 * Link is the valiant boy hero of "The Legend of Zelda" series in which he fights against the evil Ganon to recover the Triforce. Though his tools may change with each adventure, his strength and righteousness remain constant. With his trusty sword and a variety of weapons, he takes adventure head on!
 * Works:
 * The Legend of Zelda (NES),
 * The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES),
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

As a playable character
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. Link is ranked 15th on the tier list (mostly because of his recovery), meaning that Link was buffed and he is a better character.

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.

Link's normal trophy reads as follows:

''Even in his youth, Link was already becoming the warrior who would carry the destiny of Hyrule (and many other lands) on his shoulders. His epic struggles against the forces of darkness are written in legend.''
 * The Legend of Zelda, 07/87

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In a maneuver both traditional and expected, Link is featured as a starting character in 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. It has a slightly different arrow design, and the arrows disappear after a distance. His Spin Attack is now chargeable. His Bombs appear relatively unchanged aside from design. His ability to pull out Bombs remains a rare ability; most players rely on item boxes, Smart Bombs, natural Bomb-ombs and the rest of those kind of items that appear on-stage. Also, for his grab move he now uses the Clawshot in place of the Hookshot, which can also latch onto ledges, but unlike the Hookshot in Melee, it now automatically homes in on the nearest ledge and can not grab plain walls. However, the Clawshot is unreliable when compared to simply jumping back, so while it looks flashy, it should be only used as a last resort. Like all of the game's returning characters, he now comes equipped with a Final Smash attack that he obtains when he strikes a Smash Ball multiple times. His final smash is the Triforce Slash, in which light from the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand shoots out and traps nearby opponents in between two large Triforces. Link then dashes at the opponent(s), unleashes a barrage of sword slashes, finishing with a powerful blow with enough knockback to OHKO the opponent if nothing gets in the way of the opponent's trajectory (e.g. a wall). When standing still, Link's Hylian Shield will block any incoming projectile causing it to harmlessly bounce off. This technique can also be used while crouching to block lower flying projectiles. Link's arsenal of ranged weapons make him a feared opponent in Sudden Death mode, where once he gets a sheltered position he can rain arrows down on his foes and can even KO them with thrown bombs. If any opponents get near Link, they can be easily blown off the stage by a Spin Attack, which, if used correctly, can KO multiple players at a time. Between his bombs, tether recovery (which, incidentally, is one of the farthest ranged tethers in the game), and his multiple ranged weapons, Link is, despite his low rank, an opponent to be wary of in his own right.

Trophies
Link has a trophy that is awarded each time the Classic mode is completed with Link on any difficulty. See Triforce Slash for the trophy description of Link's Final Smash:

Link
''A young man who emerged to rescue Hyrule from peril. He's the bearer of the Triforce of Courage who fights to keep Ganondorf from conquering the world. His green outfit is a constant throughout the series. He's a skilled swordsman, horseman, and archer. He's also proficient with bombs and boomerangs.''
 * Legend of Zelda (1987)
 * Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

As a playable character


Link has been confirmed as playable in SSB4 for Wii U and 3DS, but at this time, not much about his moveset is known. But his design is based on Twilight Princess again rather than that of Skyward Sword, but his tunic is a lighter green and his tunic look more realistic.

Trivia

 * Link, Snake, Mega Man, Sonic, and Donkey Kong are the only characters to be playable in a different fighting game other than the Super Smash Bros. series. Link appeared in the Gamecube version of SoulCalibur II. Most of his moves in the game are heavily based on his moveset in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
 * Link has the lowest average tier position out of every one of the original twelve characters (his average tier position is 21).
 * Link is also the lowest tiered character in Brawl to appear in all three (possibly counting the newest installment) Super Smash Bros. games.


 * In the reveal trailer for Wii Fit Trainer for Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U, Link humorously has trouble standing like a tree, even though in Ocarina of Time he was raised by a tree.
 * Link has always had the same exact weight as Captain Falcon in each of the Super Smash Bros. games.