Link

Link as seen in Skyward Sword.
Link
Species	Hylian
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Relatives	A Link to the Past Uncle The Wind Waker Grandma Aryll (sister) The Minish Cap Smith (grandfather)
Voiced by	Fujiko Takimoto (Young Link) (1998-2002, 2014, 2018) Nobuyuki Hiyama (1998-2001) Sachi Matsumoto (Toon Link) (2002-2008, 2014-Present) Akira Sasanuma (2005-2008, 2014) Yuuki Kodaira (Toon Link) (2009) Takahashi Ohara (2011-2014) Mitsuki Saiga (2014) Kengo Takanashi (2017-Present)
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

Link is the hero and primary playable character of the The Legend of Zelda series. There have been multiple iterations of Link over the course of the series, but they all share key similarities, as they are heroic young Hylians who typically wear a green tunic and cap, while having similar physical appearances. Link usually wields a sword with his left hand and a shield with the other hand, along with having an inventory of various weapons and other items at his disposal. Link will typically rise from obscurity to become a legendary Hero of Hyrule by vanquishing a great evil, which most commonly comes in the form of the Demon King Ganon. He is also commonly associated with the Triforce of Courage. While the nature of the connection between the different incarnations of Link were initially unclear, Skyward Sword formed a new foundation for the legend of the hero and implied that nearly every Link may be a reincarnation of a previous one who bears the "spirit of the hero".

Background

The games are described in the order given by the official timeline from the Hyrule Historia. It should also be noted from the Historia that while all of the great heroes are known as Link in the legends of Hyrule, it is suggested that not all of them were actually named Link. Additionally, the timeline splits into three branches during Ocarina of Time.

Pre-Timeline Split

The Hero of the Sky (Skyward Sword)

Link was a young citizen of Skyloft who studied at its Knight Academy as an underclassmen. He was friends with some of his peers such as his classmate Fledge as well as the upperclassmen Pipit and Karane. Out of his friends, Link was the closest to Zelda, whom he had known since childhood. Her father, the headmaster Gaepora, also took a liking to Link. Link also had to contend with the bullying tactics of Groose, who was jealous of Link's bond with Zelda, and Groose was always joined by by his lackeys Cawlin and Strich, although they were relatively more cordial to Link. Link was considered to be a promising student ever since he formed a special bond with a rare Crimson Loftwing as his personal Loftwing when he was younger, and they were close enough to make Zelda jealous. Link was implied to be somewhat lazy, as he began practicing less while sleeping and daydreaming more, much to Zelda's chagrin. At least some of this could be attributed to the mysterious prophetic dreams that Link experienced with increasing frequency in which an apparition (which Link would later know as Fi) appeared before him and began to warn him of his destiny.

Link on his Crimson Loftwing.

The day eventually came for Link to compete in the Wing Ceremony. His opponents were Groose, Crawlin and Strich, and the winner would receive a promotion to the upper class and could participate in the ceremony with Zelda. Groose and his friends tried to sabotage Link by abducting Link's Loftwing and imprisoning it within a pen near the waterfall, but Link was able to track the bird down and rescue it with a training sword borrowed from Eagus. Gaepora ensured that the ceremony was delayed until Link was ready to race. Link managed to win the Wing Ceremony and received a homemade sailcloth from Zelda as a prize. Link and Zelda then rode together on Link's Loftwing, but just as Zelda was about to confess something to Link, they were attacked by a sudden tornado which whisked Zelda way. Link's attempt at pursuit failed, and he passed out. He awoke later that night in Skyloft, under Gaepora's care. Link was advised to stay in bed, but the apparition of Fi appeared and lured him to a shrine hidden within the Statue of the Goddess that was known as the Chamber of the Sword. Fi identified herself and explained that her role was to help Link with the burden and responsibility that had been thrust upon him as the goddess's chosen hero. His great destiny would begin when he drew the Goddess Sword from its altar. Fi urged him to do this by telling him that Zelda was indeed still alive and that she had her own great destiny to fulfill. Following Fi's instructions, Link drew the Goddess Sword and raised it skyward, and from this point on Fi agreed to call him master. Gaepora witnessed this and commended Link, while confessing that he suspected Link and Zelda could have been the ones spoken of in legend. He began to talk about some of Skyloft's secret legends to Link, but Fi corrected him with more accurate information. Fi managed to give him an Emerald Tablet, which opened a hole in the cloud barrier leading down to the Faron Province. Before Link left Skyloft, Gaepora made sure that he received the clothes he had earned for completing the Wing Ceremony. These knighthood clothes consisted of the classic green tunic and cap. Kaepora noted that despite his apprehensions about the color, Link seemed to be born to wear it.

Link landed on the surface at the Sealed Grounds, where he met a mysterious old woman. She told Link that Zelda had already passed through and warned him that some dark force was looking to warp their fates. Link proceeded to explore the Faron Province in hopes of catching up to Zelda. After helping the Kikwi tribe, he entered the Skyview Temple to meet her. He instead was attacked by the Demon Lord Ghirahim and was barely able to fend him off. Ghirahim was actually holding back his true power and claimed that Link's survival was only due to his sword. Regardless, Ghirahim had accomplished his actual goal in fighting Link, which was to hold him off until Zelda had departed so that they could not meet. After Ghirahim left, Link reached the Skyview Spring and saw that Zelda was indeed gone, but he did find the Earth Tablet which allowed him access to the Eldin Province through another hole in the the cloud barrier. Link navigated those mountains to try to find Zelda before she did her second purification ritual at the Earth Temple, and along the way he helped to save the local Mogmas from the invading Bokoblins. At several points, he spotted a mysterious Sheikah woman named Impa who urged him to hurry in finding Zelda, as she had been captured by the enemy. Link made his way to the Earth Temple, but he found that Zelda had already been broken free by the Sheikah, and Link was instead left to deal with a monster summoned by the furious Ghirahim. Link managed to reach the Earth Spring just as Zelda and Impa were leaving through a portal after Zelda had finished her purification ritual. Impa forbade Link from meeting directly with Zelda, as the Sheikah was disappointed in him and considered him to be too incompetent due to his failure to keep Zelda safe. Impa had to save Zelda from Ghirahim's minions instead. She told Link that he could only be useful to Zelda if he "summoned a shred of courage" and faced the trials laid out for him. After they left, Link and Fi received an Amber Tablet, which opened the path to Lanayru Province, where Fi predicted that Zelda would be passing through a gate into a distant world. Link soon made his way to Lanayru and explored the desert with the aid of the timeshift stones, which transformed certain areas into the lush paradises that they were centuries ago. Link's pursuit took him to the Temple of Time, but the entrance was barred by rubble, so he instead had to make his way around through the Lanayru Mining Facility. He reached the Temple just as Zelda and Impa were preparing to pass through the Gate of Time. The reunion was swiftly halted by Ghirahim's sudden entrance. Impa was ready to fight, but she was quickly wounded, and Link stepped up to distract him instead so that Impa could escape with Zelda. Before they left, Zelda entrusted Link with the Goddess's Harp, and Impa suggested that he meet with the old woman at the Sealed Temple. Impa had to destroy the Gate behind them to prevent anyone from following them. Ghirahim was enraged by this setback and decided to retreat.

He followed Zelda and Impa's advice by making his way back to the Sealed Grounds next. He was surprised to be joined by Groose, who followed Link through the cloud barrier in hopes of finding Zelda. Link acted quickly to ensure that they both landed safely. Link and Groose wound up meeting with the old woman together, and she began to tell Link some details about Zelda and Impa's situation, as well as Impa's name. She also instructed Link on how to play the Goddess's Harp and taught him the Ballad of the Goddess before showing him the temple's Gate of Time. It was the last Gate in existence and Link's only hope of finding Zelda. Her explanations were interrupted as the seal as the bottom of the Sealed Grounds had given way to release a behemoth referred to only as The Imprisoned. Link was called upon to reseal the beast by driving the sealing spike back into its head until the beast remained sealed. Link succeeded in this, but the old woman knew that The Imprisoned would break free again, and they were only buying time. To open the Gate of Time, Link's sword needed to have its full power awakened. Link had to complete the trials of the hero and infuse his blade with three flames. The old woman's instructions first brought him to Skyloft, where he was able to unlock a path into the stormy Thunderhead. This contained an area known as the Isle of Songs, where he learned the song needed for the first flame, which was Farore's Courage. Link returned to Faron, where he used the song to unlock a path to Farore's Silent Realm. This was actually a trial of courage within his own mind. His spirit was kept separate from his body in a Spirit Vessel, and he completed the trial by collecting all fifteen Sacred Tears to strengthen his soul. He received the first sacred treasure, the Water Dragon's Scale, upon completion of this trial. This treasure helped him to reach another area of Faron where he met the Water Dragon herself, Faron. Faron was reluctant to help Link until she passed his test by bringing her some sacred water from Skyview Temple, which helped to recover from an attack by Ghirahim. Faron proceeded to show Link to the first flame, which was within the Ancient Cistern. Link navigated this dungeon and defeated an automation known as Koloktos after Ghirahim corrupted it with dark energy. He then reached the room where Fi and the Goddess Sword were infused with a green flame that strengthened the sword. A Triforce mark than appeared on Link's hand, with Courage's mark glowing. Fi did not remark about the mark and instead pointed out their next destination. It was a return to the Isle of Songs, where Link learned Nayru's Wisdom. With this song, Link was able to access Nayru's Silent Realm from the Lanayru Desert to complete the trial of wisdom. Completion of this trial earned Link his next sacred treasure, the Clawshots. He used the Clawshots to access the Lanayru Sand Sea and used timeshift stones to navigate the area on a boat when it was a harbor in the past. Link worked with a robot known as Skipper to explore the area and eventually found Skipper's Sandship, which held Nayru's Flame. He managed to find the Flame after saving the ship from being sunk by the sudden attack of Tentalus. The blade was strengthened and infused with the flame's power, and a second Triforce mark matching Wisdom appeared on Link's hand.

Link's last destination in this leg of the quest was the Eldin Province, once he had learned Din's Power from the Isle of Songs. He found and completed the trial of power in Din's Sacred Realm to find the last sacred treasure, the Fireshield Earrings. Link was able to use these to enter the crater of Eldin Volcano and reached the Fire Sanctuary, which housed Din's Flame. Link had another fight with Ghirahim there. Ghirahim had learned the existence of another Gate of Time, but Link refused to tell him where it was. After Link was able to best Ghirahim again, he found the final flame, and it empowered the Goddess Sword with the power to repel evil. This awakened the Goddess Sword's true form as the Master Sword. Link also received the third and final part of his Triforce mark. He returned to the Sealed Grounds, ready to activate the Gate of Time. There was only one setback, as Link's preparations to use the sacred power triggered another escape attempt by The Imprisoned, and Link had to reseal it again. This time, however, he had the help of Groose and his new device, called the Groosenator. After the seal was back in place, Link used a Skyward Strike from the Master Sword to activate the Gate of Time. It took him to the past version of the temple, which was known as the Temple of Hylia. Impa and Zelda were both present. Zelda revealed that she was the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, and that Link's destiny as the chosen hero was part of Hylia's plan to permanently destroyed the sealed evil, whose real name was Demise. She also explained the Triforce mark by telling Link that his trials were actually to prove himself as someone worthy of wielding the Triforce, and that the next stage of his quest would be to find the Triforce so that it could be used to destroy Demise. She gave the goddess's blessing to the Master Sword, which brought it to its true full power. As for Zelda, she had to cut the reunion short as she chose to enter an eternal slumber within the Temple in order to ensure that the seal on Demise would remain strong. Link objected to this, but Zelda assured Link that she was still the same Zelda he knew from Skyloft. She reminded Link of all the times she used to have to wake up the "sleepyhead" and asked Link to do the same for her once Demise was defeated. Zelda proceeded to encase herself within a crystal while Link looked on powerlessly. He then returned to the present to begin his search.

With a minimal amount of clues about the Triforce's location, Link began asking around Skyloft. He found out from Gaepora that the sky spirit Levias should know, but his instructor Owlan was uneasy about sending Link to Levias due to the way it had been behaving lately. Owlan chose to teach Link an advanced Loftwing technique known as the spiral charge. Once Link had mastered it, he was able to lure Levias out with a cauldron of pumpkin soup and quickly saw that Levias was being possessed by a parasite known as Bilocyte. Link used a combination of air combat and fighting on Levia's back to destroy the monster. Levias was grateful for Link's help and told him about the Song of the Hero, which would unlock the path to the Triforce. The song was split into four parts, and Levias knew one part, but he promised to teach it to Link only after he had learned the other three from the three dragons living on the surface. Link revisited each of the three provinces and went through arduous tasks to met all three of the great dragons and learn their parts of the song. Link and Groose also had another battle with The Imprisoned upon Link's return to the Faron Province. Link returned to the Thunderhead with the three pieces of song and learned the last piece from Levias. He then managed to play the full song at Skyloft to open one last portal to the Silent Realm. There, Link completed the Trial of the Goddess to prove himself as the hero of legend. He earned the Stone of Trials from this venture and placed it in the empty eye hole of a local bird statue, as the statue's other eye was the Stone's twin. This activated the statue and unlocked the Sky Keep, a temple hidden on the underside of Skyloft's Isle of the Goddess. Link entered the Sky Keep and cleared the last obstacles to find several rooms holding the individual Triforce pieces. Within each room, the piece was actually kept within a Silent Realm version that Link had to use his sword to access. Link was able to complete the Triforce and used his wish for Demises's destruction. This dropped the Isle of the Goddess to the surface, where it plugged in the pit where Demise was imprisoned as The Imprisoned. Zelda woke up from her slumber with her task no longer needed. Everything seemed to be going fine until Ghirahim revealed himself and quickly whisked Zelda away through the Gate of Time. He was going to use Zelda in his ritual to revive Demise in the past, when he was still alive.

Link entered the Gate of Time in pursuit and made his way to the bottom of the Sealed Grounds' pit while fighting off hordes of Bokoblins and Moblins. At the bottom, he finally faced Ghirahim in a final battle. Ghirahim no longer held back and showed his true power in battle. Link was able to defeat him again, but Ghirahim's ceremony had completed in the process. Zelda's soul was drained to revive Demise. Demise proceeded to turn Ghirahim into his true form as Demises's sword, and the Demon King then tried to toss Zelda to her death, but Groose was able to save her. Demise was impressed by Link's valor, as he had never known of a human that would stand up to him. Link displayed anger and determination to face Demise, and Demise agreed to battle Link within another realm. Demise retreated there and offered to wait for Link to come and face him. Link soon entered the other realm and engaged in the final battle with Demise, which ended with Link destroying the Demon King. Demise bound Link and Zelda to a curse in his dying breath. Although Demise was dying, his hate would live in and form an incarnation to hound those bearing "the spirit of the hero" and "the blood of the goddess" for all of eternity. They began to celebrate their victory, and Impa acknowledged Link's ability. However, Fi informed Link that the Master Sword had to be put away, with their function complete, and Fi had to enter an eternal sleep. Fi managed to let Link know that their adventures had given her some emotion feeling happiness. Link reluctantly placed the Master Sword within a pedestal in the Temple of Hylia, and Fi expressed hope that they would meet in another life. They also had to bid farewell to Impa, who stayed behind to continue her duties and destroyed the Gate of Time after they passed through it. Link, Zelda and Groose returned to the Sealed Temple present and found out that the old woman was Impa, shortly before she finally passed away in a flash of golden light.

Link and Zelda were last seen relaxing in the hands of the goddess statue, where Link played the Goddess's Harp while Zelda sang. They also waved farewell to Groose as he flew off with Cawlin and Strich to parts unknown. Zelda expressed her desire to remain on the surface and watch over the Triforce. The game ended with her asking Link what he intended to do next.

Demise's curse at the end of the game sets up the precedent for the rest of the series. Ganondorf (or possibly just his form as the Demon King Ganon) is implied to be the incarnation of Demise's hate, which is why he always emerges to cause trouble during times when a Link and Zelda are present. The term "spirit of the hero" also implies that Link is also reincarnated into the other successive Links (with the most likely exception being the Links of the Adult Timeline), although it could also refer to spirit as the determination which always drives the hero.

The Minish Cap

Very little is known about the Link who is spoken of in The Minish Cap's backstory. When Hyrule was covered in darkness this child used the Picori Blade and light force granted by the Minish to repel the evil and save Hyrule. He sealed the various monsters within the Bound Chest with the Picori Blade. This hero was not known to wear a cap.

In The Minish Cap, a young, capless Link is childhood friends with Princess Zelda due to the good relations between King Daltus and Smith, Link's grandfather. When Vaati shatters the Picori Blade and turns Zelda into stone, it is left up to Link to repair the sword and defeat Vaati. He is accompanied in his quest for the four Minish elements by Ezlo, a Minish wizard who had been transformed into a bird-like hat by Vaati's curse. Ezlo rides on Link's head and uses his spells to shrink Link down to Minish size near great sources of Minish magic, which proved an invaluable ability in the adventure. The Picori Blade was restored and became the Four Sword, Vaati was destroyed, Zelda was freed, and Ezlo was restored to normal. As he left for the Minish world, he gave Link a special gift: his own green cap.

The Four Swords

Link in four colors.

The Four Sword found its way into the hands of a traveling Hero during the backstory for Four Swords. Little is known about his hero except that he is believed to be descended from the Link of The Minish Cap. This Link, who was known as the Hero of the Four Sword, came upon Hyrule during his travels and battled the maiden-snatching Vaati, ultimately sealing him within the Four Sword itself. The Four Sword was enshrined to prevent Vaati's escape.

Generations later, the Link of Four Swords was childhood friends with Princess Zelda. Once Vaati broke free of his seal and kidnapped Zelda, Link drew the Four Sword and used it to embark on a quest to defeat Vaati. The four Links were able to work together to defeat and seal Vaati within the Four Sword once more.

The Hero of Time

Ocarina of Time

During the fierce wars that engulfed Hyrule, a lone mother escaped into the Kokiri Forest with her newborn son, Link. As she lay dying, she begged the Deku Tree to protect her son. Sensing a noble fate for the boy, the Deku Tree agreed. Link was then raised in the Kokiri Forest as one of the mystical Kokiri children, unaware of his Hylian heritage. He formed a strong friendship with Saria the Kokiri girl, but he was teased by Mido and the other Kokiri for his lack of a fairy partner. Dark dreams haunted Link for some days throughout his childhood until he woke up one day to find he now had a fairy named Navi, who brought him to save the ill Deku Tree. Link entered the tree and used his Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield to slay the evil within, but it was too late for the Deku Tree. Before he withered, the tree bestowed upon Link the Kokiri's Emerald, the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, and sent him to meet the Princess of Destiny in Hyrule Castle. After a heartfelt farewell with Saria, Link left the forest with his new companion Navi and began his grand adventure.

Adult Timeline

The Hero of Time.

Sneaking into Hyrule Castle, Link met Princess Zelda for the first time. Zelda saw Link as a hero from her prophetic dream who would destroy the darkness unleashed by Ganondorf. They plotted to stop Ganondorf by beating him to the Sacred Realm by finding the other two Spiritual Stones and then using the Ocarina of Time. Link traveled around Hyrule and learned the tricks of the adventuring trade as he helped the Gorons and Zoras with their problems to earn their respective Spiritual Stones. He returned too late, to behold Zelda fleeing Hyrule Castle on horseback with her nurse Impa while Ganondorf pursued. But before she disappeared, Zelda tossed Link the Ocarina of Time, which had a telepathic message imprinted on it that taught Link the Song of Time. He used this to open the Door of Time, only to find one more key to enter the Sacred Realm: he had to pull the legendary Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. He did so, but only the Hero of Time could wield it. Since he was too young, he was cast into hibernation for seven years and was protected within the Temple of Light. In the meantime Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and found the Triforce, but his impure heart caused it to split. Link received the Triforce of Courage without even knowing.

He awoke at the end of the seven year period and met Rauru, the wise sage who had watched over him in his sleep. After explaining the circumstances of Link's slumber, Rauru sent him and Navi out to find the five new sages so that Ganondorf could be defeated. Hyrule had become a dark and twisted land under Ganondorf's reign. Link's search for the sages brought him to familiar areas like the Kokiri Forest (where Link learned the truth of his past from the Deku Tree sapling) and reunited him with old friends such as Saria, Darunia and Princess Ruto, all of whom turned out to be sages. Link was also aided by his horse Epona and the mysterious Sheik, who told Link that the secret of traveling through time. Anytime Link returned the Master Sword to its pedestal, he'd be sent back in time to his child self. He needed to do some deeds in the past in order to progress in the future. As his adult self he found the last two sages, Impa and Nabooru. Then, at the Temple of Time, Sheik revealed himself to be Zelda in disguise, and told Link about his Triforce piece. She was almost immediately captured by Ganondorf, and leaving it up to Link to rescue her.

After infiltrating Ganon's Castle and scaling Ganon's Tower, Link fought his nemesis for the first time, first in the form of Ganondorf and then as the Demon King Ganon. Link's Master Sword and Light Arrows proved invaluable in the battle, and Zelda also provided some aid after she was rescued. Link managed to incapacitate Ganon long enough for Zelda and the other Sages to seal Ganon within the tainted Sacred Realm. Zelda then gave Link a solemn farewell as she used the Ocarina of Time to send him and Navi back in time, where he replaced the Master Sword and closed the door between the two times permanently. The future that Link left became the Adult Timeline, and the new timeline where Link arrived in his childhood was the Child Timeline.

There is also a third timeline branch following an alternative version of events in which Link fails to defeat Ganon in the final battle. This leads to the death of the Hero of Time and the decline of Hyrule, with the sages being forced to take care of Ganon themselves. The after-effects of this are shown under the Downfall Timeline.

Child Timeline

The Ocarina of Time ended with Link meeting with Zelda in the courtyard, and his hand still bore the mark of the Triforce of Courage. The Hyrule Historia elaborates that Link had been returned at a point prior to the Sacred Realm being opened. However, his adventures in the future had caused him to arrive with the Triforce of Courage from this timeline and also caused Ganondorf to retrieve a Triforce piece. Link came to Zelda to warn him about Ganondorf's plans, and Link's testimony was able to lead to Ganondorf being captured before he could set his plans into motion. In the meantime, Zelda suggested that he protect himself by leaving Hyrule on a private journey. She entrusted him with the Ocarina of Time so that it would be kept safe from Ganondorf. Link decided to search for the missing Navi and borrowed Epona from Malon.

Majora's Mask

Young Link in Majora's Mask

Link spent some time exploring the Lost Woods with Epona in search of Navi. He was led astray when the Skull Kid attacked him, stealing Epona as well as most of his items. The Skull Kid also used the powers of Majora's Mask to curse Link and turn him into a Deku Scrub when Link attempted to pursue him. The Skull Kid also left behind his fairy friend Tatl, who reluctantly worked with Link for the time being. They pursued the Skull Kid into the parallel world of Termina and quickly met the Happy Mask Salesman. He made a deal with Link and promised to turn him back to normal if he could bring back his ocarina by the end of the third day. Link and Tatl spent the next three days tracking the Skull Kid and exploring Clock Town, and they found that the Skull Kid had been corrupted by Majora's Mask, and he was using its powers to make the moon fall on Termina at the end of the third night. They met the Skull Kid atop the Clock Tower on that third night and managed to take the Ocarina of Time from him. The Song of Time was able to send Link and Tatl back in time to the first day.

The Happy Mask Salesman was able to teach Link the Song of Healing, which restored Link to normal while sealing the Deku Scrub form within a mask. He quickly became angry when he saw that Link had failed to retrieve Majora's Mask. However, Tael had given them a hint on a way to stop the Skull Kid. Link and Tatl then traveled across Termina over the course of various three-day cycles and solved the problems of the four regions while freeing the Four Giants who were the guardians of the world. Along the way, Link gathered various magical masks, including ones that could turn him into a Goron, Zora or even a Fierce Deity. He also helped all of the troubled inhabitants of Termina to solve their problems which the corrupted Skull Kid have caused. Link was able to summon the four giants once they were freed to stop the moon from falling on the third night. Link then entered the moon and destroyed Majora's Mask. The Skull Kid returned to his senses and apologized to Link, recognizing him from the Lost Woods of Ocarina. Link parted ways with his new friend Tatl as well as the Skull Kid and the Happy Mask Salesman. Riding Epona, he soon returned to the Lost Woods and resumed his journey.

The Hero of Time's whereabouts following the events of Majora's Mask are unknown. He is known to started a family at some point, with the Hero of Twilight being his descendant. Ever since he returned to the past, Link felt some disappointment that he would not be remembered as a hero in this timeline, as he directly defeated Ganon only in the adult timeline. This regret caused Link's spirit to manifest as the Hero's Spirit after his death.

Downfall Timeline

The Destined Hero

A Link to the Past

This incarnation of Link lived peacefully with his uncle. They were both descended from the Knights of Hyrule, which made them indirect relatives of the Hero of Time. One stormy night, Princess Zelda telepathically contacted Link with a plea for help. A dark wizard name Aganhim had gained control over Hyrule Castle and was sacrificing the maiden descendants of the seven sages in order to break the seal on the Dark World. Zelda was the only one left, so Link journeyed into the castle to rescue her, coming across his dying uncle along the way. He was able to escort her to a sancturary, but he found that he would need the Master Sword before he could stop Aganhim. Link journeyed across Hyrule to gather the three pendants of Courage, Power and Wisdom, and with them he was able pull the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Lost Woods. By the time he accomplished this, Zelda had been captured, and she was sacrificed into the Dark World just as Link arrived to save her.

Link was able to match Aganhim in battle, so he simply used his magic to send Link into the Dark World. Link continued his adventure in the Dark World by saving Zelda and the other six maidens, who had been distributed to Ganon's monster lieutenants across the Dark World. Each of the maidens told him more about Ganon, who was behind Aganhim and seeking a way out of the Dark World. Link proved himself to be the Hero of Cataclysm's Eve by defeating Ganon in the Pyramid of Power. He then found the Triforce in the room behind Ganon, and he used a wish upon it to restore peace to Hyrule. This also restored his uncle to life.

Link's Awakening

After defeating Ganon, Link embarked on a quest of enlightenment and training in other lands. While he was sailing back to Hyrule afterwards, he ended up being shipwrecked by a squall. In the aftermath of the wreck, he somehow ended up trapped in the dreams of the Wind Fish, which took place on Koholint Island. The kindly Marin and Tarin took care of him, and Link soon regained his basic items while beginning a new adventure in Koholint. He knew that waking the Wind Fish with the Instruments of the Sirens was the only way to leave the island, but it was not until a late stage of his quest that he learned that the entire island was the product of the Wind Fish's dream. At the same time, Link had been helping the island's inhabitants and spent time bonding with Marin, which likely made the decision to wake the Wind Fish more difficult.

He still continued his journey, completed the collection of eight magical instruments and defeated the final Nightmare known as DethI within the Wind Fish's Egg. He finally found his chance to awaken the Wind Fish at this point. The Wind Fish assured Link that Koholint would live on in Link's memories and his own dreams, and so Link played the Ballad of the Wind Fish over all of the instruments. This caused Koholint Island to disappear while Link and the Wind Fish to both wake up together in the real world. Link woke up clinging to driftwood in the middle of the ocean. He pulled himself up to a makeshift raft made of the driftwood and watched contentedly as the Wind Fish flew away. If the player beat the game without dying once, then a final scene implied that Marin survived in the real world as a seagull.

The Oracle Series

One day, Link entered Hyrule Castle, and the three pieces of the Triforce spoke to him before whisking him away on a pair of quests in Holodrum and Labrynna, where he was to rescue the Oracles of Seasons and Ages from Onox the General of Darkness and Veran the Sorceress of Shadows, respectfully.

During the course of Oracle of Seasons, Link arrived in Holodrum and met up with the exotic dancer, Din. While Link was enjoying his time with Din and her traveling Circus Troupe, they were attacked by a whirlwind that captured Din for Onox. He was soon met up with Impa, who provided him with assistance in his adventure. In order to stop Onox, Link had to master the power of the Rod of Seasons by gaining the power of all four seasons. He also has to gather the power of all the Essences of Nature so that Holodrum's Maku Tree could use its full power to reach Onox's castle. Link defeated Onox and saved Din, at which point he was teleported to the next part of his quest.

In Ages, Link ended up in Labrynna and met up with Nayru. Link also encountered Impa again, who not only was acting strangely, but she could not move the magical seal leading to Nayru's secret grove. It turned out that Veran was possessing Impa and once she was near Nayru, Veran passed into Nayru's body and warped through time to four hundred years prior. In order to fix the alterations in time, Link had to jump between the present and four centuries ago, using the Harp of Ages to master time as well as restore Labrynna's Maku Tree with all eight Essensce of Time. Link did save Nayru before completing the quest, but Veran survived and possessed Queen Ambi instead. Once Link had gathered all the Elements of Time, he was able to enter the Black Tower and defeated Veran in battle. His adventure was not over yet, as Princess Zelda had been captured in the meantime.

Link partook in one more battle to save Princess Zelda from Twinrova, who were using Onox and Veran to light the torches necessary to revive their king. The last torch could only be lit by sacrificing Zelda, but this time Link was able to save her before it was too late and defeated Twinrova. Twinrova opted to sacrifice their selves and to complete Ganon's ressurection. However, this Ganon was a mindless beast due to the revival being botched, so Link was able to defeat him with relative ease. Following Ganon's defeat, Link had some moments of fun and peace with all the friends he had made throughout his adventure before leaving on a ship. It is unknown if he was returning to Hyrule or traveling to other lands.

The Hero Between Worlds

A Link Between Worlds

Several generations after the time of A Link to the Past, a new Link lived as a citizen of Hyrule. His home was located in the same area as the previous Link, but it was never said if they were related. Link was an apprentice blacksmith studying under the local Blacksmith, but he had a habit of oversleeping and being late for work. The Blacksmith's son, Gulley, often had to wake him up, and he was scolded for his lateness constantly. He eventually started to have dreams about fighting some sort of evil with Princess Zelda. One day, the captain of Hyrule's guards accidentally left his sword at the blacksmith, and Link was sent to return it to him. He came across a startling scene at the Sanctuary, where he saw that a sorcerer named Yuga had turned the priest's daughter Seres into a painting. Link's attempt to fight Yuga resulting in him being knocked out. He was then brought back to his home by a mysterious boy named Ravio, who asked to stay at his home and later set up a shop there. Ravio also gave Link a mysterious bracelet.

Link went to Hyrule Castle, where he was able to get an audience with Zelda, as she recognized Link as the boy in dreams similar to the ones Link was having. Zelda explained the history of the Triforce and what the previous princess and hero had accomplished, as she believed that Yuga might be seeking the new seven sages to revive Ganon. She gave him the Pendant of Courage and sent him to meet Sahasrahla. Once Sahasrahla heard about the new threat, he sent Link to retrieve his pupil Osfala, who was a descendant of the Seven Sages. Link pursued Osfala into the Eastern Palace, only to find himself too late, as Yuga successfully turned Osfala into a painting. Link battled Yuga and was able to beat him this time, but Yuga proceeded to use his magic to turn Link into a wall painting while he escaped. However, Link realized that the magic of Ravio's bracelet allowed him to move as a wall painting and free himself from this curse. With the bracelet, he could merge and un-merge from walls at will, which allowed him to reach new areas.

Afterwards, it was discovered that Yuga had infiltrated Hyrule's castle and surrounded it with a magical barrier. With Yuga's plan progressing, Sahasrahla tasked Link with finding the other two Pendants of Virtue so that Link could use the Master Sword to fight Yuga. Link proceeded to claim those Pendants after braving the House of Gales and the Tower of Hera, and he then drew the Master Sword from its resting place in the Lost Woods. With its power, he entered Hyrule Castle and battled Yuga again, while finding that he was successful in capturing all seven of the sages as well as Princess Zelda in the forms of paintings. Link defeated Yuga, but Yuga escaped. In pursuing him, Link used his wall-merging ability to enter a mysterious fissure that led into another world, the world of Lorule. There he witnessed Yuga's successful ceremony. Ganon was revived and fused with Yuga, who proceeded to try to attack Link. Link was saved by Hilda, the princess of Lorule, who used her magic to send him to safety. She tasked him with finding the seven sages, whose paintings were scattered across Lorule, so that they could help in the fight against Yuga Ganon. And so Link embarked on his quest, saving all seven of them, who were then properly awakened as sages and sent to the Chamber of Sages.

As Link had proven himself to have the spirit of a hero, the seven sages were able to summon the Triforce of Courage with him. With its power, Link was able to enter Lorule Castle for the final battle. There, he met with Hilda and learned the truth: that Hilda was working with Yuga, and this was all part of her plan to steal the Triforce away to Lorule, which had fallen into chaos without its own Triforce. However, Yuga Ganon had his own agenda and betrayed Hilda, as he planned to use the Triforce to remake Lorule in his own image. Even while trapped in painting form, Zelda was able to use her power to grant Link the Bow of Light for the final battle. With its power, Link was able to draw Yuga out from his attempts to hide in the walls and eventually succeeded in destroying him. They then proceeded to confront Hilda, but this was interrupted by Ravio, who took his mask off and revealed himself to be Link's Lorule counterpart, who helped Link in order to stop Hilda's plan. Ravio helped Hilda to see reason, and a remorseful Hilda used the last of the power within Ravio's bracelet to send Link and Zelda back to Hyrule with the Triforce through the Sacred Realm. Zelda empathized with Lorule's plight, and so she and Link wished on the united Triforce together. With this wish, they restored Lorule's Triforce. Afterwards, Link returned the Master Sword to its pedestal in the Lost Woods.

Tri Force Heroes

Several years after defeating Yuga, Link had ended up traveling and wore different clothes to disguise his identity. He ended up in the fashion-based kingdom of Hytopia at a time when its Princess Styla had been cursed by a witch from the Drablands. That curse trapped the princess in an unflattering jumpsuit and spread panic throughout the kingdom. The people of Hytopia sought three candidates to act as the Tri Force Heroes, a legendary group of three heroes that could defeat Lady Maud and undo the curse. Link fit the physical requirements of a Tri Force Hero (having pointy ears, "truly epic" sideburns and side-parted hair) and was paired with two other similar-looking boys (or utilized two Doppels in single-player mode).

As the Tri Force Heroes, they explored the different areas of the Drablands and defeated various minions of Lady Maud. They gained materials that Madame Couture used to make different outfits for them throughout their adventure. They also slowly gathered each of the materials needed to make The Lady's Ensemble, clothing which would grant them the power to undo Lady Maud's curse. They finally battled Lady Maud herself at the Sky Realm and defeated her to gain the last material needed for The Lady's Ensemble. Thus, Couture prepared the outfit for Link, and he used its power to undo the curse placed upon Styla. King Tuft proceeded to praise Link and called him a true Tri Force Hero. A ceremony was held in Link's honor, at which King Tuft and Sir Combsly lifted Link in a totem. Afterwards, Link received the Kinda Cursed Tights as a reward and was invited to remain in Hytopia for the time being, where other challenges were waiting to be completed in the Drablands.

The Foreign Warrior

The Link of The Legend of Zelda hailed from unknown distant lands, but he is believed to be descended from the Hero of A Link to the Past. He met Princess Zelda's nursemaid Impa and saved her from monsters while armed with only his wits. She was impressed by this and sent him to unite the shards of the Triforce of Wisdom to save Princess Zelda from Ganon's Death Mountain lair. He soon received a wooden sword from an old hermit in a cave who assured Link that it was too dangerous to go alone. Link braved eight deadly dungeons for each shard of the Triforce of Wisdom and then entered the Death Mountain lair. There he managed to slay Ganon with a Silver Arrow in battle and retrieved the Triforce of Power from Ganon's ashes. Link, the hero of Hyrule, was thanked by the freed Princess Zelda.

Near his sixteenth birthday, a mysterious birthmark in the shape of the Triforce appeared on the back of Link's left hand. This was the result of an enchantment placed by an ancient king, and it meant that he was worthy to use the full Triforce, as Impa explained. Impa told Link to find the last piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and use the Triforce to awaken the "first generation" Princess Zelda. The Triforce of Courage was hidden within the Great Palace in the Valley of Death. It could only be reached by placing crystals in six statues hidden that were each protected by guardian deities in different temples. Link set out with the crystals in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and successfully accessed the Great Palace while avoiding Ganon's minions, who hoped to revive Ganon by sacrificing Link. Within the Great Palace, Link fought great battles with the monstrous Thunderbird and then his own Shadow. Link finally earned the Triforce of Courage, and he used the united Triforce to awaken Princess Zelda from her slumber at long last.

Adult Timeline

Once Link was sent back in time at the end of Ocarina of Time, he was "separated from the elements that made him a hero", and this timeline's the Triforce of Courage split into eight shards which scattered across Hyrule. Without the Hero of Time to save Hyrule when Ganon next attacked, Hyrule was flooded to become a Great Sea. The kingdom was preserved in an air bubble at the bottom of the ocean and frozen in time until a new hero could arise.

The Hero of Winds

The Wind Waker

The Link who surfaced in The Wind Waker was a young boy who lived with his loving grandmother and younger sister named Aryll. He had a pleasant upbringing on Outset Island, until the day when he turned the same age the Hero of Time did when he started his quest. As was customary on the island, Link was given a green tunic like the Hero's. On that very day he met with Tetra and her pirates, who had been chased there by the Helmaroc King. Confusing her with Tetra, the bird swiped Link's sister. Link wanted to help Tetra find her, and he proved her worth by earning a sword from Orca after some practice sessions and being given a shield by his grandmother. On the ship, he was initiated into the crew by the scheming Niko. Link infiltrated the Helmaroc King's coop at the Forsaken Fortress after the pirates brought him there, but he was easily beaten and taken to meet Ganondorf- who thought nothing of the boy and had him flung into the horizon.

Link during The Wind Waker

That could have been the end for that Link if not for the King of Red Lions, a mysterious talking boat, which brought Link safely to the nearest island. The King of Red Lions offered him advice as well as transportation across the Great Sea. He also granted Link an instrument called the Wind Waker, which he used to manipulate the winds. First Link needed to gather three pearls from Dragon Roost Island, the Forbidden Woods and Greatfish Isle. Link earned the first two after clearing through dungeons, but when they traveled to Greatfish Isle, it had been destroyed by Ganondorf. After a tip from Tetra, Link found Jabun the water spirit hiding in a cave near Outset Island. Link had little time for reunions as he got the last pearl from Jabun. He used them all to make the Tower of the Gods rise from the ocean. After passing its test of courage and proving himself to be a true hero, Link was granted access into ancient Hyrule and had become the Hero of Winds. Link then pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal to unfreeze time in Hyrule and used his new weapon to save Aryll from the Forsaken Fortress. But the blade had gone dull over the ages without the prayers of the Sages to power it, and so Link was easily beaten by Ganondorf. Tetra tried to help, but ultimately it was Valoo and Komali who rescued them both.

The King of Red Lions had Link and Tetra brought to Hyrule, where he revealed himself to be Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule- an ancient king of Hyrule. And he also revealed Tetra to be a descendant of Princess Zelda. Link was amazed at this information. Daphnes still accompanied Link as the King of Red Lions while Zelda stayed behind in Hyrule Castle. Link then had to find two new Sages to help power his Master Sword after guiding them to their proper altars in their respective temples. With Makar and Medli's efforts, the sword was restored to its original sharpness, leaving behind only one errand: he had to fish around the Great Sea and gather the shards of the Triforce of Courage, after gathering the Triforce charts and paying Tingle to decipher them for him. Once it was united, Link broke the barrier leading to Ganon's Tower and battled Ganondorf once more while ancient Hyrule flooded around them after Daphnes used the wish on the Trifoce. Ganondorf was finally beaten when Link lodged the Master Sword in Ganondorf's head, turning him into stone. Link and Zelda were teleported to the surface of the Great Sea by Daphnes, who sadly chose to stay behind and go down with Hyrule. Link and Zelda, who had gotten back into her Tetra guise, later set out to find a new Hyrule.

Phantom Hourglass

Sometime after Link and Zelda set off on their journey, Tetra began investigating a mysterious Ghost Ship that was terrorizing the seas, as she believed that it was a fraud set up by pirates and wanted to prove them wrong. Link had spent most of the time aboard the ship napping while Niko told tales of his previous adventure, but Link was once more drawn into an active adventure after Tetra leaped onto the Ghost Ship and was abducted as the ship sped away. Link attempted to board the ship and rescue her, but he fell overboard and wound up being washed up on the shore of Mercay Island.

There Link met the mysterious old hermit, Oshus, and his fairy friend Ciela accompanied him. After Link proved his worth, Oshus told Link that he could find the Ghost Ship by rescuing the three spirits that had been hidden on several islands. But he needed a method of transportation across the islands first, since he no longer had the King of Red Lions and was separated from Tetra's pirates. Link sought the adventurous sailor Linebeck and found him when he saved him from a trap in the Temple of the Ocean King. He found that Linebeck was eager to find treasure but too cowardly to do the work himself, so Linebeck wound up doing little more for Link than piloting his steamboat.

Link traveled across three islands and united the three spirits. To do this he often revisited the Temple of the Ocean King and found the Phantom Hourglass, which prevented the temple from draining his life force depending on how many Sands of Time he had. He later found that the third spirit they found was actually a piece of Ciela, who was the true third spirit. With Ciela united, they had all three spirits and were ready to hunt down the Ghost Ship. Link succeeded in defeating the ghosts of the Ghost Ship, only to find Tetra had been turned to stone. Oshus arrived at this point and explained that he was the Ocean King, but his power had been drained by Bellum, a monster whom had taken up residence in the Temple of the Ocean King. Tetra's life force had been drained as well, but Oshus promised that he could restore her if Link could defeat Bellum and free Oshus's lost power.

In order to defeat Bellum, Link needed to have Zauz forge a Phantom Sword for him. But Zauz did not have the materials necessary for the complex weapon, so Link had to gather three pure metals. After exploring more sectors of the ocean, Link was able to gather Crimsonine, Azurine and Aquarine. With all three elements combined, Zauz was able to forge him his Phantom Sword. All he needed was a handle for the blade, and this was provided by Oshus, who made the handle from the Sands of Time. With this new weapon, Link was finally able to make his way to the Temple of the Ocean King, where he found Bellum. During the battle, Ciela's full memory was awakened, and she found herself to be the Spirit of Courage and Time. With her newfound power, she formed Phantom Spheres that Link could use to freeze time, and with this ability he was able to defeat Bellum.

Tetra was then restored to life by Oshus with his restored power, but he found that his power had not fully returned. At this point Bellum returned and snatched away Tetra, then possessed the Ghost Ship. Link and Linebeck then chased the Ghost Ship down in their boat and engaged it in a naval battle. The Ghost Ship was destroyed. After entering the ship's wreckage, however, Link was briefly separated from the Phantom Sword and knocked out. At this point Linebeck attempted to wield the Phantom Sword in a selfless attack on Bellum, but Bellum was able to overwhelm and possess him. With help from Ciela, Link was able to free Linebeck and at the same time destroyed Bellum for good.

Oshus was returned to his true form and said that they were actually in a different world, so he sent Link and Tetra back to their own world. Link and Tetra woke up on the dock of the Ghost Ship, which was somehow repaired but now devoid of evil spirits, and were next to Tetra's pirate ship again. The pirates claimed they had been gone for ten minutes and that the whole adventure must have been a dream. However, Link found that it was not a dream when he saw that he still had the Phantom Hourglass and could see Linebeck's ship in the distance.

His future is largely unknown, although Spirit Tracks showed that Tetra was eventually successful in founding a new Hyrule. Link presumably played some role in the kingdom's foundation, and seemed to have been the inspiration for the uniforms of the castle guards (although it could also be the influence of the Hero of Time's legend, or some sort of combination). Niko also wound up owning his old shield, which he would give to that game's Link after collecting 15 of the stamps.

Spirit Tracks

This Link was a young apprentice engineer living in Adoba Village with an elderly Niko, who would often regale him with tales of the new Hyrule's history. He learned under the legendary former swordsman Alfonzo. Link and Alfonzo traveled to Hyrule Castle for Link's graduation ceremony, where Princess Zelda would grant Link his official engineering certificate. The ceremony went according to plan aside from Chancellor Cole's scoffing at its uselessness. However, he found that Zelda had secretly slipped her note bidding him to secretly meet her in her room. He traveled there and found that she was growing suspicious of the spirit tracks that were disappearing throughout Hyrule, and she wanted Link to help her investigate the Tower of Spirits because she did not trust Chancellor Cole, and he did not allow Zelda to leave the castle alone. She gave him the uniform of a recruit to the army (which was the typical Link clothes) so that he could sneak her out of the castle. He then brought her to his train, where Alfonzo was convinced to take them to the Tower of Spirits. But the spirit tracks disappeared beneath the train as it traveled, leaving them stranded in a field. They were then attacked by Cole and his minion Byrne, who proceeded to defeat Alfonzo and capture Zelda's body after separating her soul from it. Link was left there unconscious.

Awaking in Hyrule Castle, he found that Alfonzo was too injured to help them. However, he met with Princess Zelda's ghost and found that he was the only one who could see and communicate with her, at least at first. They decided to make their way to the Tower of Spirits by foot to work towards retrieving Zelda's body so that she could live again. She also entrusted him with the Spirit Flute, a prized family heirloom that was connected to the spirit tracks. At the Tower, they met with the Lokomo Anjean, who told them that Cole had split the Tower of Spirits apart and caused most of the spirit tracks to vanish so that he could awaken the Demon King Malladus. Anjean was able to give them a spirit train for use in navigating Hyrule and instructed them on how they could restore the spirit tracks and foil Cole's plans. First they had to explore the accessible segment of the Tower to find a rail map while avoiding Phantoms, and while in the tower Zelda was able to directly help Link for a change by possessing Phantoms. The rail maps opened up new areas of one of the four realms, where Link would have to find the realm's corresponding sanctuary. Once he found the sanctuary and its Lokomo inhabitant, he would be able to play the Spirit Flute in conjunction with the Lokomo's instrument to make a Lokomo song that would restore more spirit tracks that led to the realm's temple. After conquering the temple, it would activate some type of Force Gem pedestal that would restore more tracks as well as restoring part of the Tower. Link and Zelda's ghost could then explore the new area of the Tower to repeat the cycle again.

This cycle worked for the first four temples. At one point Byrne confronted them in the Tower and attempted to stop them, but Anjean stayed behind to fend him off. After all four temples were completed, and the Tower of Spirits was whole again, they worked their way towards the top. Link and Zelda (possessing a Phantom) then had to work together to defeat Byrne. They basked in their victory afterwards, although this caused Byrne to escape. They then made their way to the roof and found that they had revived too late, as Malladus was revived in Zelda's body. Cole escaped with the Malladus-possessed Zelda aboard the Demon Train, leaving Link and Zelda's ghost to return to the spirit train with Anjean and an unconscious Byrne, whom had been badly injured after being betrayed by Malladus. Anjean told them that they would need the Bow of Light to succeed in defeating Malladus and send them to the Sand Temple in the lone unexplored realm. Navigating the tricky temple, Link was finally able to discover the Bow. After returning to the train, they found that the next problem would be finding the Demon Train. However, Byrne revealed that he had hidden the Compass of Light, which they could use to find the Demon Train in the Dark Realm, within a hidden portion of the Tower of Spirits. So Link and Zelda's ghost returned to the Tower one last time, finding the hidden section and recovering the Compass. At this point, Anjean entrusted Link with the Lokomo Sword for the coming battle. They then used the Compass to find a portal to the Dark Realm, where they eventually did battle with the Demon Train.

After stopping the Demon Train, Link and Zelda decided that they would take on Malladus alone, urging Anjean and Byrne to stay behind due to their injuries. So Link and Zelda (possessing a new Phantom) made their way along the roof of the wrecked Demon Train, avoiding Cole's attacks as they approached the Zelda-possessed Malladus. Link was able to use the Light Arrow to free Zelda's body, at which point the Demon Train was destroyed and they were returned to a field back in Hyrule. There, Zelda was finally able to regain her body after Byrne sacrificed himself to hold off Malladus, while Malladus was able to temporarily assume his true form to battle Link and Zelda. Link then protected Zelda while she charged her energy, and then he used the Spirit Flute while she sang for one more duet, which prepared them for the final battle. Link distracted Malladus while Zelda attacked him with Light Arrows, which eventually stunned him, at which point Link was able to attack his head.

Eventually, Link was able to shove his sword into Malladus's forehead with the aid of Zelda, destroying the monster. With the crisis finally over, Link and Zelda held hands as they watched the spirits of Anjean, Byrne and the other Lokomos ascend to the heavens. Afterwards, depending on the player's choice, Link either continues his life as an engineer, becomes a warrior or takes on some unknown occupation.

Child Timeline

The Hero of Twilight

The Link of Twilight Princess had a humble upbringing in the Ordon Village, in a province located outside Hyrule. He was of high esteem in his village. He was admired by the children, especially Colin, and Link acted as the kids’ unofficial leader. He was also held in high regard by the adults of the village, who saw Link as a potential future mayor. Link himself worked as a ranch hand for Fado. One of his closest friends was a girl named Illia, although she often scolded him for carelessness whenever his horse, Epona, was injured. The town’s swordsman, Rusl, later gave Link a sword and invited Link to accompany him on his trip to Hyrule.

However, everything was turned upside down when the village was raided by Bulblins. They kidnapped all of Ordon’s children, including Illia and Colin. Link attempted to pursue the creatures, put he was pulled into the Twilight Realm that had taken over the Faron Forest. After entering the Twilight Realm, Link was transformed into a wolf. He was taken to the Twilight version of Hyrule Castle and imprisoned there until a shadowy imp named Midna helped him to escape. In his wolf form, Midna rode and instructed Link. She first brought him to Hyrule Castle to meet with Princess Zelda, who was being held in her room, as Hyrule Castle had been taken over by a fiend named Zant. Link learned of Zant’s plans to merge the worlds of light and Twilight, before Link and Midna had to leave.

Midna riding on Wolf Link.

Midna wanted to use Link in order to gather three Fused Shadows that she believed would allow her to defeat Zant. Midna convinced Link that he should help her by telling him it was the only way he could find and rescue his friends. Midna first sent Link back to Ordon in order to steal weapons for her- a sword and a shield. Link saw how his former friends recoiled and did not recognize him in his wolf form. After liberating the light spirit of Faron and driving the Twilight out of the forest, Link was restored to human form and found himself wearing the hero's clothes, which was actually due to the influence of his ancestor, the Hero of Time. Link would become a wolf again whenever he entered another province that had been overtaken by the Twilight until he restored that province’s light spirit. This pattern continued until all three of the light spirits had been saved.

In Kakariko Village, Link was reunited with most of the town’s children, except for Illia who was still missing. He eventually found her in Hyrule Castle Town, only to find that she had lost her memory. After gathering the third and final Fused Shadow, Zant appeared and waved aside the Fused Shadows, saying that he had a much stronger power source. Link attempted to protect Midna, but Zant struck Link with a curse that trapped him in his wolf form, and Zant proceeded to fatally wound Midna. Link quickly rushed Midna to Princess Zelda in the Hyrule Castle. Zelda found she could not restore Link to his normal form due to Zant’s evil magic, but she knew of something that could- the Master Sword. She told Link of its location, put all her magic into saving Midna and then vanished.

Link and Midna made their way to the Forest Sanctuary, and they found the Master Sword in the ruins of the Temple of Time. Link drew the Master Sword and was restored to his Hylian form. Midna kept a sample of the curse that had been used by Link, so that Link could use it to alternate between his Hylian and wolf forms at will. Link and Midna soon sought another method to defeat Zant, by gathering the four shards of the Mirror of Twilight. Link also was able to restore Illia’s memory, and they had their delayed reunion. She gave Link a present that she had been planning to give him when he was going to leave with Rusl- a horse call that Link could use to summon Epona whenever he needed her.

When the Mirror of Twilight was reassembled, Link and Midna used it to attack Zant’s stronghold, the Palace of Twilight. Midna encouraged Link by telling him that she once was the Twilight Princess before Zant cursed her, and that Link and Zelda’s selfless acts had inspired her to be less selfish. Link eventually defeated Zant after a huge battle, and he then sought the person whom had supplied Zant with power: Ganondorf, whom had taken up residence in Hyrule Castle. Link and Midna soon confronted Ganondorf. He first possessed Zelda and used her as his puppet in battle. But Link was able to drive Ganondorf’s spirit out of Zelda’s body. Ganondorf proceeded to transform into the pig beast Ganon, but Link defeated this form with his wolf form. Ganon assumed a new and more powerful form, but Midna teleported Link and Zelda to safety while she took on Ganon herself. She failed, and for a while she was believed dead. However, it succeeded in turning Ganon back into his Gerudo form.

Link then lent his power to Zelda in the final battle with Ganondorf. Link and Zelda rode together on Epona’s back into combat with Ganondorf. Zelda fired Light Arrows to stun Ganondorf so that Link could slash him with the Master Sword. Afterwards, Ganondorf used a magical barrier to trap Link in one-on-one combat with him. Link was able to not only defeat Ganondorf but impale him on the Master Sword. Following Ganondorf’s death, Link met with Midna, whom had been restored to her original form. Link and Zelda later saw Midna off when she returned to the Twilight Realm, but she destroyed the Mirror of Twilight as well in order to prevent anymore clashing between the two realms. With his adventure complete, Link returned the Master Sword to its resting place and rode Epona back to Ordon Village.

Four Swords Adventures

This Link was another childhood friend of Zelda's, similar to his predecessors from The Minish Cap and Four Swords though removed by many centuries. He accompanied Princess Zelda and the Shrine Maidens when they checked the seal on Vaati. They were suddenly attacked by Shadow Link, who captured Zelda and all of the maidens. Link had no choice but to draw the Four Sword and free Vaati. Vaati quickly sent the four Links flying away, but they soon recovered and set off with advice from Kaepora Gaebora. They strengthened the Four Sword by collecting Force Gems along their quest and saved the six maidens as well as Zelda. They stopped the Shadow Links with help from the princess and completely destroyed Vaati. Finally, the Links and Princess Zelda worked together to defeat the reincarnation of Ganon, who was behind this entire plan. Ganon was defeated and sealed within the Four Sword in Vaati's place.

Unknown Timeline

Hero of the Wild

The Previous Hero

At one point in Hyrule's history, the people of Hyrule began utilizing the technological advancements of the Sheikah clan to prepare for the next coming of Ganon. An army of Guardians and Four Divine Beasts were created to help in the battle, with the latter being piloted by four Champions from Hyrule's other races. When Calamity Ganon arose, a hero in green and a princess stood to stop him, aided by the Sheikah automatons. The Guardians and Divine Beasts were able to weaken Calamity Ganon, so that the hero could defeat him, and the princess finished the job by sealing him away. This ushered in an era of peace that lasted for around ten thousand years.

Breath of the Wild: Past Era

The end of that era of peace came when a prophecy arose and foretold of the return of Calamity Ganon. This caused Hyrule's Royal Family to begin coordinating excavations of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, which had fallen into obscurity. It was at this time that a new hero named Link arose. His father was a knight who was part of the royal guard, and Link was a prodigy when it came to swordfighting. It was said that he was able to best adults when he was only a child. His one other skill and passion was cooking. It was said that he could make good meals out of almost anything, and he was also known to have a big appetite when it came to eating food. When he was a child, he was known for being curious and full of energy, as well as being reckless and getting hurt often. When he was around four years old, he was part of a group of people who the king allowed to visit Zora's Domain. It was there that he met Mipha, and the two got along like siblings. Mipha made a habit of healing Link's wounds, and he was impressed by her magic. He also met the Goron named Daruk when he grew older. Link saved him from monsters at the base of Death Mountain, and the two became fast friends while enjoying some rock roast, which Link apparently enjoyed.

Link grew up into a skilled knight like his father, and he was able to draw the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Korok Forest. This was seen as proof that he was the latest incarnation of the Hero, and he was also acknowledged as a Champion of Hyrule. Around this time, Link had a shift in his demeanor in which he became silent and stoic. He rarely spoke, and he claimed it was because he felt that it was necessary to silently bear his burdens while all of Hyrule had staked their future on him. Mipha was stricken by the difference when they met again, and Link slayed the Lynel that had been terrorizing the Zoras. Later on, Link took part in an inauguration ceremony with Princess Zelda and the Four Champions who would pilot the Divine Beasts, and a picture ended up being taken of the six of them afterwards. The Champions included Mipha and Daruk, as well as Revali and Urbosa. Revali was always at odds with Link, became he envied his position as the central hero of the coming battle. Soon afterwards, King Rhoam decreed that Link would be Zelda's appointed knight. At Daruk's suggestion, a formal ceremony was held in which Zelda gave a speech commemorating Link's position as the appointed knight and as the hero wielding the Master Sword, with mentions of the deeds of previous incarnations of the Hero. The Four Champions were the only audience to this ceremony, in which Zelda's speech came with a subdued delivery due to her uncertain feelings about Link. She was sometimes cold towards Link, because she thought that her father was using Link to monitor her movements, and she was also envious of how easily he seemed to live up to his destiny as a hero, while she had been struggling all of her life in various failed attempts to unlock her family's sealing magic. She also mistook his silent demeanor as him quietly judging her. Still, Link accompanied her almost everywhere, and he tried to help in her work with the Divine Beasts.

Their dynamic started to shift during their time at the desert. Zelda had begun avoiding Link, and he went as far as sneaking into Gerudo Town with Urbosa's help to find her, only to later come across her after she had fallen asleep on Urbosa's Divine Beast. Urbosa spoke to Link while she was asleep and hinted at the insecurities that were plaguing Zelda related to Link. Link later saved Zelda from some assassins from the Yiga Clan. This caused Zelda to reconsider her treatment of him. Soon afterwards, they managed to speak during a meal, and Link opened up to her about the reasons for his silence. The two started to truly bond at this point. Zelda became more friendly and open about her feelings in conversations with Link, and she even light-heartedly tried to make him a test subject for the special properties of ingesting a certain type of frog. However, there were also signs that Calamity Ganon's time was nearing, and Zelda continued to struggle in her attempts to unlock her powers. Link gained a sense of the pressure she was living under when the king told her about the gossip surrounding her failures and forbade her from working with the Sheikah machines until she could use her powers.

Link accompanied Zelda in her last-ditch effort to unlock her magic by praying at the Spring of Wisdom atop Mt. Lanayru, while the other Champions awaited at the foot of the mountain. They returned unsuccessful, and they were soon disrupted by a loud commotion. Calamity Ganon had finally awoken and began his rampage against Hyrule. Hyrule's efforts were turned against them, as Calamity Ganon was able to take control of the Guardians and Divine Beasts, with the Four Champions and King Rhoam all being killed in the process. Link focused on trying to protect Zelda. As they fled, they had a quiet moment where Zelda broke down about her failures while Link attempted to comfort her. They were soon embroiled in battle once again. She finally unlocked her magical powers to protect Link from an assault by Guardians. However, at this point Link succumbed to his injuries. The Master Sword spoke to Zelda and told her about a plan to save Link. Two Sheikah, Purah and Robbie, were summoned before Zelda to take Link to a special shrine on the Great Plateau known as the Shrine of Resurrection. There, Link would be able to be revived over the course of many years. As for Zelda, she returned the Master Sword to its resting place and then used her power to contain Calamity Ganon within Hyrule Castle while waiting for Link's return.

Breath of the Wild: Present Era

One hundred years passed before Link awakened in the Shrine of Resurrection. He was successfully restored to life, but it came at the cost of all of his past memories. He awoke to attempts at telepathic calls from Zelda and quickly received the Sheikah Slate, which would be an invaluable asset in his quest. Link soon received guidance from a mysterious old man, who taught him the basics about survival and tasked him with collecting four Spirit Orbs from nearby shrines. Link also unlocked the Runes of the Sheikah Slate in the process, which granted him access to new abilities. After Link completed these tasks, the old man revealed himself to be the spirit of King Rhoam. Rhoam told him the story of the Great Calamity and about Zelda's current situation. He gave Link the Paraglider so that he could leave the Great Plateau and suggested that he seek out Impa at Kakariko Village for more information.

Link was then free to explore Hyrule as he pleased, with a number of storyline events that he could take part in before facing Calamity Ganon. When meeting Impa, she passed down the message that Zelda had left for him: to free the Divine Beasts. Link's main quest then consisted of seeking out each Divine Beast and defeating the phantom within to free the spirits of the Four Champions. In each area, he received help from a local who had some connection to the deceased Champion. In the Zora territory, he worked with Sidon to take on Vah Ruta. In the Goron territory, he worked with Yunobo to attack Vah Rudania. Above the home of the Rito, he worked with Teba to battle Vah Medoh. And within the Gerudo Desert, he received aid from Riju in battling Vah Naboris after retrieving her valuable heirloom from the Yiga Clan. Each freed Champion's spirit was able to regain control of their respective Divine Beast to help in the final battle with Calamity Ganon, and they also each bestowed upon Link one of their special abilities. Additionally, Link also regained a memory of each Champion in the process. Link could also reclaim the Master Sword at Korok Forest, although he had to have a certain level of strength in order to succeed at this (which amounted to having at least thirteen hearts in his heart meter).

Link could also visit Purah and receive the Camera function for his Sheikah Slate, which came with an album of photos taken by Zelda relating to memories she shared with Link. By visiting the locations seen in the pictures, Link could regain various memories of his past with Zelda. After remembering everything shown in the album, Link was shown a picture of one final location by Impa, which contained Link's last memory from his past life in which Zelda awakened her powers.

Link could also go on additional quests as part of the DLC known as "The Champions' Ballad". In this, he was initially called to the Great Plateau, where he had to take on hordes of enemies and complete four shrines while wielding a weapon known only as the One Hit Obliterator. It could defeat any enemy with one hit, but it also drained Link's health so that he would die in one hit as well. After completing this trial, he was called upon to complete the sacred rites that each of the Champions undertook. Doing so would allow Link to complete a trial in the Realm of Memories, where he had to battle Ganon's phantoms again with a limited inventory. Completing these trials would cause Link to be granted a stronger version of the Champion's ability, and Kass would also play a song about the Champion in question, which would cause Link to receive a memory of Zelda recruiting the hero in question. After these were complete, Link was called back to the Shrine of Resurrection and underwent one last challenge in a dungeon hidden under the shrine. This final trial ended in a battle against an undead Sheikah monk known as Maz Koshia. After Maz Koshia was defeated, he acknowledged Link's worth and awarded him with a vehicle that was meant for the one true hero, which was known as the Master Cycle Zero.

Eventually, Link traveled to Hyrule Castle and found the area where Calamity Ganon was being held at bay just as Zelda reached the point where she could no longer contain him. Calamity Ganon was free, and the two of them battled underneath Hyrule Castle. Link was able to defeat Calamity Ganon, although the monster then reformed on Hyrule Field as the Dark Beast Ganon. Zelda gave him the Bow of Light for the final battle and used her magic to make weak points appear that Link could attack. With the power of the Light Arrows, Ganon was eventually defeated, and Zelda was freed. She was then able to finish him off. Afterwards, Zelda and Link were reunited, with the princess asking Link if he remembered her. If Link had regained all of his memories of Zelda, an extra scene played after the credits. In this scene, it was shown that Link was accompanying Zelda across Hyrule and assisting in her efforts to help the people of Hyrule to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Calamity Ganon's downfall. Link was shown to still be wielding the Master Sword as well.

Tears of the Kingdom

Several years passed between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Little was said of Link's activities during this timespan. It was known that he continued to accompany Zelda as she traversed Hyrule, that he let the Master Sword rest in Korok Forest for some time to heal it and that his house from Breath of the Wild came to be Zelda's. The road to peace was eventually hampered by the spread of something called gloom that made Hyruleans sick and caused the deterioration of equipment from across the land. It was decided that Link would accompany Zelda in exploring the source of the gloom, which seemed to be emanating from the restricted caverns below Hyrule Castle. In preparation for this journey, Link retrieved the Master Sword from the Korok Forest. The two of them made their way down the caverns and found murals on the cave walls which seemed to be depicting legends relating to the Zonai and the mysterious Imprisoning War from Hyrule's past. They ultimately discovered an Imprisoning Chamber which contained an emaciated figure who was being held in place by a disembodied arm. The seal war off as the two of them entered, and the emaciated Ganondorf came back to life. While Link stood ready to protect Zelda, Ganondorf summoned a torrent of gloom that managed to shatter the Master Sword's blade and corrupted Link's right arm. Ganondorf then rose Hyrule Castle up into the sky, with the ground crumbling beneath Link and Zelda in the process. Link tried to catch Zelda as they fell, only for her to disappear before he could catch her.

Link himself was saved by the disembodied arm, which somehow was able to bring him up to the Room of Awakening which was located on the Great Sky Island. The arm was also able to attach itself to Link to replace his corrupted arm. After Link awoke, he received guidance from the spirit of a Zonai named Rauru, who turned out to be the source of the disembodied arm as well as the original king of Hyrule. Rauru guided him in learning new abilities he could carry out with his Zonai arm: Ultrahand, Fuse and Ascend. He also received Zelda's Purah Pad, which was stored nearby. As Link went through the Zonai shrines on the Great Sky Island, the sacred light also started to purify some of the corruption that lingered from Ganondorf's attack. Eventually, he had been purified enough to enter the Temple of Time, where he experienced a vision of Zelda, who gave him the Recall ability, and he sent the broken Master Sword into a light from which it was sent to Zelda herself. Link was left clueless about Zelda's whereabouts, but he did receive a message from her imploring Link to find her. Link was then able to dive down to the surface, where his adventure would truly begin.

As with Breath of the Wild, there were a number of tasks that could be accomplished in any order. At Lookout Landing, Link met with Purah and learned about various problems afflicting Hyrule in the aftermath of the Upheaval. He could also help with setting up the newly-constructed Skyview Towers in order to receive map data on the Purah Pad for both the land and the skies above Hyrule, and he could help Josha and Robbie with exploring the Depths. In the Depths, Link could activate Lightroots to map out that layer of Hyrule, gain the Autobuild ability and engage in repeated battles from Kohga, from whom he would eventually learn Ganondorf's whereabouts. On the surface, Link could go on quests to investigate the phenomena that were occurring in the different regions of Hyrule, which turned into a quest to awaken new sages by uniting them with the sacred stones of their ancestors. In the Hebra region, he teamed up with Tulin to stop an endless blizzard that was plaguing the Rito, which ended in Tulin becoming the Sage of Wind. At Death Mountain, he saved Yunobo from the influence of a mask and worked with him to destroy the source of a marbled rock roast that was corrupting the Gorons, with Yunobo becoming the Sage of Fire in the process. In the Lanayru region, he worked with Sidon to stop the source of sludge that had been raining down upon the Zoras, and Sidon became the Sage of Water. And in the Gerudo Desert, Link fought alongside Riju to stop the source of an unending sand shroud and a swarm of Gibdos that came with it, with Riju becoming the Sage of Lightning in the process. All the while, Link kept seeing what appeared to be Zelda moving around and appearing to be working to inflict those troubles against the people of Hyrule. Afterwards, Link went to Hyrule Castle to investigate more Zelda sightings, where it turned out that they were an illusion cast by Ganondorf. He fought against the illusion's true form of Phantom Ganon and defeated it. In the aftermath of the battle, Ganondorf attempted to attack Link with gloom, only for the four sages to intervene and save Link.

After regrouping at Lookout Landing, it was determined that there was one more sage for them to seek out. After investigating the Ring Ruins, it was discovered that the sage in question was Mineru, the Sage of Spirit who was the sister of Rauru. After carrying out a ritual in Faron's Zonai Ruins and assembling a construct at the Construct Factory in the Depths, it was discovered that Mineru had preserved her spirit long ago by placing it in the Purah Pad. Mineru was able to live on by inhabiting the construct, and Link was able to help her to find her secret stone. Mineru told her much of the story of what transpired years ago during the Imprisoning War, including Zelda having been displaced in the past time period. She also implored him to find the Master Sword for his fight against Ganondorf. Throughout Hyrule, Link could also investigate the geoglyphs throughout the land, which houses Dragon's Tears that showed Link memories of events that occurred involving Zelda in the time of Hyrule's founding. After gaining them all, Link experienced one more tear which made it clear what had happened: Zelda had subjected herself to draconification, losing herself to become a dragon so that she would live to the present day while letting the Master Sword heal and become stronger through her sacred energy. Zelda's last wish was for Link to "protect them all". At the Korok Forest, Link could liberate the Deku Tree from a gloom infestation, after which the Deku Tree would help Link to track down the Master Sword's whereabouts. Once Link found the Light Dragon, Zelda's new form, he was able to pull the Master Sword from her hair (provided he had at least two wheels of stamina). He then received a vision from Zelda, where she told Link that she would help Link defeat Ganondorf through the Master Sword's power. Link could also become stronger by gaining Lights of Blessing from the 152 Zonai Shrines of Light located throughout Hyrule and its skies.

Eventually, Link braved the Depths below Hyrule Castle in order to reach Ganondorf for the final confrontation. Ganondorf summoned hordes of his monsters to take care of Link, but the five sages arrived to help him. Link managed to reach Ganondorf, who was able to restore his full power. Link was still able to best Ganondorf in both his normal and Demon King forms. As a last-ditch effort to defeat Link, Ganondorf swallowed his secret stone and transformed into a Dark Dragon. Link received aid from the Light Dragon and rode atop her while battling Ganondorf. Link was ultimately successful in destroying Ganondorf. In the aftermath of the battle, Rauru and Sonia's spirits channeled their powers through Link's arm, which turned Princess Zelda back to normal and also restored Link's original arm. Zelda was left plummeting through the sky, but this time Link was able to catch her, and they landed safely in a lake. During the final scene, unlocked only through the completion of all story quests, Link accompanied Purah, Zelda and the sages to the Great Sky Island. There, Mineru's spirit departed to the afterlife to join Rauru and Sonia, and Link stood alongside the sages as they swore an oath to look after Zelda.

In Other Zelda Games

Link was featured as the playable protagonist in the Zelda Game & Watch game. In this game, Link embarked on a quest to defeat eight dragons and rescue Princess Zelda, who was described as his 'sweetheart'. The Twilight Princess version of Link was featured from a first-person perspective in Link's Crossbow Training, in which he practiced using a crossbow and took on a number of enemies, culminating with a battle against the Stallord.

Hyrule Warriors

In Hyrule Warriors, Link is featured as the primary playable protagonist. Unlike other Zelda games, there are also a large amount of other characters to choose from for battles, although most of them have to be unlocked by progressing through the game. In battle, Link can utilize up to five different main weapons: the standard sword and shield, the Fire Rod, the Gauntlet (which allows him to wield a variety of heavy weapons) and the Great Fairy (who carries Link around in a bottle while fighting). Young Link (from Majora's Mask and with the ability to use the Fierce Deity's Mask) and Toon Link also make playable appearances, as DLC in the original Wii U game and as unlockable characters within the games' ports. The Links all remain silent aside from grunts and shouts as in previous games; Link and Young Link are accompanied by a fairy named Proxi who speaks for them, while Toon Link's sister Aryll speaks with him over the Pirate's Charm.

In Legend Mode, a hero in green was mentioned in the game's backstory as having sealed away the evil of Ganon in the past by splitting his soul into four pieces that were divided across different eras. The current incarnation of Link was first shown among the young recruits training in Hyrule's army at the beginning of "The Armies of Ruin". When Hyrule Castle was attacked by dark forces, he defied his orders and took initiative by trying to help Princess Zelda and Impa to repel the enemies. A fairy named Proxi was drawn to him and began to accompany him, and in the ensuing battle, it was ultimately shown that this Link was also bore the Triforce of Courage. Hyrule Castle ultimately fell to the dark forces, and Link escaped with Impa, but Zelda went missing in the confusion. Having seen the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand, Impa realized that he may truly the reincarned Hero and presented him with a green tunic as they prepared to look for Zelda. In their travels, they instead found a mysterious fighter known as Sheik in "The Sheikah Tribesman", and they also met up with Lana, a young woman who was leading a resistence against the dark forces in "The Sorceress of the Woods". They all banded together in trying to find and defeat the leader of the dark forces, an evil sorceress known as Cia.

In "The Sorceress of the Valley", they advanced upon Cia's lair at the Valley of Seers in order to seal off the Gate of Souls that she had opened and put an end to her campaign. However, this proved to only be the beginning, as Cia managed to extract Link and Zelda's respective Triforce pieces and used it to complete the Triforce. With it, she opened the Gates of Souls in three different points in space and time, all as part of her plan to revive Ganondorf. As a result, three portals opened leading to the eras in time containing each gate. Link, Impa and Lana each split up and entered a different portal in order to take on the Gates of Souls as quickly as possible. Link's journey through time took him to Skyloft in the era of Skyward Sword. First, he repelled Ghirahim and Volga from attacking Skyloft in "Land in the Sy", and in the process Link teamed up with Fi, who decided to work with Link despite him being different from her master. They then made their way to the Sealed Grounds in "Sealed Ambition", where they thwarted Ghirahim's attempts to revive The Imprisoned. Finally, they manage to seal off that Gate of Souls and returned to the present. They then met up with the others and learned several truths: that Sheik was actually Zelda in disguise, and that Lana was actually the living embodiment of the good that Cia cast out from herself. WIth that settled, they then traveled to the Temple of the Sacred Sword in order to find the Master Sword, in hopes that its power could be a key to defeating Cia. Link managed to find and draw the Master Sword after an arduous battle in "The Sacred Sword", and with it Link had a newfound advantage over his enemies, one which came with a newfound confidence.

With the Master Sword in hand, the Hyrulean forces advanced to directly confront Cia at the Temple of Souls in "A War of Spirit". However, Link was growing reckless and headstrong with his newfound power. When he finally confronted Cia, she took advantage of this and used her magic to bring his shadow to life as a Dark Link. The number of Dark Links multiplied while Cia retreated, but just as things were getting overwhelming for the hero, his allies all banded together to support him in fighting off the Dark Links. Zelda's forces then decided to retreat, but they faced a final obstacle in the form of Ganondorf, who was ready to target Zelda. Link then repaid the favor to his allies by taking on Ganondorf and forcing him to retreat. Humbled by that battle, Link then fought alongside the Hyrulean forces at the Valley of the Seers in "Shining Beacon". This time they were able to take on defeat Cia. She perished, and Lana ended up receiving the Triforce of Power. After a bittersweet farewell with Lana, the Hyrulean forces returned him victorious. But the peace was short-lived, as Ganondorf was able to revive.

In the following Ganondorf missions, Ganondorf was the protagonist instead of Link. In the final one of those three chapters, "Battle of the Triforce", Ganondorf had taken the Triforce of Power from Lana and with it was advancing to take the remaining Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda. This time, the two heroes lost the battle and so Ganondorf was able to complete the Triforce. However, they soon prepared a counter attack in the Grand Finale scenarios. In "Enduring Resolve", the heroes first attacked Ganon's forces at Gerudo Desert, in order to defeat both Ghirahim and Zant for good. They then made their way back to Hyrule and engaged Ganondorf in a final fight in "Liberation of the Triforce". Ganondorf was pressed to transform into Ganon, but with the help of Zelda's Light Arrows, he was destroyed once again. Link, Zelda and Lana then regained their respective Triforce pieces, and they used them to seal Ganon away again. In the aftermath, Link and Zelda returned to the Temple of the Sacred Sword to return the Master Sword to its resting place. This proved to be a struggle for Link due to the remnants of darkness trying to keep the Master Sword away, but Zelda ultimately helped him to place it right back in its place. With peace returned, Link and Zelda then returned to Hyrule. They were shown to return just after Linkle defeated the remnants of the enemy forces in the Linkle's Tale scenario "The Other Hero".

Link also acted as the main character of the the Wind Waker campaign, where the reality of the Wind Waker was suddenly merging with modern day Hyrule, and Link was sent to investigate. He teamed up with Tetra and Daphnes Nohansen from that timeline while tracking down the source of the evil, who turned out to be Phantom Ganon. They worked together to defeat Phantom Ganon, at which point the Wind Waker timeline unmerged from theirs. Link, Lana and Cia returned to Hyrule Castle to use the Triforce to close the rifts, and Cia and Lana were able to return to their roles as guardians.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

The Breath of the Wild version of Link was featured as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. He could wield a variety of weapons as in Breath of the Wild, which were divided into one and two-handed weapons as well as spears. An extra weapon type, the flail, was added as DLC, which allowed him to copy enemy weapons. This game's storyline followed an alternate version of the Great Calamity that was depicted in the flashback story of Breath of the Wild. As in the original game, Link started off as a skilled knight of Hyrule. However, the order of events were changed so that Link became Zelda's appointed knight before getting the Master Sword, and Zelda was not shown bearing animosity towards him. Link did not gain the Master Sword until a battle at Korok Forest in Chapter 3, after all of the Champions had been recruited, but the inauguration ceremony was held afterwards. Thanks to a time-traveling Diminutive Guardian known as Terrako, this version of the timeline was changed for the better, as the deaths of the Champions and King Rhoam were all prevented. Link was also never mortally wounded in this timeline, and ultimately Hyrule's forces were able to defeat Calamity Ganon.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Link was the hero of the licensed game, Link: The Faces of Evil, for the Philips CD-i. He also appeared as a major character in Zelda: Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure, where he was the kidnapped one who had to be rescued by Zelda, in a role reversal from the traditional Zelda formula.. For more information, see Nintendo Games on Philips CD-i.
• He has made cameo appearances in Tetris (where he appears playing a flute after completing Game B at Level 9 or higher and with other Nintendo characters in the game's secret ending), F-1 Race (cheering for the player at the fifth course), Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (sleeping in a bed at the Rose Town inn), Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (where he placed behind Yoshi and Mario in Cranky Kong's Hero Coin challenge, although he was moved above Yoshi in the GBA remake), Tetris DS (where his image accompanied Zelda-themed puzzles) and Super Mario 3D World (where an 8-bit image of him is found in a hidden area).
• Link is playable in Soul Calibur II, in which most of his weapons (even the Magical Sword) can be purchased, equipped and used in battle. His backstory says that, after saving Hyrule from an evil magician controlled by the Soul Edge at Zelda's request, he traveled into another world to destroy the Soul Edge itself. In his ending, after sealing the evil away, he returns to the world of Hyrule by playing some sort of song on his ocarina.
• In the WarioWare series, Link has appeared in various microgames (specifically the Nintendo-themed games of 9-Volt, 18-Volt and 5-Volt) which are based on past Zelda games. Link similarly appeared in the NES Remix games, which repurposed segments of the NES games for challenges.
• In the Animal Crossing games, Link's hat and clothing were available in Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: New Leaf|New Leaf]], with his pants and boots s (as well as a wig and shirt of his Breath of the Wild appearance) also being available in the latter game. In New Leaf, a bipedal version of Wolf Link was also among the villagers who could appear after the Welcome amiibo update. He appeared at the campground after scanning an amiibo of Link, Wolf Link or Princess Zelda, and he could be invited to stay at the player's town. He was depicted with a smug personality, and his given birthdate was the release date of Twilight Princess.
• A Link costume has been included in Koei-Tecmo's games Shin Sangoku Musou VS and Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3. The former, which preceded Hyrule Warriors for several years, was based on his Skyward Sword design, while the latter was based on his Hyrule Warriors design.
• One of the attractions in Nintendo Land, known as "The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest", starred Miis wearing copies of Link's tunic.
• He was included as a playable racer in Mario Kart 8 (as a DLC racer) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. His appearance was based on his Skyward Sword design, and he was a heavyweight racer. He had special tires and a glider known as the Triforce Tires and Hylian Glider, respectively. A racing suit based on Link's appearance could also be unlocked for Mii characters by scanning a Link-related amiibo.
• In Yoshi's Woolly World, there were Yoshi designs based on the appearances of Link and ToonLink that could be unlocked by scanning the respective amiibo. A design based on Wolf Link was also made available in Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World.
• In Super Mario Maker, there are Mystery Mushroom costumes available of Link (using his sprite from the original game), Toon Link, Wolf Link and Totem Link. The former three could be unlocked by scanning matching amiibos, and the former two could alternately unlocked as random prizes for completing a 100-Mario Challenge (on Normal or harder for Toon Link). Wolf Link and Totem Link each were featured in special Event Courses that could be used to unlock them.
• Wigs for Link (from Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild) were available in Miitomo, along with a shirt based on the Champion Shirt from Breath of the Wild.
• In Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, a Majora's Mask t-shirt was available which used artwork of Link from that game.
• Link was featured as one of the main protagonists of Cadence of Hyrule along with Zelda and Cadence. At the beginning of the game, the player can choose to start as Link or Zelda. If playing as Link, then he would start off from his house in the forest. If playing as Zelda, Link could be unlocked by waking him up at Kakariko Village by defeating Shadow Link to retrieve a Hibiscus Potion.
• In Super Mario Maker 2, an update made in December 2019 added the Master Sword as a power-up. This transformed Mario into an 8-bit version of Link (once again using his sprite from The Legend of Zelda). In this form, he could attack with his swords, arrows and bombs.

Super Smash Bros.

Link appears as a playable character in every game of the Super Smash Bros. series. The first two games (Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee) use his Ocarina of Time design, while the latter games use his designs from Twilight Princess (in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U) and Breath of the Wild (in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). His moves involve a mix of sword attacks and attacks utilizing other items from his adventures such as his boomerang, bomb and hookshot.

Link's Final Smash in most appearances is the Triforce Slash, in which he slashes at a character (or multiple characters) repeatedly with a sword while they are trapped within a Triforce symbol and then sends them flying. This Final Smash is shared by Toon Link and Young Link (in Ultimate). In Ultimate, Link's Final Smash is changed to the Ancient Bow and Arrow, which involves Link firing an Ancient Arrow directly ahead.

In the 3DS/Wii U game and Ultimate, Link's hat and outfit have also been made available as a costume for Mii Swordfighters. In Ultimate, the Champion's Wig (based on Link's hair from Breath of the Wild) was also available.

Young/Toon Link

Young Link also appears as a separate unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, based on the Link's child form appearing in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Young Link is unlocked by playing 500 Vs. Mode matches or by beating Classic Mode with ten different characters.

In Brawl and the 3DS/Wii U installment, Young Link is replaced by Toon Link. This version is the cel-shaded Link as seen in The Wind Waker, and so most of his moves are variations on Young Link's moves based on that game. In Brawl, he is unlocked by playing 400 brawls, beating Classic Mode after completing "The Subspace Emissary" or by meeting him in "The Subspace Emissary".

In Ultimate, Young Link and Toon Link are included as two separate playable fighters. They still share the same Final Smash, in the form of the Triforce Slash. They are also both unlockable characters, being unlocked through the game's variable-based system of unlocking characters or by awakening them in Adventure Mode.

Brawl: Subspace Emissary

Within the story mode of Brawl, "The Subspace Emissary", Link is first seen within The Forest drawing the Master Sword from its pedestal (accompanied by Navi). However, minions of the Subspace Army then attack, which leads Link to team up with Yoshi (who was napping nearby) in fighting them off. Afterwards, either Link and Yoshi fight a shadow clone of Princess Peach or Mario and Pit fight a shadow clone of Zelda. Either way, it results in either Mario or Link seeing the shadow clone of the princess they knew dissipating, leading him to think that was the real princess and that the other was the enemy. This leads to a battle between Mario and Link, but the misunderstanding is cleared after the battle when the four team up to pursue King Dedede, aided by Kirby. They do not succeed in finding the captured princesses, but they do unite with the main group to travel into Subspace to fight Tabuu. If Link and Zelda were freed from trophy form by Kirby, they then decided to restore Ganondorf so that he could help them in the final battles.

Toon Link is not part of the main story of "The Subspace Emissary" and can only be reached through a door that appears in The Forest after the game is completed. This door takes the player to the Pirate Ship level, where Toon Link attacks the player, seeing him as an intruder.

Ultimate: Adventure and Classic Modes

In the Adventure Mode of Ultimate, Link appeared during the opening cutscene of "World of Light". He was among the army of fighters assembled to face Galeem and his Master Hand army. Once Galeem unleashed his beams of light, Link was shown trying to fend them off. His Hylian Shield was able to deflect one beam of light, but then another was able to overtake him. Afterwards, he fell under Galeem's control. Link could be found and awakened through battle in the area to the southeast of the player's starting point. Toon Link could be found and awakened in the Light Realm's island area.

As for Young Link, he was found within the Lost Woods of the Sacred Land area that was accessed through the Dark Realm. The player had to follow the instructions of the owl statues to reach him. After he was awakened through battle, the player would gain the Triforce of Courage, which was needed to advance to other parts of the map.

Link's personal Classic Mode route within the game is called "A Quest to Seal the Darkness". The theme of this route is fighting opponents who are affiliated with darkness. In the last stages of this route, Link fights Ganondorf and Dark Link, and for its boss fight, Ganondorf returns to take on the form of Ganon. Young Link's Classic Mode route is called "Hyrule Smash!" and is themed around him fighting other fighters from the Zelda series (including another Young Link), while Toon Link's route is called "The Teamwork of Courage" and involves him fighting alongside two other Toon Links (in reference to Tri Force Heroes) against other groups of fighters. Both routes also end in battles against Ganon.

Trophies/Stickers/Spirits

In Melee, there are three trophies each of Link and Young Link. In Brawl, Link and Toon Link each have two standard trophies (one being his normal trophy while the second shows his Final Smash) along with trophies of Wolf Link and Toon Link in his normal clothes from The Wind Waker. Brawl also has stickers of Link from The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker, with Epona from Ocarina of Time, as Wolf Link with Midna in Twilight Princess, with the King of Red Lions from The Wind Waker, with pigs from The Wind Waker and with a Goron Mask from Majora's Mask, along with stickers of Link in Deku, Goron and Fierce Deity forms from Majora's Mask.

In the 3DS/Wii games, there are two standard trophies for both Link and Toon Link that appear in both versions. Beyond that, the 3DS version also has trophies for Link's adult self in Ocarina of Time, for his Spirit Tracks design and for his Engineer outfit from Spirit Tracks, while the Wii U version has trophies for Link and Toon Link's respective Final Smashes as well as for Wolf Link.

In Ultimate, each of the three playable variations of Link has a respective Fighter Spirit that can be gained upon the respective character's first completion of Classic Mode or from a purchase at the Vault's shop. There are also Spirits for the Link from The Legend of Zelda, Deku Link, Fierce Deity Link, Alfonzo & Engineer Link, Wall-Merged Link (which can be enhanced into a Spirit of Link from A Link Between Worlds) and Totem Link, as well as Link being part of the artwork used to represent the Spirit of the Master Cycle from Mario Kart 8. A Spirit of Link from the Switch remake of Link's Awakening was later added to the game to promote the game's release.

Canceled Appearances

• Link was at one point planned to have a cameo appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga as one of the partons of the Starbeans Cafe, according to unused text from the game. He would give the Triforce, which was changed to the Great Force in the final version. Link did not speak in this appearance, but the cashier's dialogue pokes fun at the conventions of the Zelda series by calling Link the "Hero of... what is it, now?".

Other Media

• Link was the main character in the 13-episode run of The Legend of Zelda cartoons that ran as alternate segments on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Voiced by Jonathan Potts, this version of Link was portrayed as an overconfident and impetuous young man who was driven by wanting to be kissed by Zelda and was known for frequently stating "Well excuuuse me, princess!" whenever she was frustrated with him. These versions of Link and Zelda also made several guest appearances in Captain N: The Game Master, in which Link was portrayed in a relatively mature manner and seemed to have entered a relationship with Zelda, as she gave him kisses voluntarily.
• Link was also featured in the Valiant comics Legend of Zelda, which was based primarily on the cartoon series while adding elements from Zelda II. Link was portrayed somewhat more seriously and protected the Triforce of Courage in addition to his duties protecting Zelda and her Triforce of Wisdom from Ganon. It also explored Link's background by showing him as hailing from the land of Calatia, and his parents (named Arn and Medila) appeared. It lasted only five issues and one issue of Nintendo Comics System.
• Link has been featured in various manga adaptations of Zelda games over the years, including three different adaptations of A Link to the Past. The first manga adaptation was a The Legend of Zelda manga in 1989, followed by one of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in 1990, both made by Yu Mishasawa. In this continuity, Link was a half-elf who was secretly the son of a hero named Rune and the former (deceased) Princess Zelda. He was brought up by an old man he called Grandpa as well as Impa and eventually became friends with Zelda, although he was somewhat cowardly and teased for being a half-elf. Link was mostly forced into the journey to reunite the Triforce of Wisdom by Zelda after she coerced him into confronting Ganon. However, Link gained bravery in his quest and reunited the Triforce of Wisdom with the help of his aunt, Kana (although he remained unaware of his heritage) and used his father's White Sword to slay Ganon afterwards.
• The first of the three A Link to the Past adaptations was Shotaro Ishinomori's comic version that was published in Nintendo Power in 1992. In this version, his parents were Knights of Hyrule who were sent into the Dark World, and he was raised by his uncle until his death by Agahnim's hands. In this version, he instead begins to transform into a wolf in the Dark World (a possible influence on Twilight Princess) until he rejects his inner darkness. His allies in this version included the fairy Epheremelda, the master archer Roam who also acted as a rival, and a Zora. Link and Zelda defeat Ganon together, and afterwards Link became the protector of the Triforce. Link and Zelda's relationship reached a bittersweet conclusion due to their new duties giving them little time to see each other and it had only been "in their dreams" with the psychic link they shared in the battle against Ganon that they had been close.
• Link was featured in Ataru Cagiva's Link's Awakening manga in 1994. This made only several alterations to the plot. One was yet another fairy sidekick, this time named Felicia and provided by the owl. Additionally, Link and Marin's relationship is given much more emphasis, and after Link finds out the truth about Koholint Island, there is a plotline where Link attempts to reject his destiny as the waker of the Wind Fish and leave Koholint on a raft with Marin, but they are unable to escape the island. Link eventually learns to accept his destiny and finish the quest.
• Link was then featured in Cagiva's adaptation of A Link to the Past in 1995.
• In 1998, he starred in Akira Himekawa's adaptation of Ocarina of Time. This follows a somewhat abbreviated version of Ocarina of Time's story. His background was also explored a bit, with it being said that he was born into the guardian house of Hyrule, and that his father was a knight who was slain in battle. This manga also includes several bonus chapters: a two-part Young Link story showing Link meeting the Skull Kid at an annual Kokiri Festival prior to the main story's events, and an extra Adult Link story which shows him helping the Lake Hylia Laboratory's professor with his research and meeting a member of the birdlike Watara species.
• Link then appeared in the 2000 adaptation of Majora's Mask. This version also for the most part remained loyal to the original version of Link's quest and also specified that Link was searching for Navi.
• Link also appeared in the interconnected adaptations of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages written from 2001 to 2002 by Himekawa. In this depiction, Link was born with a Triforce crest and descended from a family of Hyrule Knights and was raised by his grandparents after the death of his parents. He comes across the Triforce while hiding from soldiers after getting into a fight prior to the annual swordsman contest. In Oracle of Seasons he seeks only the Rod of Seasons instead of the eight Essences and is awakened to hear the voices of nature's spirits, including the young Cucco chick Pyoko who acts similar to a fairy companion. His companions on this quest are Ricky and Maple. In the Oracle of Ages manga, Link teams up with his ancestor Raven as well as Ralph, and together they defeat Veran followed by Ganon. After returning to his grandparents house, it is shown he has changed history and inspired his own name.
• In the 2004 manga adaptation of Four Swords Adventures, Link was shown as a member of Hyrule's knights with his father, but one that preferred to work alone. After being split into four, however, each has a different personality, and they slowly learn about teamwork as the series progresses. The four are eventually separated by the plot, at which point Purple begins working with Shadow Link, but only to learn more about him and his masters, Vaati and Ganon, leading up to his betrayal. At the end, Shadow Link gives his life to allow Vaati to be destroyed, but lives on as Link's actual shadow after Link becomes whole again.
• In 2005, Himekawa's adaptation of A Link to the Past, the third and so far final adaptation of that game, was released. Link was shown to work as a farmer in an apple orchard. Link in the 1992 comic, Link's parents had been trapped into the Dark World, and Link's father was a great knight, but this version further expands on the background by revealing that Link's father was a former friend of Agahnim until he turned evil. In this version of the quest, he was accompanied by the thief Ganty, who betrayed him after learning of his heritage, due to thinking Hyrulean knights killed her parents. It was later revealed that Ganty wss another survivor of the knights' family, and she fired the Silver Arrow that finishes Ganon. Afterwards, Link opened up "the Hero's Apple Orchard".
• Link was featured in the 2006 manga adaptation of The Minish Cap, which followed an abbreviated version of the game's story with only minor additions and alterations, such as showing Link training at a dojo in the beginning but being considered too young and inexperienced by his master to compete in Hyrule's swordfighting tournament. In 2009, he starred in a Phantom Hourglass manga that similarly followed the original storyline.
• In 2013, a 32-page Skyward Sword manga was included in the back of the Hyrule Historia. Instead of adapting the game's story, this work showed the game's backstory. It featured a version of Link who lived in the Land of Hylia. He had been framed for a crime and was wrongly imprisoned for several years until the people released him and asked him to help fight the Demon King. This version of Link was hardened by his experiences and leery of being used by others, but ultimately he still wanted to protect the people above all. The goddess Hylia chose Link as her champion to help fight Demise, and to do so he first had to re-forge the Master Sword so that it could be wielded by human hands. Hylia's red Loftwing was skeptical of Link's worthiness, but he ultimately proved himself in battle with Demise. Link stuck the Master Sword into the ground to raise Skyloft into the sky while battling Demise, and he stayed behind while dying of his wounds. The Skyloft had come to accept him and said that they would be bound together forever. Hylia came to decide that she and Link would be reincarnated whenever Hyrule was in danger, setting into motion the cycle of reincarnation in the series. The manga was framed by scenes of a young Skyword Sword Link attending class and meeting his red Loftwing for the first time, which was shown to be the same Loftwing that had served Hylia and the previous Link. As it was included at the end of the Hyrule Historia and deals with backstory information with the game, it is unclear if this manga is intended to be canon.
• A 70-chapter Twilight Princess manga adaptation by Akira Himekawa was written from 2016 to 2022. The longest Zelda adaptation by far, its run started as a tie-in with the Wii U release of Twilight Princess HD.

Trivia

• Link is the official name for the character, but his name can be chosen by the player at the beginning of most games. Part of the Hyrule Historia accounts for this feature by saying that it is possible that some Links may have actually had different names, but they became associated with the name of Link by becoming a hero.
  • There are some exceptions where the name Link is used automatically without giving the player the option to choose a name. The only canon examples are in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (likely due to the voiced cutscenes), but has also happened in most non-canon spin-off games such as Link's Crossbow Training, the Hyrule Warriors games, Cadence of Hyrule and the CD-i games.
• Miyamoto and other developers prefer Link to be more of an avatar for the player to relate with rather than giving him an actual, distinct personality. Miyamoto has actually stated that he himself prefers Link as a playful and childlike character as opposed to his more serious depictions [1].
• There are currently fifteen known incarnations of Link, counting the heroes from the backstories of The Minish Cap and Four Swords as different Links. There are six Links from prior to the timeline split (with the Hero of Time being the sixth), and the downfall timeline has featured three different Links, while the other two timelines each featured two different Links. In addition, there is Breath of the Wild, which has an unknown timeline placement and features one Link while alluding to another in its backstory. There are also several unclear cases, such as the Link from the Skyward Sword manga (which may or may not be canon) and the previous iteration of the Tri Force Heroes (who could all be Links or all lookalikes, or an actual Link working alongside lookalikes as in the game's iteration).
• Link is left-handed in all appearances except for the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, where he was made right-handed to better match the controls for the respective games. The Master Quest of Ocarina of Time 3D also flips Hyrule and Link's swordfighting hand as a way to increase the difficulty.
• The only age for a version of Link that has been confirmed in game materials is that the Link from the first two games is 16 at the beginning of The Adventure of Link. Miyamoto has also stated that Link is around 12 in the first original Zelda, and that in Ocarina of Time he changes between being 9 and 16 years old while traveling through time.
• While the various versions of Link are known to be connected through reincarnation, a number of them may also be biologically related. Some relations were implied or confirmed by the Hyrule Historia:
  • The Hero of the Four Sword (from the Four Swords backstory) may be descended from the Link of The Minish Cap.
  • The Hero of Time is confirmed as the ancestor of the Link from Twilight Princess in the Adult Timeline. Although Link does not survive to produce offspring in the Downfall Timeline, the Historia does state an indirect relation as both Links are descended from the Knights of Hyrule.
  • The Link of The Legend of Zelda is implied to be descended from the Link of A Link to the Past.

See Also

• Ravio, his Lorule counterpart
• Linkle, his female counterpart