Link's Uncle

Link's Uncle in A Link to the Past
Link's Uncle
Species	Hylian
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Blue
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Link's Uncle is an unnamed relative of Link who appears in A Link to the Past.

Background

Link's Uncle lived in a small house near Hyrule Castle. He was actually descended from the Knights of Hyrule and seemed to have some combat background as well, as he had his own sword and shield. His nephew Link lived with him. In A Link to the Past, he was awakened in the middle of the night by a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, one which Link also received. Link's Uncle grabbed his sword and shield and left after ordering Link to stay at the house, as he did not want him to get involved. He knew about a hidden passage into the castle and tried to take it, but he was ambushed and mortally wounded. Link found him there, and as his last act he gave Link his sword and shield, and he taught Link the secret spin attack technique so that he could take his place in rescuing Princess Zelda.

He urged Link to save Zelda with his last words and began to reveal something about her but died out before he could complete the sentence. In the GBA version, he instead tells Link that their people are destined to protect Zelda and reflects on the good times he and Link had experienced. At the end of the game, Link's wish on the Triforce resulted in Link's uncle being revived as well. He and Link spun their sword together outside their home.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• A radio drama which was released on the official Japanese soundtrack for A Link to the Past gives a backstory for the family. The man is named Alphon and was the husband of Zelda's nurse, Egorowa. Link was entrusted to their care, confirming that they are not blood-related. However, it is uncertain if this is canon.
• Link's Uncle has appeared in all three manga/comic adaptations of A Link to the Past, most of which expanded his role by having him being killed by Agahnim. The different mangas also had different stories about what happened to Link's parents. In the 2005 manga, he was also shown to run his own apple orchard.

Trivia

• The Japanese version makes it more vague about whether or not Link and his "uncle" are actually related by blood, as the term used to refer to him could mean uncle or could also generally refer to a middle aged man.
• His design is notably similar to Tarin, although this is only particularly true in the official art (as the uncle's sprite has different hair), and Tarin is reported to be based on Mario.
• The last words of Link's uncle begin to reveal something about Princess Zelda's connection to Link before being cut off when he dies ("Zelda is your..."). The original Japanese text has a similar phrase which actually says that Link is "the princess's". This ambiguity of this statement has been the cause of much speculation among fans. It is most likely that he is merely referring to Zelda as his "destiny", but he could also be implying a blood relation between them. This line was removed in the revised script of the GBA remake, most likely due to the absence of any actual revelation within the game and the unnecessary confusion caused by the line.
• He is the first relative of Link to appear in the series, although as noted above, they may not be actual blood relatives. Different Links would later be shown with their own relatives in later games.
• In the GBA remake, Blind the Thief poses as the wounded uncle in the Palace of the Four Sword.