Linkle

Linkle
Species	Hylian
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Voiced by	Mikako Komatsu
Debut	Hyrule Warriors Legends

Linkle is a character who was introduced as an extra playable character in the non-canonical Hyrule Warriors Legends. This character was developed to act as a female counterpart of Link, the hero of the Zelda series, although she bears her own unique personality. In battle, she dual wields crossbows and also utilizes kicking attacks.

Background

Linkle was raised in a small rural village in the Faron Province, where she raised cuccos. Her only known relative was her grandmother, who assured Linkle that she was the reincarnation of the legendary Hero and also gave her a mysterious compass when she was young. Although that was a story many grandparents often told to their grandchildren, Linkle took those words to heart and truly believed that she was the legendary Hero. She also believed that the compass was magical and proof of her claim, and she kept a green tunic to wear when Hyrule needed her. Linkle learned how to wield a pair of crossbows in battle as her primary weapon. In general, she was a very energetic and quirky young woman, who had a penchant for overlooking directions and getting lost while having full confidence in her claims.

In the Legend Mode of Hyrule Warriors, she was featured in her own series of side missions known as Linkle's Tale. She first appeared in the side mission "The Girl in the Green Tunic", where she heard about the danger facing Hyrule and raced into action in hopes of living up to her destiny as the Hero and being the one to save Hyrule. However, she went the wrong way and ended up lost in the Faron Woods, where the Skull Kid found her and stole her compass. Linkle was determined to regain it, so she worked with an army of cuccos to fight off Skull Kid's minions, as well as the Skull Kid himself. When Linkle battled the Skull Kid, her compass emitted a mysterious light that blinded the Skull Kid and helped her to defeat him. She finally regained her compass, and although she did not understand the reason for the glow, she did interpret it as a confirmation that she truly was the reincarnation of the Hero. With her determination reinforced, she then set off again on her journey, but once again she ended up going in the opposite direction of Hyrule Castle.

In the next two side missions, Linkle somehow ended up stumbling into two past eras of Hyrule in her quest while trying to find Hyrule Castle. In "The Demon Lord's Plan", Linkle ended up in the Sealed Grounds during the era of Skyward Sword. There, she came across Ghirahim's botched attempt to revive Demise, resulting in a small force of miniature versions of The Imprisoned. Linkle teamed up with Fi to repel these forces and successfully drove away Ghirahim as well as disposing of each Imprisoned. She noticed her compass glowing at the end of the battle, and then she set off once again after the battle was won. The other side mission in the past, "Powers Collide", brought her to the time period of Ocarina of Time, where she stumbled across battle that was being waged at Lake Hylia, with Darunia and Ruto attempting to fight off Volga's forces. Linkle was quickly asked to lend her aid, and with her assistance they were able to defeat Volga. In the aftermath of the battle, Linkle noticed that her compass was glowing again, and she was determined to find Hyrule Castle this time, only to once more set off in a different direction.

In the side mission "Her True Self", Linkle wound up arriving at the Palace of Twilight while Midna was preparing to save Princess Zelda from dark forces. She found a mysterious dark crystal there that managed to restore Midna's true form, and then they worked together to defeat dark versions of Zant and Midna in order to save Zelda. Linkle's compass shone again in the final battle. The battle was ultimately won, but the darkness of the twilight persisted. Because of this, Midna had to destroy the crystal and return to her cursed state in order to repel the darkness. Linkle was inspired by Midna's actions and strengthened her resolve to make it to Hyrule Castle, although she once more went in the wrong direction.

The final side mission of Linkle's Tale was "The Other Hero". She finally made it to Hyrule Castle, and although she had missed the final battle with Ganondorf, the area was under attack by the remnants of the monster forces while Link and Zelda were away at the Temple of the Sealed Sword. Linkle worked with Impa in repelling these forces, and their final enemy was a shadowy King Dodongo. Her compass acted in their favor once again, as it eventually drove away the darkness and left the King Dodongo vulnerable to attack. The battle was won, and Hyrule was saved by Linkle. Impa congratulated Linkle and assured her that her grandmother would be proud of her. Linkle was simply happy to live up to her role as the legendary Hero.

Trivia

• Her name is simply a play on Link's name to reflect that she is a female counterpart.
• When Hyrule Warriors was originally released on the Wii U, Linkle was initially shown just as concept artwork that never made it into the game. The idea became popular with the fans, and this may have influenced the eventual decision for her to be implemented as a playable character with Legends.
• At one point, Linkle was intended to be a younger sister of Link's, but Eiji Aonuma vetoed that idea due to the existence of Aryll. There was also a storyline idea that was scrapped for being too comical, in which Linkle would have had to team up with Lana and Darunia to defeat Ghirahim in a dance-off in order to save Link, who ultimately turned out to actually be Tingle in disguise. The scenario would have been a dream sequence on top of all that.
• Her victory cutscene involves her scrutinizing a map and then running confidently in one direction. A sign always pops up after she runs away, indicating that Hyrule Castle is in the opposite direction that she's running in.