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Link is the iconic protagonist of the Legend of Zelda franchise. With the exception of a few games, there is a different Link in each game in the franchise.
Overview
Link is the main protagonist in The Legend of Zelda series of games. Link is not a single character, but many characters who belong to a line of heroes. It is believed and confirmed that certain Links are the same physical character in more than one game, for example, the Link in Ocarina of Time is the same Link depicted in Majora's Mask, and the Link in The Wind Waker is the same Link seen in Phantom Hourglass. Link holds the Triforce of Courage whilst Zelda holds the Triforce of Wisdom and Ganon the Triforce of Power.History
Link first appeared in The Legend of Zelda for the NES. This game was one of the first games to have a battery-backed cartridge, allowing players to save their progress, something not natively supported by the console. Link then went on to star in Zelda II: The Adventrue of Link, a game that alternated between bird's-eye-view overworld segments and sidescrolling dungeons. Link's next appearance was on the SNES in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This game returned to the entirely top-view system of the original game, and proceeded to be hailed as one of the best games on the SNES. It was later remade for the Game Boy Advance. Link then went on to star in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which has been considered one of the greatest games of all time. After this release, Nintendo created another game from the same engine called The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. This game did not meet the same success due to the mechanic of a 72-hour period that repeated itself. This system was worsened by the fact that certain events occurred at certain times, requiring the player to be at a specific location, or have to wait for the time to loop again. After this, Nintendo went on to create the GameCube game; The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. This game featured a cel-shaded cartoon style rather than the realistic look featured in the previous game. Although originally considered a mistake, the graphical style was widely accepted, particularly after the game itself was proven to be a stellar title. Link then went on to star in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This game featured a return to the more realistic art style of OoT. This game was developed for theGameCube, but then was ported to the Wii. Due to most players being right handed, the Wii version of Twilight Princess was a 'mirror image' of the GameCube version. Many people have different preferences about the controls but media outlets generally felt that the Wii controls were the better of the two controls. Matt Cassamina at IGN even went to say, "you won't want to go back [to the old control scheme]".Physical Characteristics
Clothes
In every Zelda title, Link adorns a green tunic throughout most of each game. Link also occasionally adorns alternate-colored tunics to aid him, such as the fire-resistant red tunic used to protect him from the blazing heat of Death Mountain, or the Zora-inspired blue tunic, which allows Link to breathe underwater. In addition to his tunics, Link often wears gauntlets, tights, boots, a belt, and a long stocking-like hat. In later games he wears clothing different than his trademark tunic at the beginning.Features
Link has pointed ears, signature of his Hylian ancestry, and blue eyes. He usually wears blue dot or circle earrings in both ears, as well. Link's age is often ambiguous, but he is generally considered to be a teenager or adolescent, depending on the game. In early Zelda titles, booklet art shows a primitive-looking Link with brown hair. Throughout the series, however, Link's hair has become increasingly lighter (except for the conspicuously pink-haired Link in A Link to the Past) until it became blonde, and is even colored a bright shade of yellow in the cel-shaded Wind Waker; his hair returned to brown in Twilight Princess. In general, Link can be described (and often is in games) as an elf or fairy boy.Link is also left-handed. This detail goes unnoticed by most players, but Link holds his sword and uses most items with his left hand. A noticeable exception is in the Wii release of Twilight Princess, as the creators wanted Link to mirror the hand-preference of the majority of the players because of the gesture-based control.
Nature
Link has never had a line of speech in the official Zelda games though it is sometimes hinted at during play that Link has spoken during conversation. The Legend of Zelda usually follows the premise of Link growing to become a hero from humble beginnings, for example in Ocarina of Time, Link was a boy without a fairy in Kokiri Forest who was picked on by the other inhabitants. In this sense Link is always the everyman who discovers that he has a great purpose and destiny. Link is also portrayed as extremely courageous and heroic, putting others before himself. This bravery is often referred to by Ganondorf as foolish, though in the series it is Link and the side of good that prevails over evil.Equipment
The Legend of Zelda has a massive number of items throughout the series. Some of the most popular ones are:- The Master Sword - the magnificent sword that Link wields through the second half of most of his games. Abilities include firing energy when Link is at full health , and allowing the user to travel through time (Ocarina of Time). It is also reffered to as the Sword of Time.
- The Hero's Shield - known as the Hylian Shield in its first appearance and the Hero's Shield from then on, it is the shield that Link uses for defense. In the top-down Zelda games, this shield automatically deflects most projectiles, but is vulnerable against sword attacks. In the full 3D Zelda games, the shield will block most attacks, but must be activated by controller input.
- The Boomerang - this item is typically among the first items that Link acquires. The boomerang will stun enemies, attach to items, and break pots. In Twilight Princess, it causes a mini-tornado that can put out fires and bring small items back to Link.
- The Hero's Bow - Occasionally called the Fairy Bow, this is Link's most common ranged attack. Unlike the boomerang, which has limited effect, the bow and arrow can generally do damage.
- Bombs - the bombs are used to destroy certain objects, and also used in combat against certain enemies. Variations include the scurrying, mouse-like Bombchu and a similar one in Twilight Princess that resembles a bug.
- The Hookshot - the Hookshot, is the only item that simulates platforming in these games. This item can attach to certain objects in the environment, such as conveniently placed hooks, posts, and other objects of a similar nature. Twilight Princess offers a variation of the hookshot known as the clawshot.
Link games
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Trivia
Link's weapon of choice is...
- The Sword of Excalibur
- The Sword of Cectics
- The Master Sword
- The uber Sword
- Chuck Norris
Screenshots & Art
| Character Name: | Link |
| Real Name: | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthday: | |
| Appears in: | 37 games |
| First appearance: | The Legend of Zelda |
| Aliases |
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