Link refers to several different incarnations of the same fictional character and the protagonist of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Link has been featured in other media from Nintendo, including its merchandising, comic books, and a cartoon series.
Link is depicted as a child, teenager, or adult of the Hylian race, originating from the fictional land of Hyrule. Link often travels through Hyrule, defeating creatures, evil forces, and the series' primary antagonist, Ganon, while attempting to save Princess Zelda and Hyrule. Ganon, Zelda, and Link all possess one third of the power of the legendary relic, the triforce. Each third represents a virture. Zelda possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, Ganon possesses the Triforce of Power, and Link possesses the Triforce of Courage, the bottom right third of the triforce.
Link debuted on February 21, 1986, with the Japanese release of The Legend of Zelda. Described as a "young lad", or a "young man" who saved Princess Zelda's elderly nursemaid Impa from Ganon's henchmen, Link assumes the role of the hero attempting to rescue Princess Zelda (and the kingdom of Hyrule) from the evil wizard Ganon, who has stolen the Triforce of Power.
In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Link, now 16, goes on a quest to place a crystal in each of six palaces in Hyrule, so that he can later penetrate unhindered into the magically protected Great Palace, defeat Shadow Link, claim the Triforce of Courage, reunite the three pieces of the Triforce, and awaken the sleeping Zelda.
In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, a new Link, nephew of Hyrule's best blacksmith, is called on by princess Zelda to save the day. He must intercept the wizard Agahnim before he breaks the seal on the Dark World and unleash Ganon's fury upon Hyrule. Along the way, Link must collect three magical Pendants of Virtue and claim the legendary Master Sword before facing Agahnim.
In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which takes place sometime after A Link to the Past, Link decides to travel the world so he might be prepared if a threat like Ganon ever comes to Hyrule again. While returning to Hyrule, Link's ship is caught in a storm and wrecked. He washes up on the shore of a mysterious island called Koholint. Link is taken to the house of a kind man named Tarin and his daughter Marin. A talking owl tells him that the only way he can escape Koholint Island is by awakening the "Wind Fish", a giant creature slumbering in a colossal egg in the center of the island.
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a new Link must constantly travel to the past and to the future using the Ocarina of Time in order to stop Ganondorf's takeover of Hyrule and imprison him into the Sacred Realm with the help of the six sages and the Master Sword. During the game, Link is accompanied by the fairy Navi, which is a new addition to the series. Ocarina of Time is also the first 3D game in the Zelda series.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask occurs after Link defeats Ganon and is sent back in time to his childhood. While searching for a friend (supposedly Navi who had previously flown away) Link runs into Skull Kid, a character briefly featured in Ocarina of Time, and ends up in the land of Termina. He must save this land from the evil of Majora's Mask, which has drawn the moon into a decaying orbit, threatening to crash into Termina's primary town, Clock Town, in three days.
Link uses the Ocarina of Time to play the Song of Time, which he can use to travel back in time when he plays it, to relive these three days repeatedly so he can prevent the disaster. Along the way, Link finds many magical masks of his own, some of which allow him to transform.
Link is already a hero at the beginning of these games, as he is the same Link from A Link to the Past. The two Oracle games begin very similarly, with Link traveling to the shrine of the Triforce. Inside, the sacred relic transports him to a world in desperate need of a hero: Labrynna in Oracle of Ages, and Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons. Link meets and befriends Nayru the singer in the former, and Din the dancer in the latter.
In Labrynna, Link must use his ability to travel back and forth in time via the Harp of Ages to save the land from the clutches of the Sorceress of Shadow, Veran. In Holodrum, he must use the season-changing powers of the Rod of Seasons to end the ambitions of the General of Darkness, Onox.
At the outset of the game, Link travels with Princess Zelda to check on the Four Sword, an ancient blade said to seal Vaati, a powerful wind mage. As the two enter the Four Sword Sanctuary, Vaati breaks his seal, absconding with Zelda in order to make her his bride. As Link comes to, he is instructed by three Fairies to draw the Four Sword, which splits the hero into four copies of himself: One green, one red, one blue, and one purple. Together, the four Links journey across Hyrule to meet three Great Fairies, each of whom gives the Links a key necessary to enter Vaati's Palace.
This Link lives on Outset Island on the Great Sea, the region above Hyrule after it was flooded by the gods to prevent Ganondorf from conquering it. Link is celebrating his birthday, and it is customary on the island for one to receive the Hero's Clothes to honor the legendary Hero of Time when they reach the age the Hero was during his quest. Shortly after this, the Helmaroc King captures Link's sister, Aryll, prompting Link to travel with Tetra and her pirates to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue his sister.
Link is the grandson of Smith, the blacksmith for Hyrule Town. Link lives just outside the town, and goes to the Picori Festival with his childhood friend, Princess Zelda. During the award ceremony for the festival's sword tournament, the winner, Vaati, shatters the legendary Picori Blade and releases the monsters that had been sealed in the Bound Chest. Princess Zelda uses her power to send the monsters away, but then Vaati turns the princess to stone to prevent her from interfering with his plans.
Afterward, the King of Hyrule sends Link to Minish Woods to find the Minish, in the hopes that they can reforge the broken Picori Blade to use against Vaati. As he travels though the woods, Link meets Ezlo, his companion throughout the game. Ezlo sits on Link's head throughout his adventure. Aside from his frequent advice and sarcasm, Ezlo grants the hero the power to shrink down to Minish size.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is set more than a century after the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, in an alternate timeline to The Wind Waker. In the game, Link is a teenage farm boy leading a fairly normal life in a pastoral village until two of his friends, Colin and Ilia, are kidnapped by monsters. During his journey to rescue them, Link discovers that the entire kingdom of Hyrule has been covered by a dark twilight, in which most people are reduced to nothing more than spirits. However, Link is transformed into a feral wolf upon entering the twilight. While in this form, he is aided by Midna, an imp-like creature, and eventually cleanses the land from the twilight. Yet, in his attempt to save his friends, Link discovers an even greater evil only he can stop. During the game, Link travels in the normal world in his human form and when exposed to twilight, reverts to his wolf form.
This Link is the same Link from The Wind Waker. After the ending of The Wind Waker, Link and Tetra set off to find the land that would be the next Hyrule after the former kingdom had been completely destroyed. After Tetra is captured by the Ghost Ship, Link makes a bold effort to save her, but is knocked out. When he wakes up, he meets a Fairy named Ciela, who becomes his companion for the rest of the game. He also meets Linebeck, who helps him by letting him use his ship.
Link finds three spirits which allow him to find the Ghost Ship, where Tetra is being held. He saves her, but finds she is made of stone, due to her life force being drained. To undo this, Link must defeat Bellum, an evil being inhabiting the Temple of the Ocean King. To defeat it, Link needs the Phantom Sword, a weapon made of the three Pure Metals.
Link is originally an apprentice engineer, who becomes a hero by saving the land of New Hyrule from the evil of Malladus. Throughout his adventure, he works together with the spirit of Princess Zelda, who inhabits a Phantom form in certain situations. His appearance is similar to that of the Link from Phantom Hourglass, however, his voice is now similar to that of the younger Link from Ocarina of Time.
Link is the hero chosen by the goddess Hylia to perform a great task. A resident of Skyloft, he attends the Knight Academy, a boarding school for those wanting to become Knights of Skyloft. Like all denizens of The Sky, he owns his own Loftwing; in particular, he owns a rare Crimson Loftwing. At the beginning of the game, Link wears clothes similar to those worn by other residents of Skyloft. This incarnation of Link is the earliest known appearance of the character in the timeline, and due to the gameplay, which is designed for right-handed use, this Link is right-handed as well.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and its "spiritual successor." Link is a blacksmith's apprentice who is forced to rescue the Seven Sages, descendants of the Seven Maidens in A Link to the Past, after Yuga, a sorcerer who has the ability to "merge" into walls and turn people into paintings, brings them to another world, the Kingdom of Lorule, in the form of paintings to revive Ganon. Ability to "merge" into walls is a new added mechanic for Link. Link's appearance is very similar to that depicted in artwork from 1986's The Legend of Zelda.
Hyrule Warriors is a spin-off game for the Wii U and is a collaboration between The Legend of Zelda and Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors.Link is the main character in this action-focused spin-off game. He is one of the new recruits of Hyrule's Imperial Guard but has been discovered to have great talent in swordplay as well as using speed and quick footwork to defeat enemies. Link is the focal subject of the primary antagonist Cia.