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The Links are a group in The Legend of Zelda series.(FS | FSA | TMC | ST | TFH)[4][5][name reference needed] Typically "Links" refer to a group of characters who are the result of Link after he is split into multiple copies of himself. In Tri Force Heroes, the Links instead refers to a group of three individual heroes, collectively known as the Tri Force Heroes.[2]

In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the Links are featured only in the games' Battle Modes.

The series has used the Links for games that include multiplayer and co-op gameplay, with the exception of The Minish Cap, where Link is only briefly split to solve certain puzzles and fight enemies. In multiplayer modes, each player takes control of a Link. In games where single-player mode is offered, the player can switch control between Links.

Biography[]

Four Swords[]

The Links made their first appearance in Four Swords. After Link and Princess Zelda leave to investigate the Four Sword, which seals the wind mage Vaati, Zelda is suddenly captured by Vaati after he reveals himself. Link is unable to help her and is knocked out, later reawakened by the Great Fairies. Link is split into four after he pulls the Four Sword out of its pedestal by the Fairies' urging. Now tasked with saving Zelda, the Links must work together to get to where she is being held and rescue her from Vaati's Palace of Winds.

The Links travel across the land to several Stages, fighting enemies and collecting Rupees along the way. They compete against each other to collect as many Rupees as possible, but also cooperate with each other to accomplish tasks. At the end of the stage, depending on how many Rupees in total were accumulated, the Links receive a Key from the stage's Great Fairy and are then ranked by how many Rupees each Link collected. The Link with the most Rupees is awarded a Medal of Courage.

The Links eventually reach the Palace of Winds and defeat Vaati. His body is absorbed back into the Four Sword, and Zelda is freed from his hold. With Vaati again imprisoned and the Links' destiny fulfilled, the Four Sword glows as it returns Link to his former self. The Four Sword is then returned to its pedestal.

If there are only two or three players, Link will only be split into two or three Links, respectively. In Four Swords Anniversary Edition's single-player, only two Links are used. The player can choose the tunic color of the second Link and switch between the two to complete tasks.

Four Swords Adventures[]

In the Hyrulean Adventures mode in Four Swords Adventures, Link is again split into four copies of himself upon drawing the Four Sword. Link is called by Zelda to investigate the Four Sword's seal, after dark clouds sweep over Hyrule. However upon opening the Four Sword Sanctuary's portal with the aide of the Shrine Maidens, Shadow Link emerges from the opening as Zelda and the Maidens are captured and encased in dark crystals. Link follows Shadow Link into the Sanctuary, where he willingly draws the Four Sword from its pedestal to combat Shadow Link, despite the risk of freeing Vaati, and splits into four. The removal of the blade subsequently releases Vaati, who then sends the Links flying away by a twister.

The Links awake to the voice of Kaepora Gaebora in Lake Hylia, who tells them that Zelda and the six Maidens have been captured by evil forces. However, due to Vaati's magic, the Four Sword has been robbed of its former power to vanquish darkness. He informs them that they must collect Force Gems to return the blade to its full strength, only then can they find and rescue the Maidens and Zelda, before finally facing Vaati. Like in Four Swords, the Links work together and also compete to collect as many Force Gems as possible, as opposed to Rupees. While on their search for Force Gems, the Links also meet Tingle, who is also looking for Force Gems under the belief that he will become a real Fairy if he collects enough. This results in a small rivalry between the Links and Tingle, who occasionally race against each other for large Force Gems. At the end of every stage are Dark Barriers that must be dispelled, by collecting enough Force Gems to strengthen the Four Sword. After completing a stage in multiplayer, the Links are then ranked by how many Force Gems they have collected.

In a single-player game, the Links can group together to form preset Battle Formations (Cross, Wide, Long, Box), to aide in solving puzzles, pushing blocks, fighting enemies, and performing other tasks. Although the Link donning the green tunic is the default leader, the option exists to use any Link to lead the others.

In a Shadow Battle, the Links instead fight each other in a competitive match.

Navi Trackers[]

In the game mode Navi Trackers, exclusive to the Japanese and Korean release of Four Swords Adventures, the four Links are tasked with finding Tetra's Pirate Crew around a maze with limited time, in order to receive and collect as many stamps as possible. In the game mode's intro, the Link in green is surprised to see doubles of himself, implying that this game mode features different Links from the Hyrulean Adventures mode in Four Swords Adventures. In the single-player campaign, Link instead faces off against Tingle.

The Minish Cap[]

TMC Links

Link and his copies in The Minish Cap

During his adventure in The Minish Cap, Link reforges and empowers the broken Picori Blade (which had been destroyed earlier by Vaati) into the White Sword with the Four Elements. The White Sword (Two Elements) grants Link the ability to create an additional copy of himself at certain multi-colored tiles, by powering up a Spin Attack charge, holding it until the green gauge is filled, and moving across the colored tiles. The addition of each new Element in the Elemental Sanctuary grants Link an additional copy of himself, up to four.

The Link copies are not individual Links, but rather cloned apparitions that mimic Link's every movement and wear exactly the same green tunic. The clones can be used to perform grouped tasks such as pushing large blocks, or fighting certain bosses such as the Gyorg Pair and Vaati. The placement of the tiles set the formations in which the clones would aid Link in these instances. The Link copies do not last long, however, and will disappear as soon as the green gauge depletes itself. The clones will also instantly disappear if they are interrupted; such as from touching a wall or obstruction, or by being hit by an enemy attack. Pressing the R-button will also immediately make the Link clones vanish.

Phantom Hourglass[]

Phantom Hourglass' Battle Mode is a two-player mode that only uses the red and blue tunic colors, and players are assigned randomly. While playing as Link, certain cloning items can be picked up to generate another exact copy which will run in the opposite direction, potentially luring the Phantoms away.[6]

Spirit Tracks[]

Spirit Tracks' Battle Mode features all four Links, and are used to differentiate up to four different players.[7]

Tri Force Heroes[]

TFH Tri Force Heroes Symbol

Symbol of the Tri Force Heroes

In Tri Force Heroes, there are only three Links: green, blue, and red. Collectively, they are referred to as the Tri Force Heroes. The green Link is the same hero as in A Link Between Worlds, who arrives in Hytopia after certain events. He dresses to hide his heroic origins.[8] The origin of the two other heroes, also called Link,[9] is unknown.[10] The three Links gather at Hytopia after King Tuft sends an urgent request asking for heroes to assemble to save Princess Styla, who has been cursed by a witch to wear an ugly outfit she cannot take off.[11] The King's request urges for heroes who have the Three Noble Attributes of Courage: pointed ears, sideburns, and side-parted hair. While passing through the land, Link comes across the town during its perilous time. He is immediately spotted by Madame Couture's Assistant and recognized for having these Attributes, and is urged to join the Witch-Hunting Brigade. As only groups of three can enter the Drablands, the witch's domain, Link is paired with two more heroes as they venture into the land and combat its guardians. As these heroes gather, their hair colors also change to match their tunics rather than remaining blond.

As in previous games, the Links are used in the game's multiplayer, and cooperate with each other to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. In single-player, Link can instead be accompanied by two Doppels that can be controlled and switched between at a time.[12] The Links can stack on top of each other as a Totem to reach higher elevations, allowing them to solve different puzzles and fight enemies. To help communicate between players, the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS allows for Icons to be pressed, which appear on the top screen. These icons display a range of simple messages, such as to form a Totem or to draw others near. The icons can grow larger with repeated use, to stress the respective message. The Links can also wear an assortment of Outfits, which give them different powers when worn.

Other Appearances[]

Four Swords (Himekawa)[]



In the Four Swords manga by Akira Himekawa, Link is split into four when he draws the Four Sword in an effort to save Princess Zelda from Shadow Link. Each Link has his own individual personality: Green is focused and motivated, Blue is hotheaded and aggressive, Red is innocent and optimistic, and Violet is calm, cool and collected. Their conflicting personalities and refusal to work together nearly defeats them at the hands of Vaati, but the Links soon realize they need to cooperate in order to defeat him.

Super Mario Maker[]



Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

Totem Link — Spirit Battle Information

SSBU Totem Link Spirit Icon
Totem Link
SSBU Primary Spirit Icon Primary Spirit
No. 262
Team Power SSBU Grab Type Icon Grab | 3500 Rank ★★ ADVANCED Fighter(s)
Stage Hyrule Castle Theme "Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes" SSBU Toon Link Stock Icon 5 Toon Link
SSBU Toon Link Stock Icon 3 Toon Link
SSBU Toon Link Stock Icon 2 Toon Link
Rule(s) Item: The Legend of Zelda Hazard(s)
Condition(s)
 · The enemy favors smash attacks

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Totem Link appears as a Spirit with no ability.

Trivia[]

  • The Four Elements used to forge the Four Sword matches with each of the four Links' tunics.
  • Although Link's clones in The Minish Cap retain the green tunic when he splits, using a Charm has the effect of changing the original Link's tunic to either red, blue or violet, depending on the type. These colors are reminiscent of the Links' tunic colors in Four Swords.
  • Four Links were once considered for Tri Force Heroes, but were reduced to just three as a four-Link Totem would have been too tall for the 3DS to display properly.[13]
  • In Four Swords Adventures, the Links' voices are differentiated through pitch-shifting. Green Link's voice is heard at the normal pitch, while Red Link's is about 10% higher, Blue Link's is about 10% lower, and Purple Link's is about 15% lower.
  • In Tri Force Heroes, each Link is randomly assigned a voice from a prior Zelda game (Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks, or A Link Between Worlds) upon beginning his adventure. Pitch-shifting is used to differentiate the voices only if two or more Links in a party share the same voice. In this case, each player hears their own Link's voice at the normal pitch; the second Link with the same voice is heard 5% lower, and the third Link with the same voice is heard 10% higher.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
United KingdomEnglishBRLink (LANS | BotW | SSBU | CoH)[14]
JapanJapaneseリンク (Rinku) (TLoZ | TAoL | LA | LANS | OoT | ST | BotW | SSBU | CoH)[15][16][17][18][19]
あなた(リンク) (Anata (Rinku)) (ALttP)[20]
ゆうしゃサマ (Yūsha-sama) (BotW)
You (Link)
Revered Hero
ChinaChineseSI林克 (Línkè) (SSBU | CoH)[21]
Taiwan, Hong Kong, MacaoChineseTR林克 (Línkè) (LANS | SSBU | CoH)[22]
沒有妖精的孩子 (Méiyǒu Yāojing De Háizi) (OoT)
Czech RepublicCzechLink (LANS)
DenmarkDanishLink (LANS)
NetherlandsDutchLink (TLoZ | TAoL | LANS | TMC | BotW | SSBU | CoH)[23][24][25][26]
FinlandFinnishLink (LANS)
CanadaFrenchCALink (LANS | BotW | HWDE | SSBU | CoH | HWAoC)[27][28]
FranceFrenchEULink (TLoZ | TAoL | LA | LANS | OoT | TWWHD | TMC | SS | SSHD | BotW | HWDE | SSBU | CoH | HWAoC)[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]
GermanyGermanLink (TLoZ | TAoL | ALttP | LA | LADX | LANS | TMC | BotW | SSBU | CoH | HWAoC)[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]
de-niwa:LinkLink (HWDE)[46]
IsraelModern Hebrewלינק (línk) (BotW | SSBU)[47][48]
HungaryHungarianLink (LANS)
ItalyItalianLink (TLoZ | TAoL | LANS | TMC | BotW | HWDE | SSBU | CoH)[49][50][51][52]
South KoreaKorean링크 (Lingkeu) (LANS | SSBU | CoH)[53]
NorwayNorwegianLink (LANS)
PolandPolishLink (LANS)
PortugalPortugueseEULink (LANS | CoH)
RussiaRussianЛинк (Link) (TLoZ | LANS | HWDE | SSBU | CoH)[54][55][56]
SpainSpanishEULink (TLoZ | LANS | TMC | BotW | HWDE | SSBU | CoH)[57][58][59]
Latin AmericaSpanishLALink (LANS | BotW | HWDE | SSBU | CoH)[60]
SwedenSwedishLink (LANS)
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

References

  1. "Tapping into the sword's power, the Hero's body split into four, and the combined power of the Heroes was enough to defeat Vaati." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 82)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "It's only natural to be curious about the legend of the Tri Force Heroes, my boy. Their tales have been passed down through the ages in our fair Hytopia. When the kingdom of Hytopia falls into despair, three courageous heroes shall ever arrive to save the day..." — Bearded Baron (Tri Force Heroes)
  3. "I shall now begin searching with the requested conditions. Please wait for unknown heroes to arrive..." — Match Master (Tri Force Heroes)
  4. "Links" (Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 246 (FS), 253 (FSA), 317 (ST) & 363 (TFH))
  5. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap — The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 47
  6. Review of Phantom Hourglass Multiplayer, on ign.com.
  7. Review of Spirit Tracks Multiplayer, on Kotaku.com.
  8. "The game takes place several years after A Link Between World and features the same hero. Certain events bring him to the kingdom of Hytopia, where he dresses as he does in order to hide his heroic origins." — Nintendo of America, Fans asked the developers of #Zelda: Tri Force Heroes: “Where does the game fall in the series timeline?”, Twitter, published October 22, 2015, retrieved October 22, 2015.
  9. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 306
  10. "There's no telling where the other hero candidates come from, but the player character you control is the true Hyrulian hero from A Link Between Worlds." — Nintendo of America, Fans asked the developers of #Zelda: Tri Force Heroes: “Where does the game fall in the series timeline?”, Twitter, published October 22, 2015, retrieved October 22, 2015.
  11. "When the smoke cleared, Styla was met with a terrible sight, followed by the witch's voice in her pretty head: "A perfect outfit for a perfect princess." This cursed outfit of ultimate ugliness could not be removed no matter how the princess tried." — N/A (Tri Force Heroes)
  12. Antonia Pohl, Aonuma and Shikata discuss more Tri Force Heroes gameplay details, Zelda Universe, published June 16, 2015.
  13. "A four-player totem was too tall, so we decided three was the better choice." — Hiromasa Shikata, Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2015, YouTube (Video), published June 16, 2015, retrieved August 22, 2015.
  14. "LINK"Fighters | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Official Site | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. Encyclopedia (Tokuma Shoten Publishing) pg. 217
  16. The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 5
  17. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Shogakukan) pg. 8
  18. Encyclopedia, TOKYOPOP, pg. 286 (ST)
  19. "リンク"ファイター | 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL | 任天堂, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  20. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 1 (Shogakukan 1) pg. 122
  21. "林克"斗士 | 任天堂明星大乱斗 特别版 | 任天堂, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. "林克"鬥士 | 任天堂明星大亂鬥 特別版 | 任天堂, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  23. The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 3
  24. Collector's Edition manual, pg. 8
  25. The Minish Cap manual, pg. 65
  26. "LINK"Vechters | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Officiële website | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  27. "LINK"Combattants | Site officiel de Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  28. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity pour Nintendo Switch - Détails du jeu Nintendo, www.nintendo.com, retrieved September 8, 2020.
  29. Hyrule Historia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 138
  30. Encyclopedia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 223
  31. Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 233
  32. Encyclopedia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 239
  33. Encyclopedia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 258
  34. The Minish Cap manual, pg. 45
  35. Hyrule Historia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 8 (SS)
  36. "Link... Il est temps de s'éveiller..." — Fi (Skyward Sword HD)
  37. "LINK"Combattants | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Site officiel | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  38. "Link" — Gallery (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
  39. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 219
  40. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 223
  41. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 228
  42. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 233
  43. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 270
  44. "LINK"Kämpfer | Offizielle Seite zu Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  45. Hyrule Warriors: Zeit der Verheerung | Nintendo Switch | Spiele | Nintendo, www.nintendo.de, retrieved September 8, 2020.
  46. "Link" — View Warriors (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)
  47. "ז'אנר: אקשן, הרפתקאות

    שחקנים: 1

    הצילו את הנסיכה והעולם כולו

    היכנסו לנעליו של האביר לינק במסעו להציל את הנסיכה זלדה ולהביס את האפלה שמאיימת להשתלט על העולם. היכנסו לעולם פתוח, יפהפה ומסקרן, וגלו את האוצרות והסכנות החבויים בתוכו. במשחק הזה אתם

    מחליטים איך לחקור, איך לשרוד ולאן ללכת. הנופים המרהיבים, העלילה המרגשת והגישה הייחודית לנוסחת העולם הפתוח זיכתה את Breath of the Wild בתואר "משחק השנה של 2017", שממשיך להיות בין המשחקים הנמכרים ביותר ל-Switch גם ב-2019"
    — Nintendo, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA : BREATH OF THE WILD - משחקים ל-Switch, Official Israel Site, published n.d., retrieved May 10, 2019.
  48. "ז'אנר: אקשן \ מכות

    מפיץ: נינטנדו

    שחקנים: 1-8

    זמין בחנויות

    משחק חדש בסדרת Super Smash Bros בכיכובן של דמויות נינטנדו מכל הזמנים ואורחים מיוחדים

    מה קורה כשעולמות משחק שונים מתנגשים? מתפתח קרב כמו שמעולם לא ראיתם, עם גיבורים ונבלים שמעולם לא חשבתם שייפגשו באותה זירה. שלטו בדמויות כמו מריו, דונקי קונג, סוניק, לינק, פיקאצ'ו, מגה מן, ריו ועוד!

    Super Smash Bros Ultimate הוא המשחק האולטימטיבי בסדרת משחקי המכות המצליחה וכולל 74 דמויות, מצב עלילתי נרחב בו עליכם לגייס בני ברית ולהילחם באיום חדש על הגלקסיה, ומצבי משחק נוספים שיתנו לכם לשחק מקומית או ברשת עם תמיכה בעד 8 שחקנים בזירה אחת!"
    — Nintendo, SUPER SMASH BROS - משחקים ל-Switch, Official Israel Site, published n.d., retrieved May 10, 2019.
  49. Encyclopedia (Magazzini Salani) pg. 219
  50. Collector's Edition manual, pg. 34
  51. Encyclopedia (Magazzini Salani) pg. 270
  52. "LINK"Personaggi | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Sito ufficiale | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  53. "링크"파이터 | 슈퍼 스매시브라더스 얼티밋 | 닌텐도, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  54. The Legend of Zelda | NES | Игры | Nintendo, www.nintendo.ru, retrieved September 10, 2020.
  55. "Линк" — NintendoRU, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition — Портрет персонажа № 1 (Nintendo Switch), YouTube (Video), published May 4, 2018, retrieved November 10, 2018.
  56. "ЛИНК"Бойцы | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — Официальный сайт | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  57. Encyclopedia (Norma Editorial) pg. 219
  58. Encyclopedia (Norma Editorial) pg. 270
  59. "LINK"Luchadores | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Sitio web oficial | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
  60. "LINK"Combatientes | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Sitio web oficial | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo, smashbros.com, published 2018, retrieved February 20, 2020.
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