Link

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Lore & Background

Within Zelda mythology, Link represents a reincarnated soul bound to an endless cycle of fighting evil. The origin of this curse was established in Skyward Sword (2011), where the Demon King Demise doomed the hero to eternally face Ganon whenever evil arises across Hyrule's history. Though each game features a different individual or incarnation, they share the same spirit. In titles like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the same version of Link continues his story across time. The series spans thousands of years, with some Links being descendants of earlier heroes while others are spiritual successors. To defeat Ganon, Link typically obtains the mystical Master Sword or a similar legendary weapon after completing many trials. His journey involves traveling through Hyrule, exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he saves Princess Zelda.

In Their Own Story

Shigeru Miyamoto created Link based on his childhood memories and inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, wanting players to feel like normal boys with a destiny to fight great evil. The name 'Link' originated from an early concept where Triforce fragments were electronic chips connecting past and future; later, Miyamoto stated it represents how he 'connects people together.' In Ocarina of Time, the team designed both child and adult models to tell the story of a boy growing up, with the teenage version influenced by Yoshiaki Koizumi's wife wanting 'handsome' Nintendo characters. After initial hesitation from Miyamoto regarding a cartoon style for The Wind Waker, the team persisted, creating Toon Link who later appeared in Super Smash Bros and games like Phantom Hourglass. For Twilight Princess (2006), designers returned to a realistic style, depicting an older teenager with wolf transformation abilities to show maturation.

Reader's Guide

Link is a mostly silent protagonist who interacts through visual responses like nodding or shaking his head, allowing players to project themselves into the role. His voice acting consists only of grunts and battle cries, though he says 'Come on!' in The Wind Waker; in Echoes of Wisdom, he is explicitly mute. His design evolved from a three-color sprite inspired by Peter Pan to include more expressive features. For Breath of the Wild (2017), nearly 100 designs were considered, breaking convention by omitting his iconic green outfit because the team wanted him to remain neutral as graphic fidelity increased. His physical appearance changed with trends: mullets in the 80s, curtain bangs and pierced ears in the 90s, choppy side-swept bangs in Twilight Princess. The Master Sword remains central to his journey, obtained after trials to face Ganon across various incarnations including Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule, and crossovers like Mario Kart 8.

Did You Know?

• Link is named because he was originally intended to be the 'link' between past and future when Triforce fragments were electronic chips.
• In The Wind Waker, Link can be heard saying 'Come on!', one of the few instances of spoken dialogue in the series.
• For Breath of the Wild, nearly 100 designs were considered for Link's outfit before settling on non-green attire to keep him neutral.
• Yoshiaki Koizumi's wife inspired the handsome teenage design of Link in Ocarina of Time by noting Nintendo characters had 'funny noses'.
• Guinness World Records recognizes Link as both the most critically acclaimed playable character and the second best video game character after Mario.