Characters from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2004). For how they are portrayed in the game, see this character sheet.
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Heroes
The Links
In General
Clockwise: Red, Green, Vio, Blue
When the young swordsman Link drew the Four Sword, he was split into four copies of himself, known as Green, Red, Blue, and Vio.
- Bash Brothers: The Links compete with each other as often as they cooperate, but at the end of the day, they have each other's backs in the battle against evil.
- Establishing Character Moment: The personalities of the four Links are foreshadowed when the original Link appears in Chapter One. He singlehandedly defeats a team of pirates without fear (Green), blows off his father's insistence that he work with a team (Blue), has a tender moment with Zelda where he gives her a flower (Red), and hides from both Zelda and his father without either of them knowing at first that they have an eavesdropper (Vio).
- Four-Philosophy Ensemble:
- Green is The Realist.
- Red is The Optimist.
- Blue is The Cynic.
- Vio is The Apathetic.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble:
- (Melancholic): Green is very focused, motivated, and almost equally as stubborn as Blue (albeit a bit nicer than him). He's courageous and determined, but can be prone to acting rash. He can be anxious and headstrong while Blue can be extremely arrogant and short-tempered, which leads to arguments between the two. He nonetheless attains the role of leader (since he's wearing green) throughout the adventure and is very driven in rescuing Zelda from the clutches of evil.
- (Sanguine): Red is the compassionate, optimistic, and childish Link who is usually meddling with Blue in terms of comic relief. He's shown to be very cheerful, excitable, and highly emotional. Although he can be somewhat as stubborn as the other three, he's clearly the nicest out of the four Links and usually likes to look on the bright side of things. He hates seeing the other Links fight each other and will usually speak out and try to act as the mediator, though he ends up dealing with Blue, who tends to bully him. One clear trait of his is that he's very dependent on the other three and doesn't do too well by himself. He can easily end up feeling depressed and unsure of himself when he’s all alone. He's a warm and considerate person who's a perfect foil for Blue, who rejects the others with his harsh personality.
- (Choleric): Blue is the arrogant, brash, and self-centered Link. Compared to the other Links, he's very short-tempered, impatient, and argumentative. He and Red are usually the comic relief of the group in which he's antagonistic towards Red's happy-go-lucky personality and sometimes resorts to hitting him. He can be terribly single-minded and comes off as being insecure. He believes himself to be the original Link (despite not wearing green) and — out of jealousy — questions Green's competence as a hero, gets easily flustered by Vio's condescending attitude, and constantly bullies Red. He further thinks he can do well by himself instead of cooperating with the others. Despite his rude behavior, he's deep down a loyal individual who deeply cares about the other three and is just as determined as Green in saving Zelda, along with the kingdom of Hyrule.
- (Phlegmatic): Vio is the analytical, calm, and thoughtful Link who plays a big role in the story because of the usage of his intellect to trick Shadow Link, learn about his weaknesses along with the grand scheme of everything, and try to put a stop to him by destroying the Mirror Of Darkness. While he can be very helpful and insightful, he can also be a tad bit condescending and arrogant. He is judgmental towards the other Links and enjoys keeping to himself instead of having to deal with constant fighting (mostly between Green and Blue). He's even manipulative when it comes to his interactions with Shadow Link and shown to be a bit of a bookworm.
- I Work Alone: Deconstructed; at the beginning of the story, it's made clear Link is extremely competent when it comes to protecting Hyrule, but also has a strong tendency to work alone, disregarding the troubles he causes to his father, who leads the Knights of Hyrule. When the Four Sword divides him into four separate Links, each one representing a specific side of his personality, it turns out the one part of him they all share precisely is his stubbornness. Cue the four of them struggling to learn how to work together.
- Master Swordsman: Link was a good enough prodigy with a sword that he could non-fatally take down three bandits in a split second. All four copies of him show their own prowess with the blade as well.
- Me's a Crowd: Drawing the Four Swords results in the new wielder, such as Link, split into four.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The Links compete with each other as often as they cooperate.
Green
A copy of Link created by the power of the Four Sword, and the closest analogue to the original hero. "Green" embodies Link's motivation and leadership skills.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Green puts himself and the other three Links in this position against Shadow's forces when they enter Hyrule Castle.
- Battle Boomerang: He gets a boomerang during the group's visit to the Village of the Blue Maiden, but he only uses it sparingly.
- Character Development: He’s initially fine with working alone and doesn’t think he’s as bad as his father makes him out to be. Once he pulls the Four Sword and sees his three doppelgängers act in a similar arrogant and standoffish nature, he realizes what his father sees. He also realizes the importance of working as a team rather than being a one-man show.
- The Chosen Zero: Blue challenges his right to be the leader, and Vio believes he can do better than him with a Fake Defector scheme.
- The Determinator: According to the VIZ Media translation, Green represents the original Link's focus and motivation.
- Distracted by the Sexy: When separated from the other Links, Green gets distracted by a Gerudo masseuse. It takes a bit for him to remember that he's supposed to be following leads on Zelda and the others.
- Everyone Has Standards: When Shadow sics what appears to be a brainwashed mob of Hylian Knights against the Links, Green is appalled at the idea of actually attacking any of them. Shadow reveals that they are just suits of Animated Armor and mocks Green for his "pathetic" concern.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: While each Link has a copy of the Four Sword, Green prioritizes the blade even as his peers get their hands on additional weapons.
- Informed Flaw: In the fan translation, Vio calls him the aggressive side of the original Link at the beginning; in truth, he is far less aggressive than Blue, and tries his best to keep the team together.
- I Work Alone: Deconstructed; at the beginning of the story, it's made clear Link is extremely competent when it comes to protecting Hyrule, but also has a strong tendency to work alone, disregarding the troubles he causes to his father, who leads the Knights of Hyrule. When the Four Sword divides him into four separate Links, each one representing a specific side of his personality, it turns out the one part of him they all share precisely is his stubbornness. Cue the four of them struggling to learn how to work together.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Before pulling the Four Sword, he’s an arrogant and self-absorbed swordsman, but he also is kind to Princess Zelda, who is also his childhood friend.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: At the beginning, it is very uphill work for him to lead and fight alongside the other Links.
Red
A copy of Link created by the power of the Four Sword. "Red" is the innocent, kind-hearted member of the group.
- Brats with Slingshots: In the battle with Stone Arrghus, he picks up a slingshot and uses it against Stone Arghus' smaller rocks. It's never seen again after that.
- Butt-Monkey: Blue frequently bullies him, typically by hitting his head with his hammer.
- Divergent Character Evolution: He goes from Player 2 to a sweet and emotional guy.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Red gets these after mistaking Green and Vio for dead. He snaps out of it when Blue saves him from a monster.
- The Heart: In that he's the embodiment of Link's gentle nature.
- Hero-Worshipper: To anyone who saves him from danger, unfortunately.
- Keet: Let's see. He's short, cute, cries and smiles frequently, and his tunic is a very bright red.
- Kid-Appeal Character: The most childlike of the four Links.
- Kill It with Fire: Obtains a Fire Rod in Chapter 4, allowing him to cast fire spells.
- Kill It with Ice: He has his Fire Rod converted into an Ice Rod late in the story.
- Magic Knight: On top of being a swordsman, Red gets his hand on a Magic Wand that he can use to cast fire and ice spells.
- Magic Wand: He gets a Fire Rod from a thief, and uses it as a substitute for his missing sword. He later learns that it also works as an Ice Rod.
- Magikarp Power: Compared to the other Links, Red needs a lot more time and experience to step up. With the Fire/Ice Rod he acquires, he becomes a full-blown Magic Knight by the second volume, and plays a crucial role in saving Vio from Shadow.
- Nice Guy: Red is warm and friendly towards everyone he interacts with, even Blue.
- The Nicknamer: Red comes up with names for himself and the other Links based on their tunics.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Red is the most emotional and weak-willed of the four Links, and wears a pink undershirt to match, but he is still a swordsman who gets magical powers the others don’t have.
- Token Good Teammate: Although all four Links are heroes, they often bicker and quarrel with each other despite their mission. Red is the only one without any moral faults and the only one who never gets into fights with the others.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: His slingshot from Chapter 3 is totally abandoned after he's gifted the Fire Rod. Same goes for both that and the Ice Rod, really.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He has a very optimistic view around him.
Blue
A copy of Link created by the power of the Four Sword. "Blue" is the Hot-Blooded arrogant member of the group.
- Big Brother Bully: While both are technically clones of the same age, Blue is a domineering and sometimes abusive big brother analogue towards Red.
- Blood Knight: He is considerably more violent and more open to battle than the other Links.
- Blue Is Calm: Inverted. Blue is by far the most openly arrogant and hot-headed of the Links.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Blue, the most violent and hotblooded of the four Links, wields a hammer. He manages to use it to kill Stone Arrghus with a single blow. Red's also a frequent victim of it.
- Divergent Character Evolution: He's much more violent and crude compared to his rather quiet Player 3 self.
- Dope Slap: Or rather, hammer slap. Usually happens when Red angers him.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: He's got a really short fuse, and will fly into a rage at the slightest provocation.
- Harmless Freezing: Blue gets frozen in a block of ice by a Wizzrobe, but he recovers quickly after Red frees him with the Fire Rod.
- Hot-Blooded: Blue is very quick to anger and just as quick to engage in fighting.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is arrogant, hot-headed, frequently bullies Red, and constantly argues with the others. However, he actually is a very noble person deep inside, and thanks the Links for everything at the end of the story.
- The Lancer: In that he's the more aggressive contrast to Green.
- Neat Freak: He is revealed to be one of these in an omake. It's impossible for him to sleep at night unless his clothes are neatly folded and in a nice neat stack near where he's sleeping.
- Shoot the Dog: He resorts to firing a Sword Beam at the original Link's brainwashed father, although it isn't a lethal blow.
Vio
A copy of Link created by the power of the Four Sword. "Vio" is The Stoic and smart guy of the group.
- The Ace: Vio is calm, collected, an expert archer, a top-notch swordsman, the most intelligent Link, and he knows it. His overconfidence almost costs him his life when his plan to infiltrate Shadow Link's army falls through.
- Badass Bookworm: He's seen reading a book on Force Gems in Chapter 3, and regularly kicks ass like his fellow Links.
- Bow and Sword in Accord: He acquires a bow that he can use just as well as his sword.
- The Chessmaster: Subverted. Vio tries to be this by pretending to join Shadow Link and non-fatally taking out Green, and then getting Shadow to avoid going after the Links by suggesting that they can get worn down fighting Vaati and Ganon so that they can take over Hyrule after the fighting is over. He does all of this in the hopes that he can destroy the Dark Mirror and shut down Shadow's army. However, he gets caught anyway and has to be saved by the Links.
- Consummate Liar: He pulls a false Face–Heel Turn which fools everybody, including Shadow Link. Nobody sees through it, and he even fakes a fight to the death with Green.
- Defrosting Ice King: He's initially very stoic and withdrawn to the point of isolation, but he warms up to the other Links over time.
- Divergent Character Evolution: He was Player 4 on the original. Here, he's a level-headed, intelligent guy.
- Face–Heel Turn: Subverted. Vio pretends to join Shadow's side, hoping to find a way to disable his army from within. It doesn't go well for him when Shadow realizes the deception, though Vio did get confirmation about Ganon and how the Links will need to rescue Zelda to confront him.
- Fake Defector: He fakes a Face–Heel Turn so he can get information from the villains and destroy the Mirror of Darkness. Shadow Link, who had genuinely befriended him, doesn't take his betrayal well.
- Insufferable Genius: He's the smart guy of the group and he knows it, often treating the others like problem children he has to babysit, though he can usually back it up. His Fake Defector plan, while effective, still hinged on him alone being able to outsmart Shadow and his army of monsters without hope of backup, and Vio is quickly overwhelmed and captured once the deception is discovered. After being rescued by the other Links, he admits that he confused being "smart" with being "wise".
- Not So Above It All: Vio tries to paint himself as cooler and more collected than the other Links, but he's just as smitten by Erune as they are.
- Not So Similar: Vio notes that it was not too hard for him to ingratiate himself with Shadow with a false promise to betray the heroes and help him overthrow Ganon and Vaati, since they are both self-important schemers.Vio: The one big difference is...for a bit of personal power...you were willing to completely betray your partners. But as a hero, I never strayed from my hopes and my goals.
- Purple Is Powerful: He wears a violet tunic and hat, and he is the only Link to defeat another Link in combat.
- The Smart Guy: In that he's the embodiment of Link's intelligence.
- The Stoic: He doesn't show much emotion.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Vio thinks of himself as much more mature and on the ball compared to the other Links.
Allies
Princess Zelda
The Princess of Hyrule, and Link's childhood friend.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: When she is set free, she combines her power with that of the Four Swords to help the heroes fight Ganon.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Zelda's hair is a yellow blonde, unlike her strawberry blonde game counterpart.
- Adaptational Hairstyle Change: This Zelda wears her hair down instead of tying it with a ribbon.
- Childhood Friends: She used to play with Link when they were little.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Princess Zelda rules over her kingdom as a preteen. Also counts as Princesses Rule.
- Defiant Captive: Zelda does not put up with any of Shadow Link's attempts to belittle or demean her while she is held prisoner in the Palace of Winds.
- Morality Pet: Ultimately, to Shadow Link. The encouragement she gives him after his loss to the heroes convinces him to try to be a hero in his own way, for her sake.
- Nature Lover: She admires a wildflower Link gives her, reminiscing on how they used to roam the fields together.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: She has a premonition of a dark cloud approaching Hyrule, and assumes that it means that a demon will threaten the kingdom. She does not know at the time that the cloud symbolized Ganon, and not Vaati.
- Silk Hiding Steel: While Zelda seems to be a poised young lady, it’s not beyond her to mouth off to Shadow Link himself when he tries to gloat over her predicament.
Link's Father
The Hylian Captain of the Guard, who has a troubled relationship with his son, Link.
- Action Dad: Upon being temporarily brainwashed by Vaati, he is able to give all four Links a run for their money. After being freed, he manages to rally the knights to help them despite his injuries.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: The Green Knight is mutated into a giant Stalfos by Vaati’s magic in the game. In the manga, he simply wears heavy armor.
- Badass Normal: Link's father does not have Princess Zelda's sacred power, Shadow Link's dark magic, or even the Four Sword, but he is so skilled with a sword that even Link considers himself outmatched by him.
- Canon Character All Along: While seemingly just a character set up to expand on Link’s life in the castle, he’s captured and eventually brainwashed into becoming the Green Knight.
- Papa Wolf: Despite everything, he's always quick to help his son, and later Link's alter egos.
- Related in the Adaptation: In the game, there's no indication Link was related to any of the four Royal Knights who were turned into Stalfos.
Valensuela
A knight who was defeated by Ganon and brainwashed into being an enforcer.
- And I Must Scream: He hints that he was at least partially aware of his actions under Ganon's control and is horrified that he almost killed Link as the Blue Knight.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: As the Blue Knight, he is a berserker who mercilessly attacks Green.
- Composite Character: Although he is the guardian of the Blue Royal Jewel, he takes the place of the Red Knight as the enforcer of the Desert of Doubt.
- Named by the Adaptation: The Blue Knight is named Valensuela.
- Intangibility: Since he is in the Dark World, he is able to attack Green even though all of Green's attacks go right through him. When Green sends himself to the Dark World with a Moon Pearl, this advantage is negated.
- Knightly Sword and Shield: He carries a sword and shield in battle, even as the Blue Knight. Both get wrecked by the end of his fight with Green.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: In his true form, Valensuela is a handsome man with shoulder-length hair.
- Mr. Exposition: He reveals that there is another villain, Ganon, operating behind Vaati and Shadow Link.
Villains
Shadow Link
Link's doppelgänger, the kidnapper of Princess Zelda, and The Heavy of the story.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Shadow Link looks like a regular boy as opposed to the pitch black Living Shadow he was depicted as in the video game. According to his original character sketch, he was more similar to the game version at first.
- Adaptational Heroism: Shadow Link actually redeems himself here. In the game, Shadow Link was a monster who was Made of Evil per Zelda's own words, and who used countless copies of himself from the Dark Mirror to cause trouble all across Hyrule until they were defeated once and for all by Link with Zelda's help. In the manga, Shadow Link redeems himself by smashing the Dark Mirror, an action that results in the defeat of Vaati, but also ends in his undoing too.
- Adaptational Wimp: He loses most of his weapons and abilities from the game, including his signature Me's a Crowd power. And while his game counterpart could revive himself at full strength using the Dark Mirror, he can barely move after his first resurrection.
- Adaptation Distillation: The game and the manga flip-flop on these. In the game, he has a whole slew of abilities, but is given no backstory. In the manga, he's a fully-fleshed out character, but has very few of the abilities he had in the game.
- Bad Boss: Shadow Link pretends to play with the small Stone Arrghus he uses as a scout before crushing it in his hand and throwing it into the sky.
- Berserk Button: He hates being referred to as "just a shadow."Shadow: (After throwing Blue aside with an energy beam) Don't ever mock the shadows! You think they're weak and insubstantial!!
- Dark Is Not Evil: Here, it turns out he's not really that evil.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Shadow Link serves as The Heavy for most of the story, but the Links defeat him right before they move on to Vaati and Ganon.
- Dragon Rider: He has a dragon as a mount, as first seen in the attack on Hyrule Castle.
- Evil Twin: It's explained that he is the literal shadow of Link given physical form.
- Easily Forgiven: Despite the fact he burnt down towns in Chapter 8 and kickstarted most of the overall conflict in the manga, in Chapter 12, the Links all agree that Shadow was never really evil and only caused trouble because he was lonely.
- Freudian Excuse: In Chapter 12, he only caused trouble due to being lonely.
- Heel–Face Turn: Shadow gets a pep talk from Zelda after he regenerates from his fight with the Links, noting that he doesn't have to be so different from them.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the end, while the four Links manage to hurt him, Vaati proves unstoppable while the Dark Mirror is around. Thus, Shadow smashes it even though it means he'll die along with Vaati.
- Humanoid Abomination: Shadow Link plays this straighter than his game counterpart. Although takes the form of a healthy, flesh-and-blood copy of Link, he is referred to as a "phantom hero" created by Ganon. When he's feeling particularly angry, he sports fangs and claws.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After Zelda tries to cheer him up, he disguises himself as Vio and leads the others to her. When they're ambushed, he takes matters into his own hands and smashes the Dark Mirror himself, knowing full well what that will do to him (see Redemption Equals Death below).
- Joke Character: Is the main character of the manga omakes with him as The Protagonist. With weird plots as him having a blog and lying on it that he has a girlfriend he regularly takes to the amusement park, and being a hikikomori (this is due to the fact he can't really go out in daylight). He also becomes a shopaholic.
- Intangibility: Shadow Link allows attacks to go straight through him without taking damage. The four Links only beat him when they use their newly acquired Sword Beam on him.
- Kick the Dog: Shadow Link disguises himself as a wounded Link and listens to his father's anguished cries for a few seconds before dropping the guise and sending him to the Dark World.
- Living Shadow: Duh.
- Pungeon Master: Seems to be one in the VIZ Media translation, with him stating in Chapter 2 "There's a new Link in this chain!"
- Redemption Equals Death: His breaking of the Dark Mirror causes his own death.
- Slasher Smile: He has a really creepy one when things are going his way.
- Smug Snake: In Chapter 6, he taunts Zelda about her hopeless scenario. She's quick to retort back, though, causing him to get frustrated and leave.
- The Starscream: He doesn't care for the idea of Vaati or Ganon's rule, but doesn't consider plotting against them until Vio suggests the plan of using Zelda's power to destroy Ganon. He's beaten by the Links before his plans get off the ground, however.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: While he's able to defeat the four Links easily in their first fight, by the time he fights them again, they've gotten strong enough to tear him to shreds with the Four Sword's magic.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Shadow Link is repulsed by light to the extent that even the glow of a fairy is enough to make him retreat.
- Who's Laughing Now?:Shadow: Who's in control now, Vaati? WHO?!
Vaati
A powerful demon that once terrorized Hyrule before he was sealed in the Four Sword.
- Adaptational Badass: In the original game, Vaati was limited to his wind-based abilities and energy blasts. In the manga, he can change his size and shape at will to become a kaiju-sized monster, and can instantly heal from any wound. The only way to kill him is to destroy the Dark Mirror.
- Decoy Damsel: Vaati shapeshifts into Princess Zelda when trying to pit the Links and their mind-controlled father against each other. However, the latter regains enough self-control to throw a dagger at Vaati, dispelling the glamour.
- Dies Differently In The Adaptation: In the game, he is slain by the Links. Here, he dies when Shadow Link breaks the Dark Mirror.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Vaati is completely aghast that Shadow Link is willing to sacrifice himself to destroy him and save the Links.
- Genius Bruiser: Besides his considerable magic power, Vaati is a crafty enough Decoy Damsel to set the Links against their father.
- Golem: When he is initially freed from the Four Sword’s seal, he initially appears as an enormous humanoid made of stone.
- Healing Factor: He can regenerate from any blow from any weapon, even the Four Sword. Only magic seals or the destruction of the Dark Mirror can stop him.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: The fight with him in the manga proves to be this because the Dark Mirror made him impossible to kill. He only dies when Shadow Link destroys it.
Ganon
A former Gerudo who attained demonhood.
- Adaptational Wimp: This Ganon is a Post-Final Boss after the fight with Vaati, with Zelda and the Links making short work of him.
- Big Bad Wannabe: He is a powerful demon who secretly masterminded Vaati and Shadow Link’s campaign, but his performance against the heroes of the Four Sword prove he's nowhere near as powerful as he thinks.
- Devil's Pitchfork: Subverted. He carries his signature trident, but relies on his magic to attack the Links.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He gets sealed inside the Four Sword at the end of the story
- Shock and Awe: He uses a lightning spell to attack the Links.
- This Cannot Be!: He keeps shouting that he can never be sealed in the Four Sword even as the Links and Zelda are ensuring just that.
Others
Erune
A young girl who lives in the Village of the Blue Maiden.
- Canon Foreigner: Erune is an original character created for the manga.
- Dude Magnet: All four Links find Erune cute.
- Companion Cube: Erune does not seem to have many friends her age, and often plays with her doll Rosie.
- Damsel in Distress: The Links have to save her from the Dark World.
- Identical Stranger: Erune looks very similar to Princess Zelda.
- Rescue Romance: Subverted. Erune tries to have a moment with Green after she is freed from the Dark World, but his quest, and the other three Links cutting in, cut it short.
Tingle
A strange, delusional man who thinks he can become a fairy by collecting Force Gems.
- Adaptational Villainy: While Tingle did try to steal Force Gems in the game, his manga counterpart outright leaves Green to die at the hands of a Hinox to get away with a Force Gem.
- Fearless Fool: Tingle is so obsessed with Force Gems that he's willing to search Death Mountain and Shadow Link’s stronghold just on the off-chance that he can find some.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In his first scene, he abandons Link to make off with a Force Gem. The omake shows that he was crushed under a giant Force Gem dropped by Vaati.
- Made of Iron: He manages to survive being buried beneath a boulder, struck by a sledgehammer, and getting crushed by a huge Force Gem.
- Redundant Researcher: He tries to give Green information on Force Gems that he already knows about.
- Skewed Priorities: Tingle lets his quest to find Force Gems outweigh everything else, even his own safety. He has zero interest in anything else.
- Spanner in the Works: To Vio. The hero was a split-second away from breaking the Dark Mirror when Tingle popped in out of nowhere, mistaking him for Green and demanding Force Gems.
- Ungrateful Bastard: In his first appearance, Green saves him after he gets stuck under a boulder. When a Hinox attacks, Tingle grabs a Force Gem and bolts.
