History Characters / TheLegendOfZeldaLink

!![[center: [-'''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTheTriforceWielders The Triforce Wielders:]]''' Link, [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaPrincessZelda Princess Zelda]], [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganon/Ganondorf]]-]]][[center:[-'''Other Recurring:''' [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGoddessesAndAllies Goddesses and Allies]], [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaVillainsAndEnemies Villains and Enemies]], [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaRaces Races]]-]]][[center: [-'''Main Series:''' ''Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', ''Characters/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle games]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords Four Swords]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures Four Swords Adventures]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTriForceHeroes Tri Force Heroes]]'', ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''-]]][[center: [-'''Spin-Offs:''' ''[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames Philips CD-i Games]]'', ''[[Characters/HyruleWarriors Hyrule Warriors]]'', ''[[Characters/CadenceOfHyrule Cadence of Hyrule]]'', ''[[Characters/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]''-]]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/link_85.png]]

The main playable character(s) and hero(es) of the series. The various incarnations of Link across the series vary in backstory, age, and personality, but there are a few constants. The simplest way to describe Link is that he's an everyman peasant boy who discovers he is TheChosenOne, a hero preordained by the gods to save the kingdom of Hyrule (and frequently, [[SaveThePrincess its Princess]]) from the forces of evil, usually by proving himself worthy of a SwordOfPlotAdvancement and using it to save a group of {{Barrier Maiden}}s or securing a few {{MacGuffin}}s.

Though Link is one of the most prominent {{Heroic Mime}}s in video games, he ''does'' have a personality, conveyed through facial expressions and physicality. As one would expect of the Hero of Hyrule he tends to be virtuous, selfless, and determined. Along with Zelda and Ganondorf, Link is one of the predesignated three wielders of the pieces of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and he is often associated with the goddess Farore, who among other domains created the forest and the wind. Link's connection with the Triforce of Courage is due to his HeroicSpirit that has allowed his various incarnations to overcome innumerable dangers to save Hyrule no matter how badly the odds are stacked against him.

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* TheAce: He is a powerful swordsman, (sometimes) a magic user, a skilled adventurer, and a legendary hero whose incarnations unfailingly appear across the centuries.
* ActionHero: He is a warrior, this is a given.
* AdorablyPrecociousChild: Even in his younger incarnations, Link is righteous and unbreakable.
* AllLovingHero: Link ''will'' help those around him, no matter what. Affiliation, race, and different dimension mean little to him. To him, helping is helping. This is quite possibly ''why'' he's the chosen of the Triforce Of Courage. It takes true courage to be willing to help so many people without a second thought for your safety.
* AlternateSelf: The events of ''Ocarina of Time'' split the timeline in three, making the Links seen in the Decline, Adult, and Child timelines this to each other. [[spoiler:He also has a cowardly Lorule counterpart named Ravio.]]
* AmbiguouslyRelated: All Links are the reincarnation of the Spirit of the Hero, but there is one instance in which he canonically reincarnates in one of his descendants: namely, the Hero of Twilight from ''Twilight Princess'' was a descendant of the Hero of Time from ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''. However, since the Hero of Winds from ''The Wind Waker'' was estated to NOT be related to him, this seems to point that, unlike Zelda, who always reincarnates in the Royal Family of Hyrule, the Spirit of the Hero can reincarnate outside of his own bloodline.
* AncestralWeapon:
** ''Twilight Princess'' Link is a descendant of the Hero of Time, making the Master Sword this.
** The Rito in ''Breath of the Wild'' understandably conclude that the Master Sword is this to their contemporary Link, but for several reasons, it actually isn't.
* {{Animorphism}}: In ''A Link to the Past'', he turned into a rabbit, and in ''Twilight Princess'', a wolf. [[Manga/TheLegendOfZelda The manga adaptation of the former]] by Akira Himekawa has him turn into a wolf as well.
* AudienceSurrogate: This is the reason his name is [[MeaningfulName Link]].
* BadassAdorable: Well, ''look'' at him. Even the older Links tends to get a "d'aww" out of fans when they get their cute on.
* BadassBiker: In ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'', seeing as his default vehicle is a motorbike, along with the Master Cycle Zero in the ''Breath of the Wild'' DLC.
* BadassBookworm: Not only is he a skilled warrior, he is also smart enough to solve an impressive amount of puzzles. Happens literally, too; in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', he retrieves a book from the library to help translate ancient text throughout the game.
* BadassNormal: Zelda and Ganon are revealed in ''Skyward Sword'' to be [[spoiler:reincarnations of powerful deities who fought over the Triforce]], explaining how they are able to wield powerful magic even when they lack their respective pieces of the Triforce. Link, in contrast, has always been a mundane Hylian even in his earliest incarnations, with whatever magical abilities he uses being either a BequeathedPower or activated with some enchanted item. He's still able to hold his own against various {{Physical God}}s and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s.
* BalefulPolymorph: His wolf transformation in ''Twilight Princess,'' his Deku form in ''Majora's Mask'', and his rabbit-form in ''A Link to the Past''. He does usually manage to find ways to put his transformations to good use, though, especially once he manages to gain control of them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's generally portrayed as a friendly, kindhearted young man who tends to go out of his way to help those in distress. He is also the avatar of Courage, and has a history of beating the hell out of everything from dragons to demigods.
* {{BFS}}:
** He is able to use larger-than-average swords in some games, such as the Biggoron's Sword and the Great Fairy Sword.
** In ''Twilight Princess'' and ''Skyward Sword'', the Master Sword is almost as long as he is tall.
** In ''Breath of the Wild'', he can use huge claymores, axes, and other such two-handed weapons.
* BigBrotherInstinct: To Aryll in ''The Wind Waker'', and to all the kids in Ordon Village in ''Twilight Princess''.
* {{Bishonen}}: In his adult forms.
* BlueIsHeroic: Blue is a common color worn by him besides green. He starts off with blue outfit in ''The Wind Waker'' and the Champion's Tunic, his most observed outfit in ''Breath of the Wild'', is bright blue.
* BornWinner: Averted. He may be destined to be TheChosenOne who will fight Ganon, but that doesn't mean he's destined ''to win''. He has canonically failed at least a few times. Namely in ''Ocarina of Time'', where he ends up inadvertently giving Ganondorf access to the Triforce in a silver platter, allowing him to rule Hyrule for 7 years, and even fails ''again'' in the Downfall Timeline, where he is down-straight killed. And then again in ''Breath of the Wild'', where he falls during the Great Calamity, putting him in a slumber that takes 100 years, in which Hyrule is left to ruin.
* BootstrappedLeitmotif: Ever since ''The Wind Waker'', the Main Theme of the Zelda series has also served as Link's own character theme, to the point of being used as such in a diagetic way in ''Skyward Sword'' with "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDvui4bzSk Song of the Hero]]".
* BowAndSwordInAccord: While he has a vast array of weaponry, he is rarely seen without a sword or a bow.
* CanonName: In nearly every single games, the player can choose the name of the protagonist. His canon name however is Link.
* TheChampion: Zelda's, whenever she's more than a cameo. [[SaveThePrincess Kind of the point, really.]]
* ChasteHero: Generally, although subject to a few exceptions:
** He is kissed by Zelda once in ''The Adventure of Link'' and again in the ''Oracle'' series.
** There is also PuppyLove between Link and Zelda in ''Spirit Tracks''.
** In ''Skyward Sword'', he and Zelda actually go on a date. Hell, they found the Royal Family of Hyrule.
** The Link from ''Twilight Princess'' is canonically a bloodline descendant of the Hero of Time. Whether he got married or simply had a single romantic evening, that Link passed on his genes one way or another.
** The original Japanese text of ''Breath of the Wild'' has the Adventure log written in the first person, as in Link being the one who writes them, including him giving his own opinions about the situation at hand. Notably, whenever he writes about Princess Zelda, the writing has some really heavy romantic undertones. [[spoiler:Given that Zelda canonically falls in love with Link in this era, the log entries heavily indicates that he reciprocates. Plus, this is supported by the symbolism used in other moments of the story as well]]. This was changed in the translations to other languages (except for Russian, for some reason), making the entries address the player instead.
* ChickMagnet: He doesn't get much female attention in most games, but he apparently has the ability to charm most girls that he meets. ''Ocarina of Time'', ''Twilight Princess'', ''Skyward Sword'', and ''Breath of the Wild''[='=]s Links are prime examples.
* TheChosenOne:
** In ''A Link to the Past'', ''Ocarina of Time'', the ''Oracle'' series, ''Twilight Princess'', and ''Skyward Sword''. "TheHero Chosen by the Gods," indeed. The major exception is ''The Wind Waker'', where he is TheUnchosenOne and he has to find the Triforce of Courage himself and prove his worthiness to be the hero.
** Played with in ''The Adventure of Link''; despite possessing a mark on his hand indicating that he is the only one worthy of obtaining the Triforce of Courage and awakening Zelda, he still has to prove himself by running the gauntlet of the Great Palace and taking it for himself.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Link will find himself helping random citizens in his quest to save Hyrule.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: To the point that, in ''The Wind Waker'', ''Twilight Princess'', and ''Spirit Tracks'', there is a reason as to why he wears the so-called "Hero's Clothes".
* ColorMotif: He's almost always associated with the color green, due to his trademark clothes, his connection with nature (he often starts his adventures in a forest in the countryside), and the Triforce of Courage (the piece of the goddess Farore, who is also associated with green). Very often, blue and indigo serve as secondary colors for him too (the Hylian Shield, the Master Sword, the glow of its attacks, etc..)
* CombatPragmatist: Though he's skilled with a sword, the majority of his battles have him coming up with a more clever way to take his foe down than simply head-on combat, such as irritating Valoo even more (the point of the battle was to get rid of the source of his irritation) so he causes a stone slab on the ceiling to drop on Gohma. This mostly happens out of necessity, as Link might not be able to damage the foe normally, but in fights he CAN win with just his sword, there are often alternate methods of defeating the opponent, like reflecting energy balls with a net, or using a hammer instead of a sword.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Link ''never'' has his parents appear in-game, and it's usually implied that they died some time before. He's occasionally lucky enough to have a few blood-relatives.
* CoolSword: It's called the friggin' [[AwesomeMcCoolName Master Sword]]!
* CosmicKeystone: He is the destined bearer of the Triforce of Courage, ⅓ of a divine wish-granting artifact.
* CostumeEvolution: The exact look of Link's Hero outfit varies from game to game, but in the original games -- and most of the games set in the Decline timeline -- it has yellow trim. ''Ocarina of Time'' gave him tights, while ''Twilight Princess'' added chainmail and pants.
* CrazyPrepared: Has a weapon/item for every possible situation.
* DarkIsNotEvil: He makes use of Twilight-based magic in ''Twilight Princess'' and he wields the power of the AmbiguouslyEvil Fierce Deity's Mask in ''Majora's Mask'', but remains a hero.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Very frequently takes the role of David. It's actually to his advantage, as most attacks send him flying and give him room to recover.
* DependingOnTheArtist: The different Links have often wildly divergent appearances. The only real constants are his green tunic and hat, and even those aren't seen often in ''Breath of the Wild''.
** Early Links especially were distinct from his current appearances: he had a brown undershirt, hair wandering somewhere between auburn and brown, and designs that switched between an anime-influenced artstyle to more realistic high fantasy designs and back. He even had pink hair in his ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' sprites, albeit this was due to hardware limitations, and appeared with brown hair in promotion material. Sometime in the late 2000s, Link's appearance was largely standardized to just two blond models: the young "Toon Link", and the older more realistic teenage {{Bishonen}}. However, a more consistent version of the original, brown-shirted design made a minor comeback with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'', and has since reappeared in ''VideoGame/CadenceOfHyrule'' and the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' remake.
** His eyes are usually very blue, but in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]] and other games featuring "Toon Link", they're black.
** As mentioned above, ''Breath of the Wild'' mostly does away with the classic green tunic, relegating it to [[spoiler:your reward for beating all Shrines]] and the previous tunics appearing as Amiibo bonuses. He's still unmistakably Link in facial features, but his new main outfit is the blue Champion's Tunic.
* DeathGlare: Normally, Link has a pretty calm and sometimes even happy expression, so when you see him frowning at an enemy, ''you know [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness shit is getting real]]''. ''Skyward Sword'' would be the best example, but there are instances before that.
* DemolitionsExpert: Bombs have been a standard part of his arsenal since the early days, and over the years he's gotten more creative in their usage.
* TheDeterminator: Practically his superpower. Link ''never'' gives up (see HeroicSpirit, below).
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Since the BigBad of each game tends to be some sort of EldritchAbomination, yes. Yes, he does. Frequently.
* DieChairDie: All Links seem to share an instinctive hatred of pottery and tall grass.
* EarnYourTitle: Despite being TheChosenOne, every incarnation of Link still must to overcome a series of tests designed to test his virtues and see if he can be the Hero of Hyrule.
* EmeraldPower: He wears green clothes, his homeland is most games is a lush forest, and Farore, his patron goddess, is also symbolized by green.
* EternalHero: ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Hyrule Historia'' imply that each Link is the incarnation of the "Spirit of the Hero", therefore making successive Links the reincarnations of their predecessors. ''Hyrule Warriors'' is the first game -- albeit not part of the established timeline -- to explicitly state this to be the case. ''Hyrule Historia'' notes that not all of them may have even been named Link, but that the name is given by the storytellers who recount the Legends of Zelda. This is a LampShade on the fact that you can [[HelloInsertNameHere name the character]] in every game, but even in-universe previous Links are only referred to by titles such as The Hero of Men, Hero of Time, or Hero of Winds, never by given name. And though characters may note that the current Link is wearing The Hero's Clothes, wielding the same CoolSword, or having the same spirit, they never say that he has the same name. Of course, this wording is right after "they could be the same person, [or] relatives...", so they could mean family name.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Since ''A Link To The Past'', this has been one of his best sword attacks, and essentially his signature move.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: Certain Links are continuing their stories from a previous installment (usually in a new land), such as the one from ''The Adventure of Link'' being the same Link from the first game, but going on a new quest to awaken a (different) princess. The Link from ''Breath of the Wild'' is one of these despite not having starred in a previous game; before being caught up in the adventure, he was already a knight. [[spoiler:Specifically, he was Princess Zelda's personal bodyguard, and had quite a good deal of practical experience in battle.]]
* {{Expy}}: His design in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] was based on the Disney version of WesternAnimation/PeterPan.
* FarmBoy: In ''Twilight Princess''. While not farmboys per se, most Links tend to lead fairly simple lives in rural or suburban settings before being drawn into an adventure (such as being an apprentice blacksmith). ''Breath of the Wild'''s Link is an aversion.
* FeaturelessProtagonist: Was this for the first few games (well, sort of), but with additions over time of backstory, family members, and motivations other than "save Zelda", seems to be beginning to grow out of it.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Especially noted in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]], where all animals in-game have a grand fondness in him. Part of his kind and helpful demeanor comes from having bonds with almost anything he meets. As well as the fact that his patron Goddess, Farore, was responsible for creating all life forms on Earth.
* GeniusBruiser: In addition to being a formidable warrior, Link is also an excellent puzzle-solver and strategist.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Link is most often a humble farmboy, but when things get messy, the bad guys will be ''destroyed''.
* GuestFighter: In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur II]]'' on the [=GameCube=], or at least his ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''/''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' [[LegacyCharacter incarnation]].
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: About half of Link's incarnations have blond hair and, true to the trope, he is often kind to the people he meets.
* HelloInsertNameHere: Although his CanonName "Link" is used extensively everywhere, you get to name the lad in almost every game. While at least one of the Links could've actually been named Link -- for example, in ''Breath of the Wild'' Zelda's spoken dialogue actually calls him this -- the other heroes' real names have been lost to history, so it's open to interpretation.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Many of Link's incarnations are highly skilled swordsmen, or become them over the course of their adventures, and all of them wield swords as their primary weapon.
* HeroicAmbidexterity: After the Wii port of ''Twilight Princess'' (and, to a greater extent, ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Breath of the Wild'' in general) had right-handed Links, WordOfGod has stated that the Links are actually ambidextrous (and hand preference depends on the incarnation).
* HeroicMime:
** Aside from [[{{Kiai}} battle cries]], Link never says a word. But [=NPCs=] often react as though he does, indicating that his dialogue is supposed to be imagined by the player. Occasionally, he gets a DialogueTree. Also at some points in ''The Wind Waker'', where he very clearly calls out "Come on!" during the escort missions. This is averted again in ''Twilight Princess''. Not the main Link, he's as silent as ever, but [[spoiler:''[[AllThereInTheManual Hyrule Historia]]'' says that the SpiritAdvisor Hero's Shade is the ghost of the Link from ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''.]]
** He's actually ''seen talking'' during cutscenes in ''Skyward Sword'', ''A Link Between Worlds'', and ''Breath of the Wild'', but the audience doesn't hear anything. But they get the gist of it if they have been following the game's plot.
** This doesn't apply to the manga adaptations, where Link just speaks normally and the reader gets to see it.
** In ''Breath of the Wild'', whenever dialogue options come up, they're phrased as actual dialogue. Also, while he himself is never heard speaking, in a flashback, Zelda directly quotes something he told her. It's revealed in [[ApocalypticLog Zelda's diary]] in Hyrule castle that he had told her that he keeps a stoic and silent front because of the pressures that he feels from being the chosen hero.
* HeroicLineage: Some of the Links in the series are descendants of others. This is notably subverted by the Hero of Winds, who is not related to the Hero of Time, but manages to be a hero anyway. He also starts his own lineage in his sequels. ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Hyrule Historia'' imply that the various Links are reincarnations of the Spirit of the Hero.
* HeroicSpirit: Whether the obstacles are diabolic puzzles or demon kings, ''nothing'' stops Link when people need him. Lampshaded in ''Skyward Sword'', which explains that he's TheChosenOne specifically because of this.
* HorseArcher: Originally, the only thing that he could use while riding Epona was his bow.
* HotBlooded: If there's one thing all of Link's incarnations have in common, it's ''passion''.
* HumbleHero: Humility is officially described as one of his virtues. In some games, Link hails from a humble background and is pretty happy with that kind of life until duty comes calling.
* HyperspaceArsenal: A sword, shield, bow, boomerang, bombs, and a hookshot. And those are just his ''standard'' items.
* IconicItem: The Master Sword and the Hylian Shield are almost as iconic of him as...
* IconicOutfit: His trademark green tunic and hat. Its first canonical appearance was the green version of the knight's uniform in Skyloft. Somehow, it came to be casual clothes worn by the Kokiri. Then it became known as the Hero's Clothes after the Hero of Time (who was raised as a Kokiri). In the Adult Timeline, it became part of a coming of age ritual on Outset Island, before the Hero of Winds brought it full circle to being a knight's uniform in New Hyrule.
* IdealHero: No matter in what situation he is in, he is always described as the ideal choice to be the hero of Hyrule.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He is the purest, kindest soul in the game, helping others solely out of the good in his heart and never becoming corrupted by evil influences (even if it includes things to his own benefit. See DarkIsNotEvil above). [[Funny/TheLegendOfZelda Except when]] [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential attacking Cuccoos...]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: Of the heroic and idealistic variety.
* InstantExpert: Give him a new toy, no matter how bizarre, and Link will be wielding it like a natural in a matter of minutes.
* {{Irony}}: Link is consistently portrayed as having SuperSwimmingSkills except in the two games where he has the closest connection to water, instead limiting his swimming abilities with a stamina meter. Those games are ''The Wind Waker'', where he lives on an island in the middle of an immense ocean, and ''Breath of the Wild'', where he not only was ChildhoodFriends with many [[FishPeople Zora]] but almost [[InterspeciesRomance became their prince consort]].
* JackOfAllStats: Among the denizens of Hyrule, Link is well-balanced, with an average running speed and strong but broad and spaced-out attacks. Link's main strength is versatility, as he uses many different weapons and tools for different purposes and fighting styles; he encounters many foes that are {{Mighty Glacier}}s, {{Stone Wall}}s, {{Fragile Speedster}}s or even {{Lightning Bruiser}}s in comparison, but always adapts to exploit his foes' weaknesses and his own advantages over them.
* JawDrop:
** Happened in ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Spirit Tracks'' when he meets Zelda for the first time. Even accompanied by a long gasp in ''Spirit Tracks''. {{Blush Sticker}}s, [[PuppyLove too]].
** This can also happen when he sees a big scary boss monster... [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess or when a boss is]] NotQuiteDead [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments yet]].
* KidHero: Whenever he's a kid.
* KleptomaniacHero: If it even vaguely looks useful and isn't nailed down, Link will nab it. And anything that is nailed down? He will brave a dungeon's depths just to get something he can use to pry it up so he can nab that as well.
* KnightInShiningArmor: He has a very strong knighthood motif, and is explicitly stated to be a literal knight in both ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Breath of the Wild''. Normally, he sets aside the literal shining armor for his iconic green tunic and hat, but he can wear plate in both ''Breath of the Wild'' (in the form of the Soldier's Armor and Ancient Armor) and ''Twilight Princess'' (in the form of the Magic Armor).
* KnightlySwordAndShield: In keeping with his knight themes, these are his main weapons; with the Master Sword and Hylian Shield being the most iconic.
* LadyAndKnight: The White Knight to Zelda's Bright Lady.
* LegendaryInTheSequel: Several games mention the adventures of previous Links as the stuff of legends:
** By the time the story in ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' begins, the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' have been passed down for generations and is considered a myth. Despite this, the people of Outset Island have a custom where boys are garbed in green, when they come of age (twelve), in the hopes they'll find courage like the Hero of Time. There's also a statue of him in Hyrule Castle.
** The legend carries over to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' as well, which occurs at roughly the same time as ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'', due to the split timeline. After the events at Death Mountain, wherein Link restores Darbus' sanity, Renado remarks how Link's actions are reminiscent of the Hero of Time's.
** The Hero of Time seems to get this treatment a lot, to the point where he and his era were especially renowned in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' despite being visited alongside the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Sky]] eras.
** This continues in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' where the events of the previous game ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' are shown as a series of paintings in the entry way inside Hyrule Castle.
* {{Leitmotif}}: The field theme for each game, which usually means the Main Theme of the series. Some melodies once unique to individual games, like the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field and the Twilight Princess Hyrule Field themes, have become recurring in future games as well.
* MagicKnight: Pairs good old-fashioned swordsmanship with magical items, and occasionally magic spells.
* MagicMusic: Whether it's an ocarina, a harp, or a magical baton, several of the Links have had the ability to warp time and space via music.
* MagikarpPower: Link almost always starts very weak, with low health and few options for either combat or puzzle solving. He ends his adventures much, much stronger with all kinds of tools and abilities. The most notable example is the Link from ''Breath Of The Wild'', who starts as easily the weakest version of the character and ends as the strongest. Distant seconds are the Links from ''Link to the Past'' and ''Link Between Worlds'', due to their sword and armor upgrades on top of the usual.
* ManlyTears: He's typically portrayed as a stoic warrior, but there are occasions where he at least seems on the verge of crying, such as when his grandmother finds out Aryll has been kidnapped in ''The Wind Waker'' or when [[spoiler:Zelda seals herself in a crystal prison in the Sealed Temple to maintain Demise's imprisonment]] in ''Skyward Sword''.
* MasterSwordsman: Develops into one or is one from the beginning in each game.
* MaybeEverAfter: While Link and Zelda have never been outright confirmed as an OfficialCouple, it's been implied many, many times, perhaps most strongly in ''Skyward Sword'', ''Spirit Tracks'' and ''Breath of the Wild'' - in the former, it's even implied that, with Zelda, he'll found the Hylian royal family.
* MeaningfulName: His official name refers to the fact that he is [[AudienceSurrogate the player's]] "link" to the game world. And by pure coincidence, this left-handed hero's name just happens to be German for "left." In Dutch, Link means both "risky" and "dangerous". Which describes the situations he's in adequately well.
* MrFanservice: His {{Bishonen}} designs. The first one in ''Ocarina of Time'' was made specifically to make him physically attractive. ''[[EstrogenBrigade Boy, did it work!]]'' Other notable examples are his [[ShirtlessScene Shirtless Sumo Scene]] in ''Twilight Princess'', and the option to have him run around shirtless (and pantsless!) in ''Breath of the Wild''.
* MultiMeleeMaster: While Link has always used multiple tools and gadgets to supplement his sword, Breath of the Wild is the first game to show that he is completely unmatched in using almost ''anything'' as a primary melee weapon: spears, hammers, two-handed broadswords, magic wands, magic blades, tree branches, torches, axes, metal boomerangs and more. In fact, he can go the entire game without ever using a one-handed sword. About the only weapon he's never seen using are his bare hands. Justified by his extensive training and battle against Ganon before the fall of Hyrule, rather than living a peaceful life like most of his other reincarnations.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Often performs feats of strength that, considering his size, should be ''completely'' impossible. Some cases are justified with the use of magical enhancements. Others (such as swinging around a sword literally twice his size in ''Skyward Sword'' and ''3 times'' his size in ''Wind Waker'') are not.
* NiceGuy: Link is kind to just about everyone he meets.
* NiceHat:
** Would he really be Link without it? [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap It]] practically even got [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap its own game.]]
** ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' once stated that the one thing Link could do that nobody else could is make a floppy green hat look cool. They're right.
* NiceShoes: His Pegasus Boots, which invoke the mystical powers of the Ancient-Greek flying horse that allow Link to dash, run, and jump higher and faster than before.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: Rare heroic example. If Link has any advantages over his enemies, he ''will'' use them, such as attacking weak spots, using items to clear distances, or using the terrain to his advantage. Really, ''everything'' is fair game to Link.
* NotAMorningPerson: If the number of games that begin with a GoodMorningCrono scenario is any indication, he likes to sleep in when he isn't busy saving Hyrule.
* OneManArmy: Repeatedly shown to be utterly superior to Hyrule's ''official'' [[RedShirtArmy army]].
* OnlyICanKillHim: Being the chosen wielder of the Master Sword, Link is the only one who can kill Ganondorf.
* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: The [[CoolSword Master Sword]] does not appear in every Zelda game, but when it does, a Link is always the chosen wielder.
* ThePaladin: He is the chosen hero of gods and wields Holy weapons like the Master Sword and Light Arrows.
* PantsFree: Played straight in most of the earlier games, where the art made it clear he wasn't wearing much under the tunic. After ''Ocarina of Time'', though, they started showing him wearing tights, and in ''Twilight Princess'', he is finally given real pants.
* ParentalAbandonment: In almost every single one of his incarnations. Before ''Breath of the Wild'' the closest he ever came to having parents was ''Ocarina of Time'' (in which they were revealed to be dead). [[{{Nephewism}} He gets to have an uncle]] in ''A Link to the Past'' and [[RaisedByGrandparents a Grandma and Grandpa]] in ''Wind Waker'' and ''The Minish Cap'' (respectively). ''Breath of the Wild'' states Link's father is a knight (and Link is following in his footsteps) and flashbacks imply he's still alive at the time of the Calamity, but by the time that you begin the actual game he's almost certainly dead, if not by the Calamity then by old age.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Even his adult incarnations are always pointedly shorter than other Hylians, sometimes even including their respective Zeldas, but Link is consistently the most heroic, accomplished and courageous being in Hyrule.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Zelda, in games where their relationship [[ImpliedLoveInterest doesn't have romantic implications]]. It has been noted in some games, most notably ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap''.
* PlotTailoredToTheParty: No matter how bizarre the magical knicknacks he picks up, he'll find ''some'' way to kill at least one giant monster with it.
* PrecursorHeroes: Some Links are this to their successors. The best-known example is the Link of ''Ocarina of Time'', who is the ancestor of the Link of ''Twilight Princess''.
* ProgressivelyPrettier: Link was rather average looking in his first few appearances, with unkempt hair, a stubby nose, and enormous ears. It wasn't until ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' that he became a full-on Bishonen thanks to sharper features, a cleaner hair-do, and thinner ears, and he's only gotten prettier since then.
* {{Reincarnation}}: Link is not just one hero, but many who are all incarnations of the "Spirit of the Hero" who is destined to fight Ganondorf alongside Zelda.
* RewardingVandalism: Link's primary source of income is smashing random objects. Especially pottery.
* RipVanWinkle: In both ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Breath of the Wild''. In the former game, he was forced to sleep seven years in the Sacred Realm until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword, while in the latter game, he had to spend a century sleeping in a HealingVat to recover from his near-fatal injuries during the Great Calamity.
* SacredBowAndArrows: His Light Arrows/Silver Arrows.
* ScreamingWarrior: Link's only spoken dialogue has been screaming at his enemies as he hacks them to pieces.
* SecondPersonNarration: With a few exceptions that can be written off as typos, the narration always refers to Link as "you", e.g. "You found ten rupees!". The instruction manuals for ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' are written entirely in second person.
* ShipTease: Besides having this with Zelda throughout the series, in each individual game there's always at least one female character who develops a crush on him.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: We all know he'll win, but dear Gods, it's almost as much fun to watch him win as it is to ''be'' him when he wins.
* SignatureMove: His SpinAttack. Also, to a lesser degree, the Jumping Down Thrust[=/=]Finishing Move.
* SpecialPersonNormalName: The Hero of Hyrule has the average name "Link".
* SpiritAdvisor: He both has and ''is'' one in ''Twilight Princess'', as the Hero's Shade who guides ''Twilight Princess'' Link is in fact the Link from ''Ocarina of Time'' according to ''Hyrule Historia''.
* StabTheSky: Many times across the series, but ''Skyward Sword'' turns it into an actual gameplay mechanic.
* SwordBeam: In some games, Link can use his sword to fire energy beams. Depending on the game, either any sword can fire a SwordBeam or only the Master Sword can do it.
* TeensAreShort: In the games where he's a teenager, he's always one of the shortest humans, aside from children or [[MiniatureSeniorCitizen the elderly]]. Even girls his age are generally taller than him. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Link is shorter than everyone, and other characters even comment on his height from time to time.
* TravelTransformation: With multiple kinds of transformation:
** ''Majora's Mask'' has masks to transform into forms that can swim, and roll.
** ''The Minish Cap'' has {{Sizeshifter}} to enter {{Mouse World}}s.
* UnskilledButStrong: In the [=2D=] games, Link's fighting style consists of large, slow, sweeping slashes and stabs, but with his legendary sword in hand, he's an unstoppable force. In most [=3D=] games post-''Wind Waker'', he starts out as this but becomes a MasterSwordsman by picking up more elaborate fighting techniques.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: ''The Adventure of Link'', ''Majora's Mask'', and ''Twilight Princess'' give him transformation powers to navigate the world and solve puzzles.
* WeaponOfChoice: The Master Sword and Hylian Shield, consistent across almost all of his incarnations. In games where they are depicted as an InfinityPlusOneSword, Link is more frequently shown with other, less powerful and more common weapons, especially in ''Breath of the Wild'' where barely any promotional material shows him with the iconic weapons.
* WorldsBestWarrior: By the end of every game, Link becomes this.
* WouldHitAGirl: He has occasionally squared off against female opponents such as Gerudo warriors, the Twinrova sisters, Veran, and Lady Maud, and he's never treated them any different from his male opponents.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: He has shown to be quite capable of a few rough hands-on techniques.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' using the Giant's Mask during the Twinmold boss fight causes young Link to resort to melee combat, as his weapons do not grow in size with him.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', he engages in sumo wrestling with Mayor Bo for practice in challenging one of the leaders of the Goron tribe, Gor Coron, for a real sumo match in order to proceed to their mines. He also is shown to tackle and ''throw'' the Ordon goats with ease.
** One of the weapons he owns in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' are the Gauntlets. Some of the animations seen while attacking include a number of different wrestling moves, including Link suplexing a massive rock to slam down on enemies.
** Some of his attacks in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' can count as this as well, more specifically, his Grab move techniques. The Down Throw involves him pinning down his opponent while he body slams/elbow drops them.
----

Though Link is one of the most prominent {{Heroic Mime}}s in video games, he ''does'' have a personality, conveyed through facial expressions and physicality. As one would expect of the Hero of Hyrule he tends to be virtuous, selfless, and determined. Along with Zelda and Ganondorf, Link is one of the predesignated three wielders of the pieces of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and he is often associated with the goddess Farore, who among other domains created the forest and the wind. Link's connection with the Triforce of Courage is what gives him his HeroicSpirit that has allowed his various incarnations to overcome innumerable dangers to save Hyrule no matter how badly the odds are stacked against him.

* {{Irony}}: Link is consistently portrayed as an OlympicSwimmer except in the two games where he has the closest connection to water, instead limiting his swimming abilities with a stamina meter. Those games are ''The Wind Waker'', where he lives on an island in the middle of an immense ocean, and ''Breath of the Wild'', where he not only was ChildhoodFriends with many [[FishPeople Zora]] but almost [[InterspeciesRomance became their prince consort]].

* AmbiguouslyRelated: The only unambiguous related Links are from ''Ocarina of Time'', ''Twilight Princess'' (the latter is the former's descendant) and ''Wind Waker'' (they had no connection to the previous Link, at least until earning it). The relation between Link's other incarnations could be blood, reincarnation, or just happening to resemble each other (as it continued despite the cycle supposedly being broken in ''Wind Waker''), but never explored.

** Early Links especially were distinct from his current appearances: he had a brown undershirt, hair wandering somewhere between auburn and brown, and designs that switched between an anime-influenced artstyle to more realistic high fantasy designs and back. He even had pink hair in his ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' sprites. Sometime in the late 2000s, Link's appearance was largely standardized to just two blond models: the young "Toon Link", and the older more realistic teenage {{Bishonen}}. However, a more consistent version of the original, brown-shirted design made a minor comeback with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'', and has since reappeared in ''VideoGame/CadenceOfHyrule'' and the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' remake.

* EarnYourTitle: Every game sees Link having to overcome a series of tests designed to test his virtues and see if he can be the Hero of Hyrule.

** Aside from [[{{Kiai}} battle cries]], Link never says a word. But [=NPCs=] sometimes react as though he does, implying that his dialogue is supposed to be imagined by the player. Occasionally, he gets a DialogueTree. Also at some points in ''The Wind Waker'', where he very clearly calls out "Come on!" during the escort missions. This is averted again in ''Twilight Princess''. Not the main Link, he's as silent as ever, but [[spoiler:''[[AllThereInTheManual Hyrule Historia]]'' says that the SpiritAdvisor Hero's Shade is the ghost of the Link from ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''.]]

** In the non-canon ''Hyrule Warriors'', it's taken UpToEleven, where he's confirmed to be ''mute'' and uses fairies to interpret for him.
** This doesn't apply to the manga adaptations, where Link is actually seen speaking and the reader actually sees what he's saying to whoever he is with.

* MaybeEverAfter: While Link and Zelda have never been outright confirmed as an OfficialCouple, it's been implied many, many times, perhaps most strongly in ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Breath of the Wild'' - in the former, it's even implied that, with Zelda, he'll found the Hylian royal family.

* TheHero: Of course. Just about every Link from ''Ocarina of Time'' onwards has had "Hero of..." as part of their moniker.

** By the time the story in ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' begins, the events of ''[[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' have been passed down for generations and is considered a myth. Despite this, the people of Outset Island have a custom where boys are garbed in green, when they come of age (twelve), in the hopes they'll find courage like the Hero of Time. There's also a statue of him in Hyrule Castle.

* OneMarioLimit: PlayedWith. According to WordOfGod, the actual names of the various heroes (such as the "Hero of the Winds" and the "Hero of Time") may not actually be "Link". The stories we see in the series are legends told generations after they happened. It could very well be that a person named "Link" gets reincarnated every so often, or it could be that Hyrulean storytellers retroactively named every Hero that appeared "Link", regardless of what their original names were.

* ParentalAbandonment: In almost every single one of his incarnations. Before ''Breath of the Wild'' he closest he ever came to having parents was ''Ocarina of Time'' (in which they were revealed to be dead). [[{{Nephewism}} He gets to have an uncle]] in ''A Link to the Past'' and [[RaisedByGrandparents a Grandma and Grandpa]] in ''Wind Waker'' and ''The Minish Cap'' (respectively). ''Breath of the Wild'' states Link's father is a knight (and Link is following in his footsteps) and flashbacks imply he's still alive at the time of the Calamity, but by the time that you begin the actual game he's almost certainly dead, if not by the Calamity then by old age.

* OnlyChildSyndrome: He has almost always been portrayed as an only child. The sole exception is ''The Wind Waker'', where the kidnapping of his sister Aryll is what set him on his quest in the first place.

** In ''Breath of the Wild'', whenever dialogue options come up, they're phrased as actual dialogue. Also, while he himself is never heard speaking, in a flashback, Zelda directly quotes something he told her. It's revealed in [[ApocalypticLog Zelda's diary]] in Hyrule castle that he had told her that he keeps a stoic and silent front because of the pressures that he feels from being the chosen hero. The trope is downplayed in BOTW due to the presence of "forced options", AKA dialogue trees where Link only has one dialogue option to choose from.

Though Link is one of the most prominent {{Heroic Mime}}s in video games, he ''does'' have a personality, conveyed through facial expressions and physicality. As one would expect of the Hero of Hyrule he tends to be virtuous, selfless, and determined. Along with Zelda and Ganondorf, Link is one of the predesignated three wielders of the pieces of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and he is often associated with the goddess Farore, who among other domains created the forest and the wind. Link's connection with the Triforce of Courage is what gives him his HeroicSpirit that has allowed his various incarnations to brave innumerable dangers to save Hyrule no matter how badly the odds are stacked against him.

Though Link is one of the most prominent {{Heroic Mime}}s in video games, he ''does'' have a personality, conveyed through facial expressions and physicality. As one would expect of the Hero of Hyrule he tends to be virtuous, selfless, and determined. Along with Zelda and Ganondorf, Link is one of the predesignated three wielders of the pieces of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and he is often associated with Farore, the goddess associated with the forest and the wind. His association with the Triforce of Courage is what gives Link his HeroicSpirit that has allowed him to brave innumerable dangers to save Hyrule no matter how badly the odds are stacked against him.

The main playable character(s) and hero(es) of the series. The various incarnations of Link across the series vary in backstory, age, and personality, but there are a few constants. The simplest way to describe Link is that he's an everyman peasant boy who finds he is TheChosenOne, a hero designated by the gods to wield a SwordOfPlotAdvancement and save the kingdom of Hyrule (and frequently, [[SaveThePrincess its Princess]]) from the forces of evil and darkness.

Along with Zelda and Ganondorf, Link is one of the predesignated three wielders of the pieces of the Triforce, and is directly associated with the forest goddess Farore and the Triforce of Courage (though he does not always have it in every game). It is implied that his link to the Triforce of Courage is what gives him his HeroicSpirit that allows him to prevail in his numerous quests to protect Hyrule.

* {{Expy}}: His design in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda first game]] was based on the Disney version of WesternAnimation/PeterPan.

** In ''Breath of the Wild'', whenever dialogue options come up, they're phrased as actual dialogue. Also, while he himself is never heard speaking, in a flashback, Zelda directly quotes something he told her. It's revealed in [[ApocalypticLog Zelda's diary]] in Hyrule castle that he had told her that he keeps a stoic and silent front because of the pressures that he feels from being the chosen hero.

* {{Adorkable}}: Starting with ''Wind Waker'', he's been given this quirk as a minor personality trait, especially his "Toon" versions. The ''Wind Waker'' Link was specifically characterized as someone who was trying very hard to live up to the standard of being a hero, but constantly failed in hilarious ways. The creators specifically mentioned making him this to avoid having him be "too cool" and an unrelatable action hero. The latest incarnation of Link, via ''Breath of the Wild'', is arguably considered one of the dorkiest and cutest versions of him.