- "Green clothes? Pointy hat? Yep, it's Link, all right! In this game, his sword and shield make for effective attacking and blocking, and his bow, bombs, and boomerang will spice up any battle. He's even brought his Clawshot for grabbing enemies and edges. The hero of Hyrule is really kitted out for a brawl!"
- — Trophy description
Link is a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series. He made his debut in the first game in the series and has consistently appeared in every game since. Initially he appeared to be based off of his model in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time but from Super Smash Bros. Brawl to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, he is mainly inspired by the Twilight Princess incarnation of the character. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he is based off of his Breath of the Wild incarnation, with his alternate outfit being derived from the Hero set from the same game.
In every game in the series he has been available as a fighter from the start.
Fighting Style[]
Link's main advantage over other fighters is his large range of projectiles inspired by numerous weapons in The Legend of Zelda series. Additionally because he has a sword his reach is slightly longer than many other characters and attacking is somewhat safer. The Hylian Shield can also protect Link against enemy projectiles if he is standing still.
Attacks[]
Ground Attacks[]
| Attack Type | Attack Name | Damage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Attack | Cleave, Counter, Stab | 2-5% | Link either stabs three times before performing a finishing blow or. In earlier games Link could also launch a barrage of stabs at a foe but this was removed in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. This attack is based on the series of strikes Link used to finish off Ganon in Ocarina of Time. |
| Forward Tilt | Bamboo Divide | 13% | Link brings his sword down sharply dealing high damage. |
| Up Tilt | Half-Moon Swipe | 9% | Link Swings his sword above him in a large arc, knocking the foe upwards. |
| Down Tilt | Grass Cutter | 11% | Link swings his sword from a crouched position. If used on a recovering foe it will knock them downwards with high force. |
| Dash Attack | Jump Attack | 12-14% | Initially this was a simple sword swipe but in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS it was changed into the Jump Attack. It deals heavy damage and can easily defeat enemies but is somewhat hard to land. |
| Grab | Clawshot | NA | Link uses the clawshot to pull in enemies from afar. He can then pummel them with the pommel of his sword or throw them away with a sword slash. In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee Link used the Hookshot instead. |
Smash Attacks[]
| Attack Type | Attack Name | Damage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Smash | Smash Cut | 7-14%,12-13% | Link swings his sword dealing low knockback. If he attacks again immediately he will swing his sword a second time with a near certain hit that deals high knockback. |
| Up Smash | Three-stage Cut | 4%,3%,9-11% | Swings his sword above his head three times with the final attack dealing high knockback. |
| Down Smash | Around-the-feet Cut | 14-17%,10-12% | Link swings his sword low on either side of him, first front, then back with the front attack dealing more damage. |
Air Attacks[]
| Attack Type | Attack Name | Damage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Air | Link Kick | 6-11% | Link launches a kick at his opponent. |
| Forward Air | Rotating Cleve | 8%,10% | Link swings his sword twice in a 360% angle. Possibly inspired by the Spin Attack. |
| Back Air | Two-stage Kick | 3%,5% | Link kicks his opponent twice. |
| Up Air | Jump Thrust | 13-15% | Link thrusts his sword upwards to damage his opponent. Good for keeping enemies in the air. Based on the Jump Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. |
| Down Air | Downthrust | 15-18% | Link thrusts his sword downwards dealing high damage and knock back to any opponent it hits. However should the attack fail it will leave Link vulnerable to enemy attacks. Based on the Down Thrust, a recurring attack in The Legend of Zelda series. |
Special Attacks[]
| Attack Type | Attack Name | Damage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Special 1 | Hero's Bow | 4-12% | Link launches an arrow from his bow. The longer he charges it the further the arrow will travel. In Super Smash Bros. this attack was instead the Boomerang but that attack was moved to Link's side special in later games. It was simply called Bow in Super Smash Bros. Melee and the design was based on the Fairy Bow from Ocarina of Time. |
| Neutral Special 2 | Power Bow | 4-20% | Link must charge his bow longer to increase range and power but significantly increases the potential damage. |
| Neutral Special 3 | Quickfire Bow | 4-8% | Link launches a magic arrow from his bow that is weaker but will not fall as time passes. The fact that the arrow is magic may mean it is inspired by the Fire, Ice or Light Arrows though the animation does not match any of these attacks. |
| Forward Special 1 | Gale Boomerang | 5-7% | Link throws the Gale Boomerang which damages enemies when it's moving away from Link, but drags enemies closer when returning to Link. In Super Smash Bros. Melee this attack was a normal Boomerang attack but it was replaced by the Gale Boomerang in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The normal version of the Boomerang was later re-added in Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS as a custom special. |
| Forward Special 2 | Boomerang | 7-9%, 3-5% | Link throws his boomerang at his opponent. The boomerang can be aimed precisely an even controlled after it has been thrown using the control stick. |
| Forward Special 3 | Ripping Boomerang | 2-4%,1% | Boomerang travels less distance but deals more damage and stuns enemies. |
| Up Special 1 | Spin Attack | 5-12% | Link unleashes a Spin Attacking which catches enemies and hits them multiple times. If used in the air it can aid Link in returning to the stage. In Super Smash Bros. the attack was orange and likely based on the fully charged Magic Spin Attack from Ocarina of Time. In later games it was given a more neutral colour. |
| Up Special 2 | Shocking Spin | 6-16% | Link unleashes a more powerful Spin Attack however it has less value as a recovery move. It works very similar to Spin Attack in Super Smash Bros. and given it's elemental properties, is also probably based on the Magic Spin Attack. |
| Up Special 3 | Whirling Leap | NA | Link leaps upwards with his Spin Attack but deals no damage to any enemies. Though Link has never actually used the Spin Attack to move upwards in The Legend of Zelda series, the name of this attack is probably taken from the Whirling Blade, the name for the Spin Attack in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. |
| Down Special 1 | Bomb | 5-9% | Link removes a bomb from his inventory. He can then throw it an enemy but if he waits too long it will explode in his hand. |
| Down Special 2 | Giant Bomb | 8-10% | A larger version of the bomb that deals more damage and over a wider range. However it does not explode upon contact with enemies making it harder to hit with. |
| Down Special 3 | Meteor Bomb | 5% | Bombs that detonate quicker and deal less damage but will knock foes downwards if they hit. |
| Final Smash | Triforce Slash | Link uses the completed Triforce to pin foes in place while he viciously attacks them multiple times with the Master Sword before striking with an attack that will almost definitely defeat them. |
Other References to The Legend of Zelda series[]
Link's forward dodge and back dodge resemble the forward roll and backflip techniques he can sometimes use in The Legend of Zelda series starting from Ocarina of Time. His attack when getting up off a ledge also resembles the crouching stab Link could use in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. One of Link's taunt features Link sheathing his sword similar to how he does so in Twilight Princess. Another taunt also has him playing with what appears to be the Cursor Fairy.
Link's alternate costumes refer to several Tunics he has worn throughout the series. Including the Goron Tunic, Zora Tunic, the purple Link from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, Link when using the Great Fairy's Tears, Dark Link, Link's Skyloft outfit and the Fierce Deity Armor worn by Fierce Deity Link. Some of the costumes also have some resemblance to the Links that emerged from the Four Sword (Purple, Red, and Blue Link). The Purple palette swap in 3DS and Wii U was originally based on Link's appearance when wearing the blue ring in the original game, but the shade grew more vibrant during development, though it nonetheless resembled the version of the Blue Ring used by Link in SoulCalibur II. The Yellow palette swap was also based on a dummied yellow tunic from Ocarina of Time. Link's green outfit in Ultimate was derived from the Hero of the Wild set of clothing in Breath of the Wild, while his red outfit in the same game is derived from the Hylian Tunic from the same game. His blue outfit in Ultimate was derived from the Royal Guard Uniform found in Breath of the Wild, with his shield being based on the Royal Guard's Shield.
Link exploding after Ridley used his downward special's charge attack to impale him in the "A Piercing Screech" trailer may have been a reference to how Link in the initial Legend of Zelda upon being killed ended up exploding after growing pale.