Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Linkle (リンクル Rinkuru?, 
) is a playable character in Hyrule Warriors Legends. Along with the other Hyrule Warriors Legends characters, she can be added to the original Hyrule Warriors game, either by using the download code obtained by purchasing Hyrule Warriors Legends, or by purchasing the Legends DLC pack. A young girl from a farm village renowned for their Cucco raising skills, Linkle is called from her quiet village life and embarks on an adventure that will make her a legend.
Personality[]
A Cucco perched atop Linkle's head in her victory cutscene
Like Link, Linkle has a courageous heart and a heroic spirit, though she is far more talkative (in contrast to Link's traditional role as a silent protagonist), and has a deeply held belief that she is destined to be the legendary hero (again in contrast to Link, who is initially unsure if he is the hero after Impa gives him the Hero's Clothes).
She picked up this belief from her grandmother, who gave her a magic compass that Linkle considers to be proof of her status as the legendary hero, despite her fellow villagers dismissing the idea by pointing out this is something everyone's grandmother says to their grandchildren. Upon hearing of the Dark Forces' attack on Hyrule Castle, Linkle quickly dons a hooded green tunic and equips herself with two Crossbows she normally uses to defend her Cucco flock from Wolfos, determined to aid Princess Zelda and the Hyrulean Forces as the legendary hero she believes herself to be. Despite carrying her grandmother's compass and a crude map of Hyrule, she often finds herself lost on her journey to Hyrule Castle, though she appears somewhat oblivious to this.
Due to being raised as a Cucco farmer and rancher, Linkle has a fondness for Cuccos and cares for their well being. This fondness and protectiveness is reciprocated by her Cuccos, who loyally follow her onto the battlefield.
Biography[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
War Across the Ages: Linkle's Tale[]
Living in a small rural hamlet in Hyrule, Linkle lived a relatively uneventful life as a Cucco rancher. Raised by her beloved grandmother, Linkle grew up believing that she was the legendary hero reborn and that she would one day be called upon to defend the land of Hyrule. She eventually inherited her grandmother's compass, a magic compass that Linkle viewed as proof of her legendary status.
The Girl in the Green Tunic[]
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Linkle leaving on her quest to Hyrule Castle
While waking up one morning, Linkle hears two of her fellow villagers calling for her, causing her to rush outside while still in her pajamas. Outside her house, the villagers inform her that Hyrule Castle has been attacked and invaded by an army of monsters, and that Princess Zelda was valiantly leading the Hyrulean Forces against them. Believing the time had come to face her destiny, Linkle rushes back into her home and dons a a hooded Green Tunic.She leaves her home dressed in green, setting off for Hyrule Castle to aid the Hyrulean Forces. While making her way to the castle, she comes to a fork in the road, and, failing to notice a nearby road sign pointing to Hyrule Castle, ends up going down the wrong path, causing her to end up lost in Faron Woods. In the forest, she encounters a strange imp wearing a mask. Under the influence of Majora's Mask, the imp steals Linkle's compass and flees into the forest, with Linkle in hot pursuit. Aided by her loyal army of Cuccos, Linkle fights against the imp and his army of monsters to retrieve her compass. Seemingly in response to her struggle, her compass produces a mysterious light that weakens Majora's power, interfering with its ability to control its host and allowing Linkle to defeat the imp and regain her compass. Seeing it as another sign that she truly is the legendary hero, Linkle continues on her journey to Hyrule Castle.
Era of the Hero of Time: Powers Collide[]
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Linkle, Cia has stolen the Triforce and used it to warp time and space, transforming the landscape of Hyrule. Eventually, Linkle finds herself in Lake Hylia from the Era of the Hero of Time. Shortly before she arrives, Princess Zelda and Impa had closed the Gate of Souls in the Water Temple and had returned to the present, leaving their allies (the Sage of Fire, Darunia and the Sage of Water, Princess Ruto) to defend Lake Hylia from the Dark Forces. Fortunately, Linkle arrives just as the Dark Forces, led by the Dragon Knight Volga, attack the Goron Forces led by Darunia and Ruto. Seeing it as her heroic duty to aid them, Linkle joins the Goron Forces in combating Volga. While Linkle and Ruto fight off the Dark Forces in the Water Temple, Darunia recklessly charges to face Volga himself, despite Ruto's misgivings. Desperate to aid him, Ruto and Linkle find themselves trapped in the temple, forcing them to call upon Goron Engineers to open the temple gate. Eventually, they make it out of the temple, just in time to save Darunia. After fighting off Volga's subordinates, Linkle joins Darunia in confronting Volga. Together, they manage to defeat the Dragon Knight, driving off the Dark Forces.
Era of Skyloft: The Demon Lord's Plan[]
After the defeat of Volga, Linkle continues on her journey to Hyrule Castle. Meanwhile, in the Era of Skyloft, the Demon Lord Ghirahim decides to use the Gate of Time as part of a ritual to resurrect his master, Demise. Sensing a disturbance in the Sealed Grounds from her secret chamber in Skyloft, the Spirit of the Goddess Sword Fi journeys to the Sealed Grounds to prevent the Demon King's revival, joining forces with Linkle and her Cuccos. Fortunately, Ghirahim's ritual to revive Demise fails, instead producing miniature versions of The Imprisoned. His plan is eventually foiled by Linkle and Fi, who manage to defeat him. While Fi returns to Skyloft, Linkle continues on her quest.
Era of Twilight: Her True Self[]
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Linkle and Twili Midna
As Linkle continues on her journey, the Hyrulean Forces manage to close the Gate of Souls in each Era and, after retrieving the Master Sword from the Temple of the Sacred Sword, drive Cia from the Temple of Souls while preventing the partially revived Ganondorf from reclaiming the Triforce of Power. As the Hyrulean Forces and their allies prepare for the final battle with Cia and the Dark Forces, Princess Zelda senses dark magic that threatens to drive the light from Hyrule. Realizing the source of the dark magic originates from the Palace of Twilight within the Twilight Realm, Zelda leads a small group of Hyrulean Soldiers to the Era of Twilight to stop the flow of Dark Magic without telling her allies, who are busy preparing for the battle with Cia. Fortunately, the Twilight Princess Midna notices Zelda's absence and, realizing her intentions, leaves to assist her, as the Twilight Realm is Midna's domain. Along the way, Midna encounters Linkle, who is transfixed by a mysterious crystal; as Midna touches this crystal, it dispels the curse Cia had placed on her and she transforms into her true form: Twili Midna, the Ruler of Twilight. Though puzzled by Midna's transformation, Linkle decides not to question it and chooses to follow Midna on her mission to rescue Princess Zelda.
At the Palace of Twilight, Midna and Linkle find Princess Zelda, who is using her magic to stop the flow of dark magic, which Midna recognizes as being a form of Twilight magic. Together with Linkle, Midna is able to rescue the soldiers that are aiding Zelda and eventually confront Dark Zant, a doppelgänger of Zant made of dark twilight magic. Defeating Dark Zant, Midna and Linkle arrive in time to save Princess Zelda from Dark Twili Midna. After the battle, Midna tells Zelda to leave everything to her, as the Twilight Realm is her responsibility. Even with her considerable powers and knowledge of Twilight magic, however, Midna is unable to halt the flow of dark Twilight magic. Realizing she requires more power, Midna decides to smash the mysterious crystal that had broken the curse on her, knowing it would release enough energy to contain the dark Twilight magic. Doing so was not without cost, however, as the loss of the crystal would cause her to revert to her cursed imp form, though it was a sacrifice Midna was willing to make. Inspired by Midna's selfless act, Linkle chooses to continue on her journey to Hyrule Castle, while Zelda and Midna return to prepare for their final confrontation with Cia.
The Other Hero[]
After many false starts and detours, Linkle eventually reaches Hyrule Field; however, the Dark Forces have already been defeated, and Ganondorf, the villain responsible for Cia's corruption, has revived himself and acquired the complete Triforce, using its power to transform Hyrule Castle into Ganon's Tower. Fortunately, the Hyrulean Forces and their allies from across time manage to defeat the evil Ganon. After Ganon's defeat, Zelda and Link leave to return the Master Sword to the Temple of the Sacred Sword, leaving only Impa and a group of battle-weary soldiers to defend Hyrule Castle in their absence.
Without Ganon to lead them, the surviving Monster Forces decide to take advantage of the situation and attack Hyrule Castle, hoping to capture it from the exhausted Hyrulean Forces. Inspired by the Hyrulean soldiers' determination and realizing her time has come, Linkle leaps into battle, determined to aid the beleaguered Hyrulean Forces. Though Impa is doubtful of Linkle's claims of being the legendary hero, she welcomes her assistance, and the two of them work together to allow the Hyrulean Soldiers to retreat in order to rest and heal their wounds. After a lengthy battle, they are confronted by the Monster Forces' leader, Dark King Dodongo. Transformed by his rage, they find that Dark King Dodongo is impervious to damage and possessed the ability to summon powerful Moblins and Gibdos. As things turn dire for Linkle and Impa, the Hyrulean Soldiers they had rescued earlier return, now rested and prepared for battle. As the tide of battle begins to turn again, Linkle's compass begins to glow, as it had during the battle with Skull Kid. Once again it produces a mysterious light that causes Dark King Dodongo to revert to his original form. Now vulnerable, Linkle and Impa combine their power and defeat the Infernal Dinosaur. As she and the Hyrulean Forces rejoice in their victory, Impa approaches Linkle to thank her for her assistance, which Linkle humbly accepts while wondering if her grandmother would be proud of her, before commenting that she probably would be. Linkle joins Impa and the Hyrulean Forces in celebrating their victory, just as Link and Zelda return from their mission to the Temple of the Sacred Sword.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Abilities[]
Linkle's main weapons are her dual Crossbows, which she keeps sheathed in her thigh-high boots, which also appear to double as a sort of Quiver that grants her the ability to quickly reload her Crossbows. In addition to normal arrows, Linkle can also use her crossbows to fire Bomb Arrows. She is an agile fighter, even able to perform a fiery spin kick in a similar manner to Link's Spin attack. During her Focus Spirit Attack, she fires a giant Bomb Arrow that she detonates with a fiery kick, causing an explosion.
Due to her occupation as a Cucco farmer, Linkle has a talent for raising Cuccos, to the point she is able to raise normal Cucco Chicks into Golden Cuccos. As a result, her Cuccos are very loyal and come to her aid during her adventure.
As part of the Link's Awakening DLC, Linkle gains a secondary weapon moveset in the form of a pair of Boots. Her lightning infused winged boots give Linkle the ability to unleash powerful kicks and allow her to summon her Cuccos to assist her in battle. She can even use the Cuccos to fly briefly to aid her in performing aerial kicks.
Moveset and Weapons[]
Crossbows[]
- Level 1: Simple Crossbows
- Level 2: Hylian Crossbows
- Level 3: Legend's Crossbows
- Level 4: Legend's Crossbows +
- Level 4+: Luminous Crossbows
Boots[]
- Level 1: Winged Boots
- Level 2: Roc Boots
- Level 3: Pegasus Boots
- Level 4: Pegasus Boots +
Development[]
Linkle's concept was made during the development of Hyrule Warriors. She was originally conceived to be like Link's younger sister, but the idea was scrapped with hesitation from the development team. After the game's release, sketches of her concept were included in the boxed edition's visual databook, and she escalated into popularity within a portion of the Zelda fandom. Despite being incomplete at the time, she was one of the popularly requested characters in the open call for playable candidates posted onto the game's Twitter.[1] Her finished development aims to please her fans.
Linkle had a different storyline during development, which was scrapped due to time concerns and in order to avoid being too comical and clash with Linkle's heroic quality. In it, Linkle wanders into the Temple of Souls, where Link is being cursed by Ghirahim. In order to save him, Darunia and Lana appear and do a dance off against Ghirahim. Afterwards, they discover that it is actually Tingle and not Link. Eventually, Linkle wakes up and finds out that it was just a dream.
Interestingly, possibly in reference to her original concept as Link's sister, Linkle has a recolor of her standard outfit based on the Hero of Wind's sister Aryll from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Eiji Aonuma stated in an interview that due to her popularity, he is going to keep in mind the possibility of including her in a future Zelda games, indicating that she may become a canon character (or a canon version of her could appear) in the future.
Dark Linkle[]
Dark Linkle is a shadowy doppelgänger of Linkle who appears as an enemy in Adventure Mode. She uses the same movesets and drops the same materials as Linkle.
Material Drops (Legends)[]
- Silver Material: Linkle's Boots
- Gold Material: Linkle's Compass
Gallery[]
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle 8-Bit Linkle (Adventure Mode Sprite).png (3 KB)"){kind=icon}
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Artwork Linkle (Concept Art).png (1.48 MB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Artwork Linkle Compass (Artwork).png (2.37 MB)")
.png "Linkle Pegasus Boots (Hyrule Warriors).png (565 KB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle Standard Outfit (Great Sea - Aryll Recolor).png (23 KB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle Standard Outfit (Koholint - Evil Eagle Recolor).png (144 KB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle Standard Outfit (Grand Travels - Yeko Recolor).png (24 KB)")
_Standard_Outfit_(Lorule_-_Ravio_Recolor).png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle (Pegasus Boots) Standard Outfit (Lorule - Ravio Recolor).png (183 KB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Artwork Linkle & her Cucco (Artbook Portrait).png (3.49 MB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Legends Linkle's Tale Linkle waking up in her Pajamas (Cutscene).png (162 KB)")
.png "Hyrule Warriors Boots Pegasus Boots - Linkle & Cucco (Victory Cutscene).png (510 KB)")
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.