Links
Link
Main appearance(s)
Other appearance(s)
Title(s)
Race
Gender
TheLinks are a group inThe Legend of Zelda series.(FSFour Swords |FSAFour Swords Adventures |TMCThe Minish Cap |STSpirit Tracks |TFHTri Force Heroes)[4][5][name references needed] Typically "Links" refer to a group of characters who are the result ofLink after he is split into multiple copies of himself. InTri Force Heroes, the Links instead refers to a group of three individual heroes, collectively known as theTri Force Heroes.[2]
InPhantom Hourglass andSpirit Tracks, the Links are featured only in the games'Battle Modes.
The series has used the Links for games that includemultiplayer and co-op gameplay, with the exception ofThe Minish Cap, where Link is only briefly split to solve certain puzzles and fight enemies. In multiplayer modes, each player takes control of a Link. In games where single-player mode is offered, the player can switch control between Links.
Biography
Four Swords
The Links made their first appearance inFour Swords. After Link andPrincess Zelda leave to investigate theFour Sword, which seals the wind mageVaati, Zelda is suddenly captured by Vaati after he reveals himself. Link is unable to help her and is knocked out, later reawakened by theGreat Fairies. Link is split into four after he pulls the Four Sword out of its pedestal by the Fairies' urging. Now tasked with saving Zelda, the Links must work together to get to where she is being held and rescue her from Vaati'sPalace of Winds.
The Links travel across the land to severalStages, fighting enemies and collectingRupees along the way. They compete against each other to collect as many Rupees as possible, but also cooperate with each other to accomplish tasks. At the end of the stage, depending on how many Rupees in total were accumulated, the Links receive a Key from the stage's Great Fairy and are then ranked by how many Rupees each Link collected. The Link with the most Rupees is awarded aMedal of Courage.
The Links eventually reach the Palace of Winds and defeat Vaati. His body is absorbed back into the Four Sword, and Zelda is freed from his hold. With Vaati again imprisoned and the Links' destiny fulfilled, the Four Sword glows as it returns Link to his former self. The Four Sword is then returned to its pedestal.
If there are only two or three players, Link will only be split into two or three Links, respectively. InFour Swords Anniversary Edition's single-player, only two Links are used. The player can choose the tunic color of the second Link and switch between the two to complete tasks.
Four Swords Adventures
In the Hyrulean Adventures mode inFour Swords Adventures, Link is again split into four copies of himself upon drawing the Four Sword. Link is called by Zelda to investigate the Four Sword's seal, after dark clouds sweep overHyrule. However upon opening theFour Sword Sanctuary's portal with the aide of theShrine Maidens,Shadow Link emerges from the opening as Zelda and the Maidens are captured and encased in dark crystals. Link follows Shadow Link into the Sanctuary, where he willingly draws the Four Sword from its pedestal to combat Shadow Link, despite the risk of freeing Vaati, and splits into four. The removal of the blade subsequently releases Vaati, who then sends the Links flying away by a twister.
The Links awake to the voice ofKaepora Gaebora inLake Hylia, who tells them that Zelda and the six Maidens have been captured by evil forces. However, due to Vaati's magic, the Four Sword has been robbed of its former power to vanquish darkness. He informs them that they must collectForce Gems to return the blade to its full strength, only then can they find and rescue the Maidens and Zelda, before finally facing Vaati. Like inFour Swords, the Links work together and also compete to collect as many Force Gems as possible, as opposed to Rupees. While on their search for Force Gems, the Links also meetTingle, who is also looking for Force Gems under the belief that he will become a realFairy if he collects enough. This results in a small rivalry between the Links and Tingle, who occasionally race against each other for large Force Gems. At the end of every stage areDark Barriers that must be dispelled, by collecting enough Force Gems to strengthen the Four Sword. After completing a stage in multiplayer, the Links are then ranked by how many Force Gems they have collected.
In a single-player game, the Links can group together to form presetFormations (Cross, Wide, Long, Box), to aide in solving puzzles, pushing blocks, fighting enemies, and performing other tasks. Although the Link donning the green tunic is the default leader, the option exists to use any Link to lead the others.
In aShadow Battle, the Links instead fight each other in a competitive match.
Navi Trackers
In the game modeNavi Trackers, exclusive to the Japanese and Korean release ofFour Swords Adventures, the four Links are tasked with findingTetra'sPirate Crew around a maze with limited time, in order to receive and collect as many stamps as possible. In the game mode's intro, the Link in green is surprised to see doubles of himself, implying that this game mode features different Links from the Hyrulean Adventures mode inFour Swords Adventures. In the single-player campaign, Link instead faces off against Tingle.
The Minish Cap
During his adventure inThe Minish Cap, Link reforges and empowers the brokenPicori Blade (which had been destroyed earlier by Vaati) into theWhite Sword with theFour Elements. TheWhite Sword (Two Elements) grants Link the ability to create an additional copy of himself at certain multi-colored tiles, by powering up aSpin Attack charge, holding it until the green gauge is filled, and moving across the colored tiles. The addition of each new Element in theElemental Sanctuary grants Link an additional copy of himself, up to four.
The Link copies are not individual Links, but rather cloned apparitions that mimic Link's every movement and wear exactly the same green tunic. The clones can be used to perform grouped tasks such as pushing large blocks, or fighting certain bosses such as theGyorg Pair and Vaati. The placement of the tiles set the formations in which the clones would aid Link in these instances. The Link copies do not last long, however, and will disappear as soon as the green gauge depletes itself. The clones will also instantly disappear if they are interrupted; such as from touching a wall or obstruction, or by being hit by an enemy attack. Pressing the R-button will also immediately make the Link clones vanish.
Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass' Battle Mode is a two-player mode that only uses the red and blue tunic colors, and players are assigned randomly. While playing as Link, certain cloning items can be picked up to generate another exact copy which will run in the opposite direction, potentially luring the Phantoms away.[6]
Spirit Tracks
Spirit Tracks' Battle Mode features all four Links, and are used to differentiate up to four different players.[7]
Tri Force Heroes
InTri Force Heroes, there are only three Links: green, blue, and red. Collectively, they are referred to as theTri Force Heroes. The green Link is the same hero as inA Link Between Worlds, who arrives inHytopia after certain events. He dresses to hide his heroic origins.[8] The origin of the two other heroes, also called Link,[9] is unknown.[10] The three Links gather at Hytopia afterKing Tuft sends an urgent request asking for heroes to assemble to savePrincess Styla, who has been cursed by awitch to wear an ugly outfit she cannot take off.[11] The King's request urges for heroes who have theThree Noble Attributes of Courage: pointed ears, sideburns, and side-parted hair. While passing through the land, Link comes across the town during its perilous time. He is immediately spotted byMadame Couture's Assistant and recognized for having these Attributes, and is urged to join theWitch-Hunting Brigade. As only groups of three can enter theDrablands, the witch's domain, Link is paired with two more heroes as they venture into the land and combat its guardians. As these heroes gather, their hair colors also change to match their tunics rather than remaining blond.
As in previous games, the Links are used in the game's multiplayer, and cooperate with each other to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. In single-player, Link can instead be accompanied by twoDoppels that can be controlled and switched between at a time.[12] The Links can stack on top of each other as aTotem to reach higher elevations, allowing them to solve different puzzles and fight enemies. To help communicate between players, the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS allows forIcons to be pressed, which appear on the top screen. These icons display a range of simple messages, such as to form a Totem or to draw others near. The icons can grow larger with repeated use, to stress the respective message. The Links can also wear an assortment ofOutfits, which give them different powers when worn.
Other Appearances
Four Swords (Himekawa)
- This section of the page is incomplete. You can help Zelda Wiki byexpanding it.
In theFour Swords manga byAkira Himekawa, Link is split into four when he draws the Four Sword in an effort to save Princess Zelda from Shadow Link. Each Link has his own individual personality: Green is focused and motivated, Blue is hotheaded and aggressive, Red is innocent and optimistic, and Violet is calm, cool and collected. Their conflicting personalities and refusal to work together nearly defeats them at the hands of Vaati, but the Links soon realize they need to cooperate in order to defeat him.
Super Mario Maker
InSuper Mario Maker, the Links fromTri Force Heroes appear collectively as acostume under the name "Totem Link". This costume was added with its version 1.20 update.[13]Totem Link can be unlocked by clearing theTri Force Heroes event course. They appear with a new pixel design, and their power-up, "course clear", and "player down" sounds are 8-bit renditions of the "Important Item Acquired" jingle—which is unique fromLink's, theTri Force Heroes main theme, and the "Game Over" music fromTri Force Heroes. If the player presses Up on the Control Pad, the Links pose with various weapons: green Link wielding asword, red Link casting a fireball (though without theFire Gloves), and blue Link using abow. If the player crouches (by pressing Down), the Links form into a pyramid formation, similar in shape to theTriforce.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Spirits
Totem Link
Primary SpiritNo. 262
GrabSpirit Battles
Totem Link Primary SpiritNo. 262
- Item: The Legend of Zelda
- The enemy favors smash attacks
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Totem Link appears as aSpirit with no trait.
Super Mario Maker 2
The Links appear inSuper Mario Maker 2 when theMaster Sword is collected while playing in multiplayer. They were added toSuper Mario Maker 2 with its version 2.0 update, titled "A Legendary Update".[14]Link's tunic will change colors depending on the player character:Mario wears red,Luigi wears green,Toad wears blue, andToadette wears pink. Like Link, the Links' appearance is based on Link's design fromThe Legend of Zelda, albeit redesigned with theHylian Shield rather than theShield.
Trivia
- The Four Elements used to forge the Four Sword matches with each of the four Links' tunics.
- Although Link's clones inThe Minish Cap retain the green tunic when he splits, using aCharm has the effect of changing the original Link's tunic to either red, blue or violet, depending on the type. These colors are reminiscent of the Links' tunic colors inFour Swords.
- Four Links were once considered forTri Force Heroes, but were reduced to just three as a four-LinkTotem would have been too tall for the 3DS to display properly.[15]
- InFour Swords Adventures, the Links' voices are differentiated through pitch-shifting. Green Link's voice is heard at the normal pitch, while Red Link's is about 10% higher, Blue Link's is about 10% lower, and Purple Link's is about 15% lower.
- InTri Force Heroes, each Link is randomly assigned a voice from a priorZelda game (Ocarina of Time,The Wind Waker,Spirit Tracks, orA Link Between Worlds) upon beginning his adventure. Pitch-shifting is used to differentiate the voices only if two or more Links in a party share the same voice. In this case, each player hears their own Link's voice at the normal pitch; the second Link with the same voice is heard 5% lower, and the third Link with the same voice is heard 10% higher.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | リンク (Rinku)(FSFour Swords)[16] | Link |
 Italian | Link(FSFour Swords |FSAFour Swords Adventures)[17][18] | Link(s)Editor warning: Conflicting meanings in data |
| This table was generated from Zelda Wiki'stranslation data. | ||
Gallery
Four Swords
Artwork of Green Link turning around
Four Swords
Artwork of Green Link drawing his Bow
Four Swords
Artwork of Green Link trying to catch a Rupee
Four Swords
Artwork of Red Link jumping
Four Swords
Artwork of Blue Link clutching a Red Rupee
Four Swords
Artwork of Purple Link blocking an attack
Four Swords
Alternative artwork of the Links
Four Swords
Artwork of the Links fighting an Octorok
Four Swords
Green Link's sprite
Four Swords
Red Link's sprite
Four Swords
Blue Link's sprite
Four Swords
Purple Link's sprite
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of the four Links surrounded by Soldiers
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of the four Links
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Green Link preparing for attack
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Green Link performing an attack
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Red Link defending himself
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Red Link using a Fire Rod
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Blue Link preparing for attack
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Blue Link about to throw a Bomb
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Purple Link in battle
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Purple Link in battle
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Purple Link's Four Sword gaining the Power to Repel Evil
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of Red Link burning Green Link with a Fire Rod
Four Swords Adventures
Artwork of the four Links competing inNavi Trackers
Four Swords Adventures
Green Link's sprite
Four Swords Adventures
Red Link's sprite
Four Swords Adventures
Blue Link's sprite
Four Swords Adventures
Purple Link's sprite
Four Swords Adventures
Green Link meeting Red Link in the introduction toNavi Trackers
Four Swords Adventures
All four Links meet in the introduction toNavi Trackers
Phantom Hourglass
Artwork of Red Link making off with a Force Gem
Phantom Hourglass
Blue Link's Battle Mode icon
Phantom Hourglass
Red Link's Battle Mode icon
Tri Force Heroes
Promotional artwork of the Links fighting various Enemies
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of the Links readying for battle
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of the Links trying on Outfits
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of the Links in a Totem playingTri Force Heroes together
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of Red Link lighting Blue Link's Arrow on Fire
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of the Links battling Stalchampion
Artwork of the Links in a Totem fighting a Moblin atop two Totem Armos
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of Red Link holding up his Sword
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of Green Link holding up his Sword
Tri Force Heroes
Artwork of Blue Link holding up his Sword
Nintendo Land
Render of the Links fighting a Red Chuchu and a Moblin inBattle Quest
Nintendo Land
Alternative render of the Links fighting a Red Chuchu and a Moblin inBattle Quest
Super Mario Maker
Totem Link costume
Super Mario Maker
Totem Link costume (posing)
Super Mario Maker 2
Red Link sprite, used Mario in multiplayer
Super Mario Maker 2
Green Link sprite, used by Mario in single-player, or Luigi in multiplayer
Super Mario Maker 2
Blue Link sprite, used by Toad in multiplayer
Super Mario Maker 2
Pink Link sprite, used by Toadette in multiplayer
See Also
References
- ↑1.01.1
Tapping into the sword's power, the Hero's body split into four, and the combined power of the Heroes was enough to defeat Vaati.
(Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 82) - ↑2.02.1
It's only natural to be curious about the legend of theTri Force Heroes, my boy. Their tales have been passed down through the ages in our fair Hytopia. When the kingdom of Hytopia falls into despair, three courageous heroes shall ever arrive to save the day...
— Bearded Baron (Tri Force Heroes) - ↑
I shall now begin searching with the requested conditions. Please wait forunknown heroes to arrive...
— Match Master (Tri Force Heroes) - ↑
Links
(Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 246(FSFour Swords), 253(FSAFour Swords Adventures), 317(STSpirit Tracks) & 363(TFHTri Force Heroes)) - ↑The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap—The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 47
- ↑Review of Phantom Hourglass Multiplayer , on ign.com.
- ↑Review of Spirit Tracks Multiplayer , on Kotaku.com.
- ↑"The game takes place several years after A Link Between Worlds and features the same hero. Certain events bring him to the kingdom of Hytopia, where he dresses as he does in order to hide his heroic origins." —@NintendoAmerica on Twitter, October 22, 2015 (Archive)
- ↑Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 306
- ↑"There's no telling where the other hero candidates come from, but the player character you control is the true Hyrulian hero from A Link Between Worlds." —@NintendoAmerica on Twitter, October 22, 2015 (Archive)
- ↑
When the smoke cleared, Styla was met with a terrible sight, followed by the witch's voice in her pretty head: "A perfect outfit for a perfect princess." This cursed outfit of ultimate ugliness could not be removed no matter how the princess tried.
— N/A (Tri Force Heroes) - ↑ Antonia Pohl,Aonuma and Shikata discuss more Tri Force Heroes gameplay details , Zelda Universe, published June 16, 2015.
- ↑"Update version 1.20 brings with it the addition of Event Courses, which have been added to the game's new Course World hub. A specific Tri Force Heroes Event Course features the aforementioned Totem Link, and Game Center CX host Shinya Arino can be accessed via his own course as well." — Alex Osborn,Super Mario Maker Update Adds Checkpoints, Totem Link, More (web archive), IGN, published November 5, 2015, retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ↑"Super Mario Maker 2's version 2.0 update arrives this week, and it's bringing with it The Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda – which gives you the power to transform into Link, the Hero of Time." — Damien McFerran,The Legend Of Zelda Is Coming To Super Mario Maker 2 (web archive), Nintendo Life, published December 2, 2019, retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ↑"A four-player totem was too tall, so we decided three was the better choice." — Hiromasa Shikata,Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2015 , YouTube (Video), published June 16, 2015, retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑Hyrule Encyclopedia, Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd., pg. 261
- ↑Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 262
- ↑
Una Fata della Forza! Loro fanno rivivere i Link caduti!
— N/A (Four Swords Adventures, Italian version)
- Groups
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