In the Four Swords manga by Akira 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.
Links
(Redirected from Red Link)
The Links are a group in The 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 of Link after he is split into multiple copies of himself. In Tri Force Heroes, the Links instead refers to a group of three individual heroes, collectively known as the Tri Force Heroes.[2]
In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the Links are featured only in the games' Battle Modes.
The series has used the Links for games that include multiplayer and co-op gameplay, with the exception of The 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 in Four Swords. After Link and Princess Zelda leave to investigate the Four Sword, which seals the wind mage Vaati, Zelda is suddenly captured by Vaati after he reveals himself. Link is unable to help her and is knocked out, later reawakened by the Great 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's Palace of Winds.
The Links travel across the land to several Stages, fighting enemies and collecting Rupees 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 a Medal 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. In Four 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 in Four 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 over Hyrule. However upon opening the Four Sword Sanctuary's portal with the aide of the Shrine 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 of Kaepora Gaebora in Lake 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 collect Force 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 in Four 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 meet Tingle, who is also looking for Force Gems under the belief that he will become a real Fairy 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 are Dark 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 preset Formations (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 a Shadow Battle, the Links instead fight each other in a competitive match.
In the game mode Navi Trackers, exclusive to the Japanese and Korean release of Four Swords Adventures, the four Links are tasked with finding Tetra's Pirate 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 in Four Swords Adventures. In the single-player campaign, Link instead faces off against Tingle.
The Minish Cap
During his adventure in The Minish Cap, Link reforges and empowers the broken Picori Blade (which had been destroyed earlier by Vaati) into the White Sword with the Four Elements. The White Sword (Two Elements) grants Link the ability to create an additional copy of himself at certain multi-colored tiles, by powering up a Spin Attack charge, holding it until the green gauge is filled, and moving across the colored tiles. The addition of each new Element in the Elemental 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 the Gyorg 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
In Tri Force Heroes, there are only three Links: green, blue, and red. Collectively, they are referred to as the Tri Force Heroes. The green Link is the same hero as in A Link Between Worlds, who arrives in Hytopia 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 after King Tuft sends an urgent request asking for heroes to assemble to save Princess Styla, who has been cursed by a witch to wear an ugly outfit she cannot take off.[11] The King's request urges for heroes who have the Three 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 by Madame Couture's Assistant and recognized for having these Attributes, and is urged to join the Witch-Hunting Brigade. As only groups of three can enter the Drablands, 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 two Doppels that can be controlled and switched between at a time.[12] The Links can stack on top of each other as a Totem 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 for Icons 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 of Outfits, which give them different powers when worn.
Other Appearances
Four Swords (Himekawa)
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
Super Mario Maker
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
Totem Link — Spirit Battle Information
  Primary SpiritNo. 262 |
Team Power |  Grab | 3500
|
Rank | ★★ ADVANCED | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Hyrule Castle | Theme | "Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" |  Toon Link  Toon Link  Toon Link
| |
| Rule(s) | Item: The Legend of Zelda | Hazard(s) | — | ||
| Condition(s) | |||||
| • The enemy favors smash attacks | |||||
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Totem Link appears as a Spirit with no ability.
Trivia
- The Four Elements used to forge the Four Sword matches with each of the four Links' tunics.
- Although Link's clones in The Minish Cap retain the green tunic when he splits, using a Charm 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 in Four Swords.
- Four Links were once considered for Tri Force Heroes, but were reduced to just three as a four-Link Totem would have been too tall for the 3DS to display properly.[13]
- In Four 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.
- In Tri Force Heroes, each Link is randomly assigned a voice from a prior Zelda game (Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks, or A 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 |
 Italian | Link[14] | Link(s) |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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Green Link drawing his Bow from Four Swords
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Green Link turning around from Four Swords
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Green Link trying to catch a Rupee from Four Swords
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Red Link jumping from Four Swords
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Blue Link clutching a Red Rupee from Four Swords
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Purple Link blocking an attack from Four Swords
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Artwork of the four Links from Four Swords
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Alternative artwork of the Links from Four Swords
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Artwork of the Links fighting an Octorok from Four Swords
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Green Link from Four Swords
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Red Link from Four Swords
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Blue Link from Four Swords
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Purple Link from Four Swords
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Artwork of the Links from Four Swords Adventures
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Green Link preparing for attack from Four Swords Adventures
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Green Link performing an attack from Four Swords Adventures
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Red Link defending himself from Four Swords Adventures
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Red Link using a Fire Rod from Four Swords Adventures
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Blue Link preparing for attack from Four Swords Adventures
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Blue Link about to throw a Bomb from Four Swords Adventures
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Purple Link from Four Swords Adventures
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Purple Link in battle from Four Swords Adventures
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Purple Link's Four Sword gaining the Power to Repel Evil from Four Swords Adventures
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Art of the Links from Four Swords Adventures
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Art of the four Links from Four Swords Adventures (Navi Trackers mode)
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Red Link burning green Link with a Fire Rod from Four Swords Adventures
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Green Link from Four Swords Adventures
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Red Link from Four Swords Adventures
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Blue Link from Four Swords Adventures
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Purple Link from Four Swords Adventures
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Green Link meeting red Link in the introduction to Navi Trackers from Four Swords Adventures
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All four Links meet in the introduction to Navi Trackers from Four Swords Adventures
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Red Link from Phantom Hourglass
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Blue Link from Phantom Hourglass
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Red Link from Phantom Hourglass
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Promotional artwork of the Links fighting various enemies from Tri Force Heroes
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Artwork of the Links trying on Outfits from Tri Force Heroes
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The Links readying for battle from Tri Force Heroes
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The Links in a Totem playing Tri Force Heroes together from Tri Force Heroes
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Red Link lighting blue Link's Arrow on fire from Tri Force Heroes
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The Links fighting Stalchampion from Tri Force Heroes
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The Links fighting a Moblin atop a Totem from Tri Force Heroes
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Green Link holding up his Sword from Tri Force Heroes
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Red Link holding up his Sword from Tri Force Heroes
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Blue Link holding up his Sword from Tri Force Heroes
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The Links fighting a Red Chuchu and a Moblin in Battle Quest from Nintendo Land
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The Links fighting a Red Chuchu and a Moblin from Battle Quest
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Totem Links costume from Super Mario Maker
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
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) - ↑ 2.0 2.1
It's only natural to be curious about the legend of the Tri 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 for unknown 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 262
Categories:
- Groups
- Link
- Link Transformations
- Swordsmen
- Characters
- Characters in Four Swords
- Groups in Four Swords
- Characters in Four Swords Adventures
- Groups in Four Swords Adventures
- Characters in The Minish Cap
- Groups in The Minish Cap
- Characters in Phantom Hourglass
- Groups in Phantom Hourglass
- Characters in Spirit Tracks
- Groups in Spirit Tracks
- Characters in Tri Force Heroes
- Groups in Tri Force Heroes
- Characters in Four Swords (Himekawa)