The Hero of Time is the legendary title given to the Link who appears in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and later in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit.^[1] Link is bestowed this title upon awakening from his seven-year slumber after retrieving the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time.^[1] By traveling through time to awaken the Six Sages and stop the King of Evil Ganon from conquering Hyrule, the Hero of Time's tale becomes a legend that is passed down through many generations, proving to be of great relevance to both the Mythology in The Legend of Zelda series as well as the timeline in which the games take place.^[2] According to the offical timeline of the franchise, the Links from Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker, known as the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of Winds, respectively, are his successors, with the former being his descendant as well. The Hero of Time's predecessors are the incarnations from Skyward Sword, The Minish Cap and Four Swords, the former being the Legendary Hero himself. The Hero of Legend from A Link to the Past would be his potential successor if Ganon ultimately defeated the Hero of Time.

Biography

The Rise of the Hero of Time

As a child, the Hero of Time grew up in the Kokiri Forest believing that he was a Kokiri, but in reality he was an orphaned Hylian, due to his dying mother left him under the guardianship of the Great Deku Tree as a baby during the Hyrulean Civil War. Because the Hero of Time was not a Kokiri despite being raised as such, Link did not possess a Fairy companion, which led to him being ostracized by the majority of the Kokiri tribe, with the exception of his close friend Saria and the Deku Tree. He himself had been plagued with ominous nightmares about a princess on horseback fleeing from a wicked man dressed in black. One day, the Hero of Time was bestowed with a Fairy named Navi by the Great Deku Tree to help guide him on his grand quest to save Hyrule. At the beginning his adventure, Link managed to save the Great Deku Tree from a dangerous parasite inside and earning the Kokiri's Emerald, the first of three Spiritual Stones. But, despite Link's brave efforts, the Kokiri Forest guardian was already doomed by the man in black's curse and ultimately dies as a result after the Deku Tree tells his destiny to meet the princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, and save the land as the chosen hero, in which he must leave the forest.

In the land of Hyrule, with a little bit of help by a rancher girl named Malon, upon meeting Zelda inside the courtyard of Hyrule Castle (who also shares ominous dreams of the man in black and even had a vision of Link) for the first time, she tells Link the legends that speak of the Triforce, the omnipotent mythical Golden Power said to reside in the Sacred Realm which has the powerful ability to grant any wishes of whoever touches it, whether it is good or bad.^[3][4] Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo tribe, aware of his advantage of the Triforce not being able to discriminate against evil, schemes to enter the Sacred Realm to claim the Triforce himself, and thus rule the world.^[5][6]Although Zelda had told her father, the King of Hyrule, about her dark dreams and Ganondorf's likely betrayal, he doesn't believe the princess' important warning. Link even sees the evil man through the window Zelda herself was looking at, swearing "allegiance" to the King (despite Ganondorf himself soon spotting him). With them being the only ones in the kingdom knowing the villain's plan, the duo agreed to stop him and save Hyrule with all their power. Just before leaving the castle and resumes his quest, Link met Zelda's attendant and personal bodyguard Impa, one of the last surviving members of the Sheikah tribe, who escorts him back to Hyrule Field safely.

However, with the unwitting assistance of a young courageous boy named Link and Hyrule's Princess Zelda, after the former collects the remaining Spiritual Stones - the Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire, and meeting more new friends along the way such as Darunia and Princess Ruto after solving their troubles within Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu's Belly, respectively, Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle, with the young princess escaping on horseback with Impa - exactly like in his nightmare. But Zelda herself notices Link, and, in a desperate move, throws the Ocarina of Time toward him as she entrusts him to finish his duty of protecting the Sacred Realm. Link then meets Ganondorf in person and although the boy boldly tries to challenge him, he was no match for the Gerudo King, and then Ganondorf seemingly chases after Zelda and Impa again. After looking on in frustration, Link soon enters the Temple of Time to open the Door of Time using the Spiritual Stones, which inside lies the Master Sword, a legendary weapon with the power to repel evil. What the young hero or Princess Zelda does not know, however, was that Ganondorf had been following him as he entered the Temple, as he quickly realized Link has the Royal Family's Ocarina given by Zelda. When Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, he was suddenly sealed by the blade without warning, as he was too young of age to bear the title as the "Hero of Time". In addition, the Sacred Realm was opened as Link pulled the Master Sword, as it is also one of the keys to the secret place like the Ocarina of Time. Consequently, as the magical seal is beyond his control, he helplessly watches Ganondorf entering the Realm (before mocking the hero for letting him reach his ultimate goal), touches the Triforce, and expresses his vile wish to conquer Hyrule.^[7]

Although the King of Thieves was successful at reaching the sacred triangle thanks to his clever thinking and things are not going according to plan for Link and Zelda, their mission of stopping and defeating him were not entirely in vain, however; Because Ganondorf's heart was not in balance due to his wickedness, the Triforce itself separated into three component parts upon being touched by the Gerudo leader, leaving him with only the blessing of the Golden Goddesses he believed to be the most important, the Triforce of Power (Din), and transforming the Sacred Realm into a corrupt world of evil.^[8][9] The remaining pieces are given to two special individuals chosen by destiny; Therefore, the Triforce of Wisdom was then bestowed upon Princess Zelda and the Triforce of Courage upon Link, respectively, granting themselves untold sources of mystical abilities by the essence of Nayru and Farore as well (although Zelda and Link were not quite aware of their newfound crests until much later). Even though his strength became god-like by the one Triforce piece he ultimately acquired, Ganondorf was not satisfied with just Power alone and is determined to search and steal the other two from Zelda and Link in order to gain complete control of the world and truly become invincible.^[10] Link himself was then put into suspended animation within the Chamber of Sages for seven years until he matured enough to properly handle the Blade of Evil's Bane.^[1] Meanwhile, throughout this near-decade gap in time, with the young hero being absent and Hyrule Castle now defenseless, Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to take over the kingdom, likely murdering the King of Hyrule in the process, and become its new king, transforming the entire world into a dark age and forcing Zelda into hiding as a member of the Sheikah named Sheik, patiently waiting for the hero's late return.^[11][12]

The Legend of the Hero of Time

Now a young adult, Link eventually awakens as the Hero of Time while Rauru, the Sage of Light, explains to him what had happened during his long sleep and he must prove himself worthy of his new title. Using the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time plus instructions by Sheik, Link travels through time and across Hyrule to seek the Six Sages (most of which revealed to be his childhood friends), who were said to have the power to bind Ganondorf and return peace to Hyrule.^[2][13]In addition, they also grant the young man some of their own power in the form of Medallions. When all Sages are at last awakened after destroying various dangerous monsters within six different Temples, including Ganondorf's surrogate mother Twinrova and even his own evil shadow at one point, he returns back to the Temple of Time, where Sheik tells Link about the meaning of the Triforce and why it split, who are the three bearers, and ultimately reveals himself using the Triforce of Wisdom to be Princess Zelda in disguise (who is also revealed to be the seventh Sage and their leader). The princess is pleased to see her invaluable partner in person after 7 years and tells Link her ultimate plan to seal Ganondorf to the Evil Realm, but she needs help from his exemplary courage, once more. She then gives him the powerful Light Arrows, as these special weapons of light can penetrate the Evil King's defenses. But their reunion was cut short when Ganondorf himself, who have been waiting for such a time to come of Zelda fully exposing herself to Link, suddenly captures her in a magic crystal, and the Evil King tells his adversary to enter his castle, known as Ganon's Castle, where Hyrule's formerly stood, for a final showdown if he wishes to rescue the princess, laughing wickedly.

With the assistance of the Six Sages, Link was able to storm the stronghold via a colorful metallic bridge, dispel six powerful elemental barriers (possibly freeing the Sages themselves) with the Light Arrows, and challenge Ganondorf the Evil King at the inner sanctum once and for all. Upon reaching the throne room at the top of the tower where Ganondorf himself is waiting (playing his theme song on a pipe organ in the process) and Princess Zelda held hostage above, all three of their respective Triforce pieces begin to resonate and attempt to become whole again, much to Link and Zelda's surprise. A one-on-one duel between Link and Ganondorf engages soon after. But, the Evil King, despite his great strength, was gravely injured by Link, to the point he even vomits blood. In disbelief that he himself would be bested by the "kid" who is now the Hero of Time, in a burst of anger and frustration, Ganondorf obliterates the ceiling of the tower, though Link remains completely unscathed likely from the Triforce of Courage protecting the hero, before collapsing face down to the ground, apparently dead. Princess Zelda is now freed from her crystal prison.

But, then, as Zelda begins to feel pity about Ganondorf not being able to properly control the powers of the gods due to his evil heart, the tower suddenly begins to crumble, as Ganondorf himself intentionally uses his power to make his own castle collapse in order to kill his foes under the rubble. Link and Zelda manage to escape and watch the entire keep falling before their very eyes. When the destruction is over, the duo believe they are finally victorious. However, a loud bang is heard, and they realize something was very wrong. As the Hero of Time defends the princess and bravely begins to investigate at what caused the noise, with no warning, a fiery barrier traps Zelda again, and then, Ganondorf, still alive, rises out of the ruins of his now-destroyed castle. Link dares his archenemy to challenge the hero again by drawing the Master Sword toward him in a threatening display. Furious and filled with hatred for Link, Ganondorf takes the dare and unleashes the Triforce of Power to the fullest extent, transforming himself into a huge and vicious boar-like demon, which is none other than his true form - Ganon. Armed with two gigantic golden swords, he temporarily knocks the Master Sword out of Link's hands, forcing the Hero of Time to fight the villain once again in a dramatic, intense battle to the death, more dangerous than anything he has ever faced before, as the fate of Hyrule is now at stake. Ganon himself is unimaginably powerful and his body appears to be indestructible due to the essence of the Goddess Din bestowed upon him, but, Link miraculously finds his Achilles' heel: the tail. With the full combined might of Link's raw skills, the Master Sword, Light Arrows, the Triforce of Courage, and the aid of the Seven Sages and Navi, the Hero of Time eventually manages to weaken Ganon, causing the deadly beast to collapse in pain and the fire barrier to disappear.

Taking her opportunity, Princess Zelda uses her powers to hold Ganon down as she commands the hero to deliver the final blow, but her energy didn't last very long, however. The Master Sword then suddenly glows at its full power. Link, ready to put his archnemesis to sleep for good as he himself is filled with righteous hatred for the monster just as much as Ganon has for him, ultimately slashes the Demon King's face three times, then, in a rather nasty move, furiously thrusts the Master Sword straight into his mouth (with blood spilled yet again), resulting in Ganon, not killed by the seemingly lethal attack, somehow, gets back up roaring and flailing about in agony (likely due to the full-powered Triforce of Power making him able to survive in spite of the legendary blade's ability to vanquish evil). Nevertheless, as the villain is mortally wounded a second time, this gave Zelda and the Six Sages the chance they desperately needed to finally bind Ganon and throw him back into the void of the Evil Realm, thus ending the Evil King's seven year reign over Hyrule.^[14][15] Defeated at last by Link's hand, the King of Evil, reverted back to his human form with the Triforce of Power still in his hand, and in a fit of rage and complete shock, threatens the Hero of Time, Princess Zelda, and the Sages he will return one day to exterminate their descendants to make them all pay for his ultimate defeat and imprisonment once the seal is broken (foreshadowing the events of The Wind Waker).^[16]

With Hyrule now finally at peace, while saying their goodbyes, Princess Zelda uses her power as a Sage with the Ocarina of Time and Triforce of Wisdom to send the Hero of Time back to his original age via seven years into the past in order to regain his lost childhood, as compensation for his heroic role of taking down Ganondorf, and, with guilt, claiming the tragedy that had befallen Hyrule was merely her own mistakes as a child and dragged Link into the ordeal.^[17] Through her instructions, the Master Sword is also left in the hero's wake, being returned to its pedestal in turn, sealing the Sacred Realm entirely and therefore closing the road between times. With this act by the princess in the future, the Hero of Time vanishes completely from this branch of Hyrule's history, leaving only his legend behind, as she unknowingly split the present timeline into two and thus created new history, called the Child and Adult Timeline - the latter being the actual universe where all of Ocarina of Time's events were unfolded, and Link is heading to the former, therefore marking the beginning of the Hero of Time's downfall. With him being sent back to his childhood by Zelda, the Triforce of Courage in this particular timeline also shatters into multiple fragments and are scattered throughout the land, which would be found again one day by another Hero that would have need of its power at his own adventure.

The Hero of Time's Terrible Fate

Now back to his original time permanently, in the alternate Child Timeline, Link's trusted Fairy companion, Navi, with her mission completed, suddenly flies away and utterly leaves him without a word to spare. With the memory of his adventure still intact, the Hero of Time returns to the Hyrule Castle Courtyard, and warns Princess Zelda and the King of Hyrule about Ganondorf's conspiracy and what the "future" would unfold if the Gerudo King was not immediately stopped, in order to prevent the previous events from ever occurring again, as he's well-aware of their archenemy's coming assault, and using the Triforce of Courage remaining in his hand as evidence.^[18] He gains the Royal Family's trust and stayed in the castle for a short while. After Link tells Zelda he must leave for a secret and personal journey, the princess entrusts Link with the Ocarina of Time, this time in person, and instructs him to head far away, to completely thwart Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm and have himself ultimately imprisoned (and eventually sentenced to death in the events of Twilight Princess) by the King. After saying goodbye (again), the young hero then departs from Hyrule, riding on his horse Epona with the magical Ocarina in hand to seek for his missing fairy friend. Upon Link's departure from the kingdom, however, the Triforce of Courage in this part of the timeline, due to himself being separated from the "elements that made him a hero", ultimately vanishes from the Hero of Time's hand, therefore losing the great mystical powers bestowed upon him by the essence of the Goddess Farore.^[19]

No longer protected by the power of the Triforce and months later in the process, in a distant forest at the very outskirts of Hyrule, the Hero of Time was suddenly ambushed and stumbles into a parallel universe known as Termina, which was being threatened to be destroyed by its sinister Moon in three days, by the Skull Kid, under possession of a powerful evil entity called Majora's Mask. He was then instructed by the mysterious Happy Mask Saleman (who apparently knows him from Hyrule) to take the ancient mask from the Skull Kid as soon as possible, resulting in Link forced to put his search for Navi on hold and do another adventure within this strange Hyrule-like world, which turned out be even darker than the last. With the aid of the Ocarina of Time to travel through time once again, transforming Masks in the form of a Deku Scrub, Goron, and Zora, a new tomboyish fairy partner named Tatl, and the Four Giants upon saving them from capture by the forces of evil within four Temples, Link overcomes many tough obstacles as well as helping many people across the land through their own troubles (earning many regular masks doing so) like he did before at Hyrule. He even regains a few of his older items such as the Lens of Truth, the magic Arrows, including Light, once more at one point. Very late in his second quest, the young Hero of Time also obtains a unique, but intimidating-looking transformation mask resembling his adult self's face, which such rare item's dark powers are said to be just as dangerous as Majora's Mask itself. This particular mask capable of rivaling the antagonist is none other than the notorious Fierce Deity's Mask, which would prove especially useful for Link in the final battle...

In the eventual final showdown against Majora's Mask (which took in three increasingly more powerful forms), taking place inside the Moon, Link defeats Majora in a harsh battle with the tremendous strength of his ferocious Fierce Deity form, ultimately destroying the wicked monster and the Moon itself, and saves Termina from its imminent destruction. The now-freed Skull Kid gave thanks and seemingly recognized him as the one who taught him "that song" in the Lost Woods. Soon after, he part ways with Tatl and leaves the land to resume his original quest of searching for Navi, though he eventually notices a tree stump in a band of light in the same place where he was originally ambushed, showing a drawing of himself, Skull Kid, Tatl, Tael, and the Four Giants waving, by the Skull Kid himself as a remembrance. However, as soon as Link left Termina and seemingly returns back to Hyrule, the universe itself ceases to exist due to Majora's ultimate defeat, causing the young hero's history of rescuing this place to erase entirely - just like in the end of his previous adventure in Hyrule after defeating Ganondorf. Consequently, the Hero of Time is once again back to square one, with no lasting evidence of himself saving either world. At this point, Link's future whereabouts and activities are unknown.

A Legendary Hero Who Never Was

Despite he indeed rescued his homeland as well as Termina from certain doom and his legend forever lives on in the Adult Timeline, unfortunately, as the Hero of Time now lives in the Child Timeline - a completely different universe with his title being non-existent and virtually all of his friends were lost, and he is unable to return back to the other where he belongs due to the Sacred Realm being completely sealed, thus forever trapped in this alternate dimension, as time went on, Link continued to lament the fact that he was not remembered as a hero at all after he was returned to his original time against his will by Princess Zelda immediately after defeating Ganon in the events of Ocarina of Time - a questionable decision in spite of her good intentions - and his great heroic achievements were tragically unrecognized to the world even after warning the Royal Family and stopping Ganondorf entirely (and his act of getting the Gerudo warlock executed was in vain when the villain survived due to the Triforce of Power and then cast into the Twilight Realm). In addition, he never found Navi after the events of Majora's Mask, a beloved friend who simply abandoned him without saying goodbye. When he eliminated Majora, an evil perhaps psychopathic demon about as dangerous as Ganon himself, although the Skull Kid did seem to recognize him, the Happy Mask Salesman and Tatl also never gave Link a proper thanks for his hard efforts due to themselves being focused on their own goals. Plus, Termina itself was an ill-fated world destined to disappear regardless if he saved it or not, due to the fact that land was made from the Skull Kid's memories and Majora's Mask's power. In the end, with his two traumatic journeys apparently all for naught, Link, sadly, was never in relative peace, and is filled with complete regret of his actions for the rest of his life and remained isolated from the many hardships, ironically like how Zelda in the seven-year future felt about Hyrule falling under Ganondorf's rule due to her own actions.^[20]

Even after his death, the Hero of Time was unable to go to the afterlife because of the non-stop regrets that kept him tied to the world of the living, feeling that he was unable to pass on the lessons of his life to the younger generations. In order to finally ease his inner demons and at last pass on his long-lost masterful knowledge of the arts of the sword, the Hero of Time teaches the seven Hidden Skills to his descendant, the Link of Twilight Princess, known as the Hero of Twilight, in the form of a ghostly Stalfos-like swordsman and pale golden wolf known as the Hero's Spirit, taking place over a century after his time as the chosen hero by the Goddesses, in order to help this new Link become stronger to match his level and ultimately defeat Ganondorf for good as a worthy successor.^[20][21]

A Doomed Legend

Back at the Adult Timeline, following Ganon's brutal defeat, Link's legend as the Hero of Time was fondly remembered and had passed for many generations during Hyrule's longtime peace. However, due to Princess Zelda's decision of permanently sending him back to his original time and unintentionally into the Child Timeline, the world was ultimately left without a hero, and over time, the seal of Ganondorf by the Six Sages, thought to be forever in effect, eventually failed for unknown reasons, causing the Gerudo King to become free as his beast form. Now risen from the earth's ground, well-aware of his dreadful promise for revenge by eliminating their descendants for being defeated by Link and his long imprisonment in the corrupted Sacred Realm at the end of Ocarina of Time and the Triforce of Power was never lost, darkness began to cover Hyrule again. People began to pray that the Hero of Time would return to once again save the land by traveling through time. But the legendary Hero never appeared at all, as Link himself as well as his allies from his era were long gone to history at this point. Because of Hyrule's total defenseless state, the villain manages to completely take over the kingdom with even less difficulty than in the past events of Ocarina of Time, as he had no resistance whatsoever. By this time, the current King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, although he managed to temporarily extract the Triforce of Power as well as splitting the Triforce of Wisdom into two fragments, the king was unable to stop Ganon. In so, he pleaded to the Goddesses via the full Triforce to flood Hyrule away with a worldwide torrential downpour (not before telling chosen people to flee into the mountaintops), sealing the kingdom and Ganon under what will become the Great Sea. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but the Hero of Time's legend survived the wind's breath.

As more time continues to pass, in the events of The Wind Waker, Ganon broke the seal once again (though now significantly weakened and reverted to his human form) to claim the Triforce yet again. In a faraway island, a customary tradition exists where young boys reaching the same age as the Hero of Time would wear a green tunic and hat and search for swords to honor his legend. One day, a completely new Link - the Hero of Winds, came of age and earns this clothing for his birthday, and began his own adventure where he would revive a few memories of the Hero of Time as his successor in this timeline and even destroy the King of Evil himself with the help of an unwitting descendant of Princess Zelda and King Daphnes himself as the King of Red Lions, by the unexpected kidnapping of his younger sister Aryll.

Legacy

The legend of the Hero of Time becomes of great significance in the development of the Zelda Timeline and the mythology in The Legend of Zelda series. His climactic battle against Ganondorf marked the point in which the timeline split into three branches: the Downfall, Child, and Adult Timeline. Princess Zelda's plan with Link to save Hyrule by retrieving the Triforce before the villain resulted in the King of Evil ultimately obtaining the Triforce of Power,^[22] leading eventually, in one continuity, to Link's tragic defeat by Ganon's hand and the formation of the Downfall Timeline.^[23] In the alternate continuity where Link succeeds in defeating Ganondorf as seen in the ending of Ocarina of Time, the princess sends the Hero of Time back to his original time, creating two timelines; the Child Timeline and the Adult Timeline. In the latter of the two, the Triforce of Courage is shattered and the Link in the Adult Timeline vanishes from existence due to the time paradox, resulting in Hyrule eventually being flooded since there was no hero whatsoever to defeat Ganon once the Sages' seal broke.^[24] In the former, the Hero of Time becomes filled with regret by not being remembered as the legendary hero that saved Hyrule from Ganon or Termina from Majora's Mask, eventually leading him to linger on as the Hero's Spirit in the Era of Twilight.^[20]

Although Hyrule was flooded in the Adult Timeline and the memory of the kingdom vanished, the legend of the Hero of Time transcended through time. In Outset Island, it became a custom to clothe boys in green once they came of age.^[25][26] A statue depicting the Hero of Time is also prominently displayed in the sunken Hyrule Castle, demonstrating how meaningful the legend of the brave boy clothed in green was to the citizens of Hyrule. When the Hero of Winds, the Link from The Wind Waker, defeats Puppet Ganon, Ganondorf compared this particular hero with the Hero of Time, his predecessor, who had defeated him hundreds of years ago, claiming he is that Link reborn.^[27]

Relationships

In his childhood, the Hero of Time establishes the relationships of certain individuals that will come to his benefit in his adult years, after pulling the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. Link is the one to establish his beneficial and plot-necessary relationship with Saria, and Mido's dislike for him can be attributed to this in addition to the Great Deku Tree's favor for him over anyone else, namely Mido himself.^[28] The young hero also strikes up a friendship with Princess Zelda, and indirectly with Impa as well, while conversing with her about Ganondorf and the fate of her kingdom in the Hyrule Castle courtyard, after vanquishing the parasite from the Great Deku Tree. In helping Darunia reopen the Dodongo's Cavern (who calls him his Sworn Brother), and saving Princess Ruto from the depths of the stomach of Lord Jabu-Jabu (who claims she is engaged with him after giving the Zora's Sapphire), Link had, unbeknownst to him, met and aided almost all of the future Sages who would, in turn, ultimately help him in his quest to save Hyrule from the Evil King Ganondorf in the young hero's adult years.^[29][30] Even after returning to his childhood for the second time to enter the Spirit Temple, he continues this by befriending Nabooru by agreeing to aid her in overthrowing Ganondorf. He is also the one that forms the initial bond with Epona and Malon. In addition, he also met and befriended the scarecrows Bonooru and Pierre, which the latter would aid him controlling the flow of time in Termina. The Skull Kid, once freed from Majora's Mask, remembers Link as the one who taught him Saria's Song.

Personality

Like with most other Links in the series, as he is known as a "silent protagonist", although he displays distinctive vocals of grunts and screams, the Hero of Time is not seen speaking or emoting to a large degree in the games where he is playable, although the optional texts the player can choose when talking to certain characters implies he is not necessarily mute. He is a benevolent, intelligent, highly brave, courageous, calm, and selfless individual with a pure heart, though Link often appears serious or stoic (especially as an adult) in the original N64 versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, a few spin-off games, and some offical artwork, and rarely smiles (the 3DS remakes shows himself more relaxed). Despite his rather quiet, "just business" behavior in his in-game appearances, some media such as the Akira Himekawa manga series depict Link in a significantly more cheerful or expressive manner. Twilight Princess and Hyrule Historia serve as the only real look into his thoughts and feelings. The Hero of Time is also shown to be very helpful and caring to others throughout his journeys in both Hyrule and Termina, even if it wasn't related to his main quest, willing to sacrifice his own personal deeds no matter the outcome.

As the Hero's Shade, where he does actually speak (likely due to the fact he's no longer controlled by the player), he is shown to be much sterner and blunt, telling his descendant, the Link from Twilight Princess, that the latter's current skill level dishonors their bloodline upon first meeting him, regardless of him already having the Triforce of Courage like the Hero of Time himself once did. He also reflected on his former time as a hero, saying that the path to becoming a true hero is a long one, and that while he accepted the tough life as a hero, he regretted that he couldn't pass on the lessons he had learned. As he trained the Hero of Twilight in the long-lost arts of the sword, the former Hero of Time reminded the latter that he must continue to improve his skill and courage himself so that he could become the savior Hyrule needed to defeat Ganondorf, as he saw his former self fully reflected in his descendant. Once the Hero of Twilight mastered all of the Hidden Skills, the shade proudly told his student/successor that he now knew all of what it took to be a true hero, even addressing him his "son", and could now march forth with his vision unclouded at last. Even as a specter, the Hero of Time continued to aid the land of Hyrule and its people with the best of his ability just like when he was alive.

Fighting skills

The Hero of Time, like all other incarnations of Link, is a character with incredible levels of courage to destroy evil, and he is almost always seen with a sword and shield in hand, generally the Master Sword and Hylian Shield (though he has other related weapons). As with the Links in the older games of The Legend of Zelda series, the Hero of Time is a fearless fighter with no apparent teacher but ultimately an expert, with only experience in battle serving as his lessons. As heavily implied by his aforementioned "serious" personality, even at a young age, due to his endless training as a swordsman, archer, and magic user, as well as possessing the Triforce of Courage, the Hero of Time already displayed an immense amount of bravery, discipline, stealth, and skill that only grew further when he became an adult and reached professional levels as the Hero's Spirit, proving himself a master warrior comparable to a Hylian Knight and even impressing the Gerudo, whom themselves are feared fighters in their own right (and the only other male they considered remarkable being their king, Ganondorf, whom Link himself defeated). Likewise, Impa and Sheik, themselves Sheikah, also find Link's fighting talents worthy of attention. He is also capable of destroying dangerous enemies with ease such as the Dinolfos, Stalfos, the Poe Sisters, Dead Hand, Gerudo Thieves/Pirates, the Garo Master, Gomess, the deadly Iron Knuckles, and even the ancient undead king of the Ikana Kingdom, Igos du Ikana. He is so skilled in combat that not only he himself defeated two extremely powerful demons - Ganon and Majora (the latter which he actually killed), but also his own shadow, Dark Link, showing tremendous capabilities of adaptation, speed, and knowledge of the art of the sword. Outside of swordplay, the Hero of Time uses the Fairy Slingshot, Hookshot, elemental magic Arrows, his transformation masks, and many more items such as the Megaton Hammer, Zora Tunic, or Naryu's Love to overcome many obstacles in Hyrule and Termina. He is also proficient in sneaking around heavily guarded locations, as seen in Gerudo's Fortress and Pirates' Fortress, with the Stone Mask adding extra help to his benefit. Interestingly, unlike other Links where the hero gains an increase of defensive power through special clothing or rare items (such as the Red Ring in The Legend of Zelda), the Hero of Time obtains it through the magical powers of the Great Fairy of Courage in both of his adventures. In Twilight Princess, as the Hero's Shade, as demonstrated from his teaching of the Hidden Skills, his attacks are so dangerous to the point that if his descendant were to learn them, they pose an immediate risk to his life, as seen with the Mortal Draw and Helm Splitter. He can even create afterimages of himself as well.

In his spin-off appearances such as the Super Smash Bros. series, Hyrule Warriors, as well as Soul Calibur II, alongside the traditional Spin Attack, Jump Attack, Fairy Bow, Boomerang, and Bombs, he can perform unique moves not found in Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask such as swift kicks (although he technically can do this as Zora Link), the Dash Attack, Jump Thrust, Down Thrust, throws, and even a Final Smash. Some attacks in the latter game include twisting opponents' arms, shoving his foe's back with his shield, or firing an Arrow with his Bow towards someone's leg, suggesting a more brutal fighting style than in a standard 3D Zelda game and even Smash Bros..

Despite his extraordinary skills as a heroic fighter, however, the Hero of Time is not invincible; There are cases where he had been caught off-guard in both of the mainline games where he is playable such as the evil spirit of Bongo Bongo escaping the well in Kakariko Village knocking him down while attempting to protect Sheik in Ocarina of Time or the Skull Kid ambushing him with the help of Tatl and Tael in Majora's Mask. In fact, as much of a legendary hero this Link is, his own possible defeat would have dire consequences for Hyrule, as explained in the Downfall Timeline if he were to be ultimately lost by Ganon.

Friends/Allies

Navi

Main article: Navi

Navi the Fairy is the Hero of Time's trusted companion throughout his grand adventure in Hyrule. At the very beginning of his quest, Link never had a Fairy unlike the Kokiri tribe, as he himself is not a Kokiri but actually a Hylian. The Great Deku Tree summoned Navi to become his partner in his journey to save the land. During gameplay, she helps Link focus on targets via Z-Targeting, whether be an object, character, enemy, or simply something of interest, as well as giving information about an enemy or boss (except Ganondorf/Ganon, in which the Fairy says she doesn't know his weaknesses). In addition, she is the only Fairy in the franchise who speaks actual catchprases such as her infamous "Hey! Listen!". At the end of Ocarina of Time, when the Hero of Time returns back to his childhood by Princess Zeldafollowing the ultimate defeat of Ganon, Navi part ways with him for undisclosed reasons and flies into the lit window of the Temple of Time, as her mission of guiding him to save Hyrule was completed. Her separation with Link is what led the Hero of Time to try to search for her before and after the events of Majora's Mask. However, his efforts ultimately proved futile, as she is unfortunately never seen again. In the latter N64 game, Tatl replaces her for the same gameplay purposes.

Rauru

Main article: Rauru/Kaepora Gaebora

Rauru is the wise Sage of Light and an ancient Hylian who, unlike the other Sages in the Era of the Hero of Time, is not a newly awakened one but rather one of the ancient Sages - likely the only remaining one. He is also the second-in-command, as he seems to act as the leader in the absence of Princess Zelda. From various parts of the Hero of Time's adventure as a child, Rauru appears as a massive owl named Kaepora Gaebora who gives Link advice and transports him to various places, and he himself watches over the young hero since the start of his quest and into as an adult. Link meets Rauru in his actual form when he wakes up from his seven-year slumber in the Temple of the Sages, where he explains to the young man why he was sealed by the Master Sword and what he must do to become prove himself worthy of the Hero of Time, and then gives him the Light Medallion. It is likely Rauru himself was the one who kept Link in his sleep for his well being and awoke when he became old enough to be accounted for his title.

In Majora's Mask, the Sage returns as his owl form to aid the young Hero of Time once more in Southren Swamp and Goron Village to teach him the Song of Soaring and obtain the Lens of Truth, respectively.

Saria

Main article: Saria

Saria the Kokiri is Link's closest friend during his early childhood life in the Kokiri Forest. Her and the Great Deku Tree were the only two individuals who never gave distaste towards the young Hero of Time due to him not having a Fairy unlike the rest of the tribe, in particular their boss Mido. When Link receives Navi as his own Fairy companion, she congratulates him and believes he has finally become a true Kokiri initially, but, upon the death of the Deku Tree by Ganondorf and Link learns his destiny as the chosen hero (as well as obtaining the Spirtual Stone of the Forest), she emotionally confesses to him that she actually knows he is not a Kokiri and gives him the Fairy Ocarina as a personal gift, before asking him to come back to visit her again as they say goodbye. Later, after meeting Princes Zelda, Link can return to the Lost Woods and find her playing her famous theme song, Saria's Song, at the Sacred Forest Meadow, in which she will teach him the song and be able to telepathy speak to her at any time (as well as brightening fellow Sage Darunia's mood). When Link becomes the Hero of Time and defeats Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple, Saria is awakened as the new Sage of Forest. She then tells him that although their carefree days are over, they will forever remain friends, and then gives him the Forest Medallion.

Because Kokiri do not age or grow over time, Saria is the only one of Link's childhood friends who doesn't become an adult when he awakens as the Hero of Time, unlike fellow Sages Princess Zelda and Princess Ruto, as well as Malon.

Darunia

Main article: Darunia

Darunia is the leader of the Goron race and the Sworn Brother of the King of Hyrule. During Link's childhood, in Goron City, Ganondorf attempted to make him hand over the Spiritual Stone of Fire, in which Darunia refused, as it is too important, but consequently the entrance of Dodongo's Cavern became blocked by a massive boulder by the Gerudo king, causing the Gorons to potentially starve to death, as it contains their food source. Darunia locked himself up in his room with the Goron's Ruby, and when Link entered it via playing Zelda's Lullaby, he became furious by the fact that the Royal Family's messenger was only a mere boy in green. To calm him down, the young hero plays Saria's Song, making him break out in a fit of dancing. Despite this, he was unwilling to give Link the Spiritual Stone unless he proves himself worthy by destroying the monsters inside the Cavern but still gives him the Goron Bracelet for him to be able to lift Bomb Flowers. He soon passes that test by defeating King Dodongo. In response, Darunia gained newfound respect for the young hero, declaring him his Sworn Brother and finally giving him the Spiritual Stone of Fire as a reward. Darunia would soon have a son and named him after Link himself in honor.

When Link became the Hero of Time seven years later, Ganondorf the Evil King returned to cause peril to the Gorons again, this time reviving the ancient dragon Volvagia and imprisoned the vast majority of the species inside the Fire Temple with the intention of being eaten by the monster, as a warning for the other races in Hyrule who dare oppose him. Link learns from Darunia's son that the Goron leader himself left for the Temple to save his people, in which Link followed. When meeting in person once again, Darunia is proud to see his young friend had grown up, but tells him they must split up, and rescue his people while he attempts to fight Volvagia himself (though Darunia admits he does not have the Megaton Hammer, a weapon formerly used by a Goron hero to defeat the monster in the past). After the Hero of Time completes his request and destroyed Volvagia, saving the Goron race a second time, Darunia is filled with great gratitude, awakens as the Sage of Fire, and awards him the Fire Medallion, reminding the hero that they were true brothers.

Much like the Hero of Time, Darunia often appears to be serious, suggesting a no-nonsense personality.

In the events of Majora's Mask, Link would meet a ghostly Terminan counterpart of Darunia named Darmani III, who is a fallen Goron hero renowned by his species in Snowhead. He obtains the Goron Mask to become Goron Link upon playing the Song of Healing by his grave.

Princess Ruto

Main article: Princess Ruto

Ruto is the elegant daughter of King Zora and the princess of the Zora race. When Link is a child, he is first mentioned of Ruto when he enters Zora's Domain to obtain the Spiritual Stone of Water, in which it is thrown into a state of disarray with the princess herself being missing. He soon finds a bottle at the bottom of Lake Hylia with a letter inside signed by Princess Ruto and reveals that she was swallowed by the Zoras' patron deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu, and rescue is required. The young hero eventually enters Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly and finds Ruto shortly after. But the young princess appears to be rather stubborn and denies knowledge of her father's worry and orders Link to leave her alone. After some convincing, the young Hero of Time manages to make Ruto come with him (at the cost of carrying her). The duo soon finds the Zora's Sapphire resting on a platform. Ruto recovers the stone, but suddenly gets separated by Link when it rises. When the young hero defeats Barinade, the princess is visibly shaken at first, but then, her demeanor changes completely and she begins to fall deeply in love with him for rescuing her. Link requests the Zora's Sapphire, which she happily hands it over to him and reveals that this particular Spiritual Stone also acts as the "Zora's Engagement Ring", meaning she now considers them both engaged to be married. Despite this, Link is oblivious to the proposal by the Zora princess.

As Link becomes the Hero of Time, Princess Ruto has also matured into an adult. By this point, evil returns to Zora's Domain where Ganondorf uses the Triforce of Power to freeze almost the entire area and its inhabitants under thick ice, including Ruto herself. Sheik soon rescues Ruto and the princess enters the Water Temple to find a way to save her people. There, she meets Link again for the first time in 7 years. The Zora princess is quite happy to see him but is aware it is not the time to talk about love. She then asks the Hero of Time to assist her in saving the Zoras by destroying Morpha (though she separates from his whereabouts shortly after). Upon the defeat of the aquatic monster, Princess Ruto awakens as the Sage of Water. Due to her new duty as a Sage, she tells the Hero of Time that although she still loves him dearly, their possible marriage must ultimately be put on an indefinite hold and tells him to look for Hyrule's princess, Zelda, as she is aware of his goal to save the land. To make up for the cut engagement, Ruto gives Link the Water Medallion, and she also tells him to thank Sheik as well.

In Majora's Mask, the Hero of Time would meet a Terminan counterpart of Ruto named Lulu, who is the leader of the popular The Indigo-Go's band.

Impa

Main article: Impa

Impa is Princess Zelda's attendant and a surviving member of the Sheikah. Unlike most other incarnations of the character throughout the series, Impa in Ocarina of Time is depicted as a warrior rather than an old woman. Also unlike most other awakened Sages, it is hinted that she, like Zelda, was aware of her status beforehand. She first meets the Hero of Time after he talks with the princess on their goal of stopping Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm. Even at his young age, Impa immediately senses Link's potential and teaches him Zelda's Lullaby. The next time Link sees Impa, she is riding on horseback escaping Hyrule Castle with Zelda (much like in his nightmare at the very beginning of his adventure) due to Ganondorf's attack. When Link becomes the Hero of Time, an evil spirit Impa herself had locked in a well at her hometown Kakariko Village years ago broke free. The Sheikah heads to the Shadow Temple to seal it away again, though Link follows her into the dungeon and eventually defeats Bongo Bongo. As Link finally meets Impa in person after seven years, now awakened as the Sage of Shadow, she tells the Hero of Time her point of view of what had happened in the past, confirms Zelda that she is safe, and ensures him that he would do fine as a hero. Following this, she gives him the Shadow Medallion.

It is strongly implied that Impa is the one responsible for Princess Zelda's training as a Sheikah for her alter-ego Sheik as well as raising her during the seven-year skip.

Nabooru

Main article: Nabooru

Nabooru is a high-ranking Gerudo who is well-respected among the race, as she is the second-in-command, with only Ganondorf himself as her superior. She even has a second-in-command herself, who is the Gerudo granted Link permission to freely enter Gerudo's Fortress after saving the four captured Carpenters as an adult. Link first meets Nabooru as a child inside the Spirit Temple where she is unable to enter the hole at the left side of the entrance (the right side has a huge sliver block blocking the path). Upon their conversation, the young hero discovers that unlike other Gerudo, although she is a thief, Nabooru has moral standards and is actually rebelling against Ganondorf due to the villain's evil ways, even claiming that he murdered people. They soon agreed to stop the Gerudo king's plans but she needs Link's help to infiltrate the dungeon and obtain the Silver Gauntlets that she intended to use for herself, promising to "do something great" for him in return. However, although Link managed to acquire the powerful item, Nabooru is suddenly captured by Koume and Kotake - Ganondorf's surrogate mothers and evil twin witches, before ordering him to escape safely.

When Link returns to the Temple as the Hero of Time, now having the Silver Gauntlets equipped, he is able to explore the rest of the dungeon and eventually finds his missing ally, brainwashed by Koume and Kotake, and is now an Iron Knuckle, forcing Link to fight her, and technically making Nabooru a strong opponent for the legendary hero (as unlike regular Iron Knuckles, she instantly counterattacks when hit from behind). When defeated, the armor crumbles and she becomes free of the curse. Despite this, the witches recapture her. After Twinrova is finally defeated by the Hero of Time, Nabooru awakens as the Sage of Spirit. She commends Link for himself becoming a competent swordsman after last seeing him as a child and gives the Spirit Medallion.

Like Ganondorf, although she knows Link's name, she often refers to the Hero of Time as "kid", due to his youth.

Princess Zelda

Main article: Princess Zelda/Sheik

Princess Zelda is the princess of Hyrule and eventually the leader of the Six Sages. As with the other incarnations of Link in many games in the franchise having their own different Zeldas, she is a highly important ally who the hero must assist and/or rescue in order to stop Ganon (or Ganondorf) from conquering Hyrule. In Ocarina of Time, this incarnation of the princess is first mentioned by the Great Deku Tree when the Hero of Time learns about his destiny. As children, the two met in the Hyrule Castle courtyard, sharing the same dreams of Ganondorf. Zelda was confident of Link's mission of obtaining the Spiritual Stones, but her plan backfired when it is revealed that the Gerudo king was actually planning for the duo's actions to be set in motion, forcing the young princess to escape Hyrule Castle with her attendant Impa, though she throws the Ocarina of Time toward Link as she thought it would be their best chance. When he obtains the Royal Family's Ocarina, he enters a vision where Zelda tells him she will not be in Hyrule anymore and teaches him the Song of Time, which would become useful for opening the Door of Time and move Time Blocks to different locations within a Temple. When Link pulls the Master Sword and is abruptly sealed away for seven years, causing Ganondorf to touch the Triforce, it split into its three parts and Princess Zelda herself is bestowed upon the Triforce of Wisdom (with Power and Courage going to Ganondorf and Link, respectively). When the Hero of Time finally awakens with his title, a mysterious man appears, named Sheik, one of the last surviving members of the Sheikah like Impa. Throughout Link's adult adventure, Sheik guides the Hero of Time on what he must do to stop Ganondorf's reign over Hyrule, telling him meaningful messages and teaching the hero various songs that would help him progress. What Link doesn't know until after the Six Sages are awakened, is that Sheik is actually Princess Zelda in disguise in an effort to hide from the Evil King. When she reveals her true identity, Link sees she has grown up like himself, looking more elegant than before, and the princess of Hyrule is glad to finally talk to the hero in person after 7 years. Before they begin their final showdown with Ganondorf after Zelda hands him Light Arrows, he suddenly captures her as she had dropped her guard, forcing the Hero of Time to confront him once and for all at Ganon's Castle. Eventually, the two are victorious, and Princess Zelda then sends him back to his childhood using her powers as the seventh Sage, causing the timelines to split, as she believes all of the destruction that had befallen Hyrule was her own carelessness.

In the events leading to Majora's Mask, the young Hero of Time meets Princess Zelda once again to explain Ganondorf's true plans before leaving to find Navi. In the game's storyline, she is only seen once during a flashback when he obtains the stolen Ocarina of Time from Skull Kid, where it shows the Hero of Time leaving Hyrule after being given the magical instrument by young Zelda.

Malon

Main article: Malon

Malon is a young Hylian girl who lives in Lon Lon Ranch and loves to sing. On Link's journey to meet Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle after the death of the Great Deku Tree, he stumbles upon Malon at the Hyrule Castle Town Market, where she is looking for her father, Talon. At first glance, due to his Kokiri-like clothing and Navi accompanying him, Malon affectionately calls Link "Fairy Boy". When Link finds Talon asleep, she gives him the Weird Egg hatched into a Cucco to wake him up, so he could be reunited with his daughter. Later, she meets the young hero again when Link visits the ranch, where he finds a certain young female horse named Epona by her side. She then teaches him the song she always sings, Epona's Song, a song which her mother composed, and this particular music played by the Ocarina of Time would also tame Epona to make her become fond of the hero. As the Hero of Time seven years later, Malon, now grown-up, has been working for Ingo out of fear of the ranch's horses facing abuse if they don't obey his orders, due to he he had exiled her father and took over the ranch. When Link stops Ingo from attempting to give Epona as a present for Ganondorf, Malon reunites with the hero. Although she did not recognize him at first, when Link tells her name, she reacts with happiness, once again naming him "Fairy Boy".

Among the Hero of Time's friends in Ocarina of Time, although it is not technically required for Link to meet Malon in Lon Lon Ranch to obtain Epona in order to complete the game, himself having his horse companion is clearly canon, as seen in Majora's Mask.

In Majora's Mask, Link would meet two Terminan counterparts of Malon based on both her child and adult self, named Romani and Cremia, respectively, themselves look-alike sisters also living in a ranch named Romani Ranch, and the former would re-teach him Epona's Song. Coincidentally, Romani is also rather fond of Link and calls him "Grasshopper" and Epona would be found in this area after being stolen by the Skull Kid.

Skull Kid

Main article: Skull Kid

Skull Kids are lost children who wander into the Lost Woods to become into the sad state of having black-skinned faces with orange lips (later changed to wooden faces and beak due to controversy). Although there are technically three Skull Kids in Ocarina of Time, one individual standing on top of the stump at the left of the entrance is befriended by the Hero of Time as a child when he plays Saria's Song with him (which he will receive a Piece of Heart) and then gives him the Skull Mask during the Mask Trading Sequence, as the Skull Kid was unhappy about having no face, which some of the Kokiri even heard him complaining about. Although Link did become the Skull Kid's friend as a child, if he were to return as the Hero of Time, however, any of his kind he encounters becomes hostile and will attack. Navi explains this is because Skull Kids do not like adults (giving a possible reason why the Happy Mask Salesman ambushed by one in Majora's Mask). If defeated, an Orange Rupee will be awarded.

A certain Skull Kid plays a major role in Majora's Mask, where he steals the Majora's Mask from the Happy Mask Salesman. Although he intendeds to be a friendly prankster, he is unaware of the Mask's evil powers and becomes mind-controlled by the antagonist Majora, making himself appear as seemingly the main villain, even though Skull Kid himself is not evil. With his newfound might as a powerful sorcerer similar in level with Ganondorf by its influence, he wreaks havoc across Termina, ultimately attempting to pull the Moon on a collision course with the land. Prior to these events, he was friends with two Fairies named Tatl and Tael, who the former became separated when Link, after being cursed into a Deku Scrub tries to stop him due to him stealing not only Epona but the Ocarina of Time as well. Although he does soon recover them, the Hero of Time would not be able to confront Skull Kid until the Four Giants are rescued. After playing Oath to Order and the Giants stopping the Moon's descent, the Majora's Mask suddenly detaches from the Skull Kid, therefore freeing him from its influence. Upon Majora's ultimate defeat, the Skull Kid asks Link if he could be friends, and, when he sniffs the young hero, he giggles and says that he has the same smell as the one who taught him "that song" (Saria's Song) in the Lost Woods, heavily suggesting that this is the same Skull Kid Link befriended in his previous adventure. At the very end of the game, after saying goodbye, the Hero of Time finds a drawing on a tree trunk showing himself, the Skull Kid, as well as the Fairies siblings and the Four Giants waving, which was made by none other than the Skull Kid himself.

Tatl

Main article: Tatl

Tatl is a tomboyish Fairy who is a close friend of the Skull Kid in Majora's Mask and also Tael's older sister. At the beginning of the game, two siblings launched an ambush onto the Hero of Time, causing Link to temporarily lose Epona and his Ocarina of Time, but ultimately becomes separated by her brother and Skull Kid when she blew a raspberry at him as Deku Link and the door behind her closes. Although initially aggressive in contrast to Navi and even tries to blame him for her troubles, she slowly grows to tolerate his company and eventually apologizes to the young Hero of Time. By the final battle, she even admits to Link that she admires him for his bravery and never giving up. During gameplay, Tatl serves as Navi's replacement for targeting enemies, characters, objects, and gaining advice (though her way is less informative but more direct in comparison). At the ending sequence of the game, upon Majora's Mask's defeat and finally reuniting with Tael and Skull Kid, she bluntly tells Link to leave and go on his business while they attend the Carnival of Time, in which the Hero of Time seemingly agrees, but as soon as he part ways from her riding on Epona to search for Navi (or perhaps entering Clock Town himself as he is shown heading directly for the entrance), she suddenly becomes emotional and quietly says thank you as her younger brother comforts her, implying that deep down she really cares for Link. Like Navi, the Hero of Time would never see this Fairy again leading to the eventual events of Twilight Princess.

Link (Twilight Princess)

Main article: Hero's Spirit

Over a hundred years after his era as the chosen hero, the Hero of Time, as the restless Hero's Spirit, encounters his own descendant and successor in the Child Timeline, the Link from Twilight Princess, known as the Hero of Twilight. By this point in time, the legendary Hero of Time is filled with regrets due to his status of being forgotten and not being able to pass on the "lessons of his life to those who came after him" when he was alive. The Hero of Twilight first meets his ancestor in wolf form before transporting him into another world, where the Hero of Time himself appears as a nearly transparent Stalfos-like ghost dressed in worn-down armor. At first glance, the Hero's Spirit was disgusted that Link's current skill level is too poor for their bloodline, saying a sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage, in spite of the Hero of Twilight already possessing the Triforce of Courage. Despite being long retired as a hero, the former Link retains his masterful art of the sword and teaches his counterpart seven highly advanced techniques called Hidden Skills, which would prove crucial to help the Hero of Twilight take down powerful enemies and their archnemesis Ganondorf, starting with the Ending Blow (which this attack would ultimately be the finishing blow in the final battle). Although only the Ending Blow is required to complete the Gamecube/Wii game, the player has the option to learn the rest via finding the Howling Stones to resume the training by the Hero's Shade (three of which are songs once played by the Hero of Time himself). Once all of the Hidden Skills are learned, the former Hero of Time says to his descendant that he is fully worthy of his own title with a skill level on-par with his and is a wonderful student that would keep his legacy alive.

Enemies

Ganon

Main article: Ganon

Ganon is the mastermind behind the plot of Ocarina of Time and is the Hero of Time's archenemy, as with the vast majority of other incarnations of Link, because he himself is not just a pig-like monster, but the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, as well as the reincarnation of Demise's hatred. As his human form, Ganondorf, the Demon King leads the Gerudo tribe, and schemes to take over the world of Hyrule by obtaining the Triforce. As he needs the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time to enter the Sacred Realm first, he is responsible for the death of the Great Deku Tree and causing chaos to the Goron and Zora races. Link manages to first see the villain inside Hyrule Castle as he meets Princess Zelda for the first time, through the window she herself was looking at. While Ganondorf was seemingly bowing towards the King of Hyrule, he managed to catch a glimpse at the young hero (startling Link in the process). Link and Zelda had known his plans and intended to stop the Gerudo king at all costs. But Ganon was particularly clever, as he is one step ahead of them; with the unwitting assistance of the duo, he eventually enters the Sacred Realm upon Link pulling the Master Sword and forced into a seven-year suspended animation, which he laughs and mocks him for "helping" him reach his primary goal. Ganondorf then touches the Triforce and transforms the Scared Realm into the Evil Realm. However, the golden relic split into three parts as his heart was tainted and he ultimately obtained only the Triforce of Power, making Ganondorf become significantly more powerful and uses this piece of the to Triforce to take over Hyrule as the new king during Link's sleep and forcing Princess Zelda into hiding as Sheik, and created his own castle upon destroying Hyrule's. Although it seems like Ganon has won, he was not satisfied, as he is soon aware that the other pieces, the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage, are imparted to Zelda and Link, respectively. Consequently, the villain must search high and low to steal them in order to gain the True Force and completely rule Hyrule, while he still lets his minions cause havoc across all of the land. When the Hero of Time awakens all of the Six Sages, Ganondorf sees his opportunity he was long waiting for when Zelda exposes herself to Link upon shedding her Sheikah disguise, capturing her in a crystal and demands the hero to challenge him at his castle (though he admits he underestimated about the power of the Triforce of Courage). At the final showdown taking place at the top of Ganon's Castle, a confident Ganondorf was patiently waiting for the Hero of Time, playing his own theme song on a pipe organ. Eventually, in a fierce one-on-one battle, as both his human and beast forms, Ganon proved himself one of the greatest foes the Hero of Time ever faced, but the Demon King ultimately loses against the legendary hero twice, and was sealed away into the void of the Evil Realm by the Seven Sages (not before angrily warning his enemies that he will destroy their descendants once the seal is broken).

Because Ganon was never killed by Link in spite of his violent defeat, making himself the only antagonist to survive the Hero of Time's encounter across his two journeys (especially since this incarnation lacks the Silver Arrows in spite of possessing the Master Sword), the villain would eventually return as Ganondorf in the events of The Wind Waker where the Hero of Winds must encounter him in his own adventure in the Adult Timeline. In the Child Timeline, Ganon's original plan was quickly foiled by the Hero of Time warning the Royal Family and was soon executed, but his Triforce of Power made him survive and was cast into the Twilight Realm in the events of Twilight Princess, where the Hero of Time's descendant, the Hero of Twilight, must face and defeat him, with some help by the legendary hero himself as the Hero's Spirit.

Majora

Main article: Majora's Mask

Majora is the main antagonist of the Hero of Time's second adventure in Termina following the events of his quest at Hyrule. Much like Ganon, this foe is a monstrous and powerful demon with its own set of minions. As the mastermind behind the plot of Majora's Mask, this evil being hides within a certain ancient mask once used by a tribe in the distant past for bewitching rituals, called the Majora's Mask, but its power became so great it was sealed away to prevent a great disaster. The Happy Mask Salesman, the current owner of the Majora's Mask, is aware of the danger, and when it was stolen by the Skull Kid, he fears the devastation that would befall Termina if the Mask was not taken back immediately. It appears the Salesman has a valid point, as when the Skull Kid donned the Majora's Mask before the events of the game, it transformed a world into the land of Termina out of a combination of the evil of Majora and the Skull Kid's memories and delusions. In addition, the monster hidden inside the Mask is using the Skull Kid as a puppet throughout the vast majority of the story, as it gradually began to take complete control of his mind, turning his once harmless pranks into acts of malicious intent. It even cursed others across the land, causing chaos. At the beginning of his quest, the Majora's Mask possessed Skull Kid also curses Link into a Deku Scrub (which would soon become his benefit). Unlike Ganon whom the Hero of Time previously defeated, Majora has no intention of ruling Termina whatsoever, as it has only one thing in mind: destroy! Its main goal was to draw the world's ominous-looking Moon on a collision course toward Termina that will obliterate it within 72 hours (three days). Link consequently has to resort using the Ocarina of Time's Song of Time and its variants to give the young hero a chance to save the world. Eventually, after saving the four Guardian Deities and stopping the Moon, Majora's Mask detaches itself from the Skull Kid after finding the imp no longer useful for its ultimate plan. It then heads inside the Moon to possess it instead, causing it to become more difficult for the Giants to keep it on hold. The Hero of Time follows it inside with Tatl, where he enters a strange peaceful-looking area with five Moon Children, one of which wearing Majora's Mask itself. This particular Moon Child brings Link to the arena where the final battle takes place. Majora begins as its traditional Mask form, followed by Incarnation, where it runs around and performs dances madly, and then its actual shape, Wrath, packing giant whips to smack Link with. The Hero of Time soon becomes victorious after Majora is finally defeated and ultimately dies via disintegrating into ashes. Immediately after, the Moon returns back to orbit (or also becomes destroyed in the 3DS remake), rescuing Termina from its imminent doom. With Majora eliminated, the evil inside Majora's Mask is gone and is now nothing more than an ordinary mask, much to the delight of the Happy Mask Salesman. However, with the Skull Kid free and the evil monster wiped out, Termina ceases to exist when Link leaves the land.

Dark Link

Main article: Dark Link

Dark Link is the evil shadow of Link himself and arguably the Hero of Time's worst enemy. This enigmatic monster has no backstory nor dialogue, though it is likely he was constructed by Ganon's dark magic. Although this enemy character originally appeared as the Final Boss of The Adventure of Link, in Ocarina of Time, he is encountered as a Mini-Boss inside the Water Temple before facing Morpha (though his high difficulty is unaltered from the NES game). As Dark Link is indeed a corrupted mirror image of the Hero of Time based on darkness rather than light, he is an extremely dangerous opponent for the legendary hero, as the dark swordsman's skills are equal to that of the original and can copy his doppelganger's every move. During the encounter inside a wide room within the temple, he materializes from Link's shadow and appears next to a black tree. When Link gets close to his evil counterpart, the battle begins. From the start, his body appears almost transparent and simply reacts to Link's moves, but gradually becomes opaque as the duel progresses, and when he does become solid, Dark Link begins fighting more fiercely, making it challenging to land hits under normal circumstances, as he rarely drops his guard. One of Dark Link's most infamous moves is if the Hero of Time were to perform a sword thrust, the dark hero would simply jump onto the blade of the Master Sword before counterattacking. Unlike other major enemies, Dark Link's health is based on the amount of Heart Containers Link has (therefore making the fight shorter with less Hearts and vice versa). When eventually defeated, Dark Link is knocked to the ground and ultimately vanishes, allowing his good counterpart to continue on in the Water Temple. This foe is never to be seen again after the encounter, indicating that Dark Link was completely destroyed by the Hero of Time.

Inferno

Main article: Soul Calibur II

See SoulCaliburwiki's article on Inferno for more information.

Inferno is the overarching antagonist of the Soul Calibur fighting game series by Namco, and the Hero of Time faces him as the Final Boss at his guest appearance in Soul Calibur II exclusively on the GameCube version. Link's story in-game has himself saving Hyrule's tranquility from destruction by a wizard before entering the Soul universe, as he learns the controlling force behind the disasters at his homeland was an ancient cursed sword called Soul Edge, which, even at its unrestored state, turned out to be the strongest and most dominating sword he has ever encountered, even more so than the hero's best blades. However, as the Hero of Time goes on his secret quest to destroy one of its fragments, he finds that the sword capable of devouring souls has a wicked soul of its own, called Inferno. This demonic being made mostly of hellfire can be fought at the end of the game's modes as the final opponent. Normally, his weapon is Soul Edge itself but can wield others in the "Extra" modes. When defeated in Arcade Mode, Inferno bursts into pieces of flame with Soul Calibur, a powerful holy weapon with powers similar to the Master Sword, impaling the beast's back and becoming free of its control (it was inside his head and torso as its evil form). Finally, with his mission now successful, the Hero of Time plays a faint echo of his Ocarina of Time before leaving the world to return back to the now-peaceful Hyrule.

Other Appearances

Trivia

• In spite of his highly unfortunate story as a tragic hero, the Hero of Time is universally the most popular and iconic Link in the The Legend of Zelda series community, not only due to the groundbreaking success of Ocarina of Time and its sequel or his major importance in the mythology and timelines according to Hyrule Historia, but also setting the standard for most future Links since, the praised voice performances of Fujiko Takamoto and Nobuyuki Hiyama for his child and adult self, respectively, and even having a unique, very powerful transformation, giving him his legendary status.
• The opening cutscene of The Wind Waker shows the Hero of Time defeating Ganon as a child, when he was in fact an adult in Ocarina of Time during the final battle. In the same scene, Link also fought him without a shield while Ganondorf battled only in his beast form, unarmed.
  • Notably, the adventure of the Hero of Time in the game's prologue seems to be not entirely based on the events of Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, as alongside the aforementioned differences, it too shows him riding Epona as a child in the Adult Timeline rather than the Child Timeline, as his legend was remembered there.
• Although the Hero of Time is technically his adult self, as explicitly explained in Ocarina of Time, a few games, specifically The Wind Waker, claimed Link's title as a child.
• As it is never explained by Nintendo what happened to the Hero of Time after the events of Majora's Mask and before becoming the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess, fans have created many unconfirmed theories about the character, such as Link killed in battle during a very intense war as a knight at Hyrule in his adulthood or inside the Lost Woods while searching for Navi due to the decayed skeletal appearance wearing swordsman armor, as well as the loss of his Triforce of Courage.
  • Ironically, according to Hyrule Historia, it is possible that the Hero of Time was once a Hylian Knight himself.

• Unlike all other incarnations of Link in The Legend of Zelda series, the Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time, despite destiny ultimately separating them and none displayed direct affection, shares a somewhat romantic relationship with four different female characters, three of which whom are also Sages: Princess Zelda, Saria, Princess Ruto, and Malon. Because of this, many fans strongly considered this particular Link to be a ladies' man or in a love triangle. Story-wise, however, he is technically engaged with Ruto, as the Zora princess vows the Hero of Time her husband when obtaining the Spiritual Stone of Water, as it is also called the "Zora's Engagement Ring", even though Link himself was not aware of being Princess Ruto's fiancé due to his important goal of helping Hyrule's princess, Zelda, and, more likely than not, the fact he was still at a young age.
  • In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga, Kaepora Gaebora, the owl form of the Sage of Light, Rauru, indeed directly tells Link that he is popular with the ladies after meeting Saria, Zelda, and Malon, but not yet Ruto, in which the young hero's response was to hush up, implying he is relatively aware of his relationships. Earlier in the same manga, Zelda can be seen giving Link a kiss to his cheek after agreeing to stop Ganondorf.
  • Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, also shows interest in Link when she realizes how handsome he is as an adult, and regrets that she should've kept the promise of "something great" she said to him as a child.
  • Although never confirmed by Nintendo and despite the aforementioned possible marriage with Princess Ruto, some fans speculated that Malon may have ultimately won the Hero of Time's affections among the four girls in the events leading to becoming the Hero's Spirit well after Majora's Mask, due to the fact that her wish was to have a knight in shining armor wiping her feet one day according to a Gossip Stone in Ocarina of Time, as well as that Link himself could possibly be one according to Hyrule Historia. His descendant in the Child Timeline, the Link from Twilight Princess, initially a rancher like Malon, knows Epona's Song, the song she herself teaches the Hero of Time.
    • Even Navi has a slight fondness for Link, as according to Shigeru Miyamoto in an interview, she is jealous of Princess Zelda and feels something for the young hero. In the manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time by Akira Himekawa, the Fairy tells Link she loves him before parting ways with him at its climax.
• Although the Hero of Time's Fierce Deity form by the Fierce Deity's Mask is not actually required to complete Majora's Mask, Link defeating Majora as such is stated to be canon according to Hyrule Historia.
• In addition to Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask and their remakes, as he is featured in Twilight Princess (as Hero's Spirit), three of the Super Smash Bros. series (original, Melee, and Ultimate), Hyrule Warriors (Young Link), the critically acclaimed 2002 Namco fighting game Soul Calibur II (as a guest star), and likely the SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo, as well as a cameo in The Wind Waker, the Hero of Time made more appearances than any other incarnations of Link.

  

• The Hero of Time is the only incarnation of Link to be hugged by another character other than Princess Zelda, based on the events of Majora's Mask. If Link were to help Cremia, the Terminan adult counterpart of Malon, deliver her rare Chateau Romani milk to the Milk Bar after protecting her from the Gorman Brothers' ambush during the night of the Second Day, and the Romani's Mask was already obtained, there is a 50/50 probability for himself to receive a Huge Rupee (even if the counter is full) or an affectionate hug from her as a reward.
  • As displays of direct affection are extremely rare in The Legend of Zelda series, the hug from Cremia in Majora's Mask is the second instance since the ending of The Adventure of Link where Link were to be embraced, and another would not be seen until the final battle of Spirit Tracks (although the linked Oracle game shows Zelda kissing Link in its ending upon defeating the incomplete Ganon).
  • It is often presumed by fans that the Hero of Time had never been hugged before in his life or at least is not used to it, as during this moment, Link can be seen simply standing with his arms hanging loosely, and in the events of Ocarina of Time, he was terrified when several Gorons attempted to hug him after obtaining the Spiritual Stone of Fire from Darunia (though this is may be comic relief), as well as he was orphaned by the Great Deku Tree as a baby.
  • Surprisingly, Cremia's heartwarming hug towards the Hero of Time was not originally planned for the game. According to Yoshiaki Kolzumi, he stated that it was actually made out of an animation mistake during development; When Link's position was being set up, his face was too close and lodged into Cremia. But instead of removing it, the team immediately decided to rework the error and left it in the final game, saying this would have been every boys' dream, including himself.
• In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga adaptation, the Hero of Time's blue earrings are a gift from Impa and are a rite of passage for young Sheikah men, in spite of Link himself not being such people.
• The Hero of Time's model in Ocarina of Time, although seen in official artwork, has the upper belt on his shoulder missing, due to the graphical limitations of the Nintendo 64. It is also missing in the original Super Smash Bros. as well. Despite this, it is fixed in Majora's Mask via increased memory by the Expansion Pak, and in Ocarina of Time 3D.
  • On a similar note, the Hero's Clothes in The Wind Waker, which is supposedly a replica of the Hero of Time's outfit, lacks the upper belt.
• According to Hyrule Historia, the Hero of Time's age is 10 as a child and 17 as an adult, though it is debated in other sources; For example, the Link from The Wind Waker, was given his Hero's Clothes upon reaching the same age as the Hero of Time when he set out his Hyrule journey as a tradition, and his Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and amiibo state he is 12, thus suggesting Adult Link to be 19 as well.

  

• Although Link's exact height is unknown, when compared to the corrected measuring graph in the pool in the Lakeside Laboratory via the Iron Boots in Ocarina of Time 3D, the Hero of Time stands 1.7m (5'7") tall in height as an adult, which is around the average for a man. Interestingly, Princess Zelda (and Sheik) is slightly shorter than Link, but Impa, the Sage of Shadow and Zelda's attendant, stands taller than him. On the other hand, as a child, Link stands shorter than Zelda.
  • His Fierce Deity Link form in Majora's Mask is exceptionally tall, likely the same as Ganondorf, who himself measures 230cm (7'6½") in Ocarina of Time according to Hyrule Historia.
  • Himself as the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess, due to his Stalfos-like ghost form, stands much taller than when he was alive.
• If one looks closely in the introduction scene of Ocarina of Time, when Link is having his nightmare about Princess Zelda and Ganondorf, his eyes can be seen still open before he shivers and turns his head around.
• In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga, the Hero of Time was shown training with Impa as well as a Hylian Knight named Captain Orsen in its sequel. However, in the games, unlike most other incarnations of Link, he is a self-taught fighter. Due to his constant increase in raw skills until his death, he even became an instructor in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit - something no other Link in the franchise had done.
• In the post-credits cutscene of Link meeting Princess Zelda in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard for the second time in Ocarina of Time and Ocarina of Time 3D, the Triforce of Courage can be seen resonating on his left hand.
• In Twilight Princess, some of the items the Hero of Twilight obtain in his adventure such as the Hero's Bow and even some residents claim of an ancient hero of the past known in Hyrule. This implies the Hero of Time's actions throughout his life in the Child Timeline might not be completely forgotten.
• The statue of the Hero of Time seen in Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker has somewhat of a close resemblance to the Hero of Winds incarnation in that it depicts him wearing the same exact clothing and even has the Mirror Shield based on its appearance in-game (despite the N64 titles have much different designs).
• In the event Link is defeated in Ocarina of Time as an adult and the player consequently receives a Game Over, the Hero of Time can be heard saying "Yuck!" as he collapses, marking the first time in The Legend of Zelda series he speaks English words in a mainline game, before The Wind Waker's "Come on!" as widely believed.
• In the beta version of Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time was originally going to summon Epona using a reed whistle. Although this was scrapped, this concept would be reused for Twilight Princess' Horse Call.
  • Similarly, the running slash attack seen in that title was originally planned for Ocarina of Time but was cut for unknown reasons.
• Although sometimes falsely assumed as such by fans, the Hero of Time is not the first instance in the franchise to feature an older Link, as this debuted in The Adventure of Link. However, his appearance in Ocarina of Time has become a trademark image for the character to many, despite the majority of the games in the series depicted Link as a child.
• Surprisingly, during early development of Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time were to begin his adventure in Hyrule already as an adult, as his child self was not originally planned.
• The Hero's Spirit being the Hero of Time himself has been met with controversy by fans of the series, especially ones who played the N64 games, as the form in Twilight Princess shows this rather iconic Link in a horrific, sad, decayed state vaguely explained how he become such.

  

• Although the Hero of Time has no direct counterpart in Termina, Kafei in Majora's Mask is remarkably similar to Link in that he shares the same personality and animations as himself, and during a part of the Reuniting Kafei and Anju sidequest where they must acquire the Sun's Mask inside Sakon's Hideout, he can even be controlled by the player (a first for the series) and can also punch.
• Link's actions by strictly following Zelda/Sheik's orders throughout Ocarina of Time's storyline solely to save Hyrule led some fans to believe the Hero of Time is simply a pawn of the princess of his era.
• The introduction of Majora's Mask explains a slightly different reason for the Hero of Time's departure as opposed to Hyrule Historia. Although he is indeed looking for Navi, the game says that Link is also fed up with the dangerous battles he experienced in his previous adventure in Ocarina of Time.
  • It should also be noted, as the N64 title was made well before the introduction of the offical timeline in 2011, its plot says that in Hyrule, Link's legend was echoed by the Royal Family, which suggests that there is no evidence in-game that the timeline by Ocarina of Time's events had split into two and Link himself being in an alternate universe.
• The Hero of Time's encounter with his descendant in Twilight Princess as the Hero's Spirit marks the first time based on canon content where a Link directly speaks with another incarnation of himself.

  

• Although often considered to be the most climactic defeat of Ganon in the The Legend of Zelda series, some fans also viewed the Hero of Time's final blow in the Final Boss battle of Ocarina of Time as arguably the most violent scene in the entire franchise as well, due to the beast spewing red blood in the original v1.0/v.1.1 NTSC builds of the N64 game as well as himself stabbing the monster directly in the mouth (Ganondorf also pukes blood when defeated). Due to controversy, this has resulted in all subsequent versions (including PAL) and releases, including its remake, being censored by Nintendo with the blood changed to green and in Ocarina of Time 3D, the Master Sword instead hits Ganon in the forehead much like in some later games' final blows with the scared blade, to tone down the violence, as the game was in fact rated Everyone (E) by the ESRB and would not risk it being re-rated to Teen (T). The 3DS remake, however, has the Everyone 10+ (E10+) rating. No other Zelda game in the long-running series since Ocarina of Time features realistic colored blood.
  • Stained blood can also be seen in Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple. It remains red even in later v.1.2 versions and the remake.
  • The Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga also shows the finishing blow of Link hitting Ganon on the forehead rather than in the mouth.
• Link's Hero's Shield and updated Kokiri Sword that replaced his Deku/Hylian Shield and older version of the sword in the events of Majora's Mask is possibly due to the Royal Family giving him adequate gear to help him on his adventure.
• Though not clearly evidenced in-game or his other appearances such as the Super Smash Bros. series or Soul Calibur II, most fans presumed Adult Link in Ocarina of Time as merely his child self in a grown-up body. This is likely due to the fact that he was forced into a magical sleep for 7 years to become the Hero of Time upon pulling the Master Sword, and thus the experience of his growing life was skipped entirely.
  • In the Akira Himekawa manga adaptation, however, this is strongly depicted, as Link was completely clueless about what happened to him between his sleep and awaken, and his behavior remained generally childish through the second part of the story.
• Similar to Epona, Link's model in Majora's Mask is slightly taller than how he appears in its prequel. This implies the Hero of Time had gained a small growth between the games' events.
• Interestingly, in his crossover appearance in Soul Calibur II exclusively for the GameCube version, although not canon to The Legend of Zelda or Soul Calibur series whatsoever, the Hero of Time's in-game story not only references his two adventures in Hyrule and Termina, but also A Link to the Past as well. In this game, Link pulled the Master Sword in the Lost Woods as opposed to the Temple of Time, and he had already rescued Hyrule from an evil magician (possibly Agahnim) before entering the Soul universe as he learns the controlling force behind the wizard was by a deadly evil entity sword called Soul Edge, where he must destroy it. When he eventually succeeds in his quest, therefore saving the world, he quietly leaves to return back to Hyrule, like in the ending of Majora's Mask. Although most of his available arsenal in Soul Calibur II are from the N64 games where he is playable such as the Biggoron's Sword or Great Fairy's Sword, a few of such are also items predating Ocarina of Time, specifically the Magical Sword/Shield (named "Magic Sword" in-game), Cane of Byrna, and even the Bug Catching Net. He can even wield Soul Edge itself in the shape of his trademark Master Sword and Hylian Shield weapons. In addition, like in the Super Smash Bros. series, the Blue Ring tunic from the original The Legend of Zelda is also available as an alternate costume.
  • Coincidentally, the Hero of Time's child and adult voice actors, Fujiko Takamoto and Nobuyuki Hiyama, also voiced Taki and Siegfried/Nightmare, respectively, as well as Yoshimitsu for the latter, when set at the Japanese language. The game itself is also the last time of Hiyama himself reprising his role as Adult Link before his official retirement for voicing the character.
  • Soul Calibur II also marks the first and so far only instance where Link was to be featured in a fighting game as well as a non-Nintendo title. Although he did previously appear in the original Super Smash Bros., that series has a completely different ruleset where characters are battling on platforms and therefore is considered distinct from conventional fighting titles.
  • Link would not get another official crossover until Mario Kart 8 in 2014, 11 years after the release of Soul Calibur II, though this game uses the Skyward Sword incarnation.
• Link in his second adventure in Termina is shown to be more acrobatic than how he previously was in Hyrule, as in Majora's Mask he can frontflip or somersault over ledges as opposed to a normal jump, suggesting an increase of fitness and fighting skills.
• Despite the Link from The Wind Waker, known as the Hero of Winds, is the Hero of Time's successor in the Adult Timeline and is possibly his descendant like the Hero of Twilight from Twilight Princess, this incarnation is said to be unrelated to the legendary hero in-game according to the King of Red Lions, likely due to the fact centuries have passed since the events of Ocarina of Time and the Hero of Time himself was sent back to his original age into the Child Timeline by Princess Zelda in his era.

  

• Alongside being the most important Link in the mythology and offical timelines, the Hero of Time is likely one of, if not the strongest incarnation of The Legend of Zelda series' main protagonist; In addition to possessing the traditional Master Sword, Triforce of Courage, Mirror Shield, Light Arrows, as well as having a large and unique arsenal of items other Links do not have such as the Lens of Truth, transformation masks, magic spells with power of the Golden Goddesses themselves, etc., he himself defeated a prime Ganon while the King of Evil himself almost completely took over Hyrule for seven years, destroyed another powerful demon called Majora and even fought and beaten his own shadow, each of which in a one-on-one fight with no assistance (despite Princess Zelda attempting to hold Ganon down just before the final blow). Physically, he is able to wield the two-handed weapons Biggoron's Sword or Megaton Hammer in one grip when equipped during cutscenes as well as in Soul Calibur II (the Breath of the Wild incarnation for example holds the former like a zweihänder giving its size) and can rival Ganondorf's Triforce of Power superhuman strength with the Golden Gauntlets. His skills in sword combat are so great, that as a ghost, he is even the teacher of the Hero of Twilight to help his descendant defeat Ganondorf in Twilight Princess by showing him how to perform his own highly advanced techniques (Hidden Skills), and, most notably, the mysterious Fierce Deity Link transformation by the Fierce Deity's Mask in Majora's Mask, a deadly form restricted only for boss battles, is widely believed to be the most unstoppable form of any Link possible among the franchise's community, as it is capable of destroying such foes very quickly, including Majora's Mask itself, due to its incredible raw power. The Fierce Deity can even slice the seemingly indestructible Moon in two with a single focused slash as seen in Hyrule Warriors.
  • Despite not being canon to the Zelda series, in Soul Calibur II, the Hero of Time also defeated Inferno, the fiery demonic being behind the extremely powerful Soul Edge - a cursed sword capable of devouring souls, after saving Hyrule from an unknown potent wizard.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he is capable of performing the Triforce Slash as his Final Smash like his other incarnations in-game.
• In the Akira Himekawa manga adaptation of both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Link can be heard saying minor profanities, often "Damn".
• The Hero of Time is the only incarnation of Link to switch between ages within one mainline game - Ocarina of Time, although he was originally going to do this in Majora's Mask as well by a transforming Mask closely resembling his face but was scrapped during development and was replaced by the Fierce Deity's Mask to become Fierce Deity Link instead. Concept artwork of his adult self can be seen in Hyrule Historia's section of the latter game (see gallery).

  

• The Hero of Time, alongside Navi, has a pop culture appearance in the popular 1998 Cartoon Network superhero TV series The Powerpuff Girls, in the season three episode "Child Fearing", where the character Mayor plays a Zelda game on his Nintendo 64. Based on the then-new Ocarina of Time, Link, without a shield, repeatedly runs directly into walls with Navi saying her infamous line "Hey!", before suddenly being crushed by a block and even kills the fairy with a single horizontal slash with his sword (presumably the Kokiri Sword), which both incidents has him taking three Hearts in damage, despite the latter not actually taking hits. Consequently, he gets a Game Over, in spite of having one Heart Container remaining.
• The Hero of Time's earliest appearance was possibly the Zelda 64 Spaceworld 1995 tech demo, where the demo was an early test of the N64's capabilities for a Zelda game. Although in 3D, Link's appearance is based on A Link to the Past rather than his final design in Ocarina of Time.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	時の勇者 (Toki no Yūsha)	Hero of Time
	ChineseSI	时光之勇者 (Shíguāng zhī Yǒngzhé)	Hero of Time
	ChineseTR	時之勇者 (Shí zhī Yǒngzhé)	Hero of Time
	FrenchCA	Héros du temps (OoT3D)
	German	Herr der Zeiten (OoT), Held der Zeit (OoT3D)	Lord of Times, Hero of Time
	SpanishLA	Héroe del Tiempo (OoT3D)

Gallery

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  As a child

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  Playing the Ocarina of Time

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  With Navi

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  Drawing the Fairy Slingshot

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  Battle stance

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  Ocarina of Time 3D child artwork

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  As an adult

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  Walking

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  Running

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  Jumping

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  Forward roll

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  Crouch blocking with Hylian Shield

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  Battle stance

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  Battle stance

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  Horizontal slash

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  Vertical slash

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  Sword thrust

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  Spin Attack

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  Performing a Spin Attack

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  Jump Attack

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  Jump Attack

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  Carrying a Bomb

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  Throwing a Bomb

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  Drawing the Fairy Bow

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  Climbing a block

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  Pushing a block

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  Climbing a ladder

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  Hanging on a ledge

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  Opening a Treasure Chest

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  Swimming underwater

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  On Epona ready for battle

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  With Epona

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  Playing the Ocarina of Time

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  Playing the Ocarina of Time

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  Holding the Razor Sword

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  With Tatl

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  Riding Epona

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  Jump Attack

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  Charging for an attack

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  As Deku Link

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  As Goron Link

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  As Zora Link

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  As Fierce Deity Link

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  Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Link and Tatl with the Razor Sword and Mirror Shield

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  Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Deku Link playing the Deku Pipes

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  Majora's Mask 3D artwork Goron Link playing the Goron Drums

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  Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Zora Link playing the Zora Guitar

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  Link entering the Great Deku Tree

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  Vs. Queen Gohma, the Boss monster of the Great Deku Tree

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  Link meets his archenemy Ganondorf for the first time

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  Link pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal to become the Hero of Time

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  Vs. Volvagia, the Boss of the Fire Temple

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  Vs. Morpha, the Boss of the Water Temple

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  Link destroying two Deku Babas with a Spin Attack

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  The Hero of Time, with Sheik fighting against a multitude of Ganondorf's minions

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  The Hero of Time and the King of Evil in a one-on-one fight to the death

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  Artwork of Majora's Mask, featuring the Hero of Time on Epona, in various forms alongside the Skull Kid

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  Artwork of Majora's Mask, with Link on Epona, Tatl, and several characters in the background

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  Majora's Mask artwork of The Hero of Time, with Tatl, in Clock Town looking up to the Moon above

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  Majora's Mask 3D artwork of Fierce Deity Link, with the four Moon Children and Majora's Incarnation in the background

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  Early illustration of Ocarina of Time's main cast alongside the Hero of Time

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  Artwork of Ocarina of Time 3D, with Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field

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  Ocarina of Time 3D artwork of Link and Sheik playing music together

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  OoT3D cover of Link and Ganondorf fighting

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  MM3D artwork featuring the Hero of Time (holding the Mask of Truth) with many other characters including his various transformation

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  MM3D artwork featuring the Hero of Time (holding the Mask of Truth) with many other characters including his various transformations

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  Adult Link concept art

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  Adult Link concept art

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  Adult Link concept art

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  Adult Link concept art, with an early design of Ganon

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  Concept art of the Hero of Time in both age stages

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  Adult Link face concept art

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  Adult Link facial expressions concept art

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  Adult Link concept art

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  Early sketch

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  Concept art of Link with Navi

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  Child Link, Majora's Mask sketch

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  Adult Link concept art, for Majora's Mask

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  Adult Link's concept sketch, for Majora's Mask

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  Adult Link OoT concept model render

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  Sketch of Link entering the Great Deku Tree

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  Early artwork of Link fighting a group of monsters with Sheik

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  Sketch of Link vs. Ganondorf

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  Early sketch of the Hero of Time and the main cast of Ocarina of Time

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  Concept artwork of Link, his transformations, and Skull Kid of Majora's Mask

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  Ocarina of Time Child Link model with Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield

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  Ocarina of Time Adult Link model with Master Sword and Hylian Shield

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  Adult Link checking his Hylian Shield

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  Wearing the Goron Tunic

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  Wearing the Zora Tunic

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  Majora's Mask Child Link model

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  Adult Link Ocarina of Time 3D model, standing

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  Adult Link Ocarina of Time 3D model, running

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  Adult Link Ocarina of Time 3D model, battle stance

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  Adult Link Ocarina of Time 3D model, attacking

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  OoT3D Adult Link defending with the Hylian Shield

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  OoT3D Adult Link playing the Ocarina of Time

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  Majora's Mask 3D Child Link model

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  The Hero of Time's child and adult models together in Ocarina of Time

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  Link transforming into Deku Link in Majora's Mask

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  Deku Link Majora's Mask in-game model

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  Majora's Mask 3D Deku Link model

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  Link transforming into Goron Link from Majora's Mask

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  Goron Link Majora's Mask in-game model

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  Majora's Mask 3D Goron Link model

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  Link transforming into Zora Link in Majora's Mask

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  Zora Link Majora's Mask in-game model

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  Majora's Mask 3D Zora Link model

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  Child Link defending with the Deku Shield in Ocarina of Time

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  Child Link performing a Spin Attack in Majora's Mask

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  Playing the Ocarina of Time in Majora's Mask

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  Link blowing a whistle in the beta version of Ocarina of Time

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  Link performing the Beam Attack from an early build of Ocarina of TIme

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  Adult Link, with Navi, as he appears in an earlier build of OoT

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  The Hero of Time's earliest appearance, from the Zelda 64 1995 SpaceWorld demo

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  Early Adult Link design for Ocarina of Time

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  Link finding the complete Triforce in the beta version of Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time fishing in the Fishing Hole in Ocarina of Time

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  Link catching a fish in Ocarina of Time

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  Link riding Epona in an earlier build of Ocarina of Time

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  Adult Link swimming underwater in Ocarina of Time

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  Link horse racing against Ingo from Ocarina of Time 3D

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  Child Link riding Epona in Majora's Mask

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  Link meeting Navi in Ocarina of Time 3D

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  Link listening to the Great Deku Tree about his destiny to meet Princess Zelda, in Ocarina of Time

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  Link running away in fear from Darunia's Gorons attempting to hug the young hero, from Ocarina of Time

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  Link encounters Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time 3D

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  Link placing the three Spiritual Stones in order to open the Door of Time, in Ocarina of Time

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  Child Link attempting to pull the Master Sword out of its pedestal in Ocarina of Time 3D

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  The young hero has grown-up and awakens as the Hero of Time, after being sealed for 7 years, in Ocarina of Time

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  Link returns the Master Sword back to its pedestal, reversing time back seven years to the past, in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time breaking a Giant's Knife

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  Link carrying the powerful Biggoron's Sword

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  Link fighting Phantom Ganon, the Boss of the Forest Temple, in Ocarina of Time

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  Link meeting Nabooru, in Ocarina of Time

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  Link playing the Prelude of Light with Shelk in Ocarina of Time

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  Link arriving at Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time using the Rainbow Bridge to enter Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time

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  A large pillar of granite being lifted by the Hero of Time via the Golden Gauntlets within Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time

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  Link inside the inner sanctum of Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time running up the staircase in the tower section of Ganon's Castle, in Ocarina of Time

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  The Triforce of Courage resonates on the Hero of Time's left hand, in Ocarina of Time

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  Link's in-game final battle with Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time

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  Link, Zelda, and Navi escaping Ganon's Castle as it is collapsing, in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time and Princess Zelda standing before the destroyed Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time defending Princess Zelda from danger upon hearing the ominous noise from Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time

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  The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Hyrule, where he must fight Ganon in a climactic duel, in Ocarina of Time

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  Ganon brutally defeated by the Hero of Time with a violent blow, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Another view of Ganon's defeat immedately after the Hero of Time stabs him in the beast's mouth in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Child Link with the Triforce of Courage in his hand during the ending cutscene of Ocarina of Time

• 

  An annoyed Link meets the Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael, after the former steals his Ocarina of Time, in Majora's Mask

• 

  The Skull Kid steals Epona from Link, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link caught off-guard by the Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael's presence, in Majora's Mask

• 

  The young Hero of Time cursed by the Skull Kid to transform into a Deku Shrub, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link violently picked up by the Happy Mask Salesman in Majora's Mask 3D

• 

  Link and Tatl sees a drawing of the Skull Kid in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link meeting a Keaton in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link dancing with the Rosa Sisters in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link helping Cremia delivering her special milk to the Milk Bar, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link, in all of his Mask forms, playing Ballad of the Wind Fish at the Milk Bar, in Majora's Mask

• 

  The Hero of Time using the Mirror Shield to reflect light into a Sun Switch in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link meets his semi-counterpart Kafei

• 

  Link falling into an abyss of time as he returns back to the First Day using the Song of Time, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link watching the Majora's Mask detaching from the Skull Kid before heading to the Moon in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link giving the Giant's Mask to a Moon Child in Majora's Mask

• 

  The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Termina, where he must destroy the evil entity behind Majora's Mask, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Fierce Deity Link easily damaging Majora's Wrath in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link's map icon in Majora's Mask

• 

  As Dark Link

• 

  Dark Link's model in Ocarina of Time 3D

• 

  Dark Link attacking in Ocarina of Time 3D

• 

  The Hero of Time facing his evil mirror image in a brutal duel inside the Water Temple, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Link vs. Dark Link in Ocarina of Time 3D

• 

  Link transforming into Fierce Deity Link, a highly powerful form, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Fierce Deity Link in-game model in Majora's Mask

• 

  Fierce Deity Link Majora's Mask 3D model

• 

  Fierce Deity Link in Clock Town, in Majora's Mask

• 

  Fierce Deity Link firing a Sword Beam in Majora's Mask

• 

  Fierce Deity Link performing a Spin Attack, in Majora's Mask

• 

  The Ganondorf-like size of Fierce Deity Link compared to Adult Princess Zelda in a modified gameplay of Ocarina of Time

• 

  The young Hero of Time compared to all of his Mask transformations in Majora's Mask

• 

  The Hero of Time defeated, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  The Hero of Time fails to stop the Moon from crashing Termina, in Majora's Mask 3D

• 

  Saria congratulating Link for finally having a Fairy companion, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  With Saria, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Link and Saria in Ocarina of Time 3D

• 

  The Hero of Time listening to young Princess Zelda about Ganondorf's plan, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  A proud Princess Zelda takes the Ocarina from Link, who now saved Hyrule, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Link's flashback of Princess Zelda in Majora's Mask, moments before departing Hyrule

• 

  The Hero of Time and Princess Zelda's model renders in Majora's Mask

• 

  A young smitten Princess Ruto almost kisses the young Hero of Time after rescuing her, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  The Zora princess swims toward Link to reward him with her "engagement ring" (Zora's Sapphire), in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Adult Link meets an equally grown Princess Ruto in the Chamber of Sages, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Link talks to adult Malon in an earlier build of Ocarina of Time

• 

  Cremia giving the young Hero of Time a much deserved hug after helping her deliver her Chateau Romani, in Majora's Mask

• 

  As the Hero's Spirit

• 

  Hero's Shade model from Twilight Princess

• 

  Performing a battle stance as the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess

• 

  The former Hero of Time (right) teaches his descendant, the Link of Twilight Princess, the Hidden Skills

• 

  Hero's Spirit icon in My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess

• 

  Hero's Spirit's white wolf form, in Twilight Princess

• 

  Hero's Spirit white wolf in-game model in Twilight Princess

• 

  The Hero of Time as the White Wolf howling from Twilight Princess HD

• 

  The Hero of Time's legend art in The Wind Waker's intro

• 

  The Hero of Time fighting and defeating Ganon with the power of the Master Sword and Triforce of Courage, in the intro of The Wind Waker

• 

  The Hero of Time, on Epona, departs Hyrule, before Ganon breaks from his seal hundreds of years later in The Wind Waker

• 

  The Hero of Time's attacking pose in the opening cutscene of The Wind Waker

• 

  Link from the 2000 SpaceWorld tech demo

• 

  Link fighting Ganondorf from the 2000 SpaceWorld tech demo

• 

  Link dueling Ganondorf from the SpaceWorld 2000 tech demo

• 

  Artwork from Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Artwork of Link attacking from Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Link in the intro cutscene of Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Standard model render in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Fighting Polygon model render in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  The Hero of Time playing the Ocarina of Time in a nighttime Hyrule Field, as seen in the intro cutscene of Super Smash Bros.

• 

  The Hero of Time performing his taunt in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Link's character icon in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Stock icon in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  Link in the intro cutscene of Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Young Link preparing to shoot a Fire Arrow in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link drawing his Bow in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Young Link performing a Jump Thrust in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link attacks with a Down Thrust in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Young Link throwing the Boomerang in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link firing the Hookshot in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link performing the Spin Attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link throws a Bomb at Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Link facing Dark Link in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link fighting his shadow self in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Young Link in one of his victory poses in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Adult Link in one of his victory poses in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Young Link black tunic SSBM render

• 

  Adult Link black tunic SSBM render

• 

  Young Link stock icon in Super Smash Bros, Melee

• 

  Adult Link stock icon in Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 

  Ocarina of Time manga (Himekawa)

• 

  Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Majora's Mask manga (Himekawa)

• 

  OoT manga

• 

  MM/ALttP manga

• 

  Child Link sitting in a field with all three Spirtiual Stones in the OoT manga

• 

  Link and Saria in the OoT manga

• 

  Link discovers his close friend Saria is the Sage of Forest, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Link shy from Princess Zelda in OoT manga

• 

  Young Princess Zelda kissing Link after he agrees to help defeat Ganondorf, in the OoT manga

• 

  Child Link sees Princess Ruto in danger in front of Barinade, in the OoT manga

• 

  Young Link meeting Princess Ruto for the first time in the OoT manga

• 

  Link defeats Barinade and rescues Ruto, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link becomes engaged with Ruto in the OoT manga

• 

  Adult Link and Princess Ruto swimming together in the Water Temple, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Link and Ruto fighting against Morpha in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time discovers his fiancee Ruto is the Sage of Water, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Link meeting Malon for the first time in the OoT manga

• 

  Link protecting Malon in the OoT manga

• 

  Link with Malon and Ingo in the OoT manga

• 

  Kaepora Gaebora teasing the young Hero of Time for having multiple girlfriends after meeting Saria, Zelda, and Malon (but not yet Ruto) in the OoT manga

• 

  The young Hero of Time celebrating with Darunia in the OoT manga

• 

  Child Link meets his archenemy Ganondorf for the first time in the OoT manga

• 

  Young Link attempts to defeat Ganondorf but proves no match for the Evil King, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link pulling the Master Sword in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time awakens in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time learns his destiny, from the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time ready for battle, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Link fighting Big Deku Babas in OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time reunites with Impa after seven years, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link encounters Dark Link in the OoT manga

• 

  Link challenged by his shadow self in the OoT manga

• 

  Link vs. Dark Link, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Impa giving the Hero of Time his blue earrings as a gift, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time killing Volvagia with a single slash to the neck, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link encounters Koume and Kotake in Fortune Teller disguises in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time defending himself against a brainwashed Nabooru, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link and Shelk working together to defeat Twinrova, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Princess Zelda reuniting with the Hero of Time in the OoT manga

• 

  Nabooru telling the Hero of Time who and what Ganondorf is, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link and Nabooru joining forces to stop Ganondorf at his Castle, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time discovers Nabooru is the final Sage before entering Ganon's Castle, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link crossing the Rainbow Bridge to enter Ganon's Castle in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time running through the inner staircase of Ganon's Castle, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time arriving before Ganondorf's throne room in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time's Triforce of Courage resonating alongside Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, in the OoT manga

• 

  Ganondorf being challenged by the Hero of Time before the final showdown, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link dodges Ganondorf's magic attack, in the OoT manga

• 

  Ganondorf punches at Link but misses, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time and Ganondorf clashing with their swords in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Ganondorf injures Link with his magic, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time cleverly deflects Ganondorf's finishing attack with a Spin Attack, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time finishes Ganondorf with a mighty slash in the OoT manga

• 

  A wounded Ganondorf in disbelief by his defeat by the Hero of Time, in the OoT manga

• 

  Ganondorf seemingly defeated by the Hero of Time, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time and Princess Zelda escaping the collapsing Ganon's Castle with moments to spare, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time and Zelda believing they achieved victory upon the destruction of Ganon's Castle, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link and Zelda in shock as Ganondorf furiously rises and transforms into Ganon via the Triforce of Power, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time faces the vicious Demon King Ganon, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Ganon violently knocks the Hero of Time down as he tries to fight back, in the OoT manga

• 

  Princess Zelda and Navi take their opportunity to help the Hero of Time get back into action, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time gets back up to resume fighting Ganon, in the OoT manga

• 

  Link discovers Ganon's weakness - his tail, upon slashing it, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time powerfully tackles Ganon down to the ground before jumping high into the air, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time delivers a powerful Jump Attack onto Ganon's face and body, in the OoT manga

• 

  With Ganon weakened, Princess Zelda tells the Hero of Time to deliver the final blow, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time ultimately defeats Ganon by thrusting the Master Sword onto the beast's forehead, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Seven Sages begin to seal Ganon to the Evil Realm upon Link defeating the monster, in the OoT manga

• 

  With Hyrule at peace, Zelda tells the Hero of Time they must part ways, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time tries to prevent Princess Zelda from sending him back to his childhood, in the OoT manga

• 

  The Hero of Time accepting his fate for Zelda, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  The Hero of Time sent into the Child Timeline before Navi says goodbye, in the Ocarina of Time manga

• 

  Child Link returns to the Castle Courtyard to meet Princess Zelda at the end of his Hyrule adventure, in the OoT manga

• 

  Ocarina of Time manga artwork, with Zelda and Navi

• 

  Ocarina of Time manga artwork

• 

  Ocarina of Time manga artwork

• 

  Link ambushed by Skull Kid in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  Skull Kid transforming Link into Deku Link in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  Link angrily captures Tatl for her hostile behavior in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  The Hero of Time reluctantly agrees to help the Happy Mask Salesman recover the Majora's Mask, in the MM manga

• 

  Link defeating Odolwa with a Spin Attack in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  A flashback memory of the Hero of Time fighting Ganondorf in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  The Hero of Time looks up to the sinister Moon at Snowhead, in the MM manga

• 

  Link learns how Kafei turned into his age by the Skull Kid in the MM manga

• 

  Link defending himself against Majora's Mask in the MM manga

• 

  Majora's Mask gives Link the Fierce Deity's Mask for a game of "tag", in the MM manga

• 

  Link decides to "play" with Majora's Mask and ultimately puts on the Fierce Deity's Mask, in the MM manga

• 

  The Hero of Time transforms into the ferocious Fierce Deity Link, before going after Majora for the final showdown, in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  Link as Fierce Deity Link in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  Fierce Deity Link destorying Boss Remains with one slash in the MM manga

• 

  Fierce Deity Link fighting against Majora's Mask and Incarnation forms, in the MM manga

• 

  The Hero of Time dueling against Majora's Incarnation in the MM manga

• 

  Fierce Deity Link easily overpowering Majora in the Majora's Mask manga

• 

  The Hero of Time as the Fierce Deity delivers the final blow against Majora's Wrath in the MM manga

• 

  Majora ultimately killed by the Hero of Time before the Happy Mask Salesman tries to sneak around, in the MM manga

• 

  Fierce Deity Link trying to slash the powerless Majora's Mask in half while threatening the Happy Mask Salesman to leave, in the MM manga

• 

  Accomplishing his mission of destroying Majora, the Hero of Time returns to normal upon removing the Fierce Deity Mask

• 

  The Hero of Time says goodbye to Skull Kid and Tatl as he prepares to leave Termina, in the MM manga

• 

  The Hero of Time seeming returning back to Hyrule at the end of his Termina adventure, in the MM manga

• 

  Majora's Mask manga artwork

• 

  Majora's Mask manga artwork, with Kafei and Anju

• 

  Link (top) on the Gamecube art box of Soul Calibur II

• 

  Artwork of Link's silhouette from Soul Cailbur II

• 

  Soul Calibur II render

• 

  Artwork of Link's fighting pose in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Artwork of Link attacking in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Artwork of Link in an alternate fighting pose in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Using the Bow in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Using the Boomerang in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Using the Bomb in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Executing the Dash Attack in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Executing a Spin Attack in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Down thrust in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Link in the Blue Ring tunic in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Link preparing to battle against Inferno in Soul Calibur II

• 

  The Hero of Time's Final Boss showdown in Soul Calibur II, where he must destroy Inferno

• 

  Inferno exploding due to his ultimate defeat by Link's hand, in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Link holding the Biggoron's Sword with only one hand, in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Link in a mirror match in Soul Calibur II

• 

  Young Link in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link preparing to shoot a Fire Arrow in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link throwing the Boomerang in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link with a Fairy in SSBU

• 

  Young Link drinking Lon Lon Milk in Super Smash Bros, Ultimate

• 

  Young Link executing his Final Smash, Triforce Slash on Mario in SSBU

• 

  Young Link in the Dark Link costume performing a Down Thrust in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link standard render in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link's Dark Link alternate costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Stock icon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Dark Young Link stock icon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• 

  Young Link's standard outfit in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link with the Kokiri Sword in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link attack render in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link portrait in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link portrait in Hyrule Warriors, with Navi

• 

  Young Link portrait in Hyrule Warriors, with Navi

• 

  Young Link protrait in Hyrule Warriors, with Navi

• 

  Dark Young Link portrait in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link as Fierce Deity Link in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link Adventure Mode icon in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link head Adventure Mode icon in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link playing the Ocarina of Time next to Ganondorf in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link transforming into Fierce Deity Link in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Fierce Deity Link in his more powerful Vengeful state in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Fierce Deity Link performing his Focus Attack towards the Skull Kid and Moon in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Fierce Deity slicing the Moon in half with his Focus Attack in Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Young Link in his victory pose from Hyrule Warriors

• 

  Link meeting Navi and the Great Deku Tree in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link defeating Queen Gohma in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link learns about the Triforce and Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link meeting Princess Zelda before encountering Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Child Link defeated by Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link pulling the Master Sword in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link awakens as the Hero of Time in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Princess Zelda being captured in front of the Hero of Time in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link's, Princess Zelda's, and Ganondorf's respective Triforce pieces resonating in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link battles Ganondorf, in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link and Ganondorf fighting, simultaneously delivering hits, in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Ganondorf and Link injured from their sword blows in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link wounded in his mortal duel against Ganondorf, in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link rejoicing with Princess Zelda after Ganondorf's defeat in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link, filled with dark regrets, transforming into the Hero's Spirit in the Ocarina of Time 3D comic

• 

  Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field in the Ocarina of Time 3D opening screen

• 

  The planned but cut Link Mask in Majora's Mask

• 

  Link's House in Ocarina of Time

• 

  A drawing of Link fighting a monster on his house in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Adult Link's height next to Impa's

• 

  The Hero of Time in an unused waiting position with the Fairy Bow

• 

  The Hero of Time in an unused defensive position with the Biggoron's Sword

• 

  Link fighting against an Arwing from the Star Fox series, in Ocarina of Time

• 

  Nintendo Power comic

• 

  Link as a baby orphaned to the Great Deku Tree by his mother in the Nintendo Power comic

• 

  Link talking to Princess Zelda in the Nintendo Power comic

• 

  Child Link lands a high-five with his adult self, with Saria, in the Nintendo Power comic

• 

  Link in a special volume based on Majora's Mask 3D in Link's Hijinks

• 

  Link in a special volume based on Majora's Mask 3D in Link's Hijinks

• 

  Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  2016 Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  Akira Himekawa artwork, with the Hero of Time meeting his Adult Timeline descendant, the Hero of Winds

• 

  Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  Christmas Akira Himekawa artwork

• 

  Shigeru Miyamoto's signature and drawing of the Hero of Time from the 1998 Nintendo Power

• 

  The Hero of Time drawing his Bow in the OoT Prima offical strategy guide

• 

  The Hero of Time in a Japanese commercial for Soul Calibur II

• 

  Nintendo 64 bundle featuring the Hero of Time

• 

  The Hero of Time in the Collector's Edition Majora's Mask N64 cartridge

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise, as Dark Link

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Ocarina of Time amiibo

• 

  Majora's Mask amiibo

• 

  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo

• 

  Official merchandise, with Tatl and drinking a Red Potion

• 

  Official merchandise, wearing Majora's Mask

• 

  Official merchandise, holding the Mask of Truth

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise

• 

  Official merchandise, as Fierce Deity Link

• 

  Ocarina of Time 17th anniversary (2015) artwork

• 

  Special artwork of Majora's Mask

• 

  Series 25th anniversary (2011) artwork

• 

  Series 25th anniversary artwork

• 

  Deku Link series 25th anniversary artwork

• 

  Fierce Deity Link series 25th anniversary artwork

• 

  The Hero of Time's ending screen in Super Smash Bros.

• 

  The ending of the Hero of Time's adventure in Soul Calibur II

• 

  The ending of the Hero of Time's adventure in Hyrule in Ocarina of Time

• 

  The ending of the Hero of Time's adventure in Termina in Majora's Mask

See Also

• Young Link

References