Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are present in almost every single The Legend of Zelda game. Link is in every single one, while Princess Zelda has been in all but two (Link’s Awakening and Tri Force Heroes). Ganondorf has been replaced by an alternate big bad on a few occasions as well. Generally speaking, though, if you pick up a game, it’ll feature that iconic trio.
That being said, they are rarely ever the same versions of themselves. Skyward Sword established that across timelines and well into the future, some version of each character would come together, which explains why Ganondorf keeps coming back and why Link and Zelda are different sometimes. So far, there have been 12 versions of Link based on the wildly convoluted timeline. Here’s a ranking of all of them.
12. Four Swords
Four Swords is a pretty unique game in this franchise, and it features a weird version of Link. He is split into four different Links by the Four Sword, and he has to stave off waves of enemies in different stages to face Vaati, the sorcerer, so he doesn’t have to engage in the typical adventure that Links usually do. It was an attempt to do something different, and it resulted in maybe the worst version of this character.
11. Four Swords Adventures
Four Swords Adventures features a very similar Link, also split into four versions of himself. The only reason this is not the same Link as before is that it takes place in a very different portion of the timeline. Why Nintendo did that is beyond me, but they never really cared much for the timeline. This Link also has to battle Vaati, which doesn’t do much to differentiate him from his predecessor.
10. A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes
A Link Between Worlds is fittingly a sequel to A Link to the Past, but it takes place well in the future, so it can’t be the same Link. This Link has to take on both Ganondorf and Yuga, all while traversing Lorule, the dark version of Hyrule, and then head to Hytopia for Tri Force Heroes. He has to save Princess Styla from a curse involving an ugly outfit, which is just not that impressive for a Link.
9. Spirit Tracks
Spirit Tracks‘ Link seems like the same version as in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass because of the art style and the fact that it directly followed Phantom Hourglass, but it’s not. This time, he’s called the Hero of Trains, fittingly, and comes on the scene 100 years after the Hero of Winds. This version of Link actually gets given the shield that the Phantom Hourglass version had, and he has to save a totally different Hyrule in this game.
8. The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass
Seen often as the childish version of Link, the Hero of Winds is actually a really cool version of the character. This Link has to initially deal with a problem no other Link really has had to: the ocean. Ganondorf floods Hyrule, and Link must, as a young child, become a master of the seas and save the world. Similarly, in Phantom Hourglass, Link sails the seas with Tetra (a version of Zelda) to chase down a ghost ship, an admittedly terrifying endeavor for a child.
7. The Legend of Zelda and The Adventures of Link
Things were so simple at this point in the franchise. This was, based on release order, the first version of Link, a version that lasted about six years and two games. Link had to recover eight different pieces of one-third of the Tri-Force and take on Ganondorf. Then, he had to awaken Zelda from a deep slumber by finding another third of the Tri-Force. Arguably, this version of Link had the most daunting tasks with the Tri-Force, the most powerful object in the Zelda universe.
6. A Link To The Past, Link’s Awakening, and Oracle of Ages/Seasons
This version of Link gets among the longest runs in the franchise. Beginning in A Link to the Past, the Legendary Hero has to battle within Hyrule and the Dark World to defeat Ganondorf before being washed ashore into a dream world of sorts, where he has to fight literal nightmares. Then, to top it all off, this version of Link awakens and has to save Hyrule from another sorcerer in two different games.
5. The Minish Cap
The Minish Cap has its own version of Link, partly because it was not developed by Nintendo directly. And while the game is a bit whimsical and silly in nature, this version of Link is not. He’s powerful, equipped with the ability to shrink down to microscopic size and a magic hat. The Hero of the Minish takes on the supremely powerful sorcerer Vaati and saves Hyrule at around 12 or 13 years old.
4. Skyward Sword
This is the very first Link. In the ever-changing and nonsensical timeline, Skyward Sword always comes first, as it was intended to be the origin of the franchise. That means Link, who has no prior experience fighting or saving Hyrule, has to take on Demise, the original version of Ganondorf’s hatred. He’s called the Goddess’s chosen hero in this game, which is a fitting moniker for the one who started it all.
3. Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Link experiences some of the most trauma he’s ever dealt with. He’s imprisoned, turned into a wolf, and has to save the kingdom from an existential threat unlike even the worst calamities he’s dealt with across the franchise. Zant and Ganondorf are incredibly strong in this game, and Link was able to handle them with a little help from Midna, although the Hero of Twilight does most of the heavy lifting.
2. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
This version of Link, who is called both the Hero of Hyrule and Hero of the Wild, is arguably the most powerful version of the character. He has special abilities that other versions can only dream of. Sure, in Tears of the Kingdom, he gets a special arm from the Zonai that grants him these powers, but he can still fuse items together, pick up anything, and reverse time, among other incredible abilities across the two games.
1. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask
In these two games, which are directly connected chronologically, Link is the Hero of Time, but he’s also arguably the best version of Link. He’s very young, just 10 years old for half of Ocarina of Time. He ages to 17, which is still pretty young, but then reverts back to his youth for Majora’s Mask. At that young age, Link effectively mastered time travel and defeated both Ganondorf and Majora, who is one of the single most powerful entities in the entire Zelda universe.
Which version of Link is your favorite? Sound off below!
