Link (Super Smash Bros.)
- This article is about Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. For other uses, see Link.
| “ | Link is the young fighter who protects the peace in the world of Hyrule. His skills with the sword are both varied and powerful. | ” |
| —Super Smash Bros's instruction manual |
Link (リンク, Link) is a starter character in Super Smash Bros. He is the sole representative of The Legend of Zelda series.
Having many disjointed melee attacks and two projectile weapons, Link can be a hassle to approach. However, his lack of speed and maneuverability cause problems for Link in approaching an opponent. In fact, much of Link's strategy consists of standing back, throwing a few projectiles, and waiting for an opening. Due to his slow ground movements and attacks, it is imperative that Link players be able to not only short hop, but be able to input an attack immediately afterward.
Link is known in high level competitive play as a very defensive character, relying on bombs and boomerangs to prevent gimps and using back air, up tilt, and up air for combos while using down air, f-smash, down smash, and projectiles for edge-guarding. Link's recovery is so poor that he should never be anywhere near an edge. Link's poor recovery, and the fact that he is very easily comboed make it difficult for him to win. Link has barely any good matchups due to this, and is usually considered the worst character to use on Dream Land. For this, he is second to last, 11th, on the tier list, outranking only Luigi.
Attributes[]
In general, Link's attacks are slow, long-ranged, and powerful. This gives him good KOing ability, with his down aerial and forward smash being especially powerful finishers. However, his moves are laggy and easy to punish if they aren't landed. His grab is also ranged, being one of the three tether grabs in the game, but it is also very slow and leaves Link very vulnerable if it misses. Link himself is also rather slow, with the second lowest dashing speed in the game and very short jumps. Despite this, his air speed and walking speed are above average. Link is also very stable in terms of gameplay.
Link is known for relying on his two projectiles (his Boomerang and bomb) to keep his opponents away and prevent them from approaching. His projectiles can which can lead to some combos. They can also be used to edge-guard. However, while Link can camp well himself, he has trouble dealing with projectile camping from some characters (especially Fox), due to his poor mobility and jumps.
Link is also heavy, which means he is harder to KO than normal, but it along with his size also makes him easier to combo. Link has some combo moves himself, including his up tilt, back aerial, and up aerial, as well as his aforementioned projectiles. His down aerial, forward smash, down smash, and projectiles are his main edge-guarding moves. He is one of the only two characters in the game (along with Pikachu) to not have a meteor smash, which can give him some minor trouble edge-guarding.
Link's biggest problem is his recovery. His very short jumps, fast falling speed (the second fastest in the game) and extremely poor distance given by Spin Attack (it even descends before the animation is over), with no options to extend it. Link is also edge-guarded and gimped easily.
Link is low on the tier list because he is very easy to combo and edge-guard, which allows many characters to get him offstage quickly and finish him off, if not zero-deathing him outright. Link relies solely on his projectile camping to avoid this. Link is not helped by the fact that Dream Land is the only legal stage in competitive play. When Hyrule Castle was legal, he could rely on projectile camping there far more than on any other legal stage.
| Stat | NTSC | PAL | JPN | (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Size Multiplier | 1.24 | 1.24 | 1.24 | 1.24 |
| Walking Speed Multiplier | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.4 | 0.37 |
| Brake Force | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Initial Dashing Speed | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 |
| Dash deceleration | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Max Running Speed | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Frame delay before jumping | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Starting X-Air Velocity Multiplier 1st jump | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.35 |
| Jumping Height Multiplier (for both jumps) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Base Jumping Height (for both jumps) | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| Starting X-Air Velocity Multiplier 2nd jump | 0.35 | 0.34 | 0.35 | 0.34 |
| Multiplier for 2nd Jump | 0.9 | 0.88 | 0.9 | 0.85 |
| X-Air Acceleration | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| X-Air Maximum Speed | 31 | 37 | 31 | 27 |
| X-Air Resistance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fall Speed Acceleration | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Maximum Falling Speed | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| Maximum Fast Fall Speed | 102 | 110 | 102 | 110 |
| Number of Jumps | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Weight | 0.96 | 0.9 | 0.96 | 0.96 |
| Small combo connection F | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Dash traveling connection F | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Shield Radius | 280 | 280 | 260 | 280 |
| Y-Velocity after shield is broken | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Shadow Radius | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Range | 112.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 |
Moveset[]
| Image | Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack |  |
4-5% | A vertical slash, a horizontal slash, and a stab. If Link is close to an opponent, the third hit will be replaced by a series of rapid jabs that can hit multiple times. | ||
| 3% | |||||
| 3-4% | |||||
| 1% per jab | |||||
| Forward tilt |  |
13-17% (hilt), 14-18% (blade) | Brings his sword up and performs a downward swing. Somewhat slow, but deals above-average damage and knockback for a f-tilt. | ||
| Up tilt |  |
8-10% | Link quickly swings his sword in a small arc above his head. This move can be chained together and is good for leading into combos; usually into a forward tilt or a neutral aerial. This move can usually KO a foe reliably at extremely high percentages such as 200%. Changes heavily in Japanese version of Super Smash Bros., dealing 14% damage and being able to shield break and launches enemies at a slightly different trajectory. | ||
| Down tilt |  |
9-12% | Link swings his sword at the foes's feet, usually knocking them upwards. At lower percentages, this attack can be followed-up into a forward smash, a forward tilt, or even a grab. At higher damages, in most cases, it knocks the foe far enough to prevent any real quick follow-up attack. | ||
| Dash attack |  |
12-16% (clean body), 9-11% (late body), 11-14% (clean blade), 8-10% (late blade) | Link thrusts his sword straight out mid-dash and stops. This attack has good range and speed, and can KO usually around 150%, being a great move for combo finishers. However, this move does has ending lag. | ||
| Forward smash |  |
9-12% (tip), 15-20% (non-tip) | Link quickly twirls his sword twice and then performs a two-handed downward swing. A good finishing move. | ||
| Up smash |  |
18-22% if all hits connect | Link performs three upward slashes, being a good move for damage racking as long as the foe doesn't DI out of it. Best suited for heavier characters. This move is somewhat weak for KO-ing; however, at lower percentages it can lead into itself, and aerial follow-up, or a Spin Attack. | ||
| Down smash |  |
12-16% | Link swiftly slashes with his sword in front of and behind him. The attack is useful as close-up defensive move but also has a good KOing property. This move is one of Link's few moves that come out near-instantaneously, and the ending lag is also rather low. | ||
| Neutral aerial |  |
8-10% (clean), 6-8% (late) | Link performs a jump kick in midair. This attack acts as a sex kick, meaning it gets weaker the longer it stays out. This attack is best used as a defensive move, seeing how even when it first comes out, there is not much KO power unless used in the air for an edge-guard. | ||
| Forward aerial |  |
15-20% (clean), 9-12% (late) | Link slashes his sword forward once before swirling in a complete circle and then slashes again. Despite its appearance, this move is a single-hitting attack. This attack is best used as a combo finisher due to its high knockback. | ||
| Back aerial |  |
16-20% if both hits connect | A spinning double back-kick attack. Both hits can combine into each other for a good amount of knockback, though the second hit can be DI'd out of. A very useful move for combos. | ||
| Up aerial |  |
12-16% | Link thrusts his sword upward. This attack stays out fairly long and sends opponents flying upwards. | ||
| Down aerial |  |
12-16% | Link holds his sword downward to stab opponents below him. This attack has great horizontal knockback and it is possible to hit the same enemy twice to have this move inflict 32% altogether at once. This move can be used to KO recovering foes by jumping directly at them and using this attack; but this is only safe if the bounce of the connected hit allows Link to return to the stage. Contains substantial landing lag when the player lands on the ground while using the move if not Z-cancelled. | ||
| Grab |  |
Hookshot | — | Link fires his Hookshot forward. This move allows him to grab opponents from a distance, but is very laggy if it misses. Link, along with Samus and Yoshi, are the only characters in Super Smash Bros. to have an "extended grab". | |
| Forward throw |  |
11-14% (throw), 6-8% (collateral) | Link violently kicks his foe forward with good power. Often throws the foe far enough to set up a quick Boomerang or Bomb-based edge-guard, or simplyi nto one of Link's aerials. | ||
| Back throw |  |
12-16% (throw), 6-8% (collateral) | Link takes the foe and kicks them directly behind him. A somewhat better KO move compared to his his forward throw. | ||
| Floor attack (front) |  |
5-6% | Performs an overhead sword strike that hits on both sides. | ||
| Floor attack (back) |  |
5-6% | Slashes on both sides and gets up. | ||
| Edge attack (fast) |  |
3-4% | Link flips onto the stage and does an downward slash with his sword. | ||
| Edge attack (slow) |  |
3-4% | Link slowly picks himself up and stabs his sword at a slight upward angle. | ||
| Neutral special |  |
Boomerang | 7-9% (throw), 6-8% (return) | Link throws his boomerang at the enemy. Doing a "smash throw" (smash the control stick forward while pressing the special button; similar to performing a smash attack) increases the distance the boomerang can travel. The control stick can be tilted up or down to aim the boomerang's trajectory. | |
| Up special |  |
Spin Attack | Ground: 16-21% if both hits connect (clean), 10-13% if both hits connect (late); Air: 12-16% (clean), 6-8% (late) |
When used in the ground, Link spins in place with a sword attack that can hit opponents twice. When used in the air, this attack becomes a leaping spinning sword attack that covers very little range vertically and horizontally (though it is usually Link's only recovery option). The grounded version is a powerful attack, being one of Link's finishing moves. | |
| Down special |  |
Bomb | 5-17% | Link pulls out a bomb that explodes on impact or when the fuse expires. The bomb itself can be used for many techniques which are listed in in the Strategies section. |
Taunt[]
- Strikes a pose where he holds his sword in an offensive position.
On-Screen Appearance[]
- Descends from a column of light, similar to the end-of-dungeon teleports in Ocarina of Time.
Matchups[]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Avg. | |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
In 1P Game[]
- In the game's single-player mode, Link is the first character the player battles, in which they must face him on Hyrule Castle.
- If the player is against Link in Single Player mode on Very Easy, he does not attack or move until the player makes the first strike or after a period of time.
Strategies[]
Extended Boomerang[]
Link's boomerang (neutral B attack) goes farther if it is treated as a smash attack. Quickly tap the control stick to the side while hitting B to extend the range.
Bomb Recovery[]
Like Samus, Link can use his bombs to aid his recovery. However, unlike Samus, Link must use a bit of technical skill and timing. While recovering, pull out a bomb and drop it slowly below Link. Continue to Directional Influence toward the stage and then use his B-air. This causes Link to explode toward the platform. He must use his Up B move and land back safely. Link cannot grab the edge because the explosion causes him to face the other direction. To counter this, throw his Boomerang before using his Up B. This technique is extremely situational, and poorly helps to recover in very few cases.
| Action | Damage |
|---|---|
| Explosion | 5% |
| Throw | 5% |
| Forward tilt throw | 5% |
| Up tilt throw | 5% |
| Down tilt throw | 0%+5% (5%) |
| Dash throw | 9%+5% (14%) |
| Forward smash throw | 8%+5% (13%) |
| Up smash throw | 8%+5% (13%) |
| Down smash throw | 0%+5% (5%) |
| Aerial drop | N/A |
| Aerial throw | 7%+5% (12%) |
| Aerial forward tilt throw | 7%+5% (12%) |
| Aerial up tilt throw | 8%+5% (13%) |
| Aerial down tilt throw | 8%+5% (13%) |
| Aerial forward smash throw | 9%+5% (14%) |
| Aerial up smash throw | 11%+5% (16%) |
| Aerial down smash throw | 11%+5% (16%) |
Character description[]
- Link is the valiant boy hero of "Legend of Zelda" series in which he fights against the evil Ganon to recover the Triforce. Though his tools may change with each adventure, his strength and righteousness remain constant. With his trusty sword and a variety of weapons, he takes his adventures head on!
- Works:
- The Legend of Zelda (NES)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Alternate Costumes[]
Link's changeable clothing in Super Smash Bros.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- When Link picks up a battering item, his dash attack will show him using his sword and the item he's wielding.
- A level 3 Link CPU on any stage will always use a bomb as his first attack and a level 9 Link on the Hyrule Castle stage will always use his boomerang as his first attack, making them very predictable and easy to approach.
- In the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros., Link's sword has a reflection metal effect, while the western version does not, making his sword more plastic looking.
- Link is one of the two characters to lack a meteor smash, the other being Pikachu.
| Playable characters in Super Smash Bros. | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Fox · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Ness · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi |
