Link Personality Profiles

A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening

Basic Personality: This Link's the sweetest boy you've ever met in your life. He constantly wants to help people, he's polite and will remember little things that make you happy and do them unprompted, etc. However, he's autistic with low empathy and as a result has significant trouble reading people and fully understanding them as their own entities. He also has an overinflated sense of personal responsibility due to, y'know, the events of ALTTP. This combination can become destructive as it sometimes leads to him misinterpreting people's wants and needs or overlooking them in favor of a perceived problem he's assigned himself to fix. He's always happy to talk about your problems, but shuts down when upset, which practically makes him difficult to talk to about anything serious. He's emotionally repressed and unwilling to face his negative emotions until Koholint knocks some sense into him.

Backstory: Link never knew his parents. His uncle raised him for as long as he can remember, and he's tight-lipped about his parents for reasons Link doesn't know. While this has obviously led to some unresolved issues, his childhood was for the most part happy, with his uncle as a loving, supportive figure.

Age of Adventure: 13 for ALTTP, 15 for Link's Awakening.

Reaction to adventure (ALTTP): Pretty traumatized, though initially very in denial about it. Much of the adventure was genuinely good for him, particularly the parts that allowed him to explore Hyrule in depth and find the hidden magic side; it increased his confidence, his curiosity, and nurtured a love for adventure inherent to most Links. However, the stakes in ALTTP were very high, and as the destined saviour the pressure on him was high as well. This has led to the aforementioned issues. In addition, many of the events of the adventure, particularly watching his uncle die in front him him, were traumatizing. Lastly, the emphasis on his family line has re-opened wounds regarding his parents, and he's started wondering about them more and more, which causes tension with his uncle. ALTTP's adventure took place in a dangerous world and, though not without wonders, it has left its scars.

However, acknowledging this would mean having to confront that Link could not fix everything, which is not something he was ready for by the end of this adventure. So he stubbornly views the adventure as wholly positive, refusing to acknowledge the bad parts because he supposedly fixed them all. This is not just harmful to himself, but is also quite alienating to many of the people around him, particularly Zelda and his uncle, who were obviously deeply affected by the events of the adventure and are unable to talk about it because it upsets Link. This inevitably leads to distance and tension between Link and his loved ones, which is in no small part what pushes him onto the sea in search of another adventure.

Reaction to adventure (Link's Awakening): Link's Awakening was a coming of age adventure more than ALTTP was. It forced him to recon with the fact that sometimes happy endings aren't perfect, and that you cannot simply wish everything right. When initially learning of Koholint's inevitable fate, he went into denial and perceived it to be his job to prevent it, not realizing that the island itself wanted to wake up. Eventually he came to realize this, and it forced him to take a hard look at his own emotions and force him to confront that he's still quite damaged from the first adventure despite 'wishing everything right' at the end. Recognizing that it's okay if everything does not turn out picture perfect, and that something can be sad and happy at the same time, was an extremely important step in his personal growth and he treasures the memory of Koholint.

Body language: Relatively expressive. He smiles a lot; it's his default expression and he sometimes resorts to it in inappropriate situations when he's not sure how to react. He has trouble showing negative emotions and instead tends to go blank or smile. He's expressive mostly with his face, the rest of his body does not tend to move as much.

Appearance: Prior to ALTTP, he had strawberry blond hair. After his first bunny transformation, it's permanently turned pink. His hair's unruly and on the longer side, though not past his shoulders, with the iconic Long Link Hair Tufts. He's kinda short but he is skinny and puberty is only just hitting, making his limbs long and gangly; he never quite grows into them. He's got a long nose à la early Link designs. He acquired a lot of scars during ALTTP, some of them in quite visible places such as his face and hands, which leads to a jarring juxtaposition with his otherwise very friendly and kinda goofy appearance.

Miscallaneous Headcanons:

• Does not talk verbally because the sound of his own voice when he does is sensory hell; uses a chalkboard as AAC.
• Has a telepathic link with Zelda; from his end, she's only there when she chooses to contact him. She's been talking to him since they were quite young, though he's never put two and two together and realized she was a) a real person and b) the princess specifically. He honestly just hadn't thought much about the fact that periodically he'd get a girl complaining to him about courtly affairs; it just felt so normal he didn't question it until the start of ALTTP. He's a little embarrassed about kinda assuming Zelda was a really weird imaginary friend right up until he pulled her out of a dungeon so he pretends he knew just as long as she did that she was a real person.
• Has a mischievous streak like all Links but it rarely comes out in full force because he's worried about hurting people's feelings. His pranks are often so harmless they can barely be perceived as pranks (ie replacing the strawberries with apples in the kitchen) and are rarely even perceived as jokes to anyone but him, who finds them hilarious.
• Autism of gender. Does not grasp the concept of gender or that he should even grasp the concept of gender. Regularly wears women's clothes because he likes them. Everyone else has decided he's already so weird this might as well happen and therefore does not comment on it.
• Is 'the weird kid' and then 'the weird kid who saved the world' to most of the people in Kakariko. He and his uncle visited Kakariko when they needed to buy something, and Link's gotten a reputation as a very sweet if deeply weird kid. When it was announced he supposedly kidnapped the princess, half the people refused to believe it because of how sweet he was and half of them felt like that him being evil was a natural explanation for his weirdness. Post-ALTTP the people who were ableist about the whole thing feel deeply awkward and avoid him whereas the people who guessed right are ready to beat the other half with a stick if they say a single mean thing about him. He's wildly oblivious to his minor celebrity status in Kakariko and thinks people are giving him free stuff bc they're nice so he should be nice too :) and always tries to give them free stuff back. Has a pretty good relationship with most of Kakariko as a result.
• I like the headcanon that Link and Zelda are secretely siblings, but I don't think it's actually what the game intended and it's not a hill I'm willing to die on.

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (Oracle of Seasons/Ages)

Basic Premise: Oracle of Ages!Link and Oracle of Seasons!Link are two different Links who are twins. Ages!Link went on his adventure first and Seasons!Link was mistaken for him. They both have the Triforce of Courage and share the hero's destiny.

Reasoning: I understand and respect that most people interpret the Link from the Oracle Games as the Link from ALTTP/Link's Awakening. I agree that especially the end credit scene of a linked game points to this, and think this is a fair interpretation, though not a watertight one (if this Link has supposedly already saved Hyrule, it's very weird that nobody including Zelda ever mentions this). However while playing the games I came up with the easily disproven, thoroughly non-canon joke headcanon that they were actually two identical twins mistaken for each other, and then I wrote a fic about it where I accidentally took it too seriously and got wildly attached to these little buggers. They are canon in my heart.

Backstory: Their names are Link the First and Link the Second, because their mom died in childbirth and could only utter one name before she passed. After their mother's death they were taking in by their uncle, her brother, who took her death badly. When Seasons!Link was about nine, he got laryngeal cancer and got a cordectomy to remove the tumors. This triggered his uncle's trauma regarding his sister's death, and he was unable to properly care for Link during this time. Instead, Ages!Link stepped up and took care of doctor's visits, helped Seasons!Link during his recovery, and supported him in the loss of his voice and the ableism he now faced. This lead to an unhealthily codependent relationship where Seasons!Link, lacking any self esteem and coming to view himself as essentially worthless without his brother, leaned very heavily on Ages!Link to allow him to live a life, while Ages!Link came to identify his ability to help his brother as his entire identity while simultaneously bending under the pressure.

Appearance: They are identical twins with similar clothing styles and the same haircut, so they're really easy to confuse. Both of them are short, stout kids. They're a little on the chubby side and develop muscle easily. They have somewhat flat noses, a little like a pig's. Their hair is blond and a bit unruly, though that's tamed by keeping it short (save for the iconic Link Hair Tufts). After their adventure, they each have their own collection of scars, though not many and most of them not in very visible places.

Ages!Link (Link I/Link the First)

Basic personality: Link I's extremely protective and caring, with an instinctive need to help and protect people. This goes double for people he cares about, like his brother. He's empathetic and attentive, which makes him good at reading people. He has strong self sacrificial tendencies and finds it difficult to vocalize his own needs. He's naturally introverted and relatively quiet, preferring to keep to himself most of the time. He's intelligent and enjoys reading. However, he can be cruel; he does not often lash out in anger but when he does it's in a cold, calculated way designed to hit you where it hurts most to give him the satisfaction of seeing you hurt. His empathy and ability to read people allow him do this extremely efficiently, and he takes a mean kind of joy in successfully hurting others whom he believes deserve it. He's ruthless, competitive, hates losing and is not afraid to resort to dirty tactics to win.

Age of adventure: 14 (just turned)

Reaction to adventure: His adventure was a coming of age trip that allowed him to take a step back and develop an identity separate from his brother, make his own friends and find his own confidence and courage. However, upon returning from his adventure, he found everything unchanged and fell into old destructive habits, bottling up his increasing anger over his brother's resentment and avoiding the house so he wouldn't have to deal with any of his problems. This of course did not work and eventually his anger came exploding out in a cruel fight with his brother, which they did not recover from until after his brother's adventure.

Reaction to his brother's adventure: Immediate and excessive worry that he tried to rationalize away by referring back to his own adventure, reminding himself that his had been good for him and having hope that his brother's adventure could help him as well. However, his uncle did not make it easy for him; extremely worried over his nephew, he walked through the house like a ghost, as if Link II was already dead. This brought back bad memories of when Link II was sick, and dug up buried resentment over how his uncle had reacted to it. This got strengthened by the realization that his uncle must've also acted like this while Link I was away, making Link I suddenly understand his brother's resentment towards his adventure. The realization that his uncle had left his brother to deal with this attitude for months while Link I was away ultimately explodes out into another cruel fight, which only gets worse when his uncle actually admits he's in the wrong and apologizes for not acting like a proper parent. The tension in the house ratchets up as Link I refuses to forgive his uncle, amplifying his other negative emotions and making him more worried for his brother despite his rational sense.

Body language: Mostly reserved, controlled and polite. When talking to strangers or people he doesn't know as well he's careful to show only the most polite side of himself, having learned the hard way to avoid conflict when out with his brother. When relaxed/with friends he's less expressive and more quiet.

Miscallaneous Headcanons:

• Does eventually patch things up with his uncle, but he has a tendency to carry grudges and the relationship never becomes entirely smooth.
• Enjoys telling you the wrong information with a straight face. Commits to the bit above all else.
• Good friends with Zelda; they have a lot of interests in common and frequently play chess together or compare what they read. Zelda's emotional expressiveness, sense of justice and determination reminds him of his brother. Zelda gave him free access to the castle library and he was holed up in it for days, practically living in its rafters with a stack of books until his brother came and dragged him out to eat.

Seasons!Link (Link II/Link the Second)

Basic personality: He's a very emotional and expressive boy, wearing his heart on his sleeve more often than not, unable to properly reign in his emotions. Bit of a crybaby. He has a strong sense of justice that mostly manifests itself as bottled up anger at the world, amplified by being treated badly by most people. He's kind of self-centered, tending to forget other people exist and have emotions separate from how they affect him, which leads to him not realizing how damaging their codependent relationship was for his brother. He's tried to do better with this since he figured this out. He is naturally honest, willing to resort to dirty tactics if necessary but never enjoying them the way his brother does. He can be competitive but he's a good loser and wants the competition to be fun and honest. He's the better fighter of the two and a rowdy boy. He's an extrovert and would be a social butterfly if it weren't for his lack of verbal speech.

Age of adventure: 14

Reaction to adventure: Coming on the heels of a devastating fight with his brother, Link II's initial reaction to his adventure was spite and anger. Being mistaken for his brother and losing his only means of communication in the jump was harrowing for him. However, after figuring out a way to create his own method of communication, first by learning Subrosia's sign language and then by acquiring his wax tablet, he came to enjoy the adventure a lot. It lessened a lot of his simmering anger and gave him confidence in himself for the first time ever. It also made him understand his brother better, strengthening their relationship.

Reaction to his brother's adventure: Deep confusion, worry and, later, anger. During the initial months when his brother was away, he was consumed with worry, trying desperately to maintain functionality with his primary support suddenly gone and his uncle going back into his 'oh no my family is dead' shell. It didn't go so well. After his brother came back, he had expected everything to go back to normal, and when this didn't happen, he grew resentful and angry. In his mind, if his brother just did what he'd always done, what he was supposed to, everything would be okay. He'd never really thought about how their relationship felt from his brother's perspective and it showed. Underlying the anger was a deep-seated fear that his brother would leave him behind, which as far as he was concerned would basically spell his doom since he did not consider himself worth anything or able to live without his brother. This culminated in a nasty fight where his brother dug into all his insecurities, seemingly confirming that fear. This caused him to go on the adventure, worried that if he let his brother go, he'd never return.

Body language: Expressive. He has a tendency towards loud body language, always had even before becoming mute, with lots of arm movements and exaggerated facial expressions. Is really, really bad at hiding his emotions. Realizes he's expressive but does not realize just how much.

Miscallaneous Headcanons:

• This version of Hyrule does not have a unified sign language, which limits Link II's communication methods even further and heightens his isolation. He and his brother created a home sign language as kids, and while really impressive and a genuinely functioning language, it was still created by children and therefore limited. Prior to his adventure he primarily communicated with a notebook given to him by his brother, but during his adventure he lost that. He replaced it with a wax tablet forged by the Subrosian smiths, which is a heavy, book-like tablet with a solid steel cover to withstand sword attacks. He can use it as a weapon in a pinch by hitting people with it.
• Subrosia, unlike Hyrule, does have a sign language; it primarily involves large arm movements and does not incorporate facial expressions or subtle finger movements for obvious reasons. He learned it during his adventure, and taught it to his brother and Zelda. He uses it to communicate with them sometimes.
• Has a less rocky relationship with his uncle. Does recognize that he fucked up when they were younger, but Link II forgives much easier than Link I and was able to work through it in a way he never could.
• Good friends with Zelda; he was the first Link to meet her and had the opportunity to bond with her first. Despite them not having much in common in terms of interests, they share a lot of personality traits, chief among them their sense of justice. She and Link I may be better casual friends, as in hanging out together comes more naturally to them, but Link II is the person she trusts more than anything.
• Would do most anything if you triple dog dared him to.

Breath of the Wild

(Note: I have not played Tears of the Kingdom yet.)

Basic Personality: Pre-Calamity Link was a deeply repressed wreck of a person. He was extremely good at being the hero, a stellar fighter with a natural air of heroism to him that made people respect and trust him on sight. However, the role was extremely stressful for him to live up to. He was a perfectionist who constantly felt inadequate, with self-destructive tendencies.

Post-Calamity Link wakes up with exactly none of this baggage. Though he's told about the Calamity and his destiny and this is obviously a lot to take in, he fails to internalize his role as the hero as something stressful or important, simply because he is not in the limelight the way he was pre-Calamity. He's not worried about failing to live up to people's idea of the hero because nobody knows he's the hero. This makes him grow into a much more carefree person, with a natural curiosity and lust for adventure that trademark most Links. He's significantly more confident and comfortable in his skin than he ever was before. He's quite comfortable in his role as the hero and does not carry the same resentment towards his destiny that Zelda has. He's mischievous and gets distracted easily. He's naturally kind and enjoys helping people, and he's also surprisingly patient, provided he can actually stay focused on a task.

Backstory: He's the son of a noblewoman and a lower-born but high-ranking knight, and as such a noble himself. His mother inherited her titles young, which caused her to be thrown into the political wolf game far too early and lead to lifelong deep-seated anxiety and an inability to communicate without pulling up her noble persona. His father fought his way up the ranks despite a lower birth, and therefore places very high value on hard work. They work together because his father is good at clear communication, which helps set his mother at ease and allows her to respond in kind. They both love him very much, but this set-up obviously turned disastrous once Link pulled the Master Sword. He did so at age twelve, and from thereon out the whole kingdom's eyes were on him. His mother understood the stress but was unable to successfully communicate with him, especially once he shut down himself. His father encouraged him to work hard and was unable to recognize how this added to the stress. This caused tension between his parents and in the household, making Link shut down even more. After he became Zelda's bodyguard at sixteen, contact with his parents was much more limited. They both died in the Calamity, not that he knows that.

Age of adventure: 17 (or 117 if you want to be a smartass), 12 for pulling the Master Sword.

Reaction to adventure (BOTW): Coming in with complete amnesia, the adventure was essentially a hard reset on his life. It defined him and allowed him to grow into a confident, curious, kind hero. He sees this adventure as a blessing, especially once he regained some of his memories and realized just how deeply miserable he used to be.

Body language: Pre-Calamity, he was extremely stoic. He'd actively learned to repress his body language to give off the impression of being stoic and in control at all times. Post-Calamity, he's much more naturally expressive, especially in his face.

Appearance: Very traditionally handsome. He has a symmetrical face, does not get acne or other skin blemishes, and tans rather than burns most of the time. Has wavy golden hair and clear blue eyes. Looks like the stereotypical Western picture book hero. Or rather, he did pre-Calamity; post-Calamity, while his bodily appearance obviously stays the same, he's often covered in dirt, wearing silly outfits, and has messy hair that quickly gains split ends as he allows it to grow beyond the little ponytail he used to have. Still extremely handsome, a little less likely to be instantly recognized as the hero. Has some scars but they're all almost all small and exclusively dumb shit, aka 'here's where I scraped my hand falling from a waterfall because I got too focused on catching a fish'.

Miscallaneous Headcanons:

• Autism and trans of gender. Didn't do it during this character profile but I like to headcanon him as using she/her pronouns post-Calamity, mostly in his own head. Is fine with any pronouns though. Gained the transness post-Calamity, as he forgot he was supposed to care about gender roles, and by the time he remembered, he didn't want to and couldn't care less.
• Inherited the autism from his mother, also has ADHD.
• Was selectively mute due to the stress pre-Calamity (pretty much canon, Zelda's diary), but is completely verbal post-Calamity. Still does not talk that much and has the autistic tendency to communicate a little weirdly, repeating statements over and over again or letting long pauses fall in the conversation.
• Fails to really grasp the enormity of the Calamity bc everyone is honestly doing just fine for the most part and he does not remember Hyrule as a kingdom. This causes tension with Zelda, who obviously does remember and is angry and distressed at Link's blasé attitude towards the destruction of the kingdom and thus, by extension, the mass deaths that happened then.