It’s actually a bit surprising how underrepresentedThe Legend of Zeldais inSuper Smash Bros.Despite being part of Nintendo’s holy trinity right up there withSuper Mario Bros.andMetroid(another underrepresented franchise,) the series only has six reps as ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate– and two of them were once the same character!
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It’s not as ifThe Legend of Zeldais devoid of character either. AsHyrule Warriorsmade evidently clear, even the most basic of archetypes can be fleshed out into colorful figures who come to life in action. If nothing else,Super Smash Bros.did go to some effort of varying up the game each representative was based on.
The Legend of Zeldafeatures multiple incarnations of Link, Zelda, & Ganon across three different timelines. InMelee, all characters were based onOcarina of Time. InBrawl,Twilight Princessdesigns were used for the core three, which were carried over intoSmash 4.Super Smash Bros. Ultimatebases most of itsZeldareps onOcarina of Time, but there’s a dedication to variety previously unseen for the franchise.
6Link (Breath Of The Wild)
It’s not quite right to think ofBreath of the Wildas a reboot considering how intimately it connects itself to the franchise’s lore, but it is best to think of it as a new start of sorts. In the same wayA Link to the PastandOcarina of TimeredefinedThe Legend of Zelda, so willBreath of the Wild. The fact the game is seeing an immediate sequel is proof enough.
Nintendo was very conscious withBreath of the Wild’s development, intentionally straying from the series’ pre-established staples in order to craft an experience closer to the original while also evolvingZelda’s formula. Part of this was the symbolic act of redesigning Link. The franchise’s ever present hero traded his green tunic for a blue Champion’s Tunic.
While The Hero of the Wild does have access to his green tunic inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Link’s main design is now based off his blue Champion’s Tunic fromBreath of the Wild. Up to this point,Twilight Princess’ Link was the face of the franchise (even getting intoSmash 4overSkyward SwordLink,) but it seemsBreath of the Wild’s Link will be taking over that role.
5Zelda (A Link Between Worlds)
One would be mistaken for assuming that Princess Zelda’s design is based onA Link to the Past. After all, her face is noticeably softer and her general design matches the round aesthetic ofA Link to the Past’s concept art. That said, she’s actually based directly onA Link Between Worlds’ Zelda.
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While not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, it is worth pointing out.ALBW’s Zelda has a more ornate design, whereasA Link to the Past’s is much simpler. Plus, that Zelda wears blue. This also means thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Zelda is the only representative of a 2D installment from the franchise. Every other character from the series is based on one of their 3D renditions.
4Sheik (Ocarina Of Time)
Introduced inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, Princess Zelda and Sheik were once the same character. Zelda’s main gimmick was that she could transform into Sheik mid-fight (a fact which made her one of the absolute best characters in the game.) While she didn’t appear inTwilight Princess, Sheik did have concept art which inspired her design inBrawlandSmash 4.
Heading intoSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate– likely both as a tribute to her debut inMeleeandOcarina of Time’s significance for Nintendo– Sheik has returned to herOcarina of Timedesign. Notably, she’s traded her muted color palette for a vibrancy while also laying off the bandages. As ofBrawl, Sheik is her own character with a slot independent of Zelda.
3Ganondorf (Ocarina Of Time)
Ganondorf is quite an interesting character. Even though he could very easily have a unique move set,Super Smash Bros.holds firm on keeping him as a Captain Falcon clone. WhileSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatefeatures the most novel Ganondorf yet, he’s still not fully representative of his appearances in the games.
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Ganondorf as depicted inOcarina of Timewas a sorcerer, not a fist fighter ala Captain Falcon. BothBrawlandSuper Smash Bros. 4had an opportunity to give Ganondorf a sword as he was based on hisTwilight Princessdepiction, but he’s stuck with his fist since. That said,Ultimatedid finally give the character a blade even if he’s back to hisOcarina of Timerendition who, again, was a sorcerer.
2Toon Link (The Wind Waker)
Toon Link’s character design has been repeated enough times in the series where his appearances inSuper Smash Bros.could really stand in for any of them– fromThe Wind WakertoThe Minish Cap. That said, Toon Link is very clearly based on the Hero of Winds fromThe Wind Waker.
Not only does Toon Link outright have the physical Wind Waker, he has Link’s family shield from the same game and even hasThe Wind Waker’s version of the Master Sword. Interestingly, one of Toon Link’s alternate costumes references the original Link’s tunic from the NES games.
1Young Link (Ocarina Of Time)
Young Link first appeared inSuper Smash Bros. Meleebefore being replaced by Toon Link inBrawlandSmash 4. As ofUltimate, however, Young Link is back in the roster. Rather than being based on hisMajora’s Maskincarnation, Young Link is based onOcarina of Time– essentially functioning as a smaller version of Link.
That said, because Link is now based off hisBreath of the Wildself, he’s actually missing a few key moves. As a result, Young Link now fills a specific void that he once shared with his older counterpart. It should also be pointed out that while Young Link is directly based onOcarina of TimeLink, he does share a few similarities withMajora’s Mask(notably his Fire Arrow.)
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