10 Things You Never Knew About Link

Sure, Link can’t talk (most of the time), but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any depth as a character. In fact, this silence is what hides his true feelings and personality. Here are 10 things you never knew about everyone’s favorite silent knight!

10. He’s A Real Foodie

On Link’s journey to save Zelda in Breath of the Wild, he finds out more things about himself than he does anyone else. One of these things is the fact that he’s a real foodie at heart. Shown by his facial expressions while cooking, Link unlocks his passion for cooking and eating, enjoying meals more than any past versions of him have. He’s finally gained access to Hyrule’s full delicacies – and enjoying them all for himself, by himself!

9. He Can Eat Rocks

Ever wondered what Link’s very own Champion ability is? It’s definitely disguised well, but it’s his ability to basically digest anything safely – including rocks. Yes, rocks. In Age of Calamity, Daruk gives him the Gorons’ favorite prime rock roast as a thank-you gift, and Link happily devours it. This is also why he can eat rock-hard food in Breath of the Wild. It’s basically wood or gems cooked in a pot, but his magical body can somehow successfully digest everything effortlessly.

8. He Was Originally the “Link” Between the Past & Future

In Zelda‘s original (scrapped) storyline, the three fragments of the Triforce were supposed to be electronic chips. The game was supposed to be set in both the past and future, and Link was… well, the link between the two time periods. Nintendo obviously changed the story to be what we know as The Legend of Zelda today, but hey! The same character that was the connection of the past and future is now the Hero of Hyrule.

7. He’s Hardly Ever in Love with Zelda

I know that fans absolutely love shipping Zelda and Link, but the truth is that they’re hardly ever in love. The only notable time they are in a romantic relationship is Skyward Sword. In this game, they’ve been childhood friends for as long as they can remember, and they embark on a journey across space and time that ends in them ruling the first Hyrule. This means they had to be married to become the official king and queen. However, in most other Zelda games (including Breath of the Wild), he and Zelda are merely knight and princess, or close allies.

6. He Had Family, Four Times

The strange thing about Link is that he hardly ever has a told family – that is, except for four select Zelda games. In A Link to the Past, he started out living with his uncle before he tragically died in Hyrule Castle later on. Then, he had two major family members in Wind Waker, which were Grandma and his little sister, Aryll.

His grandfather in The Minish Cap, Smith, was also introduced as a key character to the storyline. Link often visits Smith as the quest progresses. And finally, Twilight Princess featured Link’s ancestor, the Ancient Hero (aka Ocarina of Time & Majora’s Mask Link), who guided Link through many adventures. While all of these family members are biologically separate from each other, it’s a relief to know that someone raised Link – and had to put up with his jar-throwing.

5. He Speaks in Wind Waker

The memorable one time Link speaks is Wind Waker, where we can clearly hear him say, “Hi!” and “Come on!”. And aww, isn’t he adorable. He sounds more like an authentic kid than any of his other versions, and other characters can finally stop mocking him for his silence. Link’s not shy to speak up when he started off as a normal islander for once, rather than the destined Hero of Hyrule and Zelda’s personal guard. The presence of Link’s voice emphasizes that Link possesses much more character in WW.

4. He Parallels Peter Pan

I’m sure you’ve already noticed it, but Link really parallels Peter Pan. He has pointy ears, a little green elf hat, a green tunic, and a sword, just like the memorable Disney character. The much-hated Navi also follows this trend. She is an obvious parallel to Tinkerbell, Peter Pan’s trusty (and at times, annoying) fairy companion. You’ll see it when you put Peter Pan’s face on Link’s body.

3. There Are Two Versions of Link

This is where it gets confusing… you can blame it on Zelda for giving you a headache from thinking about the timelines. But here’s the fact: there are two versions of Link. Zelda sent Link back in time in Ocarina of Time to experience the childhood he missed out on because of Ganon, creating the Child Timeline. But that doesn’t mean that the present young adult Link didn’t exist anymore. He also went on to birth the Adult Timeline, which includes Majora’s Mask and a ton of other things I won’t talk about now. Anyway, the major takeaway: there are two versions and timelines of Link that later get merged into Breath of the Wild.

2. Link from Majora’s Mask May Have Died in the Lost Woods

There’s a reasonable theory going around that Majora’s Mask Link could have died in the Lost Woods. So, what’s the proof, you ask? Well… long story short, he got lost and returned as a Stalfos in Twilight Princess. The Kokiri Fado explained to Link in Ocarina of Time that people who get lost in the Lost Woods would be reborn as Stalfos.

This closely parallels the Ancient Hero’s journey in Twilight Princess. He looks a lot like a Stalfos, and he teaches Link sword techniques he must’ve known from his time as the Hero. So, does this mean the Majora’s Mask Link got lost and turned into the Ancient Hero? Only time will tell.

1. He Doesn’t Speak Because of Pressure

Breath of the Wild has at last explained why Link doesn’t speak. He made the willing choice to silence himself because of pressure as Princess Zelda’s chosen knight who would save Hyrule from Calamity Ganon. And understandably, this is a big burden. Every citizen of Hyrule counts on him to wield the darkness-sealing sword and save them from the impending apocalypse. Because of the need to stay strong and be the unwavering hero his people expect him to be, he prefers not to chat and instead conceal his true feelings. Showing emotion could possibly break his perfect facade.