Young Link (SSBU)

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Young Link in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearance	in Melee
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triforce Slash

“	He’s back after 17 years! Young Link is faster than Link but he’s also lighter, making him easier to launch.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Young Link (こどもリンク, Young Link) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially confirmed as playable on June 12th, 2018. As in Melee, Fujiko Takimoto's portrayals of Young Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its sequel Majora's Mask were repurposed for Ultimate.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee

NOTE: SmashWiki is not speculative. Please refrain from adding detailed data values derived from pre-release gameplay footage, such as the E3 demo. Such data (damage values, launch trajectories, frame data, etc.) are subject to change before the official release.

Although Young Link is still faster and lighter than Link, it is unknown if he has been further decloned in spite of Link's own Breath of the Wild-based alterations, though he is not classified as an Echo Fighter either.

Aesthetics

• Due to the game's graphical improvements, Young Link's design gains additional detail, particularly in his hair. His colors are more subdued than they were in Melee.
• Young Link is now taller, almost as tall as regular Link.
• Young Link is much more expressive. Like Diddy Kong, his hat is also "looser" on his head and pops off during certain animations, such as his down aerial.
• Young Link now has an entrance animation, similar to Link's animation from the original Super Smash Bros.
• Young Link's taunt from Melee executes significantly faster. In addition, he has two new taunts: one where he triumphantly lifts his sword into the air while grinning, and another where Navi flies around him, akin to Link's side taunt in Brawl and Smash 4.
• The Kokiri Sword now has a bronze hilt. It leaves behind a white trail with blue accents, as opposed to a pure white trail in Melee.
  • Additionally, Link's yellow and blue Spin Attack sword trail from Smash 4 is recycled for Young Link, as Link now has a unique sword trail.
• Young Link now has an alternate costume based on the appearance of Dark Link.
• Young Link's belt adjusting animation is slightly different. He now holds the Kokiri Sword and after adjusting, flicks his nose with his thumb.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Young Link's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete.
• Young Link's fall speed has been reduced.
• Young Link's midair jump is significantly higher. This improves Young Link's ability to recover back to the stage.
• Young Link now has a fast fall speed more in line with the rest of the roster, in comparison to his almost unnoticeable fast fall in Melee. This greatly increases the versatility of his air game, and allows him to use various mix-ups that other characters possess.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's third jab has slightly more horizontal range.
• Neutral attack infinite is now a flurry of slashes that transition much faster, and has a finisher in the form of an ascending slash.
• Forward tilt covers more vertical range. It also has a faster startup.
• Down tilt has much quicker startup and endlag.
• Up smash has more ending lag.
• Up smash's hits chain together much more reliably.
• Down smash's hits have more startup.

Aerial attacks

• Forward aerial is no longer a single degrading hit, and instead hits twice like Link's
• Grab aerial has drastically decreased landing lag, allowing for combo opportunities.

Throws/other attacks

• Young Link's Hookshot has shorter range, making it harder to grab opponents with.
• Young Link's grab has significantly less ending lag, making it safer to use.
• Young Link jumps a bit higher when performing his up throw.
• Up throw has more ending lag.
• Hookshot is no longer a wall grapple, and is instead a tether recovery. This removes the ability to grapple to any wall, but increases the range and safety of the move. Overall, this is a massive improvement to Young Link's recovery.

Special Moves

• Fire Bow's arrow now lights up when nocked, and ignites when completely charged, compared to in Melee where the arrow does not light up at all. This is purely aesthetic, as the arrows are always on fire regardless of charge length.
• Fire Bow's arrows have been redesigned to more closely resemble the artwork found in the manual for Ocarina of Time.
• Fire Bow has significantly decreased endlag and the arrows fly much further than before, even when not fully charged.
• Spin Attack preserves much more momentum after being used, and Young Link can move more during its animation.
• Like with Link's Bombs in Super Smash Bros. 4, the explosions from Young Link's Bombs do not damage him if they hit an opponent.
• Young Link now has a Final Smash, that being Triforce Slash. Visually, this variant resembles Link's version from Smash 4, but the final flourish and slash have altered animations: Young Link rears his hand back and does an outward slash, instead of a stab.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Young Link's amiibo.

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  Young Link on Great Bay.

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  Tossing his Bomb at Wario on Castle Siege.

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  Idling with Toon Link's Fairy on Skyworld.

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  Drinking Lon Lon Milk with Inkling on Temple.

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  Performing his down aerial in his Dark Link-based costume on the Umbra Clock Tower.

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  Tossing his Boomerang on Onett.

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  Young Link drinking his Lon Lon Milk with Simon on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Carrying his Bomb with Bomberman on Temple.

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  Idling with Mario on Tomodachi Life.

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  With all playable The Legend of Zelda veterans on the Great Plateau Tower.

Character Showcase Video

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Trivia

• Young Link's official artwork is based off of the pose he strikes after using his grounded Spin Attack.
• Young Link and Pichu share the longest gap between playable appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, with seventeen years between Melee and Ultimate.
  • This has been noted by both of their Super Smash Bros. blog's "Today's Fighter" descriptions.
• Young Link and Toon Link are the only two playable Zelda characters in Ultimate who do not have their own unique Final Smash, instead having them both use Link's former Final Smash in Brawl and Smash 4, Triforce Slash.
• Young Link and Pichu are the "longest gap" smash amiibo to be created.