Toon Link: Difference between revisions

:''For fighter info, see [[Toon Link (SSBB)]], [[Toon Link (SSB4)]], and [[Toon Link (SSBU)]].''

|image = [[File:HWL Toon Link Artwork.png|275px]]

|firstgame = ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords}}'' (2002, general concept)<br>''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker}}''{{ref|a}} (2002, representation in the Super Smash Bros. series)

|console = Game Boy Advance (general concept)<br>[[Nintendo GameCube]]{{ref|a}} (representation in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series)

|homeworld = {{s|zeldawiki|Outset Island}}, {{s|zeldawiki|Great Sea}} (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)<br>{{s|zeldawiki|Aboda Village}}, [[zeldawiki:Hyrule/Appearances by Game#Spirit Tracks|New Hyrule]] (''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks}}'')<br>{{s|zeldawiki|Hyrule}} (other incarnations)

|creator = Yoshiki Haruhana<ref name=Toon>{{Cite web |url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/wind-waker/0/0 |title=Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD: How Toon Link Was Born|publisher=Nintendo}}</ref><br>Eiji Aonuma

Toon Link is one of the various incarnations of [[Link]] from ''The Legend of Zelda'' series. While the art style associated with the "Toon" term was technically established during the development cycle of ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker}}'' and was depicted in 2D artwork alongside ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords}}'', the first usage of the term itself occurred in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' to denote the Hero of Winds from ''The Wind Waker'' and ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass}}''. However, the "Toon" term itself can nevertheless be used to describe the same art style, as ''{{s|zeldawiki|Hyrule Warriors}}'' demonstrated in regard to the [[Princess Zelda]] from ''The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zelda.com/hyrule-warriors/character-detail/#!Toon-Zelda|title=Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition characters - Toon Zelda}}</ref>

As a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSBB|Link}} and a successor to {{SSBM|Young Link}}, Toon Link's moveset is almost identical to theirs, although with some differences. One of the most obvious is his [[Bomb (Link)#Toon Link's Bombs|Bomb]], which emits an explosion that uses the art style from ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Phantom Hourglass''.

Toon Link has a trophy that is awarded each time {{SSBB|Classic Mode}} is completed with Toon Link on any difficulty. See [[Triforce Slash]] for the trophy description of Toon Link's [[Final Smash]].

;Toon Link

:''Link as he appeared in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, with big eyes and an expressive face. He lived peacefully on Outset Island until a bird captured his little sister, and he came to her rescue. In The Wind Waker, he had to crawl, press up to walls, and the like. His green clothes were worn on his 12th birthday and are the lucky outfit of the hero of legend.''

{{trophy games|console1=GCN|game1=''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker''|console2=DS|game2=''The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass''}}

;Outset Link

:''Link in his traditional clothing. He wears a blue, V-neck, long-sleeved top with a shrimp pattern, coordinated with slender orange pants. It makes you think that, even on his home, Outset Island, Link was quite the fashion leader, and suggests that he may have changed into his green hero's clothing somewhat grudgingly.''

{{trophy games|console1=GCN|game1=''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker''}}

 

Toon Link - Brawl Trophy.png|Toon Link Trophy

! Fighters

| {{SortKey|All characters}}{{AllChars|SSBB|s=16}}

| {{Head|Link|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Zelda|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Toon Link|g=SSBB|s=16px}}

;Toon Link

:{{Flag|ntsc}} ''This cartoonish version of Link is how he appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and a few other titles. In Smash Bros., he uses moves much like his older, taller counterpart. His small size gives him extra speed, though, so take advantage of that to send your foes flying.''

:{{Flag|pal}} ''This cartoonish version of young Link is how he appears in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and a few other titles. While he shares some moves with his older counterpart, he's a very different fighter. Take advantage of his size and speed to whirl past enemies and bombard them with long-range attacks.''

{{Trophy games|console1=gcn|game1=The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (03/2003)|console2=ds|game2=The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (12/2009)}}

;Toon Link (Alt.)

:{{Flag|ntsc}} ''Toon Link's Bomb move doesn't deal much damage, but the blast radius is pretty big. His bombs can be thrown in all directions, damaging or distracting your foes. Also, his up special Spin Attack keeps him airborne longer than Link's version. For some launching power, use the side smash attack.''

:{{Flag|pal}} ''Toon Link's bombs don't do much damage, but their large blast radius makes it easy to hit foes with them. You can also throw them in any directions, making them a great diversionary tactic. His Spin Attack gives him more air-time than Link. His side smash may seem weak, but press the button again for a second hit that'll really send 'em flying!''

{{Trophy games|console1=gcn|game1=The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (03/2003)|console2=ds|game2=The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (12/2009)}}

;Engineer Link

:{{Flag|ntsc}} ''Link is well known for his green clothing, a look he has sported throughout time. But in Spirit Tracks, he dons a blue uniform with a red cap instead. The cap is decorated with a dove, the symbol of the Royal Engineers. Playing the Song of Birds will call a dove to roost!''

:{{Flag|pal}} ''Ask 100 people what colour Link's outfit is, and they'll all say "green", guaranteed. However, in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, he also sports a dark-blue engineer's uniform. Train-driving and world-saving are two skills that should be on every hero's CV!''

;Link (Spirit Tracks)

:{{Flag|ntsc}} ''You might feel sorry for this version of Link, what with him living a life on fixed rails rather than exploring the seas or the skies. But, like the smoke from his train, that feeling will soon disappear when you see that after leaving Aboda Village, the young engineer's quest to restore the Spirit Tracks is filled with adventure.''

:{{Flag|pal}} ''You might feel sorry for this version of Link, what with him living a life on fixed rails rather than exploring the seas or the skies. But, like the smoke from his train, that feeling will soon disappear when you see that, after leaving Outset Village, the young engineer's quest to restore the Spirit Tracks is filled with adventure.''

 

ToonLinkTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

[[File:Toon Link SSBU.png|thumb|right|Toon Link, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

{{clear}}

*Toon Link's artwork in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' closely resembles his artwork in ''The Wind Waker''. The only differences are the former's mirrored hairstyle, slight re-positioning of his arms, and a lack of the apparent gust of wind.

**In ''The Wind Waker'' and most other games with the "Toon Link" artstyle, Link's eyes and eyebrows are visible through his hair; this does not apply to his ''Smash'' model. However, it can still be seen in the Outset Link and ''Spirit Tracks'' trophies.

*Prior to ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Toon Link, [[Young Link]] and [[Roy]] were the only swordsmen in the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series whose swords consistently produced a punch/kick sound effect, instead of a slashing sound effect, for the majority of their moves.

*Despite being able to crawl in their respective games, Toon Link, [[Mario]], [[Donkey Kong]], [[Young Link]], and [[Pit]] are unable [[Crawling|to do so]] in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series.

*Toon Link is the only playable character from ''The Legend of Zelda'' series:

**Despite being associated with the Adult Timeline, the "Toon" design has also been used in every other established timeline: the Unified Timeline (''Four Swords'' and ''The Minish Cap''), the Child Timeline (''Four Swords Adventures''), and the Downfall Timeline (''Tri Force Heroes''). Interestingly enough, ''Skyward Sword'' and ''Breath of the Wild'' used cel-shading like the "Toon" games, but instead featured anatomically realistic character designs. Additionally, despite using the "Toon" artstyle, the Link seen in ''Tri Force Heroes'' is actually in fact implied to be the same Link from ''The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds''.

*''{{s|zeldawiki|Hyrule Warriors}}'' is the only other game outside of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series where the Hero of Winds is referred to as "Toon Link" instead of simply Link.

**On a related note, ''Hyrule Warriors'' is also the first game to refer to use the "Toon" term in reference to the art style itself, as shown by it referral of the [[Princess Zelda]] from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks}}'' as "Toon Zelda".

*The ''Super Smash Bros.'' series depicts Toon Link wielding both the Master Sword and Hero's Shield in all of his playable appearances, with the former being based on its appearance when its power to repel evil is fully restored. This is inaccurate to his appearance in ''The Wind Waker'', as the {{s|zeldawiki|Mirror Shield}} would replace the Hero's Shield by the time the fully powered Master Sword is obtained.