Link (SSB)

Link in Super Smash Bros.
Link
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Starter
Tier	D (10)

Link (リンク, Rinku) appears as a starter character in Super Smash Bros. He is the sole representative of the Zelda series. Having many disjointed melee attacks and two projectile weapons, Link can be a hassle to approach. However, his lack of speed and maneuverability cause problems for Link in approaching an opponent. In fact, much of Link's strategy consists of standing back, throwing a few projectiles, and waiting for an opening. Due to his slow ground movements and attacks, it is imperative that Link players be able to not only short hop but be able to input an attack immediately afterward.

Link is known in high level competitive play as a very defensive character, relying on bombs and boomerangs to prevent gimps and using back aerial, up tilt, and up aerial for combos while using down aerial, forward smash, down smash, and projectiles for edgeguarding. Link's recovery is so poor that he can never be close to a ledge. Link's poor recovery and the fact that he is very easily comboed make it difficult for him to win. Link has poor match-ups due to this and is usually considered the worst character to use on Dream Land. For this he is tied for 10th, on the tier list with Luigi. On Hyrule Castle however, Link is generally considered to be 6th or 5th due to Link's ability to camp with enough room like Fox. Link is also slightly better in the PAL version and much better in the Japanese version of SSB. In the PAL version, this is due to having better horizontal movement while in the Japanese version, Link has an Up tilt that combos into itself multiple times and can break a shield alone as well as Bombs that are much easier to combo off.

Attributes

File:Linkending.jpg

Link's ending picture in Super Smash Bros.

Link has long ranged attacks due to his sword, and they also have good power. On the down side, he also has slow attack and movement speed. His grab is long like his attacks due to being a tether grab, but it leaves him vulnerable if it misses. Link also has two good projectiles, which can lead to some very aesthetic combos. This makes Link tough to approach, and can be used to edge-guard. Link is also heavy, which means he is harder to knock around but easier to combo. He is one of the only two characters in the game (along with Pikachu) to not have a spike, giving him trouble edgeguarding.

Link's biggest problem is his recovery. His very short jumps, fast falling speed (the second fastest in the game) and poor distance both horizontally and vertically of Spin Attack (even descends before the animation is over) makes his recovery arguably the worst in the game. It is also easily edge guarded, especially by characters with spikes.

Link is very low on the tier list because he is easily gimped and very easily comboed. Usually, the best way for Link to win against most of the characters is to camp and space. Due to the ability to do so on Hyrule however, Link's matchups are much better there.

Moveset

Link's aerial attacks

Link in the SSB instruction booklet.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		{{{neutralname}}}	5%	{{{neutraldesc}}}
			3%
			4%
			1% per jab
Forward tilt		Sword Chop	18%	Brings his sword up and slashes down. Somewhat slow but above average damage and knockback for a f-tilt.
Up tilt		Overhead Sword Swipe	10%	Quickly swings his sword in a small arch above him. Can be chained together and good for leading into combos, usually forward tilt or neutral aerial. There is the slighted arch in the foe's upward trajectory; When facing right, there's a slight right angle, and vice versa. This move can usually KO a foe reliably above very high damages such as 200%. Changes heavily in Japanese version of Smash 64, doing 14% damage and being able to shield break and a better angle for combos.
Down tilt		Ground Swipe	12%	He slashes his sword sluggishly below him. Usually knocks foes upwards. At lower percentages, this can be followed by a f-smash, a f-tilt, or even a grab attack. At higher damages, in most cases, it knocks the foe far enough such that there's no way to quickly follow it up.
Dash attack		Running Sword Swipe	16%	He sticks his sword straight out mid-dash and stops. Good range and speed, and can KO usually around 150%. Great for combo finishers. There is, however, some cooldown lag.
Forward smash		Super Sword Slice	9-20%	He quickly twirls his sword twice and then slashes forward in a similar fashion to his f-tilt, but has a bigger blue effect if it hits. Good finisher.
Up smash		Triple Vertical Sword Slice	22% if all hits connect	Good move for damage racking, as long as the foe doesn't DI out of it. Best suited for heavier characters. This move is somewhat weak for KO-ing, however, at lower percentages it can lead into itself, and aerial follow up, or a Spin Attack. In most other cases, though, a uair or simply some other juggling plan (usually a Bomb readied before the move) is recommended or used. The range of the move itself isn't that far, it resembles a bunch of Link's u-tilts in rapid succession, though with less of an arch.
Down smash		Grass Cutter	16%	Swiftly slashes in front of him and then back. The move is a good close up defensive move but also has a good KOing property. This move is one of Link's few moves that come out near-instantaneously, and the ending lag is also rather low. Assuming the Link player is facing right, when the foe is hit on either side while being closest to Link, they will be sent upwards at a slightly angled trajectory. When hit at the end of Link's blade, it'll knock the foe in a 45° angle in the direction depending on what side they were hit on.
Neutral aerial		Elf Kick	10% maximum	Sex kick. Link's nair is best used as a defensive move, seeing how even when it first comes out, there is not much KO power unless used in the air for an edgeguard. Moderately good combo move.
Forward aerial		Sword Spin	9-20%	Slashes once in front of him, swirls in a complete circle and sticks out his sword again (best viewed on 1/4 speed in training). The first hit does 20% damage with a good amount of knockback, whereas the second doing 60% of that amount, but still with strength. It is not possible that the two hits will combine into each other. It is used competitively to end combos, because of the knockback.
Back aerial		Double Back Kick	20% if both hits connect	Two kicks behind. They both combine into each other for a good amount of knockback, though the second hit can be DI'd out of. In addition, it is risky going for a Link player to use this move near a ledge due to the length of this move, as Link's recovery may not always be good enough to make it back to the stage. Very useful for combos.
Up aerial		Upward Thrust	16%	Decent KO power, can also juggle. The hitbox of this move is Link's blade, which is directly aimed up. Useful on platforms due to combos.
Down aerial		Downward Sword	16%	Aims his sword directly below him for a long duration. This has great horizontal knockback. It is possible to hit the same enemy twice to have this move inflict 32% altogether. This move can be used to KO recovering foes by jumping directly at them, but this is only safe if the bounce of the connected hit allows Link to return to the stage. It should be noted that this move's downwards descent can be hastened by fast falling, although doing so is unwise near ledges. Also has substantial landing lag when the player lands on the ground while using the move if not L-cancelled. Usually considered to be Link's best aerial for shield pressure when Z-cancelled. Used competitively to end combos due to the knockback.
Grab		Hookshot	—	Link, along with Samus and Yoshi, has an "extended grab". He uses the Hookshot while standing. This allows him to grab opponents from a distance, but the grab is very laggy if it misses. This can lead to various unique combos due to the large grab range.
Forward throw		Kick Throw	14%	Violently kicks his foe forward with good power. Often throws the foe far enough to set up a quick boomerang or bomb-based edgeguard, or simply one of Link's aerials.
Back throw		Kick Back	16%	Takes the foe and kicks them directly behind him. Somewhat better KO power than his f-throw.
Floor attack (front)			6%	Slashes on both sides and gets up.
Floor attack (back)			6%	Slashes on both sides and gets up.
Edge attack (fast)			4%	Flips over and slashes outwards. Decent range.
Edge attack (slow)			4%	Slowly picks himself up and stabs at a slight upward angle.
Neutral special		Boomerang	9%	One of Link's two projectiles. Doing a "smash throw" (smash the Control Stick forward while pressing B; similar to performing a smash attack) increases the distance the boomerang can travel. The Control Stick can be tilted up or down to aim the boomerang's trajectory. Can edgeguard, and can be used during combos if Link is a distance away from the opponent, as the hitstun caused by it allows Link to continue his combo.
Up special		Spin Attack	21% if both hits connect	Though generally not good for recovery (though it is usually Link's only recovery option), Spin Attack is a powerful attack, especially on the ground. It covers a very short distance while recovering, which gives Link an abysmal recovery, which is often cited as the main reason why he is in bottom tier, as he can very easily be edgeguarded by most characters, especially Pikachu and Kirby.
Down special		Bomb	See here	Link's second projectile, it functions as an item. There are many techniques that can be performed with bombs, which can be read about here.

Taunt

• Lowers his right leg and raises his left arm (his sword arm), then pulls his right leg up, pushes his right knee out to his left, points his foot downwards so that the end of his left boot comes to about halfway up his left shinguard.

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. (N64) Character Matchups

Avg.

In Single-player

• In the game's single-player mode, Link is the first character the player battles, in which they must face him on Hyrule Castle.
• If the player is against Link in Single Player Mode on Very Easy, he will not attack or move until the player makes the first few strikes or after a period of time.

Strategies

Extended Boomerang

Link's boomerang (neutral special attack) goes farther if it is treated as a smash attack. Quickly tap the control stick to the side while hitting B to extend the range.

Bomb Recovery

Like Samus, Link can use his bombs to aid his recovery. However, unlike Samus, Link must use a bit of technical skill and timing. While recovering, pull out a bomb and drop it slowly below Link. Continue to DI toward the stage and then use his back aerial. This will cause Link to explode toward the platform. Use his Up B and land back safely. Note that Link will not be able to grab the edge because the explosion causes him to face the other direction. To counter this, throw his boomerang before using his Up B. This technique is extremely situational and extremely difficult to perform. Even if one could perform it poorly helps to recover in very few cases.

Bomb damages

• Explosion: 5%
• Throws
  • Tilt: 5%
  • Tilt Up: 5%
  • Tilt Down: 0%+5% (5%)
  • Dash: 9%+5% (14%)
  • Smash: 8%+5% (13%)
  • Smash Up: 8%+5% (13%)
  • Smash Down: 0%+5% (5%)
• Air Throws
  • Tilt: 7%+5% (12%)
  • Tilt Up: 8%+5% (13%)
  • Tilt Down: 8%+5% (13%)
  • Smash: 9%+5% (14%)
  • Smash Up: 11%+5% (16%)
  • Smash Down: 11%+5% (16%)

Description

From the Game

Link is the valiant boy hero of "Legend of Zelda" series in which he fights against the evil Ganon to recover the Triforce. Though his tools may change with each adventure, his strength and righteousness remain constant. With his trusty sword and a variety of weapons, he takes his adventures head on!

Works:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

From the Instruction Booklet

Link is the young fighter who protects the peace in the world of Hyrule. His skills with the sword are both varied and powerful.

Costumes

File:Alt-link.jpg

Link's changeable clothing in SSB

Trivia

• Link is one of the two characters to lack a meteor smash, the other being Pikachu.
• When Link picks up a battering item, his dash attack will show him using his sword and the item he's wielding.
• A level 3 Link CPU on any stage will always use a bomb as his first attack and a level 9 Link on the Hyrule Castle stage will always use his boomerang as his first attack, making them very predictable and easy to approach.
• Link is stronger in the European version of Smash 64, as his Side Smash causes 24% instead of 20% and he has better air speed, improving his recovery.
• In the Japanese version of Smash 64, Link's sword has a reflective "metal" effect, while the western version does not, making his sword look more like plastic. Link also has a much better up tilt.