Link swings his sword in an arc above himself, dealing 10% damage, low vertical knockback, and having fairly quick speed, especially compared to his other moves. It can chain into itself at low to moderate percentages, and at moderately high percentages, it can lead into many other moves, such as forward tilt, forward smash, or Boomerang. An up tilt followed by a forward smash can be used as a KO setup at higher percentages, especially on fastfallers, with a forward tilt also having enough power to get the opponent far offstage so Link can followup with some ledge play. Additionally, at very low percentages, an up smash can be used to setup an up tilt chain. The angle of the attack changes slightly when facing left or right; when facing right, it knocks opponents slightly more to the right, and vice versa. The move can usually KO at around 200% and above.
In the Japanese version of Smash 64, the move was significantly stronger, as it dealt 15% damage (an extra 5% compared to other versions), as well as sending opponents directly upwards. This made the move a much stronger KO move as well as giving it more combo potential at lower percents. This does however give the move less combo potential at higher percents although a stale up tilt could still lead to a down aerial or a Spin Attack for a KO confirm. It also had more range and the move's higher damage made it even safer on shield (being +9 on shield) to the point where it could be used as a shield break combo if used repeatedly.
.png){kind=small}
Slash
Damage (15% → 10%).
These changes improve its combo potential at higher percents.
