The Legend of Zelda (universe)

File:ZeldaSymbol.png

The Legend of Zelda universe refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's long-running and famous Legend of Zelda game series. It is a series of fantasy adventure titles produced by Nintendo throughout the company's history. It is widely considered one of the most influential video game franchises ever created, and has earned a spot as one of the company's flagship franchises alongside such notable series as Mario and Metroid. It has had over fifteen official titles which together have sold 47 million units, making it the 7th best-selling video game series ever. Therefore, Zelda is heavily featured in the Super Smash Bros. series, with five separate characters playable in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl: The main hero Link, his Young Link and Toon Link incarnations, the titular Princess Zelda, her alternate ninja-like guise Sheik, and series villain Ganondorf.

Franchise description

In 1986, the development team of game designer Shigeru Miyamoto worked concurrently on two equally ambitious projects for the recently-released Famicom/NES: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. The team made a conscious effort to conceptually separate the two titles; while Mario was a linear platformer, Miyamoto wanted Zelda to feel like an open adventure that forced the player to think about what they should do next, and also to convey the idea of a game "world" that could be explored at one's leisure. Miyamoto drew his inspiration from his experiences around Kyoto in his early life, where he explored nearby fields, woods, and caves and realized the feeling that could be instilled by going on such an "adventure". Meanwhile, Miyamoto designed the player character, Link, as a coming of age motif for players to identify with; Link begins the game as an ordinary boy, but is strengthened by his quest until he triumphs over a great, evil force. Further revolutionary features of the title were a replay mode that, very unusually for the time, contained an entirely new set of more difficult levels - the "Second Quest" - and the first-ever instance of password-free progress-saving in any cartridge-based system or game, made possible by battery-powered RAM.

The Legend of Zelda, released in North America on August 1987, was an all-time bestseller for Nintendo, and much like Super Mario Bros. before it, it often appears on the highest spots in game publications' listings of the greatest games on the NES. It is often considered a spiritual forerunner of the RPG genre, more specifically the action RPG genre, despite lacking key RPG mechanics such as experience points, and is largely responsible for a surge of RPGs that focus on real-time action combat as well as puzzles. It was the spawning point for one of Nintendo's longest-running and most popular video game franchises, which as of 2013 has released over fifteen "primary" installments and several spin-offs. The now well-known "Zelda-style" Action RPG formula is central to almost all of the main series, which in some ways is ironic because the first Zelda sequel ever released, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, was the only game to feature a considerably different style of gameplay: a side-scrolling platformer with JPRG elements.

At least two other releases in the main series were arguably revolutionary in their own right. The third game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for Super Nintendo in early April 1992, advanced many of the conventions introduced by the original game's formula to resemble what a modern-day top-down Zelda-style game traditionally features, with refined combat, item-usage, puzzle-filled dungeon aspects, and more detail to the archetypal story. It is widely considered today to be one of the greatest video games ever released, and the many Zelda games that make use of this top-down style are typically relegated to Nintendo handhelds. However, even more momentous was the late-1998 release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64, which seamlessly converted the Zelda formula into a fully-realized and detailed three-dimensional world presented in the third person, and introduced what has since become common elements in 3D action-adventure games: a target-lock system to orient the player-character towards specific enemies and circle strafe around them in combat situations in areas with a freely rotatable camera, and context-sensitive buttons. On its initial release, it received perfect review scores from the majority of video game publications that reviewed it, and it sold over seven million copies worldwide. Like A Link to the Past for the top-down 2D perspective, Ocarina of Time introduced to the series the 3D-style of gameplay regularly used by console-based Zelda releases, which typically are the "biggest" releases in the series.

It is customary for at least one main Zelda title to be released over the lifespan of a given Nintendo console or handheld. Many of these adhere by default to a realistic, comparatively "adult" aesthetic, starting with Ocarina of Time and including titles as recent as Skyward Sword; however, in early 2003, a radically different "younger" alternative look and style was introduced into the series with the release of The Wind Waker for the GameCube. This introduces a heavily cartoon-stylized, cel-shaded design and graphical style both to Link and the rest of his world, and this exact "Toon Link" design and aesthetic is reused in several subsequent releases on Nintendo handhelds, all of which are separate from the games featuring the "adult" aesthetic. Given the nearly-Mario-scale importance and relevance the Zelda franchise has had both to Nintendo and to the industry as a whole, it is unfailingly one of the first franchises confirmed for a starring role in each game in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Later games in the Smash series have featured content from both the realistic and the cartoon Zelda styles.

Each of the Zelda games, for the most part, are self-contained variations on the same basic "legend": In a fantasy land named Hyrule, which had been created by a trio of goddesses that subsequently left behind embodiments of themselves and/or their power in a three-triangle artifact called the Triforce, a great evil - most often a demon named Ganon, or alternatively a powerful human sorceror named Ganondorf, depending on the game - threatens the land, and the only hope is for a young boy or man garbed in green, Link, in cooperation with a princess named Zelda, to go on an adventurous quest across Hyrule to smite the evil, most often with a blessed blade in an altar named the Master Sword. There is almost always some sort of variation to a given installment's narrative that ties both into the story and the gameplay; in some games there is a parallel world that Link must explore, while the world may be mostly covered in ocean in other games. Link himself may undertake his quest under a different set of circumstances each game, such as in Twilight Princess when he can transform into a wolf and receive assistance from an imp-like creature named Midna, or The Minish Cap where a talking hat he acquires allows him to shrink and grow back in size at will. Even Zelda's backstory, role, and relevance can vary between games, such as whether she is a classic damsel-in-distress or a capable ally of Link, but very rarely is any sort of romance between her and Link even implied.

Besides instances where some games are direct sequels and continuations to each other, there is usually no relevance in continuity between any of the seemingly independent portrayals of Hyrule. But this did not stop fans from speculating wildly on how all of the titles could be ordered in a chronological timeline that assumes Hyrule in all of these games is, in fact, the same world in different stages of its history, and that the reappearances of Link and related characters represent different individuals that are unwitting reincarnations of eras and Links from the past. But due to contradictions between games that arise when trying to place them all in a linear timeline, estimates were made that the Zelda chronology branched off into separate directions. On the 25th anniversary of the franchise, Nintendo posted an official timeline for the series that affirmed that there were, in fact, three separate timeline branches, and explained which games belong to which branch. The official ordering of The Legend of Zelda series is explained below:

• "Legend of the Gods & the Hero of Time": The beginning timeline before its triple-branch. After the creation of the heavens and Hyrule, the earliest chronological game is Skyward Sword (released on the Wii in November 2011), taking place on floating islands in the sky named Skyloft, which the goddess Hylia had lifted to safeguard the Hylian people from the hordes of the demon king Demise infesting the lands below. The original incarnations of Link and Zelda, living on Skyloft along with the other Hylians during this time, are involved in a quest that explains and lays the groundwork for the patterns shown in the rest of the series. Following this, the Sacred Realm wherein the Triforce resides is sealed, and Hyrule Kingdom is established. Then, in both The Minish Cap (released on the Game Boy Advance in January 2005) and Four Swords (released as part of a Game Boy Advance remake of A Link to the Past in December 2002), separate Links fight the wind mage Vaati. Finally, in Ocarina of Time (released for Nintendo 64 in November 1998), a child Link takes part in a pivotal moment of the timeline when an evil human sorcerer, the original Ganondorf, covets the Triforce beyond the Sacred Realm, and Link must regularly travel back and forth between periods separated seven years apart - with Link himself assuming the form of a teenager during his time in the later period - and receive help from the enigmatic Sheik in order to defeat Ganondorf and the monstrous form Ganondorf eventually assumes, Ganon.

• "Hyrule's Decline & The Last Hero": This first timeline branch assumes Link is defeated in his battle against Ganon in Ocarina of Time. This leads to A Link to the Past (released for the SNES in April 1992), where a Link has to contend with the revival of the demonic Ganon at the hands of the wizard Agahnim. The most recentl Zelda game, A Link Between Worlds, is a direct continuation of this setting. What is likely the same Link then contends with separate villains named Onox and Veran in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (a simultaneous, interlinking pair of Game Boy Color games released by Capcom in May 2001), which may lead to another revival for Ganon that Link must destroy. The same Link stars in one more game, Link's Awakening (released for Game Boy in August 1993), where during a voyage outside Hyrule to hone his skills, Link washes ashore on Koholint Island, and must wake the island guardian, a whale called the Wind Fish, to return home. Taking place in an era after this are the original Legend of Zelda (released for NES in August 1987), where a Link defeats a revived Ganon and saves a princess named Zelda, and the followup The Adventure of Link (released for NES in December 1988), where the same Link goes on a quest to awaken a different Zelda while avoiding getting killed by followers of Ganon seeking to revive the demon once more.

• "The Dark World & The Hero's Descendants": The second timeline branch assumes Ganondorf was never able to enter the Sacred Realm in Ocarina of Time, and therefore much of that game's quest never transpired and Link never left being a child; instead, Ganondorf faced execution. Beginning this "child timeline" is Majora's Mask (released for Nintendo 64 in October 2000), where Link ends up in an alternate world called Termina, where a Skull Kid under the evil influence of the eponymous mask has set the moon on a collision course into the land. Link must use a time-resetting method to repeatedly relive the 72-hour time period before doomsday so that he has the time to set up the means to avert Termina's fate. A century later, in Twilight Princess (released for GameCube and Wii by December 2006), a Link is thrust from a life as a ranch-hand into a world-spanning quest against the forces of the king of an alternate twilight realm, Zant, and he is forced into the form of a wolf whenever he enters a twilight-covered area of Hyrule and must accept help from the Twilight native Midna to compensate. Finally, in Four Swords Adventures (released for GameCube in June 2004), another Link goes to battle against Vaati's last chronological appearance.

• "The Hero of Wind & A New World": The third timeline branch is the one that results from Link's defeat and sealing of Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, as seen in the ending of Ocarina of Time; it is referred to as the "adult" timeline. At a later date, Ganondorf is revived, and the gods flood Hyrule to seal him back; this sets the stage for The Wind Waker (released for GameCube in March 2003), where a young Link sets sail on what is initially a quest to rescue his sister from a monstrous bird, but later on becomes a fight against a once-again-revived Ganondorf. A direct sequel to this game is Phantom Hourglass (released for Nintendo DS in October 2007), where a ghost ship steals away Link's ally Tetra, and he must enlist the help of a reluctant steamboat captain, Linebeck, to rediscover her. Finally, a century later, Spirit Tracks (released for Nintendo DS in December 2009) takes place on a newly-discovered continent that has since been civilized with an extensive railroad network, and an incarnation of Link that is an aspiring railroad engineer is accompanied by Zelda in spirit (quite literally) on a quest to discover why the tracks are disappearing.

In Super Smash Bros.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the most recent Zelda game at the time of the release of Super Smash Bros., and certainly the most popular and notable at the time because of its 3D nature on the N64, so it was very easy to feature Zelda content from this chronology and dimension into the N64 fighter.

Character

• 
  Link: A teenage sword-and-shield fighter with elven ears, a green tunic, and a long floppy cap, the Link from Ocarina of Time was formerly a young boy from a forest but was divinely chosen to oppress the future rule of Ganondorf by being transported seven years into the future, where he became a brave, capable warrior in his older form and wielded the Master Sword along with the Triforce piece of Courage and was assisted by Princess Zelda in the form of the mysterious Sheik to combat Ganondorf. Link is never heard speaking throughout the games; he is only heard grunting and yelling in his many battles. He fights in Smash 64 with his various tools from Ocarina of Time. His Boomerang is a good projectile for spacing and his smash attacks, though powerful and great to use in the single-player mode, are slow to execute, and his recovery is arguably the worst in the game. This actually makes Link a fighter in the second lowest possible tier (next to Samus and tied to Luigi) for the competitive metagame.

Stage

Like most other franchises in Smash 64, there is one Zelda-themed stage featured:

• Hyrule Castle: A somewhat wide stage taking place on the top of the castle seen in Ocarina of Time. The castle is where the royal family governs the land of Hyrule. Whirlwinds pop up here from time to time, though it seems to be more in reference to the transportation whirlwind seen in the first Legend of Zelda than anything in Ocarina.

Item

There is one Zelda-themed item in Smash 64:

• Heart Container: In Ocarina and any other Zelda game, when Link defeats a boss, he wins one of these which increases his total life meter by one heart. As an item, any character who picks it up will have his life meter completely healed, making this a powerful item.

Music

• 7: A remix of the classic Zelda theme heard since the original The Legend of Zelda. It is heard on Hyrule Castle.
• 17: The victory fanfare of Link is an orchestration borrowing elements from the traditional "adventuring music" heard in Zelda games.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

In the GameCube sequel of Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Zelda franchise is much more substantially represented.

Characters

Five of the 25+ fighters are characters from the Ocarina of Time dimension, making Zelda the second most represented franchise after Mario if their sub-series were to be counted for.

• 
  Link: Returning from the original with a somewhat redesigned moveset and a chargeable bow-and-arrow as a new neutral special move, Link becomes somewhat higher-tier than before, but not very much because his Smash-A moves lack knockback. A major difference from the original is that his recovery move has drastically increased in height.
  
• 
  Young Link: A new fighter that functions as a clone of Link. As a Melee fighter, Young Link is expectedly less strong and resilient than Link, but with added strength in some of his other moves, as well as the ability to wall-jump.
  
• 
  Zelda/Sheik: Zelda/Sheik refers to both Zelda and Sheik as one character slot, and it also refers to players who alternate between the two characters. Zelda is unique in that she is the only character who transforms into another character in the midst of battle, the nimble Sheik, who may also transform back into Zelda. Unlike in Brawl, not many people use both Zelda and Sheik in Melee and the union of the two is not considered as its own character slot in the tier list.

• 
  Zelda: A newcomer and unique fighter. As a Melee fighter, Zelda strikes strong but is not all that agile. She mainly uses magic and fire attacks. Players often prefer to fight as her quicker counterpart Sheik and usually do not transform back into Zelda because of how long it takes; However, Zelda's up special reaches significantly farther than Sheik's, which some Sheik users will take advantage of by transforming into Zelda and using the move for spacing or to recovery.
  
• 
  Sheik: A new and original fighter, Sheik is the alter-ego to the slower and heavier Zelda. As a Melee fighter, it is widely agreed that Sheik's special moves are not especially useful, yet in spite of that her fighting style affords her a very high position in the tier list. Sheik is not selectable from the character select screen and can only be accessed by transforming from Zelda or by holding the A button at the beginning of a match when playing as Zelda, which allows players to begin the match as Sheik.
  

• 
  Ganondorf: A new fighter that functions as a clone of Captain Falcon, sharing many animations and all special attacks, but with a significantly heavier, slower, and stronger nature, in addition to "dark" effects instead of fire effects. As a fighter, Ganondorf is powerful enough that it practically compensates for his lack of speed in the competitive metagame.
  

In addition, a modified version of Link seen in Event 18: Link's Adventure is named Dark Link and is sometimes considered a separate character. A pitch-black Link model, Dark Link is not playable without hacking. Its appearance in Ocarina of Time was as a sub-boss for Link to fight in the Water Temple, and it mirrored his every movement, so it was tricky to damage and defeat without killing oneself.

Common Enemies

Melee features some easily KO'ed common enemies from Ocarina of Time in the Adventure Mode stage Underground Maze.

• ReDeads: These hollow zombies, forged from dark magic, they would bite onto you and do damage before letting go. In Ocarina they also demonstrated the ability to paralyze Link to where he was standing with their gazes.
• Octoroks: Octopus-like creatures that can shoot nuts from their cannon-like mouths at Link in many Zelda-series games and at characters in Melee. They are modeled off their appearances from Ocarina of Time.
• Like-Likes: Giant leech-like creatures that would swallow up Link and digest his shield before spitting him back out in many Zelda games. They incapacitate a character temporarily in Melee and damage him before spitting him back out. These are modeled off their Ocarina of Time appearances.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. Melee features two stages representative of the Zelda franchise, like several other franchises in Melee:

• Temple: A fan-favorite stage, this does not necessarily represent a specific location in any Zelda game, though it does bear semblance to the temples in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. It is essentially a generic depiction of the sorts of ruins that Link descends into and explores in many of his games. It is a gigantic stage, the largest seen thus far in Melee, and it is banned from much competitive tournament play because of how much room for stalling tactics the stage layout allows. The cave-like paths lead on down the center-left of the stage represent the cave-like areas Link often explores in his games as well.
• Termina: Great Bay: This stage is based on the N64 sequel to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, a game where Young Link travels to another country away from Hyrule called Termina, and he must save the country from being annihilated by an evil moon's collision course into the ground by awakening four giants. This takes place in the west coast of Termina where the third of the four dungeons in the game lies.

In addition, a stage based on the Majora's Mask trophy is featured as the battleground for Trophy Tussle 3. It is designed in the shape of Majora's Mask, the main antagonist from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The trophy Majora's Mask is earned for completing the event.

Also, level 3 of the game's Adventure Mode is titled Underground Maze, where the player must contend with common Zelda enemies, those being Octoroks and ReDeads, and try to avoid fights with Link to reach the stage's randomly placed exit, consisting of the Triforce above an altar. It is not a stage available for multiplay.

Items

There are two Zelda items featured in Melee:

• Bunny Hood: A new item, it is equipped by the character to drastically increase that character's walking speed, running speed, jumping height, and falling speed for about 20 seconds.
• Heart Container: Returns from Smash 64. While it still heals, it now restores only up to 100% damage in normal play rather than all % points to the character that picks it up. In All-Star Mode, however, it heals fully provided the character remains within the Rest Area until their damage reaches 0%.

Music

• 5: Great Bay: An orchestration of the "official" Legend of Zelda theme, heard throughout the Zelda series and introduced in the original Legend of Zelda for NES. It is heard in Great Bay.
• 6: Temple: An orchestration of dungeon music heard in Zelda II: Link's Adventure for NES. It is heard as the primary track of Temple, and also in the Underground Maze area of the Adventure mode.
• 31: Saria's Theme: A simple flute-based remix of Saria's Song from The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time for N64. It is heard as a secondary track in Great Bay and often accompanies Young Link in his single-player appearances.
• 40: Zelda Team Victory: The victory fanfare of Link, Zelda, Sheik, Young Link, and Ganondorf is an orchestration borrowing elements from the traditional "adventuring music" heard in Zelda games.

Full Trophy List

• Link's three game trophies
• Zelda's three game trophies
• Sheik's three game trophies
• Young Link's three game trophies
• Ganondorf's three game trophies
• Heart Container
• Bunny Hood
• Lon Lon Milk
• Tingle
• Moon
• Four Giants
• Turtle
• Master Sword
• Majora's Mask
• Ocarina of Time
• Goron
• Marin
• ReDead
• Octorok
• Like-Like

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a base franchise for the Smash series, representation from The Legend of Zelda came as no surprise revealed as being featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Characters

On the final character select screen (after all characters are unlocked), the Zelda characters take up the third column.

• 
  Link: Link has been confirmed to return in Brawl but he is depicted as his Twilight Princess incarnation rather than his Ocarina of Time incarnation. Some of his moves have also been slightly modified to reflect on the Twilight Princess versions of his items. Link now has the Gale Boomerang as his Side B, which will slightly drag the opponent towards Link upon its return. Link's Bow is now the Hero's Bow, though it seems to be identical in function, and Link can now charge his Spin Attack, but only while standing, not while in the air. Link's grab has also been changed to the Clawshot, which not only appears to be longer than the Hookshot, but also automatically aims towards the nearest ledge when Link is recovering. His Final Smash is the Triforce Slash, which does heavy, prolonged, and concentrated damage towards one opponent.
• 
  Toon Link: Link's childlike incarnation as seen in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and other games is introduced in Brawl as the spiritual successor to Young Link. While not a heavy clone of Link, Toon Link has the same basic special moves and Final Smash, but all with important differences.
• 
  Zelda/Sheik:Zelda and Sheik return as a character slot in Brawl, mostly unchanged from Melee. Even though Sheik and Zelda are rated lower in the tier list and they are used less often, some smashers use Zelda and Sheik together. Also, they have their own Character slot in the tier list and they are one spot above Sheik. Zelda has to be used approximately as much as Sheik for it to be referred as Zelda/Sheik and simply using Zelda for her recovery doesn't really count.
  • 
    Zelda: Zelda also returns from the last game, also based on her Twilight Princess incarnation, with Sakurai claiming that she now has a "more subdued color scheme." She is a slow yet light character, but when her attacks hit right, they can be powerful. She retains her ability to transform into Sheik during battle and can be selected between the two on the character select screen. Zelda's Final Smash, is the Light Arrow.

• 
  Sheik: Sheik returns as a playable character once again, and retains her ability to transform into Zelda during battle and can be selected between the two on the character select screen. She didn't appear in Twilight Princess but her appearance has been based on a "beta Sheik" that was meant to appear in Twilight Princess, but whose design was never seen by anyone but Eiji Aonuma and his development team. She still has her own moveset but shares her Final Smash with Zelda.

• 
  Ganondorf: Ganondorf returns in Brawl as well, in his Twilight Princess appearance. This time, Ganondorf is quite different from his Melee incarnation, having very different animations for his moves when compared to Captain Falcon, who he was considered a clone of in Melee. He is still one of the archetypal heavyweights of Brawl. Ganondorf's Final Smash is Beast Ganon.

Stages

• 
  Bridge of Eldin: The majority of this stage is based off Twilight Princess. With an immensely wide flat bridge location where an enemy character from the game, King Bulblin riding upon Lord Bullbo, will ride through and damage combatants, and drop bombs that will destroy sections of the bridge. Shortly afterward, a portal to the Twilight Realm will open in the sky and magically fill in the gap with a new piece.

• 
  Pirate Ship: Based off the enormous ocean Link must cross in Wind Waker, characters fight on Tetra's pirate ship, passing by cannons that fire cannonballs, getting swept up in a twister, and getting flung clean up into the sky and plunging back down into the ocean. Sometimes the ship will crash into a giant rock and won't be able to move anymore.

• 
  Melee Stages: Temple: One of the few stages known to return from the previous game, it has only got some minor differences such as a few areas that differ [especially the removal of the edge near the bottom right of the fight club] and the addition of My Music.

It is the only Melee stage to receive a new song: a remix of the Great Palace theme from Zelda II.

Items

• Heart Container: Returning from Smash 64 and Melee, the Heart Container continues to heal damage up to 100% in normal play, and all damage in All-Star Mode and Boss Battles mode (in the latter cases, the player no longer needs to wait until fully healed before moving onward).
• Bunny Hood: Returning from Melee unchanged, the Bunny Hood is also available as a mode in Special Brawl.
• Deku Nut: A new item introduced in Brawl, taken from Ocarina of Time - when the Deku Nut is thrown at an opponent, it causes large knockback on contact. If it goes off near an enemy, they will be stunned temporarily.

Assist Trophy

• Tingle: Being the only Assist Trophy to represent the Legend of Zelda universe, Tingle chants his famous line "Tingle! Tingle! Kooloo-limpah!" and performs a random event on the stage, like summoning a bouquet of flowers or hordes of hammers.

Music

See List of SSBB Music (The Legend of Zelda series).

• Main Theme (The Legend of Zelda) - An orchestrated version of main theme of the series. Is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• Ocarina of Time Medley - As might be expected from the title, this music is a medley of Zelda's Lullaby, Sun's Song, Minuet of Forest, Bolero of Fire, Boss Theme Intro, Song of Storms, Lon Lon Ranch, Song of Time, and Saria's Song from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage. This song is also played during both Zelda and Sheik's Classic Mode credits.
• Title (The Legend of Zelda) - An epic mix of both the title screen of the original The Legend of Zelda and the dungeon music from the same game. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• The Dark World - An atmospheric mix of the theme of the Dark World from A Link to the Past. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• The Hidden Mountains & Forests - The background music that played on the Dark World versions of the Lost Woods and Death Mountain from A Link to the Past. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• Hyrule Field Theme - The theme of Hyrule Field as depicted in Ocarina of Time. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• Main Theme (Twilight Princess) - Taken directly from Twilight Princess, this is the theme of Hyrule Field as depicted in said game. It is the theme of the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• The Hidden Village - Taken directly from Twilight Princess, this is the song that was played during the monster shoot during Link's first visit to the Hidden Village. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• Midna's Lament - Taken directly from Twilight Princess, this is the song that played from the end of the Lakebed Temple until you met Princess Zelda; after Midna is attacked by Zant. It is used on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
• Dragon Roost Island - The theme of Dragon Roost Island from The Wind Waker, which this song is taken directly from. It is the theme of the Pirate Ship stage.
• The Great Sea: The theme while sailing on the Great Sea in The Wind Waker. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage.
• Tal Tal Heights - A techno medley of both the overworld theme and the Tal Tal Heights theme from Link's Awakening. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage. This song is also played during Link's Classic Mode credits.
• Song of Storms - A medley of three separate themes from Ocarina of Time—the Song of Storms, Ganondorf's theme, and the Serenade of Water. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage.
• Gerudo Valley - Taken directly from Ocarina of Time, this was the background music of the entirety of Gerudo Valley in said game. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage. This song is also played during Ganondorf's Classic Mode credits.
• Molgera Battle - Taken directly from The Wind Waker, this was the music that played during the battle against Molgera, the boss of the Wind Temple. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage.
• Village of the Blue Maiden - The theme of the restored Village of the Blue Maiden from Four Swords Adventures, which is itself a remix of the Kakariko Village theme from A Link to the Past. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage. This song is also used during Toon Link's Classic Mode credits.
• Termina Field - Taken directly from Majora's Mask, this was the theme of the main overworld area. It is used on the Pirate Ship stage.
• Temple (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee, it is the theme of the Temple stage.
• Great Temple/Temple - A remix of the Great Temple and Temple themes from Zelda II. It is used on the Temple stage. It is notable for being the only song to play on a Melee stage that is not taken directly from Melee.
• Legend of Zelda victory theme - The Zelda series victory theme has been altered from the one in the original and Melee to the original The Legend of Zelda's "Triforce Shard Obtained" theme.

Trophies

Link Triforce Slash (Link) Zelda Light Arrow (Zelda) Sheik Light Arrow (Sheik) Ganondorf Beast Ganon Toon Link Triforce Slash (Toon Link) Heart Container Bunny Hood Deku Nuts Tingle Wolf Link Robed Zelda (With Hood) Midna Ilia Malo Zant

King Bulblin Agitha Darknut Bulblin Ooccoo and Son Shadow Beast Yeta Ashei Darbus Ralis Goron Zora Sages Outset Link Zelda (Wind Waker) Ganondorf (Wind Waker) Medli Aryll Tetra Helmaroc King

Salvatore Link's Grandma Valoo Pigs Great Fairy King of Red Lions Pirate Ship

Sticker

Lon Lon Milk Phantom Ganon Link's Bow and Arrow Link (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) Barkle Boomerang Colin Daphnes Nohanssen Hyrule Darknut Deku Baba Deku Nut Epona & Link Ezlo Fairy Fierce Deity Link Ganondorf Goron Happy Mask Salesman Hero's Bow Hookshot

Horse Call King Bulbin & Lord Bullbo King Dodongo King of Red Lions & Link Legend of Outset Link Link's Grandmom Link w/ Goron Mask Medli Moblin Ocarina of Time Octorok Phantom Ganon Pinkle Postman ReDead Rusl Salvatore Shadow Beast

Sheik Skull Kid Skulltula Spinner Tetra The Great Fairy Tingle Valoo Young Zelda Zant Zelda

In Super Smash Bros. 4

The Legend of Zelda universe is also represented in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Characters

Playable

• 
  Link: Link makes an expected appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. His appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is similar to how he appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but his design in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U appears to mix his designs from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword (the "Hero Chosen by the Gods" and the first incarnation of the Spirit of the Hero).
• 
  Toon Link: Toon Link returns in Super Smash Bros. 4 as well, continuing the dual representation of variations on Link that has been present in the series since Melee. This incarnation of Link originates from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, known as the "Hero of Winds."
• 
  Zelda: Zelda returns in this game. She can no longer transform into Sheik but can instead summon a Phantom to aid her in battle. Her design is from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
• 
  Sheik: Sheik returns as a stand-alone character from Zelda. She will have two new special moves like the Burst Grenade (side special) and the Bouncing Fish (down special).

Assist Trophies

• Skull Kid appears as an Assist Trophy, and has been shown flipping the screen upside down.
• Midna was been shown as a new Assist Trophy. She will grab opponents with her hair.

Unknown

• A Cucco has been shown, but it is unknown whether it is an item or Assist Trophy.

Trophies

• Saria (3DS)
• Fi (Wii U)

Stages

• Skyloft: Skyloft appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as a touring stage, similar to Delfino Plaza, allowing characters to fight in various areas of Skyloft.
• Gerudo Valley: Gerudo Valley, using its design in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, is a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Kotake and Koume have also been confirmed to appear on the stage in some capacity.
• Spirit Train: Spirit Train is another stage from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, where characters fight atop the Spirit Train from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Items

• Beetle: A new item taken from Skyward Sword. When used on enemies, it will grapple onto them and lift them up into the air, off the stage.
• Fairy in a Bottle: A new item that has been part of the Zelda series since the beginning - When used, it heals over 100% of ones life force.
• Gust Bellows: This new item will blow opponents away. If dropped the wind will run wild.
• Bombchu: It will run up walls and will explode when someone touches it.
• Bunny Hood: This item returns from Brawl, but it is unknown if it will give the same effects.

Games with elements from or in the Super Smash Bros. series

The Legend of Zelda (original)

Link, the hero of the game and the entire series, is a playable character for all 4 SSB titles. Also, Princess Zelda, who was also in this game, became a playable character in both Super Smash Bros. Melee, Brawl, and SSB4. Various pieces of artwork from the game are findable in Brawl's sticker mode. In addition, the enemies Octorok and Like Like first appeared in this game. The game is also available as a playable masterpiece in Brawl.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Despite the fact that most players consider Zelda II to be the "black sheep" of the Legend of Zelda series, the Super Smash Bros. series features a relatively large amount of Zelda II content. This is due to the fact that like Super Smash Bros., Zelda II features platformer-style jumping and attacking gameplay; it is, in fact, the only game in the Legend of Zelda series that can be considered a platformer.

Some of Link's moves in the Super Smash Bros. series originated in this game, such as his down aerial and up aerial. The Temple stage, which appears in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, is derived from the palaces in this game, although no location in Hyrule is truly similar to the Temple stage. The primary music for the Temple stage in both Melee and Brawl, as well as one of its known alternate themes in Brawl, is taken from this game. The Underground Maze level in Melee's Adventure Mode is similar to the palaces of Zelda II and plays the aforementioned primary theme from the Temple stage. Event 18: Link's Adventure is based on this game, as Link is forced to fight Dark Link on the Temple stage. This is very reminiscent of Zelda II's final boss battle against Dark Link. The name of the Event match also references the game.

In Brawl, Link's black costume is Dark Link, who debuted in this game, although he appears as he did in a cutscene from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, as opposed to his completely black form. However, Dark Link's original completely black look is seen in the Event match, Dark Link Duel, which is very similar to the aforementioned Event match in Melee, although Dark Link is fought on the Bridge of Eldin stage as opposed to the Temple stage, despite the fact that Temple returns as a Melee Stage.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

One of the trophies in Melee, Marin, is a character from this game. Uniquely, this is the only Zelda series trophy that does not depict a character from the games from which the fighters come (namely, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask in Melee, and The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in Brawl). Also, the Tal Tal Heights music track that plays on Pirate Ship comes from this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

File:ZeldaOoTbox.jpg

Ocarina of Time USA "Player's Choice" box

Characters:

• Link is based on his Ocarina Of Time look in both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, his various costumes are based on the Goron, Zora and Kokiri tunic, as well as the white outfit from the original The Legend Of Zelda, and in "Brawl", Navi, is in The Subspace Emissary as well as in Link's side taunt.
• Ganondorf, Ganon's Gerudo form, that made it's first appearance in Ocarina Of Time, is featured in this game and appears as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

In Brawl, this version of Ganondorf appears as an alternate coloring scheme for Ganondorf, who otherwise appears as he does in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

• Sheik, Zelda's alter-ego in Ocarina of Time, is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. They are the first inter-changeable characters within the Smash Bros. series.

Zelda also features her Ocarina of Time appearance as an alternate coloring in Brawl

• Young Link, one of the characters exclusive to Melee, is also modeled on his appearance in Ocarina of Time and has costumes and attacks similar to Link, but wields a Kokiri sword and Deku Shield.

Stages:

• Hyrule Castle in Super Smash Bros. is based on the Ocarina of Time design, although it does incorporate elements from earlier games.
• Gerudo Valley is a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, using its design from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

Enemies:

• ReDeads,
• Like Likes, and
• Octoroks appear in Melee as enemies in Stage 2 of the Adventure Mode and occasionally inside crates.

Items: Items such as Deku Nuts (from Brawl) and the Bunny Hood (Melee) debut in this game.

Music:

Melee:

• Saria's Song

Brawl:

• Hyrule Field Theme
• Ocarina of Time Medley
• Song of Storms
• Gerudo Valley

All songs apart from Gerudo Valley are remixed.

Trophies:

• Link (SSBM)
• Link (Smash 1)
• Link (Smash 2)
• Young Link (SSBM)
• Young Link (Smash 1)
• Young Link (Smash 2)
• Zelda (SSBM)
• Zelda (Smash 1)
• Zelda (Smash 2)
• Sheik (SSBM)
• Sheik (Smash 1)
• Sheik (Smash 2)
• Ganondorf (SSBM)
• Ganondorf (Smash 1)
• Ganondorf (Smash 2)
• Heart Container
• Bunny Hood
• Master Sword
• ReDead
• Octorok
• Like Like
• Goron
• Ocarina Of Time

Stickers:

• Deku Baba: [Arm, Leg] Attack +4
• Deku Nut: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +4
• Epona & Link: [Arm, Leg] Attack +9
• Ganondorf: [Darkness] Attack +29
• Goron: [Arm] Attack +21
• Hookshot: [Weapon] Attack +4
• King Dodongo: [Flame] Attack +38
• King Zora: [Electric] Resistance +33
• Lon Lon Milk: Launch Power +18
• Ocarina Of Time: [Arm] Attack +4
• Octorok: [Leg] Attack +4
• Phantom Ganon: [Darkness] Attack +40
• ReDead: [Weapon] Attack +5
• Sheik: [Body, Spin] Attack +17
• Skull Kid: [Darkness] Attack +7
• Skulltula: [Arm] Attack +7
• Young Zelda: [Electric] Attack +20
• Zelda: [Flame] Resistance +18
• Zora: Launch Resistance +31

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

• Even though the Bunny Hood had originated in Ocarina of Time, it was in this game where its speed-up functionality was defined; therefore, the item itself is derived from this game.

• Tingle, who appeared in Majora's Mask, appears in the Super Smash Bros. Melee stage Great Bay. In addition, Great Bay's background makes a reference to the game's ending, featuring four giants rescuing the town from an apocalypse caused by the moon crashing into the Earth. Also, the game's main antagonist and namesake, Majora's Mask, appears as a trophy and a stage for Trophy Tussle 3. Tingle also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy, albeit in his Wind Waker redesign.

• The Termina Field soundtrack is featured in Brawl, where it can be found in the stage Pirate Ship.

• The Skull Kid appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4 wearing Majora's Mask as he did in this game.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

• Toon Link's look and basic attacks are derived from this game, in fact his official artwork is basically a 3D version of a piece of artwork for The Wind Waker.

Levels: The game's overworld, the Great Sea appears as Toon Link's home stage, it is based on Tetra's pirate ship from the games (although shrunk a fair bit) and contains a similar graphic style and elements from the game, such as a Tornado, the cannon and a Sea platform that fires bombs at a player. Assist Trophies:

• Tingle appears as an Assist Trophy, where he does his signature dance and random items appear. Tingle's look, voice, and actions are based on his appearance in The Wind Waker.

Music: All the music from the Wind Waker has been taken directly from it with no changes.

• The Great Sea
• Dragon Roost Island
• Vs Molgera

Trophies:

• Toon Link
• Tingle
• Outset Link
• Zelda (Wind Waker)
• Ganondorf (Wind Waker)
• Medli
• Aryll
• Tetra
• Helmaroc King
• Salvatore
• Link's Grandma
• Valoo
• Pigs
• Great Fairy
• The King Of Red Lions
• Pirate Ship

Stickers:

• Aryll [Electric] Resistance +8
• Boomerang [Weapon] Attack +4
• Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule [Electric] Attack +31
• Darknut [Slash] Attack +13
• Ganondorf [Darkness] Attack +33
• King Of Red Lions and Link [Explosive] Attack +20
• Legend Of Outset [Arm] Attack +26
• Link & Pigs, Sticker Drops +40
• Link [Flame] Attack +31
• Link's Grandma [Arm, Leg] Attack +2
• Makar [Slash] Resistance +4
• Medli [Leg] Attack +9
• Moblin [Slash] Attack +15
• Salvatore [Electric] Attack +9
• Tetra [Flame] Attack +25
• The Great Fairy [Magic] Attack +21
• Tingle [Flame] Resistance +24
• Valoo [Specials:Indirect] Attack +19

Taunts:

• The Wind Waker appears in one of Toon Link's taunts.
• Toon Link looks around, similar to what happens if he stands still in The Wind Waker.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

In this game, Link is able to collect various figurines of characters and locations, similar to trophies in the Smash series. While figurines appeared in The Wind Waker first, in The Minish Cap they are collected almost exactly as trophies are in Melee's Lottery (increasing payment amount to increase odds of getting a new one). The only difference is that instead of using the game's normal currency, Rupees, Link uses Mysterious Shells.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Link, Zelda and Ganondorf's Brawl designs are based on their Twilight Princess appearance.

Link's weapons have been updated to their Twilight Princess incarnations, such as his Gale Boomerang and his Clawshot. His old Bow has been replaced by the Hero's Bow, and the speed and range of its arrows has been noticeably increased.

Ganondorf also receives his Twilight Princess look in Brawl as well. However, his moveset remains largely unaltered from Melee, albeit with new, improved animations - arguably the most significant change to his moveset is his new Side Special move, Flame Choke, which originates from this game. The fact that Ganondorf's moveset remains generally the same greatly contradicts his Twilight Princess appearance, as he fought almost exclusively with a sword in that game, with only the occasional elbow jab or swift kick (said kick is in fact Ganondorf's new Side tilt in Brawl). He does, however, show off the sword with which he fights in Twilight Princess in his Down taunt. Masahiro Sakurai made mention of the criticism that Ganondorf receives from fans over the disuse of the blade on the Smash Bros. DOJO!!.

Stages:

The Bridge of Eldin stage is from Twilight Princess and is the first stage in the Super Smash Bros. series to be pulled directly from a game. King Bulbin appears after some time, sometimes followed by a Bulblin, and he can destroy the middle section of the bridge. The warp portal that brings the bridge piece back is also derived from Twilight Princess.

Music:

Music from Twilight Princess appears on the Bridge Of Eldin stage. These tracks are:

• Main Theme (Twilight Princess);
• The Hidden Village;
• Midna's Lament.

Items:

In Brawl, the Heart Container item has been updated to match their appearance in Twilight Princess, and the design of Deku Nuts, one of the items introduced in Brawl, is also taken from the game.

Trophies:

Trophies based on characters or events from Twilight Princess include:

• Link
• Triforce Slash (Link)
• Zelda
• Light Arrow (Zelda)
• Ganondorf
• Dark Beast Ganon
• Wolf Link
• Robed Zelda
• Midna
• Ilia
• Malo
• Zant
• King Bulbin
• Agitha
• Darknut
• Bulbin
• Occoo and Son
• Shadow Beast
• Yeta
• Ashei
• Darbus
• Ralis
• Goron
• Zora
• Sages

Stickers:

Stickers based on character, items, and artwork from Twilight Princess include:

• Colin [SPECIALS: Direct]- Attack +4
• Fairy [Tail] - Attack +7
• Green Rupee [Body, Spin] - Attack +5
• Hero's Bow [Slash] - Attack +8
• Horse Call [Magic] - Attack +9
• Hylian Shield [Slash]- Resistance +10
• King Bulbin and Lord Bulbo [Leg] - Attack +19
• Lantern [Flame] - Resistance +7
• Link [Slash] Resistance +27
• Malo - Launch Resistance +19
• Midna and Wolf Link [Leg] - Attack +26
• Midna - Dizzy Time -50
• Ooccoo [Explosive] - Attack +7
• Piece Of Heart - Heart Container Effect +50
• Postman [Leg] - Attack +11
• Rusl [Explosive] - Attack +11
• Shadow Beast [Darkness] - Attack +28
• Spinner [Body, Spin] - Attack +4
• Zant [Weapon] - Attack +7

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Stages: The Spirit Train stage originates from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Stages: Skyloft, a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Items: The beetle item originates in this game.

Trivia

• The Legend of Zelda is one of three universes to introduce a new character in every released Super Smash Bros. game, the others being Star Fox and Pokémon.

External links

• Zelda Wiki