The Legend of Zelda series has produced some of the best video games of all time. The face of this series is Link, who is a teenager that tends to start out from humble beginnings, before being sent on a journey to try and rescue Princess Zelda from whoever has captured her this week.

There are various different incarnations of Link, as only a few of The Legend of Zelda titles are direct sequels. There is a recurring pattern in the history of Hyrule that involves three beings appearing who each possess a piece of the Triforce. This means that Link (the bearer of the Triforce of Courage), Zelda (the beater of the Triforce of Wisdom) and a third being (usually Ganondorf) possessing or seeking the Triforce of Power.

The fact that there are different versions of Link means that each of them possesses different abilities and capabilities from the other. The Link from Skyward Sword could wield his sword in a manner different from any of his descendants, while the Link from Breath of the Wild was cursed with breaking every weapon that he finds within the space of a few hits.

We are here today to unravel the secrets behind the many iterations of the hero of Hyrule: from the time he almost became a member of The Avengers, to the truth behind what he carries in his pants.

Here are Twenty Weird Things About Link’s Body Fans Forgot!

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It has been a common occurrence for third-party games on Nintendo systems to receive exclusive content that is related to one of Nintendo's first-party franchises. This has happened recently with the Switch port of Diablo III, which will receive an outfit based on Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 

The Nintendo Wii version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance was originally going to feature Link and Samus as exclusive characters, but the developers forgot to ask for Nintendo's permission before their inclusion, which led to Nintendo refusing to allow their intellectual property to appear in the game. The character artwork for Link in Marvel Ultimate Alliance has since appeared online.

A lot of The Legend of Zelda games involve switching between different settings, like the Light World/Dark World of A Link to the Past and the past & present of Ocarina of Time. 

The first game in The Legend of Zelda series was originally intended to have two settings that Link would have to travel between. Link was meant to journey between the Hyrule that we know and the far-future of the setting.

The reason why the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series was named Link was due to the fact that he was the connection between the past and the future of Hyrule. The version of the Triforce that was planned to appear in The Legend of Zelda was meant to be a set of computer chips, rather than the mystical triangles that they turned into.

18 The Right Hand Mirror

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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was meant to debut on the GameCube, but that version of the game was delayed so that the Wii port of the game could ship alongside the console. The GameCube version of Twilight Princess was released around a month later and many fans consider it to the be the superior version of the game, due to the shoddy implementation of motion controls in the Wii version.

One of the ways in which the GameCube and Wii versions of Twilight Princess differ is in the orientation of the world. Link originally wielded his sword in his left hand, but the developers realized that most of the players are right-handed, so the entire game world of the Wii version of Twilight Princess was mirrored, in order to make it easier to use the motion controls.

via Den of Geek

There is no denying that Link has had an androgynous appearance in most of his iterations. This caused some debate when the first footage of Breath of the Wild was revealed, as some fans were convinced that the new version of Link was female.

Eiji Aonuma once gave an explanation as to why Link has to be a male during an interview with Kotaku and it may be the most ridiculous answer to have ever left his lips. According to Aonuma, the balance of the Triforce would be upset if Link became a female, as Princess Zelda was already female. This means that the Triforce can only handle so many X chromosomes before it breaks.

via neogaf.com

Link has been a silent protagonist throughout all of the games that he has appeared in... except for The Legend of Zelda games that were released on the CD-i, which we will not speak of here.

Link also spoke in the Captain N and The Legend of Zelda cartoon series, but those are also best reserved for hushed whispers.

The grunts and tell that Link makes have required the assistance of a voice actor, which is a role that many people have filled. The child version of Link has had three actors (Fujiko Takimoto, Sachi Matsumoto, and Yuki Kodaira) and the adult version of Link has had six voice actors (Hikaru Midorikawa, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Akira Sasanuma, Takashi Ohara, Yuki Kaji, and Kengo Takanashi).

via: zelda.wikia.com

Link is often given magical powers and special items as a reward for conquering dungeons and finishing quests. We rarely see Link training to use these supernatural advantages that he is given, as they would take up precious game time for no reason.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was once going to feature training montages that explained how Link learned how to use the benefits he received from the Great Fairies. These scenes were cut from the game, but they were originally going to show Link performing many situps (in order to increase his defense) and being shown how to perform the spin attack.

14 There Is Canon Explanation For His Silence

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Link is one of the most famous silent protagonists in video game history. If you ignore the non-canon third-party appearances where he talks, then Link may have been silent in more games than any other protagonist.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild actually gave a canon explanation as to why Link never speaks, but you have to go out of your way to find it.

If you read Zelda's diary in Breath of the Wild, then she talks about how Link elects to stay quiet due to the sheer amount of pressure on him and the task he must complete. Link remains stoic in order to keep others around him at ease.

via zeldadungeon.net

There are several multiplayer Legend of Zelda games where everyone is given the chance to play a different colored Link. The explanation that is usually given for the multiple Links is that he was split into several beings through the power of magic.

In The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, each player is playing as Link. The official explanation is that the Link you are controlling is the same one that saved the land in A Link Between Worlds, while the other two are just identical strangers. The idea is that each player is meant to be playing as Link from their own perspective.  

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In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you get to switch between the young version of Link and the adult version who exists in the version of Hyrule where Ganondorf has taken over. This mechanic wasn't brought over to Majora's Mask, as you only play as young Link throughout the game, though you do get to assume different forms with the aid of magical masks.

It seems that the adult version of Link was planned to appear in Majora's Mask at some point in development, as concept art for the game shows him among the playable characters. He was likely scrapped at an early point in development when the decision was made to focus on young Link.

Source: Movies4Kids.co.uk

Link has one of the dorkiest outfits in gaming history. It takes a considerable amount of anime aesthetic in order to make him look cool, which has been helped by numerous different variations of his outfit, as well as the different clothes that he can find in some of the later Legend of Zelda games.

The idea for Link's design came for an unusual place, as the inspiration for his outfit came from Peter Pan, or rather, the version of Peter Pan that appeared in the classic Disney animated movie.

via: nekokyandichan.deviantart.com

The Triforce of Power is usually held by Ganon, except for the rare occasions when he isn't present as the villain. Link is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, while Princess Zelda holds the Triforce of Wisdom, meaning that all three characters are destined to meet and unite the Triforce.

Link once gained possession of the Triforce of Power in The Legend of Zelda series that was released by Valiant Comics. The influence of the Triforce of Power corrupted Link and filled him with the desire to steal Triforce of Wisdom from Princess Zelda. The Triforce of Courage abandons Link at this point, which shows him just how insidious the Triforce of Power can be.

via: supersmashbros.wikia.com

Link has been representing The Legend of Zelda series in Super Smash Bros. since the beginning. He will be represented three times in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as you will be able to play as the Link from Breath of the Wild, Toon Link from The Wind Waker, and Young Link from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask.

You would think that a character as popular as Link would be a formidable opponent in Super Smash Bros. but he has always placed poorly in the competitive tier lists.

Link has always had a wide variety of attacks, but he has been let down by his lack of speed and a terrible recovery move, which can be easily exploited by a canny foe. Link is often forced to rely on slow projectiles that have a lot of startup/end lag, which makes them easy to avoid and counter.

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The reason the original Donkey Kong Country game looked so impressive was due to the fact that the developers created 3D models for each character and used them as the basis for the 2D models within the game.

If you manage to complete Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest with less than nineteen hero coins, then Diddy will place last in Cranky Kong's "Video Game Heroes" contest.

The third place winner in Cranky's competition is Link from The Legend of Zelda. The fact that the game used sprites based on 3D rendered images means that this is technically Link's first appearance in 3D.

via IGN.com

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the player is able to make drinks from beans, in a way that is meant to be similar to coffee without naming it as such, as kids might want to drink it.

The Starbeans Cafe was meant to include cameos from different Nintendo characters, who would show up and enjoy a drink from time to time. These characters included Samus from the Metroid series, Olimar from Pikmin, and Fox McCloud from Star Fox. 

The Minish Cap version of Link was meant to show up and enjoy a cup of bean juice, followed up with one of his spin attacks. This cameo (and all of the others) were cut from the game, but can still be found buried within the files.

via: nerdemia.com

It wasn't just Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga that held a secret Link cameo within its code, as Golden Sun: The Lost Age also contains a full sprite sheet for the hero of Hyrule hidden within its assets.

The Golden Sun games were some of the best RPGs released on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo heavily promoted them. It may be due to this close relationship that the people at Camelot decided to include a Link cameo in the game, even though it can only be seen by using cheat codes.

If you use an Action Replay code on Golden Sun: The Lost Age, then it's possible to replace Felix's sprite with that of Link from The Legend of Zelda. This means that you can sort of play as Link throughout the game.

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The Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and The Legend of Zelda series all debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System and all went on to become some of the biggest franchises in video game history.

The first Final Fantasy title has been throwing shade at the competition since the '80s. You can find these thinly veiled insults among the gravestones in the city of Elfheim.

In the NES and Final Fantasy Origins version of the game, the tombstone has Erdrick's name, which is the name of the first hero of the Dragon Quest series. All of the other versions of the game have Link's name written on the tombstone.

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Link's physical appearance is one of the most iconic in video game history, which is why it has been parodied on numerous occasions in other forms of media and in rival video games.

It's possible to find a parody of Link within the setting of World of Warcraft. There is a gnome named Linken who wears the classic green and brown tunic and wields a sword & shield in battle.

The quests associated with Linken are named after Legend of Zelda references, such as "It's a Secret to Everybody" and "It's Dangerous to go Alone". His dialogue also includes references to the terrible Legend of Zelda games on the CD-i.

Via: GameSpot

Link has been the protagonist of almost every Legend of Zelda game ever made. He is often forced to go on his journey alone and face the minions of Ganon without any sort of backup.

Shigeru Miyamoto had originally planned for Link to be the leader of his own adventuring party in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The original plan was for Link to be joined by a wizard and a girl who possessed the powers of a fairy.

The fairy spell in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was meant to test out the concept for the planned third party member in A Link to the Past, as her abilities could be used to scout an upcoming area.

via.NintendoOfAmerica

The Legend of Zelda series has always been set in a fantasy world, with only Spirit Tracks dabbling in any sort of advanced technology with its trains.

It seems that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was once meant to feature a more contemporary version of Link, as concept art for the game depicts Link wearing a tracksuit and playing guitar.

This teenage version of Link was also meant to ride around on a motorcycle, which is a concept that did make it into the game, except that the motorcycle was one that was powered by magic, rather than technology.

via: mic.com

Link is considered to be physically attractive by many fans of The Legend of Zelda series to the point where has received a ton of fan art, some of which is considered to be weird and is the kind of stuff we wouldn't show here.

It seems that the people at Nintendo have decided to quash all future attempts by the fans to draw Link unclothed, as there is a picture in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works 30th Anniversary that depicts Link like this and he seems to be missing some key parts of his anatomy. That's right: there is official Nintendo artwork that shows Link with the anatomy of a Ken doll.