Link’s Personality
I love how even though Link is meant to be our connection to the games, and therefore has no dialogue and his personality is downplayed, you can still see so many differences between the different Links. Granted, I’ve only played OoT, SS, BotW, and am starting on TP, so I don’t have the full story for all of them, but this is what I’ve observed so far of their canon personalities…
Time Link: This kid had an active imagination of adventure. He drew himself fighting what looks like a dinosaur on his house. It’s precious. This kid also had to start his journey at the age of nine, and he looked and sounded like he was five, he did not deserve any of this oh no wait I’m getting sidetracked, and yet he could hold his own in literally the most difficult dungeons I’ve encountered in all the games I’ve played so far. So clearly, this kid is smart. I’m not talking book smart, I’m talking sharp and observant. For personality dweebs like me, I’m talking that ISTP kind of smart, the sense of awareness of one’s surroundings in a way that others can’t see that makes one quick on one’s feet, able to use their environment to their advantage, and as adaptable as molding clay.
He also had a strong sense of duty on top his sense of adventure. He went off and saved Hyrule with barely any context of what was going on. It could have been a vengeance mission after the Deku Tree’s death, but you don’t really get the impression of that so much as Link doing it because people say it will help. And he wants to help. But this kid, given his experiences and his immediate decision to go off on his own and look for Navi in MM, is clearly also a loner, somebody who keeps his cards close to his chest. He makes friends, but he doesn’t seem to confide in them or rely on them too much. Again, at both the beginning and end of Majora’s Mask, Link is alone. And going through what he did and then losing Navi, the one person who would understand what he’d endured, had to be so isolating. And considering he died with regrets and hence stuck around as a Stalfos, it’s clear this kid had baggage he never learned how to handle.
So overall, this Link is a very sharp child, adaptable, dutiful with a good heart, a loner, far more mature than he looks (duh), and someone who does not know how to open up to others.
Sky Link: Unlike Time, Sky didn’t dream of adventure. He had his head in the clouds, for sure, but it was more of that chill and laid back daydreaming nature, not wishing for excitement. This Link is called “lazy,” loves to sleep, and generally seems to take most of his interactions in stride (he handles Groose’s bullying fairly calmly, he doesn’t seem overly concerned about the Wing Ceremony). For personality nerds, I peg him with an enneagram type rather than MBTI, and I say he’s a 9. Type 9s are known for being peaceful, even keeled, loving, and sweet, but also can come across as lazy and unmotivated and have a deep seated anger in them. I feel like this sums up Link pretty well in this game. An interesting note with this is that the “laziness” known for this personality type comes from a keen sense of surroundings - these people are hyper vigilant of their environment, to the point that any stressor in the area will likely overwhelm them and make them shut down, draining them of energy or motivation. And the crazy thing about it is that unlike Time Link, who is aware of his surroundings and uses it to a practical advantage, type 9s (and therefore Sky Link) are emotionally aware of their environment but not necessarily mentally aware of this ability - they’ll be drained once entering a room where they detect stress and/or conflict but may not know why. This is because 9s are hellbent on maintaining inner peace to the point that they automatically shut down anything that might upset them. Hence, they come across as lazy.
Link has been hazily making his way through life in a time of peace, but he doesn’t seem to be a lackluster student, because there aren’t any sour or concerned remarks from teachers. In fact, Eagus says that Link learns quickly and is a great student. So clearly the kid isn’t dumb, just floating in a mental haze. However, that haze gets cut through quickly when his seemingly main supporter in his life, Zelda, is kidnapped. For Link in this game, unlike in Ocarina, this journey is personal. He doesn’t care about destiny, he cares about Zelda. His motivation is to save his best friend.
One of my favorite things about this Link is how expressive he is. This boy wears his heart on his sleeve and he is just a cinnamon roll and I want to hug him.
As you play through the game you also start to notice that this kid is freaking feral: need something from on top of that chandelier? Nah, don’t use the beetle that can clearly get it for you, just break the entire chandelier and then be nonchalant about it. Tired? Find the nearest bed and literally pass out in it, whether its yours or not, and act like this is totally normal. For heaven’s sake, Link’s literal first reaction to being given a love letter to deliver is “ahh, now I can feed that random ghost hand sticking out of the toilet.” This child is bonkers and clearly has little to no social decorum whatsoever. Probably comes from being as introverted as he is and possibly from being orphaned at a young age (I headcanon that after he was orphaned he was kind of just raised by everybody until he got old enough for the academy, which kind of makes him aloof and socially awkward).
Lastly, this Link is snarky. There are multiple times where you can sass someone in response (teasing Groose about his hair when he is actively bullying Link is a pretty ballsy and funny move, not to mention when Link can say “am I late?” to Impa’s face in the middle of a life and death situation after she verbally beat him into the ground last time), so clearly Link thinks a lot of snippy replies to situations whether he voices them or not.
So overall, Sky Link is sweet, quiet but sarcastic, cares very deeply for Zelda, kind and helpful, feral, a quick learner, expressive and sensitive. Oh, and don’t get this kid angry.
Wild Link: It’s in the name, really, but despite him acting like a wild person when he’s out in the vast wilderness (kid catches fish with bombs and his bare hands, clearly he is a little bonkers), there’s honestly a lot to be said about the most expressionless (at least in the cut scenes) Link. First, this kid clearly cares about how others perceive him. He follows in his father’s footsteps to become a knight, he is so overwhelmingly nervous about being the Hero everyone expects him to be that he stops talking, thinking if he says something he’ll screw it up, he isn’t sure he and Mipha can have a relationship because she’s a princess and he’s just him. This kid is very self-conscious. Or, at least, he was before he forgot everything. He’s also kind of a thrill seeker, it seems; Mipha comments that he got into trouble a lot when he was younger (which, yeah, he was a little boy, of course he did, but still), he enjoys seal surfing (based on his journal entries in the Japanese version), and he is fearless in battle. Dude deflected a Guardian laser with a pot lid, which I’m sure no one knew was possible until he did it.
Speaking of battle, I think it’s super interesting that this kid is clearly a child prodigy. That probably doesn’t help with his opinion of himself, because once you are pegged as a prodigy then there’s expectations and you have to fulfill them. I figure this Link was very eager to please, he clearly dove into taking his fighting prowess seriously, practicing whenever he could even though he was already the best. It’s unclear if he still feels this way after losing his memories, but I’m sure he’s having a major identity crisis anyway given that whole scenario, which likely doesn’t help his self esteem either.
On a lighter note, this Link is such a complete dork. His sense of humor consists of puns and dad jokes. He can be a little sassy too! Sky has a contender for sassy replies, though I think our sky child does win for that Am I late? jab at Impa LOL. Also I adore how much this Link loves food and cooking, it’s clearly what makes him happiest both before and after the calamity. If he wasn’t busy saving the world he should go into the cooking business!
In terms of interpersonal interaction, he seems very empathetic and loves children. I feel like this Link feels very deeply but doesn’t quite know how to express it, rather like Time, except he makes himself stoic for a specific purpose rather than bottling everything up because he feels isolated from the rest of the world.
So overall, this Link is a lover of all things cuisine, empathetic and patient, extremely self-conscious, eager to please, dutiful, has a terrible sense of humor and loves every second of it, and wants to help others.
Twilight Link: He’s the one I know the least because I’m still playing his game, but honestly I love him so much so far. He’s clearly the responsible big brother type. He even has a job! I feel like he’s just as happy with animals as he is with people, which makes him stand out from the others. Like, Sky is a loner because he’s got his head in the clouds but he clearly relies heavily on emotional relationships with others like Zelda, Time is basically a loner altogether, and Wild seems to enjoy being with people in general and kind of deals with being alone because he has to, but Twilight could happily sit around the ranch talking to his goats all day and not care. Or carry puppies and kitties with that absolutely precious smile on his face. The very fact that he sees animals and immediately wants to pet them or carry them like babies just AHHHH I love this boy.
He seems more serious, like Time, rather than having the sassy, goofy, and feral energy of Sky or the dorky and chaotic energy of Wild. When he emotes it’s usually subtle, and so far the majority of his time has been spent being the responsible one. Also, he had to deal with being treated like a monster by the people he loved when he was first a wolf, which I’m sure had to hurt. He probably prefers to be in nature more after that time anyway.
We can also learn a lot about him based on how he reacted to becoming a wolf in the first place. He immediately works on trying to escape, he immediately puts together that he has to trust Midna and work with her despite her treating him like a dog. Clearly he is pissed when she just jumps on and rides him like a pony, but he’s patient and smart enough to recognize that it’s necessary. I’d say he gives Time a run for his money on being the most adaptable Link.
I will say, for him stepping up to the plate to be the Responsible Adult Figure to all the Ordon kids, he is insanely reckless and extremely aggressive. Big monster knocks him out? HE’S GOING AFTER HIM WITH NO WEAPONS BECAUSE THEY TOOK HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY DANG IT >:( Zant appears, threatening Midna and forcing Link back into wolf form? CHOMP THAT DUDE’S THROAT OUT before getting knocked into unconscious. Bridge is on fire and there’s a dude with a giant, long, pointy weapon coming at you? CHARGE HIM AND KNOCK HIM OFF DANG IT. And then JUMP OFF THE BRIDGE. This dude is insane. I N S A N E. I thought he was responsible, damn it, and then I started playing this game more and he’s one of the craziest of the bunch LOL. So I think he’s more of a situational type. Stick some of the other Links with charges and they’d all set things on fire together. Stick this Link with kids and he’s the Picture Perfect Older Brother. And he does it to take care of them. He just… doesn’t realize how reckless he himself is.
That’s all I’ve got so far for him, still have to play the game! But overall, animal lover, a guardian, simultaneously gentle and aggressive as hell, ridiculously strong, and so, so patient.
So yeah. You can learn a lot about Link despite him being the avatar character and I love the variety between them all.
