Link (Super Smash Flash 2)

Link is a veteran starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. His moveset is taken directly from with some minor changes, such as the addition of Bomb Arrows. His sprites are custom-made and based on his appearance in , but with his bright colors from . His voice clips are taken directly from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which are recycled for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
Link is ranked 1st on the current tier list, placing him in the S+ tier. Link possesses disjointed range, a highly flexible and effective zoning game, a decent combo game, and a large variety of powerful finishers. He has high survivability due to his above-average weight, high accelerated falling speed, and is hard to guard break his recovery thanks to his Spin Attack. Link also possesses a very good edgeguarding game, due to his projectiles and his down tilt, which can meteor smash.
However, due to being a high faller and possessing above average weight, Link is highly vulnerable to combos and chain grabs, nullifying his survivability somewhat. Adding to this problem, his recovery is limited if he loses his midair jump, as his Spin Attack grants him great horizontal distance, but rather poor vertical distance, making it very difficult to return to the stage against an experienced player. Furthermore, his ground movement is one of the slowest and his attacking speed is sluggish, making it difficult for him to play up close offensively, allowing faster characters to quickly overwhelm him if they get too close. His projectile game is weakened overall due to the more lenient power shielding mechanics, allowing any character to instantly reflect his arrows and boomerangs back at him before he has time to react.
Link has a small but dedicated player base and some representation in online tournaments, achieving an overall mild success.
== Attributes ==
As a swordsman, Link holds the advantage of long-reaching, disjointed hitboxes filling out the majority of his moveset, albeit at the cost of longer than average startup and ending animations. Link has many powerful finishing moves, both on the ground and in the air. These include the first hit of his down smash, the second hit of his forward smash, his down aerial, his up aerial, the second hit of hit of forward air and back throw.
Link has a versatile arsenal of projectiles in his special moves, providing him with one of the strongest zoning games among the cast. His Hylian also plays an important role in his control of space, granting him the unique ability to block certain projectiles while standing or crouching without having to use the standard shield.
Link’s mid-heavy weight and being a high faller allows him to survive many powerful hits, both horizontally and vertically. Complimenting his survivability is his aerial Spin Attack, which shields him with wide hitboxes that can discourage edgeguarding attempts and causes only minimal landing lag should he chose to land on stage. He also has the option of snapping to the ledge with his hook shot tether grab, providing additional recovery mixup options.
Link has the third longest grab, which is a tether grab and leaves him open if missed. His down throw is a good combo starter which can lead into up tilt, up smash and any aerial. Back throw is a great kill option when user near the ledge. Forward throw can allow for certain follow-ups if acted quickly enough.
Despite the myriad of advantages they provide, Link’s physics are not purely beneficial. His combination of above average weight and being a high faller makes him the ideal target for long, damaging combos and chain grabs, somewhat negating the advantages brought on by his survivability.
His long range comes at the aforementioned expense of leaving large openings after mistimed attacks, and should he be caught off-stage without his midair jump, he is left with few resources. Link also suffers against characters who possess better mobility or out prioritize or reflect his projectiles, as his ground mobility is average.
Link can be left vulnerable if forced to approach, as many of his best options are significant commitments.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Swings the Master Sword twice, then thrusts it forwards. Based on the final series of strikes dealt to Ganon in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 	
Neutral attack	Swings the Master Sword twice, then thrusts it forwards. Based on the final series of strikes dealt to Ganon in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 	
Neutral attack	Swings the Master Sword twice, then thrusts it forwards. Based on the final series of strikes dealt to Ganon in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 	
Forward tilt 	Performs an overhead swipe onto the ground. High startup but solid range and strong knockback, functioning as a KO move. 	13%
Up tilt 	Slashes over his head in an arc. Great range and considerable knockback. Useful for juggling opponents and comboing into itself or an aerial at low percents. 	9%
Down tilt 	Slashes across the ground. High startup but low ending lag, launching opponents upward and allowing for combos into aerials. Hitting close to Link meteor smashes opponents, though it cannot do so to opponents hanging on a ledge. 	
Down tilt 	Slashes across the ground. High startup but low ending lag, launching opponents upward and allowing for combos into aerials. Hitting close to Link meteor smashes opponents, though it cannot do so to opponents hanging on a ledge. 	
Dash attack 	Jumps forward and swings the Master Sword down in front of him. One of the strongest dash attacks in the game, useful as a KO move and an anti-air, as well as chasing opponents rolling away. However, its very high startup makes it very punishable and easy to miss opponents too close. Based on the Jump Attack introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 	
Dash attack 	Jumps forward and swings the Master Sword down in front of him. One of the strongest dash attacks in the game, useful as a KO move and an anti-air, as well as chasing opponents rolling away. However, its very high startup makes it very punishable and easy to miss opponents too close. Based on the Jump Attack introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 	
Forward smash 	Swings the Master Sword downward while stepping forward, and if the attack input is pressed again, he swings outward and steps forward again. Both hits deal strong knockback, particularly the second hit. The first hit is much weaker at the base of the Master Sword but more easily combos into the second hit. Both hits can be used to rack up damage quickly and are strong KO moves but suffer from heavy ending lag.	
Forward smash 	Swings the Master Sword downward while stepping forward, and if the attack input is pressed again, he swings outward and steps forward again. Both hits deal strong knockback, particularly the second hit. The first hit is much weaker at the base of the Master Sword but more easily combos into the second hit. Both hits can be used to rack up damage quickly and are strong KO moves but suffer from heavy ending lag.	
Forward smash 	Swings the Master Sword downward while stepping forward, and if the attack input is pressed again, he swings outward and steps forward again. Both hits deal strong knockback, particularly the second hit. The first hit is much weaker at the base of the Master Sword but more easily combos into the second hit. Both hits can be used to rack up damage quickly and are strong KO moves but suffer from heavy ending lag.	
Up smash 	Swings the Master Sword in an arc over his head three times. The last hit launches opponents upward. High damage and knockback and great range around Link. 	
Up smash 	Swings the Master Sword in an arc over his head three times. The last hit launches opponents upward. High damage and knockback and great range around Link. 	
Up smash 	Swings the Master Sword in an arc over his head three times. The last hit launches opponents upward. High damage and knockback and great range around Link. 	
Up smash 	Swings the Master Sword in an arc over his head three times. The last hit launches opponents upward. High damage and knockback and great range around Link. 	
Down smash 	Performs a kneeling inward slash in front of himself, followed by a kneeling outward slash behind himself. Both hits have strong knockback, with the first being more powerful at close-range. Strong KO move that can hit opponents hanging on a ledge. 	
Down smash 	Performs a kneeling inward slash in front of himself, followed by a kneeling outward slash behind himself. Both hits have strong knockback, with the first being more powerful at close-range. Strong KO move that can hit opponents hanging on a ledge. 	
Down smash 	Performs a kneeling inward slash in front of himself, followed by a kneeling outward slash behind himself. Both hits have strong knockback, with the first being more powerful at close-range. Strong KO move that can hit opponents hanging on a ledge. 	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	Performs a flying sex kick, extending his foot. Has low startup and ending lag alongside low landing lag and a long duration, making useful as a grounded combo starter, an approach tool, and an edgeguarding tool. 	
Neutral aerial	Performs a flying sex kick, extending his foot. Has low startup and ending lag alongside low landing lag and a long duration, making useful as a grounded combo starter, an approach tool, and an edgeguarding tool. 	
Forward aerial	Swings the Master Sword in front of him twice while spinning. The first hit sets up for the second hit, which is a strong KO move. traps the opponent and sets up for the second hit. Its low startup allows it to be comboed into from an up tilt or a landing up aerial. 	
Forward aerial	Swings the Master Sword in front of him twice while spinning. The first hit sets up for the second hit, which is a strong KO move. traps the opponent and sets up for the second hit. Its low startup allows it to be comboed into from an up tilt or a landing up aerial. 	
Back aerial 	Kicks behind him twice. Deals low knockback for a back aerial and is difficult to connect both hits. 	
Back aerial 	Kicks behind him twice. Deals low knockback for a back aerial and is difficult to connect both hits. 	
Up aerial 	Thrusts the Master Sword upward. Great for juggling due to fast startup and long duration, and can KO when close to the upper blast line. Suffers from high landing lag. Based on the Up Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. 	
Up aerial 	Thrusts the Master Sword upward. Great for juggling due to fast startup and long duration, and can KO when close to the upper blast line. Suffers from high landing lag. Based on the Up Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. 	
Down aerial 	Points and holds the Master Sword downwards. Link bounces off an opponent upon landing the move. Long lasting and can hit opponents two times, dealing less damage and knockback with the second hit. Useful for landing safely, and the first hit can KO at high percentages. Based on the Down Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.	
Down aerial 	Points and holds the Master Sword downwards. Link bounces off an opponent upon landing the move. Long lasting and can hit opponents two times, dealing less damage and knockback with the second hit. Useful for landing safely, and the first hit can KO at high percentages. Based on the Down Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.	
Down aerial 	Points and holds the Master Sword downwards. Link bounces off an opponent upon landing the move. Long lasting and can hit opponents two times, dealing less damage and knockback with the second hit. Useful for landing safely, and the first hit can KO at high percentages. Based on the Down Thrust from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.	
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Fires his Clawshot. One of the longest grabs in the game, though it also has high ending lag. 	
Pummel 	Hits the opponent with the hilt of the Master Sword. 	1%
Forward throw	Kicks his opponent forward. 	9%
Back throw 	Kicks his opponent behind him. Launches at a low angle and is useful for forcing opponents off-stage. 	9%
Up throw 	Throws his opponent into the air and slashes them. Can start combos into aerials. 	
Up throw 	Throws his opponent into the air and slashes them. Can start combos into aerials. 	
Down throw 	Pins the opponent to the ground and then elbow drops them. Can start combos into aerials and chain grab large characters.	6%
=== Other attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Gets up and slashes in front of him and then behind him. 	6%
Ledge attack	Gets up and slashes low to the ground. 	7%
Tether grab 	Fires his Clawshot straight forwards. Deals weak damage and knockback but has long range and low ending lag. Can be used to grab ledges from a short distance away.	
Tether grab 	Fires his Clawshot straight forwards. Deals weak damage and knockback but has long range and low ending lag. Can be used to grab ledges from a short distance away.	
=== Special moves ===
Attack 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Hero's Bow 	Takes out his Hero's Bow and fires an arrow forward. This attack can be charged to increase the arrow's range, speed, and damage. Good for edgeguarding and pressuring opponents from a distance. When used while holding a bomb, he will combine the two projectiles and fire the resulting Bomb Arrow, which travels less distance but deals much more damage and knockback. However, the bomb can still explode while Link is charging the move. The Bomb Arrow is a strong KO move, albeit very slow when accounting for the time to pull out a bomb. 	
Neutral special move	Hero's Bow 	Takes out his Hero's Bow and fires an arrow forward. This attack can be charged to increase the arrow's range, speed, and damage. Good for edgeguarding and pressuring opponents from a distance. When used while holding a bomb, he will combine the two projectiles and fire the resulting Bomb Arrow, which travels less distance but deals much more damage and knockback. However, the bomb can still explode while Link is charging the move. The Bomb Arrow is a strong KO move, albeit very slow when accounting for the time to pull out a bomb. 	
Side special move 	Gale Boomerang	Throws his Gale Boomerang forward. The direction it travels can be altered by pressing up or down when throwing. When returning, the move deals no damage but pulls opponents along with it. On its way back, it travels toward Link until he catches or misses it. Opponents pulled toward Link can be set up for an attack. 	7%
Up special move 	Spin Attack 	Holds the Master Sword out in front of him and spins around several times. When used on the ground, he spins six times and can charge the move to deal more damage and knockback, hitting one time. When used in the air, he spins five times and rises upwards a significant distance while hitting in front of him multiple times. Link can freely move left or right when used in the air. Both versions of the attack have low startup and noticeable ending lag, as well as high knockback to KO opponents with. The aerial version is useful as a recovery move but leaves Link helpless.	
Up special move 	Spin Attack 	Holds the Master Sword out in front of him and spins around several times. When used on the ground, he spins six times and can charge the move to deal more damage and knockback, hitting one time. When used in the air, he spins five times and rises upwards a significant distance while hitting in front of him multiple times. Link can freely move left or right when used in the air. Both versions of the attack have low startup and noticeable ending lag, as well as high knockback to KO opponents with. The aerial version is useful as a recovery move but leaves Link helpless.	
Up special move 	Spin Attack 	Holds the Master Sword out in front of him and spins around several times. When used on the ground, he spins six times and can charge the move to deal more damage and knockback, hitting one time. When used in the air, he spins five times and rises upwards a significant distance while hitting in front of him multiple times. Link can freely move left or right when used in the air. Both versions of the attack have low startup and noticeable ending lag, as well as high knockback to KO opponents with. The aerial version is useful as a recovery move but leaves Link helpless.	
Up special move 	Spin Attack 	Holds the Master Sword out in front of him and spins around several times. When used on the ground, he spins six times and can charge the move to deal more damage and knockback, hitting one time. When used in the air, he spins five times and rises upwards a significant distance while hitting in front of him multiple times. Link can freely move left or right when used in the air. Both versions of the attack have low startup and noticeable ending lag, as well as high knockback to KO opponents with. The aerial version is useful as a recovery move but leaves Link helpless.	
Up special move 	Spin Attack 	Holds the Master Sword out in front of him and spins around several times. When used on the ground, he spins six times and can charge the move to deal more damage and knockback, hitting one time. When used in the air, he spins five times and rises upwards a significant distance while hitting in front of him multiple times. Link can freely move left or right when used in the air. Both versions of the attack have low startup and noticeable ending lag, as well as high knockback to KO opponents with. The aerial version is useful as a recovery move but leaves Link helpless.	
Down special move 	 	Takes out a bomb that can be held and thrown as a throwing item. The bomb explodes on contact with an opponent or platform, and it also explodes on its own after a short period of time. It is not strong on its own but can be used to damage opponents at a distance and set up or be set up into another attack. The explosion can also damage Link, which allows him to boost his recovery by having it explode while being held, breaking him out of being helpless to use Spin Attack a second time. 	8%-9%
Final Smash 	Triforce Slash	Uses the power of the Triforce to trap an opponent with a ray of light in front of him and then slash them repeatedly, launching them with the final hit. Nearby opponents can also be hit. 	
Final Smash 	Triforce Slash	Uses the power of the Triforce to trap an opponent with a ray of light in front of him and then slash them repeatedly, launching them with the final hit. Nearby opponents can also be hit. 	
=== Misc. ===
Misc. 	Description 	Description 	Description
On-screen appearance	Appears in a whirlwind and unsheathes his sword. 	Appears in a whirlwind and unsheathes his sword. 	Appears in a whirlwind and unsheathes his sword.
Taunts 	Neutral 	Performs his battle stance from . 	
Taunts 	Side 	Takes out a fairy, who proceeds to fly around until it returns to Link's pocket.	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Swings the Master Sword twice and twirls it behind him before sheathing it. 	
Idle poses 	Assumes a battle stance. 	Assumes a battle stance. 	Assumes a battle stance.
Victory theme 	A remix of the theme that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in .	A remix of the theme that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in . 	A remix of the theme that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in .
Victory pose 	Holds the Master Sword up to his face, then thrusts it upward. 	Holds the Master Sword up to his face, then thrusts it upward. 	Holds the Master Sword up to his face, then thrusts it upward.
== Changes from v0.9a ==
Link has received a mix of buffs and nerfs. His attacks are weaker overall, but he has better mobility, faster projectiles, less startup/endlag on his attacks, and a significantly better recovery. Link also benefits from the lower hitstun of this demo, which makes him less vulnerable to chain grabs and zero-to-death combos while maintaining his own combo game due to his increased attack speed. The buffs outweigh the nerfs he received and makes him a more effective character.
=== Aesthetics ===
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=== Attributes ===
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=== Ground attacks ===
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=== Aerial attacks ===
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=== Grab and throws ===
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=== Special moves ===
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== In competitive play ==
=== Match ups ===
=== Notable Players ===
==== Active ====
* St. Trinity
* Bolillo
==== Inactive ====
* AK160
* Trickmewz
=== Tier placement history ===
The tier lists for demo v0.6; Link was seen as a top-tier character with being 1st of A tier on the first list and being 2nd of B tier on the second list. On the lists for v0.7; Link stayed 5th of B for both lists which made him a solid high tier character for that demo. However, on demo v0.8b; Link dropped down to 18th of D tier where he was seen as a low tier character. In demo v0.9a; Link dropped to 25th of K tier where he is now seen as a bottom tier character. With each new demo; Link's tier position kept dropping and made him look like a horrible character (which is similar to his tier positions in any fighting game that he has appeared in). However, this was changed in demo v0.9b where Link rises to the 12th place of A tier where he is seen as a high tier character again. Although due to the metagame changing for demo v0.9b, Link was not seen as effective as he was earlier and dropped to 16th of B tier where he is now seen as a mid tier character. Then in Beta, he rose two spots to 12th in the A- tier, and rose even higher to 7th in the A tier, making him a high-tier character. This position wouldn't last long, as he slipped to 11th in the B+ tier in Beta 1.1. He would then reclaim his 7th position in the A+ tier in Beta 1.3 before jumping to first place in the S+ tier in Beta 1.3.1, making him the current best character in the game.
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artworks ===
Linkbig.gif|Link's second art in the Smash Flash DOJO!!!.
Link11.gif|Link's third art in the DOJO!!!.
LinkBrawl.png|Link's first art, used from v0.4a to v0.4b. Taken from .
LinkCSS.png|Link's second art, used in the character selection screen from v0.5a to v0.8b, and in-game from v0.5a to v0.5b.
Link Pre0.9.png|Link's third art, used from v0.6 to v0.8b. Taken from , like the previous picture.
Link Main.png|Link's fourth artwork, used in v0.9a.
Link PA 2.png|Link's fifth artwork, used in v0.9b.
Link Beta.png|Link's sixth artwork, used in Beta 1.0 to Beta 1.1.0.1.
=== Screenshots ===
Link and Marth.png|Link and taunting on Clock Town.
Clawshot.png|Link uses grab on Hylian Skies.
Link 1.png|Link taunting next to on Smashville.
Link 2.png|Link uses his down aerial at while laying on the platform on Dracula's Castle.
Link 3.png|Link and uses Bow on Hyrule Castle.
Ball - Link.png|Ball version.
=== Early designs ===
Link plays Ocarina.png|Link plays Ocarina from his side taunt on Clock Town.
=== Designs ===
Link04b.png|Link's first early design, used from demo v0.4a to v0.7
Old Design - Link.png|Link's second design, used from demo v0.8a to v0.9a.
Old Design - Link (v0.9b).png|Link's third design in demo v0.9b.
New Design - Link.png|Link's new design in Beta.
9b preview link1.png|Link's design being introduced in v0.9b.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Link.png|Link's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Link.png|Link's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
== Trivia ==
*Link, along with and , are the only characters so far to wear their default costumes in team battle when they are on the green team.
*SSF2 spriter, Steven, said he is proud of the work made on Link and .
*Link's fourth and fifth early artworks were based on a victory pose that he makes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
== External link ==
*Link's page at Smash Flash DOJO!!!
Category:First-party characters
Category:Starter characters
Category:Veteran characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series