- This article is about Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For the character in other contexts, see Link. For information about Link's clone, see Young Link.
| “ | A sword-wielding hero who also boasts long-range attacks. | ” |
| —Description from Melee's manual. | ||
Announced at E3 2001, Link (リンク, Link) is a starter character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Link returns as a veteran character from the previous game, acting mostly the same as before, as a swordsman with powerful short-range attacks and a wide variety of long-range attacks. Link, however, has received some large buffs, making him a considerably better fighter in Melee.
Link is ranked 18th in the tier list, in the C- tier, which is much higher than his second to last current rank in the Smash 64 tier list (11th out of 12), and one below his clone, Young Link. Link's placement is due to a very good approach, due to some low lag aerials (with his neutral and forward air), a good variety of projectiles and a very high air speed. A disjointed hitbox also gives Link a slight advantage against others, as well as a fully functional shield that can block a wide variety of projectiles. Link is also a potent edge-guarder in the NTSC versions of the game; his Spin Attack is possibly the best semi-spike in the game, though he still has many other options. Link, however, suffers from a rather high falling speed and a high weight, making him an easy target for chain grabbing and combos. His recovery is also predictable, though he can extend it slightly.
Attributes[]
Link has poor dash speed, but he makes up for this with great range for most attacks, a variety of projectiles and quite fast air speed. He also has powerful Smash Attacks and Aerial Attacks, but their high lag and moderate startup times counterbalance this unless the player L-cancels which can remedy this. Link's grab range is large due to being a tether grab, and can be used as a wall-grapple. However, it leaves Link vulnerable if it misses, and it's difficult to grab airborne opponents, which minimizes chaingrabing opportunities. Link's Up Special Move, Spin Attack, is a quick finisher and a good edgeguarding tool. Link is vulnerable to chain grabs and combos due to his fairly heavy weight, fast falling speed, and comparatively large size.
Link is a very reliable edgeguarder due to his powerful semi-spike. Those who are trying to recover must be careful when Link is on the ledge. It's better to attack and KO from the ground than from the air. If sent to the air by Link, the semi-spike can be deadly. Falco is a candidate for being killed in one semi-spike such as other fast fallers like Captain Falcon, Fox, Sheik, Roy and Marth.
Changes from Smash 64 to Melee[]
In his transition from Super Smash Bros. to Super Smash Bros. Melee, Link received numerous buffs, most of which made him a more potent fighter, going from bottom tier to mid-low tier.
Aesthetics[]
Link now has an added belt going over his shoulder and around his waist.- Link has a new taunt.
- Link's helpless animation has changed.
- Link has a different dash animation.
- -nerf- Link is lighter 108-104
Attributes[]
Link is generally a faster character, with a higher air speed and faster aerials, improving his combo and aerial games.- Link's recovery was strongly buffed; it is considerably longer and more flexible, with Spin Attack granting a much higher vertical distance, and his higher air speed improving his horizontal recovery. He also has new options, with the wall grapple and bomb recovery.
Ground attacks[]
- Dash attack has a new animation that is a running slash rather than a stab. It has slightly better combo ability and can be considered an improvement.
- Forward smash is considerably stronger than his old forward smash.
- Pressing the A button after the first slash will make Link perform a second slash that is stronger than the first slash in terms of damage and knockback.
Up smash is slower, has less vertical range, and has smaller hitboxes.
Aerial attacks[]
- Back aerial deals less damage.
- Down aerial deals more damage.
Grabs and throws[]
- Link has been given an up throw and a down throw, providing him with more options.
- The Hookshot now has considerably less startup and ending lag.
- The range of the Hookshot is shorter and can no longer grab aerial opponents.
- Both forward and back throws deals less damage.
Special moves[]
- Link has a new neutral special move, Hero's Bow, which makes Link fire an arrow from his bow. The arrow's power and distance can be increased by holding the B button.
- Boomerangs travel faster and have less startup lag, as well as having a higher chance of returning to Link.
- The Boomerang cannot travel as far as it did in Smash 64.
- Due to the addition of the Hero's Bow, Boomerang is now a side special move.
- Grounded Spin Attack is now a very powerful edge-guarding option.
- Aerial Spin Attack, due to now being a multi-hit attack, can no longer KO reliably unless the last hit is landed—and even then, it has less power than in Smash 64.
PAL differences[]
Like other characters, Link received some changes in the PAL version of Melee.
- Spin Attack has lost its semi-spike properties, making it slightly less useful for edge-guarding, though it still acts as a potent attack.
- The boomerang superjump and chain dance glitches were removed; these were also removed in NTSC version 1.2.
Moveset[]
| Image | Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack |  |
5% | Link performs a three-hit combo consisting on a vertical slash, a horizontal slash, and then a forward stab. If the A button is pressed rapidly after the second hit, Link will instead initiate a rapid stab attack that deals weak knockback. | ||
| 3% | |||||
| 6% | |||||
| 1% (loop) | |||||
| Forward tilt |  |
13% (body), 14% (tip & hilt), 15% (base) | Link performs a downward swing with his sword. This attack has relatively high knockback for a forward tilt. | ||
| Up tilt |  |
9% | Link swing his sword in an arc over his body. | ||
| Down tilt |  |
11% | Link swings his sword across the ground. This attack can meteor smash a ledge-grabbing foe only if they come in contact with the hilt of Link's sword. | ||
| Dash attack |  |
9% (tip), 12% (base), 11% (body) | Link dashes forward and performs a downward strike with his sword. | ||
| Forward smash |  |
13% (tip), 14% (body) | Link swings his sword downward and if the A button is pressed after the first strike, he performs a horizontal strike that deals more damage and knockback. Interestingly, the second slash does not increase in damage or knockback whenever it's "charging". | ||
| 18% (tip), 20% (body) | |||||
| Up smash |  |
4% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 9%-10% (hit 3) | Link slashes in an upward arc three times, with the last hit dealing the most damage and launching the opponent vertically. Deals below-average knockback for an up smash attack. | ||
| Down smash |  |
13% (front hit tip), 11% (back hit tip), 16% (blade & body), 17% (hilt) | Link sweeps with his sword in front of and then behind him. The first hit comes out fast, though the second hit has some startup lag. | ||
| Neutral aerial |  |
11%/9%/8% (clean foot/back leg/hip) 7% (late) | Link does a jump kick attack that contains sex kick properties. This attack comes out very fast and has low ending and landing lag. | ||
| Forward aerial |  |
13% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2) | Link performs a double spinning sword attack. It's usually difficult for both hits to connect and the first hit doesn't deal much knockback, making it a situational attack to use while edge-guarding. | ||
| Back aerial |  |
7% (hits 1-2) | Link performs a spinning double back-kick attack. The properties of the first hit makes it difficult for the second hit to reliably connect, especially at higher percents. | ||
| Up aerial |  |
16% (clean), 12% (late) | Link thrusts his sword upward. Acts as a reliable vertical finisher at higher percentages. | ||
| Down aerial |  |
22%/20% (clean), 19% (late), 6%/8% (after bounce) | Link uses his sword as a pogo stick, stabbing opponents below him. Hitting an enemy with this attack will make Link bounce in the air, making it possible to hit the same enemy again, but this only works if the opponent's damage is low. Has huge landing lag if Link lands in the middle of the animation (though L-cancelling helps). | ||
| Grab aerial |  |
Hookshot | 6% | Link uses his Hookshot to attack enemies while airborne. Can be used to wall grapple. This attack has the unusual property of not suffering from stale-move negation. | |
| Grab |  |
Hookshot | — | Link fires his Hookshot forward to grab enemies from afar. | |
| Pummel |  |
3% | Link bashes the opponent's head with the hilt of his sword. | ||
| Forward throw |  |
3% (hit 1), 3% (throw) | Link attacks with a front kick, knocking the opponent away. | ||
| Back throw |  |
3% (hit 1), 3% (throw) | Link throws the opponent behind him and kicks them away. | ||
| Up throw |  |
2% (hit 1), 4% (throw) | Link throws the opponent above him attack them with an upward slash. | ||
| Down throw |  |
4% (hit 1), 2% (throw) | Link places the opponent on the ground and elbow drops them. | ||
| Floor attack (front) |  |
6% | Link quickly gets up and slashes on both sides. | ||
| Floor attack (back) |  |
6% | Link quickly gets up and slashes on both sides. | ||
| Edge attack (fast) |  |
8% | Link returns to the stage and performs a downward slash with his sword. | ||
| Edge attack (slow) |  |
8% | Link slowly returns to the stage and thrusts his sword forward. Only the sword has a hitbox—meaning foes close to the end of the ledge Link was on can avoid this attack completely. | ||
| Neutral special |  |
Bow | 5-18% | Link fires an arrow at the opponent. The damage and speed the arrow flies will increase the longer you hold down the B button. | |
| Side special |  |
Boomerang | 14% (throw), 16% (smash throw), 6% (far), 3% (return) | Link throws his boomerang at the opponent. The trajectory the boomerang flies can be altered by tilting up or down on the control stick. When inputted as a smash attack, the boomerang will fly farther and deal slightly more damage. Only one Boomerang can be on the field at a time. | |
| Up special |  |
Spin Attack | Ground: 15% (clean), 5% (late) Air: 4%/6% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-4), 4%/6% (hit 5) |
When used on the ground, Link performs a spinning attack on the ground that only hits once. When used in the air, Link performs a jumping spinning attack that can hit multiple times and be used as a recovery move. Link can grab an edge of a stage even if he isn't facing one, but it can only be done before he performs the last slash. | |
| Down special |  |
Bomb | 1~7.2% (contact), 4% (explosion) | Link pulls out a bomb that explodes on impact or when the fuse expires. When used in the air, the explosion can grant Link another Spin Attack if one has already been used, making it useful when returing to the stage. | |
Taunt[]
- Sheathes sword and shield and brushes the hair out of his eyes, grunting slightly.
Matchups[]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Avg. | |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Combos[]
- A good combo to use in one on one battles is to use the Boomerang, to momentarily disable the character of any attacks (they will pop into the air), use this momentarily, cease fire to use a Spin Attack and send them flying away. Must be done quickly or else chances are they will attack.
- Another great combo is to grab the opponent, throw them up/down, depending on character and damage the opponent has, if its a fast faller then use Up Throw, if they have high damage use the Down Throw anyway, then instantly use the Spin Attack. On high damage this is lethal. Follow the Spin Attack with a Boomerang and charge in for the kill. A Forward Aerial or another Spin Attack usually does the trick.
- Up Throw, Up Aerial, then Spin Attack. If the enemy still lives, Up Smash.
- Pull a bomb, Spin Attack, throw the bomb into the air, grapple the opponent and throw them upwards. If done quickly enough the opponent will be hurled into the bomb and fly away, doing no harm. However if too much time is wasted, the bomb will bounce off the opponent and land on Link.
- Down Tilt, jump, Forward Aerial or Neutral Aerial.
- Down Throw, Jump, then Down Aerial. If done correctly, Down Aerial will strike the enemy as soon as they get up. Great for racking up the enemy's %.
- Down Throw, turn around, Down Tilt, then Spin Attack. May not work if the enemy is at a high %.
- For more tricks and combos, go to this tutorial.
Trophy description[]
In addition to the normal trophy about Link as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Link on any difficulty.
- Link
- Even in his youth, Link was already becoming the warrior who would carry the destiny of Hyrule (and many other lands) on his shoulders. His epic struggles against the forces of darkness are written in legend, and he is bound to the Princess Zelda and the archfiend Ganondorf by the awesome power of the Triforce.
- The Legend of Zelda [07/87]
- Link (Smash Red)
- Burdened with a shield, a heavy sword, and plenty of equipment, Link is not a very mobile character. Nevertheless, he's skilled with the blade, and his varied supply of missile weapons makes him a powerful fighter. To master Link, you must control the pace by balancing your long-range attacks with head-to-head swordplay.
- Link (Smash Blue)
- Link's Bow, Boomerang, and Bombs all take time to wield, so you may want to try drawing them in midair to prevent your foes from attacking you while you're vulnerable. The Spin Attack can score consecutive midair hits, and the final slash is very powerful. Link's Bombs are his trump card, but he can't pull one out if he's carrying another item.
- Up & B: Spin Attack
- Down & B: Bomb
.jpg "Link trophy (SSBM).jpg (238 KB)")
Character Trophy
.jpg "Link smash trophy (SSBM).jpg (187 KB)")
Smash Red
.jpg "Link smash 2 trophy (SSBM).jpg (216 KB)")
Smash Blue
Alternate Costumes[]
Link's alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Trivia[]
- Link and his clone, Young Link, both use the same model for the Hookshot. This makes Young Link's look rather large compared to Link's.
- Link has an interesting hitbox with the Home-Run Bat. When the opponent is in the air and slightly behind him, and he performs a Smash Attack with the bat in the opposite direction, the bat will actually deal a greater knockback than a front hit.
- Link is the only character in Melee who is hard-countered by somebody else on the matchup chart who also hard-counters a character.
External links[]
| ||||||||
