Which Version Of Link Is The STRONGEST?

#12: The Hero of Tracks

“The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks” (2009)

Every Link has his own set of strengths, powerful items, and abilities, even the one at the bottom of the list. The Hero of Tracks still saved Hyrule, or rather New Hyrule, from the evil forces facing it, in this case, the Demon King Malladus. However, this Link never faced his most iconic foe, Ganon, nor held his iconic blade, the Master Sword. He is also considerably younger than many of the Links that will rank highly on this list, and therefore physically weaker. Trained as a conductor, rather than a knight, he understandably has fewer physical feats than many other Links.

#11: The Four Who Are One

“The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords” (2002)

The hero of the shortest adventure in the Zelda series, this Link doesn't really get the time that some others are afforded to develop and grow stronger. Instead, he stops at various stages, collecting rupees. And while he obtains powerful items, he can only carry one at a time, as he’s required to swap them out. Just as untrained and young as the Hero of Tracks, what really helps out this Link, or rather Links, is the Four Sword. This allows him to effectively quadruple his attack by splitting into up to four separate Links. However, all four share the same health, meaning that his life isn’t quadrupled.

#10: The Hero of The Minish

“The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005)

The signature ability of this Link, thanks to the Minish Cap, is the ability to shrink down to the size of the minuscule Picori race. This, while very useful in certain situations, doesn't do a whole lot for his strength, but he has a few other things going for him. The Minish hero has access to many of the same items that The Four Who Are One possessed, including the Four Sword. His quest involves turning the Picori Blade into the legendary Four Sword by imbuing it with four elemental powers. He would face off against and ultimately imprison the second most recurring main antagonist, Vaati, by sealing him within the Four Sword.

#9: The New Hero of Hyrule

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” (2013) and “Tri Force Heroes” (2015)

First appearing in “A Link Between Worlds,” this version of Link possesses the Triforce of Courage, wields the Master Sword, and defeats a new version of Ganon, fused with his Lorulean counterpart, Yuga. In just his first adventure, he saved two kingdoms. He was able to do this thanks to a few new tricks and powerful items at his disposal, most notably his ability to wall merge. One quest wasn’t enough for this hero, however. He’d go on to save a third kingdom, the fashion obsessed Hytopia, splitting into three in one of the stranger entries in “Zelda” canon. Even still, there aren’t many major physical or magical feats that really give him an edge over most other versions of the hero.

#8: The Hero of Light

“The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures” (2004)

Every version of Link that has wielded the Four Sword has gone up against the evil sorcerer Vaati. None of those, however, also defeated Ganon. But both attempted to thwart Link in this adventure. One distinct advantage this Link has over other quartets that held the Four Sword is that each of the four Links has their own health, unless you play in single player. This makes it significantly easier for any of the Link duplicates to stay alive. Like all the other Links so far, though, his youth is a major drawback when considering overall strength, landing him towards the back of the middle of the list.

#7: The Hero of Hyrule

“The Legend of Zelda” (1987) and “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)

Appearing in the first two Zelda games by release date, this Link would set the template for every subsequent version of the character. The quintessential hero, he travels the land of Hyrule collecting pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, battling enemies, and obtaining powerful items. While he never obtains the Master Sword, the White Sword is powerful in its own right, and the silver arrows also serve to kill Ganon, rather than simply trap him in another realm. After that feat, he goes on another quest to save a second princess Zelda, this time learning several mighty magical spells and proving his worth of holding the Triforce of Courage, all while preventing Ganon’s resurrection. Plus, “Zelda II” is the hardest entry, so props to this guy.

#6: The Hero of the Winds

“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003) and “Phantom Hourglass” (2007)

Known to some as “Toon Link” because of his cartoon-like style, this younger incarnation of Link sets himself apart from others his age for several reasons. While most versions of Link were chosen to embark on a quest by the gods, he became a hero through sheer force of will after his sister was kidnapped. Rather than receiving it for being courageous, the Hero of Winds recovered the shards of the Triforce of Courage from the ocean floor and repowered the master sword. In the course of his quests, he gained numerous items that enhance his strength and abilities, such as the power bracelets and the phantom hourglass. These would help him save the world from evil twice, defeating Ganon and then the monstrous Bellum.

#5: The Hero of the Skies

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)

Formally trained as a Knight in Skyloft’s academy, and coming from a game that focused on swordplay, this Link was no joke when it came to a duel. In fact, he defeated a number of powerful foes in single combat, most notably Ghirahim and the literal embodiment of evil, Demise. His quest involved forging the Master Sword by infusing the Goddess Sword with three sacred flames, and proving his worth to collect not just one, but all three pieces of the Triforce. As the first incarnation of Link chronologically, he would blaze a trail for future heroes. He possessed not just strength, but finesse and techniques he learned from his training, including the skyward strike and finishing blow, both essential in his legendary duel with Demise.

#4: The Hero of Twilight

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)

As he spent years developing muscle while working on a ranch, the Hero of Twilight is likely above all others in terms of pure athletic abilities. Even without the use of items to increase his strength, his physical power is staggering. He’s been able to lift heavy objects and wrestle against Gorons, even surpassing Ganondorf’s strength in a sword duel. And that's just in human form, as he also possesses the unique ability to transform into a vicious wolf. While not formally trained as a knight, he more than makes up for this when he is tutored by the Hero's Shade, confirmed to be the late Hero of Time. Thanks to the Shade’s instruction, he learned impressive sword techniques, making the Hero of Twilight a force to be reckoned with.

#3: The Hero of Legend

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1992), “Link’s Awakening” (1993), “Oracle of Ages,” and “Oracle of Seasons” (2001)

Easily the most experienced lad on the list, the Hero of Legend has used his strength and skill to save four different lands. In those many adventures, he gained too many powerful items to count, mastered a variety of skills, and bested all kinds of enemies. After saving Hyrule and slaying the king of evil, he would travel to Koholint Island and awaken the Wind Fish, defeating the nightmares there. After returning to Hyrule, his skills were called upon again. He’d go on to save two more kingdoms, Holodrum and Labrynna, using the Rod of Seasons and Harp of Ages, respectively. These final two adventures culminated in Link facing off against a revived, but mindless Ganon, with the hero claiming victory once more.

#2: The Hero of Time

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998) and “Majora’s Mask” (2000)

Starting his quest as a child, this hero was frozen in time until he was old enough to wield the legendary Master Sword and take on Ganondorf. Seven years older and physically stronger, he traveled across Hyrule, gaining items that further increased his strength while learning spells and techniques that would help him slay the Gerudo King. In his second adventure in Termina, he was a child once more; however, an array of transformation masks allowed him to turn into a variety of physically imposing forms, each with special skills no other Link possessed. The most powerful, the Fierce Deity, turned Link into a towering dark warrior wielding a helix sword that shot magical beams. As the Fierce Deity, cutting down the wickedly strong Majora was as easy as chopping grass.

#1: The Hero of the Wild

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017) and “Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)

Another version of Link trained as a knight, his abilities were so renowned that he was appointed as the personal protector of Princess Zelda, whom he saved from certain death on several occasions. Despite an initial defeat, he was revived to save Hyrule a hundred years later, gaining impressive abilities that give him the edge in any fight. He also packed an arsenal of deadly weapons, like the ancient arrows that could kill a guardian in a single shot. After defeating Calamity Ganon, he would gain a whole new set of amped-up powers. With the help of his awakened sage allies, he had even more overpowered moves to use, helping him defeat Ganondorf in a legendary battle that climbed from beneath the earth to the sky itself. He has so many abilities, so many weapons, and the scrappiness of surviving the harsh wilderness that we believe no other Link could best him.

But hey, that’s just our opinion. Which version of Link do you think comes out on top? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll see you next time!