It’s actually a bit surprising how underrepresented The Legend of Zelda is in Super Smash Bros. Despite being part of Nintendo’s holy trinity right up there with Super Mario Bros. and Metroid (another underrepresented franchise,) the series only has six reps as of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate– and two of them were once the same character!
It’s not as if The Legend of Zelda is devoid of character either. As Hyrule Warriors made evidently clear, even the most basic of archetypes can be fleshed out into colorful figures who come to life in action. If nothing else, Super Smash Bros. did go to some effort of varying up the game each representative was based on.
The Legend of Zelda features multiple incarnations of Link, Zelda, & Ganon across three different timelines. In Melee, all characters were based on Ocarina of Time. In Brawl, Twilight Princess designs were used for the core three, which were carried over into Smash 4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate bases most of its Zelda reps on Ocarina of Time, but there’s a dedication to variety previously unseen for the franchise.
6 Link (Breath Of The Wild)
It’s not quite right to think of Breath of the Wild as a reboot considering how intimately it connects itself to the franchise’s lore, but it is best to think of it as a new start of sorts. In the same way A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time redefined The Legend of Zelda, so will Breath of the Wild. The fact the game is seeing an immediate sequel is proof enough.
Nintendo was very conscious with Breath of the Wild’s development, intentionally straying from the series’ pre-established staples in order to craft an experience closer to the original while also evolving Zelda’s formula. Part of this was the symbolic act of redesigning Link. The franchise’s ever present hero traded his green tunic for a blue Champion’s Tunic.
While The Hero of the Wild does have access to his green tunic in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Link’s main design is now based off his blue Champion’s Tunic from Breath of the Wild. Up to this point, Twilight Princess’ Link was the face of the franchise (even getting into Smash 4 over Skyward Sword Link,) but it seems Breath of the Wild’s Link will be taking over that role.
5 Zelda (A Link Between Worlds)
One would be mistaken for assuming that Princess Zelda’s design is based on A Link to the Past. After all, her face is noticeably softer and her general design matches the round aesthetic of A Link to the Past’s concept art. That said, she’s actually based directly on A Link Between Worlds’ Zelda.
While not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, it is worth pointing out. ALBW’s Zelda has a more ornate design, whereas A Link to the Past’s is much simpler. Plus, that Zelda wears blue. This also means that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Zelda is the only representative of a 2D installment from the franchise. Every other character from the series is based on one of their 3D renditions.
4 Sheik (Ocarina Of Time)
Introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Princess Zelda and Sheik were once the same character. Zelda’s main gimmick was that she could transform into Sheik mid-fight (a fact which made her one of the absolute best characters in the game.) While she didn’t appear in Twilight Princess, Sheik did have concept art which inspired her design in Brawl and Smash 4.
Heading into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate– likely both as a tribute to her debut in Melee and Ocarina of Time’s significance for Nintendo– Sheik has returned to her Ocarina of Time design. Notably, she’s traded her muted color palette for a vibrancy while also laying off the bandages. As of Brawl, Sheik is her own character with a slot independent of Zelda.
3 Ganondorf (Ocarina Of Time)
Ganondorf is quite an interesting character. Even though he could very easily have a unique move set, Super Smash Bros. holds firm on keeping him as a Captain Falcon clone. While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the most novel Ganondorf yet, he’s still not fully representative of his appearances in the games.
Ganondorf as depicted in Ocarina of Time was a sorcerer, not a fist fighter ala Captain Falcon. Both Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4 had an opportunity to give Ganondorf a sword as he was based on his Twilight Princess depiction, but he’s stuck with his fist since. That said, Ultimate did finally give the character a blade even if he’s back to his Ocarina of Time rendition who, again, was a sorcerer.
2 Toon Link (The Wind Waker)
Toon Link’s character design has been repeated enough times in the series where his appearances in Super Smash Bros. could really stand in for any of them– from The Wind Waker to The Minish Cap. That said, Toon Link is very clearly based on the Hero of Winds from The Wind Waker.
Not only does Toon Link outright have the physical Wind Waker, he has Link’s family shield from the same game and even has The Wind Waker’s version of the Master Sword. Interestingly, one of Toon Link’s alternate costumes references the original Link’s tunic from the NES games.
1 Young Link (Ocarina Of Time)
Young Link first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee before being replaced by Toon Link in Brawl and Smash 4. As of Ultimate, however, Young Link is back in the roster. Rather than being based on his Majora’s Mask incarnation, Young Link is based on Ocarina of Time– essentially functioning as a smaller version of Link.
That said, because Link is now based off his Breath of the Wild self, he’s actually missing a few key moves. As a result, Young Link now fills a specific void that he once shared with his older counterpart. It should also be pointed out that while Young Link is directly based on Ocarina of Time Link, he does share a few similarities with Majora’s Mask (notably his Fire Arrow.)