Continued Discussion: Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask/Twilight Princess

[Pandaxclone2]

So the only Links with a direct connection are the OoT/MM Link with the TP Link? Apart from this there is no canon connection?

Aside from the Spirit of the Hero who resides in all but WW Link and his descendants, there's not many other connections.

 

[Blue Knight]

So the only Links with a direct connection are the OoT/MM Link with the TP Link? Apart from this there is no canon connection?

Impossible to know, but yes, they're the only ones with confirmed blood connection.

 

[Blue Knight]

Aside from the Spirit of the Hero who resides in all but WW Link and his descendants, there's not many other connections.

Not necessarily, he can very well be connected indirectly to them. He did get dragged into the whole conflict with Ganondorf, and Demise's curse indicates that the ones with the spirit of the hero and blood of the goddess will be haunted by his incarnation.

While he cannot be his child or anything, he is most likely linked by the lineage of the knights of Hyrule. There is a heavy implication that Link is reborn on his own bloodline of knights through the series.

 

[Pandaxclone2]

Not necessarily, he can very well be connected indirectly to them. He did get dragged into the whole conflict with Ganondorf, and Demise's curse indicates that the ones with the spirit of the hero and blood of the goddess will be haunted by his incarnation.

While he cannot be his child or anything, he is most likely linked by the lineage of the knights of Hyrule. There is a heavy implication that Link is reborn on his own bloodline of knights through the series.

Sure, he may possibly have some sort of off-shoot bloodline to the Hero of Time but as far as it pertains to WW link it would be if anything, just a possibility. The Links in Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds are however implied in some sources to carry the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule.

Ganondorf doesn't require Link to be around or the Hero's Spirit to exist (Which it doesn't in the Adult Timeline), he just vowed to return in another incarnation that would go onto dominate the world and destroy both the blood of the Goddess and the Hero's Spirit. He can scratch that last one off the list in WW at least.

 

[Blue Knight]

Sure, he may possibly have some sort of off-shoot bloodline to the Hero of Time but as far as it pertains to WW link it would be if anything, just a possibility. The Links in Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds are however implied in some sources to carry the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule.

Ganondorf doesn't require Link to be around or the Hero's Spirit to exist (Which it doesn't in the Adult Timeline), he just vowed to return in another incarnation that would go onto dominate the world and destroy both the blood of the Goddess and the Hero's Spirit. He can scratch that last one off the list in WW at least.

But, that the hero's spirit doesn't exist in the AT is also an assumption, in fact, most proof goes against it, and the only solid ground given to the argument (that HoT!Link took the spirit with him when he traveled back in time) can easily be circumvented, as it's stated (by the King of Red Lions) in Wind Waker that he "lost the elements that made him a hero" when he traveled in time.

Further, HoW!Link being referred to as the "Hero of Time reborn" (by Ganondorf, of all people) being worthy of the ToC and the Master Sword, as well as being one of the few full Hylians (pointy eared people) rather than human and having physical resemblance to the HoT on top of it, it's almost spelling out a relation to him.

Likewise, we're shown multiple times that only the chosen hero stands a real fighting chance against whatever is going around, where the whole army of Hyrule and the sages combined were unable to defeat Ganon in the Imprisoning War, for one (also spelling a family-unfriendly teaching, in the Zelda series at least, unless you have special pedigree and divine help, don't expect to play hero anytime) so it's safe to assume that HoW!Link isn't just "a regular kid who turned into a hero"

 

[Pandaxclone2]

But, that the hero's spirit doesn't exist in the AT is also an assumption, in fact, most proof goes against it, and the only solid ground given to the argument (that HoT!Link took the spirit with him when he traveled back in time) can easily be circumvented, as it's stated (by the King of Red Lions) in Wind Waker that he "lost the elements that made him a hero" when he traveled in time.

Further, HoW!Link being referred to as the "Hero of Time reborn" (by Ganondorf, of all people) being worthy of the ToC and the Master Sword, as well as being one of the few full Hylians (pointy eared people) rather than human and having physical resemblance to the HoT on top of it, it's almost spelling out a relation to him.

Likewise, we're shown multiple times that only the chosen hero stands a real fighting chance against whatever is going around, where the whole army of Hyrule and the sages combined were unable to defeat Ganon in the Imprisoning War, for one (also spelling a family-unfriendly teaching, in the Zelda series at least, unless you have special pedigree and divine help, don't expect to play hero anytime) so it's safe to assume that HoW!Link isn't just "a regular kid who turned into a hero"

Actually yes, it does make sense that the Hero of Time brought back with him the Hero's Spirit. It's not like OOT Link can be seperated from it, he is the Hero's Spirit reincarnated. If he had for example died in the Adult Timeline then he would reincarnate, but here he's been literally removed from the world.

The King of Red Lions is as old as the "Era Without a Hero" when the Hero of Time's quest becomes lore in Hyrule. He never would have met the Hero of Time, thus his comment should be considered comparing him to the Hero of Time rather than fact. Ganondorf calling him the Hero of Time reborn is on the same grounds as the King but more personal because he was actually there that far back. WW Link being Hylian doesn't really amount to much since there's two islands in the game mostly full of Hylians and if anything it implies possible blood relation, but likely not direct since there is no Hero of Time in the Adult Timeline.

WW Link is also noticeably one of a few Links who's had to deal with regaining the Triforce of Courage, which in a lot of games is akin to a birth right for Link but the usual reason why other Links don't have it immediately is because the Triforce was reunited or his ancestor somehow failed/lost his life in their timelines, plus WW Link is the only one who had to re-assemble it from its shards. This also lends some credence to WW Link not being connected directly to the Hero's Spirit.

Basically WW Link was worthy of the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword but he had to work towards it and prove himself. He wasn't born a hero; he made himself become the hero.