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Dark Link

Started by dentaiko , Sep 28 2004 10:25 PM

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#1 dentaiko

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Posted 28 September 2004 - 10:25 PM

Okay, I felt it was time to open this can of worms...

Just a few ideas:

<1> Are Dark Link and Shadow Link the same person? I believe so, but I'm just throwing that one out there...

<2> Is he evil enough to be the final boss in a game one day? Because we don't know much about him, and much is indefined, the story possibilties would be somewhat endless...

<3> Is he evil at all? Or does he (being Link's opposite) truly believe in whatever it could be that he's fighting for? Maybe he's trying to save the world too? A 'dark' world. You know what I mean...

<4> Maybe he's just a figment of Link's imagination? Link battling with himself, and conquering his fears, doubts and insecurities. Or maybe his fears, insecurities etc, have taken on a physical form...

Just some things I been thinking about. Dark Link really fascinates me, and I hope we see, and get to know, more of him. ;)

#2 Guest_Kishi_*

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Posted 28 September 2004 - 11:17 PM

He already has been a final boss. In fact, that was his first appearance.

#3 (e)

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 01:06 AM

sorry, i'm having a brain fart -- where's 'Dark Link' from?

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#4 Guest_Lysia_*

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 01:24 AM

<1> Are Dark Link and Shadow Link the same person?

I don't believe so. I think Shadow Link is Link's Shadow, called out to fight Link, because he is the best warrior in Hyrule. Even Ganon wasn't a match for Link. So the only person who may have a chance of defeating Link is someone who fights just like him.
On the other hand, I believe that Dark Link is a representation of Link's dark side.


<2> Is he evil enough to be the final boss in a game one day?

I don't think so, for a couple of reasons. 1) Megaton Hammer!!! and 2) As I stated above, I think Dark Link represents Link's dark side. I doubt that Link has as much evil in him as someone like Ganon, who is pure evil, so his evil incarnate is still not evil enough.

<3> Is he evil at all?

Yeah, I think that trying to stop the Hero of Time from saving Hyrule is enough to make us call him evil.

<4> Maybe he's just a figment of Link's imagination?

That's a really interesting point! Actually when you think about it, before you defeat Dark Link, the room looks more like an outdoors, water-covered area with that little island in the middle. Yet when Dark Link is defeated, it changes back into an ordinary Water Temple room. So maybe that has something to do with it...

#5 Wolf O'Donnell

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 08:11 AM

Wait! Which one's Dark Link again? The one in the Water Temple or AoL Final Boss?

I have a thought. Perhaps it isn't JUST a figment of his imagination. Perhaps he's actually battling with the evil inside, which manifests itself into some kind of hallucination.

#6 Marty

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 10:18 AM

<1> Are Dark Link and Shadow Link the same person? I don't think theres enough to go on to make a conclusion. To me they were both created by magic so it depends if it was the same spell. I'll say they're the same type of entity ;)

<2> Is he evil enough to be the final boss in a game one day? If Dark Link represented everything that Link was not then he would be pure evil, so yes.

<3> Is he evil at all? :evil: - if he laughs like this then yes.

<4> Maybe he's just a figment of Link's imagination? That would go with it being a type of magic. You could have a game where Link is put under a sleeping spell and in order to escape he has to defeat Dark Link. Kinda like the nightmares. You could also have a game where Dark Link has been impersonating Link and so Link ends up being persecuted by the people hes trying to save, nothing like a tormented hero to make a good story.

#7 Guest_SkyDragon_*

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 11:48 AM

It could be Link's dark side or just Link's imagination. Or he could even be a real person. Someone who was just as good and strong as Link but later turned evil.

I think that he is called Dark link no matter what you name your guy.

#8 Guest_BlackHawkA100_*

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 12:39 PM

If this were an English Literature class (which it isn't, but it's close enough) I'd say that Dark Link is representative of what Link fears in himself, what he fears he may turn into, something we all struggle with in life. Is he real? To Link he is, we all have our dark side which we are in a constant struggle with, Link simply has a physical manifestation to deal with, once Link has defeated his dark side he is able to once again continue on his journey. In the case of AoL, that's the purpose of the game, to defeat his own darkness.

#9 Guest_SkyDragon_*

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 01:58 PM

Well said BlackHawk.

#10 Guest_BlackHawkA100_*

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 02:02 PM

Thank you SkyDragon, I haven't been studying English Lit and Psychology for the past few years for nothing.

#11 Wolf O'Donnell

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 02:14 PM

Quote

Originally posted by BlackHawkA100@Sep 29 2004, 06:39 PM
If this were an English Literature class (which it isn't, but it's close enough) I'd say that Dark Link is representative of what Link fears in himself, what he fears he may turn into, something we all struggle with in life.  Is he real?  To Link he is, we all have our dark side which we are in a constant struggle with, Link simply has a physical manifestation to deal with, once Link has defeated his dark side he is able to once again continue on his journey.  In the case of AoL, that's the purpose of the game, to defeat his own darkness.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>


Exactly what I said but with more words and a little bit more explanation.

#12 Lord Jabu-Jabu

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Posted 29 September 2004 - 07:42 PM

@SkyDragon

Dark 'Link' is always called the name you choose for Link.

#13 Guest_Lysia_*

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Posted 30 September 2004 - 04:29 AM

For all those confused: Dark Link is a miniboss in the Water Temple in OoT. Shadow Link is the final boss of AoL. Just to make it clear :)

#14 Koroks Rock

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Posted 30 September 2004 - 07:06 AM

It was Shadow Link in 4SA, right? Just checking...

1) ja, i think so. remember that we're going japanese>english, with two or three totally different translators.

2) He was in AoL, and came close in 4SA.

3) He throws bombs at people. REEEEEEEAALLLLY big ones. So yes, he is evil.

4) In 4SA other people are talking about the Shadow Links, and we see plain evidence of their passage. Link must have one heck of an imagination to create something that thorough. So no, I doubt it. Maybe in OoT, but not in 4SA.

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Posted 30 September 2004 - 09:30 AM

hmm, is there any real backstory for FSA Dark/Shadow Link? (I think I'll just refer to them as one name, either one I feel like at the time) If not then not then it could be theorized that he is the same as any other Shadow Link in any other game(a representation of what Link fears he may become or the darkness inside of Link) but replicated many times by Ganon in order to cause trouble and hinder Link's progress, same basic concept as what I said above (and what Wolf said but in fewer words).

#16 Tekky

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Posted 30 September 2004 - 05:08 PM

What is interesting about the room where you fight dark link in Oot, is initially you see Link's reflection in the water, but when Dark Link appears, Link HAS no reflection...

#17 Lord Jabu-Jabu

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Posted 30 September 2004 - 07:46 PM

Sweet. Never noticed that, I'm gonna go check it out.

I think that tends to suggest that Dark and Shadow Link are the same thing.

#18 (e)

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Posted 04 October 2004 - 10:26 AM

Lysia said

For all those confused: Dark Link is a miniboss in the Water Temple in OoT. Shadow Link is the final boss of AoL. Just to make it clear :)


thank you! :o

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#19 SteveT

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Posted 04 October 2004 - 10:42 AM

Quote

<3> Is he evil at all? Or does he (being Link's opposite) truly believe in whatever it could be that he's fighting for? Maybe he's trying to save the world too? A 'dark' world. You know what I mean...


By that logic, Magneto isn't evil either.

#20 Guest_BlackHawkA100_*

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Posted 04 October 2004 - 02:22 PM

heh, that logic would work if the world was logical, but unfortunatly, it's not.People's actions are judged by society, thus, if society deems the deviant behavior of a "Dark Link" to be evil then it is. Same with any other person deviating from acceptable behavior while thinking they crusade on a righteous cause.

#21 Kairu Hakubi

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Posted 04 October 2004 - 02:26 PM

Magneto isn't all that evil.. ^_^ Particularly in a story like x-men, heroes and villains arent all that clear-cut. However, in Zelda they are... or tend to be.

#22 dentaiko

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Posted 07 October 2004 - 12:28 AM

Yeah, thanks for backing me up on that one guys. I see what you're saying Steve, but I agree with Black Hawk and Kairu.

Kairu Hakubi said

...in a story like x-men, heroes and villains arent all that clear-cut. However, in Zelda they are... or tend to be.

Yeah, in Zelda it is pretty obvious of the roles the characters are playing. That's what I find so fascinating about Dark/Shadow Link, there's plenty of variables to play around with when it comes to storyline or character background, if he were to star as the 'bad guy' in a game...again.

#23 Marty

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Posted 07 October 2004 - 01:06 AM

He didn't really star as the bad guy in AoL. He just kinda randomly appeared and you had to fight him to win the game. There was no build up to the fight (as in people mentioning him). He also just appears in OoT without a build up or mention of him so he remains to be turned into a character instead of being just another monster.

#24 dentaiko

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Posted 07 October 2004 - 02:34 AM

Marty said

He didn't really star as the bad guy in AoL. He just kinda randomly appeared and you had to fight him to win the game. There was no build up to the fight (as in people mentioning him). He also just appears in OoT without a build up or mention of him so he remains to be turned into a character instead of being just another monster.

Aaah, right... I've never played AoL and don't really know much about it.

You're right about him/it not being a character yet. I think there's [img]http://forums.legendsalliance.com/public/ALOT.png[/img] they could create with him. This intrigues me. Posted Image

#25 Clayvman

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Posted 01 December 2004 - 09:28 PM

All right Shadow Link was from AoL and Dark Link was from OoT. Now Shadow Link was created to kill link to revive ganon and Dark Link was created just to kill Link.

#26 Guest_Moonman_*

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Posted 02 December 2004 - 04:26 AM

I don't think either one is truly its own entity. In AoL, Dark Link seems like more of a final test sort of thing; it's like one of those questions that contradicts itself: if you're the toughest shit around, can you beat even yourself? He wasn't really an evil mastermind, it was an old king or something that had designed the temples and their defenses. In OoT, Dark Link (oh yeah, I don't care which one is 'Dark' and which one is 'shadow,' it's the same thing in essence) seems like the same sort of thing, i.e. a trap by which a warrior identical to yourself is summoned to battle you. In either case, the best they can do is mirror you, and apparantly they aren't really that good at that anyway.

#27 Guest_Darkseid_*

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Posted 02 December 2004 - 05:23 AM

BlackHawkA100 said

hmm, is there any real backstory for FSA Dark/Shadow Link? (I think I'll just refer to them as one name, either one I feel like at the time)  If not then not then it could be theorized that he is the same as any other Shadow Link in any other game(a representation of what Link fears he may become or the darkness inside of Link) but replicated many times by Ganon in order to cause trouble and hinder Link's progress, same basic concept as what I said above (and what Wolf said but in fewer words).


Actually Shadow Link did have a backstory of sorts. We found out that Ganon created him, but how did Ganon create him? Well one of the maidens talk about Ganon having a dark mirror which he can use to simulate a reflective opposite of the person he is trying to oppose. So since Ganon was trying to oppose Link, our righteous hero, then he created a dark opposite, or dark twin as the game calls it, in order to wreak havoc and free the wind mage Vaati. As for the other Dark/Shadow Links, well it never was explained, but I think FSA shedded a great deal of light (or shadow) on the subject. Also there was only one Shadow Link in FSA, the other Links that looked like Shadow Link were called Linkalikes (you know the ones that you could defeat with a mere single strike).

Now I am going to give a brief answer on each question and I will eloborate on this later. Okay call me lazy, but I will get around to this.

1. Are Dark Link and Shadow Link the same person? I am thinking that they are one in the same, and suggestions from Tekky and others seem to give a plausible answer on the case.

2. Is he evil enough to be the final boss in a game one day? Well if one believes that Shadow Link and Dark Link are one in the same, then he was already the final boss in the AoL. Other than that I think that he should be more of a test for Link than to actually resurface as a final boss again. Though if I did see Shadow/Dark Link again I would like for him to have a meanacing demeanor and have an aura look on him much of what was shown when Sora had to face Anti-Sora, for those that have played Kingdom Hearts.

3. Is he evil at all? If he is the dark reflective side of Link, I would most certainly say that yes, he is evil.

4. Maybe he's just a figment of Link's imagination? This could be one possible scenario, but FSA has placed Shadow Link as just a dark reflective twin of our hero, but it is an interesting proposition.

#28 Guest_BlackHawkA100_*

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Posted 08 December 2004 - 12:11 PM

heh, never played all the way through FSA, I probably should one of these days. If Shadow Link was created by Ganon in the FSA era is it possible that there is only one Shadow Link, who is never quite defeated by Link? Or if not, that each incarnation was created by that same mirror in order to oppose Link, or in other words, a new incarnation of Shadow Link for every reincarnation of Link.

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Posted 08 December 2004 - 02:52 PM

BlackHawkA100 said

heh, never played all the way through FSA, I probably should one of these days. If Shadow Link was created by Ganon in the FSA era is it possible that there is only one Shadow Link, who is never quite defeated by Link? Or if not, that each incarnation was created by that same mirror in order to oppose Link, or in other words, a new incarnation of Shadow Link for every reincarnation of Link.


Well this is what the White Shine Maiden had to say:

" Ah! The Dark Mirror...Someone's stolen the Dark Mirror! That mirror reveals the wickedness within a person and brings it to life. It's an item of terrible, dark power. No good can come from this. Shadow Link!! Could he be your evil reflection cast by the Dark Mirror? If that were the motive of the mirror's thief...This is disastrous! If we don't get the mirror back, Hyrule will be overran with evil Shadow Links. The mirror...who took it? And where? "

Later she talks with the Red Shrine Maiden and they deduce that Ganondorf must've stolen the mirror, and though Princess Zelda imprisoned all of the Shadowy Imps in some kind of dimensional force field, you never do retrieve the mirror, so in all likelyhood all the Shadow Links could be created from this Dark Mirror since you never to obtain it. Of course we will never really know for sure, but it does at least give some background on the character.

#30 Hana-Nezumi

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Posted 08 December 2004 - 04:38 PM

I think dark link (oot) is an illusion of the water temple. like an evil mirror image or something. shadow link (aol) is more of link's dark side. i would think fsa shadow link would also be like link's dark side, but the game tells you his origin.
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