How old is Link?
Link’s physical age is roughly 17 or 18 years old before going into stasis, but considering he wakes up from a 100-year-long slumber at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, his actual age would be around 117 years old. The true age of Link is never explicitly stated, but based on various developer notes and context clues, it is generally accepted that Link is a young adult when he embarks on his epic quests.
Understanding Link’s Age
The Age of Link in Different Games
Link’s age varies across different games in the Zelda series, with some games depicting him as a young boy and others as a young adult. In A Link to the Past, Link is believed to be around 16 years old, while in Breath of the Wild, he is likely 17 or 18 years old before entering stasis.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How old is Link in Breath of the Wild?: Link is roughly 17 or 18 years old before going into stasis, and 117 years old after waking up from his 100-year-long slumber.
- Is Link over 100 years old?: Technically yes, considering he wakes up from a 100-year-long slumber, making him 117 years old.
- Why did Link wake up after 100 years?: Link awakens from suspended animation to find that he has been held in the Shrine of Resurrection for 100 years to heal his grave injuries incurred during the war against Calamity Ganon.
- Did Link have a girlfriend?: While the default pairing for Link tends to be Princess Zelda, it can be interesting to think about how she matches up to the other ladies of the franchise.
- Was Link originally a girl?: Although Link is a male character, Aonuma said that he wanted him to be gender-neutral in Ocarina of Time.
- Who does Link have a crush on?: If there’s romantic tension between Link and Zelda in Link’s Awakening, that means Link had a crush on Zelda in A Link to the Past.
- What is Link’s full name?: Link’s full name is not explicitly stated, but it’s an ongoing gag at Nintendo HQ where they jokingly give characters silly full names.
- Why can’t Link talk?: Link doesn’t talk in Breath of the Wild because with so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and silently bear any burden.
- Is Link canonically mute?: Link is mostly a silent protagonist, but not a mute character, as no canonical game in the Zelda series has contained substantial spoken dialogue for Link.
- Does Link kiss Zelda?: Although romantic interest is heavily hinted at in Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, they never officially kiss.
- Why is Link so short?: The reason behind Link’s various heights is twofold: different games show Link at different ages, and different games show different versions of Link.
- Who is older, Link or Mipha?: Mipha is roughly the same age as Link and Zelda, albeit in Zora years, making her about 55 years old.
- Is Link LGBTQ?: Although Nintendo insists Link is both straight and cisgender, fans have expanded the Zelda universe with LGBTQIA+ characters and queer readings of Zelda games.
- Is Link nonbinary?: Eiji Aonuma told Time in 2016 that he wanted Link to be a gender-neutral character, but that he is male.
- Did Link marry Tetra?: Link and Tetra did not get married, as that would make the Link and Zelda from SP cousins, and they don’t seem to know each other at all in the beginning of the game.