Daily Debate: Should Dark Link Have a Larger Role in Future Games?

Dark Link. The Shadow of the Hero. Even back when he first appeared in The Adventure of Link, players were immediately fascinated by the idea of this dark version of Link emerging to battle against the protagonist right as he was about to claim victory in that game. Come Ocarina of Time, his miniboss battle in the Water Temple became one of the most lauded moments of that dungeon, if not of the entire game. And from that has spawned a number of enormous fans of the character…despite the fact that he’s really never had any character at all. Usually he simply appears, you fight him, and then he vanishes, never to be seen in the game again.

Yet even with so few and short appearances, the fandom adores Dark Link. He’s become one of the iconic villains of the franchise, appearing in numerous fan cosplay, comics, fiction, and theories as lovers of the

Zelda series devise characteristics and personalities and goals and motivations for him. For some of us, he may even be one of our favorite characters in the series—not for what he’s done, but for what he could do. For what our imaginations have made him into, rather than what Nintendo has. Is that bad? Heck no! In fact, I wonder if Nintendo shouldn’t capitalize on those imagined traits more.

A few side games—notably

Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which gave us a complete Dark Link skin for Link—have shown that developers recognize our adoration for this enemy, and I think that should only be the start of it, because the potential is staggering for the roles Dark Link could play in future Zelda games. Maybe Nintendo could have him fill a Ghirahim-like role, where you meet him at the start of your journey and constantly re-engage him in one-on-one battles right until the very end of the game. Maybe they could do something even deeper: perhaps they could pull a line from numerous Dark Link-based fanfics and have the Shadow of the Hero of Time return to fight a future version of the Hero. With centuries of experience under the dark clone’s belt, could the newly-awakened Hero even stand a chance against him?

And if they

really wanted to throw a curveball, they could take a page from of ELOZE and make Dark Link a tragic anti-hero or even an ally. You scoff at that thought, but consider this: many games give Link a companion character. What if the next game’s companion was Link’s own Shadow, for some reason forced into aiding him despite the pair being the complete antitheses of one another? I’m not saying it would be easy to write such a tale…but I’m also not saying that I wouldn’t

freakin’ adore such a thing.

Then again, ever since I read ELOZE I’ve been something of a Dark Link fanatic. So it’s probably best that we check with you guys: would you like to see Dark Link return in future

Zelda games? Would you be happy to see him getting a role and a character all his own? Or should he remain the eternal enigma that he has always been, only to be filled by fan ideas and theories rather than any canon material? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Artwork by: KeefTheBoss