What Makes Dark Link So Cool?

[ChargewithSword]

I've noticed this throughout the years that Dark Link is really popular, though I've never really understood why. He's only been featured in a few games as a miniboss at many times. He's never had a really developed back story as anything but a black Link with red eyes. I will say though that he is very cool looking, although that's the extent of how I find him.
I mean, I guess with the idea of an evil twin you can go pretty far with how to develop that, especially when you have a pretty much sparkly white hero. It could also be attributed to the opportunities for people to develop a story around him -normal Zelda fan fare.- ...Then there's also the yaoi...

However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Tell me; why do you find Dark Link so awesome.

 

[Random Person]

Dark Link is cool because Link is awesome. As a protagonist, it is always popular to have someone who is just like you on the enemy's side. The missing yin to the yang. Ganondorf is not just like Link. He's suppose to be more powerful that Link and Link is supposed to find a way to overcome him through means outside of power. However, Dark Link makes for a bad guy that allows us to believe that the fight can go anyway. He's not only relying on power, he relies on everything Link relies on.

True that Dark Link has never had a backstory, but that just leaves us with imaginations a great chance to use them. Especially theorist and fan fic writers. Once he gets an actual backstory, though, he will become even more popular.

 

[Caleb, Of Asui]

He's just conceptually very awesome. The whole idea of an evil mirror image to our hero is appealing to a lot of people. It's a shame that he hasn't made a lot of appearances in the series. Compare his role in The Adventure of Link to Ocarina of Time to Spirit Tracks - he becomes progressively less important, going from surprise final boss, to a random mini-boss, to a hidden boss for a side-game. I didn't even encounter him in Spirit Tracks.

But then there's Four Swords Adventures - they make very good use of his character in that game, which is one of my favorite games anyway. If you want a really good story that makes really good use of Dark Link, then I would recommend the Four Swords Adventures manga. It's not canon, but the way it uses the four Links as well as Dark Link far outmatches his role in any game.

 

[JuicieJ]

Well, he's this unknown enemy that copies Link's every move and has moves of his own. There's no one that's better than Link in the world of The Legend of Zelda, and fighting someone with his own strength? Dang...

 

[Cuju]

Definetly the WTF factor that comes with trying to fight your own shadow :xd: I'm stuck in the Water Temple so I havn't actualy fought him yet, but he looks so cool...

 

[tetrafan]

Dark Link is awesome in The Four Swords Manga! He is one of the reasons I loved that Zelda Manga more then the others:yes: He's a great character! and he's one of my favourite bosses in Ocarina of Time.

 

[Hylian Knight]

Dark Link is cool because Link is awesome. As a protagonist, it is always popular to have someone who is just like you on the enemy's side. The missing yin to the yang. Ganondorf is not just like Link. He's suppose to be more powerful that Link and Link is supposed to find a way to overcome him through means outside of power. However, Dark Link makes for a bad guy that allows us to believe that the fight can go anyway. He's not only relying on power, he relies on everything Link relies on.

True that Dark Link has never had a backstory, but that just leaves us with imaginations a great chance to use them. Especially theorist and fan fic writers. Once he gets an actual backstory, though, he will become even more popular.

In his game of origin AoL he was created to kill Link I think:S because Ganon's minions needed the Hero's body/ blood to revive Ganon in the first place.

 

[Djinn]

I always thought a big part of his popularity was simply the fact that he is Link in every physical way. I do not mean that because he is a dark copy, but one of the very rare other physically powerful characters that picks up a sword and fights with skill and weapons alone.

If you look around in all the other games, Hyrule is populated by mostly normal folks, farmers, villagers, and some nobles. Even in most appearances the knights are nothing special. Link appears to be the only one they really have to rely on for any actual combat. In just about every game he is the only sword swinging proactive type while everyone else is content to live through the danger or escape to parts unknown. Ashei is the only one you ever see with a sword and she is never seen fighting anyone, same could be said of pirate Tetra. Even Impa and Shiek only carried a dagger or two and rare fought anything, and they were not up to the task of taking up a sword and defeating any monsters.

Meanwhile all the villains are in a somewhat similar position. They are ancient sorcerous types that rely on magic and plotting, giant monsters that dwell deep in the hidden dungeons, or ancient evils that were sealed away by the gods in ages past. Besides maybe a triforce-less Ganondorf, which is a rare occurrence in the games, there are few other enemies that can match Link in regular physical combat with sword against sword. Ganon will usually resort to magic to gain the upper hand, and the lesser enemies like the evil knights of ALTTP or moblins are not much of a match. Nor do they use greater magical weapons like the Master sword or silver arrows. Even the Bulblin King was mostly a large brute that used monster strength to over power Link and used a normal, typical battleaxe. Although it was an unusually large one. Not quite something that is on an equal footing with the legendary sword of evil's bane.

But Dark Link is different, he is everything Link is. He is a fighter with a magical sword, a shield, and sword skills that perfectly match Link's. He is not a giant monster, has no obvious exploitable weakness like a tail or single eye, he uses no magic to float around the room and cast fireballs at Link, and requires no special pattern to learn or found dungeon item to defeat. He brings the same thing Link brings to the fight, sword and shield.

 

[Onilink89]

Its Link...but dark...whats not to like about that? And the heavy voice in OOT, so evil. And the way it counters ur stabs, he just jumps on the sword, slashed, backflip!