With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, fans are wondering how old Link is in the game. At the beginning of the game, he’s about to participate in a milestone event in a boy of Skyloft’s life, but what age does that put him at? We’ll look at how old Link is in Skyward Sword and put the question to rest.
What is Link’s age in Zelda: Skyward Sword?
Unlike some entries in the series, Link’s age in Skyward Sword is easy to establish. Series designer Ryuji Kobayashi states the following in Hyrule Historia:
“The Link presented here is a mere seventeen and a half years old. He was designed as such–’halfway grown up, not fully matured’–in order to strike a thematic balance between this and Twilight Princess.”
Ironically, Kobayashi says that Link is a “mere” seventeen and a half, but the Skyward Sword incarnation of the character is likely the oldest Link that we see. Throughout the games, Adult Link is between 16-17, and Zelda is roughly the same age. However, Link and Zelda don’t share birthdays, so the age difference between them does fluctuate between games.
Younger versions of Link are a different story. For example, Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask Link should be around 9 for the time jump to make sense, but he may be as old as 12.
The Wind Waker’s Toon Link is an even bigger question. He’s said to be 9 in an Iwata Asks, but the official guide says he’s 12. Complicating things further is the fact that The Wind Waker continues from the timeline in which Adult Link killed Ganon in Ocarina of Time. The tradition on Outset Island where boys dress in green garb to emulate the Hero of Time supposedly coincides with a child reaching adulthood. If this is the case, Wind Waker Link is 16 or 17. We’d say the game makes more sense if he’s 12-14, but there’s no definitive answer.
