Link’s 10 most impressive physical feats in The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda champions courage as the most important quality in its heroes’ ability to defeat evil and save the day, but sometimes, you need a little muscle to back up all of that courage. In addition to being a brave, daring adventurer, Link has also displayed tremendous physical fitness throughout his quests, be they feats of strength, agility, endurance, or technique. For the purposes of this list, we’re not including any acts done while equipping performance-enhancing items such as the Golden Gauntlets or Power Bracelets. These are the physical feats that best prove that Link’s brawn and stamina are all natural!

10. Shield deflecting

It’s one thing to hold up a shield and block the brunt of an oncoming attack. It’s a whole different matter to do so with such precise timing and technique that you completely alter that attack’s momentum and direct it away from the original target. In Skyward Sword, Link proved capable of deflecting blows from Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Moblins, Stalfos, and even Moldarach. He took shield deflections to an utterly ludicrous level in the Era of the Wilds games, where he could foil the most thunderous attacks a Lynel could muster, as well as the explosive laser beams from Guardian enemies.

9. Wielding oversized weapons

On multiple occasions, Link has shown that he can pick up a weapon hilariously larger than himself and use it effectively in battle, even without the need of strength-enhancing equipment. Such strength allowed him to use Koloktos’ enormous swords against the Ancient Automaton in Skyward Sword. Perhaps more impressive is how Link can somehow hold the Darknuts’ swords in The Wind Waker, simply because it’s a kid rather than a grown adult doing so. The visual of a dinky little hero casually swinging a sword more than twice his height (and probably several times his weight) is a terrific sight gag which also goes to show that, despite his size, Link certainly has it where it counts.

8. The Adventure of Link’s ambidextrous swordsmanship

We have to give credit to fellow Zelda Universe staff member Connor Schultz for bringing this to our attention recently. No matter which way that Link faces while in The Adventure of Link’s sidescrolling sections, he always holds his sword with the arm that is facing the player. This means that this particular incarnation of Link is ambidextrous when it comes to wielding a sword. Think about how difficult it often is to perform the most mundane tasks with your non-dominant hand, then think about how much more difficult it must be for an act as rigorous as swordplay. Chalk it up to merely being “video game logic” all you want, you won’t find too many other Links able to do the same in another Legend of Zelda entry.

7. The Hurricane Spin

This wacky and over the top attack goes by several different names throughout various Legend of Zelda games, but no matter what you call it, the Hurricane Spin is an absurd feat of balance and endurance. Link pretty much turns himself into a human Beyblade, somehow staying on his feet the whole time as he spins rapidly and caroms into enemies. That his Wind Waker incarnation is only a bit dizzy afterward, and not completely out of breath, is astounding. Better yet, how is he not nauseous after it? The Hero of Winds sure seems like a kid who wouldn’t bat an eye at the most hair raising rollercoaster you can imagine.

6. Wrestling Mayor Bo and Ordon Goats

We should have known that Twilight Princess’ Link was a beefcake long before he went shirtless and showed off his chiseled physique. Having grown up in Ordon Village, that young man has farmboy strength. Out-wrestling Mayor Bo in a sumo match is impressive enough, but where Link displays absolutely ridiculous core and lower body strength is when he stops an Ordon Goat dead in its tracks mid-charge. In both cases, Link becomes a living, breathing anchor, planting his feet and refusing to give an inch. If being the hero of Hyrule hadn’t worked out for him, he might have been able to make a fine career for himself as an NFL lineman.

5. Climbing literally everything

There’s a very good reason why sport climbing has become an Olympic competition. Even if you take your sweet time, scaling a sheer vertical wall is a rigorous activity that puts your upper body, finger strength, and flexibility to the test. Link is Hyrule’s version of Spider-Man in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, sticking to surfaces as if his hands are covered in flypaper. Aside from rare exceptions like Ancient Sheikah and Zonai stonework, Link can effortlessly scale just about any anything, no matter the surface texture or its matter composition. Smooth, stone walls? No problem. Volcanic rock that should in theory be a hot skillet? Doesn’t make him blink. Solid ice formations that would give a normal man frostbite? Just another day at the office for Link.

4. Hooking Neptoona

Fishing can be a deceptively arduous activity. Pulling a tiny sunfish out of a pond is simple, but hooking true whoppers that weigh hundreds of pounds will leave your arm muscles feeling like they’re on fire. When Link goes deep sea fishing in Phantom Hourglass, the biggest catch he can land is the legendary Neptoona (as an aside, what an outstanding pun of a name that is). At 17 feet, 3 inches in length, Neptoona is a leviathan of a fish, yet Link is somehow able to haul that monster from the depths of the ocean with nothing but an ordinary rod. It’s an accomplishment in angling that would have Jeremy Wade of River Monsters fame heaping praise upon the young hero.

3. Pushing/pulling giant blocks

Link has a long history of moving around stone blocks far larger than himself, dating all the way back to the very first Legend of Zelda game. The fact that he can somehow get a full grip on what appear to be completely flat sides of said blocks and pull them along is admittedly a case of “video game logic”, but even the more realistic act of simply being able to push them is a serious testament to Link’s strength. We’d love to know what lower body workouts he’s doing to propel himself enough so that a big, stone brick starts moving without any additional momentum behind it. Of all the cases where Link has done this, the most impressive has to be pushing those especially massive blocks in Ocarina of Time’s adult dungeons, like the Forest Temple and Fire Temple. Most people struggle just to move around heavy furniture in their homes — imagine moving a solid stone block that’s larger than a minivan!

2. Skyward Sword Link’s vertical spin slash

Link’s most jaw-dropping sword technique isn’t one taught to him by a Great Fairy or the Hero’s Shade; in fact, he knows it from the very start of Skyward Sword. It happens so fast that you can’t fully appreciate it in real time. Link goes from a standing position to completing a full flip in mid-air, bringing his sword with him the whole way in an arcing slash. Whether he’s merely cutting through air or striking an enemy mid-rotation, he manages to land back on his feet without a misstep. It’s a maneuver that’s straight out of Rurouni Kenshin. What’s more, Link can perform the attack by either flipping forward, or doing a backflip. The agility and coordination needed to pull this off is completely, utterly bonkers.

1. Swinging a sword underwater

With how much resistance that water places upon kinetic motion (otherwise known as “drag”), swinging a sword while submerged should be a futile endeavor. At best, your slashes will come in slow motion. Even Aquaman of all people uses a stabbing-focused weapon as his primary equipment when fighting underwater. But in games like Twilight Princess, Link’s Awakening, and the Oracles, Link can hack away underwater only slightly slower than normal. The momentum that he generates to do this shouldn’t be possible, and at the very least, he should be physically exhausted after just a few series of slashes. World class boxers will tell you how strenuous of a workout it is to shadow box underwater. For Link to wield a heavy, dense weapon underwater with such relative ease is a truly superhuman feat.