Link's Ambition, Why Does He Risk His Life for the Greater Good?

[Hierarch7]

Hello forum,
We all know that through the series, Link has been courageous and bold in tackling temples, bosses, and entities, but what do you think makes him do it? An obligation to princess Zelda? A Hero complex?
Please leave interesting comments/ Ideas below.

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

It really depends upon the Link in question.

In ALttP he probably did it for the good of his dearly departed Uncle who died trying to do the task Link was trying to do.

In LA, he did it simply because he had to do it in order to leave and get back to Hyrule.

In OoT, the same thing, doing it for the Deku Tree who died and in his last moments, entrusted him with the quest.

At first in MM, he was probably doing it in order to regain his original form, but was sucked into his quest by the plight of Tatl and Tael, whom he felt sorry for and then ultimately to protect the people whom he became fond of as well.

In WW, it was to save his sister and eventually, it became about saving the beautiful world he explored and saving Tetra, as well as something for his friend, the King of Red Lions.

In MC, it was to save his dear friend Princess Zelda from a fate as a statue for the rest of time and also, over time, to return Ezlo to his former self.

In TP, at first it was to save the kids and his supposed love interest (Ilia), but it soon became about doing it for Midna and Zelda.

In PH, it was to save Tetra from the horrors of the Ghost Ship and then return her to normal, as well as restoring Ceila's memory and helping Oshus.

In ST, it was to restore Zelda.

Or, more likely, it's simply because the player wants to play the game.

 

[Phantom Ganon]

I voted all of the above but there should have been another option for "Because he is the Hero of Time". Other than that this is a very nice topic to speak of. Also I wouldn't really say that Link is "in love" with Zelda but rather that Zelda always gets her *** in a tight situation like becoming a phantom or being used as a tool for opening the Sacred Realm to the Triforce. It's all a matter of what you think about and how thoroughly you dig to it.

 

[TheHeroOfLime]

It really depends upon the Link in question.

In ALttP he probably did it for the good of his dearly departed Uncle who died trying to do the task Link was trying to do.

In LA, he did it simply because he had to do it in order to leave and get back to Hyrule.

In OoT, the same thing, doing it for the Deku Tree who died and in his last moments, entrusted him with the quest.

At first in MM, he was probably doing it in order to regain his original form, but was sucked into his quest by the plight of Tatl and Tael, whom he felt sorry for and then ultimately to protect the people whom he became fond of as well.

In WW, it was to save his sister and eventually, it became about saving the beautiful world he explored and saving Tetra, as well as something for his friend, the King of Red Lions.

In MC, it was to save his dear friend Princess Zelda from a fate as a statue for the rest of time and also, over time, to return Ezlo to his former self.

In TP, at first it was to save the kids and his supposed love interest (Ilia), but it soon became about doing it for Midna and Zelda.

In PH, it was to save Tetra from the horrors of the Ghost Ship and then return her to normal, as well as restoring Ceila's memory and helping Oshus.

In ST, it was to restore Zelda.

Or, more likely, it's simply because the player wants to play the game.

I'll pick up on the ones you missed.

In LOZ he is doing it merely for the sake of adventure (not much backstory)

In AOL he is doing it to wake up Zelda from her random coma

In OoA he is saving Nayru

In OoS he is saving Din

 

[February Eve]

In OoT, I think there's something to be said for him feeling the need to 'fix' a world that he accidentally helped create. He may have felt, more than usual, that it was his duty, since his original aim had backfired so spectacularly.

However, I also think that most incarnations of Link are just happy they are able to do something. If something you love is threatened - and I'm including his kingdom and/or world in it - you'd probably want to help save it. In Link's case, though, he finds out that not only can he help, but by being chosen by destiny, he also has the tools to do it (I think of him a lot like Harry Potter in that respect.) I don't think he needs much more of a reason.

 

[Shadsie]

None of the Above?

Maybe it's just his good nature. He does it because he has a very righteous soul and does the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. He's just enormously honorable.

I like the awnser of "Because the player wants to play the game," too. Heh.

 

[Random Person]

A lot of the Links tend to do what they're told. Sure they have other reasons too, but they're pretty much obedient to the teeth.

 

[Zeruda]

Each Link has his own reason as to why he's doing what he's doing. Some might do it for love, some my do it for family, some might do it for the thrill, some might do it because they were just tossed into the mess. What they all share though I think is that they are all good people. If you strip Link down to his core and look past his courage, his strength, his skill.... even without all that, even in his most simple base, he's a very good person. Not good like we think of people today, but genuinely good.

Regardless of being a child or an adult, he has a strong sense of justice, and he's the type of person to act on that. When you get down to it, it's a very simple answer.

 

[Kirino]

You kinda missed 2 options.Because hes a good person,and because he wants to save someone.Oh yeah,also that he has no other choice.I mean if the world was falling into the hands of evil and you were the only one who could stop it how could you possibly say no?

 

[shan-tastic]

Depends on his age, I think.

Adult Link is selfless, and loves his home land and its people and would do just about anything to make sure everything and everyone is safe and happy, even if it means going completely out of the way of his original task. People may reward him with material items and fame, but from what I get out of it, he doesn't embark on these journeys for personal gain. He loves Hyrule and doesn't want the kingdom falling into the wrong hands and the people being miserable.

Child Link's a bit different. He still has the same sense of justice and love of making people happy, I think, but because he's young, he's also curious. He wants to see what and who is out there, and to familiarize himself with his home land. I also agree with the comment about him being extremely obedient, as well as naive, which is to be expected in a kid around 10-12, and he probably doesn't fully understand the significance of whatever he's told to do. Hell, I know if I were that age and were given the opportunity to adventure and explore around after living in the same area for who knows who long, I wouldn't ever even think of passing it up.

 

[AlaskaAce1996]

Nearly every game uses the classic hero cycle where the hero starts as an unknown and something happens that requires them to set of on an adventure. Link could have a simple motive early on, but as the epic quest continues his motives could become more complicated and personal. This is most evident in Majora's Mask where his orginal intentions were to find Navi, but after his encounter with the Skull Kid and his arrival in Termina, he found himself trying to save a world from imminent destruction. Along the way, he found himself dealing with the problems of the local population, which he felt, required him to not only save the world, but to heal the people of Termina. Therefore his motives really depend on the condition the world he is in and can greatly vary between games.

 

[ChargewithSword]

Link does it because unlike us, he is not the human we all are. He is a symbol of courage, childish curiosity, and love for the new. Think about it honestly, he could've gone home after he saved Aryll or the Ordon kids, but no. He continued his journey because it was out there, it was so drastic from what he had experienced before and he wanted more. The mystery that the world holds allures him as you can see whenever you enter a secret cave or blow up a stone. He is guarded by the chance of excitement which is why we are always given such a contrast during most of the games. He is not meant to be in one place for a long time because he is adventure at his core. Look back to the Kokiri Forest where he really did not belong because of who he was, a Hylian, but could he stay in Hyrule Castle Town though? No.

He moved on, finding a new adventure to bide his time (Majora's Mask). This is also why I think he wanted to find Navi in Majora's Mask. Navi was the one who had taken him out of the forest that day and changed his life. She was his rod of courage and adventure because he knew that she was there beside him. When he lost her, he felt that he lost his thirst for adventure and longed for more. They both had a bond of adventure in their hearts that linked them to one another. Where Navi was the rod to lead to adventure, Link was the participant.

This is also seen in the end of Wind Waker when Link left Outset Island for the last time. He could've stayed there and lived a peaceful life with his sister and Grandmother but that wasn't his life. He followed Tetra and the pirates because he knew that they were going to find the New land of Hyrule hidden out there in the unknown.

Link is the symbol of courage to leave the comfort of one's own home to seek the unknown, to challenge each obstacle with the courage to move on. This is much like the longing of a child to be out and free for adventure. It's much like Miyamoto's childhood indeed.

 

[Petman1325]

Each quest seems to start with Link having not seen the world and just being raised in a village. Once he has a true reason to leave his village, he took it. Perhaps his own personal ambition was to see the world, meet new people, etc. That could possibly explain why after every Zelda game, Link leaves. (Well, except for A Link to the Past)

Plus, just about every person has some sort of soft spot. Link has quite a large one, for he puts his life on the line in order to protect whole lands. It is noted considerably in Majora's Mask that he'll aid anyone in danger...at least the Hero of Time. However, Link has traditionally be kind towards other. Even though it is not canon, even Ganondorf fought somewhat for the forces of good in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the Subspace Emissary against Tabuu.

I'm not going to bring the cartoon into this, even though it isn't canon, but Link only did it for Zelda. However, while the other Links did save Hyrule and Zelda, they didn't request any favor in return. I guess the only way to figure out why Link is interested in saving people would involve getting into his mind; but remember, Link's personality was originally supposed to be based upon the players'.

 

[Norisom]

Well Link is meant to be the "vessel" that links the player to the game hence his name. They never really gave Link a personality for this reason so really the reason he does it is the reason you do it since he is supposed to reprasent you in the games.

 

[Ember Incubus]

The only time Link has any intentions of getting with Zelda is in AoL. People come up with all these thoeries for Link's "Love"... May I point out a few things. There is always a possibility that Zelda and Link are related because Link's parents are not mentioned at all. Saria is a kokiri who always looks like a child, for all we know she could be 50 years older than Link. She may care about him like a mother does. Midna can never get with link because of what happened to the mirror of twilight. (Although, they fixed it once, they can fix it again.) Malon seems plausable to me. Marin is not because she turns into a seagull at the end of the alt ening, and at the normal ending, she disapears into a dream.