Link's "armor"

[NaviGator]

What does everyone else think?

I've thought it was cool that Link had an original place to put the sheath. I mean, stereotypical knights wear the sword on their belt, right (Darknuts)? I guess it all goes with not wearing the rmor. Does he wear a chainmail shirt? Or does the triforce of courage have something to do with it? It's like having 1 heart without any armor, ya know?

 

[Alar]

Well if you look in Skyward Sword he wears Chainmail underneath... and link is the best

 

[ancazur]

He has chain mail in TP, too. I think at some point Nintendo said, "hm, we have to give him some kind of armor, don't we?" Because he really doesn't wear any in earlier games. I guess he's just that good that he doesn't need it

 

[Goro-Link]

Yeah, well in all of the earlier games, he had magic power. and keep in mind, he gets more hearts all the time. if you didn't get any heart containers, it would be like having one heart when a darknut hit him.

 

[Shadsie]

In TP, he has chainmail. Apparently he also has it in Skyward Sword. If you pay attention while playing A Link to the Past, some of the upgrades you get in the latter dungeons are "mail" "Blue mail," "Red mail."

In the earliest games, LoZ and AoL, there's a magical counterpart in the magic rings that increase defense (LoZ) and the Shield Spell (AoL). The tunic changes color - no indication of armor or mail there, but the magic suffices.

In OoT, MM, Oracles and WW - the poor kid's practically naked! Well, he has clothing, but no battle-protection. Limited magic-eating spells like Nayru's Love and WW's "Magic Armor" are all-proof armor that suffice for short periods, but aren't like a regular general protection like mail.

I was happy to see Link in chainmail in TP - it's like "Yeah, Nintendo, he NEEDS that!"

It's still limited, though, but think about it - if Link is wearing light armor (chainmail shirt) or is just in tights and tunic without armor, he has a speed/agility/movement advantage, does he not? Knight's armor is clunky. And you can't go to the bathroom in it either, unless you go to the bathroom *in* it (thank you, History Channel!) All of the armored foes in the games are pretty clunky (with the exception of Darknuts in the original LoZ, who were speedy... the arfijdigd^&%%%!!!ing things! ) In the 3-D games especially, light or no-armor Link has a definitive speed and manuverability advantage.

Perhaps his Courage causes him to eschew lots of protective armor in favor of the speed/manuverability advantage, despite the risk.

 

[Sstorm]

Honestly this is something I never really considered. Kinda strange when you do think about how "naked" Link really is in some titles from the series. I do like that he now wears some chain mail, but I hope it never gets to the point of Link wearing a large suit of armor consistently, I think it would change an aesthetic element that in many ways has come to symbolize not only Link and arguably the best game series of all time, but a symbol of many peoples childhoods too. I guess change is good in some cases however, and it will be interesting to see how Nintendo approaches this in the future.

 

[Tony]

He wears chainmail in TP and SS. Oh, and in TP the Magic and Zora Armor.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Do NOT underestimate Link. He can do anything

 

[windwaker101]

If you look closely he is wearing chain mail underneath his green. Mail is usually padded with some soft pads (And you still get bruises either way!) but we don't see that on Link. Most warriors in the Inheritance series wear mail but for an odd reason it still breaks very easily. As you see in OoT as a child Link has nothing on but his green shirt/man skirt and hopefully some undergarments. Poor kid is only a pre-teen or even younger and can survive a blow from a giant ax and get up and shake it off in a matter of seconds! (Darknuts in MM.) In WW/PH/ST he is wearing his tights and green,no armor, and defeats the Greatest Evil in Hyrule, destroys a monster (Or so I assume.) haunting a ocean, and kills an ancient demon king! But as you grow older you slow down so I see why SS and TP Links need mail. Adults are way less less flexible than children and if you learned in science or where we learned, gym, children can slightly bend their bone without breaking it but actually crack it. The mail can protect Link from some oncoming blows. When he has no armor his courage, the will to survive, knowing the entire land will be destroyed or be ruled under an ancient evil, and his family, if any, and friends will be killed or enslaved if he fails gives Link the strength and "armor" to continue to fight when hurt.