My ranking goes like this->> Young Link>Adult Link>Toon Link>Adolescent Link
My reasons for this are two fold:
I. The originality of the game or part of game the specific version of Link appears in.
II. The interaction of that specific Link with his environment
I found Young Link's relatively minor third of the game or so as well as his full claim to fame in Majora's Mask to be some of the greatest moments in franchise history. The pacing of both was perfect. Nintendo was wise to get the player in on the action right away. Ocarina of Time has a very brief tutorial followed by its first dungeon whereas Majora's Mask lacks even that as Skull Kid steals Epona from Link and runs off. Recent installments such as Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword suffered from having a long and drawn-out introduction.
Young Link also forget a distinct bond between the characters he met. The childhood friendship throughout between Link and Saria is felt throughout the game whereas seeing Darunia's heart of stone open up after playing Saria's Song is one of the most poignant and flat-out beautiful moments in franchise history. I feel myself continually transported back to my childhood after all those years. One last added benefit Link enjoyed as a youth was that he had plenty of beautiful girls to choose from.
I really would like for him to return. Never before had I related to a Link as much as Young Link. He truly embodies what Nintendo stands for as a company-entertainment for the whole family. As much as I loved all the other Links, this was one whose timeless appeal still captivates me to this day. Simply stunning. There are no other words for how much I enjoyed playing as him. It also certainly helped that he was a fighter in one of my favorite games of all time-Super Smash Bros. Melee.