General Zelda Why Are People Obsessed with Having Dark Link As a Villain?

[ihateghirahim]

a. It's such a radical departure from previous villains.

b. Dark Link is mysterious and odd. i'm not sure how much of that is fan creation, but he could be a mysterious, dark, and bloody character.

I must say it is unlikely such a dark concept will actually be put in a Zelda game.

 

[Sydney]

I don't understand this as well. I can understand that Dark Link brings in the cool factor, but he's just any ordinary villain. What makes him so special? That he's Link's dark self? To me, Dark Link is just like every ordinary villain that just happens to be extremely popular with the fanbase.

 

[ILU]

The Aol one was created as a test for Link.

Where's it say that? From my understanding, it's a creature that lives in the dungeon and is able to assume the form of its enemy. It just so happened that Link wandered in.

Anyway, I think people want Dark Link as a character because of all the potential he's been given by the fans. He's never been a smexy dark guy with evil intentions- fanart made him that way.

The best he's ever been was FSA where TP Ganon's evil and hatred traversed space and time and blahblahblah dark mirror tadaaaaaaaa Shadow Link. So technically it's still Ganon's spicy awesome sauce in that tasty dark concoction.

I think it's mainly that kind of character that's popular. If fans were given a character like Dark Link has been made out be in fanart/fanfics/fanblah that WASN'T actually Dark Link, they'd be just as satisfied. They want a Ghirahim character with less sparkles and more le daaaarkness and sorrow and whatever else fits that theme.

Personally, I'm still rootin' for G-dawg.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I still don't understand why people think he should be a villain.

Dark Link has appeared a handful of times throughout the series, but always as a dialogue-free minion who Link fights before moving on. Outside of the Four Swords manga, there is nothing to indicate that he would make any sort of villain, and I feel like people are taking his character way too far. If there isn't an explanation for his origin, it's because Nintendo didn't care. He's a minion you fight.

That's it.

Now shush.

 

[Ventus]

Outside of the Four Swords manga

Exactly why he'd be a good villain. If they managed to get Akira Himekawa to do the story for a Selda game, I'm sure Dark Link could turn out golden...or close to it.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

Exactly why he'd be a good villain. If they managed to get Akira Himekawa to do the story for a Selda game, I'm sure Dark Link could turn out golden...or close to it.

The same manga that toyed with the idea that the Links were gay for each other.

No.

 

[Ronin]

I'd like to see Dark Link as an antagonist because he has loads of untapped potential, whereas currently he's been shown as nothing more than an opponent who pops up to combat with Link. His character needs to be drawn out more, and in order to do that, just make him contrast the original. What is Link widely known for? Courage. So have Dark Link signify an epitome for fear, or some other component such as dread or anguish. If he really is this "dark side" of Link, then he should act like it and be treated like it. He could become a mischievous character, like MM's Skullkid, and wreak havoc in various places.

With that said, I'm super supportive of an antagonistic Dark Link. Being a dark side clearly isn't enough to demonstrate his potential awesomeness, because he's been stuck under the shadow of Link for too long.

 

[Blue Canary]

I've never really thought that he should be a villain, but if they did it right, he could be a great villain. I'm saying this because "Dark Link", means just that. Link could even have to fight his inner evil, who could be represented as "Dark Link". Or it could simply be a puppet. Or a different ancestor of the great hero, the was evil instead of good. There are so many things that you could do with the character. But I see what you're getting at, as anytime he has been shown, he hasn't actually had much depth. But, as I said, that doesn't mean you couldn't give him any.

 

[basement24]

I think it's that 'Boba Fett' appeal of the character in that we don't know much about him, so we therefore want to know more. A bigger, starring role could flesh out deeper origins for the concept of this dark doppelganger and perhaps could connect to other lore from older titles.

It could also perhaps be because other Nintendo 'dark' characters have held bigger spotlight roles in their own games. Dark Link may have been the final battle in AoL (I'd say spoilers, but it's been said in this thread above, and c'mon, it's a 25 year old game that no one seems to want to bother trying to play.) but he / it hasn't had a big starring role like Dark Samus in the Metroid Prime series, or the Shadow Mario that stirred up trouble in Mario Sunshine. Dark Link, or Shadow Link, has been reduced to a cameo role / mini-boss battle ever since.

I also think, because of people's general feelings on the overuse of Ganon, and the displeasure of the direction of new villains that they will find fleshing out someone they already know exists will be more fulfilling. Taking something that's somewhat unknown and making it known is a popular notion in and media even though in the end, most people end up disliking how known they become. (See Boba Fett, again.)

 

[TriFiERCE]

I say he shouldn't be a villain. He is evil, but not a villain. I mean, he has no soul, he is just a dark copy of Link, and yes Dark magic does have a motive, to be evil, it has it in the name Dark=Evil. So Darklink is not a villain, he is a reflection.

 

[Salem]

Where's it say that? From my understanding, it's a creature that lives in the dungeon and is able to assume the form of its enemy. It just so happened that Link wandered in.

To clarify, I don't think he was created specifically for Link, he's a test for who will win the Triforce of Courage.