Talking Point: What Do You Name Link When You're Playing A Zelda Game?

I mean... his name is Link? Who am I to change his name?

But I'm also terribly dull and not great at parties, so...

I play as my 2 year old, until he is old enough to save Hyrule himself lol

Generally I prefer to name heroes in games their canon names.
Nothing against those who like to change them - that's what the option's there for after all. But I do enjoy the hero having their true name.
The one exception to this is Pokémon, where I name the trainer my own name, since the social / trading aspect of Pokémon is so important.

And if a game has hero who doesn't have a canon name, then I'll also use my own name in that case too.

I name him "Bud."

Generally keep the character’s name as is for whatever game I am playing. I mean if I named the hero after myself, they’d just be dead after like the first moblin encounter. Game over.

Link of course 😃

Lonk. Misspeled it once years ago and decided to roll with it.

Mthfka 😄 I can't help myself

I name him my name in the 2D games as he feels more of a self-insert there.
In the 3D games, I go Link.

Usually it’s Link but I have named him after myself before. However Epona is usually after one of my favorite childhood dogs. In Pokémon I remember making the trainer my cousin and I would be his first starter.

I always put the name of the main character, so, it's Link. I think putting your own name to feel inside the game is too cringy.

I do "Link" simply because the game's dialogue includes that.

I name him: "Mr. Sir. Dr. Jr. Duke King Rutherford Richardson Sr. the XVIII of Hyrulian Hyrule."

Or Bobby for short.

Princess Zelda

kniL
But then backwards. 🤣

I'm boring and generally stick with whatever the character is canonically named. I'll certainly never go for the "funny" option.

Only in multiplayer games do I generally name my character after my own nickname, but in single player games, I'll typically just go with the default name. I find it more immersive that way, I dunno.

Poopyface.

Like all my rpg characters ever.

Zelda... It's in the name after all!

(joke fyi)

In reality I name him Link, and for rpg’s I always google what name the developers have given the character. I’d like to play the game as pure as an rpg as possible.

Unless a game has a character creator, I almost always just stick with the default name. Only exception is naming every Pokemon character up to probably gen 4 or 5 Ash.

Zelda because I want that awesome tune in Link's Awakening.

Since I started playing Sword and Shield, I’ve always named a game character ‘Turdwig’

What I name all of my video game characters if there are enough letters: Gord Poops

If the game also allows to name the horse, I just swap their names.

When I was a kid I made up names which I thought sounded like cool fantasy names. One time it was Excalibur; I can’t specifically remember any other examples. But then at some point I learned that Link was the “correct” name, and it’s been Link ever since.

Link, of course, as that's his name.

I had brothers growing up so had no choice but to put my own name on the save file to claim my turf on the cartridge. I guess it became a habit and I just kept doing it.

I didn’t think I had a strong opinion until BotW removed the ability to rename the hero and it was BIZARRE. Characters in the game kept calling me Link, which was a new experience and made it feel less like Zelda to me.

When I was a kid always my first name since I had to share the cartridges with others and lord help us if someone played the wrong file. Nowadays always Link, he's not really a self insert protagonist despite being silent. With the exception of Link's Awakening where I'll use THIEF, that way their shaming of me after stealing the bow means nothing!

Depends on the game. I pick a new one for each game, and keep it on replays.

ALttP: DaFunk
OoT: Pedro
MM: ChowMein
WW: Chunky
TP: Crumpets (and Epona is Fritters)
SS: Pants Jr.

Those are the ones I can remember.

Always different, anything but Link. Frequently something childish. "Zippy," "Clarence," "Hugh Janis," etc. I named him Obi Wan in OoT once just so I could linger over the text box where Saria says, "I've been waiting for you, Obi Wan."

LINK of course

Every name-able video game avatar gets the name of my dead cat Malice. Cut down by F.A.T.E. at age 7.

I used to name him after my name but now I just use my switch username which is Octo King

I just go with Link however I bought F Zero maximum velocity second hand and the name on the cart for the best laps was T**t face 😂

BUMDUDE just to make my son happy.

I name him "Ballsack"! So that any serious dialogue in the game its feeling gets instantly ruined when they impress the gravity and importance of saving Hyrule on young, "Ballsack"! Ballsack has to save everybody!!

I am a person that if a character's name can be changed (like the persona series) but have an official name even if it is not in the game then I will use that characters name.

Exception is if it is a create your own character that you can change the look of before you start the game.

Groose
Groose
Groose
Groose
Groose

I use one of my Internet usernames, Sarna, and cut it off to “Sarn.” Then I tack on a word that vaguely fits the game’s theme. Minish Cap had Sarnce (Sarn+Lice, referencing Link’s tiny size), Skyward Sword had Sarnky (Sarn+Sky, referencing the setting), Wind Waker had Sarnster (Sarn+Lobster, referencing the lobster on Link’s pajamas), etc.

Also, I named the baby in the Oracle games Turok, as a joke based on an absurd ‘90s marketing campaign.

I like to give name him a variation of the name Link. Here are a few examples:
Dink
Donk
Fink
Jonk
Pink
Wonk

welp my first playthrougjh I named him AAAAA.....I was five

I give Link my name, and I name Epona after my girlfriend.

You'll understand when you get older kids.

"I say" is always a good time.

I name him Link, because it seems odd for the characters to call him anything else.

I name him Link.

Usually, though, I'll name the main character Lony when it comes to video games.

Usually some kind of variation of Link. Loink, Luurnk, Lunk, etc.

Linky McLinkface.

My name. It is better I think. I like it more.

I've always used a shortened version of my own name.

As it happens, I think the Zelda games have become worse the more they've focused on Link as a character, and less about putting you in the game. He's cool, I get that (especially in that first Twilight Princess trailer, before the game had a name), but the more they focus on him, Zelda and serious stories/timelines, the less magical I find it. Ocarina of Time aside, I find the games with Young Link better experiences, as there is less ego involved and less about him as a character.

I always name my Link "Something else (comment below)", how did you know?!

@ComfyAko Liar. That's far too long.

I just use my name. If the developers wanted to keep his name as Link, then they wouldn't have made the name editable.

Owning my screaming narcissist ideals here. Always ALWAYS my name 👀😂

Who doesn’t want to be the hero of their own adventure?! 🤷‍♀️🤪

Usually either my name, or just Link

I've taken to naming all characters Sneed. But when I play Final Fantasy games I like being a smartass and naming the protag Cloud. If I'm replaying FFVII then I name him Squall.

I always went with Link until 2015 or so, then started to put my name instead. Everyone knows he's Link, so I wanted to mix it up while using as little creativity as possible.

I always try to name characters, "my butthole". It leads to some hilarious dialogue.

A buddy of mine and I played OoT with the name "My P****"... comedic gold.

@TeaCatherine shhh don't give me away!

I name him Ganon.

It's a psychological strategy so that evil Ganon feels conflicted when he's forced to battle .... himself ....

It's also funny to hear people say "The fate of Hyrule is in your hands, Ganon" and "Ganon - only you have the power to defeat Ganon!".

Of course for non-Hyrule themed games i switch to whatever the bad guy's name is if it fits.

In Earthbound i use "Gygas" (cuz Giygas doesnt fit).

When I first played Zelda it was Ocarina of Time. I put my name is as CHRIS, because I didn’t realise I could lower case.

Ever since, I’ve always named myself CHRIS

Whatever I feel like.

Sometimes my name, Link mostly.

For a while I named him Ben, Sauron, or Aonuma, recently I have taken to naming him Bob Ross.

Once called a OoT file "DR9QH"

@Nancyboy Lol - Obi Wan for the win.

When I was younger I just used to use my name whenever I played games like this. Now I use a nickname/screen name that I like to call myself. I feel like Nintendo always intended Link to be you, that's why he tends to be a blank slate and almost robotic. The character is supposed to be filled with YOUR thoughts and emotions. If Link actually spoke and verbalized his thoughts it'd be a different thing but since he doesn't I just treat him as an extension of myself, my proxy into this fantasy world.

EDIT: Also, since I used to share games with my brother it was imperative that we both use different names so we don't actually play each other's saves.

My siblings and I used to all call him "Link". Then my brother accidentally loaded my OoT file, advanced the Biggoron Sword quest three stages, and then lied about it when I noticed.

From then on I started giving Link my own very feminine name. Which in turn annoyed my brother (but he grew out of it).

It’s either POO or ASS for me. I stick to the old 3 letter rules we used to have at the pinball machines and the bowling alley.

James. It is a shame that they don't let you use your own name in the new games.

Link or LINK.
I mostly leave it default.

I always name link after my son.

Link. If it's Pokemon, I make a name. But Zelda isn't a self insert for me, it's the story of Zelda and Link forever entwined

@FishyS I used to use LINK in Ocarina as it would annoy me watching the ending where Ganon is shouting in caps and says “CURSE YOU Link”. It always looked weird to me.

These days I’ve used the text editing tools available for Ocarina and changed his speech to lower case but made it red for Zelda, yellow when he curses the sages and green for Link. 😅

When I played my first Zelda Oracle of Seasons as a kid I didn't know you could turn off caps so I ended up calling him LINK.

So everytime I play a new Zelda my first playthrough I always end up naming him LINK in caps, it's a little tradition I do now.

I'm actually called Link in real life so i name him after myself

Either link or something stupid

@Thomcat
It is unfortunate that you can’t name Link what you want to now, but I don’t see how it could happen with voice acting.

For me, it's either Link or LINK. No need to change his name.

'fairy boy'. I usually go with 'that guy' or 'that girl' in most games though.

For Zelda games I stick with Link. For most other games I go with a jimmy or Timmy. There’s just something hilarious to me about Timmy the Dragonborn.

Always "Link" for me.

But I also main Mario in his games, always choose pink Kirby when given the color option, play as "Player" in Among Us with red color and red beanie, and believe it to be a criminal offense when ice cream shops don't offer vanilla.

I'm pretty basic, you see.

I use my name, why not? But I also do the ALLCAPS thing, just because it's hilarious!

For some reason I always named my RPG hero 'Rage'. I don't know why, I guess it seemed like a cool name for a mute male hero who's job it was to destroy all evil.

Link.

Always just Link.

I always name myself some silly variation of Link like Stink, Plunk, Plint, Lymph, Lewerdt, or Laax

I have always named him after myself. I'm certainly no hero but I have always been the adventurous type. In BOTW, my horses were named John, Paul, George and Ringo.

I couldn't put both down, but either "Link" or "[NAME]"
For games like SS, TP, and OoT, I'd use Link, but with the Wind Waker-style games I've used my name.

The first LoZ game I played was PH. For some reason I named him McHero. Ever since then I've played through the older games and all that came after and I've gone with PDan, a variation of my own name. For some reason, I've never used Link.

I always call him Salad because he’s green

ShootDaJ and this site is terrible had to go through like 15 steps to create an account then get back here to leave a comment. Totally dumb and isn't necessary ur just data mining

since Link was created as a avatar for us to project ourselft in the game, i name Link with my name Gian or Giancarlo, when theres Epona i name her after my pets cats(Gabi or Nina)

First time I played a Zelda game, I gave him my name. That ultimately felt kind of weird, though, especially since he's so iconically known as and talked about as Link. So now I just give him his canon name. Same with all RPGs that let you change the name.

One time I named him "as*hole" in Ocarina of Time and forgot about until saria was like "Hey as*hole!" and I was shocked

I nickname him Cupcake...every time. It used to be an inside joke with me and my little sister. Naming kid Link Cupcake, because when he would step out of the realm he'd been stuck in for 7 years, he'd evolve into Beefcake! 🤣💕

Usually Walnut, which works well (Especially in 'Ocarina' ).

@CheekyZelda Omg I've done the same in spare save files! That and D1ckH3ad were hilarious! 🤣💕

“My Dude” is always a good option. “My Dude, you must save the princess”

I name the first file Link, and the second Kasuto.

I like to keep him as Link, just feels he's his own character even without words, so I just go with that.

wc (is what's I name them)

It must be Link and only Link

I always name him Bruno. But my name is not Bruno. It works. Go figure.

I name him Lunk

Link for first playthrough, Stink thereafter

I feel like “Link” is too default

I remember reading an interview in N64 magazine years ago and I believe it quoted shigeru saying that they chose the name "Link as in a Link to the player" so you where free to call him what ever name you wanted. I still used an expletive on some file names. Rosco is my most used name when naming characters.

“Tregare”. My friend’s suggestion to name him after the, um, host(?) of children’s TV gameshow classic Knightmare. But getting back into games with a pre-owned N64 in the year 2000 it was pre-Wikipedia and so no way for us to check that his actual name was “Treguard” so we had to go off faulty decade-old recollections. Pretty close all things considered.

Used in every game since unless I’m replaying Link’s Awakening in which case “Trega” has to suffice.

Absolutely criminal that you couldn’t rename the player in Breath of the Wild. For the small amount of useless speech in it you could have easily replaced every instance of “Link” with “Champion”. But I did at least get to name a horse “Falconhuf” (flippin’ length restrictions) after Limmy’s Adventure Call.

Link, thank you very much. I have more than enough games where I go for a custom name... after a good amount of time wasted trying to so much as google the default one.

The first playthrough always Link. Second playthrough my own name.

Pepto bismal

Default…….(ignore this)

I used to give him my name until I learned he had a default name. Ever since, he is Link.

I usually give my characters a name (often quite a silly one) in RPGs, but Link is just Link to me, it feels wrong calling him anything else.

obviously i name him link...

Whenever there's a choice to name a character, I always go by my gamer/online name.

Mick or Danny, names that mean a lot to me.

D. Link - My first initial and Link. Ever since OoT

Usually something like Stink or Ratfink, or something that rhymes with Link. Or some kind of expletive, like ****head. Not that I have anything against Link, I'm just immature when it comes to naming any character.

Andreas Andreasen The Third. Is what I want to call him. He has always looked like a third generation Andreas Andreasen…. But usually I end up with Link for short.

I used to name him something like “… erm..”, which makes for some great dialog

Link, but on my recently-started Minish Cap run, I've gone for the memetic Lonk.

I usually pick different names for characters in RPGs if I can, but for some reason I've always stuck with Link in Zelda games. It just feels wrong to change it, I don't know why.

I guess it's because he's a well established character that runs through multiple games. Even if I was to change his name in the game, I would still call him Link in my head, so it seems pointless trying to change it.

I name my character "Dude" so that all the people in hyrule sound really chill when talking to him lol

When I was a kid, I named him LINK, and now I just name him Link. I also occasionally names him after my real name! Brings back good memories.

When I first played Link's Awakening, I was a 12, so it needed to be rad af. I went w "Ace," and have named Link that ever since.

When I was a kid (back in the 80s), I always named game characters after my friends (which was great, because I had probably four friends, so Final Fantasy on the NES made it easy).

That said, I most definitely "changed my name" in classes in the 2nd Grade to "Link," which confused the hell out of both my regular and substitute teachers.

When given the option, I default to my middle name (or my first name too if 11 characters are supported). And there may have been the extremely rare occasion where I was able to squeeze my full name in.

If playing as a female protagonist, I would default to a name that I would like to give my daughter(s), if I were to ever have any. I think I had played a couple of Pokémon games as a girl (which I don't think I've done since Gen V), but for the purposes of trading/multiplayer, I've decided to stick with my own sex in these sorts of situations rather than risk being disingenuous.

As a general rule though, I hate using default names in games, even in situations such as this where the default is canonical.

My Links name is also Bort.

@Patendo hahahaha, i laughed at this, Well done!

Link, what else!

Always my high school nickname, "Bug"

I’ve used different names over the years. Talon, Eric (thanks DQ), Locke, but I think my favorite was You. Nothing like making on one remember the Hero’s name and just calling them with a generic “Hey! You!” Made me feel better about ignoring and stealing from them.

Slurmp

And every time I read it, I hear Arin Hanson in my head saying it in the voice that he used for Zelda in the GG playthrough of OoT.

Usually my name, but recently I started a playthrough of Ocarina of Time with my boys and named him “I farted” to much fanfare. Made the cutscenes something special.

Substitute teacher pronounces it "lil' ink."

Link generally but as with anything else if I have multiple files or some such I use my longtime online names and abbreviations.

Obviously Joe. What else?

Wow I’m shocked so many people used Link.
I guess I always named him by my first name because it made it feel more immersive to me. I played the Legend of Zelda at a friends house but I really got into the series when I rented A Link to the Past. After calling the “hero” by my name it just kinda stuck and I’ve never called him Link unless there was no other option.

I, like most people, keep the name as Link. It makes the games way more story-like, where I can almost immerse myself as his companion or something.

A companion that walks him into lava like an idiot, but a companion nonetheless.

His name is Loink.

dlink 45 or something like that. At least in Skyward Sword (or was it Twilight Princess?).

I used to put my name down, but now, I just use Link. Personally, that is one thing I did like about BOTW, is that no matter what, Link's name was Link. Even if your profile name was something else, it would still be Link.

It bothers me when games don’t have canon names. To me the names of characters are often an integral part of world building, and I don’t want to ruin a game’s setting and atmosphere by choosing a name that doesn’t reflect the feel of that world.

Tyrone cause that’s a bad ass name.

With so many origin stories at this point, I don't even think of Link as Link. He's like all the different Doctor Whos or Robins. I think of Link as this long-dead hero and someone will eventually put on the costume and assume the role. I used to name him what my nephews call me, but when I started Twilight Princess I remembered that Nintendo can't bother to hire voice actors so I will be reading that name So often, I will grow sick of it. So I named him Sexy from that point on. NEVER got sick of that! None of the dungeons or gameplay has been anywhere as entertaining as being called "Sexy" by every person you meet. NONE OF IT!

I usually name Link after one of my Splatoon OCs nowadays because calling Link "Link" is just honestly a little cliché by now. ^^;

Though I suppose that's why they're called "clichés", because they're classics and beloved by most! Nothin' against people who enjoy 'em, I just like the names of my Splatoon OCs better.

If you're playing Link's Awakening you gotta go with "THIEF" so when you steal the shovel, they can't hurt you. Though I personally tend towards Wenir, Mudd or Ganon.

@Mgalens I hope very much that this is true

I always name every character at everygame as "i farted!"

Zelda is one of the few series where I keep the canon name of the protagonist. Same goes for mass effect

If it's a handheld game, I call him Lint. Otherwise, I use my own name.

I usually just go with "Link." I had a friend who would always use different random, totally banal sounding names (I remember his OoT file was named "Jim"), which struck me as really funny

I name him Zelda. duh.

Kitten lover2002 sounds amazing, definitely using that one next time! 😂❤️

@DanElectrode I saw someone in a gaming magazine name his Snorlax Bob, and I couldn't resist doing the same!

My default name is Tracy, because I thought that was the photograph kid from the orange islands.. But I kinda forgot his name!

I always use my name, and I was quite saddened when I discovered we couldn't do that in BotW.

I used to always just put Link but now I do something silly like Lunk, Lernck, Bunce, etc.

Capitals, everything in Capitals.
You see it better when someone mentiones you and it mostly is something you have to read and not skip

His name is Link, so I name him Link. Unless it's a subsequent playthrough where I just mess around, then I name him Lank.

I think I have named him as my name in one of the earlier games, but always link now.

I usually name my character as DEW, this goes back to arcade days when you could only use three letters. I loved walking away from an arcade unit after leaving my stamp on the high scores!

I've always named him Link.

Link is my first play through, and Flubber for my second

Zelda. his name is Zelda.

For some reason I named him Spyro when I played OOT.

@Sonicvic not being able to use a custom name was a casualty of having actual voice acting, I suppose

@FishyS AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

The 1st play through is always me. Dave, the Hero of Time

2nd play through is always Link, the Original Gangster.

Something Rude!

Had a friend who named him "Ur Naked". That gave me a few chuckles back in the day. "Don't be alarmed, Ur Naked!"

Sorry, very immature humor!

I always ask my family to name him.

Wind Waker: Venny Fo
Twilight Princess: Simmon (my daughter misspelled it)
Skyward Sword: Kenneth
Twilight Princess Horse: Gluestik

Lonk

He gotta save princess Zorldo

There was a time when RPGs allowed the player to name its main characters, which led to a deep connection between the player and the hero of the story. Zelda games were probably one of the better examples of it, the main "link" between the player and well, Link, was key to making it feel like you were inside the world.

It seems such games are now focused on introducing an already-established main protagonist for the player to understand and control. Basically there are fewer RPGs that give the player the option to name its main character, Dragon Quest at least does still allow you to name the Hero. In Breath of the Wild you can't Link another name, but you still feel a "link" to the character at least.

So, I would still give Link that name

Slurmp. If you know, you know.

I always fill in extra dialog as the name. Example: "Hey umm No" or "HahaNope".. makes for some really funny dialog boxes

Ever since I was like 7 playing OoT I have always named my saves Dude when playing a Zelda game when possible. Obviously I couldn’t choose the name it BotW. The days of naming your save have long since passed.

Voted "Link" just cos I started Minish Cap yesterday and went with that as my more usual (variants on a lifelong nickname, or failing that, my username here) didn't fit.

That's my criteria really - nickname if enough characters, Link if not.

Pooky. Always Pooky. He wears tights and plays with faries - he can't have a hard name like Link.

I used to use my own name, because that's what the old games intended you to do, but over time the character has become his own thing, so he has to be "Link".

Considering I've only seriously played BOTW, where you can't name him, this wasn't much of a question.

Linque - the classic name with a personal touch. Of course, like my username (also a variant spelling of a name from a video game), I would not be surprised if someone were to mispronounce it.

Link is an extension of the player. According to Miyamoto for many years, he was an avatar for the player.

"The player is Link." This is a quote from Hyrule Historian. The main point of Link is to be a vessel for you. He's not a completely blank slate, true, but there's not so much personality there that a bit of you can't shine through.

He's an archetypical hero, a way for you to experience that role. Even in certain games, they'll literally narrate as if YOU are Link.

There's no right or wrong way to do it.

Fun fact, according to Hyrule Historia, Link may not even be their true name. Some of them may be named Link, but it's a place holder, as their true names are lost to time.

@Giancarlothomaz Exactly!

I doubt most people will like that response, but it's good to see this interpretation still going about.

BBBBBBBB. I had no idea what to name it but should’ve just stuck with Link because now I regret it. It looks so funky whenever the characters are addressing me by that name.

Green mario (extra text)

I would use "I" to make it seems like everytime a character said something they'd talk in the third person. Now i either use Link for 3D and Nivid1 for 2D (forst time through i will use Link though)

I think it will definitely happen at some point and probably sooner rather than later. Zelda is far too much of a valuable IP for it not to be adapted to other forms of media. Which given the commercial successes of the Mario movie and the Last of us HBO series makes it even more likely this will happen at some point.

The lore and history of The Legend of Zelda is one of the richest in all of gaming, yet ironically it's one of the least explored or explained. It mostly consists of theory and "head canon" with only a few major plot points and details fully fleshed out. Which in turn makes it a perfect canvas for a movie or TV series writer to play with.

I can't imagine Nintendo will be a ble to resist the financial temptation for much longer. I could easily see a live action or modern anime style adaptation (ala Netflix's cyberpunk or castlevania) being produced in the near future and I can't imagine either of them working if Link is still a silent protagonist.

@TheGreyandTheRed Sorry, this was meant for another thread lol