Marin

MARIN

Once again, The Legend of Zelda proved a blockbuster franchise, with Link to the Past becoming a beloved entry in the series still well-regarded to this day. So it was only natural that when Nintendo released their handheld gaming system, the Game Boy, a new entry be developed for that as well. This one starred the same Link from Link to the Past, having sailed off to sea and been caught in a storm, only to wake on a strange island being tended to by a pretty redhead with a passing resemblance to Zelda.

This is Marin, a simple girl with an angelic voice living on Koholint Island with her father Tarin, who spends her days sitting on the beach and daydreaming of being a seagull simply so she could leave the island and explore the rest of the world. She would not appear in later games, though a spiritual successor would become a staple of the series and she herself would become playable in Hyrule Warriors.

As a fighter, she won’t be too much of a physical fighter, with a bit more of a floaty whispy way of fighting than most other fighters. Much like her moveset in Hyrule Warriors, she will act largely as a representative of Link’s Awakening as a whole.

Likelihood rating: Could happen.

The Legend of Zelda (Cagiva)

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (CAGIVA)

Ah, now this is more like it. If you ever want just a quick fun read with good characters and story, Cagiva Ataru's adaptations of A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening are the manga for you. While they're not quite the quality of the Himekawa manga that we'll talk about later, these are still a really good time. It ran starting in 1995, generally following the plot of both games, though with a few key differences.

Cagiva's A Link to the Past adaptation follows a trio of companions as they fight against the forces of Ganon and Agahnim, venturing into the Dark World to save Zelda and the land of Hyrule. These three are Link, his best friend and martial artist Raska, and Captain Arjuna, leader of the royal guard and Kakashi-esque mentor to the two of them. Link is pretty standard, training in using a sword and shield and all the other tools of the game, while Raska uses more physical martial arts moves, including a palm thrust, knee attack, jab, two-palm strike, a shield thrust, and throwing spikes used as projectiles. Captain Arjuna, while constantly fighting alongside the boys, never seems to get any clear focus on any of his attacks outside of basic sword strikes, the artwork instead preferring to show what the boys are doing. Luckily, though, he is the leader of the Hylian Soldiers, and we might be able to do something with that.

We have a few other supporting characters here, such as Princess Zelda herself, a damsel in distress for most of the plot; Link's Uncle, who straight up died in this version of the story; Kanika, a scientist and researcher trapped in the dark world who becomes a companion and almost traitor to our heroes at one point. Sadly, he is a very distinctly inactive character, so not much there. And we have Tou, Raska's father, who taught him everything he knows and thus knows all of it too. From there, we have Agahnim and Ganon as the villains, but they're pretty standard to the game.

Cagiva's version of Link's Awakening sticks much closer to the source, with barely any original characters. We see Link decide to leave home for a while, leaving Raska and Arjuna behind, and set out to sea. He ends up on Koholint Island and develops a rather sweet romance with Marin, making him struggle with the choice to wake the Wind Fish or not. There is a couple of new characters, like Felicia the fairy, and Master Drona, who punches and throws his sword, but that's about it.

Anyway, that's about it. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Manga Link: slingshot, sword, shield, bow, boomerang, bombs, magic wand, Watto, become a fairy, healing magic, thunder, fly on shield, raft, Link to the Past-related stuff

Zelda: club, rope, sword, flute, spells, transform, sea monster, magic

Biri: sword, torches, pitchforks, battering rams

Raska: palm thrust, knee, jab, two-palm strike, shield thrust, throwing spikes

Captain Arjuna: Hylian Soldier moveset

Marin

Link's Uncle: sword

Kanika

Tou: same as Raska

Couscous: spells, claw, bite

Birina

Gump: trained Link, sword, training staff, flip

Shemlon: forge, enchant swords, sword, reflect

Ganon/Ganon's Minion: burn, magic blast, disappear, fly, shock, storm, teleport, shapeshift, Ganon's hand

Agahnim

Stages:

Ganon's Statue

Thanks for reading! Next up, the most consistent mangaka of the bunch, the works of Himekawa Akira!

Character Sheet: Marin

MARIN

Today, we begin our very first run of Legend of Zelda character sheets, figuring out just what kind of movesets we can pull from all these characters and building a roster. For the moment, we have about fourteen:

1. Link

2. Dark Link

3. Princess Zelda (Currently honorary)

4. Marin

5. Sahasrahla

6. Old Man

7. Hylian Soldier

8. Ganon

9. Agahnim

10. Nightmare

11. Moblin

12. Stalfos

13. Vire/Keese

14. Thunderbird

Hailing from Link's Awakening, we now cover Marin, a girl created from the Wind Fish's dream, who . . . apparently bears a striking resemblance to Zelda, though character design for both has not particularly held true to that statement. While she is not particularly active in the plot of her home game, her major role in the game and her playable appearance in Hyrule Warriors have cemented her as the go-to gimmick rep for it.

In game, she is shown to be able to sing so well, she entrances both people and animals around her, and fantasizes about becoming a seagull, something that seems to be confirmed happened to her in the game's closing cutscene. The game itself also features such unique items as honeycombs full of bees, guardian acorns, her neighbor's dog Bow Wow, cuccos that allow one to hover for a short time, the Roc's feather, the ability to fish, a mirror shield, and the magical instruments that awaken the Wind Fish.

No moveset yet, but here's a general approximation of what it could be:

Standard B: Sing

She will sing, notes appearing in the air above her, disorienting any character within her bubble of influence and rendering them incapable of fighting for a short time.

Side B: Bow Wow

She will send out her neighbor's dog Bow Wow, who will lunge forward like any typical Chain Chomp, biting at anyone in front of it and dragging Marin along behind.

Up B: Rooster

She will pull out her Rooster Cucco, which will carry her upwards but only a little, allowing her to hang in the air for a short time.

Down B: Honeycomb

She will toss out the honeycomb her father knocked loose from a tree. Like any honeycomb, the person it hits will instantly be swarmed by bees.

Final Smash: Awakening the Wind Fish

The eight magical instruments will appear around her and start playing, disorienting all players on screen, before the Wind Fish swoops through and smashes into the players.

Entrance: She will be sitting on a log of driftwood playing her harp.

Taunts: Up, she will become a seagull and hover in the air a moment. Side, she will sing and animals will appear around her. Down, Bow Wow will come out and she will pet it.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Sahasrahla from A Link to the Past.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK'S AWAKENING

Today, let's cover Link's Awakening, the very first handheld Zelda game and probably the second-place record holder for most remakes after Ocarina of Time. Side note: This will be covering the original game, not DX or the recent HD remake. Those will come later. This game is also the first to not feature the titular Zelda, with Link washing up on a remote island after a storm and having to investigate a strange evil presence besieging the inhabitants.

Link, of course, is our main character, complete with his sword and shield like always. His items and weapons include bombs, a boomerang, a bow and arrows, a bottle to keep fairies in, a hookshot, a bag of magic powder, a magical rod to cast spells, a mirror shield that reflects beams, an ocarina, Pegasus Boots, the power bracelet, the Roc's feather that lets you hop over multiple pits in sequence, and a shovel. He can also go fishing, swim with fins, surf on a raft, throw honeycombs, and protect himself with an acorn. He also collects eight instruments as the "maguffins" of his quest from each dungeon: the Full Moon Cello, the Conch Horn, the Sea Lily's Bell, the Surf Harp, the Wind Marimba, the Coral Triangle, the Organ of Evening Calm, and the Thunder Drum, all of which are used together to awaken the Wind Fish at the end of the game.

There are a few select supporting characters living around the island. The most notable of these is Marin, a daydreaming girl with a beautiful voice who dreams of someday leaving the island. Hyrule Warriors already designated her the go-to gimmick rep for this game, so I guess most of the above can be applied down to her. She lives with her lazy father Tarin, who teaches you the honeycomb trick, and an owl acts as your exposition character. A few other characters pop up here and there, such as a friendly mermaid, a Chain Chomp named Bow Wow you can take with you on certain missions, Cuccos and a Rooster that you can hover with for a time, the Great Fairy, the monkey Kiki again, and Wart of all things (or I guess his name is Mamu here). The Wind Fish is a giant sleeping whale at the top of the island, whose dreams created the island which will disappear upon its awakening.

The main villain of the game is a Nightmare that has been infecting the Wind Fish's dreams. In its battle it takes multiple different forms, including a giant blob form, a spellcaster form, a lanmola form, a moldorm form, and a Ganon form. It also attacks by hopping around, shooting bursts of shadow, throwing a giant orb, summoning monsters, and swinging its big arms around in its true form.

Across the game, you have a number of bosses in each dungeon, as well as mini-bosses both in and out of said dungeons. The mini-bosses include: A Moblin Chief that charges and throws spears at you; a Lanmola; an Armos Knight; the entrance to the Turtle Rock dungeon itself; a blobby creature that rolls spikes at you; a Hinox that throws bombs; snakes based on Dodongos; Hydrosoar, an aquatic monster; Master Stalfos, a Stalfos with a sword and shield that jumps around and collapses into pieces when hit; Gohma with its eye beam; Rover, a big manta ray thing that throws a ball; the Grim Creeper, who can summon enemies; and Blaino, a boxer who punches you. The actual bosses include: Moldorm; a Genie that hits you with magic blasts; an eyeball inside a blob of slime; Facade, a giant living floor; an evil Eagle; and Hot Head, a living fireball.

As for our enemies, our returning cast includes: Hardhat Beetles, Leevers, Moblins (with swords and shields), Zoras, Tektites, Keese, Zols, Stalfos (some with shrouds), Mini-Moldorms, Goombas, Shy Guys, Bob-Ombs, Pokeys, Boos, Bloopers, and Thwomps, Pols Voices, Soldiers with ball-and-chains, Darknuts, Peahats, Helmasaurs, Like Likes, Bubbles, Buzz Blobs, Wizzrobes, Armos, and a Vire that casts a curse upon you. New enemies include: Sea Urchins, Boarblins (slightly different from Moblins), Zombies, Sparks, Three of a Kind (basically slot machines as enemies), Zirros (flying mushrooms that drop bombs), Pairrods (parrots that spit projectiles), Arm Mimics whose arms mimic yours, Mad Bombers (knights who live in holes and throw bombs), Battle Bats (basically flies), Angler Fries (angler fish), and Stars.

The action of the game takes place entirely on Koholint Island, a dream island with a giant egg at the very top of the central mountain. Mabe Village is the main location where Marin, Tarin, and the other NPCs live, Toronbo Shores is the nearby beach, along with a Mysterious Wood, Goponga Swamp (a swamp area), Ukuku Prairie, a mansion made of seashells, a village full of talking animals, Yarna Desert, Tal Tal Heights (a mountainous region), the Eagle's Tower, and the inside of the Wind Fish's Egg. The dungeons are hidden around these regions.

As for items, past what we've already mentioned for Link, we have a lot of the standards, like keys and hearts and rupees.

And that's it! Here's what we've got so far:

Link: sword slash, sword beams, shield, bombs, arrows, candles, boomerangs, life potions, magical rod, book of magic, flute, rings, power bracelet, hammer, power glove, raft, boots, cross, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell, stab up, stab down, hookshot, magical powder, ice rod, fire rod, bombos medallion, ether medallion, quake medallion, shovel, bug net, Book of Mudora, Cane of Somaria, Cane of Byrna, magical cape, Titan's Mitt, Zora flippers, magic mirror, moon pearl, spin attack, mirror shield, Roc's feather, fish, honeycombs, guardian acorn, instruments.

Princess Zelda: Triforce, dreams, open doors, gem containment

Impa

Sahasrahla: Pegasus Boots, Ice Rod, Fire Rod, Bombos, Ether, and Quake Medallions, Cane of Somaria, Cane of Byrna, magic powder, magic cape, magic mirror (all a maybe)

Old Men/Old Women: swords, life potions, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell

Marin: sing, seagull form, gimmick rep (mirror shield, Roc's feather, fish, honeycombs, guardian acorn, instruments, Bow Wow, cuccos, Wind Fish)

Tarin

Great Fairies: heal, upgrade

Monkey/Kiki: hop

Wart

Ganon: teleport, shoot fireballs, turn invisible, statue fire, spins and throws his trident, teleports, sends out swarms of fiery bats, transforms into a bat, circle of fire, stomp.

Dark Link: sword slash, sword beams, shield, hammer, power glove, raft, boots, cross, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell, stab up, stab down.

Agahnim: levitating, teleporting, splitting into three, casting laser spells, shooting lighting, warping through shadow, vanishing, warping into the Dark World

Nightmare: blob, spellcaster, lanmola, moldrom, Ganon, hop, shadow burst, giant orb, monsters, big arms

Hylian Soldiers: swords, spears, bows, bombs, ball and chain, hide in grass.

Moblins: throw spears, tridents, sword, shield, charge

Octoroks: shoot rocks, Octoballoon

Zoras: swim, spit fireballs, teleport, flippers

Tektites: jump around

Armos: shields, tridents

Lynels: swords, shoot beams, breathe fire

Vire/Acheman: turn into Keese, lightning curse, everything a Keese can do

Moldorms: slither

Stalfos: swords, throw heads, shroud, cast spell, shield, jump, collapse

Goriyas: boomerangs, clubs, breathe fire

Darknuts/Iron Knuckles: swords, shields, heavy armor, throw swords

Wizzrobes/Magos: spells, teleport, fire

Gibdos

Eyegor: laser eye

Aquamentus: fireballs

Dodongo: breathes fire

Gleeok: breathe fire

Gohma: energy balls

Dairas: axe

Gerus: tridents, maces, shields, fire from behind cover

Wosus: hop, daggers

Fokka/Fokkeru/Thunderbird: fly, fireballs, jump, mace, shield

Helmasaur: charge, fire breath, mace tail

Hinox: bombs

Poe

Bosses:

Aquamentus

Dodongo

Manhandla

Gleeok

Digdogger

Gohma

Ganon

Horsehead

Jermafenser

Rebonack

Carock

Gooma

Barba

Thunderbird

Armos Knights

Lanmola

Moldora

Helmasaur King

Arrghus

Mothula

Blind the Thief

Kholdstare

Vitreous

Trinexx

Moblin Chief

Turtle Rock

Spike Roller

Hydrosoar

Master Stalfos

Rover

Grim Creeper

Blaino

Genie

Slime Eye

Facade

Evil Eagle

Hot Head

Nightmare

Locations:

Overworld-based stage

Dungeon room-based stage

Death Mountain

North Castle

Rauru

Ruto

Saria

Mido

Nabooru

Darunia

Kasuto

Parapa Palace

Midoro Palace

Island Palace

Great Maze Palace

Palace on the Sea

Three-Eye Rock Palace

Great Palace

Hyrule Castle

Kakariko Village

Lost Woods

Eastern Palace

Lake Hylia

Great Swamp

Desert of Mystery

Zora's Domain

Death Mountain

Tower of Hera

Pyramid of Power

Palace of Darkness

Plains of Ruin

Skeleton Forest

Village of Outcasts

Ice Lake

Lake of Ill Omen

Swamp of Evil

Turtle Rock

Ganon's Tower

Koholint Island

Mabe Village

Toronbo Shores

Mysterious Wood

Goponga Swamp

Ukuku Prairie

Animal Village

Yarna Desert

Tal Tal Heights

Eagle's Tower

Mt. Tamaranch

Wind Fish's Egg

Items:

Bombs

Bow and Arrows

Candles

Boomerangs

Life potions

Magical rod

Book of magic

Flute

Rings

Power bracelet

Hearts

Heart containers

Triforce pieces

Rupees

Clock

Raft

Step ladder

Hammer

Power glove

Boots

Cross

Magic Container

Trophy

All of Link's items from this game

Unique Link's Awakening items

Thanks for reading! Now, let's take a stop there, since from here the series kinda splits into two branches, and we'll cover all characters we can possibly pull from this round, starting with Link.