Roam

ROAM

Manga was not the only form of comic adaptation of the series, as, in 1992, Nintendo commissioned manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori to write a series based on Link to the Past to be published in Nintendo Power magazine. This one likewise followed the plot of the original, but introduced an arrogant knight traveling through the Dark World, seeking the silver arrows and believing himself the chosen one to defeat Ganon.

This is Roam, a rival to Link who turns into an eagle whenever he’s in combat as a result of the Dark World’s influence and the anger in his heart. He ultimately fails in his quest to find the arrows and is killed by Ganon, his spirit later helping Link land the final blow.

As a fighter, he will be a good flyer and just a little bit stronger in many of Link’s skills. His moveset will come from his eagle form, his sword and crossbow, the silver arrow he seeks, and a few distinct elements of the comic.

Likelihood rating: Non-game.

Character Sheet: Roam

ROAM

There's not much point to a big returning character review this time around, so let's cover the small handful of characters we were able to pull from the Legend of Zelda cartoon series created by DiC, and the few western comics published under the Zelda series banner. We have eleven to add, including:

1.     TV Link

2.     TV Zelda

3.     King Harkinian

4.     Queen Seline

5.     Roam

6.     Sing

7.     Doof & Automaton

8.     Sleezenose

9.     TV Ganon

10.  Goriya

11.  Water Monster

Very clearly not based on any well-known pre-existing Ishinomori characters, Roam is an original character to his adaptation of Link to the Past, a warrior destined to wield the silver arrow in the fight against Ganon. His pride and lust for vengeance make him adversarial to Link and eventually get him killed, forcing Link to take up the arrow in his stead.

For his moves, he wields a sword and a crossbow, as well as the silver arrow of his destiny. Upon entering the Dark World, his impure heart causes him to turn into an eagle, able to fly and attack with his talons. The Fire Corn items from the comic and the fairy Epheremelda could also be counted in here, as well as his appearance as an angel, granting his blessing to Link in the final battle.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Crossbow

Being his weapon of choice, of course his standard special will be him firing a dart projectile at his opponents from his crossbow.

Side B: Eagle Talons

He will lunge forward, transforming into his eagle form and slashing at his opponents with his claws and beak.

Up B: Eagle Flight

He will transform into his eagle form and take flight, straight up into the air, his sharp beak piercing anything above him.

Down B: Fire Corn

He will throw forward a Fire Corn, which will burst into flames upon hitting the ground.

Final Smash: Silver Arrow

He will appear in his angelic form, pulling back his bow and firing the silver arrow, piercing his target and sealing them away for all eternity.

Entrance: He will fly down as an eagle and transform upon landing.

Taunts: Up, he will look annoyed as Epheremelda circles around him. Side, he will twirl his sword around arrogantly. Down, he will cover a bleeding wound and look away.

Thanks for reading! Next up, a warrior from a faraway land.

A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)

A LINK TO THE PAST

Today, we'll be covering an adaptation of A Link to the Past printed in Nintendo Power comics and written by mangaka Ishinomori Shotaro. The comic covers much of the general plot of the game, though it leaves a lot out for the sake of the story. The biggest addition to the plot is the character Roam, a noble (-ish) knight destined to wield the silver arrows when fighting Ganon, but, due to his impure heart, starts to transform into an eagle when in the Dark World. (This must have been a popular concept, because Himekawa's manga adaptation would have a similar, but more well-done, character). Roam wielded a sword and crossbow, could transform into an eagle, returned briefly as an angel after his death, and, of course, wielded the silver arrows. I think we can possibly factor in the explosive firecorn items and the fairy Epheremelda, both appearing in this comic.

Anyway, here's what we've got so far:

Link: kick, sword, sword beam, pillow, magic pouch, swing, shield, lasso, springboard, wind whistle, power bracelet, force field ring, surf on shield

Zelda: punch, reflect with a pan, grow with magic, launch from a tree, bow, boomerang, crossbow, raise on Triforce, ice, fire, shields, lemons, banana peels

Sprite

King Harkinian: water park, CDi games rep?

Impa

Ganon: teleport, lightning, summon enemies, bombs, fire, chains, crystal ball, suction, control jewel, capture staff, wand of power

Goriya: Possible catch-all for enemy representation here, as it is the most prominent enemy type in the show that has not yet gotten a moveset. If so, staff, bone bow, capture staff, bomb, frog transformation, boomerang, giant magnet.

Prince Façade: horse, shield, crossbow

Sing: Pegasus, leap, sai, sai beam

Sleezenose: fake sword, lockpick, beehives, bee catapult, box of bees

Doof/Automaton: automaton, animate, bear hug, broom, fake Moblin

Witch of Walls

Water Monster: splash, flood, snake, crab, fish, tentacle, lightning

Captain Krin

Bagu: pick up

Queen Seline: magic, frog transformation, jar that steals magic, horse, wand as weapon, defense, tennis

Roam: sword, crossbow, eagle form, silver arrow, angel, fire corn, Epheremelda

Stages:

Zelda's Castle

Ganon's Lair

Water Park

Calatia

Thanks for reading! Next up, two more short and simple American comics based on Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword respectively.