Young Link Chance:
20%
(I am using every argument I can recall in the Official Character Discussion thread and the
35 Factors to Consider for DLC for this analysis, which I recommend using)
(I also rechecked many times to make sure I'm not flaming anyone here)
Ah Young Link, by far one of the most debated characters I have defended through my time here in DLC speculation so far. I have encountered pretty much
every single bit of percentage of arguments against him, and I will show that there are positives within Young Link that can overcome the negative aspects of inclusion and make it as readable as possible. With that, let's get started and I recommend to NOT IGNORE and read
every inch of this before you rate:
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+He's a veteran.
Sakurai has reiterated that
"if that character is removed from the game, the people who live for that character in Smash Bros. are going to have their feelings hurt." With this in mind, with the time he has for DLC, there's a
good chance he'll bring almost every veteran back (I say "almost" because Ice Climbers and the 3DS limitations), and Young Link is one of those. This gives him a better chance than most characters for DLC.
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+When it comes to relevance, Young Link is already through the gate with that with the 3DS title The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. Just like Toon Zelda, even if Sakurai doesn't want to plan all the veterans for DLC pre-ballot, he likely has considered Young Link again with the highly anticipated remake. That is what also gives him a slight edge over some veterans (Pichu, Ivysaur, Squirtle) even if he's the least requested.
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+Not only that, he would be an easy to make clone. Like Pichu, he also shares some similarities with Toon Link and Link and already has a moveset to take from and start from scratch.
Given with the recently released game and the free time he's been given with DLC, he could likely and easily take some inspiration from the game to use masks that act as temporary transform moves like Kirby's Stone attack, Pac-Man turning into his pizza shape form, and Sonic turning into his ball form, there are a load of examples of this. His non-special move attacks would likely remain the same, but with new moves to give him a new flavor that doesn't feel exactly like Toon Link's play style.
From, my moveset (which you can find below), The Side-B is basically the boomerang, only two small versions of them are thrown in the air. The Neutral-B remains the same. The only two moves that need adjusting would be his Down-B and Recovery. He's still the light-weighted somewhat powerful Young Link he's always been, only with a few new tools.
It's not a drastic change to his playstyle really.
Neutral-B: Fire Arrow: The same as in Melee, with the same hitstun and able to inflict damage even after rhe arrow is show.
Side-B: Zora Boomerang: Link turns into Zora Link to throw two multi-hitting small fin boomerangs at the opponent, great for keeping out of range of the opponent, however he's unable to move and he has to wait for the boomerangs to come back in order to move again.
Down-B: Goron Roll: Similar to Sonic's Down-B, only much stronger and slower. It must be at full charge in order to Goron Link to damage opponents. If uncharged, Goron Link will just pass by the opponent where he's open to attack.
(Altenatively, he can just use the bombchus if Sakurai wishes to keep the special moves similar)
Up-B: Deku Flower Flight: Link turns into Deku Link to fly with his swirling flowers, has a glide effect and is able to shoot Deku Nuts straightforward in the air. The flowers also do multi-hitting damage too if an opponent tries to hit from above. If an opponent manages to hit him, he'll fall helplessly making him really open to attacks.
(Alternatively, he can just keep the same special move too)
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Really that's the main points helping his inclusion really, the other benefits such as importance to the Zelda series and coming from two very critically acclaimed games is kinda unimportant really given that he is already an established character in Smash Bros. One of the slightly likelier candidates for DLC, I think people are severally undererestimating his chances here.
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Common Arguments Against Young Link:
Young Link is redundant! We don't need a third link! Toon Link Takes His Playstyle!
This doesn't matter at all. People mention Paper Mario as a plausible candidate and don't mention that he's a third Mario, yet it matters for Young Link. There is some inconsistency within this. Really with Sakurai it doesn't matter if he's Link, the fact that Sakurai has aloud multiple versions of a character in a roster
and the fact that he is a
veteran that people miss dearly should show that being a third link is irrelevant to his chances.
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He's a clone! The fanbases HATE clones they will react badly and salt will be poured!
Really? This is a franchise that Sakurai has added similar characters on for each installment he made that he made on his spare time so he can increase play-time for many players. Sure, Dark Pit and Dr. Mario had gotten negative reception at first, but people got over it in days once the streams of Smash 3DS started rolling when all the characters got unlocked. The same will go for Young Link, people will hate it, but get over it eventually and buy him anyway to complete their rosters or not buy him at all if they don't like his inclusion.
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He's not popular at the ballot! Not qualifiable for DLC!
I'm sure you all heard this before, just because a certain character is unpopular doesn't make them impossible. There are likely characters who have been planned way before the ballot was considered, just to name a few, Lucas, Roy, Ryu, and Mewtwo are among some of these.
Not ALL will solely be based on the ballot. Even then, the ballot is nothing more than a suggestion box in reality, there's a large misunderstanding when it comes to how the ballot works, it isn't a popularity contest guys.
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Zelda has enough characters, too many reps!
And why would this matter? Let me give you one single character who is also a veteran who is getting in despite fact the series has already gotten 4 characters, and that character is Roy, giving Fire Emblem five characters total despite being a niche franchise. Really this is more of an opinion than anything, which likely doesn't share with Sakurai given how open he
is with choices.
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He has to go through Impa and Ganon first, too much Zelda competition!
Is it really that much competition though?
The only Zelda characters that come to mind are Impa, Ganon, Tetra, and Toon Zelda. That's not fierce competition at all.
Even then, the former two have bigger problems in mind, notably Impa having consistent minor roles with most Zelda games and the fact Ganon likely won't be considered given with Sakurai already having Ganondorf and his lack of popularity in the ballot. It really dumbs down to just Tetra and Toon Zelda, which I don't find much flaws to their inclusion at all, but Young Link has the slight upper edge with him being a veteran and having a highly anticipated 3DS title that's still being advertised in commercials today. (that game was far more anticipated that WWHD)
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He was not planned for Brawl, that means he's never going to be considered again!
Honestly, this is a pretty bad argument. Given how Sakurai starts considering his choices on many polls and
upcoming games now, like I said before, even if Sakurai doesn't want to plan all the veterans for DLC pre-ballot, he likely has considered Young Link again with the highly anticipated remake. Also, the fact that he hates cutting veterans also means he would've likely picked up the idea of Young Link again even if he somehow magically ignores that MM3D just got released. Either way, he likely has been considered even if one cancelled the other, he's still in favor. Just because he hasn't been considered in Brawl doesn't mean can't be considered in other ways.
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We already have Majora's Mask costume and a Link costume! He's impossible now!
Sheik already represents OoT, we don't need Young Link!
This is almost irrelevant to his chances, given how there are a load of costumes based on existing characters on the roster and the fact Sakurai has let Young Link, Sheik, Zelda, Ganondorf and Link in the same roster in Melee. Even then, this doesn't really outweigh the positives Young Link has of being a veteran Sakurai can bring back.
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BluePikmin11
, nobody is taking issue with your opinion or your right to support whomever you want. What's being regarded with abject exasperation is the fact that you don't seem willing to accept criticism in terms of your logic. Kudos to you for sticking to your guns, but come on, at least take it on the chin when somebody tells you your rationale is flawed.
