Certain ones leap back and forth when approached and can only be harmed by getting into the Wide formation. However, when one pulls out a Big Bomb, the Links will need to hide underground immediately. In various levels, they can be found causing mayhem with different items, but can be defeated easily. Link follows it back through and pulls the Four Sword to try and stop it, but is then blown away by Vaati. The first one appears in the prologue, where it appears from the portal to the Four Sword's resting place and imprisoning Zelda and the Maidens in crystals. He initially seems to be an individual, but it is soon revealed there is an increasing amount, with it eventually being revealed that Ganon is creating the Shadow Links using the Dark Mirror. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Shadow Link is one of three primary antagonists alongside Vaati and Ganon, and the most prevalent of the three. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Once they are defeated, the Four Sword is assembled and an alternate ending plays, showing various enemies' antics outside the Dark World dungeons, as well as the Dark World bosses. The final, purple one can also leap away from Link, pound the ground, vanish, and do the Hurricane Spin, as well as shoot fireballs as though they were sword beams.
Additionally, he can jump away like a Stalfos and jump and use a Downward Thrust into the ground, similar to the animation of using the Quake Medallion. The third one, in blue, uses the Magic Cape to disappear whenever Link tries to attack him. Once he is defeated, another one, clad in orange (representing red) appears and attacks with the Hurricane Spin and occasional use of the Pegasus Boots. The first one, clad in green, charges around with the Pegasus Boots. After Link gathers the four parts of the Four Sword and reaches the center of the temple, the four swords levitate to each corner of the room, with one Dark Link spawning at a time.
Each of the Dark Links has more health and moves than the previous one. Every time one is defeated, it does a spinning death animation like Link's, but with the deep reverberating "boss hit" noise. They each have dark blue hair (contrasting Link's own pink hair) and wear clothes based on the player colors of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. In the Game Boy Advance version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, four sequential Dark Links appear as the last boss of the secret Palace of the Four Sword. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Game Boy Advance) They copy Link's movements in reverse, like Arm Mimics. In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Veran spawns four Dark Links to assist her when she turns into her Great Fairy-like form. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, he is shown with more details, inspired by some later appearances, and like Link, now sometimes idly twirls his sword when not attacking. In the original game, he is a solid black with red eyes. Once he is defeated, the appearance of the room is revealed to be an illusion, and it becomes simple stonework. Sometimes when successfully attacked, he falls through the water on the floor and returns to the small island. He has a tendency to leap onto Link's sword, rendering Link helpless while he attacks. He can copy or counter most of Link's moves, and when Din's Fire is used, he moves out of the blast radius. Once Link approaches him, the battle begins, and he will slowly become more solid-looking throughout. Once Link walks across the island, Dark Link will slowly materialize. Midway through the dungeon, Link enters a mysterious room that seems to have endless mist instead of walls (with the doors appearing to have nothing behind them) and a small islet with a withered tree in the middle. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Dark Link appears as the miniboss of the Water Temple. When defeated, he falls offscreen, and Link is given the Triforce of Courage. He moves and attacks very fast, making him quite dangerous. The reason for this is not stated in-game, and adaptations vary on it, with some treating it as a final test of character and others treating it as an evil spirit (even Ganon himself) attempting a last ditch effort to defeat him before he claims the Triforce of Courage. Throughout the game, Link's shadow would be prominently visible when each boss is defeated, and in the final room of the Great Palace, it comes to life to attack him. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Shadow Link, originally known as Link's Shadow, appears as the surprise final boss.