Link vs Ridley
Link
Background
Link is the Eternal Hero of the Legend of Zelda series from Nintendo. Chosen by the goddesses, his fate is to protect the land from evil. All links share the same spirit, meaning he will always reincarnate to uphold his destiny to protect the lands. Through 35+ years worth of adventure and games, Link has garnered quite a massive arsenal to boot, with tons of abilities and hax to give him the edge over any opponent or evil that decides to pop up.
Arsenal
The Master Sword
By far one of the most iconic swords in gaming, the Master Sword grants a plethora of useful resistances and abilities. Fi allows Link to have a potent info-analysis, granting him the opportunity to exploit and find enemy weaknesses, and can determine the approximate probability of events occurring. The Master Sword can also shoot sword beams, with Skyward Sword allowing him to shoot Skyward Strikes, more powerful sword beams he can fire whenever by raising his sword skyward. The Master Sword also gives him the ability to reflect any magical attack sent at him back to the sender. (given he’s got the reaction time to do so. Talk about a deadly tennis match.)
Alongside being able to manipulate the flow of time, (The Master Sword is called the Sword of Time for a reason) he also gets a large resistance to time manipulation himself. He’s able to be near and mess with Timeshift Stones, which revert an area up to hundreds of years in the past. Fi also states on this. That’s why robots were used to mine the stones, instead.
The sword also grants a large resistance to corruption, dispels potent curses, and also negates the madness inducing effects of the Dark Realm. “I haven’t met anyone here who isn’t insane” as one put it. Anyone who enters the dark realm gets turned into what their heart reflects, and in Link’s case, he turns into a pink rabbit. He can negate this with the Moon Pearl. But by far the most impressive magical resistance from the master sword can even resist powers from the Triforce, which has even a plethora of more abilities with huge potency. Usually, though, Link will need the might of the Golden Sword to accomplish this. The Golden Sword gives a 8x amp in power, and is often used to combat huge threats wielding Doritos.
The (True) Hylian Shield
The unbreakable shield of the verse, it was forged by the Thunder Dragon, Lanayru. It has the abilities to block curses, fire, electrical attacks, and overall tons of magic. Can also pretty much block any attack even from Yuganon holding 2 pieces of the triforce, and can tank hits from Demise. Botw has a replica Hylian Shield that is extremely durable, but it doesn’t block electrical attacks, or as much magic as the original.
Rings and Armors
Link has a lot of rings - ranging from multiplying his already high damage with other multipliers, or adding a percentage of damage reduction. Some, like the Whimsical ring can even potentially have the chance to one shot an enemy, and one even making him immune to his own bomb blasts. But by far one of the more useful rings is the protection ring, which will make any damage Link takes into one heart. He also has several armors, rings and potions that can eventually stack to give him a crazy huge damage reduction. He could also instead prioritize on attack with his sheer amount of attack multipliers, which gets to stupid levels of good. Or, he can negate damage altogether with his variety of Invincibility Armors, or even the Magic Cape, which turns Link incorporeal, and invisible. (He’s still able to attack in that state.) This pairs beautifully with Chateau Romani, where infinite magic would essentially allow Link to be in a constant state of unharmability. He also has the Magic Armor from WW, which makes a magical barrier around Link. If he is getting low, he has access to Regeneration rings that heal his lost hearts. Or, he could just sit down to heal.
Triforce of Courage
The golden dorito gives more than just mere courage. It grants resistances to curses of death manipulation, effects from the lost woods, and even full healing. His natural physiology also grants him a resistance to being turned into a spirit, or worse. It also possesses a resistance to corruption, given its nature.
Potions and Consumables
Link has a lot of potions he can carry. Red potions completely heal Link up to full, Green fills his magic meter up, with Blue Potions being the combination of the Green and Red potion. Things like the magic potion automatically heal Link up to full should he die. The Secret medicine also does the same: Although both after being used will disappear. Link also has tons of fairies that revive him should he die - it also works if Link ran out of oxygen, to boot. No environment will stop the Fairies from reviving Link, even if he’s inside an active volcano, in freezing temperatures, or really high in the sky.
Link also has the special Chateau Romani, which grants infinite magic until Link travels back in time.
Notable Equipment and Skills
Link has a plethora of Bombs, Boomerangs, Hookshots and Clawshots that can bring items to him, or grapple him places. His more famous items are his Bows, specifically the Hero’s Bow. With it, he can have well over 10,000+ arrows, with being able to fire off Ice, Light and Fire arrows. He has Deku Nuts that can completely petrify an opponent, the travel medallion he can place down anywhere to warp to, Ocarina Songs with a plethora of abilities, from summoning storms, to inverting time to make it 50% slower. He also has his Sun’s Song, which… Seems like it speeds up time to the point it will skip ahead a day. That, or he’s manipulating the planet, who knows. His most famous one is the song of time, a song that allows him to warp and revert time. He also has songs that can make birds attack you, if that’s anything to go for. Link also possess magical medallions, such as the Ether, Quake, and the Bombos medallions that can cause a lighting storm to instant kill enemies, summon an Earthquake that then transmutes Link’s enemies to slimes, and the Bombos that causes massive explosions across the screen, then igniting them aflame. Topping the more notable equipment off, he has the Lens of Truth, which is a lens that allows Link to see invisible things, see past potent perception manip, and overall see what normally isn’t there. He can break past illusions with these. He also has the 4 Champion Abilities that can allow him to revive with the help of Mipha, protect against attacks with Daruk’s Protection, Soar with Revali’s Gale, and summon powerful lighting with the snap of his fingers with Urbosa’s Fury. Finally, he has the secret techniques he’s learnt from technically himself.
Transformation Masks / Normal Masks
These useful masks can really give Link the edge and versatility in battle. In Deku Form, he can shoot magical bubbles, stun enemies by swinging at them, burrow and fly with flowers, but is weak to fire. This might be mitigated by rings, though. Still, he can block with a hard shell and play some dope pipes.
In Goron Form, he gets a notable strength boost, and has the physiology to roll extremely fast. He can also just submerge himself in lava because of Goron’s natural resistance to high heats. He can turn to a powerful defensive form that blocks just about everything, from all angles.
In Zora Form, he gets quite a few notable things. First, his notable extreme swimming speed, his Electrical Energy he can summon, to actually keep enemies stunned for as long as it’s going, as well as acting as a boost in water mobility. And of course his blade fins, that he can use as boomerangs and swords, or extend them for use as shields. They essentially do everything.
The Giant’s Mask, the transformation mask that makes Link several hundred times larger, able to pick up extremely large chunks of the earth to hurl at opponents, and even use his sword and shield. Or, he can simply brawl it out with his fists. Either way, it’s not exactly a pleasurable experience to get strangled by a 2000 feet tall elf boy.
Bunny Hood is the useful speed amp that essentially boosts Link's speed by 1.5x. It also has some cute ears, to boot.
The Stone Mask is a useful, potent perception manipulation that alters the opponent’s perception to make Link as noticeable as that random rock you walked past in 6th grade. Link needed the Lens of Truth to see Shiro, the clock town guard who seemed to have this on by his sheer… Un-Noticeability. Even when he was yelling out for help to the enemies.
The Blast Mask - for only requiring you to shield, the blast mask causes a huge explosion in Link’s face. Although he can go harmed if he decides not to shield, it’s notable that Link can use this without any bombs. So, it’s good if he runs out.
The Mask of Truth is the Sheika-made mask that can read minds, and peer into the hearts of others. Link can use this to speak to the mysterious Sheikah Stones, which do just that. Useful for gathering knowledge.
Wolf Link is a useful transformation ability famous in its use for TP link using it. He can perceive things normal Link can’t, is extremely agile and can attack with bites and scratches.
And the Mask we’ve all been waiting for, The Fierce Deity’s Mask is the mask containing that of a dark god whose powers are greater than Majora’s. With it, Link gets a notable 3x boost in speed, 4x boost in attack (coupled with devastating Crescent-Sword beams from the Double Helix Blade, and even a great aptitude for swimming in water, Fierce Deity “possesses the merits of every mask.” Aside from also becoming about 10 feet tall, he also has other, more powerful forms - The Furious Deity, The Vengeful Deity, and the Inflamed Deity, all with increasing power, and more sword beams.
Feats
Goron Link punches pillar (3.39 MW cm2)
Link yeets granite pillar against barrier (53 MW cm2)
Link yeets more granite pillars (near 50 MW cm2)
Whatever the hell this is (No clue, but assume big numbers)
Link cuts the moon in half (No clue here, but assume decent numbers)
One shots Majora (Pt 1, Pt 2, might be a huge feat given majora tanked the Moon Blast)
Durability
Tanks and has miniscule damage from Majora, and tanks any hit Ganondorf throws at him. Tanks his own bombs, and has Damage Negation to lessen attacks. Specifics, I’m not sure,
Speed
Flurry Rush users can perceive light as slow? (Not certain, but it’s 38c for reaction)
Idk
Ridley
BACKGROUND
Cold blooded killer, feared and revered Space Pirate, inadvertent creator of a feared galactic bounty hunter. These are rarely the things you associate with space Barney, but this is a new day.
Over the years, Ridley has begun battle with Samus Aran multiple times since killing her parents. No matter how many times he dies, Ridley just pulls a Frieza and returns good as new with some new enhancements.
EQUIPMENT
Ridley has armor that’s far tougher than his normal form.
ABILITIES
Ridley has a tail sharp enough to pierce through Chozo armor, his claws can tear apart stone pillars, his fire breath can destroy bridges, he can fly at unbelievable speeds, he manipulates energy through a variety of unique methods, he can become invisible, and he can use Phazon.
Phazon is a deadly superorganism that tears apart its victims, taking control of them.
FEATS
Destroys metal platforms by slamming into the ground (383 megawatts to 185 gigawatts per square centimeter)
Surprisingly super smart, smart enough to speak in complete English
WEAKNESSES
Ridley may be tough thanks to his armor and natural durability, but he can be hit through a weak spot.
Predictions
To Sum it Up…
Ridley:
Advantages:
Probably wins all three areas of the stat-triangle
More likely to go for the kill
Phazon is a possible instant-kill
Mobility edge with flight
Disadvantages:
Not as skilled or as experienced
Ultimately a bit less intelligent
Completely dwarfed in versatility
Has no answer for a huge number of Link's hax
Only needs to be killed once, while Link needs to be killed several times
Possibly vulnerable to Light Arrows and the Master Sword given his evil nature
Completely stomped if Link receives high-end feats
Link:
Advantages:
Stomps with high-end feats
Dominates weapons and versatility
Smarter
More experienced and skilled
Numerous resurrection and healing options make it where Ridley can't instantly win
Could possibly escape Phazon
Disadvantages:
Will likely lose the stat-triangle
Has no solid counter to Phazon
Not as mobile
Could possibly be disarmed of some equipment, though items like the Master Sword are safe
CalTonTheRobot
Despite Ridley getting a massive buff with Phazon, Link will likely take the dub yet again. And it's due to a variety of reasons, first of all, even if Link dies to Phazon, he has at least a few ways to bring him back to life. And if he really wants to be fancy, he can use the magic cape and block the Phazon entirely. And considering the Ancient Arrows Link has access to can practically wipe Ridley out of existence, it's kind of hard to imagine Ridley getting Phazon to kill Link, hell, Link might just shoot Ridley with his Ancient Arrows before Ridley's Phazon even has a CHANCE to even touch Link.
If Ridley's Phazon is rendered useless against Link, does he really even have an advantage on him other than him being several feet taller than him? The High Ground? Link has Loftwing. The Pogo Tail? Shield blocks it. Fire? Shield again. Link has far many tools, gadgets, trinkets, and Doodads for Ridley to take a victorious dub over him. And if the trailers have convinced me of anything, Link being composited has not changed, so as a result, Link will have access to:
The Sheikah Slate
The Masks
Several Options of armor and clothing to pretect himself.
The Ability to clone himself, 3-fold.
Loftwing
Regular Bombs and Sheikah Slate Bombs.
Magic Cape
And several others that I might've missed. If Ridley's Phazon is not enough to Crush Link, nothing Ridley ever tosses at him will never even be close to tiring him out.
The Silent Shadow
Link is canonically (probably my head canon) literally designed to take down Ridley. There are many parallels throughout the series, but the fact Link is canonically supposed to have the ability to seal away the darkness gives him a +1 in my book. I would also like to note he resists most (hopefully all) of Phazon due to the parallels in Twilight Princess, but sadly without the head-canon, radiation is still a huge issue.
A lot of this will come down to stats, like speed especially, and Ridley's DB and Link's AP will have a huge part in the deciding of the victor. Link, however, is immune to all physical damage, except potentially to Phazon, due to it hurting ghosts, because of the Magic Cape. He also has several time-stops, and if he gets good AP and speed it could easily be enough to take down Ridley.
I think at the end of the day, what will be the big factor, is the fact that Link has delt with things like Ridley before and is an expert at combat and finding and exploiting weak spots on bigger enemies, not to mention adapting to new situations. Another big factor is his pure versatility. Because of his arsenal, he probably has several ways to take down Ridley, which means numbers wise, he has more scenarios where he comes on top. Even though radiation could be deadly, Link has several revives, and lots of healing options, that could more than likely buy him a lot of time to deal the damage necessary or to find that weak spot. It is an extremely close battle, and although Link in my head has a slightly better chance of winning, if Ridley has pure stats that are too much for Link to handle, it won’t matter how versatile he is, because the radiation will take care of him before he can deal enough damage, due to Ridley's potential speed and durability.
It will depend a lot on how they interpret their base stats, but if those stats are relatively comparable Link should take the match.
MKF4
(Credit to CTB-36 for the art)
Hello everyone. It’s me, the local vs. debater with an ever-smiling pink equine as their debating PFP who runs around doing stuff. I’m here again.
Anyway, this probably won’t be too long, I don’t have too much time and I think the others have likely covered the main details.
Not wasting any time, Link should have this. Phazon is a problem, but it still can’t stop Mipha’s Grace and if Bracket is generous, Link’s dozens of fairy revives. Ancient Arrows are an instant win under Bracket’s convenient ruleset, Light Arrows could very well be an instant win, and Stasis and the Ocarina help deal with any possible speed advantage Ridley debatably gets.
Link should win experience and skill by leaps and bounds, thanks to this being a composite use of every hero in the series. This completely drains any idea of Ridley managing to completely outwit Link, because as smart as Ridley is, Link is just as smart. Link honestly just has ways to stop nearly everything Ridley has. Fire won’t be an issue thanks to flame protection potions, Link has numerous defensive measures to stop physical attacks, and Link does have means to evade any lasers or bombs Ridley brings to the fight.
Phazon is the best shot Ridley has in this fight, but unlike for other fights, it isn’t an instant win button here. As previously stated, Link is armed with a huge kit of revives and phasing to possibly escape Phazon in the right situations, meaning it isn’t exactly the guaranteed victory it might be for other duels. The Master Sword will likely be at full power, and Link will be smart enough to find and exploit the existing chinks in Omega Ridley’s armor.
And this is all without going into crazier stuff like the Fierce Deity, Ocarina of Time, enhanced Master Sword, and the Triforce of Courage. Ridley certainly does have ways to win this fight, but I just don’t think he has the means to reliably overcome the absolute hax nightmare that Link is, and that’s assuming Ridley manages to win the stat triangle which is debatable. Overall, it just seems everything Ridley can do, Link at least has a chance to be able to counter, Link will fare much better in a prolonged duel with his healing and revives, and Ridley can’t dominantly stop some of Link’s most dangerous options available. There is a chance that if Link’s feats from Hyrule Warriors are used he could absolutely demolish Ridley in AP, so there’s that.
I won’t be too surprised if Bracket gives this battle to Ridley, but in my personal opinion, Link has everything he needs to claim victory a second time.
Link also has better soundtrack.
My vote goes to Link. Long live the legend.
Overall, the winner is…