The Legend of Zelda: Link Vs Dark Link

An AnimFight Animation Collaboration from 2020.
An homage to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Dark Link.
Link Rig by Christoph Schoch.
Big thanks to Joey Vick for finishing this project.
Nine animators were asked to animate a fight using the same chars/set.
However, they did not know what other animators were doing.
It was then combined together to make this.
This project went on hold a couple times, and we decided it was better to post this incomplete version than not at all. We'll do better on the next one!
Animators: Dan Cherkasky; Peter Dang; Matt Drury; Vito Ferber; Millie Gonzales; Colin McAtee; Megan Pellino; Joey Vick; John Yang.
Set modeling by Alex Juarez.
Special thanks to Julia Walker.
©Nintendo Co., Ltd. & Nintendo EAD. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any part of this video. All music and images belong to their respective owners.
Music is composed and arranged by Koji Kondo.

[@owenrehling4281]

I love how this shows how versatile of a fighter link is and how he is clever in his fights as well as skilled. When brute force isn't working against this part of himself that seems to embody direct attacks and brutal efficiency, he overcomes it with a diverse tool set and creative problem solving

[@zackdy776]

Yeah accurate if it would actually happen in game

[@cortezlucious95]

One of the reasons I love Link.

[@kelmirosue3251]

@@zackdy776 Actually it does more frequently then you thing. Link uses his newfound gear against almost every single bosses. And not only that but also some bosses but enemies too

[@TheOriginalCFA1979]

Except none of that is ever shown by Link.

[@TheOriginalCFA1979]

@@kelmirosue3251 ​​⁠ Link’s defining characteristic is courage, not “versatility.” He doesn’t have the Triforce of Using Newfound Gear to Beat Bosses.

[@heavygaming7914]

Seeing Link throw hands has got to be the most badass thing I have witnessed.

[@cathedral1375]

Ong this is what ive been saying man, botw would have been crazy if fist fighting was in.

[@marcusdaking]

​​​@@cathedral1375 I just wanna deck a Bokoblin in the face, that's all!

[@niptv3280]

He was never the enemy, he was the lessen Literal god tier animation

[@zerakuna1639]

Agreed man. This kind of animation is exactly what there needs to be more of! It’s so fluid and flawless!

[@rizaalnova-gamesnewsmusica4095]

Lesson?

[@niptv3280]

@@rizaalnova-gamesnewsmusica4095 trial might've been a better word lol. Conquer yourself and whatnot. Love this fight in the game btw

[@spaceonisorceress4406]

@@rizaalnova-gamesnewsmusica4095 Don't over-rely on one aspect of yourself alone. Use all of your abilities together.

[@yellaboiroc3188]

I won't lie at the beginning I was like oh gosh here goes another generic animation now I'm halfway through the video and I'm like this guy has skills I'm actually hoping that we actually get to see some unarmed combat from link and futures Zelda titles

[@_maliciousIntent]

its 9 people

[@CraftingGummi]

(Out of context TOTK spoilers) you got the unarmed combat thing, kinda

[@yellaboiroc3188]

@@CraftingGummi lmao fuck 🤣🤣🤣🤣 literally huh

[@ItsLucid2]

@@CraftingGummi how? Pls tell me

[@CraftingGummi]

@@ItsLucid2 it’s a scroll you get from Yiga Clan members that lets you use the Yiga Blademaster earthquake move

[@Wonjyo]

Omg, one of the best Zelda animations I had ever seen! I liked the references back from Ocarina of Time :)

[@chubbyadler3276]

The whole battle was Ocarina of time. ...though I would have loved to have the Sheekah Slate then.

[@user-gj2cp9gq1f]

한쿡인 반갑다

[@justaspoon1912]

@@chubbyadler3276 sheika*

[@jonathansmith2438]

@@justaspoon1912sheikah*

[@VicinalElk44104]

Here is a tip for fighting dark link: use the hammer. You'll hit him every time as long as you're close enough.

[@rifasclub]

If I want to cheese him, I just use Spam hits with the Biggoron Sword, he can't defend from that.

[@VicinalElk44104]

@@rifasclub true, you can use that too, if you have it at this point. If you don't, you most definitely will still have the hammer to use

[@lukebeakum1316]

You can also use Dins fire but it uses up a lot of magic energy

[@zackdy776]

Ppl in this comments are just so dum

[@neverinstone]

I always untargeted and kinda struck at an angle lol

[@kouryuu1694]

This was brilliant! I’ve seen some other Link vs Dark Link animations, but non of them played around with Dark Link’s power quite like this. The clones and the sort of teleporting (?) via water was really smart and something I always thought of. You also included references to the original fight and the remix of Dark Link’s theme kinda slapped 👀👀👀 I really hope you get the recognition and attention you deserve for this!

[@ChristBearerFlameHeart]

Dark Link teleported by shadow not by using the water. I guess it is a reference to him being a shadow of Link so it makes sense he would have the power to use the shadows to move around since he is a shadow of Link made into a full person for the purpose of testing himself.

[@sahasrakondapalli50]

The choreography, the cinematography, the expressions, the fluidity, and just everything about this animation was insane!

[@Toothless21link]

THIS WAS SICKKK. I love how it used ideas from botw, oot, and new techniques. I really hope you guys make more, bc you are talented.

[@Mosti06_gaming]

I know it was fucking sick i play oot3d on my 3Ds and botw on my nintendo Switch i am gonna complete both Games hope oot comes on the Switch and after i finish the Games i will buy majoras mask

[@RwanLink]

Excellent work guys! Congratz to the 9 animators involed!

[@Konan43316]

Oh you’re here! Another legendary Zelda animator

[@JamborHill]

JUST 9

[@nicolebeardsley2215]

AMAZING!! I'd love to see a future Zelda game where Link uses hand to hand combat even if it's a little bit

[@jenniemae87]

There is a theory where that happens in botw 2.

[@shadowninja394]

Ahem... Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, two different rings gave Link the ability to attack with his fists

[@jenniemae87]

@@shadowninja394 Thats really cool! I never played either of those so I had no clue.

[@bloodblues85]

This goes so hard, it's awesome!! The only criticism I have is that there are no sound effects. Hearing the clink of the swords and some fire/explosion effects would be cool, and maybe a couple Link sounds. But on the other hand I kind of don't mind because the music is so hype. I also have to mention the fantastic use of the camera. Really great job!

[@lnguyenhuu6821]

Yes, FX and SFX would definitely be an excellent addition, I had troubles determining whether they clashed swords, grazed or missed each others' blades just by looking at the animation sometimes.

[@johnwilliams7738]

how is this the sickest, coolest thing i've seen in the past fifteen years. this really reminds me of the good old days, except it's better in every possible way.

[@Ferry1411]

This is amazing, love the use of links "arm powers" that we will see in botw2!

[@Mosti06_gaming]

I hope so

[@user-yr4ob9cr6i]

ヤバい…毎日観に来てしまってる。凄くカッコいい。 リンクの顔の造形が好き。ダークリンクの虚ろな眼差しも好き。投げた盾をジャスガしようとしてる所も好き。モーション全部好き。BGMも全場面好き(特に最初とED)。 これもうofficialでいいんじゃないでしょうか。

[@Varrbariouss]

This animation is insane!! I cant believe the animators didn’t know what the others where doing, thats some great editing to make it look so seamless and thought out. Amazing

[@Aztr_artz]

This was the coolest Link vs. Dark Link fight i've seen in years! Kudos to you man!

[@guroboys]

UGH I love the head movement mimicking bit. this is so nice, even in silence the animation does a fantastic job at giving them personality, I’m frothing at the mouth rn

[@LightHero117]

Excellent work! I never thought I would see Link resort to unarmed combat, Captain America-style, but the universe keeps finding new ways to surprise me.

[@Hellturner]

HOW CAN THIS ANIMATION BE SO PRETTY?!

[@huntercahoon]

This choreography in the fight is fantastic all throughout! Bravo to all who worked so hard on it!

[@tylermorgan8214]

I appreciate so much how you kept him as a left handed swordsman

[@VidGamer123]

1:50 Oh shit, Dark Link knows Shadow Clone Jutsu!

[@digitalfaux1903]

I really loved the exchange from second 45 to 55. Whoever did that, good job.

[@ThomasAnimations2]

I really like how link is fighting at his most yet dark link is just swingly like he is a puppet

[@NatetendoOfficial]

This animation is incredible! The fluid motions, the use of Link's new abilities, the expressive faces, it is incredible! I love this so much!

[@thesilentshadow1256]

This is the most fluid 3D animation I have ever seen. It's absolutely perfect. The choreography is next level, I could spend hours praising this. It would be amazing to see you guys work with Smashbracket.

[@loonatoon5657]

A dark Link battle could be an interesting concept for ToTK dlc, of which it would have the same stats, armor defense and weapons as the player, going as far as copying the player's strategy.

[@TheAxmore]

The way the camera feels like part of the action choreography makes this feel very Monty Oum in style and I love it

[@rororokai]

THIS IS SO AMAZING!!! Link’s facial expression and movements are so realistic and fluid!! It’s actually unbelievable how it’s already been a month and there’s ONLY 36k views, this deserves 36 MILLION! Absolutely wonderful job everyone! One animator to another :)

[@Linkskyfyre]

Wow, this is pretty awesome. This is exactly how I imagine Link would fight. Great job!

[@gregorya1179]

This is tremendous. Love the blending of OoT and BotW. Well done, guys.

[@breathofthedeity2366]

Thus is by far one of the best Zelda animations I've ever seen, it was clean, no clipping that I noticed, and the movement was really cool. Then there's also the use of the botw abilities and the fact that dark link accepted defeat... so cool. I can only hope that botw 2 has a fight like that, again just a really good job. If you keep that up, you are gonna go far

[@Zelda_Weeb64]

THIS IS YNDER RATED YOU ARE AMAZING IMA SHOW MY FRIENDS THIS!!!

[@Licket]

Literally amazing....the movements, the weight to the fighting, the rune abilities in action-- I was blown away.

[@thedoctor1466]

Ive watched this around 20 times a day. Its just too cool. And even the music is perfect as it syncs with the animation in bits.

[@hyliandragongaming]

This is incredible! I love the unintentional foreshadowing to Link’s new arm and his ability to reverse/freeze time with it! So cool!! I know this was made way before that feature was even announced, but having seen it now with the knowledge I have of Tears of the Kingdom makes it even better! Oh, and the lizalfos rod/spear too! I also love the homage to Ocarina of Time’s epic fight!

[@darrellcavett2631]

I love how the hero of time has a direct connection to every single link including dark link

[@MajinNightz]

Theres no way u dont have 100 subs yet U deserve more subs and MORE VIEWS As a kid i always waited for someone to animate Link vs Dark Link!

[@_B311AB3AN_]

Love the references Link is wearing his BOTW clothing, the setting is from OoT, the three Dark Links that appear are from Twilight Princess, and the paraglider and Link freezing his shield in place are from BOTW I love this.

[@TyGamer0426]

Don't think I have EVER seen Link punching. Great job on the video

[@Saku_Art]

This went way harder than I expected! Great work from the whole group!

[@BhargavN10]

Now I want Link vs Dark Link in Botw 2 as a mini boss

[@AngelCG666]

When Dark Link summoned three copies of himself It instantly reminded me of that one cutscene from Twilight Princess I love the detail in this video

[@HisNameisLink]

Outstanding animation, you guys did amazing! 👏 ❤️💙💚

[@andrearamirez2885]

WOW, definitivamente está es la mejor animación de Link vs Dark Link que he visto. Me encanta la versatilidad que hacen que demuestre Link en la batalla, la fluidez, los poderes de Dark y como basicamente todo es asombroso de observar. Especialmente me encantó el hecho de que Dark pudo haberlo matado pero acepto que Link es superior y solo acepto su derrota de buena manera :")

[@matthewwisdom9933]

Not really that good

[@matthewwisdom9933]

Because dark link doesn't look like th

[@matthewwisdom9933]

That

[@manofhealthchannel]

He's a copy of Link what do you expect The Ocarina of Time Dark link looked like that and that's because he was fighting The hero of time

[@Luc_skin_art]

He left his sword. I LOVED IT!

[@ShinyDarkrai2K]

I had no idea this was a collab between different animators! You all make a fantastic team!

[@fusionx9306]

This guy foresaw the right hand application from Tears of the Kingdom a year in advance

[@marie_with_e2781]

THIS IS AMAZING! This is one of the best Zelda animations I've seen, the movement of the characters is very fluid and the whole fight was very interesting to see. Great job :D

[@8Rincewind]

When I first fought Dark Link is was the hardest fight I'd ever done in a video game. He did so much damage and when he'd jump on top of my stabs, I felt so weak and helpless. Plus him mirroring your attacks and shielding ranged attacks made him feel almost untouchable at times. When I revisited it was an adult, I learnt that you could spam the Megaton Hammer and the fight becomes a cake walk. In a very small way I was kind of hoping that's what would happen here, but I'm pleased you took this approach instead. Reimagining this classic, terrifying fight using the much more versatile combat of BoTW makes it feel even more cool and intense. P.S. the way music is used in this video is very good.

[@Mosti06_gaming]

I agree

[@alextolliver3189]

Even though this is the incomplete version it is still really good

[@AprilTheAwesomee]

I LOVE the animation and artstyle!!! Seriously, you have no idea what masterpiece you've made!

[@MageSwordsmaster94]

I wanna see a Zelda vs. Dark Zelda one like this! Bring on the Dark Light Arrows!

[@cosmicgem7775]

I was absolutely blown away!! You did an outstanding job making one of the best Zelda animations I’ve ever seen!

[@hx1782]

It’s so cool to see all the different games put together in one amazing fight scene!

[@ultrateen124]

I would love to see link punch in breath of the wild 2 when unarmed :)

[@ultrateen124]

3:16

[@autocorrrect7658]

holy shit everything from movement to the microexpressions is insane. loved watching every second of this!

[@jrtmariofan6415]

This is extremely well done I love every detail of this animation!

[@sage9634]

Ok but when link was fighting four of himself… how did you all even come up with such a graceful fight?!? Amazing work, really amazing!

[@Raven_Fable]

Thank you for making this is a dream come true. I was just thinking man I really want to see this fight animated and you not only did that you made it better!

[@joseph_acommonmen115]

This animation is perfect... i don't have words for to thank and congratulate those who did this.... The fight is entertaining and cool, i watch this fight many times and I have come to the conclusion that...........THE LEGEND OF ZELDA NEEDS A ANIME OR SERIES PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE.........................................like for not vanish

[@jaimelkor8054]

Link forgoing conventional weaponry and just straight up decking his enemy is freaking hilarious

[@insertnamehere9835]

I like how this showcased how botw link does not rely on the master sword as much as the others sens he doesn't even have it for most of his adventure. And also shows his creativity in combat.

[@Jessica-fn2sg]

this is actually so incredible you guys are talented 😭😭

[@danielwoods370]

If they make a Zelda anime they need to contact this guy

[@cloverkalimba3368]

this is literally just so cool! you and your team is so underrated seriously

[@user-sc3st1kz5s]

This is sooo good! Some of the moves and expressions really reminded me of rwby style fighting animations, I wonder if u took inspiration from the series! I think that would be awesome.

[@darrellcavett4790]

That was freaking amazing i rewatch it so many times

[@saintvengeance7109]

Truly an amazing fight!! You did great, this could totally be on TV!

[@foxtrap86flame]

It would be amazing if in the sequel of Breath of the Wild we do come back to this room and have that legendary battle. While is most likely won't happen, the Hero of the Wild at least should fight a Dark Link counterpart of himself. I do feel like the Hollow Link from Age of Calamity would be used if this was the case.

[@felix1058]

The Hollows were all made by Astor though, who’s pretty dead by the time Link wakes up

[@foxtrap86flame]

@@felix1058 While that is true, they could come back in the form of Malice taking shape as the hero in Tears of the Kingdom.

[@soulsilver8127]

How did I not see this sooner this is genuinely one of the best animations I’ve ever seen

[@ne9n_]

Bro I loved this amazing work to the team🔥

[@fei3919]

Finally someone made him left handed as he was meant to be. AMAZING ANIMATION! Keep it up.

[@932ForeverLove]

Well done! That was some impressive fight choreography!

[@qiyanbettis649]

2:00 that was AMAZING! Gave me freaking chills watching that part! Amazing job

[@smackaroo1230]

I’ve never seen anything more badass than dark link jumping onto the master sword, and this animation made it even more badass

[@hotarushidosha]

Amazing choreography, very creative and loved when he was making the shadow look silly xD Excellent work!

[@ilovefumo]

this is how the fight felt fr clashing and constant hit trading back and forth it was so awesome and it's great to see my mind put into a video of this scale

[@Epitaph_of_Seikilos]

I like the choreography of this fight! Well done!!! 👍

[@germanshepherdlover522]

The animation is incredible

[@kobeb983]

This is so damn cool. Absolutely amazing work I love it!

[@nolanmclarty3132]

Nintendo needs to hire this dude

[@shanar13071]

I liked and subbed I can’t imagine how hard it is to animate this.

[@CoolStoryBruh]

This is amazing! Really really well done!!

[@grimeswong361]

Peter dang actually told the future of totk

[@azeldis]

Wow this animation was really smooth. The you showed links skill was amazing.

[@camicuti97]

Wow incomplete how?! This was so amazing already!! Love the music you chose it works so well with the animation! I can't believe 9 different animators didn't know what the others were doing haha, it all works so well together?

[@FanaticChain]

Such a godly animation! It’s so smooth and badass

[@dr.kokiri7013]

This is epic! With Dark link being my most favorite character in all of zelda, this just makes me enjoy this level so much more.

[@ryanrapier4569]

I kinda want to go through a battle like this,good work using the classic water temple fight as inspiration. That dark Link boss was a personal favorite of mine

[@noth9307]

i love love the visual effects for the runes

[@nottrustworthy6361]

DUDE THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEEENNNN

[@crokay1716]

I really like this, good job!

[@scarredmask1444]

This is the animation was sick. I love how they went back to the old dungeon room It's so good

[@StargazerGirl000]

Holy Hylia! This is fantastic! I was in awe the whole time, and I can't believe how awesome this is! Another masterpiece to add to the list of inpiration.. One step closer to trying to become an animator! This honestly inspired me, and the style you chose is gorgeous. To think, you've all combined the newer games with an older fight... Incredible. Dark is definitely my favourite character.. And when he gave in and stopped fighting... I shed a tear. Truly splendid! The goddess Hylia would be in awe. ❤

[@morrieleung]

Statis>Ancient spear>master sword

[@jasdrawssometimes4660]

BEST ZELDA ANIMATION GOES TO

[@missblueh5314]

omg this is beautiful. This was one of my favorite parts in Ocarina of Time. I wish the fight in the game was as cool as this is!

[@Icantreadatall]

I like the blade movement and how it has a sort of after image very nice 10/10