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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The Legend of Zelda does not give Link a confirmed exact age in either Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom. He wakes in Breath of the Wild after a 100-year slumber, so more than a century has passed for him chronologically by then—but his age before the slumber is not established. Nintendo describes Tears of the Kingdom as taking place shortly after its predecessor, without specifying an exact interval.
What age is confirmed for Link in Breath of the Wild?
Nintendo’s official game summary and developer interview establish that Link awakens after a 100-year slumber. That is the confirmed time he has been asleep; it is not a full accounting of his age. The cited official material does not give his exact age before he entered the slumber, so it cannot establish an exact age when he wakes.
It is useful to distinguish elapsed chronological time from a stated character age: at his awakening, Link has been alive across more than 100 years of story time, including the century-long slumber. The official materials cited here do not specify how his biological aging worked during that period.
Was Link 17 before the slumber—or 117 when he woke?
Neither number is confirmed for Link in the cited official sources. The commonly repeated “17” is an inference, and adding it to the 100-year slumber to call Link “117” depends on accepting that unconfirmed starting age.
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The number 17 does appear in Breath of the Wild: Zelda says in her diary, “I turned 17 today. That means this is the day I will finally be allowed to train at the Spring of Wisdom.” The transcript of the in-game diary attributes that line to Zelda. It establishes Zelda’s age, not Link’s; the passage does not say they are the same age.
How old is Link in Tears of the Kingdom?
Nintendo calls Tears of the Kingdom a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild and says it is set “shortly after” the earlier game. The developer interview does not define how many years that means. It also does not state Link’s exact age in the sequel, so a specific number for him there is not established by these materials.
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- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
What the two games establish
| Game | What is established | What is not established |
|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | Link wakes after a 100-year slumber (Nintendo, 2023). | His exact age before the slumber, his exact age at awakening, and a confirmed age of 17. |
| Tears of the Kingdom | It is a direct sequel set shortly after Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 2023). | The exact time between the games and Link’s exact age in the sequel. |
The most accurate short answer is therefore that Link’s exact age is unknown: he has undergone a century-long slumber by the time he awakens in Breath of the Wild, while “17,” “117,” and a precise age in Tears of the Kingdom remain unconfirmed.
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