Spin Attack

First introduced in A Link to the Past, the Spin Attack, also known as the Whirling Blade, is Link's signature move. To perform it, Link usually gets in a stance to power up his sword and then spins around once in a circle, damaging all enemies within the sword's radius. This technique is useful in that it deals more damage than a sword strike, and it is also used to solve puzzles in various Zelda games. The Spin Attack is a basic attack, although a better, upgraded version can often be learned sometime later in Link's quest.

Although not much is known about the history of the Spin Attack, A Link to the Past mentions that this ability is a secret sword technique used by the Knights of Hyrule, while Link's Awakening describes that the Spin Attack has been "handed down from generation to generation by the family of the hero."

Uses
The Spin Attack is mostly used when Link is closely surrounded by several enemies due to the attack's long range. As such, this allows the young hero to quickly and easily dispose of whole groups of enemies with just this technique, making it one of the most useful abilities in the game. This is mostly true in Four Swords Adventures, where, combined with the Cross Formation used by the Links, the Spin Attack allows the young heroes to defend themselves from all four directions.

Other than attacking, the Spin Attack is also used to solve various puzzles in the games. These more often are the ones that require Link to hit more than one switch at the same time, such as in Twilight Princess, where Link must perform a Spin Attack to hit all of the switches in the Palace of Twilight in order to make a floating platform appear. Special entrances require this technique to get them to open: in Oracle of Seasons, the Spin Attack is crucial in opening the gate to the Maku Tree. Moreover, in The Minish Cap, Link must execute this technique in front of a guard blocking the entrance to Mount Crenel so that he will allow the young hero to proceed to his destination.

Another use, though not as pivotal as the aforementioned uses, is that Link's sword can pick up the items it slashes, suchs as Rupees (which can be safely retrieved by swinging the sword at them should they land close to an edge, rather than having Link walk over and possibly falling). Because of this, a Spin Attack is an excellent way to way to pick up items all around Link (such as the Rupees dropped around Link in the picture to the right). This same technique applies to the weapons Link can pick up in The Wind Waker, as he may also perform a Spin Attack wielding those. If he performs a spin attack with a Moblin Spear (the longest weapon in the game), he can immediately pick up all of the objects in a very large radius. This technique is especially useful for the Treasure Spheres often dropped by larger enemies, as the objects inside disappear rather quickly once they hit the ground.

Performing the Spin Attack
The Spin Attack is done in most Zelda games by holding down the button that the sword is assigned to for a matter of time and then releasing it. This will cause Link to get in a fighting stance while he charges up his sword or, in the case of the 2D Zelda games, just stand still as the sword begins to glow. This method can be done in most 3D Zelda games, with the exception of the Wii games Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword: since there is no sword button, Link cannot charge a Spin Attack. Instead, the player must perform it by lightly shaking the nunchuk left and right (Twilight Princess) or swinging the Wiimote and Nunchuk at the same time (Skyward Sword).

A faster way to perform the Spin Attack is to quickly swing the Control Stick once and press the sword button afterwards. If timed correctly, this will have the same effect as if Link had charged his sword to execute the Spin Attack, with the advantage being that this method does not consume Magic Power in games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. In some games, like The Wind Waker, Link can also perform this attack by simply using the thrust attack four times, or a combination of such, though this strategy only works if Link is actively attacking something, rather than swinging his sword at thin air. In Twilight Princess, if the player rotates the Control Stick right after performing a Jump Attack, Link will execute a Spin Attack upon landing.

For Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the player has to quickly draw a circle to perform the Spin Attack. Although in other games Link can carry out an infinite amount of Spin Attacks without getting dizzy, in these Nintendo DS games, the young hero can only execute this technique four times in a row before he gets dazed and vulnerable for a few seconds.

In Skyward Sword, the player has to swing both the Wii remote and the nunchuk at the same time to perform a Spin Attack. For the first time, because of the game's mechanics, Link is allowed to pick in which direction he spins, a pivotal component to sword fighting, as certain enemies will block one side, forcing Link to spin in the direction that strikes his enemy's exposed side. With the directional movement imparted to Link via the Wii Remote, Link is, also for the first time, allowed to perform a vertical Spin Attack by swinging the Wiimote and the nunchuck together in a vertical motion, either downward or upward. Much like the horizontal spin attack, the direction in which Link needs to perform the spin is dependent on what direction is necessary to damage his foe. In cases where the direction does not matter, the spin attacks have no difference; left spin attacks are the same as right ones, and upwards ones are the same as ones going down. All four directions yield the same radius and damage. It also does not matter which direction the nunchuk is swung; the Wiimote controls the direction Link will spin. Performing a Spin Attack depletes a portion of Link's stamina, similar to the restrictions in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. Unusually, a single hit from the Spin Attack in Skyward Sword does no more damage than a hit from a regular attack, but it has a similar overall effect to Spin Attacks in other titles because unless it knocks the target out of the way on the first hit it will generally hit twice.

Upgrades and Variations
In some Zelda games, Link can learn an upgraded version of the Spin Attack as he travels on his quest. Other times, using masks or Magic Rings will slightly alter the behavior and characteristics of this technique. The alterations as well as the upgrades available are described below.

Super Spin Attack

 * See also: Great Spin

The Super Spin Attack, also known as the Great Spin or the Magic Spin Attack, is a special technique found in several Zelda games, including Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. As its name suggests, it is a Spin Attack with a bigger radius of attack. Usually this attack can only be used when one's life meter is completely filled up or until Magic Power has been acquired. It can be differentiated from the normal spin attack due to its color, which is usually red in its most powerful form. This is demonstrated in the Nintendo 64 Zelda games, where the Super Spin Attack is denoted by the blue or red outlines that the attack makes: the blue Super Spin Attack is weaker and has a smaller radius than its red counterpart. Moreover, the red version makes Link spin around twice, but the downside is that Link must charge it longer before he can use it. Although charging it up with the B Button uses up a small fraction of Link's Magic Power, quickly rotating the Control Stick and pressing the sword button does not consume magic.

In Four Swords Adventures, each Link has the ability to execute a spin attack during the game-play in both Overhead and side-scrolling areas. However, the Cross formation enables a powerful Spin Attack in which all Four Links will perform the Super Spinning Attack. Unlike the normal Spin Attack, this makes the four Links spin around the center of the Cross Formation, making it extremely effective against multiple enemies.

Great Spin Attack
The Great Spin Attack, also known as the Hurricane Spin, is an extremely advanced spin attack. When used, Link can spin multiple times, prolonging the use of the Spin Attack and causing far more damage. However, the downside is that this causes Link to become dizzy and vulnerable to enemy attacks for a few seconds after being used, unless he collides with an obstacle during the attack. In The Wind Waker and Four Swords, this powerful maneuver consumes Magic Power. A version of this move is first displayed by Ralph when he is practicing with sword fighting with Link in the ending credits of Oracle of Ages.

Skyward Strike Spin Attack
The Skyward Strike can be used to amplify Link's Spin Attack in Skyward Sword. This not only amplifies the power of the Spin Attack, but also increases its radius.

Deku Spin
In Majora's Mask, Deku Link's basic attack is similar to that of a Spin Attack: he spins around on one foot and damages all enemies within the radius created by his hat. Unlike the Spin Attack, however, this move can be performed while Deku Link is running. The Deku Spin is also useful in that it helps the young hero hop farther by Deku Spinning on the surface of the water than by simply running up to it.

Wolf Spin
In Twilight Princess, Wolf Link uses a type of Spin Attack which is performed by partially charging of Midna's shadow field, causing Link to attack with his fangs and tail.

Magic Rings
In Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, three Magic Rings alter some characteristics of the Spin Attack. The Charge Ring enables Link to charge up the Spin Attack in a quarter of the time it normally takes. The Spin Ring causes Link to spin twice instead of once. This ability is useful against bosses that can only be hurt with a Spin Attack. Lastly, the Energy Ring enables a spin attack to become a Sword Beam attack instead.

Super Smash Bros. Series

 * For more in-depth information, see SmashWiki's Spin Attack article.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, the Spin Attack is Link, Young Link, and Toon Link's Up Special Move. It proves to be a powerful attack when used on the ground, and when used in the air, it serves as Link's third jump and thus help him recover from off-stage. It is not until its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that the Spin Attack can be charged while on the ground. Young Link and Toon Link's version of the Spin Attack is weaker than its adult Link counterpart; however, the younger Links' attack traps enemies in a cyclone of slashes and can draw in foes if they are relatively close to the Spin Attack's radius.

Soulcalibur II

 * ''Spin Attack:
 * ''Cyclone Attack:

In Soulcalibur II, Link uses two variations of the Spin Attack. The first version acts much like the Hurricane Spin: Link can charge his sword to spin around several times, although this will not leave him dizzy like in other Zelda games. By completely charging the sword with the Spin Attack, a more powerful attack will be unleashed, demonstrated by the fire that surrounds Link's sword in the process. The second version, called the Cyclone Attack, causes Link to jump into the air while executing a Spin Attack. Like the previous variation, this attack can also be charged by the young hero, which will cause for Link to jump higher. The Spin Attack, when fully charged, causes 74 HP worth of damage while the Cyclone Attack deals 71 HP.