Linkle

Linkle is a playable Warrior in. She can be transferred over to as well. She wields dual Crossbows as her weapon and uses them alongside quick kicks to attack enemies. Her story is described as a side story separate from the rest of the game's plot.

Biography
Linkle is a young woman who lives in a small village in Hyrule where she takes care of Cuccos as a shepherd. Since she was little, she believes herself to be the reincarnated hero. She believes that the symbol that proves it is the Compass given to her by her grandmother, which has been passed down for generations. After hearing that Hyrule Castle is under attack by a demon, she sets out on a journey to save the kingdom, donning a green outfit. Linkle has a habit of getting lost easily and is bad at directions, despite owning a compass and a map. While setting out on her quest, she fails to notice a sign at a forked road pointing to the direction of Hyrule Castle, and takes the opposite path instead. During her victory cutscene, she continues to miss signs pointing to the castle's direction.

She enters a mysterious forest, only to become lost and suddenly have her Compass stolen by Skull Kid, forcing her to retrieve it from him. Twili Midna accompanies her on her travels at some point.

Development
During the development of, Linkle was originally designed as a female version of Link. She was also proposed to be Link's little sister, but the idea was scrapped due to Eiji Aonuma not wanting her to conflict with Aryll, Link's sister in. Sketches of her were included in the Hyrule Warriors art book from the Japanese limited editions of the game. Thanks to this, Linkle grew in popularity among fans, convincing the developers to include her in the game. She was announced for Hyrule Warriors Legends during the Nintendo Direct web stream on November 12, 2015, where she was revealed with a slightly different design and two Crossbows, as opposed to the one shown in her early concept sketches.

Linkle had a different storyline during development, which was scrapped due to time concerns and in order to avoid being too comical and clash with Linkle's heroic quality. In it, Linkle wondered into the Temple of Souls, where Link was being cursed by Ghirahim. In order to save him, Darunia and Lana appear and do a dance off against Ghirahim. Afterwards, they found out that it was actually Tingle and not Link. Eventually, Linkle wakes up and finds out that it was just a dream.

Trivia

 * Prior to her announcement, her Crossbow was hidden among the game's artwork, hinting at her inclusion.
 * Like Link in, Linkle's Crossbows glow when certain moves are performed, glowing red when charging a Bomb Arrow and glowing green when rapid-firing.
 * Eiji Aonuma stated that due to her popularity, he is going to keep in mind the possibility of including her in a future Zelda game.
 * Linkle was the last character that former Nintendo writer, Chris Pranger, wrote for before leaving Nintendo. He said that she is his favorite Nintendo character to have written for.
 * Her Compass is available as a clock in the Japanese and European limited editions of Hyrule Warriors Legends.