Piece of Heart

Pieces of Heart are recurring items in. They are use to form a full Heart Container, extending Link's maximum health.

Location and Uses
In many games, a Heart Container can formed by collecting four Pieces of Heart. They were introduced in, and have since then have appeared in every other title following it. The exceptions being and, in which only full Heart Containers can be found, and  and , in which Heart Containers are not permanent upgrades. Pieces of Heart are scattered throughout the world, and can be found in Treasure Chests, won in mini-games, or given as thanks for helping someone. Obtaining a Piece of Heart will immediately refill all of Link's health, regardless of whether or not that Piece of Heart is completing a Heart Container. The amount of Pieces of Heart depends primarily on how many Heart Containers are in the game; the Pieces of Heart, combined with the Heart Containers, typically add up to a total of 20 Hearts by the end of a game. The number of Heart Pieces in a game is inversely proportional to how many dungeons (therefore, bosses with Heart Containers) are available in that adventure. Because of this, holds currently the record for having the highest number in the series (52, this for featuring only four Heart Containers).

breaks the tradition by requiring five Pieces of Heart in order to form a Heart Container instead of the normal four. This is likely due to the high number of Heart Containers present in the game. Although in Twilight Princess Pieces of Heart are collected in fifths, Link's smallest unit of current health is still fourths.

In SS undefined, there are only 24 Pieces of Heart. This is due to the fact that Link starts off with three more hearts than usual, making it so that he begins with six, earns six from defeating bosses, and obtains six from Pieces of Heart, with the last two Heart Containers being potentially temporary items in the form of Life Medals, which take up a spot in Link's Adventure Pouch if he wishes to use them.

The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are the only games in the series to have in-game guides showing where the Pieces of Heart are. The Wind Waker has the Sea and Island Hearts Charts that reveal their location in both sea and islands. Twilight Princess has the fortune teller Madame Fanadi who can guide Link to them by paying a fee. In Skyward Sword, Sparrot, a fortune-teller similar to Fanadi, will give Link hints on where to find Pieces of Heart.

It is unknown if any character other than Link understands the use and purpose of the Pieces of Heart, or if any character other than Link can use the Pieces of Heart, as very few characters ever have anything to say about them, even when handing them out as rewards. In Twilight Princess, if Link catches the Piece of Heart while fishing in the Fishing Hole, Hena will remark "Whose heart did you catch? You big sweetheart!" In Skyward Sword, Beedle will eventually sell Link a Piece of Heart starting at 1600 Rupees. If Link asks Beedle about the item so that he can buy it, Beedle will tell him that he does not actually know what it is, and that he found it somewhere nearby. In the Lumpy Pumpkin, one of the first Pieces of Heart available in the game is located on the chandelier hanging in the center of the place. If one speaks to Kina, she remarks that the Rupees on the chandelier may have caught Link's eye, and that he cannot get them, nor should he even think about trying. She makes no mention of the Piece of Heart on the chandelier, as it is likely the first thing that catches the attention of anyone upon entering the restaurant. Fortune Tellers who give hints leading to the location of Pieces of Heart refer to them as something having to do with love.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In, a Piece of Heart appear as a Sticker.

Gallery
 File:ALttP Piece of Heart Artwork.png|Piece of Heart artwork from A Link to the Past File:Heart Piece Sprite LttP.gif|Piece of Heart from A Link to the Past File:LA - Piece of Heart.png|Piece of Heart from Link's Awakening File:HeartPiece.png|Piece of Heart from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask File:UnderwaterPieceofHeart.jpg|Zora Link next to a Piece of Heart in Majora's Mask File:Piece of Heart OoX.png|Piece of Heart from the Oracle series File:Piece of Heart TWW.png|Piece of Heart from The Wind Waker File:Heart Piece TMC.png|Piece of Heart artwork from The Wind Waker File:Heart Piece MC.gif|Piece of Heart from The Minish Cap File:PieceOfHeartSS.png|Piece of Heart from Skyward Sword File:HW Piece of Heart.png|Piece of Heart from Hyrule Warriors File:HW Piece of Heart Icon.png|Piece of Heart Icon from Hyrule Warriors 