User blog:SPARTAN 119/The Past, Present, and Future of Gaming Collide: Link (Legend of Zelda) vs Kirito (Sword Art Online)

Link, the Hero of Time who saved Hyrule countless times from the dark lord Ganondorf

VS

Kirito, player of the virtual reality "game of death" Sword Art Online, who cleared the game and saved the lives of over 6000 players.

=Combatants=

Link
The Link in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is the third Link appearing in the The Legend of Zelda series, and the fourth Link chronologically.

In Ocarina of Time, a young Link has been raised as one of the Kokiri, the children of the forest. Unlike the other Kokiri, Link does not have a fairy companion and is thus shunned by their self-proclaimed leader, Mido. Link's life changes one day when the Great Deku Tree, the forest's guardian, sends Navi the fairy to Link with instructions to bring him immediately. A curse has been cast on the Deku Tree, and he asks Link to break it. While Link is successful in defeating the monsters inside the Tree, the Great Deku Tree was doomed to die before Link started. Before passing away, the Deku Tree tells Link of the Triforce and directs Link to Hyrule Castle where he encounters Princess Zelda.

Zelda sends Link on a mission to collect three Spiritual Stones and save Hyrule. Once Link obtains the Stones, he travels to the Temple of Time and opens the Door of Time with the Stones and the Ocarina of Time. He then draws the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. This action imprisons Link in the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm for seven years so his body can mature, while Ganondorf takes control of Hyrule and seizes the Triforce of Power. Seven years after drawing the sword from the pedestal, Link is awakened as the Hero of Time by Rauru, Sage of Light. Link finds that much time has passed, and he has grown up. He sets off on a quest to cleanse the land of Ganondorf's evil by awakening the Sages, who can seal Ganondorf in what used to be the Sacred Realm. He is then given the title of Hero of Time. Returning to the Kokiri Forest, he finds that none of his friends have grown up, and most now no longer recognize him.

After Link defeats the evil in the Forest Temple, the Deku Tree's successor, the Deku Sprout, reveals the hidden story of Link's past to him. The Kokiri never grow up. The reason Link has grown, while his Kokiri friends have not, is that he is actually a Hylian, orphaned in the wars that raged before Hyrule was united. When Link was a baby, his mother fled with him to Kokiri Forest, and, mortally wounded, left him under the Deku Tree's protection. He was brought up as one of the Kokiri and knew no differently. Through the rest of the game, Link travels back and forth between the two time periods using the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time in order to awaken the Seven Sages and return peace of Hyrule. At the end of the game, Link climbs Ganon's Tower and engages Ganondorf in battle. After he has been defeated and sent to the Dark Realm, Link is returned to his youth by Princess Zelda, and Navi soon departs from him. He is last seen when he encounters Princess Zelda again in the Castle Courtyard to warn her about Ganondorf and the future events that would unfold.

(From Zelda Wiki)

Kirito


This match will feature the Sword Art Online version of Kirito

Kazuto Kirigaya was a normal teenager in 2020s Japan, who was selected to as a beta tester for the virtual reality MMORPG Sword Art Online, for the new Nerve Gear console. After a month of beta testing under the screenname "Kirito", a portmanteau of Kirigaya Kazuto, his name by Japanese conventions (family name, then given name), Kirito logs on to Sword Art Online for the official release. Kirito quickly makes friends with a new user under the screen name "Klein", who discovers that the log off button is not in the menu like it was in the beta. Kirito, Klein, and all of the other SAO users are then teleported to the starting city, where they are met by a mysterious entity claiming to be game creator Kayaba Akihiko, who tells them they he has trapped them in the world of Sword Art Online by incorporating a microwave emitter in the Nerve Gear. Any attempt to remove or destroy the Nerve Gear from the user will result in the activation of a microwave pulse that will literally fry the user's brain, killing them. If the user's avatar is killed in the game, they will also die in real life. Akihiko states that he will not release the users until the game is completed- all floors of a 100-story monster-filled dungeon are cleared. To prove his power, Akihiko changes all users into their real-life appearance- achieved by using biometric data gathered during calibration of the Nerve Gear console.

Over 2000 died in the first month, and the first floor was yet to be cleared. During his fight to clear the first floor, Kirito teams up with a girl named Asuna Yuuki. Together, they defeat the boss of the first floor, then go their separate ways, however, Kirito would meet Asuna again later, eventually becoming in-game "husband and wife", and boyfriend and girlfriend in real life after they escape Sword Art Online.

After meeting Asuna, Kirito goes on to join a guild known as the Moonlit Black Cats, and become friendly with a girl named "Sachi", though never sharing her feeling for him. Sachi is traumatized by the sheer gravity of her situation- literally being in a game of life and death, even contemplating suicide by jumping off a cliff in game and activating the microwave device upon the death of her avatar, however, Sachi is too cowardly to do even that. After several months, the Moonlit Black Cats gain enough money to by an in-game house. While the guild leader goes to buy a the house, Kirito, Sachi, and the others go to the "front lines"- the unexplored parts of the dungeon, and fall into a trap baited with a treasure chest. All except Kirito are killed by a horde of monsters. Kirito is affected by Sachi's death in particular, and becomes depressed for several months, on Christmas Eve, he fights an event boss, Nicholas the Renegade, who was said to possess and item that will revive a dead player. Kirito defeats Nicholas, almost dying himself, but discovers the item can only revive a player ten seconds after their avatar's death- by preventing the activation of the microwave. Kirito returns to his room at the inn in despair, where he remembers a gift Sachi game him and told him to open on Christmas. In this package is a voice message, where Sachi tells him to remain strong even if she dies and to escape and live again on the outside.

His resolve strengthened, Kirito fights his way to the 75th floor, joining an elite guild along with Asuna, the Blood Knights. On the 75th floor, he discovers that the leader of guild, "Heathcliff", is actually Kayaba Akihiko himself. Kirito challenges Akihiko to a duel, discovering that Akihiko has turned his avatar into a non-destructable object, effectively making him invincible. Akihiko reduces Kirito's HP to zero, however, he does not die due to a glitch in the game, and Kirito is able use the same glitch to to kill Kayaba. After Akihiko's death, Kirito and all but 300 Sword Art Online players are released from the game.

Kirito goes on to play other VRMMORPGs and to privately investigate other cyber-crimes occurring within such games. The first such instance occurs just days after Kirito escapes Sword Art Online, when he discovers Asuna has not been logged off of the game. Kirito discovers that, in spite of Asuna's continued comatoseness, Nobuyuki Sugou, a high-ranking employee of the company Asuna's father owns, intends to marry Asuna. Kirito discovers soon after an image suggesting Asuna is trapped in the VR MMORPG Alfheim Online, on top of the "World Tree", the final dungeon of the game. Allied with a player named Lyfa, who is later revealed to Kirito's own sister, Suguha, Kirito makes it to the top of the central "World Tree" in Alfheim Online, and discovers that the "Fairy King Oberon" at the top of the "World Tree" is none other than Nobuyuki Sugou himself. By this point, it is revealed that Sugou is also holding 300 Sword Art Online survivors as human test subjects in his experiments in using virtual reality technology for mind control. Sugou almost defeats Kirito using his control of the system commands, however, Sugou is defeated when a saved AI copy of Kayaba Akihiko's personality overrides Sugou's systems authority, freeing Asuna and Sugou's other prisoners. Later, Sugou attempts to have Kazuto assassinated in real life, however, he fails and is arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for his crimes.

Kirito is a short while later paid by Kikuoka Seijirou, a Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Technology agent, to investigate a mysterious player calling himself the "Death Gun" in the game "Gun Gale Online". The "Death Gun" possesses a weapon of the same name that can kill a player when they are defeated in the game in a manner apparently similar to that of Sword Art Online, in spite of the fact that the design of the new AmuSphere console should make this impossible. Kirito joins Gun Gale Online and enters the "Bullet of Bullets" tournament, which "Death Gun" was known to compete, along side a female player named Sinon. They later discover that "Death Gun" does not kill his victims in game at all, rather, he had an accomplice inject his victim with a poison in the real world when he defeats them in game. Kirito and Sinon, however, manage to defeat "Death Gun", really a man named Shoichi Shinkawa, who is arrested along with his brother and accomplice Shinkawa Kyouji for their murders.

=Weapons=

Master Sword (Link)
The Master Sword is Link's signature weapon, a European-style longsword with powerful magical properties, a weapon that can only be retrieved from its stone plinth in the Temple of Time by its destined wielder, the Hero of Time. The weapon has a long, double-edged steel blade about three feet long.

Elucidator (Kirito)
Elucidator is a black longsword Kirito first found as a drop from the boss of the 50th floor. The weapon has an overall length of 109 centimeters, with a blade length of 84.5 cm. The weapon has a double-edge blade with a triangular point and an unusual asymmetrical handguard. The weapon is stated to be intended primarily for slashing attacks. The weapon is slightly heavier than his other sword, Dark Repulser, but less durable.

Hylian Shield
The Hylian Shield is a shield with a classic, roughly U-shaped design. The shield has a metal plate on top of a wooden back, and is thus much more durable than a wooden shield. The Hylian shield is the standard issue for Hylian knights, and is painted with the Hylian royal crest.

Dark Repulser
Dark Repulser is the second sword Kirito used after he gained the "Dual Blades" ability. The weapon is a silver-colored longsword, about a meter long, roughly the same length as Dark Repulser. The weapon was created by a female player named "Lizbeth", made from a rare material, a metal ingot that was actually the excrement of a dragon (giving Dark Repulser the nickname "poop sword" on anime forums). The weapon is lighter than Elucidator, but less durable.

119's Edge
As skilled as Kirito is at dual wielding Dark Repulser and Elucidator, in general, a sword and shield is a more effective weapon combination than two swords. Edge: Link's Hylian Shield

Boomerang (Link)
The Hylians invented a boomerang very similar to its real world Australian counterpart. The weapon is a simple curved piece of wood, thrown in an arcing trajectory which, if used correctly, will allow it to return the the user.

Stick Shuriken (Kirito)
Bo shuriken, also known as a stick or spike shuriken are a type of Japanese throwing weapon consisting of a short metal spike, with also appear in Sword Art Online. Both in real life and in game, spike shuriken is unlikely to kill a human target, unless the thrower is extremely lucky and strikes a major artery, such as a hit to the neck, or if the shuriken is poisoned. However, as Kirito uses a shuriken to kill something he later eats (admittedly this is game logic we're talking about), the shuriken will not be poisoned.

119's Edge
Kirito's Stick Shuriken as they are slightly more likely to kill a human target than a boomerang.

Triforce of Courage and Naryu's Love (Link)
The Triforce of Courage is one third of a powerful magical artifact known as the Triforce. Link's Triforce of Courage allows him to, at least in some cases, allow him to continue fighting after a blow that should have killed.

Naryu's Love is a magic spell that creates an impenetrable shield around Link that lasts for a few minutes, or until his magic power runs out. During that period time Link cannot be damaged by enemy attacks, though he can be knocked away by the force of the attack. For the purpose of this match, Link will only have enough magic power to use this ability once.

Battle Healing (Kirito)
Kirito possesses the "Battle Healing Skill", giving him the ability to automatically regenerate from injuries. By the time he clears SAO, he has the ability leveled at 1000/1000, meaning he can regenerate to the point that he can even survive attacks by multiple low-level enemies without suffering any net loss in health. In spite of this ability, Kirito can still sustain severe damage and presumably even be killed by powerful adversaries.

119's Edge
While Naryu's Love is a powerful shield spell that effectively makes Link invulnerable, and the Triforce of Courage will make him more survivable, I give the edge to Kirito's Battle Healing, as it will allow him to regenerate his health if he can avoid being hit for long enough, and has no magic meter limiting the ability.

=Sword Techniques=

Link

 * Various horizontal, vertical, diagonal slashes
 * Upward diagonal slash
 * Three slash combo ending in diagonal upward strike
 * Thrust
 * Thrust + Upward slash
 * Block with shield
 * Trust behind shield
 * Jump Attack- wide vertical slash while jumping in the air.
 * Spin Attack- A 360 degree circular horizontal slash made while spinning on the spot. Link can infuse magic into his sword, releasing a wave of energy extending the range of the spin up to about twenty feet and causing increased damage, allowing him to attack multiple enemies with one attack.

Evasion

 * Backflip
 * Side Jump
 * Roll

Single Sword

 * Slant - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing diagonally.
 * Vertical - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing vertically.
 * Horizontal - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing horizontally.<
 * Uppercut - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill delivering an uppercut.
 * Parry- the act of blocking and enemy attack with the a sword. Kirito can do this with one or both of his swords.
 * Rage Spike - (1-hit strike) A basic, weak skill that leaps at the enemy and follows with an upward strike.
 * Sonic Leap - (1-hit strike) A charge-type sword skill that dashes toward the enemy to deal a downward strike.
 * Vertical Arc - (2-hit combo) A simple sword skill creating a 'V' shape trajectory.
 * Horizontal Square- (4-hit combo) A mid-level sword skill tracing the shape of a rhombus.
 * Vertical Square - (4-hit combo) A mid-level sword skill tracing the shape of a square.
 * Snake Bite - (2-hit combo) Two left and right swings that target the opponent's weapon, with a chance of breaking the weapon.
 * Sharp Nail - (3-hit combo)
 * Vorpal Strike  - (1-hit strike) A heavy one-handed sword skill with a reach that is double the length of the blade and has high attack power. It has a long cool-down. 30% physical, 30% Fire, 40% Darkness.
 * Savage Fulcrum - (3-hit combo) A sword skill that trace number "4" in the air. 50% physical, 50% Ice.
 * Serration Wave - a single-hit area of effect (AOE) one-handed sword skill, a technique meant to impede movement and barely dealing any damage.
 * Howling Octave - (8-hit) Five high-speed continuous thrusts then cut downward, upward, before another full force upward cut. 40% physical, 60% Fire.

Dual Blades

 * Double Circular - (2-hit combo) - A dash-type skill that swiftly attacks with the right and left sword consecutively.
 * Starburst Stream - (16-hit combo) - A high-class dual-blades sword skill.
 * The Eclipse - (27-hit combo) - The highest level dual-blades sword skill.
 * Snake Bite - (2-hit combo) - a quick strike that cuts through the opponent from both sides

Unarmed/Other

 * Embracer - (1-hit strike) An unarmed skill that pierces the enemy with the fingers.
 * Flash Hit - «Martial Arts» basic skill.
 * Meteor Break - (7-hit combo) - A seven-hit combo, needing unarmed and one-handed sword skills, that uses tackles to chain together strong attacks.
 * Minimal Side Step Defense - A defensive skill that simply involves an evading side-step. It has higher counterattack speed than parry or block, but it involves greater risks if it fails.

(From Sword Art Online Wiki) =X-Factors=

Explanation
Link takes a slight edge in combat experience, as he has fought much tougher opponents, Ganondorf probably being a more dangerous enemy than Heathcliff/Kayaba Akihiko (though if you translate Akihiko's control over the game into reality manipulation, they might come close). Link also possesses better weapons, carrying the powerfully magical Master Sword, which along with the Hylian Shield is a better combo IMO than two swords. Not to mention the ability to magically charge his sword for a wide area of effect spin attack. Both are even in agility, being able to dodge and attack rapidly. Link takes a slight edge, as, assuming (as we are) that he has his Golden Gauntlets, he can literally lift and thrown an entire stone column. Kirito, however, still has very high physical strength, blocking a strike with a giant sword wielded by a roughly 25-30 foot boss monster. Kirito takes an edge in unarmed combat, as he has actually fought and killed an armed opponent in unarmed combat, while Link would probably put up a fight, he does not normally fight unarmed. Kirito takes a slight edge in swordsmanship as he can skillfully dual wield two swords, stringing together multiple slashes and thrusts into multi-hit combos.