Summary of the Four Swords Manga

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Links

Other Characters



Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: The Four Links

Link stops Jago from raiding Hyrule Castle Town and kidnapping a townsperson. He does this alone, much to the dismay of his father, who later meets with Princess Zelda to discuss Link's lone wolf attitude. After he leaves, Link expresses his annoyance with his father.
The Shrine Maidens summon Zelda to the chapel of the Four Sword, where they pray to maintain the seal on the Four Sword so that the Wind Mage Vaati does not escape from it.
The Maidens and Zelda are suddenly kidnapped by Shadow Link, and Link chases Shadow Link to try to rescue Zelda. Instead, he ends up at the Four Sword Sanctuary. He draws the Four Sword in order to save Zelda, as it is the only weapon that can vanquish the darkness.
Link splits into four copies of himself and releases Vaati from the seal as a consequence of drawing the sword. The Links work together to temporarily drive away Vaati (after some arguing), united by their desire to save Zelda.
Shadow Link watches the battle with Vaati and remarks that he and his allies plan to crush Link.



Chapter 2: Hyrule Castle Falls

Shadow Link launches a raid on Hyrule Castle. The Knights of Hyrule try their best to defend the castle, but Link's father and the rest of the knights are kidnapped by Shadow Link, who gets Link's father to lower his guard by impersonating Link.
The Links run to Hyrule Castle in an attempt to inform everyone that Zelda and the Maidens have been kidnapped, not knowing about the raid on the castle.
They argue over who is the real Link and have their names assigned to them by Red; Vio explains their personalities as parts of Link.
As they get closer to the castle, they run into Arcy, who informs them that the castle was raided by someone she believed to be Link.
The Links arrive at the castle and lament its destruction, but their reactions are cut short when they realize they are not alone. The kidnapped knights, including Artura, begin to attack the Links, having been possessed by Ganon.
Shadow Link appears after seeing Green express sympathy for his fellow knights, even in their current state. After Shadow gets rid of the remaining knights, he taunts the Links, telling them of his plan to kill Zelda to plunge Hyrule into darkness. He also lies to them to make them upset, saying that their father begged for his life before he killed him. This angers Green, who initiates a losing battle with Shadow.
Shadow delivers a highly damaging blow after Blue tells him to stay behind them like a real shadow, which enrages Shadow deeply.
Before Shadow can kill Green, the Blue Maiden sends a fairy to shine a light on Shadow. Shadow is terrified of light and retreats while the fairy teleports the Links to the Blue Maiden's prison below the castle.
The Blue Maiden tells the Links that they must collect Force to break the seals on the Maidens; she also confirms that Zelda is still alive. She then directs the Links to her village in the eastern part of Hyrule, where she senses another Maiden.
The Links travel to the village, but Green feels uneasy about their ability to defeat Shadow Link after the last battle.
After getting reassurance from the other Links, Green leads them on their path to the village.



Chapter 3: Erune and Rosie

The Links have set up a camp to eat and spar. Green and Blue spar as Vio reads about how to find Force. After some arguing, they sit down to eat.
As they continue their trek to the Village of the Blue Maiden, it is revealed that Shadow Link is watching them through Stone Arrghus. He threatens the Links again, saying they cannot escape him.
In the Village of the Blue Maiden, Erune is sad that she must give away Rosie today. Her sad reflection is cut short as she notices fighting outside. She tries to break up the fight but ends up getting pushed to the ground and nearly trampled by the fighting townspeople until the Links push them back.
Erune then takes the Links to her house. She explains that the children of the village have been kidnapped recently and that she saw a weird vision of one of her friends one time, which worries her.
The Links vow to save the missing children. Erune's mother allows the Links to stay the night, as she and Erune recognize Link as a hero.
Later that night, Blue gets a gut feeling that he and the other Links are in danger. He finds a rock in his bed and tosses it outside.
Green is sitting outside on the porch when he notices Erune sitting there as well, looking sadly at Rosie. He encourages Erune not to give up Rosie even if she is told she is too old for dolls. Shortly afterward, Blue begins a fistfight with Green, as he believes Green snuck out to be alone with Erune (whom they both are infatuated with).
Rosie becomes possessed by dark magic and whisks Erune away to the Dark World. Green notices that Erune has suddenly vanished and leads the other Links on a quest to find Erune.
When Green is alone, he is spotted by Stone Arrghus and summoned to the Dark World. He reunites with the other Links in the Dark World, and they learn that this is where the missing children, who have turned into toys, were taken away to.
Stone Arrghus fights the Links, who grab weapons from a toybox to fight the monster.
After Stone Arrghus is defeated, the Links fight over who gets the resulting Force Gems before freeing the Yellow Maiden.
The Yellow Maiden gifts a Moon Pearl to Green.
Erune sees the Links off as they leave the village, having brought the children back to the light world. The Links fight over who gets to shake Erune's hand, which causes the townspeople to doubt their ability as heroes.
Green wishes he was just one person again.



Chapter 4: Links Torn Apart

The Links build a boat to ride a river to Death Mountain.
As they try to navigate, they realize that they've been going the wrong way, leading to an argument which causes the Links to become extremely annoyed with each other. They fail to notice a dark cloud entering the waterfall ahead of them, and they are pulled into this waterfall.
To their surprise, they are teleported to different locations.
Green is teleported to a Gerudo village and is forced into a massage, which puts him to sleep.
Blue is teleported to a region of Hyrule that has become overrun with ice due to dark magic. He is tricked by an Ice Wizzrobe into believing that Vaati is located in a nearby cave and rushes into the cave. When he least expects it, the Ice Wizzrobe appears behind him and freezes him solid, remarking that Vaati is not his only enemy.
Red is teleported to Kakariko Village, which is currently on fire. He meets a boy who claims the townspeople are falsely accusing him of arson. Red tries to defend the boy from the townspeople, but he notices a moment later that his Four Sword and the boy are gone. The townspeople start to chase Red, believing he is an accomplice to the boy. He eventually manages to hide from the townspeople and finds the boy again. When he demands the boy give back his Four Sword, the boy tells Red that he never had a sword on him and agrees with Red that he must have lost it in the river. The boy then offers a Fire Rod to Red, who does not know what it is until it shoots flames out of nowhere. The townspeople are now fully convinced that Red was the arsonist all along, and they chase him through a forest.
Vio is teleported to the Lost Woods and fights off monsters as he tries to find a way out. He meets a group of Deku Scrubs who inform him that they serve Ganon and not Vaati. As he ponders why the Deku Scrubs would worship Ganondorf, he encounters Shadow Link. Shadow first tempts, then pressures, Vio to join the dark side. Vio agrees to go with Shadow and abandon the other Links.
Green wakes up upon hearing someone call out for him and seeing a Triforce emblem similar to the one Zelda wears. He runs out into the desert near the Gerudo village and calls for the other Links while braving a sandstorm. He stumbles upon a pyramid and enters it to evade the sandstorm.
Inside, he battles monsters and continues to call for the others, starting to believe Shadow has put the entire team in a trap.
A shadowy knight begins to fight and chase Green, who cannot damage the knight with any of his attacks.



Chapter 5: Deadly Battle at the Pyramid

Green still cannot attack the shadowy knight and flees in order to come up with a plan.
As he rests and thinks, he worries about the other Links. His thoughts are cut off as the shadowy knight finds him again.
Green runs away but reaches a dead end. As the knight is about to kill him, he spots a beam of moonlight and remembers that he has the Moon Pearl. Using the Moon Pearl in the moonlight, he enters the Dark World and can finally attack the knight.
Upon dealing a finishing blow, the knight's helmet cracks to reveal that the knight is none other than Valensuela.
Valensuela explains that someone other than Vaati kidnapped and possessed him and the other knights. He then explaisn the Royal Jewels to Green and gives him the blue Royal Jewel.
Green promises to rescue the Knights of Hyrule and leaves the Dark World. He continues his search for the other Links as he walks out into the desert.
Red, assisted by a fairy, travels around Hyrule trying to find Green. The fairy detects a hero's presence and transports Red to the frozen region of Hyrule.
There, Red defeats the Ice Wizzrobe with the Fire Rod after it ambushes him. He then finds Blue and unfreezes him with the Fire Rod.
After a tearful reunion (on Red's part), the two heroes travel with the fairy to look for Green.
They land at the Temple of Darkness and hear a familiar voice, realizing it belongs to Vio, who greets them at the entrance.



Chapter 6: The Temple of Darkness

This is the last chapter of volume one of the manga in its two-volume release.

Vaati and his subordinate monsters discuss Shadow's success in recruiting Vio and stealing Red's Four Sword.
The Big Poe requests that Vaati send Red and Blue to the Temple of Darkness to be killed, to which Vaati agrees.
Up at the Tower of Winds, Princess Zelda stands on an edge, trying to take a step off. The winds prevent her from falling off, but they do not prevent her from being taunted by Shadow Link, who threatens to coat Hyrule in darkness before killing her.
Zelda slaps him and says that he could never be Link's shadow, which angers him. He retorts by saying that she'll regret not complying with his plans, to which she says that he's the one who will be sorry. This angers Shadow more, and he storms off.
Back at the Temple of Darkness, Vio reveals that he was waiting for Red and Blue this whole time and invites them in to see Green.
As they walk into the temple, they see a coffin. Vio says that Green was killed, causing the other two Links great distress.
Blue discovers that the Four Sword resting on the coffin, which Vio claimed was Green's, is a fake. When Blue asks Vio what's going on, Vio is suddenly gone. Red and Blue hear a voice summoning monsters to kill them.
As they run away and fight off the monsters, Red and Blue argue over whether to be worried about Green and Vio.
The fairy rejoins them, and they find a lantern to use while navigating the temple.
The Big Poe starts chasing them around the temple until they become frozen with fear. It begins to suck Blue's soul out of his body, but he fights it off, saying he believes that Green and Vio would never be defeated by the likes of the Big Poe.
Blue uses the lantern on the Big Poe, and he starts lighting torches with it to make the Big Poe shrink.
The Big Poe swallows Blue after blowing out the torches.
Blue nearly dies from being crushed inside the Big Poe's contorted body, but Red lights all the torches while the Big Poe is distracted; this allows Blue to stab the Big Poe from the inside, killing it.
The Force gained from killing the Big Poe causes the Four Sword to resonate, which alerts Green and Vio.
As Vio draws his Four Sword to respond to the resonance, Shadow Link commands him to stop and stamps down on Red's Four Sword, stopping the resonance. He reminds Vio that he is now a creature of darkness, which Vio acknowledges.
Green, meanwhile, is relieved to know the other Links are alive and safe. He vows to go to Death Mountain, believing the other Links are headed there as well, as it was their original destination.
Vaati, now knowing this information, threatens to destroy the Links (other than Vio) at Death Mountain.



Chapter 7: Climb Death Mountain!

This is the first chapter of volume two of the manga in its two-volume release.

Vaati sends a Hinox to kill the Links (other than Vio) at Death Mountain.
Green climbs Death Mountain in the hopes of finding the other Links. As he climbs, he hears someone calling for help and saves the person from being crushed under a rock.
The person calling for help is Tingle, who tries to explain Force Gems to Green, whom he believes is a fairy.
The Hinox ambushes Green and knocks Force Gems out of his sword, which Tingle is happy to collect. Tingle leaves Green to be killed by the Hinox, but Red and Blue teleport to Green and save him.
More Hinoxes appear and chase the Links further into Death Mountain. They stumble upon a river of lava and notice the Hinoxes retreating, only to notice Vio sitting on a throne across the lava river.
Vio informs them that he has joined the dark side; Blue refuses to believe this, but Shadow Link confirms it.
Green tries to get Vio to come to his senses, but Shadow taunts Green, saying that they lost Vio because they never appreciated him. Vio seconds this sentiment.
Green then challenges Vio to a duel to the death to prevent him from using the Four Sword for evil. Vio agrees to the duel, and Shadow prepares an arena in the lava river.
Green and Vio duel, much to Shadow's amusement and Red's dismay.
As the duel continues, Green tries to reason with Vio to return to the light side, but Vio does not listen.
Green decides to deal a finishing blow, begging for Vio to wake up before he does. The two cross paths as the other three Links watch with baited breath.
Green falls to the ground, dead, as Vio looks back at him.
Red and Blue rush to Green's side as Shadow takes Vio away for a celebratory party.
Red asks the fairy to revive Green, but the fairy says there is no need - Green is only unconscious, not dead.
Green wakes up as the fairy helps heal him, immediately telling the other two Links that Vio isn't a traitor, which Vio revealed to Green with a smile and look in his eye as they passed each other.
The three Links worry for Vio's safety as he enters the Fire Temple with Shadow, unsure what Vio has planned.



Chapter 8: Sad Shadow Link

In the Fire Temple, Shadow Link and Vio toast to Vio's victory.
The other three Links wait outside, relying on the fairy to keep an eye on Vio from a distance.
Shadow lets Vio in on his plan to make Hyrule his own, claiming that he can easily seal away Vaati because he was the one who woke him up.
Vio then asks about Ganon, whom Shadow admits will be tricky to defeat as he was the one to create Shadow using the Dark Mirror.
Vio asks about the mirror, and Shadow shows it to him, explaining that it is the source of all of Shadow's dark power as well as Vaati's. He also explains that its power cannot be used to defeat Ganon, as one must use Princess Zelda's power combined with the power of the four heroes to do so. Vio asks that Shadow use Zelda's power so that they can destroy Ganon, which Shadow accepts.
Shadow confides in Vio that he is his first real friend, which seems to stir some concern in Vio.
The two then take a ride on a dragon, whom Shadow commands to burn down villages and forests as payback for all the times he was called a mere shadow.
Later, as Shadow and the Hinoxes sleep, Vio attempts to break the Dark Mirror with a hammer. He is interrupted by Tingle, who angers him so much that he swings at him with the hammer and yells at him. Unfortunately, the yelling wakes a Hinox, which Vio kills. The commotion causes Shadow and more Hinoxes to wake up and move towards the source of the noise, so Vio throws his hammer outside to avoid being discovered.
Though he lies to Shadow, saying that the Hinox he killed was trying to attack him and that Tingle was the owner of the hammer, the Dark Mirror replays the moment that Vio tried to break it. Shadow declares that Vio be executed for treason.
The fairy alerts the other Links of this development, and they head out to rescue Vio; the fairy shows Red a new weapon before he heads to the execution site.
Shadow plans to drop Vio and Red's Four Sword into Death Mountain's crater. Vio realizes that Shadow can use the Dark Mirror to watch the heroes at any time, which Shadow admits to doing. He taunts Vio for his traitorous deeds, but Vio taunts him back, angering him.
Before Vio can be dropped into the crater, the other three Links arrive to fight the Hinoxes and Shadow. After nearly falling into the crater together, Vio is freed from the ropes binding him by Blue, and Red regains his Four Sword.
The Links take out many of the Hinoxes. Shadow blames Vio for ruining his plan; Vio responds by saying that, unlike Shadow, he is loyal to his goals, which is why he succeeded while Shadow failed.
Shadow, in a fit of rage, vows to kill the Links, but the heroes fire beams of Force from their swords to tear him to shreds. Death Mountain erupts as Shadow disintegrates, killing the remaining Hinoxes at the crater.
The heroes are teleported to safety by the fairy in the nick of time.
Red celebrates their victory over Shadow, but Vio remarks that they can't be completely rid of him until they destroy the Dark Mirror.
Blue insists that they celebrate being together again rather than worrying about the mission at the moment.
After a small incident wherein Red accidentally steps on Vio's foot (which was previously stomped on by Green during the duel) while hugging him, the Links cheerfully welcome Vio back.
Though Vio is overjoyed to be reunited with the others, he thinks solemnly about Shadow.



Chapter 9: On to the Tower of Winds

Somewhere in the Tower of Winds, Link's father awakens. He hears someone call to him suddenly.
Elsewhere, the Links raise their Four Swords together as a sign of their unbreakable bond and to celebrate their reunion. They each talk about how they've grown as people thanks to their separation, and they return to the Four Sword Sanctuary.
The Shrine Maidens, who have been freed from the dark side's confinements after Shadow's death. They use their magic to send the Links to the Tower of Winds.
Back at the Tower, Link's father finds he has been reunited with Zelda. She tells him about the death of his son, Link, and the darkness taking over Hyrule. She warns him that a monster disguised as Link will try to approach them.
Link's father swears to defeat the monster, and Zelda offers him a special helmet. Link's father senses the darkness from the helmet and realizes that he is not speaking to the real Zelda, but "Zelda" puts the helmet on his head by force. She then commands him to defeat the four Links, to which he obliges.
It is revealed that "Zelda" is Vaati in disguise.
The Links are shown having made significant progress in climbing the Tower of Winds. They approach the door to the Palace of Winds, but it is locked. Green remembers that they must collect all four Royal Jewels to open the door, which he forgot to tell the others before.
The Links prepare to return to the surface, but they are approached by their father, who calls them monsters. Green tries to hug his father, but his father slashes at him, vowing to kill him to avenge Link's death.



Chapter 10: The Fight with Father



Chapter 11: The Immortal Demon, Vaati



Chapter 12: The Four Sword Forever!



Bonus Manga



Character Summaries

Links

Link

Link is the left-handed hero of Hyrule. A young Knight of Hyrule, he is Zelda's childhood friend who believes he can save Hyrule all on his own. After Zelda and the Shrine Maidens are kidnapped, he draws the Four Sword and splits into the four Links. At the end of the manga, he appears to have become more a team player, waiting for the other Knights of Hyrule to help him fight off Jago's pirate gang.



Green Link

Green is the leader of the four Links. According to Vio at the beginning of the manga, he is a hot-blooded person. His special weapon obtained in chapter 3 is the Boomerang.



Red Link

Red is one of the four Links. According to Vio at the beginning of the manga, he is optimistic. His special weapon obtained in chapter 3 is the Slingshot. He also obtains a Fire Rod in chapter 4 which is upgraded to an Ice Rod in chapter 8. It is unknown if the rod can produce both fire and ice after this upgrade.



Blue Link

Blue is one of the four Links. According to Vio at the beginning of the manga, he is short-tempered and overconfident. His special weapon obtained in chapter 3 is the Magic Hammer.



Violet Link (Vio)

Vio is one of the four Links. According to Red at the beginning of the manga, he is smart. His special weapon obtained in chapter 3 is the Bow.



Shadow Link

Shadow Link is a demon created from Link's shadow. He is a villainous boy who can use dark magic. He has a sword that looks exactly like the Four Sword, though he rarely uses it.
He is Vaati and Ganon's subordinate, but he appears to command legions of monsters on his own. He has a plan to betray Vaati and Ganon and become the ruler of Hyrule himself.
He is born from the Dark Mirror and will die if the Mirror is broken; he can be reborn infinitely as long as the Mirror is intact.



Other Characters

Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is the princess of Hyrule served by the Knights of Hyrule. She is Link's childhood friend.
She is often stuck inside Hyrule Castle due to her duties as the ruler of Hyrule, but she used to enjoy playing outside when she was younger.
She has a magical power within her that allows the Four Sword to defeat darkness.
She is not afraid of heights, as she used to climb trees often when she was younger.



Link's Father

Link's father is the Captain of the Knights of Hyrule. He is often annoyed by his son, who acts without his help. He loves his son dearly despite his overconfidence, and he is fiercely loyal to Zelda. Link has never beaten him in a battle before. Artura is his Top Knight.



Valensuela

Valensuela is a Knight of Hyrule who is familiar with Link. He fights Green in the Pyramid while possessed by darkness.
He is the keeper of the blue Royal Jewel and explains to Green how to unlock the door to the Tower of Winds.



Erune

Erune is a young girl who lives in the Village of the Blue Maiden. She dislikes conflict, and she loves her doll, Rosie.
She is an only child who only has Rosie for company. Despite this, she mentions having a friend whose shadow she saw in town one day after being kidnapped by Stone Arrghus.
The Links all appear to have a crush on her.



Jago

Jago is the leader of a pirate crew who often loots Hyrule Castle Town and tries to kidnap women. His plans are often foiled by Link and the Knights of Hyrule.
Despite being apprehended often, he still tries to loot Hyrule Castle Town multiple times.



Arcy

Arcy is the cook of Hyrule Castle. She is familiar with Link and considers him to be a generally good boy, so she is shocked when she mistakes Shadow Link, who she mistakes for Link, destroying Hyrule Castle.



Artura

Artura is the Top Knight of the Knights of Hyrule. Link is familiar with him and can recognize him by his armor.



Shrine Maidens

The six Shrine Maidens are young women in charge of maintaining the seal on the Four Sword by praying in the Shrine of the Four Sword. They posses magical powers, such as creating fairies, sensing other Maidens, and telelporting other people.



Knights of Hyrule

The Knights of Hyrule are the royal guard of Hyrule Castle Town that serve Princess Zelda.
Link is a Knight of Hyrule, and his father is the Captain of the Knights. Artura is the Top Knight. Valensuela is another named Knight of Hyrule.
Certain Knights act as the keepers of Royal Jewels.