Link (Nintendo vs. Capcom)

Link is the main protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series, making his debut in the 1987 title of the same name. Throughout the series, it is shown that Link's persona is that of a reincarnated spirit, tracing to the Goddess Hylia's chosen knight during the Era of the Ancient War shown in the background story to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in 2011. Link is also shown to be a part of the cursed trinity between the Dark Demon Demise, the Goddess Hylia, and the Chosen Knight; their descendants doomed to repeat a never-ceasing cycle of war that drastically reforms the Kingdom of Hyrule with each generation. Throughout the strenuous millenniums, the Hero of Hyrule has answered the call to seal away Demise's malicious descendant: Ganon, aiding the Goddess Hylia's mortal descendant and ruling hand of Hyrule: Princess Zelda. Link is known by many titles; Hero of Time (Ocarina of Time), Hero of the Minish (The Minish Cap), Hero of the Winds (The Wind Waker), Hero of Twilight (Twilight Princess), and Hero of the Wild (Breath of the Wild); each champion of the goddess undertaking life-threatening trials to harbor the innate Spirit of the Hero, and to ultimately draw the blade of evil's bane itself: the Master Sword.

The invasion of Team Capcom poses yet another threat to Hyrule's security, and without fail summons Link to the front-lines once again to combat rogue forces. This threat was unlike anything foreseen by Princess Zelda; with the very fabric of Hyrule's composition falling to shreds, she dispatched Link to combat the threat. Drawing close to the dimensional tears, Link could vaguely but surely make out the howls of a lone wolf.

Link's rival in this cross dimensional war is Amaterasu.

Story
Link is shown riding his steed Epona feverishly through the vast fields of Hyrule towards Lake Hylia, keeping a clenched jaw of anticipation. The parting words of Princess Zelda playing continuously in his head like a broken record;

"Take caution Link...I sense a world not of our own in the midst, even I cannot anticipate what lies ahead."

Gripping the reins of Epona's bridle, Link gave another hearty snap to add a rush of adrenaline to both parties. As he drew closer to the area of distortion within Hyrule, he could make out many of the villagers from Kakariko huddled in a large group around the mid-field gating as they witnessed the event. Quickly coming upon them, Link halts Epona's hooves and shoots a glance to the villagers, taking in many of the passing conversation filled with dread,

"W-What is this!?," the Cucco Lady exclaimed with a covered mouth

"Sorcery! Come on guys, we have to bail!" wailed the group of carpenters

"SLACKERS!," cried out Mutoh, the head boss, "Any of you dare take one step, and you're FIRED!"

Through the cries of children and panicked adults, Link's brow furrowes; while baring his teeth, he snaps Epona's reigns once again, charging towards the dimensional tearing. Drawing closer, he senses the air getting thinner, unfamiliar scents drawing his nose's attention; carrying the aroma of...cherry blossoms? In a state of confusion Link halts his progression and attempts to look through the void, though his eyes make out nothing, his ears faintly hear a beastly howl. Suddenly, a lone white wolf shot out of the void, clad with crimson red markings and a bright blue blade. Startled, Epona threw Link from the saddle and charged off, leaving him to the foreign aggressor.

"That's 'im Ammy! Another one of Orochi's!" a lone green bug spoke from the beast's head, the wolf baring its fangs in response with a blood-thirsty snarl. Link drew his Master Sword and braced himself; there was no knowing what this foe was capable of, but the possibility of this being Ganon's devious sorcery at work one again was enough motivation to fight with every ounce of energy he had.

Rival
Name: Amaterasu

Reason: Link's uneasiness from the invading world of Okami leads him to believe Amaterasu is a demonic being bent on invading Hyrule for the Triforce, despite not posessing any resemblance of Ganon. Amaterasu see's Hyrule as another realm possibly contrived through the schemes of Orochi, and Link being the guardian assigned to lead its invasion to conquer the land of Nippon.

Connection: Link and Amaterasu both originate from grand-scale Action/Adventure/Puzzle RPGs that focus on trekking through large landscapes to acquire a diverse range of weaponry to ultimately seal away an ancient, consistently reoccurring threat; Link must seal away Ganon whenever he may be released from the Sacred Realm while Amaterasu is tasked with conquering her arch-enemy Orochi 100 years after he was initially sealed away. Both Link and Amaterasu are reincarnated personas of legendary heroes in the lore of their respective worlds, as Amaterasu is materialized as the legendary wolf Shiranui and Link being recognized as the reincarnation of the goddess's chosen knight. It has also been shown that Link and Amaterasu share the element of an iconic companion that assists through their adventure, Link having partners like Navi, Tatl, Proxy, Elzo, Midna and Fi while Amaterasu is shown to have the travelling artist Issun.