About that Hero's Shade...

[Bboy94]

Those don't look like tunics to me.

[Eralk Fang]

That last one is styled almost exactly (laced details and all) like the top of Link's various tunics.

Tunics, green or no, are a common piece of clothing in Old Hyrule (and latter New Hyrule). They're linked specifically to the Kokiri; Link wears a green tunic due to being raised Kokiri. This is where the tradition of the Hero's Clothes comes from; it's a Kokiri thing, which is why it's not so common place to see specifically forest green tunics all over Hyrule. But tunics are still common enough to sell in shops all over the land, and common enough that Like Likes have a specific taste for them. It is totally plausible that somebody else in Zelda has ever looked at a green tunic and thought "oh, I'll wear that today!".

[Bboy94]

Thing is though, its a video game, why would Nintendo make him look like that if he wasn't going to be a Link/

[Eralk Fang]

You can look at it through the lens of a gaming consumer, which is what you're doing, Bboy94. However, in theorizing, you must look at Zelda through the lens of its own reality, like you would literature.

Nintendo references many other Heroes than Link, especially of different races, but also of races similar to Hylians; Colin's heroic status is hinted at in Twilight Princess.

And technically, the Hero of Men doesn't look like Link; the aforementioned sideburns, circlet. Bangs also factor into this; no Link has ever gone without bangs, but the Hero of Men doesn't have them whatsoever. The only similarity is hair color and tunic color. Green is also a color associated with divine courage in Hyrule; why wouldn't a warrior Hero wear it, no matter if he was Link or not?

[Commodore Axilon]

I haven't actually played TMC, so this might sound pretty stupid.  

You actually see the Hero of Men in the game? I thought it was merely a legend, or something.

[Eralk Fang]

He appears in the game's short prologue, along with a specific image of him holding the Picori Blade aloft.

EDIT: A specific picture-
http://www.zelda-infinite.com/games/minishcap/prologue3.jpg

[Bboy94]

Nintendo references many other Heroes than Link, especially of different races, but also of races similar to Hylians; Colin's heroic status is hinted at in Twilight Princess.

Ö Colin is teh Hero of Men!

[Commodore Axilon]

He appears in the game's short prologue, along with a specific image of him holding the Picori Blade aloft.

EDIT: A specific picture-
http://www.zelda-infinite.com/games/minishcap/prologue3.jpg

I saw the video you posted that I apparently missed earlier (whoops!), and I don't think those are supposed to be taken as realistic representations of the event. It's like saying that because the picture of Ganon that appeared in TWW prologue doesn't look like the OoT Ganon then it's not referencing the same event.

They look more to me like something that would've been made after the fact, i.e. the Picori Sword probably didn't fall to earth bathed in a golden light with angels singing in the background and the Hero of Men receiving it in a dramatic pose. ;D

[Fishalicious]

Hm... after re-reading this topic, I realized something... no one said anything about the Hero's Shade wolf form.

WARNING: spoilers below, don't read if you haven't beaten the game or don't know who the final boss is

Okay, so the Hero's Shade's wolf form looks a little like this:
Click and watch (I'm sorry, I can't get any decent pictures of his wolf form)

Wolf Link looks like this:


And Dark Beast Ganon looks like this:
Once again, click and watch (Augh, getting official art of these guys is such a pain!)

Okay, well, look on their sides. They all have the same distinguishing marking; a white line that ends in almost a wing-like mark. I think it may be a sign of those "blessed by the Goddesses;" in other words, a mark to show they bear the Triforce.

Also, the Hero's Shade is left-handed, and we all know who else is left-handed... Link. And of course, there's the part about him wanting to teach Link the ways of the sword, being a wolf (doesn't everyone except Link/Zelda/Ganon get turned into either a monster of a spirit? I mean, he's not necessarily in the twilight, but being a wolf would mean something, yes? Plus, he appears to have the power to be either Hylian/Lupine at will; he howls and becomes Hylian.) and being somewhat offended at TP Link wearing the hero's clothes when he doesn't even know how to fight very well.

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Hero's Shade is, in fact, a previous Link. However, I have no idea which Link.

[Bboy94]

Well, seeing as how most of the stuff is linked to OoT (except making the LttP connection, how the MS got into the Lost Woods), he's OoT Link. Also, OoT Link was the only one that old enough to have that size clothes.

[MagmarFire]

Yes, your hypothesis, MK, is very plausible. I was thinking the same thing. He did even mention something like, "Although I tried to be the hero..." At this point in time, the only hero to save Hyrule or any other land in the Zelda series was Link (excluding the CD-i games). That seems to narrow it down quite a bit if you ask me.

[Fishalicious]

...It's not like Link can't grow up, he's not a child forever, you know. Or it could be a new Link from a new game. o_o;

But I do think it makes sense that it's OOT/MM Link.

[Bboy94]

But they wouldn't really been known as the Hero's clothes anymore though.