Link brings a Nintendo hero into Namco's weapon duel in SoulCalibur II. The GameCube edition of the 2002 fighter uses that guest, while the ring-outs and the eight-way weapon combat stay Namco's system.
The home release reached GameCube in 2003. Link's spinner is Namco's guest, not a Hyrule dungeon item. Mitsurugi's katana and Ivy's whip still define the roster, and Link's spinner and bombs are the reason this edition sits among Nintendo characters even though Nintendo did not develop it.
Heihachi and Spawn guested on other consoles' editions. Those discs are not this one; the Master Sword on the weapon select is.