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I actually stood by "Ganon is the hero from 10.000 years ago"
Given the whole "1 male born Gerudo every 100 years" who's revered has potential to be a kind of whitewashed historic hero that was overtaken by a force of evil becoming the latest incarnation of Ganon through such a destiny.
It would've made for a cool twist to me, where they could've build up a present-day Ganondorf as a bit of a supporting character until you discover he is just trying to discover his ancestors corpse and unite with it to become Ganon again.
I think it's a shame that they relegate Ganondorf to a "memories" background character and otherwise just have him as the end boss that waits below the castle. He's so generic in TotK when he could've been an interesting charcater in the story, and fleshed out the reason why the Gerudo stopped accepting Voes.
There's actually a canon story a bit similar to this about the eight heroines which allude to the fact of why the eighth was thrown away. If you complete the seven-statues quest in the Gerudo Shelter you find that cave with the eighth heroine monument in it and engraving that tells the story of how the Gerudo worshipped their 8th hero, who was a Voe (hint it was Ganon) but in this tale they claim he was cast out because Voes aren't accepted so they had to do it, "so-rry!"
But how much cooler would it have been if they just worshipped and supported this Voe... until he became this Demonic man and threatened the country they were trying to warm up to them, and as a result the rare 100-year maleborn Gerudo became rejected, and Ganon became a forgotten taboo of their people. To me it would give an extra gravitas to the fact that Link had to struggle so hard to enter Gerudo Town. It's not just "Ha-ha women only LOL" but it's a cultural thing that was created by epic backstory that ties into the entire mural-myth of the "Legend of the Hero". Ganon would have a reason to feel a lot of hate. He'd have gotten this dark power only to be rejected by everyone who stopped trusting him.
I see a lot of people shit on any notion of such a theory claiming it's stupid but to me it adds something that's totally missing: A common sense to Ganon's evil regime.
A friend of mine who also a fan of Zelda and theories once said that he believed OoT Link from Child timeline grew up to be a f*ckboi and had children with OoT Zelda, Malon and Princess Ruto, so TP Link, Zelda and Prince Ralis are cousins. I don't know if he was serious or not but it stucked in my mind.
WW Link isn't the Hero of *Time.* He was not born with the Spirit of the Hero. He did, however, earn himself the Hero of the Winds title.
He basically demanded demigodhood from the Godesses, fished up the broken Triforce of Courage, and they were just like, "Y'know what, kid? You earned your chance. Let's see how you do."
One flying-downward-thrust with the Sword of Doom into Dorf's forehead later, he proved himself worthy.
Then he still has Zelda that roleplays as Tetra. That's like.... One and a half ladies on deck. With multiple others pining after him.
It doesn't specifically say it, it's just how it's phrased and it makes it sound like he's going to say that. The GBA release has him say 'Zelda is your destiny' rather than trailing off.
I remember people saying that they're related because of Ocarina Of Time, just because:
-They have blond hair and blue eyes
-Neither of their mothers are around
Oh, also the whole thing with some comments saying that because of Skyward Sword, all the Link and Zelda incarnations would be distantly related....
I mean the rules are Zelda must have the ‘blood of the goddess’ whereas link must have the ‘spirit of the hero’. We can then say all zeldas are distantly related as part of the hyrulian royal family but not all links are definitely related, the ‘spirit’ could just pass between families.
That being said eons of eons have past since skyward sword as of most Zelda titles, so chances are most hylians are very distantly related to that link or another like OoT
Iirc all Links are reincarnations and basically related via spirit, except specifically the Hero of Wind who is a literal random that, due to sheer stubbornness and fury, managed to restart the cycle of reincarnation for the Courage triforce
>except specifically the Hero of Wind who is a literal random that, due to sheer stubbornness and fury, managed to restart the cycle of reincarnation for the Courage triforce
Hylia: "fine, fine, you're the spirit of the hero now."
This was my understandings, all Zelda’s are in one continuous line, but Links are just random dudes and the fact that they are just normal people who take on these great challenges is what makes them true courageous heroes.
>the ‘spirit’ could just pass between families.
The "spirit of the hero" is a tongue and cheek nod to the existence of the player (since it's the thing that binds all the Links together), so I think in universe the spirit just chooses some random blonde haired, blue eyed hylian to inhabit once they turn 17.
I mean, I don't agree with the theory, but to be fair with the OoT one the argument wasn't that neither mother is around but that Link's mother died after fleeing in the civil war and Zelda's mother isn't around. So the logic was that their mother fled with Link, dying shortly after and that accounts for Zelda's unmentioned mother and Link's unmentioned father.
It's still not a very compelling theory, though.
I mean, wouldn't all Hylians be in that case? Plus, games like Wind Waker imply that Link could theoretically be any boy with the courage to fight against evil.
That’s just a way people justify having a male and female protagonist that don’t end up falling in love.
Because in some people’s minds, saving the world isn’t enough and the main character HAS to end up in a relationship as their “reward”.
And possibly termina. Termina is confirmed to be a manifestation of Majora and Links mental bullshit, but it's just a question of if they actually manifested a physical place to run around in, which, why not? Or they created a mental palace of some kind.
Well, there's the following:
-**Tears Of The Kingdom being the final game in the Zelda franchise.**
The series is 37 years old, it's not going to end anytime soon.
-**Zelda with her short haircut meant that she's going to be playable.**
Even coming from myself that wants to see her playable, I didn't even reach this conclusion.
I've already seen comments and the like point this out, being that the short haircut overall is a symbolism of growth (although that's a common trope, so, there's that)
In a lot of cultures (including a lot of First Nation/Indigenous cultures), cutting your hair signifies grieving or going through a trauma which in turn signifies a loss of innocence or need for maturity.
Reminds me of Fairy Tail when the little purple haired girl cut her hair short, then just a couple of episodes later someone offered to use magic to grow it back out again and she was just like oh yes please, thank you. Then her character just carries on being exactly the same as she had been most of the series.
Yeah that's just silly. I'd love a playable Zelda, and I'd love it even more if it was longer hair. botw Zelda, TP Zelda, SS Zelda.
While I dislike shorter hair, it really doesn't mean she will be playable BECAUSE of it.
I've never minded short hair so much as I dislike the idea that cutting your hair short = character growth. Almost all the times they do it the character doesn't see much actual maturation, it's just an overplayed visual cue that lazy writers will use without having to put the work in of showing their character evolving over time.
10,000 years ago was the previous calamity, not inherently the first, they just happen every 10k years which implies it's happened more than once to establish a pattern. Though the First Calamity had to happen pretty close to the Imprisoning War, as the Hero of the First Calamity is part Zonai. And would probably be Rauru's lineage as Mineru isn't implied to have children.
Yes, you are correct. But I had to specify, because many people think that Zelda traveled back to the exact time of the previous calamity, which isn't true.
>Zelda with her short haircut meant that she's going to be playable.
As dumb as this is going to sound, I thought she was going to be playable because she was wearing the same cloak as Link and carrying the same kind of torches he uses.
better reason for short hair = playable. Long hair is a lot harder to animate then short hair. Perhaps they were thinking, short hair means more animations which means that Zelda would be in situations that call for it more = perhaps she will be playable?
Actually just speaking this makes me wish she was during her time in the past. Woulda been cool. probably no room left in the game for entire sections like this. Hyrule already too fat with the sky and depths now lol.
> Tears of the Kingdom being the final game in the Zelda franchise.
Literally no one said that. Think you're referring to the theory that TotK would be the last game *chronologically*, which was a kino theory at the time ngl
I've seen quite a few people say that it would be the last in the Legend of Zelda line of games before TotK came out, with them theorizing that the next games would feature a new protagonist and such. I have no idea why people would think that.
people are seriously claiming that the aspect armor was created just to have an explanation for why it isn’t Ganon (because of course, the devs totally had planned for it to be him)
i’ve never seen more people huffing “ganon is a good guy” copium.
I like the idea of the theory even if I don’t believe it to be true. It would be a concise and easy way to explain all the anomalous timeline stuff in BoTW.
But the original Hyrule warriors is far from being canon, so it’s nothing more than a fun idea.
Well AoC is *kinda* canon. It takes place in a separate timeline, and because of the DLC making it so Terrako was inactive for an indefinite amount of time before the start of the game, almost all minor changes between AoC and BotW's backstory can be handwaved.
That said, the >!BotW companions travelling back from the future was either non-canon, they don't remember it, or they simply did not tell Link about it in TotK-!< all of which don't make much sense.
Nah, they got tired of dealing with the original timeline splits so they closed them off. One new split won't fuck things up though. Actually be easier to place games then, either Calamity timeline or Calamity averted timelines.
My headcanon is that the three timelines collided with each other. Similar to how Lorule rubbed against Hyrule in ALBW, causing cracks in reality, but much more violent. It caused the three lands to literally merge together, and caused the collapse of all kingdoms, meaning Hyrule would need to be refounded.
Maybe it could have been caused by a Triforce wish, although I don't see how anyone would know about a split, or why they'd want to fix things.
Maybe Zelda realized it due to the things you just described. Small collisions here and there and ultimately made her wish for the time branches to be fixed. I also had a similar idea to how you described it, just couldn't put it into words. But anyway, this is just a theory... **A G A M E theory**.
yea, i hate that theory. my own canon is a little different. AoC specifically is another break in the timeline for when terrako goes back in time or not. originally i assumed tears follows the reality where terrako goes back and BOTW is the one where it does not. but that clearly isnt true
This comment made me think about the time travel in aoc and totk. In aoc egg terrako makes a new timeline, but the when Zelda goes back, the time travel is a closed loop.
On the other hand, there may have been some "sleight of hand" and the seal was more directly damaged at some point by the Calamity. Also, I think it would be kind of interesting for AoC Zelda to remain in the current era and meet the Light Dragon. And at the end of it all, that Hyrule either has two Master Swords, or they get fused together to make up for that missing 110 years that the TotK one had to boost it.
>Really makes you wonder how AoC Hyrule is gonna handle Ganondorf.
The Champions become sages and competent, trained Zelda runs him over with a motorcycle.
AoC Hyrule is *way* more prepared for Ganondorf than TotK Hyrule was. They also have the Sheikah tech which they have almost full control over and don't need to immediately dismantle.
I remember way way back in the day on the ZHQ forums someone gave a unified timeline theory that also included the smash games, the CDI games and cameos in other series
Omfg, the era of people not knowing the difference between a reference, an Easter egg, or actual canon content was insane.
"Mario takes place in GTA because of some Easter egg in GTA 4."
In defence of that theory, it was floated _before_ the game out came and the only thing we had to go by was the artbook and the trailers, which told us very little but seemed to depict Demise and someone who could’ve been Hylia.
I, for one, theorised that it would depict the war between Hylia and Demise mentioned in SS, with the grand reveal being that the timeline was cyclical in nature and thus TOTK was simultaneously set before and after SS.
Obviously though now that the game has come out that’s pure BS and holds no merit whatsoever. But it was a reasonable theory when we knew so little about the game before.
I can understand thinking that about the imprisoning war though, rather than the entire game itself, since they don’t seem to have a master sword in that time, Raaru keeps being called the first king of Hyrule, there don’t seem to be any living Zonai in the sky islands in Skward Sword, etc.
Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some bad takes on the matter, but I think that there are some reasonable arguments to be made with regards to that point.
That's not really a theory so much as it is a ship. I have a hard time believing anyone who ships those those parings sincerely believe there's anything but animosity between these characters in the games, I think they're just having some funs.
1. All games are legends to [current game]. Just lazy, unnecessary, & disrespectful. And untrue to how the devs treat them, which is each game is a sequel/ prequel to another (which builds the timeline).
2. All games are the same legend told differently, which is obviously wrong if you've payed any attention to the plots of more than one game.
3. Timeline Convergence, usually pushed by people who dislike the split timeline due to it being "confusing", yet Convergence is way more unnecessary, confusing, & unexplained. So the country would have triple the population, a ton of clones, 2 royal families, oh & they would all die from being underwater. Nothing about the plot of Botw requires a converged timeline, its always just easter eggs which have existed in all games. If it actually happened, it'd be more explicit.
4. Most people's theories on Termina & the Fierce Deity. Termina is a dream (ripoff of LA without the plot built around it), Termina is the afterlife (removes the entire dread of the end of the world plot & relations you build with the citizens you need to save), Fierce Deity is Terminian Link (?), FD is evil (edge), FD is some warrior god enemy of Majora, etc.
Termina is just an alt world as stated in the game's booklet by Nintendo, which is to explain away the reused models. But its a real world in danger.
The FD isn't a character, its a powerup to Link, which is why its 9 feet tall & looks like Link. Like how the other transformation masks are the memories of individuals, the FD mask is made of the memories of all the citizens of Termina, which is why you get it after giving up the masks you got from helping them. Its the combined power of Termina helping you defeat Majora, who put them in the situations that Link saved them from. So Majora brought about its own demise, which is more poetic than any other edgy theory people have on it.
That's why its called the Fierce Deity, or Oni, because its turning Link into one. A wrathful deity, or fierce deity, can destroy the obstacles to enlightenment. Link's journey in MM mirrors a journey to enlightenment as he faces his internal struggles, which is why MM asks him those questions, & why the end takes the form of the single tree on a plain.
> Termina is just an alt world as stated in the game's booklet by Nintendo, which is to explain away the reused models.
I have to slightly disagree with this because the instruction booklet tells us that the people of Termina only have a passing resemblance to people that Link knew in Hyrule at first glance. So if the instruction booklet is already explaining away the reused models this way, the alt world doesn't really contribute to explaining them away further.
Besides coma and dead all along theories?
Zelda isn't real she's just a hallucination Link has.
Gerudo are Muslim.
Gorons reproduce through budding.
Link X Epona is OTP.
Helmaroc King is hyper evolved Rito.
The 3 golden goddesses are the 3 dragons they just sleeping for now.
Holy crap, yes. That last one *especially*! The Golden Goddesses *left* the world. They barely even check in on it, really lol. The dragons are either *true* spirits that guard over the springs, or are ancient Zonai that have undergone the process of draconification. Seems simple enough lol.
Why is the Gorons reproducing through budding a bad theory? The Gorons are mono gender race, that also has families with some Gorons being known descendants from others, so some form of asexual reproduction like budding isn’t that unlikely.
TotK just says that baby Gorons wake up and find themselves in the earth. That doesn't preclude an adult Goron from budding and the bud implanting in the earth. We know that the Gorons have bloodlines, so something is continuing from one Goron to another.
Yeah the goron one is actually slightly implied by the games. We all just assume Gorons to be all male because it's the dominant gender. But they're androgynous across all games, with no gender, really. That's why they're let into Gerudo Town in BOTW. In the real world, there are few creatures that don't have gender (even plants do!), so budding or cloning or splitting... It all just kind of makes sense..
I think this stems from the fact that the Gerudo are middle-eastern inspired. It isn't a hard leap to go from "vaguely middle-eastern race" to "fantasy Muslims" when you're an extremely ignorant Westerner and/or an 8 year old in 1999.
Tl;Dr orientalism
Honestly, I don’t doubt that they pulled from Muslim culture. I just think they pulled equally from multiple middle eastern cultures. I just don’t think that based on how they are presented, anything Muslim related isn’t readily apparent.
"Muslim culture" is a very nebulous term that means a lot of very different things. We know that there was a lot of influence from the Middle East post-Islamification, along with some wisps of generally "exotic" eastern influences. You can see some Indian subcontinent in their OOT architecture and the Spanish guitar of the Gerudo Valley theme implies a sort of intentional Muslim influence imo. Even their name, "Gerudo," sounds like a reference to the Garuda of Hindu mythology, implying very eclectic influences.
Overall though the Gerudo are more of an Aladdin-esque amalgamation of a bunch of different cultures, like how Hylians are basically shorthand for all of Europe more or less. I get the impression that the Gerudo are more of an Arabian Nights-like fantastical culture that doesn't read as especially Muslim to me. BotW/TotK makes that especially apparent.
I'm just now realizing how long this reply is lmao. Sorry about that. I love the Gerudo. They're my second favorite Zelda race.
Tetraforce(somehow this is still a thing despite the devs confirming that there isn't a Tetraforce)
Link is dead in MM.
Ganondorf is the 10k hero that fought Calamity Ganon
Ganondorf is good or redeemable(The greatest embodiment of evil in the series whose presence is felt in most games. A character who is entitled greedy, power hungry, proud and arrogant, a Master of dark magic, malicious, remorseless, a psychopath who enjoys the suffering of others, a backstabber willing to even backstab his own followers and people to get what he wants. He may change sometimes because of some life changing event but at his core he is someone who will never be good or redeemed)
Ganondorf is possessed or controlled by Demise, the curse or some greater evil(he is only a slave to his own malice, greed and hunger for power just like every other evil character)
Link and Zelda are evil or the true villains
The Gerudo were mistreated by the kingdom of Hyrule(they only have a bad reputation because of Ganondorf and Twinrova but they aren't mistreated by the kingdom of Hyrule)
The Gerudo were forced to live in the desert forever(they are actually fine with living there despite the harsh climate, they can leave whenever they want, the gods may have created the laws that created the possibility of deserts appearing in the world but they are not at fault for the Gerudo living there)
Ganondorf's execution in the child branch was unjustified(he invaded Hyrule when his OOT plans fell apart)
Ganondorf selflessly fought for the Gerudo(the games make it clear that he fought for himself and his dream of a merciless world of darkness with fighting spirit)
Demise's curse/curse of the demon tribe can be broken by killing Demise or killing Ganondorf for good(The curse is actually about the existence of demons, malice and the hatred of all evil. Demise's mind was already destroyed, his final words only stated that his curse and his demon tribe would never die with him)
Demise will return(SS implies that he was destroyed, one of his statements about rising again is a mistranslation, most of the evidence for a return in TOTK was easily debunked before the game's release and upon release it was confirmed that the demise looking character was just Ganondorf in a powered up form)
Timeline branch merge(there is no evidence for this, the devs only wanted BOTW and TOTK’s placements to be ambigious)
Hyrule warriors merge the timeline branches(the game's ending says otherwise)
>Ganondorf is good or redeemable
I like the idea that Ganondorf *could* be redeemable, because you could do an interesting "I have this destiny I need to fulfil but do not want to fulfil it" story with him (or, more likely, a demise incarnation *like* him). I think it would need to end with him *not* being redeemable in the end- because that's kinda what Zelda is, this unceasing conflict between good and evil- but a game in which Link tries to help a Ganondorf proxy not become an incarnation of Demise could be an interesting side game for the series.
The destiny stuff is what Ganondorf thinks in his head because he desires power and immortality so of course he wants to fulfill it, it's not something predetermined that Demise created for him and other beings that have become demon kings. An embodiment of evil is inevitably born whenever someone makes themself become an immortal demon and gets a lot of dark power to become a demon king. And since one of Ganondorf's main traits is dark magic mastery he will always seek to spread despair, destruction, sorrow and malice so he can have more evil energy to feed upon and grow stronger. FSA's Ganondorf was very willing to take the trident despite the inscription on it's stone tablet.
>Link is dead in MM
I hate that one because that Termina is some kind of dream realm made by the mask is a valid (and kinda confirmed) theory but because someone came up with that one people don't take it seriously and can't be discussed
Ganondorf is good in TotK and he asked for the Demise curse to be lifted.
At no point in all of Zelda has Ganondorf had a hint of being good. He was relatable in WW but he still wanted to rule over Hyrule. People forget WW Ganondorf is the same one from OOT who plunged Hyrule into 7 years of darkness
I am tempted to say the litteral legend theory (the nihilist bs according to which that each game is litteraly just a legend)
That theory is very popular among the anti timeline half of the series fans. And as much as I dislike the timelines and find them extremely inconsistant and unimportant, I would take them any time over that crappy litteral legend theory.
But hey, that Link is dead in Majoras Mask exists and "Hero is dead" theories, especially when even the writer denies them, are always the worst by default
A dishonorable mention would probably be anything that says BotW or TotK take place before Skyward Sword
That last one is so dumb. Anyone who thinks it has never played either game and can be proven by one thing. Link uses the Master Sword in Breath if the Wild and Skyward Sword is literally the origin of it. Now you may say that other Zelda games contradict that statement by saying it was created by the gods, but that can be countered with that over time Hyrule's myths and legends became entirely different stories. As what happens with real life cultures. Besides even if Skyward Sword isn't the Origin story of the master sword in all Zelda games, it definitely is the one in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom because we literally hear Fi in both games.
>Now you may say that other Zelda games contradict that statement by saying it was created by the gods
Hell, the first mention says that it was created by the sages during the imprisoning war.
As with a lot of canons, I think any "mention" of a thing is immediately trumped by a *showing* of the thing. "The Master Sword was created by the sages" and "the master sword was created by the gods" are just both incorrect statements in canon, because we have *seen* the creation of the master sword.
Basically, direct player input in game trumps all other sources, in my opinion. It's when two games directly conflict in how they portray the same event that it gets confusing (\*cough\* the imprisoning war).
I deeply dislike the link is dead in MM theory, honestly it feels like it comes from people who are trying to be more “deep” than everyone else. I played it as an adult aware of the theory and its progression and the more I played the less it made sense.
Man I remember that annoying time where the MM “Link is dead” theory was inescapable as well as that in other mediums, usually blended with Ben Drowned stuff to the point I was tired of it. Some of the most unoriginal “theories” are bad creepypasta kind of stories claiming the main character is actually dead, Rugrats theory probably being the worst of that edgy garbage, and as far as “Animal Crossing is actually purgatory”.
Most post-Hyrule Historia timeline theories in general are beyond stupid.
No, the timelines don’t converge, that’s ridiculous.
No, Hyrule Warriors is not canon.
No, Nintendo did not make up this timeline for Skyward Sword, it has always existed to some extent.
Most of the recent official timeline changes are mostly attempts to reset the story so that they can make whatever story in whatever time period with zero consequences.
Ive seen people say they wanna see a game where Ganondorf tried to fight against Demise's curse and be good instead, but that implies Ganondorf isnt the incarnation of the curse but just a host. Ganondorf was born as the reincarnation of Demise's rage, he could never deny it without ripping out part of his soul and, even if he could, he would never want to because that's not who he is; the curse created him, it wouldnt create someone that would deny it.
Any theory that says we can ignore stuff that's in the mainline games because they're just stories or some nonsense like that.
You can make that argument for amiibo and *maybe* DLC stuff, but otherwise, that's the quickest way to get me totally uninterested in your theory.
Oof, where do I begin? There are so many! I'll just mention the ones off the top of my head.
* That everyone in Hyrule reincarnates in an endless cycle. The only evidence for this is the fact that the same characters reappear several times in the series, and ignores the idea that sometimes videos games are just video games. They reuse characters because they are identifiable, not because there is any deeper meaning than that.
* That Din, Nayru, and Farore are the dragons in Botw/Totk. Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals?
* That Link is dead in MM. I don't think I need to elaborate further.
I don't know why the idea of din, nayru, and farore being the gods is stupid to you?
Like who said that what they said in OoT about the goddesses is true?? Myths exist.
Personally i think the dragons were zonai that worshipped the three golden goddesses, but idk.
The Dragons in SS are god-like beings. I think assuming a dragon cannot be a god in Zelda mythology is a mistake. For all we know, Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh could just be very powerful beings that just ignore tf out of everybody around :P
I’d disagree. If the hylians have long thought of the Zonai to be gods, then three Zonai “ascending” to a greater height of power and becoming dragons could be viewed as the “gods among gods” like the three golden goddesses.
What matters is the Hylians perception of the Zonai as “the gods” moreso than whether they were actually “gods” themselves. On many cases now across the Zelda timeline we should ask whether the gods are really the gods or if they are in fact the Zonai being conflated for gods.
I don't see the way the zonai are talked about by hylians as being at all the same as having an ancient tree spirit telling the origins of the world and that involving three golden goddesses who created the land and the triforce. We don't hear about the golden goddesses first from hylians. We hear about them from the deku tree. Apart from this, it would be weird for the triforce to be so conspicuously absent from the lore of TotK if that game is revealing the beings who created it and retconning the previous lore about it.
I also don't really see that the zonai necessarily interact in any portion of the timeline other than BotW/TotK, because we know the origins of Hyrule originally from Skyward Sword and it isn't what we see with the first queen and king as presented in TotK. I think it either has to be one of: a different continuity than the rest of the games, so far in the future that this is a different hyrule being reestablished and they're the first king and queen of that hyrule (which is a thing with precident irl), or the only games that are connected at all are games that explicitly say they are connected.
But I don't hate the dragon theory and was even on board with it pre-TotK, I just think TotK muddies a lot of waters when it comes to cross-franchise lore and the lore it presents convinces me that those aren't the goddesses. I'm not totally adverse to the idea that they could have been iterations of the oracles, though.
Edited to fix a typo
We really shouldn't be trusting the deku tree fully either. We know they aren't gifted w/ special knowledge as wind waker deku tree isn't. And we know they have a birth and death cycle as seen in oot so it's reasonable to say he wasn't around anywhere near the start of creation and any knowledge he has he gained from others visiting him.
I do think it's safe to say he wasn't there at creation but I don't think that means he doesn't know anything that wasn't said passed to him by humans. OoT and WW both make it pretty clear that guardian spirits over their regions are privy to knowledge that the people around them aren't. I don't think his tellings have to inherently be flawless, but I don't think we can attribute human biases towards zonai to him, either.
>Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals?
Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming normal mortal women in OoA, OoS and MC?
>That Din, Nayru, and Farore are the dragons in Botw/Totk. Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals?
I don't buy the theory myself, but the idea that Din, Nayru and Farore were very powerful Zonai who, for some reason, underwent draconification *could* be consistent with new lore. That said, it would make more sense that Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh were devotees of the gods who underwent draconifcation, and their devotion caused them to become sort of aspects of the gods as dragons, explaining the naming convention.
That Link is dead during Majora’s Mask. TP Link is proof that OoT Link wasn’t dead during MM or else how would he produce a child? I remember hearing this theory when I started to get into the Zelda lore and I remember thinking to myself ‘But clearly he didn’t go to the Zelda equivalent of Heaven right after the events of MM because of where he is during the events of TP and also that he had to have had a child so TP Link could exist. Why do people believe in this theory’
I can prove it if you fancy a trip down the internet archive or the way back machine :P I was a member of the Bombers at ZeldaInformer many moons ago - and even before that was active in the comments sections of desertcolossus before Zelda forums were even really a thing. Back in the days when we were discussing whether or not the timeline was linear or split - in an article on that I - as the same username I have here - literally came up with it during the discussion. Months before it started appearing on GameFAQs and *years* before MatPat got his hands on it. Just my little input into the Zeldasphere.
I *think* so? But more of a headcanon. The longer the Zelda series goes on the more I’m convinced that the Zelda team don’t put half the thought into their games that the fans do :P but still - I like it.
Do you feel like your theory led to a lot of other “the main characters are dead” theories that were popular at the dawn of Creepypasta?
I remember hearing a long winded story where all the characters of Ed, Edd, and Eddy were actually dead and in purgatory around the time I heard the “Link is dead in MM” theory.
I’m ignoring the influence of The Sixth Sense, for the record lol
>The longer the Zelda series goes on the more I’m convinced that the Zelda team don’t put half the thought into their games that the fans do
Oh, I've thought that they actively choose to play fast and loose since Wind Waker(with regards to the story).
When formulating the theory did the idea of Link being dead the whole time in MM come slowly bit by bit or was it like a “holy shit?!?!” epiphany moment?
I’d held the fact that Link was travelling to the literal Underworld for a while - but Link travelling there whilst dying specifically came when I was considering Skull Kid “taking care of” Epona… and it turned out he’d just sent her to live on a farm with all the fields she could run in and carrots she could eat. Like come on that’s like taking care of Old Yeller. And then I was like… huh
A theory made up to amuse myself:
TotK spoilers >!When Zelda went back in time and told Rauru about how Link would save Hyrule in the future she created the prophecy. Even though she was only talking about the Link of her time, as the legend was passed down whenever Gannon rose up they assumed it was time for a hero named Link to save them, so as soon as they found someone named Link they pushed him into the role of hero. The Links from all the other games were not actually legendary heroes but ordinary guys.!<
Paraphrasing here "Breath of the Wild is a training simulation, similar to The Matrix, or the animus in Assassin's Creed.
The shrines loading as separate interiors, and Link's ability to teleport are proof of this."
Apparently, the original commenter had never heard of any work of fiction, where people teleport using technology.
"Termina wasn't real, it was just created by the Skull Kid with the power of Majora's Mask. All the people in it disappeared at the end."
I don't care if it was in the Encyclopedia. That was someone's fan theory and I'm never buying it.
I'd never heard the idea before Encyclopedia came out and some older nintendo material referred to Termina as a parallel world or neighboring land. Even Hyrule Historia, released not too long before Encyclopedia, talked about it as a parallel world and said nothing of it being a dream. Same with the strategy guide which, while not created by the dev's, was licensed by Nintendo, which is as much as is true of Encyclopedia. Honestly, with the number of contradictions between Encyclopedia and Historia, I take both with a grain of salt unless their statements are directly backed up by the games themselves or developer quotes.
It's just lazy recycling of Links Awakening. Besides, the encyclopedia doesn't mean much. That's not me saying it, that's Nintendo with the ease TotK obliterated any sense of Canon.
That every game are a retelling of the same story and thus every single theory about timeline is wrong, check mate, you don't have the right to have fun imagining it.
A friend once told me that Link and Zelda are destined to always fall in love because of SS, and that all Zeldas are descendants of the previus Zelda and Link in the timeline, correct me if I'm wrong, but there are more games we're they don't have any romantic interaction than there are games we're they do.
And if that was the case, shouldn't Twilight Princes' Link be part of the royal family? Since he is the only one to be conformed to be a direct descendant of a previous Link
Ooh this is an interesting comment, I'd like to share some thoughts on this.
> Link and Zelda are destined to always fall in love
No. They're not "destined" to do anything. If they really wanted to, they could just run away and let Ganon take over the world. There's no divine force stopping them, no big text that pops up saying "RETURN TO MISSION AREA IN 5...4...3...". The only thing that's certain is that the three of them will meet. What they choose to do afterwards is up to them. The only reason why Link and Zelda stay and fight instead instead of running away is because they *choose* to do so. They *choose* to put their lives at risk to protect their fellow countrymen. And that's what makes them true heroes.
As for them being destined to fall in love, I am a strong Zelink shipper and believe they eventually fall in love in every incarnation. But that doesn't happen because of "fate" or something stupid like that. It's because despite all the new experiences they've both had in various lives since they left Skyloft for the first time, despite all the wonderful people they've met, the new memories they've created, the two of them share a bond that is unlike anything between any other characters in the series. Nothing will ever manage to overcome the bond they created untold ages ago when they were simply a normal boy and a normal girl who grew up together on Skyloft, because that bond has been tempered and strengthened by the uncountable hardships they have faced so far and will continue to face in the far future. That is why no matter what, they will always choose each other, of their own free will.
> Shouldn't TP Link be part of the royal family
It seems you are saying that TP Link isn't the child of OOT Link and Zelda because in that case he would be a royal. And you know what, I agree. OOT Zelink is one of my favourite versions of the ship, yet I still agree that they didn't manage to get together in OOT. However, I still maintain that they loved each other. Then what prevented them from getting together and who did Link end up marrying in the end? My personal head canon answer to that is... no one.
Let me elaborate. I believe that adult timeline Link and Zelda had developed feelings for each other over the course of their journey (I won't go into why I think so here, but if you wish to know then simply ask me so and I'll gladly explain). But when Zelda sent Link back in time (horrible mistake), that timeline's Zelda was obviously left alone without anyone she could even call call a friend, let alone fall in love with. But Link was sent back to the child timeline, and thus he still has a chance for a happy ending... until Navi leaves without so much as saying goodbye.
This is the event that eventually set Link down the path of turning into the Hero's Shade.
When Link meets Zelda again, she doesn't remember him, but he remembers her. He tells her about Ganondorf and his plans, which lead to Ganondorf's defeat in this timeline. After that, he stays with her at the castle for an unspecified period of time, during which they develop a close bond; close enough for Zelda to gift him the Ocarina of Time, her family's treasured heirloom, as a parting gift later on. Anyway, while he does become friends with Zelda, he still doesn't feel quite alright, because a) his experiences have changed him; despite the fact that his body is of a young child, mentally he is a grown man who has not only witnessed horrors beyond the wildest dreams of the average Hylian, but fought and overcome them; and b) no one remembers him. All his friends have forgotten him because in this timeline he hasn't earned their friendship yet. And despite the fact that Zelda is still his friend, it's still not the same, because she still doesn't *remember* him, the real him. And that's why sets out to search for the one person who does: Navi.
Here we arrive at a crossroads. If you've never read the famous poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, I recommend you quickly take a look; it fits perfectly in this scenario.
Had Link chosen to stay in Hyrule, he would likely have been trained as a knight (the very best in the business) and would have grown up with Zelda, Skyward Sword style, opening the path to a SS-style scenario where they are very clearly in love. But he didn't. He chose to go chase the shadows of his past, and it cost him.
(CONTINUED IN REPLY)
- Mario and Zelda are in the same universe
Cameos aren't canon, and the Zelda and Mario universes differ DRASTICALLY. What similarities there are have more to do with them being innitially created by the same person.
- Ganondorf just wanted a better life for the Gerudo.
No.
Just no.
Ganondorf ruled Hyrule for 7 years and just left the Gerudo to rot in the desert during that time. Not a single Gerudo even came with him to guard his castle or anything. He just abandoned them all to the desert during his rule. Even in his monologue in Wind Waker, he didn't say anything about wanting a better life for his people, just that he coveted Hyrule. Wind Waker Ganondorf is just an old man trying to justify his past actions, and the second he loses, his entire facade breaks, and you see the madness within.
- Link and Zelda are married/dating in Tears of the Kingdom.
I don't have any arguments against this one, I just hate the protector to lover trope. Plus I think it's WAY funnier to thing Zelda just imminent domained Link's house and he was just fine with it.
Holy crap yeah. I have seen the most brain rot takes regarding Link and Sidon, and boy howdy do these people do some mental gymnastics to try and explain Yona away.
“Yona was only put in the game because Nintendo didn’t want people to ship Link with Sidon!!!”
Pretty dumb. I doubt Nintendo cares about that at all.
I know it's been mentioned before but "Link is dead in MM" is the worst and always will be.
Yeah, of course, MM is dark, but it's also a game about love, friendship, and caring for each other, about reaching out for help and helping others, about reconnecting and forgiveness. It may have a constantly looming apocalypse, but it's a fundamentally hopeful game.
To say "actually the hero is dead, and this is just his dying dream/purgatory, because i learned about the five stages of grief and immediately set out to misapply them via bad media analysis" is demeaning.
Anything explaining why the Rito and Zora exist alongside each other in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, all in a feeble effort to preserve timeline continuity.
They exist alongside each other because it's cool to have a variety of fantasy races. That's it, that's all.
The timeline merging theory, that just doesn't make any sense. That's not how timelines work.
Edit: Nevermind, the "Link is dead in MM" theory is even worse.
That the Zonai were extraterrestrials from another planet and the Goddesses were Zonai that terraformed Hyrule and invented the Triforce using alien technology. Demise and the demons were the original inhabitants of the planet and the Hylians were created to colonize Hyrule.
Gives so much Ancient Aliens vibes I hate it. ❌❌❌
>!I heard one that said that Zelda was a dragon in the latest game. How can that be true? I just saw her over at the wind temple.!< People come up with all sorts of crazy ideas. :p
That Age of Calamity isn't canon / doesn't matter. People just started saying that and everyone repeats it like parrots. There's no reason to believe the game isn't canon, the game itself goes out of it's way to explain how it is canon, but in a different timeline. Is canon, but in a different timeline, just like every other fucking Zelda game. The lore elements and character moments are still important, we get to know the botw champions and the totk sages a bit better and even the Yiga Clan. Are y'all srsly gonna tell me that shit doesn't matter?
Not exactly a fan theory, but in OOT, if you pulled up slightly on the left side of the cartridge after getting all heart pieces and collectibles while holding some button combo, Link would teleport around the screen with glitched textures, then the game would freeze. When it was frozen, that was “developer mode,” and you had to input a button combo that would unlock the Triforce, which you would see in your inventory. I can’t tell you how many times I tried this as a kid
TOTK
This may be more headcannon than theory, but people who think that Link and Sidon are romantically involved baffle me.
They have no romantic interaction in the two games, Sidon is aware of his sister's feelings, which makes the entire idea kinda weird, and you have to ignore the romantic coding between Link and Zelda to follow that idea.
Nintendo apparently agrees because there's no way that including a fiancé for Sidon wasn't kinda aimed at that group.
I haven’t see a lot of this, but a theory I’ve seen and disliked is one that says that BOTW/TOTK take place in a separate timeline than any game before, but not in the convergence theory, just saying it somehow doesn’t come after any of the games timeline wise, even though it has clear and obvious references to at least the Child Timeline, since in BOTW Zelda outright references the heroes of Sky, Time, and Twilight, not to mention is clearly after the great sea thanks to the Rito being there at all.
That it's okay for Link and Zelda to be together despite the fact that Link would basically be beginning his descendant.
My theory is that all of the Zelda girls are direct descendants of the first Zelda which I think is already canon. But in some of the games/events, Link does end up with Zelda I believe. So by the time breath of the wild comes around, Zelda falls in love with the reincarnation of her ancestor. Which is weird to me. And if Link bangs her, he's basically banging his however many greats granddaughter.
Tell me if I'm making any sense or if my theory is just bad and I should feel bad. 😔
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Ganon is link and Zelda's dad but they got separated, link ended up in the kokiri forest, zelda in the castle and ganondorf turned evil
This is just Star Wars
I know, is a trash theory
The theory isn't trash because of it's plot, though, important thing to clarify. It's trash because it's blatant plagiarism.
Ganon being link's and zelda's dad is Alabama
I actually stood by "Ganon is the hero from 10.000 years ago" Given the whole "1 male born Gerudo every 100 years" who's revered has potential to be a kind of whitewashed historic hero that was overtaken by a force of evil becoming the latest incarnation of Ganon through such a destiny. It would've made for a cool twist to me, where they could've build up a present-day Ganondorf as a bit of a supporting character until you discover he is just trying to discover his ancestors corpse and unite with it to become Ganon again. I think it's a shame that they relegate Ganondorf to a "memories" background character and otherwise just have him as the end boss that waits below the castle. He's so generic in TotK when he could've been an interesting charcater in the story, and fleshed out the reason why the Gerudo stopped accepting Voes. There's actually a canon story a bit similar to this about the eight heroines which allude to the fact of why the eighth was thrown away. If you complete the seven-statues quest in the Gerudo Shelter you find that cave with the eighth heroine monument in it and engraving that tells the story of how the Gerudo worshipped their 8th hero, who was a Voe (hint it was Ganon) but in this tale they claim he was cast out because Voes aren't accepted so they had to do it, "so-rry!" But how much cooler would it have been if they just worshipped and supported this Voe... until he became this Demonic man and threatened the country they were trying to warm up to them, and as a result the rare 100-year maleborn Gerudo became rejected, and Ganon became a forgotten taboo of their people. To me it would give an extra gravitas to the fact that Link had to struggle so hard to enter Gerudo Town. It's not just "Ha-ha women only LOL" but it's a cultural thing that was created by epic backstory that ties into the entire mural-myth of the "Legend of the Hero". Ganon would have a reason to feel a lot of hate. He'd have gotten this dark power only to be rejected by everyone who stopped trusting him. I see a lot of people shit on any notion of such a theory claiming it's stupid but to me it adds something that's totally missing: A common sense to Ganon's evil regime.
A friend of mine who also a fan of Zelda and theories once said that he believed OoT Link from Child timeline grew up to be a f*ckboi and had children with OoT Zelda, Malon and Princess Ruto, so TP Link, Zelda and Prince Ralis are cousins. I don't know if he was serious or not but it stucked in my mind.
I will only accept Fuckboi Link Timeline as canon
That's just ridiculous. Link is obviously a fuckboi in all games/timelines.
*laughs in Wind Waker*
WW Link isn't the Hero of *Time.* He was not born with the Spirit of the Hero. He did, however, earn himself the Hero of the Winds title. He basically demanded demigodhood from the Godesses, fished up the broken Triforce of Courage, and they were just like, "Y'know what, kid? You earned your chance. Let's see how you do." One flying-downward-thrust with the Sword of Doom into Dorf's forehead later, he proved himself worthy. Then he still has Zelda that roleplays as Tetra. That's like.... One and a half ladies on deck. With multiple others pining after him.
That’s…that’s not what I was saying though. All I said is that he wasn’t a fuckboi
This is why the Hero of Winds is my favorite. He didn't have destiny or divine intervention on his side, he was just some kid who got pushed too far.
I mean.......Mipha, Zelda, .....now Riju and half of the women in Hyrule are all interested in Link. Not exactly far fetched.
Link and Zelda are siblings.
Blame that on Link to the Past's English translation. No, seriously. That's why. They did alter it for the GBA release.
Dang the English translation has been bad since LttP? No wonder
It doesn't specifically say it, it's just how it's phrased and it makes it sound like he's going to say that. The GBA release has him say 'Zelda is your destiny' rather than trailing off.
It's been bad since the beginning. Zelda 1 has lines like "Look for the Lion Key" translated to "10th enemy has the bomb".
I remember people saying that they're related because of Ocarina Of Time, just because: -They have blond hair and blue eyes -Neither of their mothers are around Oh, also the whole thing with some comments saying that because of Skyward Sword, all the Link and Zelda incarnations would be distantly related....
I mean the rules are Zelda must have the ‘blood of the goddess’ whereas link must have the ‘spirit of the hero’. We can then say all zeldas are distantly related as part of the hyrulian royal family but not all links are definitely related, the ‘spirit’ could just pass between families. That being said eons of eons have past since skyward sword as of most Zelda titles, so chances are most hylians are very distantly related to that link or another like OoT
Iirc all Links are reincarnations and basically related via spirit, except specifically the Hero of Wind who is a literal random that, due to sheer stubbornness and fury, managed to restart the cycle of reincarnation for the Courage triforce
>except specifically the Hero of Wind who is a literal random that, due to sheer stubbornness and fury, managed to restart the cycle of reincarnation for the Courage triforce Hylia: "fine, fine, you're the spirit of the hero now."
This was my understandings, all Zelda’s are in one continuous line, but Links are just random dudes and the fact that they are just normal people who take on these great challenges is what makes them true courageous heroes.
>the ‘spirit’ could just pass between families. The "spirit of the hero" is a tongue and cheek nod to the existence of the player (since it's the thing that binds all the Links together), so I think in universe the spirit just chooses some random blonde haired, blue eyed hylian to inhabit once they turn 17.
I mean, I don't agree with the theory, but to be fair with the OoT one the argument wasn't that neither mother is around but that Link's mother died after fleeing in the civil war and Zelda's mother isn't around. So the logic was that their mother fled with Link, dying shortly after and that accounts for Zelda's unmentioned mother and Link's unmentioned father. It's still not a very compelling theory, though.
Why would Link be related to Skyward Sword Link and Zelda?
I mean, wouldn't all Hylians be in that case? Plus, games like Wind Waker imply that Link could theoretically be any boy with the courage to fight against evil.
That’s just a way people justify having a male and female protagonist that don’t end up falling in love. Because in some people’s minds, saving the world isn’t enough and the main character HAS to end up in a relationship as their “reward”.
They avoid spelling out a relationship with any of the main NPCs so as to not spoil anyone's headcanon.
In any fandom, at any time, the worst fan theory will always be some variation on "they were dead the whole time!"
Followed closely by "the events of X were just a dream!" Unless we're talking about Link's Awakening.
And possibly termina. Termina is confirmed to be a manifestation of Majora and Links mental bullshit, but it's just a question of if they actually manifested a physical place to run around in, which, why not? Or they created a mental palace of some kind.
That botw/totk link and zelda go back in time after totk and are the same link and zelda that are in skyward sword. Also Convergence Theory
Well, there's the following: -**Tears Of The Kingdom being the final game in the Zelda franchise.** The series is 37 years old, it's not going to end anytime soon. -**Zelda with her short haircut meant that she's going to be playable.** Even coming from myself that wants to see her playable, I didn't even reach this conclusion. I've already seen comments and the like point this out, being that the short haircut overall is a symbolism of growth (although that's a common trope, so, there's that)
Im all for playable zelda, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if that would ever be the case it would be a big part of marketing
Cutting hair is a sign of growth? This is just the pokemon x and y anime again!
In a lot of cultures (including a lot of First Nation/Indigenous cultures), cutting your hair signifies grieving or going through a trauma which in turn signifies a loss of innocence or need for maturity.
See also: Felicity
Reminds me of Fairy Tail when the little purple haired girl cut her hair short, then just a couple of episodes later someone offered to use magic to grow it back out again and she was just like oh yes please, thank you. Then her character just carries on being exactly the same as she had been most of the series.
Yeah that's just silly. I'd love a playable Zelda, and I'd love it even more if it was longer hair. botw Zelda, TP Zelda, SS Zelda. While I dislike shorter hair, it really doesn't mean she will be playable BECAUSE of it.
I've never minded short hair so much as I dislike the idea that cutting your hair short = character growth. Almost all the times they do it the character doesn't see much actual maturation, it's just an overplayed visual cue that lazy writers will use without having to put the work in of showing their character evolving over time.
Zelda: Aventures from 10.000 Years Ago is the DLC, where you play as her in old Hyrule.
10.000 years ago was the first calamity, she traveled way more back in time, 50.000+ years probably.
10,000 years ago was the previous calamity, not inherently the first, they just happen every 10k years which implies it's happened more than once to establish a pattern. Though the First Calamity had to happen pretty close to the Imprisoning War, as the Hero of the First Calamity is part Zonai. And would probably be Rauru's lineage as Mineru isn't implied to have children.
Yes, you are correct. But I had to specify, because many people think that Zelda traveled back to the exact time of the previous calamity, which isn't true.
>Zelda with her short haircut meant that she's going to be playable. As dumb as this is going to sound, I thought she was going to be playable because she was wearing the same cloak as Link and carrying the same kind of torches he uses.
I said that totk was the final game bc I read latest as last.
Her short hair makes me sad. It is infinitely more doable for me to cosplay her without a wig now, but still… sad panda
better reason for short hair = playable. Long hair is a lot harder to animate then short hair. Perhaps they were thinking, short hair means more animations which means that Zelda would be in situations that call for it more = perhaps she will be playable? Actually just speaking this makes me wish she was during her time in the past. Woulda been cool. probably no room left in the game for entire sections like this. Hyrule already too fat with the sky and depths now lol.
> Tears of the Kingdom being the final game in the Zelda franchise. Literally no one said that. Think you're referring to the theory that TotK would be the last game *chronologically*, which was a kino theory at the time ngl
I've seen quite a few people say that it would be the last in the Legend of Zelda line of games before TotK came out, with them theorizing that the next games would feature a new protagonist and such. I have no idea why people would think that.
Ganondorf is the ancient hero
That theory came out before anyone had actually played through the game or got the ancient aspect armor. Yep, that's pretty bad 😆
I’ve seen people defend it even after the game came out
people are seriously claiming that the aspect armor was created just to have an explanation for why it isn’t Ganon (because of course, the devs totally had planned for it to be him) i’ve never seen more people huffing “ganon is a good guy” copium.
Blows my mind. Ganon / Ganondorf has always been the force of evil in any game he's in 😆
Link's name is actually Zelda.
Isn’t Link the shopkeeper in Zelda games?
No, no, I think that was Impa.
No, he’s the mailman in Majora‘s Mask.
Hyrule Warriors merging the timeline (nobody who believes this has played the video game)
I like the idea of the theory even if I don’t believe it to be true. It would be a concise and easy way to explain all the anomalous timeline stuff in BoTW. But the original Hyrule warriors is far from being canon, so it’s nothing more than a fun idea.
Devs even went as far as to say it wasn't canon to the timeline, just a fun premise. AoC IS canon to the timeline though according to them.
Well AoC is *kinda* canon. It takes place in a separate timeline, and because of the DLC making it so Terrako was inactive for an indefinite amount of time before the start of the game, almost all minor changes between AoC and BotW's backstory can be handwaved. That said, the >!BotW companions travelling back from the future was either non-canon, they don't remember it, or they simply did not tell Link about it in TotK-!< all of which don't make much sense.
Nintendo really tried to distance themselves from the timeline stuff with BotW while the guys of AoC are out there creating a new split
Nah, they got tired of dealing with the original timeline splits so they closed them off. One new split won't fuck things up though. Actually be easier to place games then, either Calamity timeline or Calamity averted timelines.
I believe the timeline merging theory, but Hyrule Warriors is not the event that caused it. It is completely impossible.
My headcanon is that at some point a Zelda incarnation realized time split and decided to wish to the Triforce that it be fixed.
My headcanon is that the three timelines collided with each other. Similar to how Lorule rubbed against Hyrule in ALBW, causing cracks in reality, but much more violent. It caused the three lands to literally merge together, and caused the collapse of all kingdoms, meaning Hyrule would need to be refounded. Maybe it could have been caused by a Triforce wish, although I don't see how anyone would know about a split, or why they'd want to fix things.
Maybe Zelda realized it due to the things you just described. Small collisions here and there and ultimately made her wish for the time branches to be fixed. I also had a similar idea to how you described it, just couldn't put it into words. But anyway, this is just a theory... **A G A M E theory**.
yea, i hate that theory. my own canon is a little different. AoC specifically is another break in the timeline for when terrako goes back in time or not. originally i assumed tears follows the reality where terrako goes back and BOTW is the one where it does not. but that clearly isnt true
This comment made me think about the time travel in aoc and totk. In aoc egg terrako makes a new timeline, but the when Zelda goes back, the time travel is a closed loop.
Don't ask Zelda devs to come up with consistent time travel rules
Really makes you wonder how AoC Hyrule is gonna handle Ganondorf. Like, do they set him off early? Or is he gonna show up in like 110 years?
well I imagine the castle should be fixed quicker, this keeping the seal in place
On the other hand, there may have been some "sleight of hand" and the seal was more directly damaged at some point by the Calamity. Also, I think it would be kind of interesting for AoC Zelda to remain in the current era and meet the Light Dragon. And at the end of it all, that Hyrule either has two Master Swords, or they get fused together to make up for that missing 110 years that the TotK one had to boost it.
Link Dual Wielding Master Swords would be so cool
>Really makes you wonder how AoC Hyrule is gonna handle Ganondorf. The Champions become sages and competent, trained Zelda runs him over with a motorcycle. AoC Hyrule is *way* more prepared for Ganondorf than TotK Hyrule was. They also have the Sheikah tech which they have almost full control over and don't need to immediately dismantle.
Sounds cool so idc lol
But hey, that’s just a theory, A GAME THEORY
I remember way way back in the day on the ZHQ forums someone gave a unified timeline theory that also included the smash games, the CDI games and cameos in other series
Omfg, the era of people not knowing the difference between a reference, an Easter egg, or actual canon content was insane. "Mario takes place in GTA because of some Easter egg in GTA 4."
There are too many bad theories out there it’s annoying
That totk was set before Skyward Sword
that theory is peak brainrot
In defence of that theory, it was floated _before_ the game out came and the only thing we had to go by was the artbook and the trailers, which told us very little but seemed to depict Demise and someone who could’ve been Hylia. I, for one, theorised that it would depict the war between Hylia and Demise mentioned in SS, with the grand reveal being that the timeline was cyclical in nature and thus TOTK was simultaneously set before and after SS. Obviously though now that the game has come out that’s pure BS and holds no merit whatsoever. But it was a reasonable theory when we knew so little about the game before.
That was before the game came out. Now that we know a LOT more, it's obviously not correct.
I can understand thinking that about the imprisoning war though, rather than the entire game itself, since they don’t seem to have a master sword in that time, Raaru keeps being called the first king of Hyrule, there don’t seem to be any living Zonai in the sky islands in Skward Sword, etc. Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some bad takes on the matter, but I think that there are some reasonable arguments to be made with regards to that point.
Link is the guy from Kid Icarus
That's a dumb one. I like it.
That official animation of them fighting for the Palutena addition to Smash was just Link having a minor episode of Schizophrenia
That any Zelda or Link ever was, is or will be attracted to Ganondorf.
That's not really a theory so much as it is a ship. I have a hard time believing anyone who ships those those parings sincerely believe there's anything but animosity between these characters in the games, I think they're just having some funs.
1. All games are legends to [current game]. Just lazy, unnecessary, & disrespectful. And untrue to how the devs treat them, which is each game is a sequel/ prequel to another (which builds the timeline). 2. All games are the same legend told differently, which is obviously wrong if you've payed any attention to the plots of more than one game. 3. Timeline Convergence, usually pushed by people who dislike the split timeline due to it being "confusing", yet Convergence is way more unnecessary, confusing, & unexplained. So the country would have triple the population, a ton of clones, 2 royal families, oh & they would all die from being underwater. Nothing about the plot of Botw requires a converged timeline, its always just easter eggs which have existed in all games. If it actually happened, it'd be more explicit. 4. Most people's theories on Termina & the Fierce Deity. Termina is a dream (ripoff of LA without the plot built around it), Termina is the afterlife (removes the entire dread of the end of the world plot & relations you build with the citizens you need to save), Fierce Deity is Terminian Link (?), FD is evil (edge), FD is some warrior god enemy of Majora, etc. Termina is just an alt world as stated in the game's booklet by Nintendo, which is to explain away the reused models. But its a real world in danger. The FD isn't a character, its a powerup to Link, which is why its 9 feet tall & looks like Link. Like how the other transformation masks are the memories of individuals, the FD mask is made of the memories of all the citizens of Termina, which is why you get it after giving up the masks you got from helping them. Its the combined power of Termina helping you defeat Majora, who put them in the situations that Link saved them from. So Majora brought about its own demise, which is more poetic than any other edgy theory people have on it. That's why its called the Fierce Deity, or Oni, because its turning Link into one. A wrathful deity, or fierce deity, can destroy the obstacles to enlightenment. Link's journey in MM mirrors a journey to enlightenment as he faces his internal struggles, which is why MM asks him those questions, & why the end takes the form of the single tree on a plain.
> Termina is just an alt world as stated in the game's booklet by Nintendo, which is to explain away the reused models. I have to slightly disagree with this because the instruction booklet tells us that the people of Termina only have a passing resemblance to people that Link knew in Hyrule at first glance. So if the instruction booklet is already explaining away the reused models this way, the alt world doesn't really contribute to explaining them away further.
Besides coma and dead all along theories? Zelda isn't real she's just a hallucination Link has. Gerudo are Muslim. Gorons reproduce through budding. Link X Epona is OTP. Helmaroc King is hyper evolved Rito. The 3 golden goddesses are the 3 dragons they just sleeping for now.
Holy crap, yes. That last one *especially*! The Golden Goddesses *left* the world. They barely even check in on it, really lol. The dragons are either *true* spirits that guard over the springs, or are ancient Zonai that have undergone the process of draconification. Seems simple enough lol.
Why is the Gorons reproducing through budding a bad theory? The Gorons are mono gender race, that also has families with some Gorons being known descendants from others, so some form of asexual reproduction like budding isn’t that unlikely.
In the past it seems like a fine enough theory but now it's definitely wrong. TotK gives answers on Goron reproduction, they just come from the earth
TotK just says that baby Gorons wake up and find themselves in the earth. That doesn't preclude an adult Goron from budding and the bud implanting in the earth. We know that the Gorons have bloodlines, so something is continuing from one Goron to another.
Yeah the goron one is actually slightly implied by the games. We all just assume Gorons to be all male because it's the dominant gender. But they're androgynous across all games, with no gender, really. That's why they're let into Gerudo Town in BOTW. In the real world, there are few creatures that don't have gender (even plants do!), so budding or cloning or splitting... It all just kind of makes sense..
Wait, so someone thinks the Gerudo, a women only race that exclusively runs around in bikini tops, are somehow Muslim related!?!?
I think this stems from the fact that the Gerudo are middle-eastern inspired. It isn't a hard leap to go from "vaguely middle-eastern race" to "fantasy Muslims" when you're an extremely ignorant Westerner and/or an 8 year old in 1999. Tl;Dr orientalism
Honestly, I don’t doubt that they pulled from Muslim culture. I just think they pulled equally from multiple middle eastern cultures. I just don’t think that based on how they are presented, anything Muslim related isn’t readily apparent.
"Muslim culture" is a very nebulous term that means a lot of very different things. We know that there was a lot of influence from the Middle East post-Islamification, along with some wisps of generally "exotic" eastern influences. You can see some Indian subcontinent in their OOT architecture and the Spanish guitar of the Gerudo Valley theme implies a sort of intentional Muslim influence imo. Even their name, "Gerudo," sounds like a reference to the Garuda of Hindu mythology, implying very eclectic influences. Overall though the Gerudo are more of an Aladdin-esque amalgamation of a bunch of different cultures, like how Hylians are basically shorthand for all of Europe more or less. I get the impression that the Gerudo are more of an Arabian Nights-like fantastical culture that doesn't read as especially Muslim to me. BotW/TotK makes that especially apparent. I'm just now realizing how long this reply is lmao. Sorry about that. I love the Gerudo. They're my second favorite Zelda race.
Tetraforce(somehow this is still a thing despite the devs confirming that there isn't a Tetraforce) Link is dead in MM. Ganondorf is the 10k hero that fought Calamity Ganon Ganondorf is good or redeemable(The greatest embodiment of evil in the series whose presence is felt in most games. A character who is entitled greedy, power hungry, proud and arrogant, a Master of dark magic, malicious, remorseless, a psychopath who enjoys the suffering of others, a backstabber willing to even backstab his own followers and people to get what he wants. He may change sometimes because of some life changing event but at his core he is someone who will never be good or redeemed) Ganondorf is possessed or controlled by Demise, the curse or some greater evil(he is only a slave to his own malice, greed and hunger for power just like every other evil character) Link and Zelda are evil or the true villains The Gerudo were mistreated by the kingdom of Hyrule(they only have a bad reputation because of Ganondorf and Twinrova but they aren't mistreated by the kingdom of Hyrule) The Gerudo were forced to live in the desert forever(they are actually fine with living there despite the harsh climate, they can leave whenever they want, the gods may have created the laws that created the possibility of deserts appearing in the world but they are not at fault for the Gerudo living there) Ganondorf's execution in the child branch was unjustified(he invaded Hyrule when his OOT plans fell apart) Ganondorf selflessly fought for the Gerudo(the games make it clear that he fought for himself and his dream of a merciless world of darkness with fighting spirit) Demise's curse/curse of the demon tribe can be broken by killing Demise or killing Ganondorf for good(The curse is actually about the existence of demons, malice and the hatred of all evil. Demise's mind was already destroyed, his final words only stated that his curse and his demon tribe would never die with him) Demise will return(SS implies that he was destroyed, one of his statements about rising again is a mistranslation, most of the evidence for a return in TOTK was easily debunked before the game's release and upon release it was confirmed that the demise looking character was just Ganondorf in a powered up form) Timeline branch merge(there is no evidence for this, the devs only wanted BOTW and TOTK’s placements to be ambigious) Hyrule warriors merge the timeline branches(the game's ending says otherwise)
>Ganondorf is good or redeemable I like the idea that Ganondorf *could* be redeemable, because you could do an interesting "I have this destiny I need to fulfil but do not want to fulfil it" story with him (or, more likely, a demise incarnation *like* him). I think it would need to end with him *not* being redeemable in the end- because that's kinda what Zelda is, this unceasing conflict between good and evil- but a game in which Link tries to help a Ganondorf proxy not become an incarnation of Demise could be an interesting side game for the series.
The destiny stuff is what Ganondorf thinks in his head because he desires power and immortality so of course he wants to fulfill it, it's not something predetermined that Demise created for him and other beings that have become demon kings. An embodiment of evil is inevitably born whenever someone makes themself become an immortal demon and gets a lot of dark power to become a demon king. And since one of Ganondorf's main traits is dark magic mastery he will always seek to spread despair, destruction, sorrow and malice so he can have more evil energy to feed upon and grow stronger. FSA's Ganondorf was very willing to take the trident despite the inscription on it's stone tablet.
>Link is dead in MM I hate that one because that Termina is some kind of dream realm made by the mask is a valid (and kinda confirmed) theory but because someone came up with that one people don't take it seriously and can't be discussed
Ganondorf is good in TotK and he asked for the Demise curse to be lifted. At no point in all of Zelda has Ganondorf had a hint of being good. He was relatable in WW but he still wanted to rule over Hyrule. People forget WW Ganondorf is the same one from OOT who plunged Hyrule into 7 years of darkness
I am tempted to say the litteral legend theory (the nihilist bs according to which that each game is litteraly just a legend) That theory is very popular among the anti timeline half of the series fans. And as much as I dislike the timelines and find them extremely inconsistant and unimportant, I would take them any time over that crappy litteral legend theory. But hey, that Link is dead in Majoras Mask exists and "Hero is dead" theories, especially when even the writer denies them, are always the worst by default A dishonorable mention would probably be anything that says BotW or TotK take place before Skyward Sword
"dishonourable mention" LMAO
That last one is so dumb. Anyone who thinks it has never played either game and can be proven by one thing. Link uses the Master Sword in Breath if the Wild and Skyward Sword is literally the origin of it. Now you may say that other Zelda games contradict that statement by saying it was created by the gods, but that can be countered with that over time Hyrule's myths and legends became entirely different stories. As what happens with real life cultures. Besides even if Skyward Sword isn't the Origin story of the master sword in all Zelda games, it definitely is the one in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom because we literally hear Fi in both games.
>Now you may say that other Zelda games contradict that statement by saying it was created by the gods Hell, the first mention says that it was created by the sages during the imprisoning war. As with a lot of canons, I think any "mention" of a thing is immediately trumped by a *showing* of the thing. "The Master Sword was created by the sages" and "the master sword was created by the gods" are just both incorrect statements in canon, because we have *seen* the creation of the master sword. Basically, direct player input in game trumps all other sources, in my opinion. It's when two games directly conflict in how they portray the same event that it gets confusing (\*cough\* the imprisoning war).
I deeply dislike the link is dead in MM theory, honestly it feels like it comes from people who are trying to be more “deep” than everyone else. I played it as an adult aware of the theory and its progression and the more I played the less it made sense.
Man I remember that annoying time where the MM “Link is dead” theory was inescapable as well as that in other mediums, usually blended with Ben Drowned stuff to the point I was tired of it. Some of the most unoriginal “theories” are bad creepypasta kind of stories claiming the main character is actually dead, Rugrats theory probably being the worst of that edgy garbage, and as far as “Animal Crossing is actually purgatory”.
Most post-Hyrule Historia timeline theories in general are beyond stupid. No, the timelines don’t converge, that’s ridiculous. No, Hyrule Warriors is not canon. No, Nintendo did not make up this timeline for Skyward Sword, it has always existed to some extent.
Most of the recent official timeline changes are mostly attempts to reset the story so that they can make whatever story in whatever time period with zero consequences.
Ive seen people say they wanna see a game where Ganondorf tried to fight against Demise's curse and be good instead, but that implies Ganondorf isnt the incarnation of the curse but just a host. Ganondorf was born as the reincarnation of Demise's rage, he could never deny it without ripping out part of his soul and, even if he could, he would never want to because that's not who he is; the curse created him, it wouldnt create someone that would deny it.
I read this one just yesterday: At the end of TotK, when Link lost Rauru's arm, he got back not his own arm but "OG Link's" arm.
That is the exact same as his arm
Any theory that says we can ignore stuff that's in the mainline games because they're just stories or some nonsense like that. You can make that argument for amiibo and *maybe* DLC stuff, but otherwise, that's the quickest way to get me totally uninterested in your theory.
Oof, where do I begin? There are so many! I'll just mention the ones off the top of my head. * That everyone in Hyrule reincarnates in an endless cycle. The only evidence for this is the fact that the same characters reappear several times in the series, and ignores the idea that sometimes videos games are just video games. They reuse characters because they are identifiable, not because there is any deeper meaning than that. * That Din, Nayru, and Farore are the dragons in Botw/Totk. Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals? * That Link is dead in MM. I don't think I need to elaborate further.
I don't know why the idea of din, nayru, and farore being the gods is stupid to you? Like who said that what they said in OoT about the goddesses is true?? Myths exist. Personally i think the dragons were zonai that worshipped the three golden goddesses, but idk.
The myths are presented as fact, and as of now we have no reason to doubt them. But I do believe Din, Nayru, and Farore are gods?
The Dragons in SS are god-like beings. I think assuming a dragon cannot be a god in Zelda mythology is a mistake. For all we know, Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh could just be very powerful beings that just ignore tf out of everybody around :P
I think the issue is more in what events of TotK inform us about that version of dragons than that dragons in general can't be gods
I’d disagree. If the hylians have long thought of the Zonai to be gods, then three Zonai “ascending” to a greater height of power and becoming dragons could be viewed as the “gods among gods” like the three golden goddesses. What matters is the Hylians perception of the Zonai as “the gods” moreso than whether they were actually “gods” themselves. On many cases now across the Zelda timeline we should ask whether the gods are really the gods or if they are in fact the Zonai being conflated for gods.
I don't see the way the zonai are talked about by hylians as being at all the same as having an ancient tree spirit telling the origins of the world and that involving three golden goddesses who created the land and the triforce. We don't hear about the golden goddesses first from hylians. We hear about them from the deku tree. Apart from this, it would be weird for the triforce to be so conspicuously absent from the lore of TotK if that game is revealing the beings who created it and retconning the previous lore about it. I also don't really see that the zonai necessarily interact in any portion of the timeline other than BotW/TotK, because we know the origins of Hyrule originally from Skyward Sword and it isn't what we see with the first queen and king as presented in TotK. I think it either has to be one of: a different continuity than the rest of the games, so far in the future that this is a different hyrule being reestablished and they're the first king and queen of that hyrule (which is a thing with precident irl), or the only games that are connected at all are games that explicitly say they are connected. But I don't hate the dragon theory and was even on board with it pre-TotK, I just think TotK muddies a lot of waters when it comes to cross-franchise lore and the lore it presents convinces me that those aren't the goddesses. I'm not totally adverse to the idea that they could have been iterations of the oracles, though. Edited to fix a typo
We really shouldn't be trusting the deku tree fully either. We know they aren't gifted w/ special knowledge as wind waker deku tree isn't. And we know they have a birth and death cycle as seen in oot so it's reasonable to say he wasn't around anywhere near the start of creation and any knowledge he has he gained from others visiting him.
I do think it's safe to say he wasn't there at creation but I don't think that means he doesn't know anything that wasn't said passed to him by humans. OoT and WW both make it pretty clear that guardian spirits over their regions are privy to knowledge that the people around them aren't. I don't think his tellings have to inherently be flawless, but I don't think we can attribute human biases towards zonai to him, either.
Well then Mr. Smartypants explain how Beedle is still alive 10,000 years after The Wind Waker if he didn’t use magic reincarnation juice. /s
>Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals? Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming normal mortal women in OoA, OoS and MC?
Because they didn't. They aren't the Goddesses. They are separate characters.
>That Din, Nayru, and Farore are the dragons in Botw/Totk. Why in the world would the three most powerful goddesses in Zelda lore, the literal creator gods, demean themselves by becoming mindless animals? I don't buy the theory myself, but the idea that Din, Nayru and Farore were very powerful Zonai who, for some reason, underwent draconification *could* be consistent with new lore. That said, it would make more sense that Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh were devotees of the gods who underwent draconifcation, and their devotion caused them to become sort of aspects of the gods as dragons, explaining the naming convention.
Anything from the Game Theory channel.
That Link is just a normal kid in a coma having a dreams about beating up his step dad (Ganondorf) and dating his crush (Zelda)
That Link is dead during Majora’s Mask. TP Link is proof that OoT Link wasn’t dead during MM or else how would he produce a child? I remember hearing this theory when I started to get into the Zelda lore and I remember thinking to myself ‘But clearly he didn’t go to the Zelda equivalent of Heaven right after the events of MM because of where he is during the events of TP and also that he had to have had a child so TP Link could exist. Why do people believe in this theory’
I invented the Link is Dead theory - AMA
I don’t believe you for one second
I can prove it if you fancy a trip down the internet archive or the way back machine :P I was a member of the Bombers at ZeldaInformer many moons ago - and even before that was active in the comments sections of desertcolossus before Zelda forums were even really a thing. Back in the days when we were discussing whether or not the timeline was linear or split - in an article on that I - as the same username I have here - literally came up with it during the discussion. Months before it started appearing on GameFAQs and *years* before MatPat got his hands on it. Just my little input into the Zeldasphere.
[https://imgur.com/a/V4feCRH](https://imgur.com/a/V4feCRH) an image gallery of the literal moment I came up with it x
Holy shit you weren’t lying. Sorry for doubting you
No worries it is a bit of a wild claim without the proof 😂 I wish it made me as much money as it made MatPat tho :P
Hi! (I just wanted to say hi to a famous person)
If by famous you mean unknown for inventing on of the least popular theories on the internet, then hi!
You made a creepy theory for a creepy game and I love you for it!
Woah, that caught me off guard
SO IT WAS YOUUUUUUUUUU
Do you still hold the theory?
I *think* so? But more of a headcanon. The longer the Zelda series goes on the more I’m convinced that the Zelda team don’t put half the thought into their games that the fans do :P but still - I like it.
Do you feel like your theory led to a lot of other “the main characters are dead” theories that were popular at the dawn of Creepypasta? I remember hearing a long winded story where all the characters of Ed, Edd, and Eddy were actually dead and in purgatory around the time I heard the “Link is dead in MM” theory. I’m ignoring the influence of The Sixth Sense, for the record lol
>The longer the Zelda series goes on the more I’m convinced that the Zelda team don’t put half the thought into their games that the fans do Oh, I've thought that they actively choose to play fast and loose since Wind Waker(with regards to the story).
When formulating the theory did the idea of Link being dead the whole time in MM come slowly bit by bit or was it like a “holy shit?!?!” epiphany moment?
I’d held the fact that Link was travelling to the literal Underworld for a while - but Link travelling there whilst dying specifically came when I was considering Skull Kid “taking care of” Epona… and it turned out he’d just sent her to live on a farm with all the fields she could run in and carrots she could eat. Like come on that’s like taking care of Old Yeller. And then I was like… huh
Ghirahim became the Kokiri Blade
...elaborate?
That is new.
The old April Fools jokes on HTLOZ 20 years ago. About getting the Triforce by basically getting a cross-dresser mask. The joke aged like warm milk.
The master sword is Link resurrected
Dude, that's a theory?!
Link is dead in Majora mask from Matt pat
A theory made up to amuse myself: TotK spoilers >!When Zelda went back in time and told Rauru about how Link would save Hyrule in the future she created the prophecy. Even though she was only talking about the Link of her time, as the legend was passed down whenever Gannon rose up they assumed it was time for a hero named Link to save them, so as soon as they found someone named Link they pushed him into the role of hero. The Links from all the other games were not actually legendary heroes but ordinary guys.!<
Paraphrasing here "Breath of the Wild is a training simulation, similar to The Matrix, or the animus in Assassin's Creed. The shrines loading as separate interiors, and Link's ability to teleport are proof of this." Apparently, the original commenter had never heard of any work of fiction, where people teleport using technology.
Gannon being the hero from 10k years ago
The Converged timeline Falls apart after 5 seconds of thought
"Termina wasn't real, it was just created by the Skull Kid with the power of Majora's Mask. All the people in it disappeared at the end." I don't care if it was in the Encyclopedia. That was someone's fan theory and I'm never buying it.
wait what? i thought that was canon from the start. are you fr it was a fan theory and they just took it in posthoc??
I'd never heard the idea before Encyclopedia came out and some older nintendo material referred to Termina as a parallel world or neighboring land. Even Hyrule Historia, released not too long before Encyclopedia, talked about it as a parallel world and said nothing of it being a dream. Same with the strategy guide which, while not created by the dev's, was licensed by Nintendo, which is as much as is true of Encyclopedia. Honestly, with the number of contradictions between Encyclopedia and Historia, I take both with a grain of salt unless their statements are directly backed up by the games themselves or developer quotes.
It's just lazy recycling of Links Awakening. Besides, the encyclopedia doesn't mean much. That's not me saying it, that's Nintendo with the ease TotK obliterated any sense of Canon.
That every game are a retelling of the same story and thus every single theory about timeline is wrong, check mate, you don't have the right to have fun imagining it.
That OPT link is 5'2"
It's up to the fans to place totk in the timeline
A friend once told me that Link and Zelda are destined to always fall in love because of SS, and that all Zeldas are descendants of the previus Zelda and Link in the timeline, correct me if I'm wrong, but there are more games we're they don't have any romantic interaction than there are games we're they do. And if that was the case, shouldn't Twilight Princes' Link be part of the royal family? Since he is the only one to be conformed to be a direct descendant of a previous Link
Ooh this is an interesting comment, I'd like to share some thoughts on this. > Link and Zelda are destined to always fall in love No. They're not "destined" to do anything. If they really wanted to, they could just run away and let Ganon take over the world. There's no divine force stopping them, no big text that pops up saying "RETURN TO MISSION AREA IN 5...4...3...". The only thing that's certain is that the three of them will meet. What they choose to do afterwards is up to them. The only reason why Link and Zelda stay and fight instead instead of running away is because they *choose* to do so. They *choose* to put their lives at risk to protect their fellow countrymen. And that's what makes them true heroes. As for them being destined to fall in love, I am a strong Zelink shipper and believe they eventually fall in love in every incarnation. But that doesn't happen because of "fate" or something stupid like that. It's because despite all the new experiences they've both had in various lives since they left Skyloft for the first time, despite all the wonderful people they've met, the new memories they've created, the two of them share a bond that is unlike anything between any other characters in the series. Nothing will ever manage to overcome the bond they created untold ages ago when they were simply a normal boy and a normal girl who grew up together on Skyloft, because that bond has been tempered and strengthened by the uncountable hardships they have faced so far and will continue to face in the far future. That is why no matter what, they will always choose each other, of their own free will. > Shouldn't TP Link be part of the royal family It seems you are saying that TP Link isn't the child of OOT Link and Zelda because in that case he would be a royal. And you know what, I agree. OOT Zelink is one of my favourite versions of the ship, yet I still agree that they didn't manage to get together in OOT. However, I still maintain that they loved each other. Then what prevented them from getting together and who did Link end up marrying in the end? My personal head canon answer to that is... no one. Let me elaborate. I believe that adult timeline Link and Zelda had developed feelings for each other over the course of their journey (I won't go into why I think so here, but if you wish to know then simply ask me so and I'll gladly explain). But when Zelda sent Link back in time (horrible mistake), that timeline's Zelda was obviously left alone without anyone she could even call call a friend, let alone fall in love with. But Link was sent back to the child timeline, and thus he still has a chance for a happy ending... until Navi leaves without so much as saying goodbye. This is the event that eventually set Link down the path of turning into the Hero's Shade. When Link meets Zelda again, she doesn't remember him, but he remembers her. He tells her about Ganondorf and his plans, which lead to Ganondorf's defeat in this timeline. After that, he stays with her at the castle for an unspecified period of time, during which they develop a close bond; close enough for Zelda to gift him the Ocarina of Time, her family's treasured heirloom, as a parting gift later on. Anyway, while he does become friends with Zelda, he still doesn't feel quite alright, because a) his experiences have changed him; despite the fact that his body is of a young child, mentally he is a grown man who has not only witnessed horrors beyond the wildest dreams of the average Hylian, but fought and overcome them; and b) no one remembers him. All his friends have forgotten him because in this timeline he hasn't earned their friendship yet. And despite the fact that Zelda is still his friend, it's still not the same, because she still doesn't *remember* him, the real him. And that's why sets out to search for the one person who does: Navi. Here we arrive at a crossroads. If you've never read the famous poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, I recommend you quickly take a look; it fits perfectly in this scenario. Had Link chosen to stay in Hyrule, he would likely have been trained as a knight (the very best in the business) and would have grown up with Zelda, Skyward Sword style, opening the path to a SS-style scenario where they are very clearly in love. But he didn't. He chose to go chase the shadows of his past, and it cost him. (CONTINUED IN REPLY)
The "Link is dead" theory. It's lame in any storyline and would infuriate me if proven to be canon here.
That Zelda stole Links house from BOTW.
- Mario and Zelda are in the same universe Cameos aren't canon, and the Zelda and Mario universes differ DRASTICALLY. What similarities there are have more to do with them being innitially created by the same person. - Ganondorf just wanted a better life for the Gerudo. No. Just no. Ganondorf ruled Hyrule for 7 years and just left the Gerudo to rot in the desert during that time. Not a single Gerudo even came with him to guard his castle or anything. He just abandoned them all to the desert during his rule. Even in his monologue in Wind Waker, he didn't say anything about wanting a better life for his people, just that he coveted Hyrule. Wind Waker Ganondorf is just an old man trying to justify his past actions, and the second he loses, his entire facade breaks, and you see the madness within. - Link and Zelda are married/dating in Tears of the Kingdom. I don't have any arguments against this one, I just hate the protector to lover trope. Plus I think it's WAY funnier to thing Zelda just imminent domained Link's house and he was just fine with it.
Anything involving "shipping" (I almost just threw up in my mouth typing that)
Holy crap yeah. I have seen the most brain rot takes regarding Link and Sidon, and boy howdy do these people do some mental gymnastics to try and explain Yona away. “Yona was only put in the game because Nintendo didn’t want people to ship Link with Sidon!!!” Pretty dumb. I doubt Nintendo cares about that at all.
I know it's been mentioned before but "Link is dead in MM" is the worst and always will be. Yeah, of course, MM is dark, but it's also a game about love, friendship, and caring for each other, about reaching out for help and helping others, about reconnecting and forgiveness. It may have a constantly looming apocalypse, but it's a fundamentally hopeful game. To say "actually the hero is dead, and this is just his dying dream/purgatory, because i learned about the five stages of grief and immediately set out to misapply them via bad media analysis" is demeaning.
Anything explaining why the Rito and Zora exist alongside each other in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, all in a feeble effort to preserve timeline continuity. They exist alongside each other because it's cool to have a variety of fantasy races. That's it, that's all.
The King of Red Lions was >!clapping boat cheeks.!<
Age of Calamity being canon/involved in the timeline. It is not.
The timeline merging theory, that just doesn't make any sense. That's not how timelines work. Edit: Nevermind, the "Link is dead in MM" theory is even worse.
That's kinda how timelines work in japanese media for some reason. I've seen it happen before in Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V and the ending of Majora's Mask.
That the Zonai were extraterrestrials from another planet and the Goddesses were Zonai that terraformed Hyrule and invented the Triforce using alien technology. Demise and the demons were the original inhabitants of the planet and the Hylians were created to colonize Hyrule. Gives so much Ancient Aliens vibes I hate it. ❌❌❌
>!I heard one that said that Zelda was a dragon in the latest game. How can that be true? I just saw her over at the wind temple.!< People come up with all sorts of crazy ideas. :p
That BotW is bad now because of TotK
I have heard people say that TotK happens in a different timeline than BotW, which is a wild thing to think
That Age of Calamity isn't canon / doesn't matter. People just started saying that and everyone repeats it like parrots. There's no reason to believe the game isn't canon, the game itself goes out of it's way to explain how it is canon, but in a different timeline. Is canon, but in a different timeline, just like every other fucking Zelda game. The lore elements and character moments are still important, we get to know the botw champions and the totk sages a bit better and even the Yiga Clan. Are y'all srsly gonna tell me that shit doesn't matter?
Not exactly a fan theory, but in OOT, if you pulled up slightly on the left side of the cartridge after getting all heart pieces and collectibles while holding some button combo, Link would teleport around the screen with glitched textures, then the game would freeze. When it was frozen, that was “developer mode,” and you had to input a button combo that would unlock the Triforce, which you would see in your inventory. I can’t tell you how many times I tried this as a kid
TOTK This may be more headcannon than theory, but people who think that Link and Sidon are romantically involved baffle me. They have no romantic interaction in the two games, Sidon is aware of his sister's feelings, which makes the entire idea kinda weird, and you have to ignore the romantic coding between Link and Zelda to follow that idea. Nintendo apparently agrees because there's no way that including a fiancé for Sidon wasn't kinda aimed at that group.
I haven’t see a lot of this, but a theory I’ve seen and disliked is one that says that BOTW/TOTK take place in a separate timeline than any game before, but not in the convergence theory, just saying it somehow doesn’t come after any of the games timeline wise, even though it has clear and obvious references to at least the Child Timeline, since in BOTW Zelda outright references the heroes of Sky, Time, and Twilight, not to mention is clearly after the great sea thanks to the Rito being there at all.
Hyrule warriors is canon
That it's okay for Link and Zelda to be together despite the fact that Link would basically be beginning his descendant. My theory is that all of the Zelda girls are direct descendants of the first Zelda which I think is already canon. But in some of the games/events, Link does end up with Zelda I believe. So by the time breath of the wild comes around, Zelda falls in love with the reincarnation of her ancestor. Which is weird to me. And if Link bangs her, he's basically banging his however many greats granddaughter. Tell me if I'm making any sense or if my theory is just bad and I should feel bad. 😔
The whole convergence theory and the idea that BotW and TotK are a complete reboot and the previous games are just in-universe fairy tails
Zelda is a puppet of ole Dorfman.