Just a theory but I wonder if the Happy Mask Salesman fell into Termina before Link did that would clear up the disappearance of the Happy Mask Salesman.
I always assumed that The Mask Salesman came to Termina first. I mean he is in fact there before you get there. Although I kinda assumed that he entered Termina intentionally in search of the Skull Kid.
Did... Everyone just forget the game outright says the mask salesman got robbed first, and then came looking for the skull kid? And he states he wants Link to get the mask back for him. And is very obviously nefarious. And literally shakes a child. I just...-- Like... Why is all this even a question?
What if the Happy Mask Salesman is Majora, the same way Hylia is Zelda? Sure, Majora is still in the mask, but it wouldn't be the first time we've seen a spirit in two different embodiments in the series because Link was talking to Link when the Hero's Shade was teaching the Hero of Twilight, and if Zelda is Hylia reincarnating over and over again (as evidenced by the Triforce of Wisdom always being wielded by a Zelda), then Hylia would exist in two states too. Just seeing the aspects of Majora's personality represented as little mask salesmen made me think of that, and the fact that Major literally IS a mask could explain his fascination with them. Maybe he incarnated as a human so he could release his own seal! Yeah, its a crazy theory and probably not true, but it would certainly be an interesting twist.
Maybe it wasn't so much as breaking his seal, but more putting his other half to rest in order to gain peace? Like how a lot of MM is about grief. He is dealing with his grief by freeing himself from it in a similar way to how people soothe childhood trauma by 'healing their inner child'
@@moonflower8525 Huh. That reminds me a lot of that Star Wars: The Old Republic extension I played called Shadow of Revan. In it, the redeemed Sith Lord Revan was killed, and his soul split in two. His Light Side self embraced death, but his Dark Side self clung to unnatural life. In order to be whole again and put to rest, the Light Side force ghost Revan had to help the protagonist (the playable character) kill his Dark Side self before he could wreak havoc on the Galaxy. I really like that angle, especially because Majora's Mask acts like a child seeking the attention he was so desperately lacking by "acting out," perhaps even mirroring Skull Kid and his feelings of abandonment. It would sort of reflect Carl Jung's philosophy of the shadow self, that is, the duality between your better half which is altruistic and your dark half which embodies all your childish selfishness and weakness. The angle is even more reinforced by the fact that the Happy Mask Salesman talks several times about the happiness which Link brought to the souls reflected in the masks, almost as if it was the Salesman's purpose to help facilitate the healing process by guiding Link through this strange world, culminating in the healing of Majora himself. Long story short, I think that angle is brilliant!
One of the things many haven’t noticed in videos like this is that the Happy Mask Salesman in MM is meant to be Miyamoto himself. How exactly? Well, you have to keep in mind that the main 3-day mechanic was born out of the really tight deadline Aonuma was given by Miyamoto. He was told “Complete this game in a short amount of time. Fail, and we’ll make the Ocarina of Time successor that I want to make.” Aonuma essentially made a Zelda game based on his life circumstances at the time, and Miyamoto was the main “quest giver” that burdened him with such a monumental task. Not only was the original HMS model in OoT based on Miyamoto as an Easter egg, but his personality was _especially_ shown in MM. Miyamoto has been described as “a slightly more friendly Steve Jobs”, and Steve was very well known to have severe anger issues and outbursts on his employees. The HMS’s personality can easily fit Miyamoto’s described persona as well: Friendly, encouraging, and supportive. Yet can easily have a meltdown whenever there’s a setback, hysterically crying over worries and concerns, and barking orders at others without doing any work himself. The “masks” talked about could also be construed as an analogy about the player becoming Link when playing Zelda in the same vein as a kid becomes Iron Man when they put on a Halloween mask. The Mario mask on the HMS’s back solidifies this, as Miyamoto makes the Mario “masks” irl that millions of people around the world enjoy. And what does the HMS do before phasing out into nothingness? He collects Majora’s Mask from Link just as Miyamoto collected the final build of Majora’s Mask from Aonuma when his team was finished.
From the moment you stepped foot into that room council chamber, all the way up to you becoming Vader . And yes they did lie to him in the phantom menace I don't think it was intentional though . They were stating they sensed his fear but they were really sensing their own fear being redirected back at them . OP I know
The Happy Mask Salesman is like some kind of minor kami, or fey trickster. We aren't sure what their ultimate goal is, or even their motives. They seem to know more than they reveal, but in our case at least... Are providing us with tools and knowledge to achieve the "Good Ending". At least, in Termina.
I really enjoyed this! 👏 I would definitely believe the salesman to be deceptive and "mask" his true personality because this video makes me think of his implied ancestor (?) in Skyward sword, Ruben 🤔 Ruben looks identical to the Happy Mask Salesman in Majoras mask/OOC right down to his overall appearance (neatly combed hair, rounded shoulders, seen rubbing his hands a lot, slim, etc) and most importantly the big overly cheerful smile he wears. My point of me bringing attention to him is it's revealed to us IN GAME that it's all in fact a FACADE on his part. 👀 If you visit Ruben's house after dark, you'll find him sitting at his desk frowning deeply and when approached he glares hatefully at you, speaking in a gruffer and gritter tone rather than the giggly highpitched one he uses during the day. If you ask him about this, the man actually responds by growling at you that he gets sick and tired of being smiley and friendly all day long and makes it clear that he HATES IT 😳 IDK I just thought it was an interesting coincidence that the Zelda Devs would make this obvious reference to the Mask Salesman in SS and paint him in this way 🤔 it's like they want to make you wonder if the Mask Salesman hates being smiley and cheery just as much as Ruben does
What i loved the most is that in the Majora's Mask manga, the mask salesman approaches Link while he was still in his Feirce Deity form and Link tells him "be gone you troublemaker" and slashes at his bag of masks. Making the mask salesman run for his life
Good video, but there is a tiny detail missed. The Happy Mask salesman from MM is of the timeline where Link leaves the Lost Woods, goes to the castle, warns Zelda, Ganondorf is incarcerated, and Link leaves. No damage done, and his shop hasn't even set up yet. Liked and Subscribed! Keep up the good work.
@@AkaiAzul But in the altered timeline, Link has no reason to gain access to Death Mountain at all. The messed up part is he still had the memories of a different future and the trauma of battling monsters and the King of Evil as a young man, but is back in the body of a boy. One wonders if the Mask Shop would even occur to Link at that point, because he doesn't really have any incentive to borrow the Keaton Mask and sell it to the guard in Kakariko if he's prevented the downfall of Hyrule.
After watching chapter one I can tell you now, he didn't need link to continue his business because he has a whole traveling shop on his back in Majora's mask . I think he was always sinister
Could the Happy Mask Salesman be the last interloper in hyrule? Could explain how he is not affected by the song of time knows songs with magical properties like the song of healing and can teleport
From what I remember from the manga, the salesman says something to Fierce Deity Link, the reply being the latter throwing him on the ground out of anger, telling him to begone for all the troubles he caused, making the salesman mask leave while cackling. Probably not canon but I thought it was worth mentionning.
He might have been a demon once as his exact silhouette appears during the prologue of Skyward Sword right to the left of Demise when he first attacked the surface world. Since Batreux was able to become human through the collection of Gratitude Crystals it's possible the Happy Mask Salesman did the same by making people happy through the selling of his masks.
Idk if you know her or remember her but remind me so much of VortexxGaming she was a very underrated Zelda lore channel before she passed . You make such good videos so far there isn’t one I don’t like 👍
if there is one zelda character that was indeed lying to us it is the old man oshus from phantom hourglass. if you want I can go on detail where I am exposing his lies.
A theory from the early 2000's that I still believe is that the salesman is deity or a god in the Zelda universe. It explains why time dosen't move when in the clock tower, the piano and his appearance in the game boy game.
The Salesman from the N64 version was _killed_ by the Skullkid as proven by the flashback scene showing his motionless body while the Skullkid is holding his _flute_ which Skullkids use to shoot deadly darts towards adults (who they dislike according to Navi) in Ocarina of Time. The reason why the HMS never leaves the Clock Tower until Majora's Mask has been defeated is because he was a restless spirit who couldn't leave the mortal realm until he fulfilled his "unfinished business" of retrieving the mask hence why we never see him outside the tower until the 4th Day. Finally when we see him vanishing out of thin air at the end of the game that was him passing into the Afterlife having finally found peace courtesy of him reclaiming Majora's Mask thanks to Link. Since the 3DS version removed the flute from the Skullkid's hand plus made the HMS's body still move during the flashback Nintendo pretty much retconned his fate to make the story less darker than it already was. PS: The HMS from Oracle of Ages is a _reincarnation_ of the character hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time so he cannot be the exact same HMS from Majora's Mask as corroborated by his lack of pointed ears.
@@javiervasquez625 You know, I always found weird many of the HMS's interactions from the piano/organ appearing from nowhere to him vanishing like a ghost from the ending cutscene and I always thought it was due to the console's limitations. ...but this makes so much sense that my mind exploded.
I feel that Majora was actually the happy mask sales man's real identity and who we see as the "sales man" is his mask. When the spirit in the mask was released so was he and this is why he later dissapears because how can a mask be a mask without someone to wear it?
I think he’s Sheikah, and not necessarily one of the “good” ones. He works for someone - someone who is actively searching for ancient Sheikah artifacts, particularly mask-like ones with dark magic properties. Hence the mask salesman act, a sort of undercover agent persona. “So, the evil has left the mask after all,” he said, almost as if he was disappointed. He’s up to something. And something bigger than him is at work here. Perhaps a secret plot by a new wave of Sheikah defectors - or Sheikah defector wannabes - who got nostalgic about old times (old times highlighted in red). We can’t say for sure. Maybe that’s all part of the mystery - and that’s why we need a sequel to MM, one where the Happy Mask salesman reappears, perhaps in a new land, perhaps revealing his true colors by the end of the game? Who can say…
I'm pretty sure he was. But whatever the motive, at least balance was restored in the end. But honestly though, I stick to the philosophy: Some mysteries are better left unsolved.
He has lots in common with shiekah or interlopers, knows lots, is kinda similar to moon children but on diff note what became of ppl in skyloft after ss? Did they evolve? Zonai lived in sky but i doubt hylians turned into goat dragon people. Anyway yea theres something not right about mask guy
I don't think a grudge that the Mask Salesman would get from the 7 year collapse of Hyrule from the Adult timeline would have anything to do with his motives in Majora's Mask- they're two different timelines... At the end of the day, he'll likely remain a mysterious character forever. After all, that's what makes him so interesting and popular to make theories and speculation on. Any good mystery writer knows not to solve every mystery you write. It is notable that one of the few things we know about him is that his face was based off of Miyamoto's, so his true nature may be reflected in Miyamoto's self. I have heard that many developers within Nintendo feared for what Miyamoto's "upended teatable" would bring...
I seem to be late to comments but i also agree with others that happy mask salesman found termina before link but also that he doesnt blame the result of his business (according to the failure in Hyrule town with adult Link) on child Link. But i do believe that within the 7 years he left in pursuit of more rare masks, specifically, Majora's Mask, which then also leads him to Termina. I also believe that once he was in termina and Link followed him, that he also realized he was immune to Song of Time due to his OoT origins, same as Link. I do believe that when he did find termina that the concepts of "masks" became more prevalent because it was within termina he realized people have more to hide to preserve their outward "tatame" vs their "hone." This becomes especially prominent with the Moon Children and how they ask about your "masks" and "who you truly are". Overall this was a great video and I'm excited to see what you post next. Thank you!!
I think the Mask Sells Man is the one of proto-Yiga Clans at time, people who warship Ganon in form or another, for his comment of the Major’s Mask losing its power sounded like he was disappoint then anything else like he lost powerful weapon for his theorical master and when his eyes open the look red to me though to be fair they really small so hard to tell.
My Theory is the Happy Mask Salesman is a Faye or spirit. Something like Puck in mythology or The Coyote ‘trickster spirit’ Hyrule has all kinds of gods and goddesses that have to watch the reincarnation cycle and the eternal battle of the Goddess, The Hero and Demise and all that it brings to the world. I think the Salesman is a spirit that toys with fate but can’t actually intervene. Bound by rules he bends but can’t full on break. So he manipulates Link to tip the scales. Making Link sell his masks just so happens to land Link the mask of truth. Or maybe he can’t personally stop Majora but he can get Link to do it. Why would he want the mask in the first place?His power has limits and maybe he thought it could help him stop Twilight or maybe take it to another time and stop the Goddesses from flooding the innocent
I still think majoras mask should be the dream link has about "finding navi" while he's trapped in the sacred realm for 7 years in OOT. I think the fear of losing Navi is the loss/death of the Great Deku Tree and his conflicting relationship between the Kokiri being skull kid in The Lost Woods and reintegrating into a Hylian civilization. Being a kid he would dream about helping people and making friends, while also having skull kid as an enemy as a death of the final disconnect between him and the kokiri. Looking for Navi is his lack of a real childhood. Then when he wakes up, he's committed to the Hylian's and all their issues connected to the princess and everyone else.
Please do more ocarina of time and majoras mask videos, I will watch all your old content of them (specially if you have them in playlists right now in your channel)
'The Happy Mask Salesman' is an entrepreneur as well as a world traveler. We can assume he has witnessed a great measure of joy as well as tribulation in his travels. To help adults overcome their despair, they re-visit their youth by their children enjoying his masks. Parents inventing adventures with their children in playtime actually help families maintain their strong bond. The overall intention is maintaining 'civilized society' because society endures best when it is genuinely happy. Children are able to enjoy their youth because it is proper to see them happy and healthy. Familial bonds and adventures have this way of staying with us, and aid in coping with the harsh realities of the real world. 'The Happy Mask Salesman' is mysterious but is not nefarious. If anything, he is a relationship builder, which is what entrepreneurs do. His interactions with Link allowed him to bear witness to the young Hylian's integrity and willingness to be of help. Respect was earned and kept. And actually, for the audience returning to these games because of nostalgia, they should also serve this purpose: the overall story arc to life is that good triumphs over evil and it always will. It is our responsibility to be on the right side of that conflict. 'May the way of the Hero lead to the TriForce.' 'May the TriForce be with thee.' 😊
This was a quite a bad video that made no sence so many times. Like why was chapter one even included? Pure nonsensical speculation about the salesman in the adult time line that you never meet only to talk about the one in the child time line? so weird
To me LoZ is done because TotK just destroyed that team; so I make my own canon and he is a demigod. He wouldn’t have been through the Ganon take over… unless it’s a god and can feel the time changes. It has to take the souls of the thing it wants to look like and does it through the masks as a drip feed; OR raw as we see from bubblegems because I also think it’s Kilton and his sister lol but the sister part might have been from TotK not wanting anything to do with BotW, but I digress 😂 I wish the makers actually wanted to tell a story and not have it be some broken mess they’re doing with the jobs and livelihoods of mass amounts of people. Money ruins all art.
1.he is actually there reading over the sign and figuring out how it works before he takes over the store in oot. Just saying. Last time I played I checked. 2. lol still watching the video farther, I find it funny that you state he has years of experience. He literally just started. 3.Hold up, hold up! NO it's not like he just vanishes from time like he never existed! You laterally wouldn't get any of the credit seen's. I don't care if he does disappear. Have you ever heard of teleportation magic? Magic is a thing in zelda. Who is to say that he couldn't have used some? Do your full research gosh dang it! Nothing ageist you personally, I just can't ignore such blatant miss information. 4. ok the children of the moon do bring this up as a one off thing about your true face. 5. Just want to mention that he knew majora was evil and both took it and kept it anyway. He is not a good person. He isn't a purely bad person either, but that mask was sealed away for a reason. He even tells you himself that it was used in dark hexing rituals, so he knew just how bad this mask was and he still removed it from it's seal. WHO DOES THAT! 6.Also also I have played both games extensively and know my lore around them so I know what I'm talking about.
Theory: The salesman knew what would happen all along after the mask was taken. He has powers all his own, and he remembers who Link is somehow. The Hero being who he is, would have no choice but to pursue the one who stole it and put the world in danger. The fact that Majora'a Mask hit Link with a Deku curse at the start making it personal was just a bonus. The appearance of the Fierce Deity and the destruction of the mask was an unforseen consequence. Oddly, the Salesman wasn't even upset at that in the end. Leaving us wondering why. Maybe he just enjoyed all the chaos. Who knows?
It's Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64 and 3DS. It's an amazing game which stands out from the average Zelda game by adressing themes which we don't usually find through the Zelda franchise. I highly recomend it for anyone interested in the more unique titles which don't stick to the more traditional formula that the franchise has been known for.
@@javiervasquez625 agree 1000000000%. best zelda game in my opinion, just for the aesthetic, mature themes, and vibes. some of the gameplay mechanics are a little clunky, gyorg for example, but definitely my number 1 game.
I think there is something else you've missed and I'd like to offer my 2 cents if I may. Link starts off his journey in MM as a bit lonely and even depressed judging by the way he is slumped over in the beginning. As he travels Termina, he sees alot of other people suffering all kinds of misfortunes, all of them equally given up hope at the sight of the impending doom that is the moon. Link is determined to save them and succeeds. In the process, he doesn't just stop evil (like he did in Ocarina of Time) - he also was able to bring joy. thats why the last scene we see in the game is Link and the Skull kid forming a friendship (the drawing is either skull kids or Link's, we don't know for sure). Your observations about the Happy Mask salesman are spot on, but I also think, in relation to the overall plot of MM - when you wear a mask, you sort of become a new identity, as to how much you change is up to (i.e. do you become the mask?). The only thing we truly know about him is that he likes masks and that he has travelled wide and far. The happy mask salesman has surely seen a lot and has learned a lot too. I think the last bit of wisdom the happy mask salesman tries to impart to Link is the importance and value of joy. The Happy Mask Salesman doesn't wear a mask - he wears a smile, something we don't really see Link do all that much (we do see him smile when he sees Epona again when he enters Romani's ranch). The journey wasn't just one where Link saves the day; all throughout his journey he was also able to bring happiness to others (like with Anju and Kafei) as well as healing (like with the Goron mask, Gibdo mask, and Zora mask). This journey also healed the young hero who, at the start of the game was depressed and quite literally lost - only to find his way again and come out with a better outlook on life.
After watching chapter one I can tell you now, he didn't need link to continue his business because he has a whole traveling shop on his back in Majora's mask . I think he was always sinister
Its probably good not to read too much into the mask salesman looking like the one in termina. Majoras mask uses the same models largely because it was a massive cost cutting advantage and sped up production time significantly. Similarly there are other characters that are copies of ocarina of time models.
Certainly a lot of mysteries that this character has. I have wondered if he could in fact be the true villain of Majora's Mask based on what other people have said about it.
1:03, in a way, would one infur, after oot Link went back in time and was back in kokiri forest. Which events would happen now? Navi would be with the deku tree and, ganon would be sealed? But Link would need to visit the happy mask salesman and do that mini game? Does Link for Navi at rhe the castle? Does he follow the halpy mask salesman into the kost wood into Termina for some reason?
"It seems the magic mask salesman was using us", ya think?, we are always being used, from the first game of the series, as the hero of whatever place we end up in, we have to solve all their problems just so we can go to our next adventure, anyway, if we had no one telling us to go on adventure, would we go?, we always need someone telling us we are the chosen one, or the hero of whatever, then we start the adventure, even MMORPGs tell us that, even if they didn't need to, we are playing those to feel like the everyman landing on a fantastic world full of people and we can go on adventures together without being the oh so great chosen one.
![Tee Grizzley - Blow for Blow (feat. J. Cole) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wNLN5xsx5dc/mqdefault.jpg)
Let's not forget the fact when you talk to him wearing any mask he knows it's name and story, including transformation masks
Perhaps the real rewards were the masks we wore along the way.
Perhaps the real truth is that we all wear masks. Which do we choose to wear?
And when the world needed her the most, she showed up with a new Zelda vid!
Just a theory but I wonder if the Happy Mask Salesman fell into Termina before Link did that would clear up the disappearance of the Happy Mask Salesman.
Yeah he would recognize link and skull kid had the mask before he met link before he fell in so makes sense to md
I always assumed that The Mask Salesman came to Termina first. I mean he is in fact there before you get there. Although I kinda assumed that he entered Termina intentionally in search of the Skull Kid.
Did... Everyone just forget the game outright says the mask salesman got robbed first, and then came looking for the skull kid?
And he states he wants Link to get the mask back for him. And is very obviously nefarious. And literally shakes a child.
I just...--
Like... Why is all this even a question?
Bruh that happy mask salesman was also in another game
2:42
The credits take place in the timeline where Ganodorf got incarcerated. So the Happy Mask Salesman never disappeared.
Without the salesman manipulation, there's no Majora's Mask story
What if the Happy Mask Salesman is Majora, the same way Hylia is Zelda? Sure, Majora is still in the mask, but it wouldn't be the first time we've seen a spirit in two different embodiments in the series because Link was talking to Link when the Hero's Shade was teaching the Hero of Twilight, and if Zelda is Hylia reincarnating over and over again (as evidenced by the Triforce of Wisdom always being wielded by a Zelda), then Hylia would exist in two states too. Just seeing the aspects of Majora's personality represented as little mask salesmen made me think of that, and the fact that Major literally IS a mask could explain his fascination with them. Maybe he incarnated as a human so he could release his own seal! Yeah, its a crazy theory and probably not true, but it would certainly be an interesting twist.
Maybe it wasn't so much as breaking his seal, but more putting his other half to rest in order to gain peace? Like how a lot of MM is about grief. He is dealing with his grief by freeing himself from it in a similar way to how people soothe childhood trauma by 'healing their inner child'
@@moonflower8525 Huh. That reminds me a lot of that Star Wars: The Old Republic extension I played called Shadow of Revan. In it, the redeemed Sith Lord Revan was killed, and his soul split in two. His Light Side self embraced death, but his Dark Side self clung to unnatural life. In order to be whole again and put to rest, the Light Side force ghost Revan had to help the protagonist (the playable character) kill his Dark Side self before he could wreak havoc on the Galaxy.
I really like that angle, especially because Majora's Mask acts like a child seeking the attention he was so desperately lacking by "acting out," perhaps even mirroring Skull Kid and his feelings of abandonment.
It would sort of reflect Carl Jung's philosophy of the shadow self, that is, the duality between your better half which is altruistic and your dark half which embodies all your childish selfishness and weakness. The angle is even more reinforced by the fact that the Happy Mask Salesman talks several times about the happiness which Link brought to the souls reflected in the masks, almost as if it was the Salesman's purpose to help facilitate the healing process by guiding Link through this strange world, culminating in the healing of Majora himself.
Long story short, I think that angle is brilliant!
One of the things many haven’t noticed in videos like this is that the Happy Mask Salesman in MM is meant to be Miyamoto himself.
How exactly? Well, you have to keep in mind that the main 3-day mechanic was born out of the really tight deadline Aonuma was given by Miyamoto. He was told “Complete this game in a short amount of time. Fail, and we’ll make the Ocarina of Time successor that I want to make.” Aonuma essentially made a Zelda game based on his life circumstances at the time, and Miyamoto was the main “quest giver” that burdened him with such a monumental task.
Not only was the original HMS model in OoT based on Miyamoto as an Easter egg, but his personality was _especially_ shown in MM. Miyamoto has been described as “a slightly more friendly Steve Jobs”, and Steve was very well known to have severe anger issues and outbursts on his employees. The HMS’s personality can easily fit Miyamoto’s described persona as well: Friendly, encouraging, and supportive. Yet can easily have a meltdown whenever there’s a setback, hysterically crying over worries and concerns, and barking orders at others without doing any work himself.
The “masks” talked about could also be construed as an analogy about the player becoming Link when playing Zelda in the same vein as a kid becomes Iron Man when they put on a Halloween mask. The Mario mask on the HMS’s back solidifies this, as Miyamoto makes the Mario “masks” irl that millions of people around the world enjoy. And what does the HMS do before phasing out into nothingness? He collects Majora’s Mask from Link just as Miyamoto collected the final build of Majora’s Mask from Aonuma when his team was finished.
"How many other lies have i been told by the council!"
Banger line
From the moment you stepped foot into that room council chamber, all the way up to you becoming Vader . And yes they did lie to him in the phantom menace I don't think it was intentional though . They were stating they sensed his fear but they were really sensing their own fear being redirected back at them . OP I know
@@SurprisedFireflies-ik4kt good thing i have the youngling slayer 9000 on me then...
"What are midiclorians?"
The Happy Mask Salesman is like some kind of minor kami, or fey trickster.
We aren't sure what their ultimate goal is, or even their motives. They seem to know more than they reveal, but in our case at least... Are providing us with tools and knowledge to achieve the "Good Ending". At least, in Termina.
I really enjoyed this! 👏 I would definitely believe the salesman to be deceptive and "mask" his true personality because this video makes me think of his implied ancestor (?) in Skyward sword, Ruben 🤔
Ruben looks identical to the Happy Mask Salesman in Majoras mask/OOC right down to his overall appearance (neatly combed hair, rounded shoulders, seen rubbing his hands a lot, slim, etc) and most importantly the big overly cheerful smile he wears.
My point of me bringing attention to him is it's revealed to us IN GAME that it's all in fact a FACADE on his part. 👀 If you visit Ruben's house after dark, you'll find him sitting at his desk frowning deeply and when approached he glares hatefully at you, speaking in a gruffer and gritter tone rather than the giggly highpitched one he uses during the day. If you ask him about this, the man actually responds by growling at you that he gets sick and tired of being smiley and friendly all day long and makes it clear that he HATES IT 😳
IDK I just thought it was an interesting coincidence that the Zelda Devs would make this obvious reference to the Mask Salesman in SS and paint him in this way 🤔 it's like they want to make you wonder if the Mask Salesman hates being smiley and cheery just as much as Ruben does
What i loved the most is that in the Majora's Mask manga, the mask salesman approaches Link while he was still in his Feirce Deity form and Link tells him "be gone you troublemaker" and slashes at his bag of masks. Making the mask salesman run for his life
Good video, but there is a tiny detail missed. The Happy Mask salesman from MM is of the timeline where Link leaves the Lost Woods, goes to the castle, warns Zelda, Ganondorf is incarcerated, and Link leaves. No damage done, and his shop hasn't even set up yet. Liked and Subscribed! Keep up the good work.
The shop is finished setting up once you gain access to Death Mountain, not when you return from as Adult Link. ;)
@@AkaiAzul But in the altered timeline, Link has no reason to gain access to Death Mountain at all. The messed up part is he still had the memories of a different future and the trauma of battling monsters and the King of Evil as a young man, but is back in the body of a boy. One wonders if the Mask Shop would even occur to Link at that point, because he doesn't really have any incentive to borrow the Keaton Mask and sell it to the guard in Kakariko if he's prevented the downfall of Hyrule.
@@The_Lucent_Archangel Wait, is the altered timeline before he pulls the master sword or before he meets Zelda?
Before he meets zelda
@@AkaiAzulbut you don't complete death mountain, he was sent back in time before Ganondorf did anything . So nothing happened yet
After watching chapter one I can tell you now, he didn't need link to continue his business because he has a whole traveling shop on his back in Majora's mask . I think he was always sinister
I'm not sure he was really sinister, maybe he just got joy from chaos. Neither evil, nor good, just takes mirth in insanity.
Could the Happy Mask Salesman be the last interloper in hyrule? Could explain how he is not affected by the song of time knows songs with magical properties like the song of healing and can teleport
From what I remember from the manga, the salesman says something to Fierce Deity Link, the reply being the latter throwing him on the ground out of anger, telling him to begone for all the troubles he caused, making the salesman mask leave while cackling. Probably not canon but I thought it was worth mentionning.
Bold claim right there! I believe it. There’s something odd about him that’s just unsettling
He might have been a demon once as his exact silhouette appears during the prologue of Skyward Sword right to the left of Demise when he first attacked the surface world. Since Batreux was able to become human through the collection of Gratitude Crystals it's possible the Happy Mask Salesman did the same by making people happy through the selling of his masks.
Idk if you know her or remember her but remind me so much of VortexxGaming she was a very underrated Zelda lore channel before she passed . You make such good videos so far there isn’t one I don’t like 👍
I used to watch her video all the time when I started playing Zelda games. Binged her OOT videos when I got the game for 3ds.
wait, she passed? what's your source? i thought she just stopped uploading
She died? I loved her content, how?
@@Tam00393 There's talk of her dieing in a car accident but no evidence to support it.
Wait what? Is this true or just rumors?
if there is one zelda character that was indeed lying to us it is the old man oshus from phantom hourglass.
if you want I can go on detail where I am exposing his lies.
A theory from the early 2000's that I still believe is that the salesman is deity or a god in the Zelda universe. It explains why time dosen't move when in the clock tower, the piano and his appearance in the game boy game.
The Salesman from the N64 version was _killed_ by the Skullkid as proven by the flashback scene showing his motionless body while the Skullkid is holding his _flute_ which Skullkids use to shoot deadly darts towards adults (who they dislike according to Navi) in Ocarina of Time. The reason why the HMS never leaves the Clock Tower until Majora's Mask has been defeated is because he was a restless spirit who couldn't leave the mortal realm until he fulfilled his "unfinished business" of retrieving the mask hence why we never see him outside the tower until the 4th Day. Finally when we see him vanishing out of thin air at the end of the game that was him passing into the Afterlife having finally found peace courtesy of him reclaiming Majora's Mask thanks to Link.
Since the 3DS version removed the flute from the Skullkid's hand plus made the HMS's body still move during the flashback Nintendo pretty much retconned his fate to make the story less darker than it already was.
PS: The HMS from Oracle of Ages is a _reincarnation_ of the character hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time so he cannot be the exact same HMS from Majora's Mask as corroborated by his lack of pointed ears.
@@javiervasquez625
You know, I always found weird many of the HMS's interactions from the piano/organ appearing from nowhere to him vanishing like a ghost from the ending cutscene and I always thought it was due to the console's limitations.
...but this makes so much sense that my mind exploded.
@@javiervasquez625 damn bro it was all right there in plain sight and i never catched this
Aight anyway, I'm convinced HMS is Sheikah of some variety or flavor. It's all right there.
He does have a mask of theirs....at least, it's supposedly theirs.
I feel that Majora was actually the happy mask sales man's real identity and who we see as the "sales man" is his mask. When the spirit in the mask was released so was he and this is why he later dissapears because how can a mask be a mask without someone to wear it?
The salesman ends up being someone wearing a mask similar to Majora's or the Fierce Deity and taken by some form of mask god lol I love this theory
I think he’s Sheikah, and not necessarily one of the “good” ones. He works for someone - someone who is actively searching for ancient Sheikah artifacts, particularly mask-like ones with dark magic properties. Hence the mask salesman act, a sort of undercover agent persona. “So, the evil has left the mask after all,” he said, almost as if he was disappointed. He’s up to something. And something bigger than him is at work here. Perhaps a secret plot by a new wave of Sheikah defectors - or Sheikah defector wannabes - who got nostalgic about old times (old times highlighted in red). We can’t say for sure. Maybe that’s all part of the mystery - and that’s why we need a sequel to MM, one where the Happy Mask salesman reappears, perhaps in a new land, perhaps revealing his true colors by the end of the game? Who can say…
My first video and I think it was well researched and expertly presented deserves a sub and imma check out your library
Babe, wake up. Another Zelda essayist channel just appeared
I'm pretty sure he was. But whatever the motive, at least balance was restored in the end.
But honestly though, I stick to the philosophy: Some mysteries are better left unsolved.
Oh you have the voice for audio dramas
He has lots in common with shiekah or interlopers, knows lots, is kinda similar to moon children but on diff note what became of ppl in skyloft after ss? Did they evolve? Zonai lived in sky but i doubt hylians turned into goat dragon people. Anyway yea theres something not right about mask guy
Happy mask salesman is the gaunter o',dimm of the zelda universe hahaha
I don't think a grudge that the Mask Salesman would get from the 7 year collapse of Hyrule from the Adult timeline would have anything to do with his motives in Majora's Mask- they're two different timelines... At the end of the day, he'll likely remain a mysterious character forever. After all, that's what makes him so interesting and popular to make theories and speculation on. Any good mystery writer knows not to solve every mystery you write. It is notable that one of the few things we know about him is that his face was based off of Miyamoto's, so his true nature may be reflected in Miyamoto's self. I have heard that many developers within Nintendo feared for what Miyamoto's "upended teatable" would bring...
Your LoZ videos are AMAZING! I'm so glad I found your channel!!
I seem to be late to comments but i also agree with others that happy mask salesman found termina before link but also that he doesnt blame the result of his business (according to the failure in Hyrule town with adult Link) on child Link. But i do believe that within the 7 years he left in pursuit of more rare masks, specifically, Majora's Mask, which then also leads him to Termina. I also believe that once he was in termina and Link followed him, that he also realized he was immune to Song of Time due to his OoT origins, same as Link.
I do believe that when he did find termina that the concepts of "masks" became more prevalent because it was within termina he realized people have more to hide to preserve their outward "tatame" vs their "hone." This becomes especially prominent with the Moon Children and how they ask about your "masks" and "who you truly are". Overall this was a great video and I'm excited to see what you post next. Thank you!!
I never thought to analyze LOZ at all. Thanks
I really loved, the theophany background music... Great choice 👍🏼
he shows up in the demon army cinematic of skyward sword
Fantastic video. Great work and I’ll be following your career with great interest!
the happy mask salesman is actually ness
I think the Mask Sells Man is the one of proto-Yiga Clans at time, people who warship Ganon in form or another, for his comment of the Major’s Mask losing its power sounded like he was disappoint then anything else like he lost powerful weapon for his theorical master and when his eyes open the look red to me though to be fair they really small so hard to tell.
My Theory is the Happy Mask Salesman is a Faye or spirit. Something like Puck in mythology or The Coyote ‘trickster spirit’
Hyrule has all kinds of gods and goddesses that have to watch the reincarnation cycle and the eternal battle of the Goddess, The Hero and Demise and all that it brings to the world.
I think the Salesman is a spirit that toys with fate but can’t actually intervene. Bound by rules he bends but can’t full on break. So he manipulates Link to tip the scales. Making Link sell his masks just so happens to land Link the mask of truth. Or maybe he can’t personally stop Majora but he can get Link to do it.
Why would he want the mask in the first place?His power has limits and maybe he thought it could help him stop Twilight or maybe take it to another time and stop the Goddesses from flooding the innocent
How does he know the healing song or did i ask this too soon?
Ooooo that dam kid who made my business boom... oooh dayum him for creating my siccess then vanishing from existance fir 7 years girrrrrrrrm
I still think majoras mask should be the dream link has about "finding navi" while he's trapped in the sacred realm for 7 years in OOT. I think the fear of losing Navi is the loss/death of the Great Deku Tree and his conflicting relationship between the Kokiri being skull kid in The Lost Woods and reintegrating into a Hylian civilization. Being a kid he would dream about helping people and making friends, while also having skull kid as an enemy as a death of the final disconnect between him and the kokiri. Looking for Navi is his lack of a real childhood. Then when he wakes up, he's committed to the Hylian's and all their issues connected to the princess and everyone else.
Well how do you explain how he popped up with the song of rain in the windmill with adult link?
Great video!
Please do more ocarina of time and majoras mask videos, I will watch all your old content of them (specially if you have them in playlists right now in your channel)
'The Happy Mask Salesman' is an entrepreneur as well as a world traveler. We can assume he has witnessed a great measure of joy as well as tribulation in his travels. To help adults overcome their despair, they re-visit their youth by their children enjoying his masks. Parents inventing adventures with their children in playtime actually help families maintain their strong bond. The overall intention is maintaining 'civilized society' because society endures best when it is genuinely happy. Children are able to enjoy their youth because it is proper to see them happy and healthy. Familial bonds and adventures have this way of staying with us, and aid in coping with the harsh realities of the real world. 'The Happy Mask Salesman' is mysterious but is not nefarious. If anything, he is a relationship builder, which is what entrepreneurs do. His interactions with Link allowed him to bear witness to the young Hylian's integrity and willingness to be of help. Respect was earned and kept. And actually, for the audience returning to these games because of nostalgia, they should also serve this purpose: the overall story arc to life is that good triumphs over evil and it always will. It is our responsibility to be on the right side of that conflict. 'May the way of the Hero lead to the TriForce.' 'May the TriForce be with thee.' 😊
Subbed. I love anything zelda ❤
What? Me?
Thank you!
Okay. I'll subscribe to you.
tah-tah-mah-eh not tatamay
great video. easy sub
i love watching your videos on mass effect and dragon age like n sub
I like it!🎉
Anyone got Saria's person phone number?
たたまえ
ほんね
This was a quite a bad video that made no sence so many times. Like why was chapter one even included? Pure nonsensical speculation about the salesman in the adult time line that you never meet only to talk about the one in the child time line? so weird
To me LoZ is done because TotK just destroyed that team; so I make my own canon and he is a demigod. He wouldn’t have been through the Ganon take over… unless it’s a god and can feel the time changes. It has to take the souls of the thing it wants to look like and does it through the masks as a drip feed; OR raw as we see from bubblegems because I also think it’s Kilton and his sister lol but the sister part might have been from TotK not wanting anything to do with BotW, but I digress 😂 I wish the makers actually wanted to tell a story and not have it be some broken mess they’re doing with the jobs and livelihoods of mass amounts of people. Money ruins all art.
Well yup and Nintendo is known to make some cannon games not widely accessable too
1.he is actually there reading over the sign and figuring out how it works before he takes over the store in oot. Just saying. Last time I played I checked.
2. lol still watching the video farther, I find it funny that you state he has years of experience. He literally just started.
3.Hold up, hold up! NO it's not like he just vanishes from time like he never existed! You laterally wouldn't get any of the credit seen's. I don't care if he does disappear. Have you ever heard of teleportation magic? Magic is a thing in zelda. Who is to say that he couldn't have used some? Do your full research gosh dang it! Nothing ageist you personally, I just can't ignore such blatant miss information.
4. ok the children of the moon do bring this up as a one off thing about your true face.
5. Just want to mention that he knew majora was evil and both took it and kept it anyway. He is not a good person. He isn't a purely bad person either, but that mask was sealed away for a reason. He even tells you himself that it was used in dark hexing rituals, so he knew just how bad this mask was and he still removed it from it's seal. WHO DOES THAT!
6.Also also I have played both games extensively and know my lore around them so I know what I'm talking about.
This video reminds me of when I first got into Zelda in 2016. I greatly miss those times
I always show my true self in public I'm weird
I see Happy Mask Salesman, I click. That's my husband right there.
Well, to be fair, I don't think he was lying about the *massive* lunar god hanging over all of Termina-even if he rarely mentions it at all.
yooo she listened to my comment 🫶🫶🫶
Theory: The salesman knew what would happen all along after the mask was taken. He has powers all his own, and he remembers who Link is somehow.
The Hero being who he is, would have no choice but to pursue the one who stole it and put the world in danger.
The fact that Majora'a Mask hit Link with a Deku curse at the start making it personal was just a bonus.
The appearance of the Fierce Deity and the destruction of the mask was an unforseen consequence. Oddly, the Salesman wasn't even upset at that in the end. Leaving us wondering why.
Maybe he just enjoyed all the chaos. Who knows?
I really enjoyed this video, so thank you for making video about the Happy Mask Salesman. I find him so intriguing
I mean he managed to somehow find, get to, and unseal Majora’s mask. It begs the questions of just how and why.
He’s definitely sus.
What game is this? It looks interesting. Always love your videos, Saria. ❤ Thank you for your hard work.
It's Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64 and 3DS. It's an amazing game which stands out from the average Zelda game by adressing themes which we don't usually find through the Zelda franchise. I highly recomend it for anyone interested in the more unique titles which don't stick to the more traditional formula that the franchise has been known for.
@@javiervasquez625 agree 1000000000%. best zelda game in my opinion, just for the aesthetic, mature themes, and vibes. some of the gameplay mechanics are a little clunky, gyorg for example, but definitely my number 1 game.
dang now i gotta worry about the mcdonalds ceo tracking me down for job abandonment before he curses me.
Capitalism behind the mask of a happiness mask. All about forking over those rupees. Better than moblin leavin' ya hobblin'.
I think there is something else you've missed and I'd like to offer my 2 cents if I may.
Link starts off his journey in MM as a bit lonely and even depressed judging by the way he is slumped over in the beginning. As he travels Termina, he sees alot of other people suffering all kinds of misfortunes, all of them equally given up hope at the sight of the impending doom that is the moon. Link is determined to save them and succeeds. In the process, he doesn't just stop evil (like he did in Ocarina of Time) - he also was able to bring joy. thats why the last scene we see in the game is Link and the Skull kid forming a friendship (the drawing is either skull kids or Link's, we don't know for sure).
Your observations about the Happy Mask salesman are spot on, but I also think, in relation to the overall plot of MM - when you wear a mask, you sort of become a new identity, as to how much you change is up to (i.e. do you become the mask?). The only thing we truly know about him is that he likes masks and that he has travelled wide and far. The happy mask salesman has surely seen a lot and has learned a lot too. I think the last bit of wisdom the happy mask salesman tries to impart to Link is the importance and value of joy. The Happy Mask Salesman doesn't wear a mask - he wears a smile, something we don't really see Link do all that much (we do see him smile when he sees Epona again when he enters Romani's ranch).
The journey wasn't just one where Link saves the day; all throughout his journey he was also able to bring happiness to others (like with Anju and Kafei) as well as healing (like with the Goron mask, Gibdo mask, and Zora mask). This journey also healed the young hero who, at the start of the game was depressed and quite literally lost - only to find his way again and come out with a better outlook on life.
After watching chapter one I can tell you now, he didn't need link to continue his business because he has a whole traveling shop on his back in Majora's mask . I think he was always sinister
Its probably good not to read too much into the mask salesman looking like the one in termina. Majoras mask uses the same models largely because it was a massive cost cutting advantage and sped up production time significantly. Similarly there are other characters that are copies of ocarina of time models.
Love the videos 😊😊
Certainly a lot of mysteries that this character has. I have wondered if he could in fact be the true villain of Majora's Mask based on what other people have said about it.
1:03, in a way, would one infur, after oot Link went back in time and was back in kokiri forest. Which events would happen now? Navi would be with the deku tree and, ganon would be sealed? But Link would need to visit the happy mask salesman and do that mini game? Does Link for Navi at rhe the castle? Does he follow the halpy mask salesman into the kost wood into Termina for some reason?
No.
"It seems the magic mask salesman was using us", ya think?, we are always being used, from the first game of the series, as the hero of whatever place we end up in, we have to solve all their problems just so we can go to our next adventure, anyway, if we had no one telling us to go on adventure, would we go?, we always need someone telling us we are the chosen one, or the hero of whatever, then we start the adventure, even MMORPGs tell us that, even if they didn't need to, we are playing those to feel like the everyman landing on a fantastic world full of people and we can go on adventures together without being the oh so great chosen one.
Or just being TOLD you're the chosen one...