The Complete LEGEND OF ZELDA Timeline Explained!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
- The Legend of Zelda timeline is one of the most infamous timelines in all of gaming. Nintendo’s fantasy franchise unfurls its tale of grand adventure across 19 mainline games from the original 1986 Legend of Zelda all the way through to 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom.
With Tears of the Kingdom further expanding the story established in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, what better time to dive back into the ongoing battle between Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.
This is the Legend of Zelda timeline fully explained.
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Creation
02:15 - Skyward Sword
07:35 - The Sacred Realm
08:39 - Minish Cap
11:00 - Four Swords
11:50 - Ocarina of Time
16:43 - The Great Split
18:13 - A Link to the Past
20:36 - Link’s Awakening
21:58 - The Oracle Games
23:13 - A Link Between Worlds
25:46 - Tri Force Heroes
26:46 - The Legend of Zelda
28:47 - The Adventure of Link
30:20 - Majora’s Mask
33:04 - Twilight Princess
35:47 - Four Swords Adventures
37:28 - The Wind Waker
41:45 - Phantom Hourglass
42:52 - Spirit Tracks
44:23 - Breath of the Wild
47:32 - Tears of the Kingdom
From the origins of the Master Sword in Skyward Sword through to the battle against Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild via the time travel shenanigans of Ocarina of Time, this video breaks down the confusing timeline of the Legend of Zelda franchise.
#TimelineExplained #LegendOfZelda #GameSpot
Timeline Playlist - • The Complete THE LAST ...
This video features music from the acclaimed Zelda and Chill albums:
Music by Mikel
Mastered by Dj Cutman
Composed by Koji Kondo, Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Toru Minegishi
Originally from the Zelda series
You can (and definitely should) check out the full albums at GameChops - / @gamechops
Handy links here too:
Zelda and Chill - • Zelda & Chill
Zelda and Chill 2 - • Zelda & Chill 2
Zelda and Chill 3 - • Zelda & Chill III 
Игры
I love that Demise cursed the cycle to include Link,Zelda, and Hatred and then Impa and Beetle happen to tag along
Absolutely hilarious
“The Gang gets stuck in a paradox”
Beetle: the little brother in the situation lol
And tingle every now and then
It’s like cid of final fantasy
I like the idea that BOTW is so far away into the future that all timelines are like a myth / legend. I makes me think that at some point some event happened that caused the merge of all timelines into one (probably the 1st calamity Gannon appeared 10k years ago) and then all the story told in BOTW happens.
I agree with this. They make mention of the hero of time, winds and twilight in the one memory. How would they know of the hero of winds if it was an alternate timeline? Something had to have happened where they learned of it. Maybe we will learn of it in totk
Is botw even confirmed to be in the future? I always felt like it came somewhere after skyward sword but before OoT
@@rasmuskjaerpoulsen yeah in the hyrule encyclopedia book Nintendo put out a few years ago
@@rasmuskjaerpoulsen Botw is way after OoT, there's even the Temple of Time, the Majora Mask, etc. There's also the Hero of Time (OoT) story on Zora story "stone monuments".
merging all time lines is not easy you would need some space/time bending shenanigans to do so, the only zelda game that can do that if nintendo makes it canon would be the original hyrule warrios.
I like to think the concept of Zelda is just that, a legend. A series of stories that all share common threads but differ by each storyteller’s perspective
I don't agree with that theory, mainly because of just how different some games are. Like Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword for instance.
It wouldn't make sense for that theory to be real because most Zelda games' stories connect to each other in some way. For example, The Wind Waker to Ocarina of Time, or the Spirit Tracks to The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass.
"The Legend of Zelda" really refers to an endless war between gods, demons, and their followers. Each game serves as a "battle" in this everlasting war. It's something made clear in the ending of the Japanese version of Skyward Sword, but for whatever reason was scrubbed and rewritten in the English version of the game.
I remember an interview with Eiji Aonuma, where he said basically this. The games are legends. That's why some details may not line up, or the maps aren't the same.
I mean sure... That was literally most peoples opinion except for some people dwelling in theory crafting on the net.. Then the team at Nintendo saw the money potential of a connected series and after the fact said it was quite literally not just a reoccurring desperate legend but literally connected world timelines. Problem being obvious, the first mentioned works simply and easily without much explanations and the latter is obviously forced and contrived after the fact and make very little sense.
@@user-fy7ri8gu8l At least somebody gets it lol. All these people desperately trying to make sense of an interconnected timeline when it was a super-obvious retcon from the get-go.
So for those keeping track, the original Ganon/dorf appears in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link to the Past. He has a pretty good run all things considered.
That's right, there's one Ganondorf spread across timelines. Pretty sure he's also the Ganon/dorf of Zelda 1 and Zelda 2.
@@mrgreatbigmoose nah, technically there's 3 ganons. The one from ALBTW, Hyrule Fantasy, and Adventure of Link was created after the Oracle Games and he's basically a zombie. The one in Four Swords Adventures is a second Gerudo king who doesn't even have the Triforce of Power
@@mrgreatbigmoose ALttP Link kills original Ganondorf at the end of his game. I guess it's original Ganondorf that gets revived in the Oracle games? But I think the Ganon in Zelda 1 and 2 is a reincarnation of the original because of that.
@@CassiusStelar, good catch. I forgot about those two. That one is an incomplete resurrection, isn't it?
@@mrgreatbigmoose yeah, kinda like Zombie Sigma from Mega Man X6
I don’t know what is it about it, but the Zelda timeline fascinates me so much.
It is fascinating but it's also very confusing.
It’s like looking at clouds. Looking for patterns in the chaos.
@@emmamiller. Not really tbh.
I honestly see it as more of a cautionary tale of what happens when you put time travel in a story.
@@thegreatgoobert5847 They do it pretty much the way MCU does it, which is really not all that complicated. It's when you do it like BTTF or Arrowverse, that it gets super-confusing. Star Trek is one of the worst offenders because it is just plain inconsistent.
I really liked how Botw includes so many references, names, in-game myths, and stories from past games across the timelines
I'm missing out on that because I've only ever played the first 3 games before BOTW and I didn't get very far on A link to the past so a lot of those references are flying right over my head.
Small correction: Ganon is NOT reincarnated in twilight princess, he is the same person from ocarina of time after his execution
But in Ocarina don’t they seal him in the Sacred Realm with the Six Sages and Zelda so why does he have religious people sealing him in the Twilight Realm if he was sealed in the Sacred Realm already?
@@e.astley4862 that’s the adult time line .
The child time line is different.
You're not cool to anyone just watch
@@RICKY123335 So what games is the adult timeline comprised of, my guesses Wind Waker Phantom Hourglass and Spirit tracks and so he doesn’t go back in time and everyone knows that Ganon invaded in OOT whereas in The timeline with MM and TP after the hero of time was sent back it was erased from existence in OOT so I presume that since OOT was erased that TP was technically the first Ganondorf invaded and he was sealed in a different realm with some magical religious people.
@@e.astley4862 it’s the same Gannon from OOT lol.. just in childhood time line .. same thing with MM. same link ..
I actually think it's unique to not only have a split timeline, but for it to also merge once again with breath of the wild, which you don't see often, when timelines merge once more. The past may have been different, but that doesn't necessary mean that it doesn't all merge into one timeline again in the convergance.
I still don't know how people can believe that the timelines merged. At least not with the Wind Waker timeline. We have to remember that the Wind Waker timeline first submerged all of Hyrule continent into water and at its end, by the power of the Triforce no less, it was forever sealed into that water. So you also can't just drain it again as the Triforce is what keeps it flooded and sealed away. That's also the reason why Ganon(dorf) never returned in that timeline after. Since he was not only petrified by the Mastersword, but along with Hyrule being sealed away. That timeline then continues to establish a completely new continent later on, where the kingdom is reestablished and train tracks go through the land.
All of what I described had to somehow merge back into unflooding the Hyrule, subsequently unsealing that Ganondorf, and repositioning the Mastersword from his petrified corpse. I believe at one of those points someone would think twice than to remove the literal seal from the great evil. If they ever got to him.
So, if the timelines merged, I would never accept the Wind Waker timeline being merged into Botw as well.
@@christophsiebert1213 The idea is not impossible for Hyrule to be unflooded again as many floods have occured in myth and disappear. Since thousands of years pass stuff becomes myth and since the gods flooded it, the idea of draining everything isn't impossible either. Sometimes certain things get lost over time and at some point they saw there was no point in keeping it flooded again especially after Ganon not being around for some time
@@christophsiebert1213TotK Depths are theorized to be the Great Sea, due to the sea like plants that grow in there
@@Yabuturtle Unflooding doesnt mean the timelines merged tho
@@pats3212 No there are certain events that caused it to merge again. Hence why they are able to mention multiple things from different timelines rather than just one
I came across the theory that the woman singing at night in Twilight Princess is Malon. Its the exact same sound and people believe she was an ancestor of the hero of twilight. She got with the hero of time who is the Hero’s Shade but his spirit cant go to the afterlife due to his regrets so Malons spirit waits for him. This is why the hero of twilight runs a ranch and the grass blows eponas song. I always loved this theory.
Wow that’s actually a really cool theory. Never heard it before
Oooh, I like that theory.
The theory of Link and Malon is all but confirmed by Nintendo.. so take it as fact.
Truth
@@hehateme1017 Source, please, with (C), please with (C). Source?? : D
BotW is what The Elder Scrolls would call a Dragon Break; a point in time at which all alternate histories collapse on each other and every possible past becomes simultaneously true.
N'wahhhhh
@@lesgrosgainz Nah man, he's probably right. It explains why there are references to all other timelines and why the Ritto & Zora exist. Zora went extinct after evolving into the Ritto. If it is the case of a "Dragon Break" I hope they do a good job with it. It makes the future sequels really exciting knowing all the history of the series can be tapped into.
@@tonys_write Sorry my dude but you completely missed the joke. N'wah really means something in TES lore, especially in the region of Morrowind.
@@lesgrosgainz Haha, well fair enough! Thank you for explaining and being all around civil!
@@tonys_write All good man, have a good one!
I've only played BOTW and just starting playing this past Christmas so I appreciate understanding the timeline of past games.
I forget botw is some people’s first Zelda. Try ocarina of time and/or majoras mask.
@@Denkin_Donuts yep. Ocarina of time is a must if you want to get into the zelda franchise!
@@eer2050 absolutely. But MM was better imo
Honestly, if you're new to Zelda, forget about the timeline, most of the games weren't even meant to connect in this way when they came out and it's a ret-con with a ton of continuity issues. BotW doesn't even care about it at all and includes places and characters from several different timeline branches.
If you play Ocarina of time/Majora's mask I recommend the 3DS remakes over the original, and after that I recommend getting into twilight princess and wind waker.
I’m really hoping that Tears of the Kingdom brings back some of the narrative storytelling that Twilight Princess gave us
I feel like Totk happens before skyward sword which but there are things against it and things agreeing with it
@@Iink_0 this is quite impossible, the hero of the skies was the first hero, also how ganondorf would exist before demise?
@@FunkykappaCat well maybe it is but isn’t, it’s like a repeat of history, in the new trailer I’m 100% sure I saw Demise, the master sword is broken and the Elf woman we saw with the tear on her necklace could be hylia, Totk could be the story told in skyward sword about how they went to the sky
I’m saying time repeats what happens maybe, not that they go back in time, it’s hard to explain
@@Iink_0 time never repeats what repeat is the fight of between good and evil but this happens only after the curse, ganondorf is the reincarnation of Demise's hatred as a curse, what you saw is Demise's manifestation in Ganondorf.
Zelda and Hylia are literally the same in all games since Zelda has Hylia's spirit, that's why in times of need Hylia can control Zelda's Body.
The Land of the skies was one of the first lands created by the gods, the hero of skies is literally the first hero, that's way the master sword was forged by him, it wouldn't make any sense the master sword or Hyrule existing before skyward sword.
And there's no elves in zelda franchise, they're hylians and hylians are humans, with hylia heritage.
@@FunkykappaCat When I say elf Ik what a hylian is, I’m talking about the one with extremely long pointy ears
ocrina of time - majoras mask - twilight princess are the trio I hold dear to my heart.
Same. They're the OG heavy-hitters. BotW is the new classic, let's hope TotK is just as good. 🤘
@@zacharycollins9485 botw is hard to enjoy because it only had 4 actual dungeons which is divine beasts....i felt the entire world is empty and no challenging fun dungeons like oot, majora mask, and tp
@@Greatlicht i really enjoyed botw, with all the amazing places to explore and discovering glitches that arent hard to pull off after completing the game the normal way. The dlc was also a great addition in my opinion
@@zacharycollins9485 Botw is okay but it will never be remembered as a classic. Same with totk
@@E55666 you have the same mentality of people that said that one kind of music would be a forever classic and all the others would be forgotten. Kids that are born today are never going to play the games you played as a kid, and they are going to compare them to the new games, botw seems pretty advanced all things considered and everything talked in that game is material for a classic.
I just started BOTW a couple days ago, and this video instantly has me more invested.
Based on your explanation of the timeline, BOTW seems like an inevitable point for all timeline fractures to reach. It's like Time slowly healed itself over a 10,000 year period.
I like the (admittedly dark) idea of that breath of the wild is so far in the future that its near the end of the world, and tears of the kingdom may be eluding to a literal timeloop. Where the events of Tears is the battle referenced to have happened before Skyward sword.
Which, the idea of the end of the world looking as beautiful and peaceful as Breath of the Wild is, is kinda lovely.
or not... I havent played totk yet
@@Arthur-gf8yf playing it rn, it's worth the 100 bucks dude (i'm canadian).
Windwakers final battle scene is incredible
Easily one of the best in the series!
"The wind...it is blowing..."
My guess (and many others' as i've heard) is that ToTK will somehow reconnect directly with Skyward Sword - hence the uroboros symbol in the title's artwork - and possibly ending the curse once and for all.
Or maybe just the latter, starting a new unified timeline easier to follow for future games.
That’s what I thought too first when the first sky lands were shown in one of the first trailers… and then when the name of the game was revealed along with that ouroboros, I made some connections! That would be very mind bending!
i’ve also seen a theory that its not only ganon but also demise in totk and that fits well with this one tbh
@@longd1ckstyleyea we saw him in the trailer at least something that closely resembles him but ngl I’m not ready for the story to end because if the curse is no more who will take over what will the story be about
I think it's so dumb how everybody assumed this as soon as they saw islands in the sky and Link skydiving and I will be delighted when none of it pans out.
@@Christopher-md7tf Yeah even though it's canonically one of the most important games and you can hear Fi's voice in BotW
I didn’t expect there to be 196628 different Links.
I love this series so much. Ever since I was a little kid I barely understood the story but the world, the music it just let my imagination run wild.
Even as an adult now trying to understand the complete timeline is a challenge it self I probably will revisit this video multiple times.
Thank you for making this video. There hasn't been an updated video that goes into depth on the lore and when they do, they miss details or explain it in a confusing way with the whole 3 timelines thing, this video is a well put together and detailed explanation of the lore for new fans just in time for TOTK.
I cried like a baby at the end of twilight princess 😢 it genuinely broke my heart
Such an emotional game
Someone's never played Sonic Battle
When Midna left. I didnt want her to go😢
@@meyeneetuks4680 I never thought I'd found my brothers and sisters in a RUclips comment! I love you guys!
@@meyeneetuks4680 GREAT THANKS INOW I CAN NEVER PLAY THIS GAME GAAAAH
Dude phantom hourglass and spirit tracks are so underrated and I'm so glad to hear about people knowing about them, thanks for making this video!
I like the idea of Skyward-Orcarina-Majoras-Twilight-Breath specifically those being its own timeline.
Majora's is by far my favorite.
i honestly like the idea of different timelines, one where the hero won and another where he lost, this generates so many possibilities and i love it
Does it tho? It seems like the result is pretty much always the same.
Another Link just finishes the job and that’s it.
@@juantsu2000 the concept is still cool, but still the zelda games are still enjoyable
I'm starting to realize why the dev team isn't sticking to the timeline in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Cant say that yet. They likely will.
@@GonKillua85 we can since they made all previous games take place more than 10,100 years ago and therefore practically erased the old timeline and made all of the previous games legends.
With exception of SS and OOT which are the only game to actually have physical landmarks in Botw
@@carlosdominguez9360 We cant know that for sure yet. BOTW/TOTK can still be placed somewhere, regardless of the 10,000 Years.
We just have to wait until we get official confirmation.
Come back in 10 years
@@GonKillua85 They've already given confirmation. They said it takes place at the end of the timeline, but it's purposely kept vague which branch it's in and they want it that way, because it gives them more creative freedom. Breath of the Wild is essentially a soft reboot of the series' lore. Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time are the only games to matter to Breath of the Wild's lore in any way.
20 years from now, explaining the timeline will take as long as a full length movie.
Yet another revenue source! 💰💰💰
The fact it needs to be explained in such detail... shows there IS NO TIMELINE.
Nah, in 20 years from now we’ll only have 2 more games, max 3.
I feel they put BOTW and TOTK (along with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity) so far into the future that they created the opposite of what Ocarina of Time did. The Convergent Timeline. Hence why so many artifacts of previous games come into place. When you really think about it, the stuff in the child timeline can exist in the adult timeline hence the Twilight Princess mirror appearing in BOTW.
Only time doesn't naturally converge. It can't. It can only diverge.
However if Hyrule Warriors was canon (its storyline is a magical nexus of other timelines) then that could force a convergence.
So it's the Dark Souls III of the Zelda series?
As long as you remember all games (except obvious sequels) stand alone and any unified timeline is made up as Nintendo goes along, it's so much fun to think about. Especially BOTW/TOTK showing remnants of all past games, both in the names of places and physical ruins
The "What if" games like Hyrule Warriors are some of my favourite games. Even if they aren't really neccessary I still appreciate nintendo making these kind of games.
age of calamity is a canon seperate timeline, so thats pretty cool
I’m also okay with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom being in a timeline of its own😄 but either way, this is an incredible story that I hope never ends.
BTW, wit the Downfall Timeline, we don't actually know if Hero of Time Link died. It just states that he was defeated, not killed. And as we see in WW, a Triforce-bearer doesn't need to be killed to gain their part of the Triforce...(just knocked out or beaten senseless).
The Hero's Shade is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Once a famed swordsman of Hyrule, he is, according to Hyrule Historia, the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask that died lamenting that he was never remembered as a hero, as well as not passing down his skills to the next generation.
Partially, to ease his regrets, the Hero's Shade teaches Link his hidden skills that can only be passed down through those carrying "the hero's bloodline," seeing potential in his descendant.
@@gustavojoserodriguez7475sn't it the hero's spirit? And the goddess bloodline is carried by the Zeldas
The depth of this lore preceeds so many other great stories from games to follow. Everytime I see it or read about it the great spit is mind blowing. Twilight Princess remains my favorite in terms of it's adult nature and darker style and I hope that they'll do a take like that again
One error, Ganondorf is not reincarnated in Twilight Princess. That’s the same person, as he was never killed by Link. Only banished by the sages.
Is Ganondorf ever reincarnated? Outside of Skyward Sword, I could have sworn every single instance of Ganon/Dorf was the same Desert King from Ocarina of Time. He only ever gets sealed away.
...Although, his sealing also involved a sword through the skull in Windwaker, but I don't think he ever shows up again in the WW timeline either. I guess the Toon timeline has the killing Ganondorf% world record speedrun.
@@CiaphasKirby only in 4 swords. Otherwise, it’s the same person every time. It’s possible that this ganondorf is the same from Ocarina as well. We don’t know yet.
@@wolves44445 except for the fact that OoT ganon died in twilight princess
why is his face square if its the same person in twilight princess
"Nintendo retconned this timeline a handful of times"
And I still feel he needs more retcon: I'm serious, guys! Zelda II: "There once was a Princess named Zelda. She was cursed and her brother passed a law, declaring that all firstborn princesses in the royal family should be called Zelda in her honor"
OH! That explains a lo-
[This happens near the end of the timeline in ONE branch]
WHY!?
She's not connected to Hylia, the sleeping Zelda. Unlike the Zelda we know from the first LOZ.
@@ibechuu9695 yeah, I know... But like... I imagined whe was the first Hylian Zelda
@@ibechuu9695 All Zeldas are connected to Hylia by being their descendants.
@@carloscarlin114 no I'm literally referencing Hyrule Historia. It distinctively states this.
@@ibechuu9695 Hyrule Historia doesn't say this. I even double-checked before making this comment.
Unlike Link and Ganondorf, Zelda doesn't reincarnate. All Zeldas are simply descendants of the one from Skyward Sword.
This amazing video was definitely worth my 48 minutes and 45 seconds. Thanks for the amazing explanation. This cleared up many questions I had about the weird connections between the games.
You mad lads, you actually made it. Big kudos to the team!
30:20 being ~19 mins from the end is perfection
The way I've always read it is that BotW is the inevitable conclusion to all 3 timelines. So it's not that they've merged but rather that no matter which of the 3 happens, we always end up at BotW.
❤
Incredible video! Thank you for using our Zelda & Chill albums
Wow, BOTW was my first Zelda game. This video is simply amazing. I have a newfound love for the lore and story of this game now. I also really wanna go back and play some of those old games, the footage y’all showed helped keep my engaged too wtf this video is fantastic. Amazing storyteller and explanations given by the host
Earned a new sub and a like here.
Incredible story, I cannot begin to imagine how much time it must have taken to put this together. But it helps people like me who also wondered how it all connects make more sense. Thank you good sir!
I am sure teh 5 million sub giant GameSpot is sure to recognize this.
@BDBD16 fair enough. However it is quite obvious why they are where they are today with the type of content we receive.
i like that BOTW and TOTK are possibly at the end of the series as well as BEFORE Skyward Sword! with the whole series being about cycles and the logo for TOTK being Ouroboros, i think it's totally possible that time itself repeats itself over and over
all i know is we need another twilight princess game 🥺🖤⛓️
Yeeerrrrrsssssssss
Proud owner of all 19 zelda mainline games. Best series ever
You’re missing one
@@yang6642 which one ?
Respect my bro 😎
This was a great effort in tying all this together, great video and presenting🙏 You forgot to mention Tingle was the orchestrator of Demise the whole time btw…
Zelda's timeline is awesome
Thank you for taking the time to explain everything. I am super excited to be able to play Tears of the Kingdom in less than two weeks!
I never played these games as a kid, which upsets me. I did play some of majora's mask, but never completed it. I bought BOTW and am enjoying it. However, I don't have time to play all the games to get the lore and join the zelda fan base, so here I am.
“Somehow, Gannondorf returned.”
This was really thorough! Good work
THANK YOU SO MUCH i needed this for so long!!❤❤
My personal theory is that Breath of the Wild is so far in the future of the Zelda timeline that all 3 of the timelines have happened at some point in history. Ocarina of time being the focal point for this split makes it tough but here goes:
The fallen hero timeline could just as easily happen at different points in history. As long as the conditions are met (Link loses to Gannondorf who has the full triforce) that timeline could occur after just about any reincarnation of Gannondorf. While the official timeline places it as a branch from OOT I would say that it is probable that whatever event truly kicked it off was not as memorable so the legend got tacked on to the OOT ending as a message for future listeners to ensure the importance of OOT's story got across.
The other two are tougher to specify, one timeline is derived from Gannondorf being arrested thanks to the knowledge of a child link (the child link timeline) with Link naffing off to adventure and muck about with masks and twilight. The other implies that the events of OOT did occur and the story continues AFTER link has been sent back in time to his child self and no longer exists in the world (the adult link timeline).
My theory is that the OOT scenario has occurred TWICE in all of history. Maybe not exactly the same each time but close enough for OOT to be considered a singular point. In one instance Zelda is informed of Gannondorf's evil thanks to a young Link resulting in him doing the requisite timeline with Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventure. Some time after that, when the memory of OOT has faded the story plays out again, a servant of the kingdom named Gannondorf being a reincarnation of the original (reincarnation being a major plot point) is not stopped thanks to a young child Link and goes on to cause trouble. With the Hero of Time not arriving this time round (maybe Link was not born in this era, maybe Gannondorf killed him early who knows) this led to the land of Hyrule being drowned in the ocean leading to Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. After this point the Triforce fades into legend since it is not directly in use in Breath of the Wild. The symbol of the Triforce was used by the incarnations of Zelda as symbols within the royal family but the object itself was sent to the bottom of the seas and lost forever.
This would allow all instances of the timelines to exist without causing serious trouble but due to the time difference the split has been focused around the story of OOT it being the most memorable for listeners. As all timelines exist all stories are considered "true", yet due to the nature of the timeline being a series of legends artistic license has been taken resulting in this split timeline explanation. Rather than being forced to determine which timeline the BOTW story is a part of or which timeline is "cannon" all are accurate but so far in the past that the timing got mixed up in the storytelling.
My theory for TotK is that it tells the story of the original war for the Triforce described in the opening of Skyward Sword, revealing that the time"line" is actually cyclical. There sure is a lot of Ouroborous imagery in those trailers, isn't there? That would explain why even all the way at the beginning of the timeline, there was a technologically advanced "ancient" civilization that built robots and stuff.
While idk much about the lore from old games i really love this idea bc it leaves room for possible re-releases of older games for the new consoles n stuff
mistake, the twilight princess, OOT, and wind waker have the exact same gannon. He was just sealed, he was not reincarnated
How do you know they are the same Ganondorf?
It's almost always the same Ganondorf. In Ocarina of Time, he's sealed but breaks free in the prologue to Wind Waker, which is why the world needs to be flooded.
At the end of Ocarina of Time, where we see kid Link and kid Zelda together again, Link explains what Ganondorf is preparing to do, and eventually he's captured and is going to be executed, which is what we see in Twilight Princess.
And in the downfall timeline, Ganon is sealed in the Sacred Realm after the Hero of Time is defeated. Throughout the downfall timeline games, we see Ganon being killed and resurrected many times.
The only Ganondorf who is outright a different person entirely is the one from Four Swords Adventures, who has a different backstory from the Ganondorf we see in Ocarina of Time
@@justinbarton8808 It's literally stated in those games that they're the same one from Ocarina of Time. Just across two different timelines.
@TheHynusofTime I imagine Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf will not be the same 1 killed in TP either. Likely a Ganondorf born 10,000 years ago.
also the ToTK gannon can be Twilight princess gannon brought back as the strike from the master sword is in the same place as the sealing hand
Thank you for making thiiiiis my SO is kinda obsessed with Zelda but I've never played any of the games- I have started essentially doing research so I can understand their excitement and discuss it with them and this helps A LOT for learning the lore and everything
Thats why i love the multiverse idea. An infinite possibility of stories without obligation to a timeline
I have always had the theory that breath of the wild takes place in ANOTHER timeline split where the hero stays instead of going back to his childhood
That was awesome, loved it.
Awesome video my dude. Keep it up! I’m looking forward to seeing your other stuff. Also your voice is…… calming.
I am from the future. Tears of the Kingdom might actually be another branch in the timeline from Skyward Sword this time lol
Now termina is definitely a different dimension and lorule is technically the flip side to hyrule. Those 2 make sense for different dimensions. The rest I feel like is just the sacred realm turn to those that are in it. They fully explained that in ocarina of time how the realm changes to those who are in it. So what if twilight realm, lorule, the dark realm, (termina is a stretch), and where the zonai are currently reside are the sacred realm itself?
I hope they use TotK and BotW to rewrite the timeline and go from there. It always felt like gamers have just come up with the 3 split timeline and Nintendo just ended up running with it and changed a few things to make it look legit, but I feel its needs a whole rework. Really love all the theories etc. so hpefully they can put it all together
REBIRTH
It's almost as if each iteration was supposed to be exactly what the series title implies: a legend.
real. I want it to start at skyward sword, go to botw and then totk for this "new" canon/timeline, but thats just me
As a long time fan, I can confirm that before Hyrule Historia most people's timeline theory was a split timeline - 2 branches from Ocarina of Time onwards
The official timeline in Hyrule Historia was quite controversial at the time for adding a 3rd split. The gamers certainly didn't come up with that! I mean, there was no reason for it - there isn't even a "bad ending" in Ocarina of Time, nor any cutscene that plays at a Game Over! Why that game specifically anyway? - you can Game Over in ALL Zelda games... Introducing a 3rd split came across as Nintendo just wanting to disprove all current timeline theories - fans weren't pleased
That was like, 10 years ago though. We've grown to accept the lore as it is. Zelda isn't a franchise that takes itself seriously, all good :)
@@richardgurney1844 I agree, I never really like that Fallen timeline explanation, made no sense to me it felt like they inserted that into it. I didnt really understand why they had that branch of the timeline, as it could be like this for every single zelda game lol.
I like the thought that the timelines are being twisted to correct the error of time travel, all the nexus events are fused together for Botw/Totk, yet it's still breaking thanks to the continuation of time travel. If that ever snaps... well, perhaps that's where our story will find it's final iterations of Zelda, Link and Ganondorf.
Cant imagine the amount of research you did for this. I’m currently replaying Ocarina of Time & it’s everything as awesome as I remember. I wonder if they would do a remaster of any of their best games.
I always like the idea of the first Hyrule Warriors causing the timeline convergence. The time and dimension breaking events allow the Rito to coexist with the Zora, and the extinct Sheikah and Gerudo come back as well. Ganondorf is sealed away, and I guess we find him again.
The Zonai give a lot of Twili vibes, so maybe somehow with time and space messed up, the Twili reemerge in Hyrule and become the Zonai after readapting to the light realm.
Hyrule prospers with new tech, more incarnations of Link and Zelda live and die as Malice formed Calamity Ganon shows up every so often. We don't see those adventures, but maybe we will see more flashbacks with the coming of Tears of the Kingdom and we'll get a better explanation of how this Ganondorf connects to the previous Ganondorfs and Demise. I have a feeling that the woman in the trailer is Hylia or some reawakened Zelda. The game seems to share many aspects with Twylight Princess and Skyward Sword.
tweelee
So, basically. The story can be explained with "somehow, eother link, zelda or ganondorf returned"
“bUt yOu diDnT cOveR agE oF caLaMitY”
I’ve commented this on the GOW version of this video, but I just love when people make these videos RIGHT before a new title
My theory is that Botw and Totk are the final apocalypse that restarts the timeline creating an infinite loop. For me thats why Totk looks that much like Skyward Sword.
The only thing about BOTW being at the end of the Child timeline is that BOTW directly references Twilight Princess, which is fine, but the game then contains the Rito and koroks, which are previously only featured (and thought to be evolved from Zora and Kokiri respectively) in Windwaker, which obviously sits in the Adult timeline.
The rito were in a mural in the rerelease twilight princess and the Kokiri still turned into the Koroks
@@Jayghopkins ah, was this deliberately only in the re-release as part of some timeline patches?
@@lukerinah probably. It is the reason I assume BotW and TotK are in the child timeline.
@@feralfaevr yeah I'm 99% sure botw and TotK are child timeline. That seems to be the primary timeline since Hyrule in the adult timeline ended and there are to many of the same places for botw Hyrule to be that. And downfall timeline just doesn't make sense for it.
@@feralfaevr The Rito from WW can absolutely fly... lol
Fun fact: In BOTW and TOTK, amiibo can give you armor that are Easter eggs from other games
Amazing explanation, first good one I watch
This is purely speculation, but I feel like Tears of the Kingdom is going to put an end to this timeline and create a clean slate. And as much as I love talking about the timeline, it kinda has to end
Greatest franchise of all time
this was my commute video. awesome content dude
“Somehow Ganadorf returned”
31:05 but isn’t a crucial part of the story why Link ventures into the world at this point was to search for his friend aka Navi who disappears at the end of OOT? More of a personal mission instead of wandering the earth in order to keep the Ocarina of Time safe?
I've always liked the theory of BotW somehow being set in a reunified timeline and I feel like part of the reason for BotW being 10,000 years removed from any of the other games is so they can go back and insert more games into any of the three split timelines later if they want.
Love the Zelda and chill soundtracks used for this!!
Majora's Mask IS a banger and is still my all-time favorite, even though I started with the 1st game as a lad-just a little guy. There's just so much I love about it.
Anyway, good work laying the TL all out, nice and clearly.
The moment with the cat was just so precious
I do love the idea of the timeline thing, but for BOTW, the Guardians & the four Divine Beasts aren't made, but are found by the Hyrule kingdom. they were made by the Sheika Clan long ago and were dug up behind mountain sides and beneath the ground. It shows when link is regaining his memories.
Loved this! Thank you for this!!!!!
Always look fkr a refresher before another zelda comes out. Great job. Just the right amount of humour to keep u present. Nice job. Thank you
Please note, Princess Zelda the First from Zelda 2 isn't actually "Zelda we know", but essentially a member of the Royal Family that started the naming tradition in the fallen time line. The "Zelda we know" is the magic wielding heroine we know that's connected to the Goddess of Time, Hylia. The "sleeping Zelda" in that game isn't connected to Hylia. Per Hyrule Historia.
I still really despise the concept of the “downfall” timeline - Link could theoretically be defeated in EVERY Zelda game, which would spawn a “downfall” timeline. It just felt like they didn’t know what to do with the older games, so they threw them into their own timeline.
Thank you for your effort..... this is for me best explanation that I can find on YT.
Marko
Charming and amazing, thank you for this.
While A link to the past is the first Zelda game I've played, I think twilight princess is by far my favorite, I really want them to port it to switch.
I really wish that Hyrule Warriors was canon as I feel like using it as the jumping off point to bringing these split timelines back together again actually works really well and allows Breath of the Wild to then easily cozy in as a series that brings aspects from all games. But they said that we could come to our own conclusions so that's what I'm going to continue to just believe.
Hyrule warriors is canon i think. It just splits into a different timeline again..spoiler:
.
.
.
.
.
.
They use time travel in this game as well, and make it so that the calamity never happened, resulting in again a different hyrule where the calamity never happened.
@@ProfessorWess I'm not talking about Age of Calamity, although that is also a really good one. I was more talking about the the original Hyrule Warriors that had the sorceress' Cia and Lana that brought aspects from multiple timelines together in one world.
@@ProfessorWess Hyrule Warriors games have just gone so hard in terms of quality content for me personally. Love these games to death.
Upvote so others know!!
I found a pair of pants named **Fierce Deity Boots** in TOTK that read "According to legend, these boots were once worn by a hero from a world in which the moon threatened to fall. Wearing them provides godlike power."
They start with 3 armor, and provide an attack up buff.
Can be found under Mount Daphnes through the ancient tree stump. Directly left of the Hyrule field name on the map.
This video is gonna make huge numbers
Trying to explain the Zelda timeline. That's a Bold Strategy, Cotton. Let's See If It Pays off for Him.
I understood the reference💀
I like the theory that says Hyrule Warriors 1 is the game that connect all the timelines
Great video! Super hyped for TotK!
Not only do you talk to us with a facecam but you also give us a nice view of the back of your head in that zelda poster and I appreciate that
Can't wait until you realise that Tears of the Kingdom throws all of this out of the window
In the end we discover that Ganondorf was the good guy all along. If we had just given him a chance instead of stabbing and incarcerating him he would have brought about 10,000 years of peace.
Dude, the Zelda lofi remixes by Mikel is my favorite music to grind to, I'm so happy to hear it in the background of this video.
I wish there will be the legend of zelda movie.