History TearJerker / TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask

* The cutscene you get after you heal Darmani's ghost. The cutscene starts with Darmani's ghost simply floating alone in darkness when suddenly the room lights up, showing all of his Goron friends and family cheering him on with the Song of Healing playing in the background. It would go under heartwarming, but Darmani is dead and unable to help his fellow Gorons at all. The scene ends with him resigning himself to Link in mask form, knowing full well he failed his people.

* Playing the Song of Healing to Mikau: He floats in darkness when Lulu and his bandmates appear, and he picks up his guitar for a final jam.
* Mikau and Lulu's story is heartbreaking. She and his other friends don't even know that he died, and Lulu had just given birth. Those children will never know their father. Worse yet, the Gorons all knew Darmani was dead, so when he disappears again he's just a myth, a hero from beyond the grave. Nobody but Link saw Mikau die, so unless they find his grave (which will still leave them without answers) Mikau saves his children then just... vanishes.

** If you fail to stop the conveyor belt before the Sun's Mask gets to the end (which will really only happen if you choose to let it, seeing as it's a rather slow conveyor and the rooms are easy enough), you and Kafei are trapped inside Sakon's hideout. You can warp out, but Kafei is stuck there. After a brief apology, [[HeroicBSOD he won't talk. He just stands there with that blank expression]].

-->'''Tatl''': [[PetTheDog You did great. She'll...understand]]. (''to Link'') C'mon, let's go. Play your Ocarina and get us outside. Let him be alone.

** If you fail to stop the conveyor belt before the Sun's Mask gets to the end (which will really only happen if you choose to let it, seeing as it's a rather slow conveyor and the rooms are easy enough), you and Kafei are trapped inside Sakon's hideout. You can warp out, but Kafei is stuck there. [[HeroicBSOD And he won't talk. He just stands there with that blank expression.]]

** As we later find out in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess the following game in the timeline]] Link does return to Hyrule, though we never find out if he ever found Navi or not. And while he does have a bloodline afterwards[[note]]Though again, it's never stated who he ultimately ended up with.[[/note]], his feelings of regret and emptiness never left him, even as he became a great Hyrulian knight and breathed his last on the battlefield. It would only be through the teaching of his skills to his descendant, using the melodies of his past, that he would finally find closure as he gave to the Termians, and move on.

-->'''Kafei''': But love...always finds a way...

* The whole premise of the game is that Link's on a journey to find the one friend who's closest to his heart because she left him at the end of ''Ocarina of Time''. [[spoiler:It's Navi. It's never stated if he ever finds her or not...]] It also tells you what all this adventuring has done to Link. After OOT you wonder where Link settled down, and [[{{Shipping}} with which girl]]. The rule is that TheHero will SaveThePrincess and marry her, right? Or will it be the farm girl? The sassy mermaid? The sweet childhood friend? The cool desert rogue? It turns out that he's seen and done too much to ever live anything like a normal life with any of the people around him, and he seeks out the only one who can understand what he's been through. ...only to find a setting with ''twice'' the NightmareFuel and TearJerker material. And, as far as we know, [[spoiler: still not find the person he seeks]]. No matter where he is or who he's with, Link may always be alone.
** As we later find out in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess the following game in the timeline]] Link does return to Hyrule, though we never find out if he ever found Navi or not. And while he does have a bloodline afterwards, his feelings of regret and emptiness never left him, even as he became a great Hyrulian knight and breathed his last on the battlefield. It would only be through the teaching of his skills to his descendant, using the melodies of his past, that he would finally find closure as he gave to the Termians, and move on.

* The whole premise of the game is that Link's on a journey to find the one friend who's closest to his heart because she left him at the end of ''Ocarina of Time''. [[spoiler:It's Navi. It's never stated if he ever finds her or not...]] It also tells you what all this adventuring has done to Link. After OOT you wonder where Link settled down, and [[{{Shipping}} with which girl]]. Is it usual princess? The farm girl? The mermaid? The childhood friend? The cool desert rogue? It turns out that he's seen and done too much to ever live anything like a normal life with any of the people around him, and he seeks out the only one who can understand what he's been through. ...only to find a setting with ''twice'' the NightmareFuel and TearJerker material. And, as far as we know, [[spoiler: still not find the person he seeks]]. No matter where he is or who he's with, Link may always be alone.

-->'''Happy Mask Salesman:''' You've met with an unfortunate end, haven't you?

** The gate guards also deserve mention. Usually, when you try to leave town as normal Link, they stop you because they can't allow a child to go out on his own, but then let you go after they see you have a sword. In the third day, however, they stop you because they are desperate to know if there's an official evacuation order and then they tell you how much it crushes them to still see kids playing around town.
** Right as the moon is about to crash, some guards will have their hands over their hearts.

* Mikau and Lulu's story is heartbreaking. She and his other friends don't even know that he died, and Lulu had just given birth. Those children will never know their father.

** Making this sadder is the fact that [[ColdBloodedTorture she shows signs of horrible pain]] as she twitches every now and then, along with holding her head in pain as she has a whole body spasm.

* The whole premise of the game is that Link's on a journey to find the one friend who's closest to his heart because she left him at the end of ''Ocarina of Time''. [[spoiler:It's Navi. It's never stated if he ever finds her or not...]]

* Yes, the Goron Elder's Son has MostAnnoyingSound going for him, but he's just a little kid missing his father and, on top of that, it's doubtful that anybody has managed to explain "Darmie's" death to him, as young as he is. He's lonely and probably scared; no matter how well he knows the other Gorons, sometimes there's no substitute for a parent. This will definitely hit [[ParentalAbandonment some people]] harder than others.

* Although debatably canon, ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' says that [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of its inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

* Although it's not really meant to be canon, ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' says that [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of it's inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]
** Lessened by ''Breath of the Wild'', where there are several places named for people from Termina, implying it really did exist.

** The good news, though, is that he is healed[[note]]and, unlike Darmani and Mikau, without having to, you know, die[[/note]] and that they become a family again, which, quite frankly, is one of the most [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming touching moments in the game]]--considering the nature of this game, that's really saying something.

* Although its not really meant to be canon, ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' says that [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of it's inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

* In the manga, Link gets to ask Skull Kid why he he has caused so much misery with the powers of Majora's Mask. Skull Kid provides a monologue on his past that culminates in a brutal answer: "This mask is my only friend!"

* The whole premise of the game is that Link's on a journey to find the one friend who's closest to his heart because she left him at the end of ''Ocarina of Time''. [[spoiler:It's Navi. He never finds her.]]
** [[spoiler:At least, it's never stated if he ever DOES find her or not...]]

* Although its canonicity is unconfirmed, ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' says that [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of it's inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

** Then, of course, there's Darmani and Mikau's deaths, which become worse when you realize that you're effectively impersonating them in their societies. Which, if one thinks about it, just [[FridgeBrilliance further exemplifies Link's heroism]]. Link does what he does, not out of a desire for recognition, or for glory, but simply because it's the right thing to do. And if doing the right thing means having to make the people think their hero is still alive so as to rekindle the hope within them, or letting them attribute all your hard work to another warrior, then so be it.

-->'''Link''': But love...always finds a way...
-->'''Link''': Welcome to reality, jackass, '''No it doesn't'''!

* Although its canonicity is unconfirmed, ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' says that [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of it's inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

* According to ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'', [[spoiler:the land of Termina is a figment of Skull Kid's imagination, brought into existence by Majora's Mask. When Link leaves at the end of the game, [[ShootTheShaggyDog Termina and all of it's inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

* If you're going to attempt to help everyone in a single 3-Day cycle, MAKE SURE you help the seahorses BEFORE defeating Gyorg. Otherwise the fisherman will not be at his house, leaving you unable to rescue the first seahorse. Defeating the sea snakes will result in the second seahorse saying that the first one was captured by the fisherman and she'll never see him again.

** [[spoiler:At least, it's never stated that he DOES find her...]]