History TearJerker / TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask

* 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, the descendants of those same Gorons will revere him as myth of legend, a story about a hero from beyond the grave who rose from death to save their people one last time from an eternal winter. Nobody but Link saw Mikau die, so unless they find his grave on the beach -- which will still leave them without answers -- Mikau saves his children then just... vanishes forever.

* Though it's just a theory (some might even call it a ''WebVideo/GameTheory''), some people believe that ''Majora's Mask'' is actually about ''Link's death''. Think about it carefully: death and loss is a major theme of this game, and every "hero" that Link transforms into bemoans their fate and utterly refuses to pass on as they feel unfulfilled at having failed those they cared for. Each of the five locations Link visits represents one of the five stages of grief:

* The ending, in which [[spoiler:the giants leave Skull Kid again, but Skull Kid isn't crying tears of loss. He's crying because his old friends never forgot him.]]

* When you discover that [[spoiler:the Deku tree with the horrified expression you come across at the start of the game is in fact the Deku Butler's son]]. Part {{Nightmare Fuel}}, part Tear Jerker.
** It should be noted that the Deku Butler's son is who you transform into when you use the Deku mask, most likely. You transform into Mikau and Darmani [[spoiler:after they die]], so it would make sense because the son is, well, dead. Skull Kid must have had something to do with it.

** This goes even more for [[spoiler: the giant Goron causing the wind gusts that sent Darmani to his death]]. Once he's restored to normal, he's innocently confused. At some point, he'll not only learn that Goron Link isn't Darmani and Darmani is actually dead... but ''why.''

** The dialogue between Anju and Kafei makes it all the worse. [[spoiler:"Please take refuge. We are fine here. [[FaceDeathWithDignity We shall greet the morning]]... [[TogetherInDeath together]]."]]

** The Milk Bar's owner will tell you that he only wished his favorite customer came in once more before his death. [[spoiler:It's you.]]

* Dawn of [[spoiler:a New Day]]. Particularly the part with the Skull Kid. He looks up at the giants, who, having finished their role of stopping the moon, are starting to return home. The Skull Kid, who [[spoiler:was only corrupted due to his immense loneliness]], is shocked that [[spoiler:the giants remember him as their old friend]]. He realizes that all the trouble he caused was for nothing, and he stands there, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone shaking and crying]], as the Giants go home.

* ''Majora's Mask'' is such a TearJerker-fueled game that even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Mf2mp6fms the commercials]] are bawl-worthy. Most of the tear-jerkers are undone by the end of the game, as the people are saved and no longer gloomy over their then-impending doom, and the credits show that all the good Link did throughout the game stays intact, but even then, some sad things still remain, as the characters who died don't return to life; which is apparent with the scene in the credits that shows [[spoiler:the Deku Butler mourning his son]].
* The monkey in the Deku Temple. If you go back immediately after he tells you to rescue the princess, [[spoiler:they dip the monkey into the boiling pot twice. The first time he comes up saying that it's really hot and he tries to get free. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwR-udaP4tU The second time, his body is lifeless, completely with glassy eyes]]. He's still alive anyway, as your rescue of the Deku Princess makes it clear, but it's nonetheless a convincing fake-out.]]
* [[spoiler:The game of hide-and-seek with those mask-children on the moon.]] There was just something about the way [[spoiler:the boy wearing Majora's Mask sat under the tree with all this calm, serene scenery surrounding him, all alone, lamenting how the other kids were gone, and then asking if you wanted to play with him.]]
* The questions of [[spoiler:the Lunar Children when you interact with them just before the final battle against Majora]]. They mostly take the form of [[ArmorPiercingQuestion self-doubting ones Link may have been quietly asking himself]] over the course of his journey; especially regarding whether he's doing the right thing, if everything he accomplished actually mattered in the long run -- considering [[GroundhogDayLoop it can all just be reset in the blink of an eye]], with only Tatl and himself remembering them -- or if the many inhabitants of Termina he's helped even think of him as a friend. They aren't the bad guys; they're just misled and ignorant. And very lonely.

* 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 [[ShellShockedVeteran 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 go through the TraumaCongaLine of being mugged -- losing his beloved horse and a precious memento in the process -- cursed into the form of a Deku Scrub, lost in a land with ''twice'' the NightmareFuel and TearJerker material, and told the world will end in three days, all ''within about ten minutes''. And, as far as we know, [[spoiler: he still does not find the person he seeks]]. No matter where he is or who he's with, Link may always be alone.

* 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, the descendants of the Gorons you met will river him as myth of legend, a story about a hero from beyond the grave who rose from death to save their people one last time from an eternal winter. Nobody but Link saw Mikau die, so unless they find his grave on the beach -- which will still leave them without answers -- Mikau saves his children then just... vanishes forever.

** Also, Darmani and Mikau make it worse by their desperate desire for life. They're not happy with their fates at all, and they beg you to heal them. Lacking this ability, you have to just give them peace with a song that gives them a tragic vision of a potential happy life, and they turn into masks for you to use. You can't help these people, and death for them is awful. Darmani is already dead, but Mikau ''has'' to die in the story, and all you can do is give them a fantasy vision before claiming their spirits in a mask. However, since everyone thinks Link with their mask transformations is them, perhaps it's not so bad. They get to live through Link and get the recognition they wanted so badly in life. Darmani surely would be pleased to see "himself" offered leadership of the Goron Village after Link brings about springtime -- becoming a legend and a hero in their eyes like he wanted -- and Mikau, through Link, would not only get to see his and Lulu's children be born safely; but also his band finally earning their big break, continuing his legacy in at least two major ways.

* 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 on the beach -- which will still leave them without answers -- Mikau saves his children then just... vanishes forever.

* 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, [[DreamApocalypse Termina and all of its inhabitants cease to exist,]] [[AllForNothing rendering practically everything you did over the course of the game utterly pointless.]]]]

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdfqKRD94wg music that plays during the final hours]], which also doubles as NightmareFuel.

** 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 and encouraging you to flee as far as you can. During the final hours, some guards will have their hands over their hearts.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/majorasad.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Link saved Termina, but he couldn't save everyone...]]

** Fail at the part where you need to defend the barn from aliens. Romani is taken along with the cows, her fate unknown. Come back the next morning and enter the barn. Cremia is sitting there, sobbing to herself, not even reacting when you talk to her. She sits there for nearly a whole day, lamenting that she didn't take her warnings about the "ghosts" seriously. Come back the next day, and Romani will be back outside, [[ThousandYardStare staring at you with no emotion at all]]. The game lacks voice acting, but a total monotone isn't uncalled for.

** 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. During the final hours, some guards will have their hands over their hearts.

** Fail at the part where you need to defend the barn from aliens. Romani is taken along with the cows, her fate unknown. Come back the next morning and enter the barn. Cremia is sitting there, sobbing to herself, not even reacting when you talk to her. She sits there for nearly a whole day. Come back the next day, and Romani will be back outside, [[ThousandYardStare staring at you with no emotion at all]]. The game lacks voice acting, but a total monotone isn't uncalled for.

** The Deku Scrubs represent Anger, given their hatred of the monkey for supposedly kidnapping the Deku Princess and attempting to execute him, as punishment for a crime they aren't even sure he committed.

** The Zora represent Despair, most prominently with Lulu losing her voice over the loss of her eggs.
** Finally, the Ikana Valley represents Acceptance; with most of the inhabitants having accepted their fate and seem pretty much at peace with it. Really, it's not too far of a stretch to imagine each of these as a metaphor for Link's personal journey as his spirit tries to come to terms with his own death...

* 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.

* Though it's just a theory, some people believe that ''Majora's Mask'' is actually about ''Link's death''. Think about it carefully: death and loss is a major theme of this game, and every "hero" that Link transforms into bemoans their fate and utterly refuses to pass on as they feel unfulfilled at having failed those they cared for. Each of the five locations Link visits represents one of the five stages of grief:

** 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. It gets worse as she tries to talk about what happened; she doesn't just not remember, it ''physically hurts to try'' to remember.

** The Bombers [[DissonantSerenity don't act any differently in the final hours]]. They speak to you normally, like nothing bad is happening, likely because, being kids, they're simply unaware of the situation. There's also quite a few clues that the Bombers are orphans, and haven't left because they have nowhere else to go.

** The Bombers [[DissonantSerenity don't act any differently on the final day]]. They speak to you normally, like nothing bad is happening, likely because, being kids, they're simply unaware of the situation. There's also quite a few clues that the Bombers are orphans, and haven't left because they have nowhere else to go.

Thanks to its more bleaker tone, ''Majora's Mask'' is arguably one of the saddest entries in the ''Zelda'' franchise. So don't be surprised if this game tugs at the heartstrings.

* 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 [[ShellShockedVeteran 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.

* The questions of the Lunar Children. ("I wonder... If you do the right thing... Does it really make... everybody... happy?" "Your friends... What kind of... people are they? I wonder... Do these people... think of you... as a friend?" etc.) They aren't the bad guys; they're just misled and ignorant. And very lonely.

-->'''Link''': Welcome to reality, jackass, '''no it doesn't'''!

* Though it's just a theory, some people believe that ''Majora's Mask'' is actually about ''Link's death''. Think about it carefully: death and loss is a major theme of this game, and every "hero" that Link transforms into bemoans their fate and utterly refuses to pass on as they feel unfulfilled at having failed those they cared for. Each of the five locations Link visits represents one of the five stages of grief: Clock Town represents Denial with how everyone seems to go about their business and remaining mostly blissfully unaware of the Moon's impending fall; the Deku Scrubs represent Anger given their hatred of the monkey for supposedly kidnapping the Deku Princess and attempting to ''kill'' him as punishment; the Gorons represent Bargaining with them trying to encourage the "Hero" Darmani to save them; the Zora represent Despair most prominantly with Lulu losing her voice over the loss of her eggs; and finally the Ikana Valley represents Acceptance with most of the inhabitants having accepted their fate and seeming pretty much at peace with it. It's not too far of a stretch to imagine each of these as a metaphor for Link's personal journey as his spirit tries to come to terms with his own death...

** If you walk in on them in the barn beforehand, they have an equally-wrenching conversation. Romani excitedly explains to Link that she's being given her own Romani Mask and that Cremia is allowing her to drink Chateau Romani for the first time ever that night. Chateau Romani is something only given to adults (and the mask, silly-looking as it is, seems to commemorate a Terminan coming-of-age ritual), and the obvious implication is that Cremia knows that this is the end for all of them and Romani won't have another chance. Cremia caps it off with an absolutely heartbreaking request:

** Also, Darmani and Mikau make it worse by their desperate desire for life. They're not happy with their fates at all, and they beg you to heal them. Lacking this ability, you have to just give them peace with a song that gives them a tragic vision of a potential happy life, and they turn into masks for you to use. You can't help these people, and death for them is awful. Darmani is already dead, but Mikau ''has'' to die in the story, and all you can do is give them a fantasy vision before claiming their spirits in a mask. However, since everyone thinks Link with their mask transformations is them, perhaps it's not so bad. They get to live through Link and get the recognition they wanted so badly in life. Darmani surely would be pleased to see "himself" offered leadership of the Goron Village after Link brings about springtime, becoming a legend and a hero in their eyes like he wanted.