History TearJerker / TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime

** In that same scene, Link learns that he's actually an orphaned Hylian whose mother -- who was mortally wounded in the great war -- fled to Kokiri Forest with him when he was only a baby, and brought him to the Deku Tree just before she died. Imagine if you will, you go to the grave of the man you once saw as your father, then his son comes to you and says, "I'll now tell you your origins!! You're really of another race entirely, your parents are dead, and you have to go save the world from a great evil!". Link may ''look'' stoic, but internally, it must be a hurricane of emotions for him. IronWoobie indeed.

* The manga adds another layer of anguish to Link's birth. Link's father was a soldier slain in battle during the previous warring era, and his mother was mortally wounded trying to escape the war, but suffered on for a long time trying to find sanctuary for her baby boy.
* Ever wonder why Link seemed to ditch Saria's Fairy Ocarina in favor of the titular one? As it turns out, Ganondorf swiped it, thinking it was the Ocarina of Time. When he found out, he furiously ''broke it into pieces.'' Thus, the last [[StealthPun link]] our hero had to his fleeting childhood is gone forever...

** Thinking about any of them too hard is a real downer. No matter the outcome of the final battle, Ganondorf's immortality renders it a forgone conclusion. If Link falls, Ganondorf wins the Triforce and goes on to wreak utter havoc for several more years. If he wins, he gets returned to his youth... except that in the "adult" timeline he leaves behind, Ganondorf returns and Hyrule is ultimately wiped off the map in an act of divine intervention. And in the child timeline -- despite giving them fair warning of the danger -- the sages still manage to botch Ganondorf's execution, leading to ''two realms'' being placed in danger.

** Somewhat alleviated, as the Hero of Time is able to pass down his sword techniques to his descendant to help him defeat Ganondorf, allowing him to finally rest in piece. In the timeline he left, the newly-appointed hero manages to put an end to Ganondorf (and possibly Demise's curse) once and for all, and eventually founds a new kingdom with his friend Tetra. Even the hero's descendent in the timeline where he loses manages to avenge his ancestor by putting a stop to Ganon and reclaiming the Sacred Realm. At the very least, the Hero of Time has a BittersweetEnding thanks to the actions of his ancestors.

* The entire ending, from the moment you lay the final blow on Ganon, to the sepia-tone "The End" screen. Just...the sheer amount of ''emotion'' it stirs up in you. The final good-bye from Zelda. The party at Lon Lon ranch. The final laying of the Master Sword. That gorgeous, absolutely ''gorgeous'' rendition of Zelda's Lullaby. And just seeing the world that you just saved ''recover'' from all the darkness it once hosted. Watching it, you're reaping the fruits of your labor, and it feels indescribable.

* This incarnation of Link is by far the most tragic one in the series. In the Adult timeline, Ganondorf is defeated, but Link no longer exists, so he doesn't get to see the people or the world he saved, and they will forever wonder what happened to him after his selfless acts. Then, Ganondorf breaks out of his seal and Hyrule is wiped off the face of the map by divine intervention until it's nothing more than a mere legend. In the Child timeline, Link goes on a search for his friend Navi and ends up getting involved in a world-ending crisis in a different land. His efforts to find Navi end up being wasted, and he eventually passes away and is unable to move on due to his heroism being forgotten to history. If that wasn't enough, Ganondorf's execution ends up being botched, putting two realms in danger due to the sages not foreseeing him possessing the Triforce of Power. On top of all this, this Link is the only one in the entire series who canonically ''loses'' thanks to the Downfall timeline, meaning his entire adventure with Navi and all the people he met on the way was AllforNothing. No matter what, there's no happy ending for the Hero of Time.

* King Dodongo's death. He doesn't seem at all malicious; in his boss fight he just playfully rolls around, not actively targeting Link at all. Link doesn't even have a reason to kill him; his mission of restoring the Gorons' food supply was achieved as soon as he ''opened'' Dodongo's Cavern. But Link has to complete the dungeon because it's there, and kill King Dodongo because he's designated a boss. The fight ends with his body sinking into the lava, and it's made all the sadder because the game doesn't expect us to care about him.

* The imprisoned Gorons in the fire temple. All of them are curled up into balls and shivering, thinking that you're Volvagia and begging you not to eat them. You can't help but feel sympathy for the poor guys, and thankfully, conquering the dungeon requires to find and rescue every last one of them.

[[caption-width-right:350:This is right after the first dungeon, by the way...]]

** In that same scene, Link learns that he's actually an orphaned Hylian whose mother brought him to the Deku Tree when he was an infant. Imagine if you will, you go to the grave of the man you once saw as your father, then his son comes to you and says, "I'll now tell you your origins!! You're really of another race entirely, your parents are dead, and you have to go save the world from a great evil!" Link may look stoic, but internally, it must be a hurricane of emotions. IronWoobie indeed.
* Saria's goodbye to Link as you leave Kokiri Forest. She knew this day would come, and gives you an ocarina to remember her by[[note]]which you end up replacing with the Ocarina of Time[[/note]], but she gives you a longing look as you leave, expressing that she still finds it hard to accept. Link seemingly hesitates when the time comes for him to leave, but then hurries along, as if it took him a moment to summon the courage, but now, he wants to get it over with.
** There's also the boy who stands guard at the exit to the forest, begging you not to leave lest you end up dying- when you come back, he assumes you never actually left. The twin Kokiri girls both also show sadness if you speak with them before leaving. For all Link never seemed to completely fit in with the Kokiri in part because he actually isn't one, it seems as though his departure's hard on all of them.

-->Oh...I see... Saria won't ever come back... But... I... I made a promise to Saria... If Link came back, I would be sure to tell him that Saria had been waiting for him... Because Saria...really... liked... Hey, you. If you see him somewhere, please let him know... And also... I'm sorry for being mean to him. Tell him that, too.
** Made even sadder by considering that Mido may still carry the guilt from being mean to him, due to never ''really'' getting to apologize to Link himself (even though he ''did'', but Mido doesn't know that).

* Though the adult timeline was saved, the friends and people you met in the adult timeline were left behind. The Hero of Time left that time and could never come back. You could feel the sadness in the scene as Zelda took Link's ocarina with her hands resting on his. Even worse is the fact that in the end Link had to make many sacrifices in the child timeline. Navi was gone and his reputation in the forest was ruined as he was wrongfully blamed for the death of the Great Deku Tree. Selfless hero indeed.
** This gets even ''[[HarsherInHindsight worse]]'' after playing ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]''. One can almost imagine Zelda's thoughts as Ganondorf returns, knowing she was the one to doom Hyrule ''yet again.'' So now Link is at a point where his life is pretty much over, Future Hyrule is in shambles, and ''nobody wins in the end.'' The only salvation is that Link won in this timeline.

* The imprisoned Gorons in the fire temple. All of them are curled up into balls and shivering, thinking that you're Volvagia and begging you not to eat them. You can't help but feel sympathy for the poor guys.

* At the end Zelda admits she [[ItsAllMyFault feels really guilty for not doing something to stop Ganondorf before all this bad stuff happened]]. Made even sadder by how Link [[HeroicMime can't talk]] and thus can't say anything to comfort her.

** Thinking about any of them too hard is a real downer. No matter the outcome of the final battle, Ganondorf's immortality renders it a forgone conclusion. If Link falls, Ganondorf wins the Triforce and goes on to wreak utter havoc for several more years. If he wins, he gets returned to his youth... except that in the "adult" timeline he leaves behind, [[spoiler:Ganondorf returns and Hyrule is ultimately wiped off the map in an act of divine intervention.]] And in the child timeline -- despite giving them fair warning of the danger -- [[spoiler:the sages still manage to botch Ganondorf's execution, leading to ''two realms'' being placed in danger.]]

** This gets even ''[[HarsherInHindsight worse]]'' after playing ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]''. [[spoiler:One can almost imagine Zelda's thoughts as Ganondorf returns, knowing she was the one to doom Hyrule ''yet again.'' So now Link is at a point where his life is pretty much over, Future Hyrule is in shambles, and ''nobody wins in the end.'' The only salvation is that Link won in this timeline.]]

* The revelation that the Ancient Hero in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' is in fact the spirit of the Hero of Time brings a sad note to the end of Link's life; That despite saving the world Link dies full of regret. Regret that he wasn't remembered for what he did when he could have stayed in the adult time line with Zelda and regret that he never passed on any of his skills. Who knows how many decades if not centuries Link remained in the world as a lingering spirit alone with nothing but a lifetime of his own perceived failures until the events of "Twilight Princess"?

** Although as an adult, we get the [[spoiler:Deku Tree Sprout, which will ''eventually'' grow to the original tree's size]], it is still a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet ending]] at best.
** In that same scene, Link learns that he's actually [[spoiler:an orphaned Hylian whose mother brought him to the Deku Tree when he was an infant.]] Imagine if you will, you go to the grave of the man you once saw as your father, then his son comes to you and says, [[spoiler:"I'll now tell you your origins!! You're really of another race entirely, your parents are dead, and you have to go save the world from a great evil!"]] Link may look stoic, but internally, it must be a hurricane of emotions. IronWoobie indeed.

** There's also the boy who stands guard at the exit to the forest, begging you not to leave lest you end up dying- when you come back, he assumes you never actually left. The twin Kokiri girls both also show sadness if you speak with them before leaving. For all Link never seemed to completely fit in with the Kokiri [[spoiler:in part because he actually isn't one]], it seems as though his departure's hard on all of them.

* During the ending credits, we're treated to a scene of just about every character seen in the game partying at Lon Lon ranch. Everyone seems to be having fun, except for Mido and the Zora King who are sitting by the front gate looking sad. And then you remembered that both of them has [[spoiler:had someone precious to them become a sage and leave them forever. Mido's longtime crush is gone for good, in spite of him trying to convince her not to, and the king lost his daughter and only child.]] Then they both look up to the sky, and which Sage lights appear in the sky first? [[spoiler:Saria and Ruto.]]
** Even sadder when you consider that due to circumstances, [[spoiler:Link cannot attend the party due to returning to his normal timeline]].
* After you learn that [[spoiler:Grog is basically dead now]], you give Fado the medicine in exchange for his saw. In the following dialogue, [[spoiler:Grog]] is referred to exclusively as a punk. And this is after he called you a good guy, a nice guy, the only guy who can help him.
** This is even sadder if you've met him and his father as Kid Link. [[spoiler:During the day, the head carpenter says that he considers his son useless because all he does is sit and mope under his tree every night. During the night, Grog muses that people, including his own mother and father, are disgusting]].

* The entire ending, [[spoiler:from the moment you lay the final blow on Ganon, to the sepia-tone "The End" screen. Just...the sheer amount of ''emotion'' it stirs up in you. The final good-bye from Zelda. The party at Lon Lon ranch. The final laying of the Master Sword. That gorgeous, absolutely ''gorgeous'' rendition of Zelda's Lullaby. And just seeing the world that you just saved ''recover'' from all the darkness it once hosted.]] Watching it, you're reaping the fruits of your labor, and it feels indescribable.

* [[spoiler:Rauru]] is not present at the ending of the game when [[spoiler:the other five awakened Sages travel to Death Mountain to gaze down at Hyrule for one last time before returning to the Sacred Realm]]. Hyrule Historia reveals [[spoiler:Rauru is in fact Kaepora Gaebora in the form of a spirit guardian animal, which means [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Rauru has been watching over Link from the moment he began his journey outside of the Kokiri Forest.]]]]

* As much of a BaseBreakingCharacter as she is, the moment where Navi [[spoiler: leaves Link at the end of the game]]. She and Link have been through so much together, and it's [[spoiler: her departure that inspires Link to look for her]], setting the events leading up to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]] in motion.
* [[spoiler: Though the adult timeline was saved, the friends and people you met in the adult timeline were left behind. The Hero of Time left that time and could never come back. You could feel the sadness in the scene as Zelda took Link's ocarina with her hands resting on his. Even worse is the fact that in the end Link had to make many sacrifices in the child timeline. Navi was gone and his reputation in the forest was ruined as he was wrongfully blamed for the death of the Great Deku Tree. Selfless hero indeed.]]

* The manga adds another layer of anguish to Link's birth. [[spoiler:Link's father was a soldier slain in battle during the previous warring era, and his mother was mortally wounded trying to escape the war, but suffered on for a long time trying to find sanctuary for her baby boy.]]
* Ever wonder why Link seemed to ditch Saria's Fairy Ocarina in favor of the titular one? Well... [[spoiler:Ganondorf swiped it, thinking it was the Ocarina of Time. When he found out, he furiously ''broke it into pieces.'' Thus, the last [[StealthPun link]] our hero had to his fleeting childhood is gone forever...]]
* The manga puts Volvagia in a different light. Instead of being an evil dragon revived by Ganondorf, it was a [[spoiler:long-lost pet of Link who was possessed by Ganondorf. Despite Link's unwillingness to fight Volvagia and his attempts to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight talk it back to normal]], he is forced to kill it to keep it from destroying Goron City. Only when Link has fatally sliced off its head does Volvagia finally remember him, letting out one last "Li...nk..." before disintegrating away]].
** This later comes back to haunt Link when the Desert of Illusions makes [[spoiler:the disembodied head of Volvagia appear saying "It hurts, Link"]].

** There's also the boy who stands guard at the exit to the forest, begging you not to leave lest you end up dying- when you come back, he assumes you never actually left. For all Link never seemed to completely fit in with the Kokiri [[spoiler:in part because he actually isn't one]], it seems as though his departure's hard on all of them.

* [[spoiler: Though the adult timeline was saved, the friends and people you met in the adult timeline were left behind. The Hero of Time left that time and could never come back. You could feel the sadness in the scene as Zelda took Link's ocarina with her hands resting on his. Even worse is the fact that in the end Link had very little to await him in the child timeline. Navi was gone, his reputation in the forest was ruined as he was wrongfully blamed for the death of the Great Deku Tree, and he lost all close relations to practically every character. Selfless hero indeed.]]