Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Headscratchers / TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime

Go To

1New entries on the bottom.
2
3[[foldercontrol]]
4
5[[folder:Temples]]
6
7* Exactly how did some of the temples in this game come to fruition?
8** Well, the Gorons just started mining, the Kokiri hired Edgar Allan Poe as their architect, the Zoras are actually ''really'' good at picking locks, the Gerudo...actually, as temples go, the Spirit Temple sort of makes sense...and the Sheikah are a bunch of sadistic bastards who probably got off on making people run through the stuff of nightmares. Or, we go with option B, where we all make ourselves believe that in fact, the temples were all [[AWizardDidIt magically altered by Ganondorf]] in order to keep Link from awakening the sages. Personally, after the [[ScrappyLevel Water Temple]] and the [[NightmareFuel Shadow Temple]], I'd much rather prefer to think that a MagnificentBastard BigBad was responsible for that madness rather than the respective races that they represent.
9** If you speak to Kaepora at Lake Hylia as a child, he mentions that the Zoras built the Water Temple to pay respect to the "water spirits."
10** Darunia and Saria also mention spirits of their respective elements, and the Spirit Temple may have been intended to honor the Goddess of the Sand.
11
12** Let's look at a quote from our favorite Sage of Light.
13--->'''Rauru''': His evil power radiated from the temples, and in seven short years, it it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters.
14** I got the impression that the temples were all previously used frequently for worship (or, in the case of the Shadow Temple, burial). It was not until Ganon came to power that they became so dangerous. Saria did sound shocked that the Forest Temple was full of monsters.
15** I don't have the link, but there was a thing on Website/GameFAQs where some people were Fridge Logicing on this. They had some pretty good ideas.
16** You mean [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197771-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/40542098 this link?]]
17*** No, [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/characterprofile/images/a/a1/LinkZelda.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/284?cb=20160105030137 this link.]]
18** Fridge Logic once you've played Skyward Sword. All the temples and dungeons were left behind by the goddess Hylia in a XanatosGambit to train multiple incarnations of Link until Demise's (and by extension, Ganon's) evil was permanently extinguished.
19** I've just added a WMG speculating that the Forest Temple, in particular, is the same as the Temple of Time from ''Twilight Princess''. More generally, it seems as though the temples are points at which Hyrule and the Sacred Realm are connected, thus explaining why evil emanated from them once Ganondorf got the Triforce of Power. It seems reasonable to speculate that the temples are actually designed to be challenges to begin with, to ensure that those who are not worthy cannot connect to the Sacred Realm. And with each temple assigned a different race to protect them (Light = Hylians, Forest = Kokiri, Fire = Gorons, Water = Zora, Shadow = Sheikah, Spirit = Gerudo), it is almost as though each temple is intended to provide an access path for the appropriately worthy sage of that race to access the Sacred Realm. This is also why each sage goes directly from their temple to the Chamber of Sages.
20** This also implies that the Temple of Time is merely the designation given to the temple at which the Master Sword resides, thus why the Temple of Light is the Temple of Time in Ocarina, but the Temple of Time is the Forest Temple in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]].
21** The Temple of Light is where the Triforce is housed within the Sacred Realm. It and the Temple of Time are two separate entities. As for the Forest Temple/Temple of Time, geographic changes. Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time are hundreds of years apart. It's quite possible that the Castle, Castle Town, and Temple of Time were destroyed between the two games. The Castle was rebuilt elsewhere and the remains became overgrown. If I remember correctly, you could see remnants of castle walls in the Lost Woods area in Twilight Princess.
22** Given the way the Shrines in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' are cartoonishly impossible to actually build, with enormous empty voids and floating islands the size of small towns, the Sheikah seem capable of building absolutely anything with no regard to space or material requirements. The Temples could be a classic case of OhLookMoreRooms, with the first entrance room being the Temple where any services etc. are held and the rest being a [[Series/DoctorWho TARDIS-like]] DeathCourse to keep out thieves.
23** Actually, the temples in this game mostly seem like they could have been places of worship. You just have to imagine how they would look like without all the traps, puzzles and monsters, which are seemingly recent additions to them.
24*** The Forest Temple is a bit of an exception, it's more a huge forest mansion than a temple, but the basement where we fight the boss could have been some sort of hidden shrine originally, before Ganondorf made it all about himself. The twisty corridors are either a part of the dark magic infecting the place, or its original architect was into M.C. Escher.
25*** The Fire Temple looks very much like a temple. The entrance hall even has what looks like an altar of sorts. The prison cells seem like a late addition, seeing how little they fit with the rest of the architecture of the place, and how crudely escavated they appear. The big room full of lava and rope bridges is probably a section that collapsed at some point.
26*** The Water Temple is also very easy to envision as a place of worship. The main tower was probably the heart of the temple, with the side rooms serving varying purposes. If the temple was fully submerged, it would be no issue for the Zora to navigate it at all. The cavernous bit is either an older, more primitive place of worship that was kept as-is, or just a cave system that ended up connecting to the body of the temple.
27*** The Shadow Temple is a curious one. The game's text makes it clear to us that even before it was overtaken by Ganon's monsters, the place was a hidden torture chamber and mass grave. At some point in the distant past, it was probably a temple/mausoleum (the part with the ship deep in the temple in particular seems to point at some viking-like burial rituals), but at some point during the recent wars it was turned into a place of torture and slaughter.
28*** The Spirit Temple doesn't need an explanation, it's the most temple-like of them all.
29
30[[/folder]]
31
32[[folder:Biggoron]]
33
34* Why didn't Biggoron destroy Ganon's Castle and kick Ganondorf's ass while Link was asleep? The guy is ''enormous''; surely he would have had the destructive power to do all that. Instead he just sits on a mountain and... makes swords?
35** Gorons in general are described as gentle giants, peace-loving creatures who would sooner be working in the mines and eating rocks than crushing skulls.
36** And even so, Ganondorf ''was'' starving them. Very few of them could even move very well.
37** Until ''Twilight Princess'' made them {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s.
38** Since it takes place after ''[=OoT=]'', presumably they've smartened up. Note, though, that even in ''[=OoT=]'', they ''did'' have at least their own legendary hero.
39** Because Ganondorf isn't vulnerable to mere physical force. Biggoron could stomp on him all day, but Ganondorf would just jump up and give some ''very'' unpleasant payback with his magic. Only stuff like Light Arrows, the Master Sword, or other sources of sacred magic have a chance of even inconveniencing big G.
40*** Though Biggoron's Sword and the Megaton Hammer are both rather effective during the final fight against him.
41*** Both weapons do absolutely nothing against Ganondorf before he's made vulnerable by the Light Arrows. And while they can hurt his Ganon form, they also can't deal a deadly blow then, and the Master Sword, channeling the power of the seven sages, is required to merely seal him away.
42** Because if there's anything ''Majora's Mask'' taught us, it's that when tough guys who ''aren't'' Link try to take on the BigBad, it only ends in sorrow. Also, death.
43** Besides, one was stuck in a cave and the other had eye problems that wouldn't be fixed if you skipped the trading side quest.
44** Actually, he says (at least in the remake) that the eruption of Death Mountain is what hurt his eyes, so he should have been fine during the TimeSkip.
45** Didn't Death Mountain erupt while Child Link was on his way up to meet the first Great Fairy? Maybe his eyes were hurt way back then?
46** He says that "yesterday's eruption" hurt his eyes, so the eruption happened as an adult.
47** Simple explanation: The only way for him to get from Death Mountain to Ganon's castle is to go down the mountain and through Kakariko Village. Giant Goron + tiny village full of innocent bystanders = squish! The Gorons aren't like that.
48** Then explain to us how you think he got to Lon-Lon Ranch during the DancePartyEnding...
49** Very, very carefully.
50** Not sure why he couldn't clamber down the side of Death Mountain which was adjacent to the main Hyrule plains, hence bypassing the village and avoiding collateral damage.
51
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Gerudo after Ocarina]]
55
56* What happened to the Gerudo? They appeared in this game and then...poof, they're almost completely gone from the rest of the series. Did they die out? Did they simply assimilate entirely into Hylian society after Ganondorf was dethroned? If so, why do they appear in Four Swords, which takes place after games where they are apparently extinct?
57** In ''Twilight Princess'', some think Telma looks related to the Gerudo.
58** I once heard a very plausible theory: The nation, that was banned into the twilight realm and became the twili are, in fact, the post-Ocarina-of-time Gerudos plus some allied (male) Hylian desert-robbers. Well, of course, afterwards, they had no other choice but to interbreed. If you look at Midna's "human" form, you'll find some similarities to the Gerudos from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, especially to the Gerudo leaders of these two games.
59** By my interpretation, the "dark Interlopers" were banished long before the events of Ocarina of Time, which means they wouldn't be Gerudo.
60** Nope. It is explicit that ''Ocarina of Time'' is chronologically the first game. The ''Zelda'' timeline is uncertain, but ''Link to the Past'' definitely comes after, not before.
61** Nyet. The ancestors of the Twili were specifically stated to have been banished after a series of wars fought over the Sacred Realm, and presumably the Triforce, for creating the Fused Shadows. Presumably, that was also when the first Temple of Time was built and the Master Sword was forged to keep people out of the Sacred Realm and away from the Triforce. Ergo, before Ocarina of Time. Besides, ''Minish Cap'' must precede the Imprisoning War, which means that it precedes ''Ocarina of Time'', under the interpretation that ''Ocarina of Time'' is the Imprisoning War.
62** Exactly. Also, the newest game, ''Skyward Sword'', is confirmed to take place before ''[=OoT=]''. Whether or not it'll include elements from ''TP'' is unknown.
63** It doesn't. But many things got retconned or a better excuse for it would be, the true story, since most of these are stories passed down through the generations, which retellings can be distorted over many years (anyone ever play telephone?) It's implied in Skyward Sword that the Sealed Temple may become the Temple of Time from [=OoT=], but there is also a Temple of Time in the Lanayru Desert, and geographically that Temple seems to match [=OoT=]'s Temple of Time better. Also, there are many theories as to who the dark interlopers were, but their attack was before Ocarina of Time. Perhaps the dark interlopers were the cause of the Hyrulean Civil War, one result of which was [=OoT=] Link being entrusted to the Kokiri.
64*** "Ah, the oral tradition. One of the least reliable ways of passing down information." Fi's words, not mine.
65** On a related subject, if the Gerudo only produce one male every 100 years, how do they reproduce in the interim? The obvious answer is that they kidnap Hylian men to use as studs -- which handily explains why they locked up the carpenter's sons and don't do anything to Link other than re-capture him no matter how many times he escapes -- but that's a pretty disturbing concept for an E-rated game. Also in that case, how would they maintain themselves as a distinct ethnic group?
66** Magical biology. Males are Hylians, females are Gerudo. At any rate, we've got an almost-confirmation of the larger theory in-game. If you're wearing the Gerudo mask, someone in Castle Town comments that it looks like his mother.
67** Too many female Hylians for that.
68** It seems to work Hylian male + Gerudo female = Gerudo daughters, Hylian sons. However, Hylian male + Hylian female = Hylian daughters and sons.
69** Well, it does work for chickens...
70** The Hylian/Gerudo species uses a ZW sex determination scheme (males are homozygous ZZ, females heterozygous ZW). The gene that determines Gerudo-ism is on the W chromosome (so males don't get it), and is dominant in Gerudo females, recessive in Hylian females. A male Gerudo thus arises from a very rare genetic disorder, rare enough that it only happens about once a century in the entire population.
71** If you wear the Gerudo Mask and talk to Talon in Ocarina of Time, he mentions that he reminds him of Malon's mother. In any case, some Zelda theorists think that appearance equals race in Zelda -- i.e., since Malon didn't have any Gerudo characteristics, she was returned, so on and so forth.
72** One of the Gossip Stones: "They say that Gerudos sometimes come to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends."
73** This just raises the question of how exactly the Gerudo in the Hideout planned to reproduce with the carpenters... If you've seen them [[HoYay thank you for freeing them and skip away]], you know what I mean.
74*** The carpenters were the Gerudos' ''prisoners''. Sexual orientation isn't much of an obstacle to non-consensual sex. Besides, whether the carpenters are gay or straight has little relevance. Even if one were to assume the carpenters were all straight, that doesn't mean they would be happy to be kept as studs to the Gerudo. Contrary to popular belief, men don't always want sex and can be raped by women.
75** Alternatively, male Gerudo just live for a very long time and can have a succession of wives. Roughly once every hundred years, the man has a son, who becomes king after he dies. Presumably Ganondorf's parents died shortly after he was born, leaving him to be raised by Twinrova, and Nabooru led the Gerudo as an interim ruler while Ganondorf was too young for the position.
76** Another possibility about the "all female" aspect of the Gerudos is that Gerudos can only have female children: no boy is ever born from a Gerudo mother except once per century, therefore making the Gerudos outcasts no matter where they went (because if a Gerudo population integrated itself in another community, mixed marriage would have the consequences of "killing" the male gender, because everyone with ''one'' Gerudo ancestor would be fated to be a woman with their characteristics). A personal wild mass guessing is that the Gerudos had wandered for a very long time before Hyrule accepted them as part of their very multi-ethnic nation in ''[=OoT=]'', before Ganondorf went and screwed everything, forcing the Gerudos into exile once again.
77** One thing that I'd like to point out is that in ''[=OoT=]'', there are no humans and everybody has pointed ears. That is, other than the Gerudo. The Gerudo had human ears (if you look at later games, Ganondorf has distinctly nonhuman ears, though). Gerudo and Hylians create a mixed breed that has normal Hylian eye colors, Hylian pale skin, and rounded ears -- humans. The Gerudo race slowly fades out as they feed into the human species.
78** I think you mean "Hyrulians." That's the canon term for the non-Hylian race.
79** ...Did no one else notice this? '''Hy'''lians, + Ge'''Ru'''do = '''Hy-Ru'''lians?
80** Hm. I always thought it was '''Hyrule'''ans. At any rate, the term refers to people from Hyrule, not a race.
81** Umm, what? The word "human" appears numerous times since either Majora's Mask or Wind Waker. I've only heard Hyrulian or Hyrulean as an adjective for the actual kingdom.
82** I always got the impression that "Hyrulean/Hyrulian" referred to nationality (a citizen of the Kingdom of Hyrule), Human refers to species (as opposed to Goron or Zora, etc) and Hylian referred to race (pointy-eared, able to practice magic and telepathy, contrasted to Gerudo, Sheikah, or other sundry humans).
83** Maybe Gerudoes reproduce asexually?
84** Well, some Gerudos ''do'' show up in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', too. Although those are [[AlternateUniverse different ones]], and it doesn't answer the mating argument that's sprung up. But if Link (and apparently the Happy Mask Salesman) can get back and forth from Termina and Hyrule, maybe later Gerudos (if any besides the Four Swords ones ever show up) could use finding a way between Termina and Hyrule as a HandWave? Though this is kind of getting into WildMassGuessing territory...
85** This is being way overthought. The Gossip Stone clearly states that the Gerudo come into town to look for "boyfriends". We have seen the Gerudo abduct and imprison Hylian males. We have been explicitly told that a male birth is exceedingly rare among the Gerudo, but never has it been suggested that any of the Gerudo have extended lifespans, female or Special Male. The simplest answer is that the Gerudo abduct and rape men, give birth to Gerudo daughters, and that is how their society propagates. While a great many alternate theories and {{WMG}}s have been stated to answer this question, the only defense against the OccamsRazor explanation that's been cited is that it's "awfully disturbing for an E-rated game", and I would like to remind you that "awfully disturbing for an E-rated game" is effectively Ocarina of Time's ''tagline''. Between the [[DownerEnding depressing endings for all three timelines]] [[note]]Hyrule ultimately doesn't survive ''any'' of them[[/note]], the Skulltula Family, the Shadow Temple, Goron and Zora genocide, graphic destruction of everything that was ever beautiful in Hyrule, etc, what part of implied Gerudo rape is ''more'' unsettling than the ''entire rest of the game''?
86** RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil?
87** The fact that Koume and Kotake state that they are 400-some years old after you've defeated them, and that they are also Gerudos, kinda tells you that they can have an extended life span. Although that may [[WizardsLiveLonger only be if they practice magic.]]
88** For the Gerudo in ''The Wind Waker'', Tetra mentions that the Forsaken Fortress was once the base of a gang of rival pirates to her and her crew. Given Ganondorf moved in after he escaped from the sunken Hyrule, I'm willing to bet the pirates were the Gerudo, and he wiped them all out for not obeying, supporting, or siding with him during and after his reign.
89*** That would be at odds with his MotiveRant, though...
90** His motive rant in itself is open to some interpretation, and the point of it was that he's gone too far for it to really matter at that point.
91** In Breath of the Wild, Gerudo go out on journeys and find husbands among Hylian men. However, since this Gerudo race has had 10,000 years ''at least'' since [=OoT=] to develop into a thriving mercantile civilisation and thus has changed as a society since, that doesn't necessarily disprove any theories about how they reproduce in this game specifically.
92[[/folder]]
93
94[[folder:Master Sword and Time Travel]]
95
96* Okay, here's one. Why does putting the Master Sword back in its pedestal cause Link to travel back in time? When it's pulled out it doesn't teleport him directly to the future, rather it was explained that the sword simply put him into a coma until he was big enough to use it properly. So what gives?
97** [[BecauseDestinySaysSo Destiny]]. AWizardDidIt. [[BellisariosMaxim It was required by the plot]]. Basically, that's about all that needs to be said. And who's to say that a magical, coma-inducing sword wouldn't be able to age and de-age you at will?
98** Pulling out the sword the first time knocked him out. Every subsequent time, he was very clearly teleported instantly to the future -- he was still in the process of pulling the sword out.
99** I always took it as less of a coma than having his mind being temporarily de-activated or removed, and sent to his future self. Each time he pulled or replaced the Master Sword, it would just send him to the earliest point that he had space in his head for his own mind after the seven years or after being born, respectively.
100** I believe that it only knocked him out for seven years the first time he pulled it from the pedestal. Once the timeline was created, it was possible for Link to flit between the past and future. However, even he's not capable of just ripping 7 years through space-time before the timeline even exists. Of course, Zelda and the Sages' attempts to give him back his missing years resulted in the (canon as of 2012) dual timelines, which reinforces Link's role as the Hero of Time (and that people who aren't Link shouldn't mess around with time travel).
101** I've seen it as this: The magic requires one who is able to at least wield the weapon. Keep in mind that the sword is almost as tall as Child Link is! As such, time is (for all intents and purposes) frozen at the pedestal as he pulls out the Master Sword. When he puts it back into the pedestal, he is granted the chance to go back to his childhood as compensation.
102** Additionally, even if it wasn't presupposed/compensation, the Sage of Light most likely realized after Link got brought to the future that he would undeniably be required to go between the two times. That or either Link or Zelda talked with him about the need to go back in time. The first time Link put the sword back, he opened the Sacred Realm, talked to the Sage, and had set the ability on command. Of course, if Link were left with the Master Sword when he couldn't carry it, then... Ganondorf holding the only weapon that can finally kill him is not good for ANYONE.
103** Kind of related... if Link spends 7 years in a coma-like state, how does his body find nourishment and what happens to his bodily functions?
104** Recall that it's, you know, a magical coma in a magical land, and he's watched over by a magical sage serving a magical sword.
105** [[NobodyPoops What bodily functions?]]
106** The pedestal was located in the Temple of ''Time'' and meant to be used by the Hero of ''Time'' spoke of in legends. It had the power to cause Link to time travel because the people who built it had foreknowledge that he would need to if he were to succeed on his mission.
107
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Navi leaving]]
111
112* Here's something that's really bugging me. ''Why'' did Navi leave in the first place?
113** The Kokiri don't grow up, so they never lose their fairies. Navi, the poor girl, gets assigned to the non-Kokiri kid, and doesn't know what to do with herself after he grows up to be a fairy. She might have thought she was done.
114** Remember why the Great Deku Tree assigned her to Link: because he was about to be tapped as the hero of an epic adventure, and would need a guide. Once the adventure is over, he doesn't need her anymore. On her end, it may not be comfortable for her to stay outside the forest without a dedicated task.
115** So THAT's why she was so annoying!
116** Only Kokiri get dedicated fairy companions. Link was only given one to help him on his quest. Quest ends, Link no longer needs Navi, ergo Navi leaves. I'm more bugged by the idea that he starts Majora's Mask looking for her, and yet never does. Would it have killed Nintendo to add an epilogue where he does (and actually getting back to Hyrule would be nice, too).
117** I thought he was looking for the Skull Kid he played Saria's Song with, and that the Skull Kid in each game is the same one.
118** Unlikely. Right after the "precious friend" text box, the sound of a flying fairy plays.
119** Link's the only one who remembers the dark future with Ganondorf in charge. The magic Zelda used to send him back let him keep his memories of that dark time -- and of developing a close friendship with Navi -- didn't let Navi keep her memories. Navi thinks things are okay and that Link will be better off without her. [[ShellShockedVeteran Link... disagrees]].
120** I'd assumed that Navi had developed feelings for Link during their adventure. By the end of [=OoT=], Navi has had to sit back in her 'guide' position as she has to watch Saria/Malon/Ruto/Zelda/Nabooru take a fancy to Link. When Link is given his chance at youth again, Navi leaves Link so he can finally get off to some romantic escapades with the Hyrulian girlies and not be burdened by a female presence literally hanging over his head.
121** I have a different take on the question than those who answered previously. Not "Why did Navi leave Link?" but "Why did Navi Go Away?" If she left, it implies that she went somewhere. If she just died... Why does Link think he'll find her on this plane of existence?
122** Who ever said he was looking for Navi? The game only says he was looking for a lost friend, it never said who. The game takes on a tone as if it were speaking of events yet to come, meaning the quest could be one about to begin. Link is going through the forest, but doesn't appear to have any real direction or urgency. When Epona is stolen, however? That motivates him to move, and move fast. Also, at the end of the game, Link hasn't found Navi, yet the story is over. How would that make sense if this was no more than a detour, essentially making the entire game a sidequest? Link wasn't going after Navi, he was looking for his faithful companion and friend, Epona. Once he found her, he still had to fulfill his promise to the salesman.
123** Excuse me, but the hints that he's looking for Navi are OVERWHELMING. First, the game text says, he was looking for someone who went through the whole previous adventure with him, which only applies to Navi. Second, the bell which plays a split second before the first cut-scene is obviously a fairy. That's BEFORE Tatl and Tael make their entrance, you mind. Third, when Tatl teams up with Link, he comments that he's staring at her like something was stuck in her face. Tatl is a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Navi, so it's everything but far-fetched that she reminds Link of her, which explains the staring -- she actually meant something to him.
124** So, to recap -- Link noticed Tatl was a fairy, just one who spoke a lot crasser and was a lot ruder than Navi. If I thought all the fairies were passive and friendly creatures, and one practically swore at me, I'd stare too. Plus, the bell was either Tatl or Tael spying on Link from the trees. As for a friend who went through everything with him, remember that the adventure didn't really begin until Link became an adult, and he got Epona. Besides, him looking for Navi doesn't explain why he gives up looking for her at the end.
125** Whoever says he gives up looking for her? All we know is that Link's drawing skills haven't improved during the year timeskip.
126** In regards to Link, Navi, and the events following Majora's Mask: Perhaps there is something in the ending hinting at their ultimate fate. Skullkid speaks to the Giants and is reassured by them that they are still friends, but that they can't spend as much time with him as they used to. It's generally a message about accepting that sometimes, people have to part ways, and knowing that despite that, their feelings towards one another remain the same. Perhaps fate didn't drag Link to Termina just so he could save the world. Maybe he needed to learn something important in the process.
127** He's got Epona with him in the beginning, when this is told. He's sitting on her freakin' back! Who else should he be lookin for? Santa Claus? Also, it is never said that he stopped looking for Navi, we just don't get to see him reach his goal. Did we see Tetra and Toon Link reach their original goal (a new mainland to settle on) in the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]''? No! Because that was not the point of the game, just how it started. Same applies to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''.
128** I already said, the text speaks of a journey about to begin. Epona is with him, and when Skull Kid steals her, it begins. Also, killing Ganon actually has something to do with a new mainland, and isn't a full game of a complete irrelevance of their end goal, to the point where they have spent some 20 hours accomplishing nothing toward what they set out for and what the text said was the game's purpose.
129** Nope, sorry. It specifically states that he "embarked on a journey", and that he parted ways with the friend he's looking for "when he finally fulfilled his heroic destiny". It's clear that the journey already began and he has already separated from his friend.
130** ...Ganon? Did we two play the same ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]''? And, uhm, no, sorry, that's not how the text in the beginning went. This is the exact text: ''In the land of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend held dearly by the royal family that tells of a boy who, after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from the land that had made him a legend. Done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey. A journey in search for a beloved and invaluable friend, with whom he parted ways when he finally fulfilled his heroic destiny and took his place among legends... *fairy ring* (BEFORE the screen fades in, you mind)'' This does NOT sound like what you just said. This comes even closer to searching for ''Saria'' than to searching for Epona (with whom he did NOT part, once he fulfilled his destiny). Sorry, but your explanation doesn't fit and all the evidence goes towards Navi. Case closed.
131** He was definitely looking for Navi. For whatever reason, she left and he was desperate to find her. You know who else has had their friends leave? Skull Kid. And when he sees that even though they left, the giants still cared about Skull Kid, he decided that he didn't need to find her and returned to Zelda who, like Link has now, had faith that her friend would return one day.
132** Probably Navi had found another fairy to play with and lost Link. Or the simple fact that either one had just gotten lost in the Lost Woods. Maybe Link fell asleep and woke up while Navi was busy exploring. I myself prefer that Link fell asleep, Navi looked around, Link woke up and got lost looking for Navi, and Navi went back to the Deku Tree to wait for Link. Then, after Link saved the day again and found Navi safe and sound, Link let Navi watch over either another Kokiri or Saria.
133** Also, for this idea: there are two fairies in Termina and one looks like Navi. So there must be a Hyrule counterpart to the other fairy. So, perhaps, Navi found this Hyrule counterpart and just wandered off with them while Link was doing something else (sleeping, wandering, etc).
134** Someone mentioned that Link stared at Tatl because she was identical, (the alt-verse counterpart) to Navi. I just wanted to chime in here and say I agree with it, but also had always assumed that the implication was Link finding and befriending Tatl "counted" as him finding Navi. After all, Navi only came to him to help him solve an epic quest. In a sense, she comes to him again in the form of Tatl to do the same in the Majora's Mask world. I can understand why this wouldn't be emotionally satisfying to a lot of people, but I had always assumed that's what the idea was.
135** I always got the impression that he was staring at Tatl simply because she had just helped the Skull Kid steal the Ocarina of Time, get rid of Epona, and transform Link into a Deku, yet she was unapologetic about it, even lashing out at Link and saying that everything was his fault. I always took it that he was staring at her in a "Are you fucking kidding me!?" or a "Don't you owe me an apology or something?" way. Not to mention that Tatl didn't even look that much like Navi. Not more than any other fairy anyway, considering that she's yellow whereas Navi is blue. And Link is used to seeing fairies considering that he grew up in Kokiri Forest, so meeting a random fairy shouldn't be such a major event even if he's looking for Navi.
136** A point that hasn't been mentioned: at the end of [=OoT=], Navi is likely to have gone back to the forest... which explains Link being in the forest at the beginning of MM.
137** "The mystery begins '''a mere three months after Link's triumph over Ganondorf''' in Ocarina of Time. Now downtrodden, Link guides Epona through a sombre fog '''in search of his faithful fairy friend Navi.'''" - [[http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/n64/legend_of_zelda_majoras_mask.html Source]]
138** [[SarcasmMode But that's the UK page!]]
139** Also, in addition, this is taken straight from the Zelda wiki:
140"According to Hyrule Historia, the Nintendo Power strategy guide, and the official Legend of Zelda series website, Navi is the one that Link is searching for at the beginning of Majora's Mask, the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time. However, this is never directly stated in-game."
141[[/folder]]
142
143[[folder:Lack of atrophy]]
144
145* Link is basically put to sleep for seven years. He wakes up, and is immediately able to carry hundred-pound hammers, do back flips, and generally kick ass. How is it that seven years without food or exercise had no adverse effect on his health?
146** It was a ''magical'' sleep. Plus, we know Rauru was clothing him (see the earrings that weren't there before?), so he may have also been feeding him.
147** How do we know Rauru clothed him? In the manga, Impa pierced his ears. Impa's also the only sage who happens to be a nursemaid, and she's a warrior who might conceivably have access to weapons and equipment like what Link wears, maybe she took care of him. It would certainly explain things better. A nurse would probably know how to keep his body nourished and fully functioning.
148** Which brings up the comical image of Rauru treating Link like a doll.
149** He was frozen by the Sword's magic, so maybe Fi was maintaining his health for him.
150** I've always seen it as less "asleep" and more "stasis locked". Link was sealed in a form of magical stasis or displacement that kept him outside the flow of time, but allowed him to age normally and retain his physical strength. Think the time lock that Spyro and Cynder were in between Eternal Night and Dawn of the Dragon.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Marathon Guy]]
154* Why was the Marathon Guy even in this game? Just to frustrate players?
155** Yes.
156** To fulfill a meaningless side quest.
157** He probably was supposed to have a purpose, but they were forced to scrap it and just left his race as a "beat your own record" thing.
158** I found him kind of fun to chase as Rabbit Link.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Running man and skeletons]]
162* Why is it that when you're in Hyrule Field looking for a Running Man, the skeletons at night still attack you, but never come anywhere near the Running Man if he is nearby, or resting?
163** Maybe they tried, but he was too quick for them so they stopped bothering.
164** Link can run faster than the running man, but maybe they (like other enemies) only want to kill Link.
165** Maybe he's a force to be considered dangerous.
166** Maybe he's dead and his ghost is running around for all eternity and Link is the only one who can communicate with him to help him move on to the great beyond by giving him one more chance to run a race.
167** He's the Marathon Man -- the monsters tried to chase him down but he was always one second ahead of them.
168** My brother and I always figured that the skeletons only attack small, weak children, like something out of a fairy tale. This would also explain why they only attack you as a kid.
169*** Alternatively, perhaps they're drawn to magic. Link, saturated in the magic of the Kokiri forest, and further bearing the goddesses calling, is a beacon for them, while a normal individual isn't.
170
171[[/folder]]
172
173[[folder:Carpenter's son]]
174
175* During the Biggoron's Sword sidequest where you go to the carpenter's son in the Lost Woods...seriously, was I the only one worried about that poor kid? He gets ''turned into a Stalfos''. And his father never even acknowledges his disappearance! The amount of unanswered questions there (why did he have to get the mushroom for the old woman at the Potion Shop? Why did he need the potion in the first place? Why...?)
176** Uhmm... Rule Of Creepy? (Seriously, someone should make that trope!) Maybe Shigeru Miyamoto just wanted to foreshadow what Link was going to have to live through ''after'' Ocarina of Time... Cue [[NightmareFuel "Majora's Mask"]].
177** It actually doesn't follow that Link had that waiting for him. Link was protected by the Goddesses and the Deku tree. I mean if you could stay in the Lost Woods for days on end in-game with no ill effects, why would you be affected by a few more?
178** Yeah, all throughout the [=3D=] ''Zelda'' games, it seems like some of the designers have really been itching to introduce some horror elements to the series. Especially with the mask system in Ikana, the whole thing with the music box, and the well made me think that pretty late in the design cycle a ''real'' undead soul mask with a fourth Link transformation got cut from the game. I suspect that early concepts for Ikana Castle and the Stone Towers were much, MUCH darker.
179** Then they had to add the Kokiri girl Fado, who is waiting for Link when he comes into the Lost Woods with the medicine. She must ''really'' dislike adults, judging from the chilling lines she gives him.
180** I always had the theory that Fado was the one responsible for the stuff that happened to people who enter the Lost Woods. The only reason she doesn't do anything to Link is because he's an old friend.
181** He was dying and needed medicine fast. He gave you a mushroom which he found while poaching so he could stay alive (he looks really weak when you meet him), but by the time Link gets back to the woods, he's already either dead or turned into a stalfos. Maybe the lost woods (which turns people into stalfos) was what was making him weak.
182** The game has a relatively quiet underlying hint of bigotry being a giant problem. However, I would bet that the Carpenter's Son was being trained by the Old Hag. The Carpenter would know of the job and might even have expected his son to be gone for a while at a time. The potion itself was probably because he was sick, yet was the only one able to make the trip.
183** What you are forgetting is that the poacher is the carpenter and the potion hag's son...
184** I remember (at least in Ocarina of Time 3D) that the Kokiri girl waiting for you there says that he left, so that he wouldn't become a Stalfos, meaning he got out before he could become one.
185** Nope, Fado says that he's gone ''because'' he's a Stalfos now, and then she asks if you're 'going to become one too'.
186
187[[/folder]]
188
189[[folder:Monsters under Ganondorf]]
190
191* So, the Land of Hyrule has a monster problem, especially with Stalchildren popping out of the ground whenever it's night, and Peahats flying around during the day. Cue seven years later. Ganondorf has corrupted Hyrule, dominated all the temples, turned Hyrule Castle into his own domain, completely ruined Castle Town... and there are no Stalchildren or Peahats in Hyrule, and the only 'monsters' are ghosts that run away from you. Strange, aside from specific locations, Hyrule seems NICER under Ganondorf's rule...
192** Probably explained through Ganondorf's backstory, that he's telling in Wind Waker: the reason he became evil in the first place was that seeing his Gerudo amazon-warriors die like flies in their desert because of the lack of water turned him insane, especially after he caught a glimpse of the beauty of Hyrule. So, to make life more fair, he decided that EVERYBODY should suffer like his women in the desert by making everything like his dessert. Are there Stalchildren in Gerudo desert? Nope.
193** Having monstrous skeletons rising up out of the ground at night hinders travel throughout your kingdom and thus inhibits trade and proper functioning. Purging them is simply a smart idea if you want your kingdom to function properly. Ganondorf may be evil, but he's a solid administrator.
194** But Hyrule Castle Town (the capital) is full of zombies! How is that good administration?
195** Now that's just plain vitalist. Dead people have rights too!
196** Hyrule Castle Town under the royal family was a center of economy, but Hyrule under Ganondorf has Kakariko for its center of economy, and the Castle itself exists simply as a wall around Ganondorf to shield him from rebels/enemies. The zombies are the first line of defense.
197** Maybe Gandonorf's just channeling all the necromantic energies into his own projects?
198** It's not nicer for the Gorons who are gonna be fed to the dragon. Or the Kokiri who have to hide from monsters attacking them. Or the Zoras who are frozen. I just think the monsters went to other places. The Stalchildren might have 'crossed over' since evil has finally taken over, which is what they wanted and they could rest now that their goal/desire was reached. The Peahats might have died since the water from Zora's Domain was too cold for them?
199*** Either that, or Ganondorf just likes the field the most and wants it to stay pretty?
200*** Stalchildren and Peahats were both races of living creatures who weren't loyal to Ganondorf. Ganondorf was in full OmnicidalManiac swing after taking over, so he probably wiped them out ForTheEvulz.
201** As I said earlier, my brother and I always figured the Stalchildren attacked only kids (maybe that's why Kokiri couldn't leave the forest), like something out of old folklore. They don't go after adult Link or Running Man either. Maybe they're still there, but they only attack what they think is defenseless.
202** Maybe it wasn't Ganondorf who pacified Hyrule Field, but Zelda/Sheik, out of boredom for having to wait for Link to awaken.
203** Maybe the Stalchildren turned into Stalfos after seven years, and the Peahats just died off?
204
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Ocarina of Time upgrade]]
208
209* In this game, the Ocarina of Time does next to nothing other than be a prettier Ocarina. And yet in MM, it lets you travel through time. And what does Link do with the Fairy Ocarina after he gets the Ocarina of Time, anyway?
210** "Next to nothing"? Did you forget that it's the key to opening the Temple of Time? Or how Zelda uses it to send Link back at the end of the game?
211** The "whatever happened to Saria's ocarina?" question was asked many times but never answered. The Manga offers the explanation that it was stolen by Ganondorf (who, somehow, confused it with the Ocarina of Time) and later smashed by him in rage.
212** Ganondorf mistaking the Fairy Ocarina for the Ocarina of Time is rather justified; he had never seen the real Ocarina of Time, all he knew is that it was an ocarina, he saw Zelda throwing the Ocarina of Time, and as the Fairy Ocarina was the only ocarina in his line of sight, he just assumed it was the real deal.
213** It's a MacGuffin, dude. You might as well ask what the point of the Master Sword is when the Giant's Knife is better.
214** It sparkles? ([[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Some]][[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess times]]?)
215** ...Giant's Knife is useless, what are talking about?
216** Probably talking about the Biggoron's Sword. And what do you MEAN the Ocarina of Time is useless? Did you NEVER use it to teleport between dungeons? Did you never use it to change day to night/night to day? Did you not notice how many times you need to play Zelda's Lullaby? Or even the very mundane power of being able to summon Epona from far, far away? Useless? Hardly.
217** The thing that bugs me about the question of where Saria's ocarina went is the unspoken certainty that the Fairy Ocarina went anywhere. Is it not possible that Link just hung on to it without using it again because the Ocarina of Time had more powerful magic? You may as well ask [[GameplayAndStorySegregation why Lon Lon Milk doesn't go sour if you take it into the future.]]
218** I think what the OP means is that the Ocarina in MM allows you to actually go back in time, but in [=OoT=] it has no such time-travelling powers.
219** Probably the fact that Termina is a parallel world to Hyrule where magic is more amplified allowed the ocarina's power to be amplified as well in the same way the masks that were just for fun in Hyrule became magical runes of sorts in Termina capable of several different effects. The manga's explanation also wouldn't necessarily be farfetched even in the games since, while it's not as fleshed out or obvious as the manga portrays, recall that Ganondorf was well aware you were working with Zelda, that Zelda tossed an object he rightfully guessed was the Ocarina of Time, and that he confronted you right after she tossed it (but before you could retrieve it in the moat). He assumes you have it and when you stand your ground instead of curl up in the fetal position at his presence, he blasts you with magic. Perhaps at this time you were stunned (maybe before you fell?), he was incredibly quick (or caused you to be stunned otherwise) and lifted the Fairy Ocarina off of you before leaving [[strike:and hoped to goddesses you don't glance at your inventory before picking up the Ocarina of Time in the moat to blow this theory out of the water]]? (The only thing stopping this is the fact you still have the Fairy Ocarina after confronting Ganondorf and before you get the Ocarina of Time, by which point the Fairy Ocarina disappears, but hey, I tried...)
220** Nothing really happens to the Fairy Ocarina. Link just gets rid of it, just like he did with the hookshot when he got the longshot or the giant's knife when he got the Biggoron's sword.
221** Link just got rid of the Fairy Ocarina. Or put it in his bag as a memento but never needed to use it. The Ocarina of Time, however, is required for the Temple of Time because of the Sage magic it has. The reason (aside from necessity of the plot) for the new abilities from the music itself would probably be the direct source of the magic is shifted upon entering the new land; like how the simple masks acquired magical abilities. And also there's no need to use the Ocarina for time-travel in [=OoT=] even if you could.
222** If you go back in time and warp to the Sacred Forest Meadow using the Minuet of Forest, you can see Saria playing the Fairy Ocarina, so it is to be assumed that a fairy, possibly Navi, returned the Fairy Ocarina to Saria once Link got the Ocarina of Time.
223*** Man, that would be such a dick move on Link's part. "Hey uh, I know you gave this to me as a lasting symbol of our friendship but...I kinda got a better one....so...you can have it back." But anyway, I always assumed the ocarina Saria is seen playing is her own ocarina and the devs just used the same model as the one she gives you for practicality purposes. I think at one point after she relocates to the Sacred Forest Meadow, if you talk to her she also mentions wanting to "play the ocarina together again soon," implying that she and Link both have their own ocarina.
224** Actually, the FIRST time you travel to the Sacred Forest Meadow is before you gain the Ocarina of Time as you need Saria's Song to cheer Darunia up. This is before you even gain the second Spiritual Stone. She (and you) still have the Fairy Ocarina. Saria just either got a new one or had multiples to begin with. Link just simply holds on to it. Maybe he stored it in his house?
225** The Ocarina of Time does showcase time-travelling powers in this game. Zelda uses it to bring Link back to the past at the end of the game. And in Majora's Mask, Zelda explains the time travel powers as the Goddess of Time interviening, so it's less that the Song of Time plus Ocarina of Time has that power intrinsically, and more like Link is summoning the help of a deity that he didn't need help from in the previous game.
226
227[[/folder]]
228
229[[folder:Cow on Death Mountain]]
230
231* How does that cow at the top of Death Mountain survive for 7 years in a tiny cave with 4 bushes? For the matter, how did it even get in there, since that hole looks much too small for it to fall through, and how would a cow get past the falling rocks or the vine-covered cliffs anyway? Also, when you win the jumping race at Lon Lon Ranch and win a cow, how does it get up a LADDER and end up in your house?
232** [[AWizardDidIt A fairy did it.]]
233** I always figured a teleporting mail-crate system. They drop it in an open space with nothing alive on the floor under it, in the house of the recipient, unless you specify that it needs to be in the yard and you can pick it up.
234** Cows are secretly ninjas.
235** Bushes grow a lot faster in Hyrule than in our world. Remember all the places in [=OoT=] where you chop down shrubs and they grow right back?
236
237[[/folder]]
238
239[[folder:Sheik's ears]]
240
241* Where on earth are Sheik's ears? That's one thing that stumps both sides of the gender wars -- if s/he's just Zelda, then Zelda has long pointed ears and thus Sheik should too. But if s/he's a Sheikah, then Impa has long pointed ears as well, and thus so should Sheik! Unless s/he's just tucking them in to those head bandages and/or cowl (Which seems... impractical)? ...Or is actually a Gerudo dressed as a Sheikah?
242** The question where Sheik's Hylian ears are is a good one... I guess they are under his/her hair. Probably. Or (s)he's constantly frowning, causing them to hang down (in some media, the ears of the Hylians also indicate their emotional state... not that those media were canon).
243** Probably just keeps them tucked under her ears/bandages, bending them so they are pressed against her head, maybe using a headband or a clip or something to keep them in place. A little uncomfortable, surely, but necessary for the sake of deception.
244** Why is that a necessary deception? Sheikah have long ears the same as Hylians -- just look at Impa! Whether a Hylian in disguise as a Sheikah or an actual Sheikah, Sheik should have long ears.
245** The ears are most likely under both the bandages and the hair. It is both an aesthetic and functional approach. As to the "necessary deception", the game speaks for itself. Unless you want Ganondorf/Ganon to succeed in destroying the world.
246** He's trying to be more aerodynamic. That matters when you're being a ninja and stalking young men.
247** The disguise seems implied to be at least partly magic-based. Shiek's one visible eye is red and he has a muscley male physique. Plus, when Zelda reveals herself she appears in her full formal dress that wouldn't have fit under Shiek's skin-tight outfit. Zelda has been depicted as having all kinds of magic power over the series, being the reincarnation of a goddess with (at times) part of the triforce in her possession. A small illusion spell would not be impossible for her.
248
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Sending Link to the past]]
252
253* At the end of the game, Ganon is beaten in the 'future', then Zelda sends link back into the 'present', to live those seven years he missed.... which will still be under Ganon's tyrannical rule, won't they? Back in kid-Links time, Ganon still has the Triforce, and won't be beaten for another seven years.
254** Zelda sent Link back to before Ganondorf had taken over. Specifically, he ended up at a point just after he'd acquired the Kokiri's Emerald, back when Ganondorf was just swearing his allegiance to the King of Hyrule.
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Kokiri leaving the forest]]
258
259* At the end credits, the Kokiri are seen dancing in Hyrule Field around a bonfire. I thought they weren't able to leave the forest?
260** That was a lie to prevent them from leaving the forest.
261** Or maybe the Deku sprout decided that it would be good for them to start leaving the forest if they wanted. At the very least he felt it wasn't cool to let the kids miss the party.
262** Maybe they brought the Deku Sprout with them in a pot.
263** Probably they were granted the ability to leave, on occasion. Keep in mind that (supposedly) no Kokiri could leave and so they couldn't tell anyone anything about what was happening. It's not unreasonable to lift that "curse".
264** I always thought they could ''physically'' leave the forest with no real consequence in and of itself. However, what kept them from doing so was the Stalchildren and Peahats that live just outside the entrance to the forest.
265** My take on it is that the Kokiri are sprites, called into existence by the Deku Tree (this is stated ingame) and sustained by his will and the magic of the forest. So if the Deku Tree is willing to let them leave the forest for the party, then they're fine, but if they try to leave at some other time against the will of the Deku Tree, they die.
266** If they leave the forest, they'll die... eventually. I like the theory that perhaps staying in the forest (or merely being close to the Deku Tree) is what grants them immortality, and that if they leave, they'll actually age, or at the very least no longer be immortal. I don't recall anyone saying that the Kokiri die immediately upon leaving the forest.
267** Maybe it wasn't literal. It could be that the Deku Tree, in his wisdom, knew that Kokiri wouldn't have the survival know-how, even with fairy partners, and physical endurance and fitness to survive in the outside world. So, his statement was both a white lie and an exaggerated truth; the Kokiri ''would'' die, but only due to the harsh environment and/or monsters killing them. Possibly also (though I'm dangerously close to WMG here) done to keep the forest populated with the creatures that sustain it with their own life energy and so on.
268** "We'll die if we leave the forest" is never given a credible source, only ever spoken by the Kokiri children and then actively disproven in the ending. By all indication, "leaving the forest means death" is a Kokiri urban legend intended to keep anyone from leaving the village. Remember that these are children; children can be very irrational and prone to spreading misinformation like a virus.
269** It was mentioned by one of the developers or somebody that the Kokiri didn't die - leaving the forest in ''Ocarina of Time'' was what caused them to turn into the Koroks seen in ''The Wind Waker''.
270** It's an interesting idea, but doesn't add up given the ending of Ocarina of Time. In Wind Waker the Great Deku Tree states that the Kokiri took on the form of Koroks after the seas rose. In the Ocarina of Time ending the Kokiri are still human at Lon Lon Ranch, and without their fairies as well (so it can't be argued that the fairies are what keeps them in human form either, since they don't have them here).
271** To be fair, the Deku Tree could've been generalizing at that point, and the transformation could've been a gradual process (Especially if the Kokiri returned to their forest after the party, which might've halted the transformation, only to start it again when they left again later).
272
273[[/folder]]
274
275[[folder:Impa and the Shadow Temple]]
276
277* How did Impa manage to make it through the Shadow Temple without the Hover Boots?
278** Ninja jumping ability.
279** Who do you think taught Sheik how to ninja jump?
280** The same way Darunia entered the boss room for Volvagia without a boss key...... she probably just knows a [[DungeonBypass back way in]]. It would be nice if they let Link in on it.
281** Also, you can hear the door unlocking as he walks through it. Presumably, Darunia locked it again to keep Volvagia from getting out in case he got eaten. Which he probably did, being dumb enough to not take the Megaton Hammer along.
282** Better question: How the hell did Darunia get over by the boss door? The guy's a giant ass rock with (from what we saw in Majora's Mask) little to no jump height.
283** He walked, then he climbed. He's a Goron, Lava is like a hot bath to them, and he probably punched in his own hand and footholds.
284
285
286[[/folder]]
287
288[[folder:Carpenter telepathy]]
289
290* How were the carpenters able to tell Link how many of their buddies were still locked up, ''as he was releasing them?'' Are even schlub carpenters telepathic in Hyrule?
291** Carpenter senses, tingling!
292** Perhaps they overheard the guards walking by, panicking over "yet another one" escaping thanks to your efforts.
293** Perhaps Link "says" how many he has already saved?
294
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Balanced heart]]
298
299* Ganondorf tries to take the Triforce, but he is not balanced enough and the Triforce splits into wisdom, power, and courage. My question is why does he spend the rest of the game and other games trying to find the pieces to put it back together? Wouldn't it just break again as soon as he tries to use it?
300** No, I don't think so; he definitely gets at least one other piece several times later on. I think that was just a one-off protection on the Triforce as it stood on its formal pedestal in the Sacred Realm; it hasn't actually been returned since by an authority trying to protect it, so the protection has yet to be revived.
301** This is explained in the game: When you first touch the Triforce in the Sacred Realm, if you're not balanced, you get the piece that applies most to you. Then, once you have your piece, you can go and search out the other two pieces to gain your wish and ultimate power.
302** The need to reassemble the Triforce to earn a wish does seem sensible, in fact. In doing so, there's likely two ideal outcomes. Either the pursuer of the Triforce develops their missing virtues in the process, or the three Triforce bearers are forced to cooperate to unite the Triforce. Given the Door of Time in particular requires the collaboration of 4 separate races to open (Kokiri, Goron, and Zora for the spiritual stones, Hylian for the Ocarina and the Temple itself), the latter event may have been the intended outcome should someone lacking the full virtues access the Triforce.
303
304[[/folder]]
305
306[[folder:King of the Gerudo]]
307
308* Ganondorf is the King of the Gerudo, right? So why doesn't he, you know, king them around? Even though it's implied that Nabooru rebelling against him is out of the ordinary, none of the other ones seem particularly interested in conquering Hyrule for him. In fact, they might not even know that the world outside their village is any different than it was seven years before Link showed up. Ganondorf doesn't order them to raid Kokiri Forest, doesn't have them occupy the far more habitable Castle Town after it's taken. He just kind of forgets about them.
309** Even if their laws state so, they might not accept Ganondorf as their king. And at the beginning of the game, Ganondorf has secretly caused problems, so he can afterwards appear in the name of the king and offer his help. This way, he can demand the stones as payment while still not being regarded as a criminal. This was his plan until Link came along and foiled his plans. Unfortunately, Link opened the gate himself and all efforts went down the drain.
310** He probably doesn't "king them around" because he doesn't think they'd be very useful for his major plans. He likely can't use them as an army to take over Hyrule because he just doesn't have the numbers, and his own magical abilities far outweigh the kind of power he'd get from even the Gerudo's elite.
311** I always got the idea that Wind Waker kind of answered this. Before the final battle, he expresses how unfair he thinks the gods are by putting him and his people in the dry, dead desert. He is more concerned finding a land where his people can live and prosper instead of living in the apparent Hell-hole that is the desert.
312** Given how the Gerudo seem to genuinely value Link's strength and skill, they came across more as noble thieves than outright evil. I doubt that they would go along with Ganondorf if he tried to order them to conquer Hyrule, and might turn against him.
313** Perhaps Ganondorf, because of his excessive greed, doesn't want the Gerudos to know of his plans and doesn't want to share the Triforce with anyone.
314** Link managed to conquer the whole Gerudo Valley alone (and he was even holding back, not to kill anybody), what use would there be for Ganondorf to command around an army this weak?
315** True, but this is [[ActionHero Link]] [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin we're talking]] [[TheHero about]].
316** What use would the Gerudo be as a conquering army or raiders ''after'' Hyrule has been conquered? We never see the actual conquest (not even the invasion of Hyrule Castle when you're a kid), for all we know the Gerudo were in fact Ganon's main fighting force then, but afterwards they were just left to guard the desert. It's also worth noting that the Gerudo we meet do follow "the great Ganondorf", and any dissidents get brainwashed and forced to do so.
317** My personal guess is that there's a degree of CharacterDevelopment between Ganondorf as seen in Ocarina of Time, and Ganondorf as he is in Wind Waker. In [=OoT=] we see a man reveling in the pure unfettered Power-with-a-capital-P of his triforce piece, lashing out at everyone who wronged him [[note]]In particular everyone connected to those specifically responsible for keeping him out of the Sacred Realm. Worth noting how the Gorons and Zora get the worst of it, to the point of what amounts to attempted genocide, when Darunia and King Zora are the only two keepers of the spritual stones and ocarina who aren't either dead or MIA at the time.[[/note]]. The Gerudo seem to be effectively left to Koume and Kotake to rule as regents, because at this point why care about being a king when you're effectively a god? Too much god stuff that needs doing. Ganondorf in Wind Waker has had an unknown amount of time having won a PyrrhicVictory over Hyrule as he once knew it, with nothing but the empty ocean floor to rule over. He's had plenty of time to reflect on how everything went wrong, how his actions brought his people and the entire world into ruin. It doesn't disuade him from taking vengenace against the new world once the oppruntity presents itself, but it's still obviously affected his mindset.
318
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder:Secret Hylian]]
322
323* So... it was meant to be [[MythologyGag a secret to everybody]] that Link was really a Hylian and not a Kokiri. But how much of a secret was it really? Presumably Mido didn't know, but Saria seemed to suspect it. And if it hadn't been for Ganondorf, Link would have found out anyway in a few years once he started to go through puberty. So, why didn't the Deku Tree tell him the truth before dying? And were there Kokiri around from the time he was brought there who would know? The Kokiri have been around since forever, surely you'd think they'd remember a baby being brought to the village some years ago and growing with them. And surely Link himself would remember growing all these years among kids who always seemed to be older than him but never seemed to age.
324** We don't know exactly how the Kokiri grow. They might just spring up, already looking like 10-year-olds, or they might have started as babies out of pods, or seeds, or something. If that's the case, the Deku tree could've easily made it look like that was the case with Link. Alternatively, maybe Saria was his caretaker specifically, and she's the only one who suspects because she knows more details about him growing up than the others did.
325** My guess is that they grow like Hyrulians until they hit a certain age (about 10-ish) then stop growing. It could have just been perfect timing for Link to be brought to the Deku tree while the Kokiri had just been born.
326** This makes a good deal of sense. And if all the Kokiri ''weren't'' born at the exact same time, that would make it even easier for Link to blend in with them, as the Kokiri would be used to seeing new babies spring up occasionally.
327** To protect him from the war-torn world outside the forest at his mother's request.
328** To disguise the Hero of Time as a Kokiri and protect him until it was time to fulfill his role as TheChosenOne.
329** If Mido picks on him for not having a fairy, imagine what he'd say if he was an "out" Hylian.
330
331[[/folder]]
332
333[[folder:Magic bean guy]]
334
335* Does the Magic Bean guy never drink water?
336** [[BodyHorror How do you think he got so large simply by eating beans?]]
337** Course, one might suppose he'd also have to eat soft patches of soil...
338** He sits next to a river.
339*** I think what OP is getting at is that the Magic Bean Man advertises the beans as just needing water and then they grow, yet he himself is constantly eating them and yet never seems to be filling up with sprouts, despite presumably needing to drink water occasionally. But I agree with the troper above you who points out that presumably, growing the beans requires soil to plant them in, so naturally they're just as safe to eat as any other bean.
340** You can grow beans on some store-bought piece of cotton, it doesn't need super nutritious soil to sprout. Still doesn't mean it'll sprout inside you if you eat them. Even "magical" beans still need sunlight, that's just not something that needs to be provided by the person growing them.
341[[/folder]]
342
343[[folder:Kid in the graveyard]]
344
345* What happened to the kid in the graveyard? In the future, it's mentioned that he never came home one day -- and that's all you ever hear of it. Was that just meant to be depressing? Something left in for a subplot? An explanation for not making a new model for him?
346** There's a common theory that the boy grew up to become the cloaked ghost hunter, based on how the ghost hunter waves his stick about.
347** Which is interesting, when you consider that the ghost hunter tells Link that he wishes he had his good looks, while the little boy laments his cute, nonthreatening face.
348** Nah, it's pretty clear that the ghost shop owner is the guard who used to be in that building when Link was a kid. He mentions wishing there were more troubles in the world, and will admit to studying ghosts if you talk to him at night.
349[[/folder]]
350
351[[folder:Swearing allegiance]]
352
353* When we first see Ganondorf, he is "swearing his allegiance to the King of Hyrule." So we can assume the king thinks Ganondorf is an alright guy... Why then, is he allowed to run around killing the Deku Tree, starving the Gorons, and trying to kill Jabu-Jabu? It's not like it was a secret to anyone that Ganondorf was the one behind all of it.
354** It's pretty much one of those "you can't prove anything" scenarios, and one of the more subtle aspects of Hyrule at this point is that the various races are still fragmented. Thus, the Hylian king would take the word of a kneeling Gerudo over that of a stout, [[LargeHam hammy]] Goron, a somewhat absent-minded Zora, and a largely isolationist...tree.
355** Besides, it seems like the Hylians and Kokiri don't have too much contact with each other -- there's no mention of the outside world in the forest, and they can't leave for Castle Town. It doesn't excuse the Gorons and the Zora, but it's possible the king doesn't actually ''know'' about the Deku Tree, and the Zora issue seems to be a very recent one. And the Gorons can't actually prove that it was Ganondorf. Hell, for all we know, he could be there that day in the castle to give his side of the story.
356** [[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Hyrulean_Civil_War This]] offers some interesting information. It does state that presumably, the Zora tribe and the King of Hyrule formed an alliance. It also states that all the races are unified under the Hyrulean Banner, so they aren't as "fragmented" and isolated as we may think. I will accept that an offered theory (read: not exactly canon) from the page states that Ganondorf fought with the King during the civil war, so showing Ganondorf offer his allegiance to the King is not unexpected. As these other events were going on (especially if the king had an alliance with the Zoras) that no one thought to mention it to the king.
357** Perhaps Ganondorf subtly cut off the king from contact with those races. Or perhaps he only made Jabu Jabu ill not long before. Ruto couldn't have been stuck in that stomach for ''very'' long...
358** Darunia probably did send word to the king about what was going on -- that would've been why he was expecting a messenger from the royal family. It's possible that [[ShootTheMessenger Ganondorf did something to dispose of the original messenger]], but didn't do anything to stop Link since he didn't know about him yet. As for the Zoras, someone reminded me that not all of them know that something is wrong with Lord Jabu-Jabu, and even the two who do, King Zora and Princess Ruto, haven't known about it for very long. As for the Kokiri, aside from their isolationism mentioned above, they all believe that leaving the forest will kill them, none of them know why the Great Deku Tree died anyway, and Link can't go to the king about what happened because he doesn't have substantial proof that he's actually a Kokiri... (And as it turns out, [[spoiler:he's not]].)
359
360[[/folder]]
361
362[[folder:Keatons]]
363
364* Something I'm more curious than bothered of are the keatons. In [=OoT=], Keaton (singular) is a famous mascot kids admire in the same way [[strike:many]] some of us admire Bugs Bunny, and thus they have a mask kids adore. Termina seems somewhat the same in the respect that the masks also exist to give to children (Kafei, for instance, got his as a child from the Curiosity Shop Owner, who is surprised Kafei could keep it in such good shape for so long), but then we also have Keaton (plural now) appear as a species who exist all over the place, just hidden. MM is the only time we see Keaton in person, and every other time we see keatons in the zeldaverse were in different times and vastly different appearances from the yellow pika-ninetales-thing from [=OoT=] and MM. So was [=OoT=]'s Keaton part of the keaton race in MM who travelled from Termina, or just a mascot coined up? Or was it one of those cases it tries to pretend to be an imaginary friend to adults and only appear to children due to their inherent good natures (and possibly because kids are more likely to wear the mask and thus are treated as if they're trying to trick the foxes into thinking they're one of their own like they think Link does if he wears it while meeting them)?
365** I think it's possible that the Happy Mask Salesman, being one of the very few people to have been to both Hyrule and Termina, introduced the Keaton to Hyrulian kids through his masks. Considering Hyrule probably doesn't have television or even comic books, the masks are the only way they could know about it, assuming there aren't any Hyrulian keaton.
366** I always took it to mean that Keatons were a part of traditional folklore, but got overshadowed by a single heavily commercialized example in pop culture, like Genie from ''Aladdin''. It just so happens that, in this case, the folkloric original is ''real'' in some distant land (Termina).
367** There's no reason to assume Keatons do not exist in Hyrule. That Link never encountered one does not mean they are not there.
368
369[[/folder]]
370
371[[folder:Soul locked in temple]]
372
373* Why did Link have to stay with his soul locked in the Temple of Time for seven years in the first place? Rauru states that Link was "not old enough" to embark on his quest, but why couldn't Link have just stuck around for seven years (because we know Ganon declares war and takes over Hyrule during that time)? Why risk opening the sacred realm and all that jazz when he could have just kicked Ganondorf's ass before he rose to power, plus he would have been older and more skilled than before.
374** Link was still only a 10-year-old kid, who couldn't have wielded the Master Sword to even fight Ganondorf. He was sealed until he could.
375** I understand that, but why did he have to be ''frozen'' until he could? Why couldn't he just stay around in order to prevent Ganondorf from attacking during those seven years?
376** How? Ten-year-old Link ''couldn't'' have stopped Ganondorf. That's why he was frozen. Notice what a stellar job Link did of fighting him when he saw Ganondorf coming out of Hyrule Castle. He was frozen, basically, for safe keeping. Link being out and about for seven years means Link is in danger for seven years, especially if Ganondorf decides to tie up that little loose end himself.
377** I think what that troper means, is why wasn't Link allowed to actually ''be conscious and grow up normally''. Yes, he still wouldn't have been able to stop Ganondorf until he was the "right age," but you'd think that if the Master Sword wanted him to grow up, that it wouldn't force him to essentially be a ten-year-old in an older body. Rauru could have given him some training or at least some information or something during the passing seven years.
378** Because he would have wanted to try and fight anyway. If Link were the type to sit around training for years while leaving Hyrule to its horrible fate under Ganondorf, he never would have gone to Death Mountain or Zora's Domain to begin with. He went to both locations because he was trying to do something ''right now'' regardless of whether or not he was strong or skilled enough to do so. Left to his own devices, Link would have gone after Ganondorf with or without the Master Sword, and would have gotten himself killed either trying to take him on without the Master Sword, or trying to wield it against him with his short, stubby child arms.
379** My theory is that the Master Sword itself froze him and there was nothing any of them could have done to wake him up until the seven years were up.
380** [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]] finally answers this question for us: if Fi hadn't put Link in stasis, he might have outright ''died'' on the spot.
381
382[[/folder]]
383
384[[folder:Adult Kokiri tunic]]
385
386* Link's green adult tunic is still called a "Kokiri tunic." If the Kokiri never age, then how come their tunics come in adult sizes?
387** That means it's a Kokiri ''style'' tunic, not that it's a tunic that was actually warn by a Kokiri.
388** I read somewhere that the tunic was designed to fit all sizes, even though the Kokiri technically wouldn't need something like that.
389** Possible FridgeBrilliance: The Deku Tree knew that Link would grow up eventually, so he might have had a special version of the tunic made for him.
390
391[[/folder]]
392
393[[folder:Gold Gauntlets]]
394
395* The Golden Gauntlets allow Link to lift a massive stone pillar that's easily four or five times his size and throw it over his shoulder, several feet behind him, no less, with little effort. So why does he still need two hands to hold the Biggoron's Sword?
396** He doesn't need two hands to hold the Biggoron's Sword (when idle, he holds it with one hand occasionally). It is also not about the weight, but the technique: a broadsword (like the Master Sword) is designed to be swung with one hand; a greatsword (like the Biggoron's Sword) is designed to be held and swung with two hands. Using 1 hand on a two-handed sword loses a lot of its control and power.
397** But the only reason for that loss of control and power is because normal humans aren't strong enough to properly wield a two-handed sword with one hand. If Link can lift those colossal stone pillars, I dare say he's strong enough to swing the Biggoron sword one-handed without losing control or power.
398** Using a shield with a sword that large would be difficult. It's not a matter of strength, but the area needed to swing the sword. A shield would hinder the swing.
399** Additionally, there are other factors beyond strength that go into the control and power of a greatsword. Leverage, for one. Two-handed weapons like the greatsword are designed for a person to throw their full upper body strength into the swing. The size and bulk of the weapon makes it very easy to get caught up on obstacles and basic inertia, regardless of how strong a person might be, requiring both hands to maintain control of the weapon, especially with Link's small, human hands (the Golden Gauntlets do not give him a wider grip). A greatsword is not, and will never be, a broadsword no matter how strong a person may be.
400
401[[/folder]]
402
403[[folder:Temple order]]
404
405* On the QUEST STATUS menu panel. I am convinced that the Spirit Temple should have been completed before the Shadow Temple. there are 2 things on this panel that suggest this: the order of the medallions going clockwise goes Light, Forest, Fire, Water, SPIRIT, SHADOW; then there are the order of the songs: Minuet, Bolero, Serenade, REQUIEM, NOCTURN, Prelude (which is the last song which is also bothersome).
406** The Spirit temple can be completed before entering the Shadow Temple. You can use the Longshot to cross the river of sand by hitting a box and the lens of truth, needed for the ghost guide, can be obtained before technically entering the Shadow Temple. It is strange that the order of medallions and songs don't correspond to the order of temples the game encourages you on; perhaps the developers thought that a linear progression flew in the face of having to travel backwards through time, so they messed around with the order of the songs and medallions to encourage players to go explore the game and see if they can finish the temples in different orders.
407** Supposedly, based on an old beta of the game, the medallions were supposed to be useable in some capacity rather than just markers that you got to a certain point in the game. The Spirit Medallion originally had the same effect as the Lens of Truth, and therefore, it seems like it was originally intended to be cleared before the Shadow Temple. It's likely the ghost guide thing came after the temples were re-ordered, in that case.
408
409[[/folder]]
410
411[[folder:Gerudo guard color]]
412
413* Why does the color of the final gerudo guards clothes change color to whatever color your clothes are?
414** Nintendo probably just set her clothing pattern to be the same color as whatever color tunic Link had on. No idea why, although they may have simply ran out of space and didn't have room to make a new texture for her clothes.
415** It's a ShoutOut to the first Zelda game, in which the color of Zelda's dress changed depending on what ring you were wearing. (Red ring results in a red dress, blue ring results in a pink dress, no ring results in the rare green dress)
416
417[[/folder]]
418
419[[folder:Gossip stones and Kokiri]]
420
421* One of the gossip stones (the one behind the Deku Tree) tells you "One Kokiri has left the forest, but he's still alive!" Since we know that Link is not a Kokiri, who could this Kokiri be?
422** Perhaps the stone didn't know?
423** To expound, what the stone probably didn't know was that Link isn't a Kokiri. Though that particular stone is in an excellent position to learn that from the Deku Tree Sprout in the future, it hasn't heard it yet, and Link can't wear masks in the future.
424** They're ''Gossip'' stones. Not ''Omniscience'' stones. They repeat what they've heard, they don't know everything.
425
426[[/folder]]
427
428[[folder:Boomerang in Jabu-Jabu]]
429
430* Why is there a boomerang in a chest in Lord Jabu-Jabu's stomach?
431** He swallowed it.
432** Fine, by why does he have a map of his own stomach inside him?
433** Drawn by a previous person he swallowed, and left there for future swallowing victims.
434** I believe Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/comic/344-jabujabu/ answered this one.]]
435** I've read about sharks swallowing all kinds of things in real life -- tires, glass bottles, license plates...etc. Considering Jabu-Jabu is some sort of...shark/fish/whale/god...thing, it wouldn't be too much of a leap to assume he did the same to everything inside him. As for the map, maybe Ruto made it when she was younger to help familiarize herself with the place, and once she'd done so locked it in a chest so no one would find out where she went.
436
437[[/folder]]
438
439[[folder:Moving platforms]]
440
441* Why are there moving platforms inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? Really? What biological purpose do they serve?
442** Moving semidigested food around?
443** Or maybe the purpose is to move Barinade, the boss, around. Barinade is not a natural part of lord Jabu-Jabu's body either, since it's only there because Ganondorf was trying to kill Jabu-Jabu. Maybe the platforms are Ganondorf's way of assuring that Barinade can visit every part of Jabu-Jabu's body to kill him off for good.
444** If Ganondorf had the time to create an extensive network of caverns and platforms inside of Jabu-Jabu, he had the time to kill Jabu-Jabu '''himself'''.
445** Let's reframe this: Barinade is Ganondorf's chosen method of killing Jabu-Jabu. He wants this to happen ''slowly'', because he's trying to obtain the Zora Sapphire by holding Jabu's life and heath ransom. It's not a stretch to assume that any superfluous abnormalities in Jabu's body are caused by Barinade.
446*** Another reason for him opting for slowly killing Jabu-Jabu is possibly plausible deniability. If he moved openly, someone could figure out he was planning something. But if Jabu-Jabu just so happened to die of seemingly natural causes, well, that's just how it goes, isn't it? Alternatively, he was planning to set himself up as a hero and get the Triforce that way (say, by killing King Dodongo and Barinade personally, with the King's blessing, and then asking for the Ocarina as a token of esteem)
447[[/folder]]
448
449[[folder:Mido outside, Zora large]]
450
451* Why is King Zora so amazingly large during the party at Lon Lon Ranch?
452** King Zora looks the same size he always was, just larger in comparison to Mido by his side
453
454[[/folder]]
455
456[[folder:Anju juggling Cuccos]]
457
458* So... how is Anju, the girl who can't even touch her own cuccoos because she's allergic to them, ''juggling'' three of them in the ending?
459** Her allergy was psychosomatic?
460** Could be pocket cuccos, too.
461** Same reason people drink even though it can cause a hangover: it's a party, and she's having fun. She'll deal with the hives tomorrow.
462** In the game, she actually makes it pretty clear that she's allergic to Cuccos, but bred the Pocket Cucco to be hypoallergenic. I always assumed that the ones at the end were pocket cuccos like someone above said... though, thinking back on it, I don't really recall the size of them at the end.
463
464[[/folder]]
465
466[[folder:The owl]]
467
468* Who exactly ''is'' the owl? He shows up at random, gives you some advice or tells you what to do, maybe flies you somewhere, and then just disappears. In the middle of the Spirit Temple, you see him for the final time and he doesn't give any explanation for why he's been following you for seven years... Or is there some explanation I missed during the game?
469** There's a Gossip Stone in game that states Kaepora Gaebora is rumored to be the reincarnation of an ancient sage. Page 87 of ''Hyrule Historia'' flat-out confirms that the owl is indeed [[spoiler:an alternate form of Rauru]].
470
471[[/folder]]
472
473[[folder:Time travel to before it happened]]
474
475* In the Spirit Temple in Master Quest, to get one chest, you have to hit a switch as Adult Link to get it to appear. However, it appears in a Young Link-only part of the temple. So you have to go back to seven years ''before'' the switch was even hit to open the chest. And it's actually there.
476** Yep. Just like how, when you open a chest in the future, then go back to the past, it's "still" open.
477
478[[/folder]]
479
480[[folder:Starving Gorons]]
481
482* The Gorons eat rocks. They live on a mountain. How exactly are they starving? Because from what they were saying, apparently it was just the "tastiest/top sirloin" rocks that Ganon blocked with that boulder and monster. Otherwise there were rocks pretty much everywhere.
483** One of the Gorons in the village remarks that the rocks in the cavern are ''so'' tasty that they've become spoiled and can't eat anything else. Maybe it's like how people can't process milk in cultures that don't use it in their food? Rocktose intolerance?
484** It could also be that the Gorons are only capable of getting nourishment out of certain kinds of rocks, with Dodongo's Cavern being the only easily-accessible place to get them.
485** The problem is that the Goron says that they can’t ''stand'' to eat the less nutritious and delicious rocks, the best of which are in Dodongo’s cavern, not that they’re incapable of eating others. At least one Goron was considering eating (or by his account, [[BlatantLies just licking]]), the '''spiritual stone of fire''', so preference is what’s really causing most of them to starve. If things got really dire, it’s likely that at least a few of them would eat some “lesser rocks” out of desperation, and adjust, while the ones that remained picky died off.
486*** That particular line of dialogue raises another question: Did the Goron put it the same way in the original Japanese dialogue? The idea that they can't eat rocks from anywhere else "because they're such gourmets" might be a translation artifact.
487** The manual for the game states that the Gorons live off of the minerals found inside the rocks - these minerals may only be found in the rocks they mine from the cavern. It's like saying. "People mine the earth for gemstones they can make money off of, so why don't they just scoop up a pile of dirt and sell that?"
488** You wouldn't eat grass from the floor, right? The same Gorons don't just eat rocks
489
490[[/folder]]
491
492[[folder:Ruto's letter]]
493
494* When Link rescues Ruto from Jabu-Jabu's belly and tells her about the letter, she denies ever writing one. So, if she isn't lying, who wrote it?
495** Ganondorf wrote it to lure Link into Jabu-Jabu, apparently. Consider that Gerudo Desert is upstream of Lake Hylia, where the letter is found.[[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Ruto%27s_Letter#Origin]]
496** Ganondorf didn't have enough time to do that; otherwise, we would have seen him at some point coming back. Also, Link is a child he can easily crush at some other point in time; no use expending that much effort when, if Link really is in cohorts with Zelda (which, of course, he is), the kid will come to him eventually. Ruto seems like the type to deny ever asking for help, even though she probably did. Ganondorf has no reason to purposely trap Ruto in Jabu-Jabu's belly in the first place. He just wanted to kill the thing to weaken the Zora.
497** Ruto admits to having explored inside Jabu-Jabu's belly since she was younger, correct? So...maybe she wrote the letter the first time she was swallowed, managed to get out on her own when no one came, found she liked it inside and decided to go back, and over the years forgot that she wrote it in the first place.
498** She ''did'' write it, though; it's just when Link questions her about it, she's more concerned with getting the Zora Sapphire, and basically just stubbornly refusing to admit to needing help even though she flat-out ''asked for it.'' Basically, she's just being a bitch to you.
499** No, she ''didn't'' write it. According with the game itself "Are you saying my father asked you to come here to save me? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing! "Letter in a Bottle?" ''I have no idea what you're talking about!'' My father is worried about me? I don't care!". That outright confirms the letter was a forgery.
500** Wrong. She ''did'' write it, but was ashamed of admitting to asking for help. [[LostInTranslation The Japanese version made that more obvious.]] In it, the letter was written in the same way she speaks, and she acted nervous and flustered when Link brings it up, indicating that she was hiding something.
501[[/folder]]
502
503[[folder:Water Temple canon]]
504
505* So, which Water Temple is canon?
506** Um, what Water Temple? The ''[=OoT=]'' Water Temple is canon. The MM Water Temple is in a completely different world.
507** The N64 version vs the 3DS version of [=OoT=]. I understand they're different.
508** Both and neither. As the level layout does not, in and of itself, affect the plot in any way, until such a time that a canon source makes specific reference to elements that only exist within one and not the other, either version of the Temple can be taken as canon. Think of it as Schrodinger's Canon.
509** They aren't really different at all. The 3DS version just made things clearer (adding colored wall markings to show where to go to change the water level, and highlighting a secret area in a cutscene).
510** If one were to be declared more canonical than the other, it probably would be the 3DS version. That's the one that "updates" or "corrects" what was wrong with the original.
511
512[[/folder]]
513
514[[folder:Adult Link and boomerang]]
515
516* Why can't Adult Link use the boomerang?
517** Same reason he can't use the Slingshot or the Kokiri Sword: it's too small for him. A weapon made to be held by a child's hands will not function properly in larger hands.
518
519[[/folder]]
520
521[[folder:Kakariko well]]
522
523* Why does Kakariko village use their old torture chamber/prison/zombie pit as a source of ''drinking water''?
524** Best guess: they don't. There's a flowing river just outside Kakariko Village, and the well drying up in the [[BadFuture Adult timeline]] didn't seem to impact life in the village much.
525
526[[/folder]]
527
528[[folder:Bomb bag]]
529
530* Why would anyone use a Dodongo's stomach as a bomb bag? Isn't the stomach the main part of the Dodongo that ''can'' be damaged by bombs?
531** Presumably, if your bombs are exploding inside the bag, you're not using bombs right. The Gorons use a Dodongo's stomach to hold bombs because it's a strong material that is readily available and handily comes pre-packaged in an appropriate shape. Death Mountain isn't exactly swimming in flora or fauna from which to craft materials. The Dodongo's stomach can't really be faulted for the fact that when a bomb explodes inside the compressed space of a Dodongo's interior, physics happen.
532** Also, the ''outside'' of a Dodongo's stomach is perhaps fireproofed, considering bombs only affect them from ''inside''. This is an extremely useful property for a bag filled with inflammable items to have, especially when you're carrying it around inside an active volcano.
533** Who's to say what kills a Dodongo when you throw a bomb at them? It may very well be the impact and expansion of air crushing all their organs, and not the fire. In this case, making a bag out of their stomach would be a very good thing indeed, if a bomb happens to blow inside of it, you'd want it to not get ruptured, more than anything else.
534** The way I see it, any normal creature would be turned into LudicrousGibs if one were to swallow a bomb, so the fact that a Dodongo is able to even ''survive'' that means it must have a really strong stomach.
535
536[[/folder]]
537
538[[folder:Phonograph Man]]
539
540* How does the Phonogram Man 7 year later get angry at a kid who played Song of Storms when the events of playing the Song of Storms did not yet happen?
541** StableTimeLoop.
542** It doesn't even require a stable time loop to be explained away. The song Guru-Guru teaches you in the future is the same song he's been playing since Link met him in the past. Therefore, time travel isn't necessary to explain the paradox, because Link could've learned the song from another source than going into the future.
543
544[[/folder]]
545
546[[folder:Bongo Bongo]]
547
548* What happened to Bongo Bongo? When he escapes from the well, he takes out two capable warriors with no trouble, and he moves around. Fast. Then when you encounter him in the Shadow Temple, he... plays the drums. And occasionally swings a punch at the guy shooting him in the face. Sure, he's not invisible, but he seems like a completely different creature... [[FridgeHorror Are we sure it wasn't something ''else'' escaping from the well?]]
549** Well, the invisibility might've indeed played a part in it. Another thing was that Link was probably just not ready for it. He sees Kakariko on fire out of nowhere, and suddenly Sheik's being thrown around like a rag doll. When he faces Bongo Bongo in the Shadow Temple, Link should know what to expect by then.
550** The whole "throwing Sheik around" was probably from the pent-up anger due to being imprisoned for so long. By the time Link gets to the Shadow Temple and faces it, it's probably finally mellowed out, explaining why it wasn't so violent-acting during the boss fight.
551** As a hypothetical, what throws Sheik around may not be Bongo Bongo himself, so much as a physical manifestation of the hate and resentment of all the souls buried in the Temple. Think a VERY angry poltergeist.
552
553[[/folder]]
554
555[[folder:Kokiri reproduction]]
556
557* How do the Kokiri reproduce? They can't age so they can't mature sexually, and if they reproduce asexually, it hasn't been established. Obviously they became Koroks in the Wind Waker, so that raises the question of their humanity.
558** For all we know, they don't. Maybe they just come from the Deku Tree.
559** Even when Ocarina of Time first released there was some indication of this, but Link Between Worlds further drives home the point: The Seven Maidens and the Seven Sages of LBW are descendants of the original Sages from Ocarina of Time. Provides some interesting complications when it comes to Saria... LBW even fixes the LTTP problem of all the Maidens being Hylian thing with a Zora Sage and a Hylian who looks like he might somehow also be descended from a Goron, however that works. Plus, Ruto already kinda implied that crossbreeding between Zoras and Hylians may in fact be possible.
560** One of the Kokiri says that "the Deku Tree is our father," and that "he gave life to all of us Kokiri." Direct creation by the Deku Tree seems like the obvious answer, especially with the ''Wind Waker'' version of the Deku Tree referring to them as his children.
561
562[[/folder]]
563
564[[folder:Capturing Zelda, capturing Link]]
565
566* OK, so near the climax of the game, older!Zelda reveals herself to Link and gives him the Arrows of Light. Then Ganondorf uses magic to capture her and use her as bait to lure Link to him, as Link had the Triforce of Courage, which he needed. So... Why didn't he just capture Link along with Zelda? Put them both in crystals? This is something I noticed recently when watching a play through. And, to be quite frank, the headscratchers page is massive and I don't feel like reading through the entire thing to see if anyone's asked about it yet.
567** Maybe the light arrows prevent its holder from being trapped in Ganondorf's magic crystals.
568** The Master Sword is more likely. Evil can't touch it.
569** Maybe the Triforce of Courage does it?
570** Easy. On top of being an incredibly powerful mage who could pose a threat to Ganondorf, she was also a strategist who would be smart enough to run away and hide if it was to her advantage (as she did for 7 years). He'd want her out of the game as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Ganondorf knew Link, being the embodiment of courage, would come to him anyway, and since he was still underestimating Link's power, he thought he could toy with him.
571
572[[/folder]]
573
574[[folder:Drawing the Biggoron sword]]
575
576* So how exactly does Link draw the Biggoron Sword from its scabbard so quickly? Thing's bloody long, and surely his arm can't reach far enough out to draw it in one go (or even two). The Master Sword's pretty long too, but the Biggoron Sword just stretches belief.
577** GameplayAndStorySegregation.
578** It fits nicely in Hammerspace.
579** There's probably a kind of slit in the side of the scabbard, like in VideoGame/HyruleWarriors.
580
581[[/folder]]
582
583[[folder:Twins and Heaven]]
584
585* After Koume and Kotake are defeated, they die and go to...Heaven? Why not Hell?
586** Everyone goes to Heaven in this universe?
587** ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/awkward-zombie/just-in-case gives an explanation.]]
588** Perhaps they went up to Heaven first to be...judged?
589** They did accuse each other of being senile, maybe they just weren't evil when they had their sanity.
590** If we aren't going to write this off as comical shorthand, let the record show that we know very little about how the afterlife works in this series, especially considering the multiple appearances of ghosts in different games. Whichever way you look at it, I doubt the game was saying Twinrova was pure-hearted and worthy of ascending into Heaven; it was just underlining the humor of the two of them bickering with each other even as they passed on.
591** Alternatively, they weren't evil. They raised a villainous man, and fought Link, but they may well have been motivated by a good purpose (love). Thus they were judged as fundamentally good enough for heaven.
592** They really wouldn't like Heaven, think about it. The fact that they're in paradise, with everyone else being happy, in the constant presence of the higher and lesser gods, being unable to do any mischief, plot any evil scheme, use any witchcraft, or even come back as Poes just to grief the Hero that just defeated them? So that's punishment enough.
593[[/folder]]
594
595[[folder:Gorons blowing up rocks]]
596
597* OK I really don't understand one thing: The Gorons have Bomb Flowers. The Bomb Flowers can blow up rocks. There are a couple of them and a Goron located above the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern. So my main big question is... Why didn't the Gorons just use the Bomb Flowers on the giant rock in the first place? I mean seriously... this is where I start wondering about the Gorons' IQ points.
598** Because that was their way of sealing in all the Dodongos. That was their main problem -- they were scared to go into the cavern because of the Dodongos, especially their king. The issue was not just the rock.
599** The other Gorons I understand, but Darunia? Let me get this straight: The mightiest Goron in Goron village is courageous enough to fight a giant, Goron-eating dragon, but afraid of an oversized lizard?
600** He was afraid before some little kid took down the oversized lizard. The memory of that, seven years later, emboldened him when his people were in direct danger of being eaten.
601** Darunia stands a chance against ordinary Dodongos. Against King Dodongo? That's a whole other story.
602** What I meant is that it doesn't make much sense for Darunia to be afraid of King Dodongo, but still wants to fight the presumably more dangerous Volvagia.
603** He's scared of Volvagia, too. The difference, in addition to what I said before, is that while the Gorons were in a food shortage because of King Dodongo, Volvagia was going to '''eat people''' like ''right now''. A more immediate and direct threat, meaning Darunia has to respond whether he's scared or not.
604*** Additionally, he may have been inspired by the memory of Link, and decided to face his fears, step up, and stand against Volvagia, whereas before he didn't have quite that inspiration.
605*** Good point. Honestly, if I were a literal boulder of a man who saw a little nine-year-old accomplish something I was too scared to attempt, that'd probably motivate me to step up my game a bit, too.
606** Yeah, sure, I guess so... On an unrelated note, I have two more things that bother me: 1. Don't you find it senseless that the Gorons will only eat rocks from the caves? That's probably part of the reason they're starving to death...because they refuse to just go with whatever pebbles they can find. What will they do if the caves were totally destroyed? Then what? Huh? And 2. Why continue to call it Dodongo's Cavern? Why don't the Gorons just rename it after themselves? It's their property, after all.
607** Perhaps they kept the name as a testament to what happened.
608** Maybe the rocks in the cave have a slightly different makeup, and don't have certain minerals that the Gorons need for nourishment. Or, due to the lava in the cave, the rocks in there are fresher, either because they could be freshly hardened, or maybe the heat acts on rocks like a fridge on most of our food, keeping them fresh longer. The rocks outside the cave used to be edible, but have gone bad/stale.
609** Gorons just aren't that bright. After blowing the boulder up, two different Gorons will just go "Ohhhh, THAT'S how you did it!"
610[[/folder]]
611
612[[folder:Cows in Jabu-Jabu]]
613
614* Why (in Master Quest version) are there ''cows that serve as switches submerged through the walls'' in Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly?!
615** Either AWizardDidIt, or it could be just plain MindScrew.
616** It would also be [[VoodooShark just as weird for there to be mechanical switches inside a biological creature]]. They got away with it with the uvula at the beginning of the dungeon and the villi later on, but they might not have had time to make an equivalent of the eye switch and used cows as a placeholder that just got left in.
617** It's self-evident his stomach works as TheAssimilator and whatever eaten is gradually absorbed into his stomach lining, as they're being absorbed into the god, the bodily functions, switches, doors etc are all incorporated into them.
618
619[[/folder]]
620
621[[folder:Spirit name]]
622
623* Why are they called the "Spirit" Temple, the Sage of "Spirit" and the "Spirit" Medallion? I understand a lot of people have grown accustomed to it by now and it sounds better then, say, Sage of "Desert" or "Sand" Medallion, but what does spirit have to do with the desert? What prompted Nintendo to use such a word for it?
624** The desert is just the location of the temple. They weren't somehow saying "Spirit means desert."
625** My question really was why it's called the ''Spirit'' Temple, when it's located in a desert, and all of the other temples' names incorporated elements that corresponded to their locations? Why use something obscure like "spirit", instead of another element?
626** I would imagine it's because it's a Temple. Like an actual Temple, with religious statues and overtones and such. Aside from MAYBE the Water Temple, the Spirit Temple is the only one I would consider to be a REAL Temple -- and even the Water Temple is iffy (they say it was a place of worship earlier in the game). Anyway, you go to Temples for Spiritual reasons. Hence, Spirit Temple.
627** The desert in Ocarina of Time has a strong association with spirits. You follow a Poe through the Haunted Wasteland to get to the Desert Colossus where the Spirit Temple is, the desert contains multiple fairy fountains. The inside of the Temple is full of pots and other random things that throw themselves at you (the implication being that it's being done by the spirits of the temple), then there's the recurring sorcery motif (related because magic has historically been often interpreted as being done by summoning spirits to do your work for you). The Temple itself, as mentioned above, has the strongest direct relationship to a specific guardian deity/spirit, being literally modelled after the Goddess of the Sand.
628[[/folder]]
629
630[[folder:Kokiri shop]]
631
632* If the Kokiri are so childlike that they don't know about or understand concepts such as marriage, engagement rings, or being someone's "sworn brother"...then how is it that they have a shop? Especially since most of the things sold in that shop can be found hidden in the grass in the forest for free, so it's not like the need for any sort of economic system should've arose for them.
633** Well, in real life, apples grow on trees, but most people buy theirs from a shop. The price on the items includes the labour of acquiring them, and since most Kokiri aren't brave heroes like Link, they don't mind paying for the convenience of not having to go item hunting for themselves.
634* I think that it's for fun. When I was a kid, I liked playing shop.
635** All of the above examples given in the OP relate to concepts that would have no real meaning to a race of eternally-young beings that, per most common fan guesses, are either living forest spirits or created by the Deku Tree. Anything related to reproduction would (one would hope) be an alien concept to them, and one way or another the concept of a "sworn brother" would probably nonsensical to them too [[note]]If they're just created or come into existence with no assumption of parentage, then the "brother" part is what's alien to them. If they're all basically siblings by way of being treated as the Deku Tree's children, then it's the "sworn" part that'd be nonsense to them, since being brothers and sisters would be intrinisic to Kokiri identity.[[/note]]. The potential need for barter, and someone having the idea of using rupees as a way to make said barter less hassle, wouldn't be as intrinsically incompatable with what makes Kokiri biologically distinct from Hylians.
636
637[[/folder]]
638
639[[folder:Ganondorf and the twins]]
640
641* What is the exact relationship between Ganondorf and Koume and Kotake? When Navi refers to the two of them as his "surrogate" mothers, does she mean that they (together, as Twinrova) literally gave birth to him in place of some other Gerudo woman, or is "surrogate" just a certain means of saying that they adopted him?
642** I think they just adopted him and taught him their sorcerer ways.
643
644[[/folder]]
645
646[[folder:Ruto and the water temple]]
647
648* Where does Ruto go when you meet up with her in the Water Temple? She tells you about the spots where you can alter the water level and proceeds to swim upward to direct you toward one of them...but then you follow her upward to find she's somehow disappeared in a dead-end area.
649[[/folder]]
650
651[[folder:Link's age]]
652
653* Link is 9 years old at the start of the game. After he is sealed in sleep for 7 years, he emerges from the Temple of Light a fully matured 16-year-old. Henceforth, people across Hyrule treat him like he is an adult and ask and allow him to perform tasks that adults do, like riding a horse or playing certain minigames. But while Link may have the body of a teenager, he still was not given the time for his ''mind'' to mature like it should, meaning he's still basically a 9-year-old running around in an adult's body. Shouldn't there be some sort of problem with this?
654** Maybe Raru matured his mind as well as his body? Also, how would the [=NPCs=] know that this strange man just woke up from a seven-year nap trapped in the Sacred Realm?
655** I guess I worded that wrong...What I meant was, Link takes being treated as a teenager/adult almost unrealistically well for someone who is actually still a 9 year-old in mind and spirit (unless Rauru aged him up mentally as well, like you suggested). Try taking a real-life 9 year-old and sticking them in a similar situation and I guarantee they wouldn't turn out so well.
656** Here's a thought. Link has been raised this whole time with the Kokori, who ''are'' more or less adults in 9-year-old bodies. To them, he's basically an adult and treated like one in their culture. Adult Link is okay at adulting because he was already doing it as a Kokori.
657** The Kokiri don't even seem to know what marriage is (which makes sense) -- I doubt they could be looked at as adults in 9-year-old bodies.
658** How do they know he even ''has'' a 9-year-old mind still? They didn't see him get frozen for 7 years. At most, maybe they'll see some resemblance, but it's unlikely they'll make a hard connection between him and that kid who went off in the direction of the Temple of Time and never came out. Unless they see him acting like a 9-year-old, there's nothing to draw that conclusion from.
659** Link was specifically sealed in sleep because he was apparently too young to be the Hero of Time who could wield the Master Sword...But unless, as suggested, Rauru aged his mind, as well, this means all it took to be the hero was a more adult ''body'', which seems silly. Also, if Rauru ''did'' have the power to age up Link's mind, this begs the question of why he had to be put to sleep for 7 years anyway.
660** Because he still needed to be ''physically'' an adult. The sword was too big for the child's body.
661** ...Except in ''The Wind Waker'', where Link can can wield the Master Sword just fine with his nine/twelve-year-old body. Yet in this one, he remains asleep for an extra four years after turning twelve before he can awaken and resume his quest. (And even then, putting him to sleep just to make him ''bigger''? The Master Sword appears different in every game it appears in: bigger, smaller, thicker, thinner, shorter, longer. The suggestion that Link had to be put on hold with saving the world for seven years just because he wasn't big enough to wield a sword...seems rather silly.)
662*** It's never actually stated how old Link is in Wind Waker, only that he's "come of age". Given the art style, it's hard to really tell. While he looks between 10 and 13, he easily could be as old as 16, which would be an easy explanation to clear up the discontinuity.
663*** Link's age may not have been stated outright, but the Nintendo Gallery identifies two other characters in the game as being 17 and 18, and both of them look much, much older than Link. And ambiguously-canon supplementary sources have said that he's 12 years old during the events of the game.
664** Considering where ''Ocarina of Time'' fits into the series' chronology, it's possible that the Master Sword changes its appearance in later games is ''because'' it put Link to sleep here. Considering that putting him to sleep is directly responsible for Ganon bonding with the Triforce of Power and corrupting the Sacred Realm, it's entirely possible that either the Sages who empower the Master Sword found a way to enchant the sword so that it would change to fit the wielder instead of forcing the wielder to fit it, or Fi subconsciously did so, to prevent the sword from inadvertently causing problems the ''next'' time it's needed by a kid.
665** Look, that's the explanation the game gives, what more do you want?
666** It could also be that some of the items that adult Link can use that child Link can't are absolutely necessary in orchestrating the events that lead up to him defeating Ganondorf? Like, the super-strong gauntlets or something. Maybe they seem optional but are really necessary, or Rauru believed they would be, and therefore aged Link up so he would have better access to more powerful weaponry.
667** ...Not a bad explanation, but I'm not sure why that would be. Sure, Link resorts to using the Megaton Hammer or the Biggoron's Sword after Ganon knocks away the Master Sword during the final battle, but if he'd simply been allowed to wield the Master Sword as a child, rather than being sealed away, Ganondorf could never have transformed into Ganon anyway. (Plus, can't Deku Nuts be used just as effectively in the final battle, anyway?) And even then, I still don't see why Link couldn't just be aged up magically, or something, rather than having to sleep for seven years while it happened naturally.
668** Okay, been thinking about this one... What if it has nothing to do with whether or not Link is capable of defeating Ganondorf as a child, but more to do with the fact that attacking Ganon at any point before seven years had passed would have ended in failure? Whether somebody could see different timeline outcomes, or if it was just from a strategic viewpoint, it could just be that the best chance they had to have Link attack Ganon that would almost certainly end in Link defeating him, was seven years in the future. Maybe the plan had never been to let Link sleep that long, it was just more of a... "one last shot at this" deal and the sages wanted to make absolutely sure they didn't squander their last chance at defeating Ganon. Maybe, up until the timeskip, Ganon may have been far more active, and maybe he'd just started to get complacent in his ruling/calmed his ass down a little, and THAT was when Rauru decided to wake Link up.
669** Even in that case, putting Link to sleep still lacks logic -- if worse comes to worst, Link could just go running into the Temple of Light and use the Triforce to subdue Ganondorf. Ganondorf getting the Triforce first only resulted from Link being put to sleep in the first place. (By this point, I sought an answer elsewhere, and it was suggested by someone that Fi was actually responsible -- since this was the first time the sword had been drawn since ''Skyward Sword'', whose incarnation of the hero was 17, they suggested that Fi subconsciously may have gotten a bit confused or else not recognized Link at such a young age, and so sealed him in sleep (somehow, but Zelda does state that the sword itself was responsible) until he reached the proper age. Whereas in ''The Wind Waker'', Link was a bit older, the circumstances were different, and the Master Sword had been weakened significantly at that point.)
670** You guys are assuming that child Link would even be able to make a wish upon the Triforce. He could very well just have been subdued by Ganondorf, who was right behind him when he opened the path and had just easily dispatched him mere minutes before in front of the moat. Or he could have an unbalanced heart, and the Triforce would split, with the Power piece going to Ganondorf anyways, at which point nothing but the Light Arrows and the Seven Sages can do anything against him. In either scenario, Link is entirely screwed, and has no way to fight back at all. The Master Sword protected him from what was about to be a very quick and throughout beatdown.
671** Later games definitely go with the implication that significant stamina is needed in order to withstand the full power of the Master Sword, which isn't completely unheard of for legendary weapons of its type in fantasy settings. The Wind Waker shows that awakening its power briefly causes Link pain, and in Breath of the Wild, he has to suffer having his health drained away to draw it from its pedestal. At nine years old, the Hero of time is the youngest iteration of Link to date; it's definitely not out of the question that he wouldn't be capable of withstanding the sword's power as a child, meaning Fi had no choice but to seal him away if she didn't want to kill him instantly.
672** That wouldn't explain why he had to be sealed until he was 16, as opposed to say 12.
673[[/folder]]
674
675[[folder:Zelda and the Master Sword]]
676
677* Why doesn't Zelda throw Link the Master Sword in the Final Battle? The fire isn't too high and Ganon focused all of his attention on Link. If she wanted to, she could have thrown the sword over the fire and in an area where Link wouldn't have gotten hurt.
678** She may've thought she wouldn't be able to touch the Master Sword or retrieve it from the ground, and that only the Hero of Time himself could do the deed -- which obviously wasn't true, as this scenario is repeated almost to the letter in ''The Wind Waker'' and Tetra takes up the sword herself to return it to Link rather than wait for Link to come get it. I think a more likely answer would be the flames themselves, as they appear to be much taller than anything Zelda could try and toss over them, and Zelda probably thought it wasn't a good idea to throw their only chance of saving Hyrule right through a wall of flame conjured by an all-powerful evil demon-beast. In addition, trying to throw it into the battlefield runs the risk of Ganon damaging or destroying the sword before Link, who really has no truly effective way of fending him off, can get to it.
679** Maybe she tried to do it while she was offscreen, but couldn't pull the sword off the ground? She didn't look that strong, and even as Sheik her shtick is being nimble and skinny.
680[[/folder]]
681
682[[folder:Blue tunic]]
683
684* How do blue clothes allow Link to breathe underwater?
685** They're magic.
686** Conservation of detail, most likely. The Zora Tunic probably functions similarly to the Zora Armor in ''Twulight Princess'', which has a mask cover Link's nose and mouth when he dies, but they didn't want to or weren't able to make the tunic that detailed using N64-era graphics.
687
688[[/folder]]
689
690[[folder:Cow in treehouse]]
691
692* Exactly how did Malon (or at least a deliveryman) get a ''cow'' in Link's treehouse? How does she even know where he lives in the first place? Being a "Fairy Boy" implies she knows who the Kokiri are, but to deliver a cow into his treehouse looks nigh-impossible when you think about it.
693** She knows the Kokiri come from the forest, so all she'd have to do is bring the cow there and find the sign that says "Link's House". Link might've even told her how to get to Kokiri Forest when she told him the cow would need to be delivered to him. As for getting it up the ladder, the series has a long-standing tradition of postmen making otherwise-unfeasible deliveries easily.
694
695[[/folder]]
696
697[[folder:Beggar]]
698
699* If the guy who buys bottle items from you is a beggar (as he looks and sounds like), then why is ''he'' giving ''you'' money? If I had enough Rupees to afford Link's [[GoodBadBugs infinitely-reproducing bugs]] for 50 a pop, I'd open a bank...[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask wait a minute...]]
700** Compare the amounts he pays you to the same items being sold in the medicine shop: he only pays you half price on all the items except the bugs (presumably because he knows he can duplicate them), so he sells them to someone else at jacked up prices to make a tidy profit.
701
702[[/folder]]
703
704
705[[folder:Kokiri Sword]]
706* Three problems with the sword:
707## If a Kokiri has to have a sword and shield to get to the Deku Tree, how did anyone see him before Link? There's only one sword in the forest, and it's implied Saria has seen the tree. She couldn't have taken it and brought it back, but if she did she would have told Link where to find it, so what gives?
708## Link needs to find a sword to see the tree. I looked in his house and he has an ax, several long cleavers, and a pitchfork. Each of those would have been just as effective as a sword, but Link has to go and find the one traditional sword in the forest. Why can't he just bring one of those?
709## Are we honestly supposed to believe no one has found the Kokiri sword in its easy-to-find spot?
710** Mido, Mido, and maybe. In more detail: It's not that everyone needs a sword and shield, it's that Mido doesn't want to let Link through, so he comes up with a reasonable but difficult task to make him give up. We don't know what he would say to other Kokiri, but Saria would definitely be an exception. As for alternative weapons, again, Mido is being a jackass. He'd laugh off anything else besides a sword. Why the sword was left unmolested is trickier, but the simplest answer is that the Kokiri simply didn't need it. They never left the forest, after all, and had slingshots for short excursions into the Lost Woods. The ItemGet text reminds you to return it eventually, so maybe it's there for emergencies, and no one needed it at the moment.
711
712[[/folder]]
713
714[[folder:Why does Ganondorf make no attempt to extract the Triforce of Courage?]]
715* Supposedly Ganondorf wants Link to come to him so he can assemble the full Triforce. But not only does he pit Link against the deadly trials of his castle, he then jumps straight to trying to kill him instead of trying to perform the extraction ritual. Can the Triforce pieces be extracted from corpses? If so, why didn't he kill Zelda?
716** ''The Wind Waker'' seems to imply that the Triforce pieces can only be extracted from their wielders if those wielders have been beaten to a pulp or knocked unconscious first, meaning Ganondorf could just kill Link and take the Triforce of Courage as he lays dying. He doesn't want to kill Zelda because Zelda is his only means of baiting Link into his castle.
717** Extracting the Triforce from a corpse is exactly what happens in the very first Zelda game, so it's not like there isn't precedent. Ganondorf just didn't kill Zelda on the spot because he's an arrogant fool who likes to play with his "victims", Link would have gone after him anyways. It's also worth noting that when the three chosen ones are together in the same room, Ganondorf mentions how their crests are resonating and the Triforce is becoming one again. So there is no ritual, they just need to physically get the pieces together within a certain distance of each other and wait for a while. This is also consistent with ''Wind Waker'', where, despite him saying he had stolen the Triforce of Wisdom already, the piece comes out of Zelda's body, and they only come out after Link has joined them. He only incapacitated both Link and Zelda so he would be the only one capable of touching it and making a wish.
718[[/folder]]
719
720[[folder:Zelda's Triforce piece]]
721* When Ganondorf invaded the Sacred Realm and laid his hand upon the Triforce, what did Zelda do that caused her to obtain the crest of wisdom? She never does anything particularly wise during the first half of the game, and at its end, she even admits that Ganondorf getting into the Sacred Realm was all because ''she'' was foolish enough not to see that she was leading him straight there.
722** She came up with a plan [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime that made sense at that time (remember that they were kids)]], and connect the dots between a dream and a chance meeting. When fleeing the castle, she entrusted her hero the final keys to get the Triforce. She couldn't have known the Master Sword would seal Link, leaving the Triforce unguarded. In hiding, she learned/created MagicMusic to warp to each temple, and disguised herself as a Sheikah male. That's pretty wise for a nine-year-old kid, though admittedly she might have learned/created the warp songs AFTER getting the Triforce, but still.
723** However, "wise for a nine-year-old kid" does not (or at least ''should not'') equate to "wise enough for a sacred lynchpin of reality." Her assuming Ganondorf represented the darkness in her dream was exactly that -- assuming. She had zero evidence to indicate anything until Link came along. And her plan was foolish without even being in hindsight, since there were at least three other, wiser options she could've resorted to: have Link reverse Ganondorf's evil deeds across the kingdom, but leave the stones safely where they are and let Darunia and King Zora report to the king themselves; ''don't'' leave Link the ocarina when the time comes, since the four keys to the Door of Time won't have been brought together as a result; or, if you do leave him the ocarina, at least don't teach him the Song of Time, so that he (and/or Ganondorf) can't open the door. If it had occurred to Zelda to have done any of these things, the events of the latter part of the game might very well not have happened, and I don't really see how the path she chose was smarter than any of them.
724*** Except she wasn't assuming; it was a prophetic dream, which is supported by the game itself. With each of these other plans: a) Darunia and King Zora already had the opportunity to report directly to the king. They either didn't for some reason, or they did and the king didn't believe them either. b) & c) ...the entire point of teaching him the song and having him collect the stones ''was'' for Link to open the door. As for the second half of the game not happening, by the time Link was heading to the Temple of Time, Ganondorf had already killed the king and was hunting Zelda down. Ganondorf was also after the sacred stones before Link collected them, and he also easily wiped the floor with Link when Link tried to stop Ganondorf from chasing after Zelda. Thus, it's likely he would've gone after the sacred stones mostly unopposed and gotten to the sacred realm anyway. But most importantly, Zelda's allowed to make mistakes without being vilified for it.
725** The Triforce pieces don't go to "the most courageous", "the most powerful" or "the most wise" when split, they go to "those chosen by destiny". In a hypothetical scenario, let's say Zelda's plan had worked as intended and she and Link manage to enter the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf. Had they touched the Triforce, it is reasonable to assume that it would have split all the same, with the Triforce of Power going to Ganondorf anyway.
726** ''Skyward Sword'' confirms that Ganondorf, Zelda, and Link are reincarnations of Demise, Hylia, and Hylia's Champion, respectively. The Triforce ''always'' goes to the "latest" version of this trio--even if someone else touches it, those three are destined to receive the pieces.
727[[/folder]]
728
729[[folder: Wearing the other tunics]]
730* The Goron and Zora Tunics look to be identical to the Kokiri Tunic, yet both of them are said to only fit an adult. But if Link wears the Kokiri Tunic through his childhood and adulthood, why wouldn't it be the same for the other two? They all appear to be the exact same size.
731** The Kokiri Tunic is probably a one-size-fits-all design or can automatically scale itself to match Link’s age, whereas the other clothes are only designed with adults in mind. In addition, there could be some GameplayAndStorySegregation with regard to what other tunics look like; they likely aren’t meant to resemble the Kokiri clothes so closely (because why would they?), but the game renders them as such so that switching between them is just a simple change in color.
732[[/folder]]
733
734[[folder: Gerudo Alliance]]
735* So its obvious that the King of Hyrule making an alliance with the Gerudo is both [[IdiotBall incredibly foolish]] and [[FridgeBrilliance yet justified]]: though he's allying with thieves, he's doing it for a seemingly good reason. But did he ever once consider that Zelda might have a point when she says Ganondorf might, I don't know, stab him in the back (both figuratively and literally)?
736** Not if Zelda's sole reason for thinking that is her dream of darkness enshrouding Hyrule, only to be parted by a sacred light coming from a forest. At first, Zelda only ''thinks'' that Ganondorf represents the darkness in her dream -- until Link came to her with the Spiritual Stone of Forest, she didn't have any proof, and she'd already told her father and then been dismissed about the dream by that point. So, bringing it up to him again, this time accompanied by a boy masquerading as a Kokiri, albeit unknowingly, would only serve to make the king more doubtful.
737[[/folder]]
738
739[[folder: Ganondorf and Epona]]
740* What exactly was Ganondorf supposed to do with Epona if Ingo had presented her to him? He's holed up in a giant castle of death floating over a lake of lava, which in itself is surrounded by the Redead infested ruins of Castle Town. Unless Epona's just meant as tribute (and the catalyst for a silly sidequest) to secure Ingo's power over the ranch, Ganon has no use for a steed at this point.
741** It probably was meant as a sort of return on Ganondorf's investment into the ranch, and he most likely didn't plan on remaining in his castle forever, just until he managed to kill the Hero of Time. And while the Triforce of Power may also give the ability to simply teleport wherever he wants, he may just figure that the image of a dark lord towering over his frightened subjects on horseback is not a bad one to have (Worth noting is Ingo is the one who suggests gifting Ganondorf with Epona -- there's no telling if Ganondorf would've really used or even appreciated the gift anyway).
742[[/folder]]
743
744[[folder: Access to Death Mountain]]
745* It's said that you need permission from the king in order to climb Death Mountain...but how did Ganondorf get there originally, in his quest for the Spiritual Stone of Fire?
746** Remember that, as far as the King knows, Ganondorf is an ally whom he puts a lot of trust in. It's possible that Ganondorf told the King he planned on making a Gerudo/Goron alliance, and was granted permission to enter the mountain. Alternatively, he used magic and teleported there.
747[[/folder]]
748
749[[folder: Gerudo & Magic]]
750* The Gerudo are shown to be efficient in various forms of combat, but only the Twinrova Sisters and Ganondorf (who most likely learned from his surrogate witch mothers) are seen utilizing magic. Are other Gerudo also capable of using magic but simply choose not to, or do they need to become masters in magic arts like the Twinrova and Ganon?
751** Who can use magic has always been unclear in Zelda canon. Link usually gets his from fairies, so maybe everyone else gets theirs from similar sources? Pacts and the like which most people are unable or unwilling to pay for (Link mostly gets his stuff for free due to being the hero).
752*** One could argue that Link's price is having to be a hero. He's facing death, horror, darkness, etc on a near-constant basis, which is the price he pays for his magic
753** One possibility is that any Gerudo can learn magic, but it's not a practical thing to learn for most. Magic may require time, careful study, and investing oneself in learning it. Which most Gerudi don't have the luxury of doing, owing to the harsh environment they live in. It would be far more practical to hone their bodies and learn the blade, which has more applications in survival (endurance and strength to handle the desert heat and cold, a blade to act as a survival implement if needed, etc)
754[[/folder]]
755
756[[folder: Ganondorf & Ingo]]
757* How exactly does someone as weaselly as Ingo manage to convince a man as powerful as Ganondorf to hand him ownership of a ranch? This is the Great King of Evil, a man who single-handedly conquered a nation, and his first supposed act as King of Hyrule? Give someone a farm just to get him to shut up.
758** Ganondorf may have been trying to ensure that he held dominion over every region of the kingdom in the easiest way possible, by destroying Castle Town, overruning the forest with monsters, imprisoning the Gorons inside the Fire Temple, freezing Zora's Domain solid and draining Lake Hylia of water, setting Bongo Bongo free from the well, and having his surrogate mothers brainwash the Gerudo to his service in the desert. Clearly, all of these were precautions against awakening the sages, meaning Lon Lon Ranch might not have been as important to him, but still worth taking over in the event its services came in handy. What's the easiest way to do that? Just make a puppet out of Ingo, the guy who wanted control over the ranch for years and wouldn't question who he was really working for.
759[[/folder]]
760
761[[folder: Continuing the story]]
762* Why does the game require you to draw the Master Sword and open the gates to the Sacred Realm in order to advance the plot? Because, really, the plot could just end at this point. Link was asked by Zelda to protect the Triforce from Ganondorf, but nothing about that required him to do so from ''inside'' the Sacred Realm. There was no benefit to pulling the Master Sword even without the being-put-to-sleep thing -- Link would only have to keep the four keys to the Door of Time ''that he alone holds'' with him at all times so Ganondorf couldn't get them.
763** Because the plot was written that way.
764** I believe Zelda's plan involved Link pulling the Master Sword, then laying his hands upon the Triforce. With his pure and balanced heart, he could wish for Ganondorf to be destroyed (or something along those lines). If it worked that way, then things would have gone without a hitch... Until we see Ganondorf counted on the aforementioned events occurring and effectively manipulated everything to his advantage.
765** That's a reasonable speculation, but it does seem a little cruel, doesn't it? I know Ganondorf did some vile things during Link's childhood, but being sentenced to unavoidable divine retribution by a ''nine-year-old''? Most notably, a grand total of ''one'' of Ganondorf's acts (two if you count axing off the king, but you can't convict somone based on things he ''might'' do) left any lasting damage -- killing the Deku Tree -- and even then, it's implied that he was significantly aged and we see a sprout beginning to grow in his place later on. Also, ''The Wind Waker'' outright states that Ganondorf had a ''reason'' for doing what he did, so he wasn't just doing it to be evil. None of these factors would've made him deserving of the fate of being killed by the divine might of the gods.
766** Even if his intentions were noble, it still doesn't excuse Ganondorf's methods. In the end, his people are worse off than before, Hyrule is a CrapSackWorld, and it's clear at this point that he only wanted power. And considering he did so by ''stealing a third of a holy relic'' and used it for malevolent purposes, it would seem logical that the goddesses choose a hero to defeat him. Although the retribution wouldn't come from a "nine-year-old": remember, Link was sealed away until he was of proper age to become the Hero of Time. Though it's still embarrassing, getting beat by a teenager isn't as bad as getting beat by a little kid.
767** By the time you get to the Temple of Time, Ganondorf has ''already'' conquered Hyrule Castle. Zelda would have no reason to flee otherwise, and the dead soldier implies there was a battle, even if the people of Castle Town seem blissfully unaware of it. So, at that point, grabbing the magic sword and the power of the gods to defeat the evil tyrant seems like a great idea. Now, why Zelda's plan was grabbing the Triforce from the beginning, is anyone's guess.
768** Also, Link and Zelda are ''kids'' at the time. Concepts such as "subtlety", "moderation", and "not obliterating a potential threat at the earliest convenient moment" are beyond their comprehension.
769** If Link tried to "keep the four keys" with him at all times, Ganondorf would just attack and take them from him once he realized Link wasn't going to open the door for him. Ganondorf couldn't have pulled the Master Sword out, but Link didn't know that. That's why Link was supposed to go to the Temple of Time the second he had what he needed.
770** Except opening the door also requires playing the Song of Time, and there's never an indication that Ganondorf knows the notes to it. Or Link could destroy the ocarina before Ganondorf gets it, or throw it into a lava pit, or something. Throw the divine solution out the window and leave stopping the bad guy to the adults. There were options he could've chosen.
771** My guess is that, for some reason, the Ocarina of Time ''can't'' be destroyed. For one thing, Zelda outright says it's a sacred treasure of the Royal Family, so even if it can be broken, it's unlikely that A. she'd be allowed to and B. she would even want to. Plus ruining or hiding the Ocarina would essentially seal the Master Sword away permanently; since the instrument is literally the only key to the Door of Time, no one would ever be able to get it, and locking up a weapon that evil can't touch seems like a dangerous move. Finally, as an above poster said, Ganondorf had already killed the King of Hyrule by the time Zelda hurls the Ocarina away--but even if he hadn't, he's a master sorcerer and dangerous foe who clearly has [[WouldHurtAChild no issue hurting kids]] or committing species-wide genocide to get what he wants. It's easy to imagine that he could either torture someone and force Zelda to talk (we see that happen in ''Twilight Princess''--when Zant first conquers Hyrule Castle, he forces Zelda to stand down by holding guards hostage and threatening to kill everyone in sight if she tries to battle him), or even snoop around the castle to find the notes to the Song of Time (Zelda can't be the only person who knows it).
772[[/folder]]
773
774[[folder: Rip Van Linkle]]
775* So the first time Link draws the Master Sword, he gets sealed in sleep inside the Sacred Realm for seven years, and wakes up an adult. Every time he does this afterward and gets beamed to the future, is he getting put to sleep ''again'', or is he sent there instantly through time travel? And how does going back seven years from his adulthood work, as well? Is he put into some sort of...reverse sleep or something?
776** [[WildMassGuessing Fi makes her pedestal a 7-year fast-forward/rewind button based on whether or not she's stuck in it after Link pulls her out the first time and awakens her. This means the entire multiverse, by the way, including dimensional shenanigans. And with the Goddess of Time's help, Link and Navi retain their memories and items remain fresh/in good condition.]]
777** To the above answer: fair enough but is it possible to get an answer which doesn't depend on future games, which not everyone has played to grasp the context?
778[[/folder]]
779
780[[folder: Where's this so-called gate?]]
781* When Link draws the Master Sword and is sealed in sleep inside the Sacred Realm, this also ends up leaving the gate open and allowing Ganondorf into the realm after him. But if this is the case, where's the gate itself when Link reawakens as an adult? There's never any signs of a gate behind the Door of Time -- it's just the Master Sword's pedestal, and as we all know, all that does when Link uses it is send him back through time 7 years -- it never does anything to let him into the Sacred Realm.
782** It's a separate plane of existence that's intangible and invisible unless you know what to look for. Compare the Silent Realms from ''Skyward Sword'': Until you know exactly where to look and how to find them, you can walk right by their entrances a thousand times and never realize it.
783[[/folder]]
784
785[[folder: Time-travelling to prove conspiracy]]
786* At the end of the game, Link is returned to his childhood with the Triforce of Courage, which is used to prove to Zelda's father the horrible things that Ganondorf has planned and leads to his attempted execution and the events of ''Twilight Princess''. But even (or perhaps ''especially'') if all of your evidence is presented by a time-traveller, isn't it unlawful to convict someone of a crime they ''might do'' in the future? On what grounds could they have arrested Ganondorf? "Punishment for future crimes of taking over Hyrule and slaughtering hundreds"?
787** By the time Link meets up with Zelda, Ganon has already sicced King Dodongo on the Gorons and murdered the Great Deku Tree.
788** Well...alright, then. But doesn't that make the king seem like kind of a dumbbell, if he needed Link to show him a fragment of raw godpower in order to believe what could've been told to him by a handful of his own subjects?
789** Remember that Ganondorf is a ManipulativeBastard; if anyone brought forth accusations against him, he could simply lie his way out of trouble. By revealing the Triforce, the King may have good reason to interrogate Ganondorf about these events: if and when he inevitably cracks, the King will have all the evidence needed for Ganon's execution.
790** [[WordofGod Hyrule Historia]] tells us that Link specifically told Zelda of what happened, and, being Zelda, she believed him and told him to leave Hyrule with the Ocarina of Time. After this, the TP section only says 'Many years later, Ganondorf, the infamous demon king... was finally able to be executed.' So, he probably did some other bad stuff in the future of that timeline. All Link did was prevent him from getting into the Sacred Realm to begin with.
791** Also, Ganondorf ''planning'' to commit a coup d'etat and steal the throne ''was'' in fact a crime in and of itself, in the same way that you'll get arrested for bringing a bomb to an airport even if you haven't detonated it yet.
792[[/folder]]
793
794[[folder: Gerudo Valley]]
795* What's that Gerudo woman with a cow doing at the bottom of the valley?
796** Maybe she's trying to help the cow get out. RuleOfFunny, possibly.
797[[/folder]]
798
799[[folder: Ganondorf & the Temples]]
800* How was Ganondorf supposed to know about Link going to liberate the Sages? Even if he knew to pacify the Sages by corrupting their temples, when would he realize Link's quest was to restore the temples to their former glory and free the Sages?
801** One explanation could be that he didn't know about the sages, and was tainting the temples for other reasons...His curse on the Forest Temple kept the Deku Tree Sprout from growing and allowed monsters free reign throughout Kokiri Forest; he was using the Fire Temple to keep the Gorons imprisoned until his minions fed them to Volvagia; the Water Temple was supposed to be a sacred place of worship for the Zoras, so implanting Morpha there as the root of the curse on Zora's Domain seemed like a good idea to begin with; Ganondorf would've wanted some control over his home territory, which the Spirit Temple was able to provide quite conveniently; and Bongo Bongo retreating to the Shadow Temple was just a coincidence, since Ganondorf never seemed that interested in Kakariko Village during his rule. As for Link, Ganondorf intentionally let him run free out of hope that eventually Zelda would slip up and reveal herself -- the fact that the temples he was questing through all were filled with monsters capable of killing him was all the better; if Link dies, Ganondorf just takes his Triforce piece and sooner or later goes the ''Wind Waker'' route of kidnapping people in order to find Zelda.
802** He didn't need to know Link was going after the Sages in order to corrupt the temples, that was just a natural consequence of him touching the Triforce, the temples were the source from which his evil flowed into Hyrule from the corrupted Sacred Realm. And when Link frees the first Sage, Ganondorf instantly becomes aware of him, as he talks directly to Link after the Phantom Ganon fight.
803[[/folder]]
804
805[[folder: Travelling to the past and staying there]]
806* What would happen if Link travelled back in time (putting the Master Sword back) and he just wouldn't go back to being an adult?
807** Even in the "past" part of the game, the royal family has still seemingly been broken apart by Ganondorf, meaning he's unlikely to be arrested and tried for his crimes anytime soon, but he also can't enter the Sacred Realm and lay his hand upon the Triforce unless Link pulls the Master Sword. Thus, if the sword is never drawn, the game would presumably progress down an entirely new branch of the timeline: if Zelda continues to remain hidden, someone at the castle will eventually have to start putting things in order and trying to find someone to assume control, temporary or otherwise, over the kingdom and subdue Ganondorf.
808** When you return to the past from the future, it's already too late. Zelda's fled and gone into hiding, and Ganondorf is in the Sacred Realm, making his way to the Triforce. Presumably, if Link instead decided to stay and take "the long road", he'd be able to witness all the events that happened in the seven year he was asleep: Hyrule Castle Town's destruction, the freezing of Zora's domain, the infestation of Kokiri forest... and, since he wouldn't have the Master Sword in the meanwhile, if he'd try to oppose Ganon directly, he'd easily be crushed ("I'm totally going to take on Twinrova with my Deku Shield"). If anything, this is what happened in the Hero defeated timeline.
809[[/folder]]
810
811[[folder: The Kokiri's Emerald]]
812* As is confirmed in ''Hyrule Historia'', at the end of the game, Link is returned to the time of his first visit to Castle Town, having just defeated Queen Gohma and witnessed the death of the Great Deku Tree, meaning he would have to have had the Kokiri's Emerald with him when he went to warn Zelda about Ganondorf. So what became of the stone after he had changed his future? With the Deku Tree dead, did he just leave it with Zelda before venturing off to look for Navi in the Lost Woods, or is it possible he gave it to Mido or Saria?
813** I like to think that, since he didn't need them anymore, he gave all the Spiritual Stones back. Especially the Zora's Sapphire, with an explanation that he only needed it to open the Door of Time. Possibly the Kokiri Emerald went to Saria to give to the Deku Tree sprout, since it wouldn't be impeded in its growth by a curse now.
814** He didn't have the other two stones, actually -- Zelda returned him to the point just prior to their first meeting, so he only had the Kokiri's Emerald.
815[[/folder]]
816
817[[folder: Ganondorf, a chessmaster?]]
818* Where do people get the idea that throughout the first half of the game, Ganondorf had always been a cunning, manipulative chessmaster capable of turning even the most unplanned events in his favor? They say that he probably killed the royal messengers for Darunia and King Zora, but we're never shown and never told that's what happened. They say that he "let Link collect the Spiritual Stones for him", when we're never given any indication he ''knew'' Link was looking for the stones until he waltzes into the Temple of Time and finds the gates to the Sacred Realm standing open. They say that he went so far as to forge a letter from Princess Ruto so that Link would go and save her, even though he had to find the Zora's Sapphire anyway. Apart from him lying to the King about his allegiance, we're never given hints that he did or knew about any of this -- it's all just what people are suggesting happened.
819** I think it's a fair guess about killing the messengers. Think of it this way: Darunia was expecting a royal messenger. He gets Link. But actually, Zelda sent Link, clandestinely at that. The ''actual'' royal messenger is ''supposed'' to be someone sent by the King. That person never materialized. Therefore either Darunia's messenger to the King never arrived at Hyrule Castle, or the King's messenger to Darunia never arrived at Goron City, at least one of those things must be true. Either way, the simplest assumption is that Ganondorf was responsible for the message never arriving, because he's the only person we know about who benefits from intercepting the message. As for letting Link gather the Spiritual Stones: Ganondorf ''had'' to know that somebody who wasn't him was collecting them. The whole point of Ganondorf cursing the Deku Tree was to eventually take the Kokiri Emerald from his protection. Ganondorf needs the Emerald to get to the Triforce, which we know is his end goal. Logically, he must have checked back in once the Deku Tree died and found that, surprise, ''the Emerald isn't there''! At some point he also sees Link, a boy in Kokiri attire and with a fairy, at Hyrule Castle with Zelda. If the Kokiri Emerald isn't in the forest anymore, and there's a Kokiri-raised boy who you know is ''also'' no longer in the forest, and most ''other'' Kokiri can't or won't leave the forest, then the simplest assumption is that that boy has the Emerald, and probably got it from the Deku Tree. Ganondorf has to know that, so why didn't he just hunt down Link and steal the Stone from him? We have to conclude that there was a reason he didn't do that. Hypothesizing that Ganondorf guessed Link would go after the others to try and protect them from him answers that question. It's not a risky guess for him to make, either, because if he's wrong and Link doesn't go after the Ruby and Sapphire, Ganondorf can just keep going with his original methods for acquiring those and then look for Link afterward. That doesn't answer the thing about Ruto's note, though, and ''that'' is something I don't think Ganondorf can take credit for. If he was going to forge a note to get someone to come save Ruto, why stick it in Lake Hylia? Why would he even know Link had a reason to go there? It would have made infinitely more sense for Ganondorf to just plant it at Zora's Domain. I sort of have to assume the bottle made it to Lake Hylia by accident because nobody had reason to send it there on purpose — this would be consistent with Ruto sending it, since she had no control of where it was going to end up while she was inside Jabu-Jabu.
820** About the letter, '''Ruto says she doesn't know about it'''. Either she's lying about it (which she doesn't have a need to at that point, unless it's part of her tsundere attitude) or someone else wrote it. About Ganondorf playing Link for a fool, he literally gloats about it as soon as you fully open the path for him.
821** The Japanese dialogue makes it more clear that it was Ruto that wrote the letter. In Japan, Ruto speaks in a very arrogant manner, using pronouns typical to regal women who think highly of themselves. The letter is written in the same voice. In addition, when Ruto denies having written it, she stutters multiple times, implying that she's lying and she's too embarrassed to admit to having asked for help.
822[[/folder]]
823
824[[folder: Face-to-face or with the song?]]
825* At some point in the game, if you play Saria's song, she says she'd rather talk to you face-to-face, but if you do that, she says you can hear her voice anytime by playing her song. (Of course, the gameplay answer is "go do something else, you don't need her advice right now", but the circular reference seems weird.)
826** The only time in which she asks to speak to you directly is if you play the song while standing right next to her, which is comparable to calling someone's cell phone when you're in the same room as them. She may not have a lot to say at that moment, but it's understandable that she'd still want to say it in to Link in person when he has the chance.
827[[/folder]]
828
829[[folder: The Deku Tree Sprout]]
830* If Ganondorf didn't curse the Forest Temple until seven years later, why didn't the Deku Tree Sprout start growing immediately after his predecessor died?
831** It's implied that after the original Deku Tree died, Ganondorf's dark powers were able to tighten their grip over the forest (as evidenced by the various monsters that dot the village, and the Moblins that patrol the Sacred Meadow). Kokiri Forest and the surrounding woods have been cursed for as long as Link was asleep: once he broke the curse by defeating Phantom Ganon, the Sprout could grow.
832** The cursing of the temples was immediate. The moment Ganondorf touched the Triforce, the Sacred Realm became the Dark World, and evil started leaking from the temples (which have their own connections to the Sacred Realm, like the Temple of Time). It's just the Sages' attempt at awakening that took seven years.
833[[/folder]]
834
835[[folder: Sacred Forest Meadow]]
836* Why are there so many Mad Scrubs on the paths through the Sacred Forest Meadow? Does Saria somehow have a way to get past them, or did they all only take root there after she shows up?
837** Story-wise, they probably appear as a result of Ganon's evil magic corrupting them (doesn't explain why they don't hang around once the Moblins show up), and Saria just managed to sneak by. Gameplay-wise, they probably squatted down after she arrived just to dick around with anyone else who wanders through.
838** They only try to harm non-Kokiri people who want to get to the Forest Temple.
839** Then why do they attack Link? How would they know that he's not a Kokiri?
840[[/folder]]
841
842[[folder: Ganon's Motives]]
843* As ''The Wind Waker'' reveals, Ganondorf only sought to conquer Hyrule in order to make life for the Gerudo easier (at least, until he went power-mad and just tried to kill everyone who defied him). Couldn't he have achieved the same effect by making the alliance with Hyrule (this time without false pretense), request for his people to assimilate into Hyrule (moving into Castle Town or Kakariko, or even starting their own settlement), and just live happily ever after?
844** Yes, he could have. But it wasn't in his character to do so, so he didn't.
845** Also, he did not say specifically that he wanted to make the lives of the Gerudo better. He said that they lived in a harsh desert environment, that the people of Hyrule had it so much better, and that he was subsequently jealous of the people of Hyrule. He could've just wanted to rule over a kingdom that ''wasn't'' a barren wasteland, and seeing his people suffer may have made him angrier when he saw Hyrule's situation, but that does not automatically equate to him taking over Hyrule out of his inner goodness. Remember, he is a living incarnation of the demon king's hatred -- no matter what his backstory and motivations, it's implied that the hatred in him would've overpowered the goodness anyway, what little there might have been.
846** Or, alternatively: he's in his late 20s in ''Ocarina of Time'', and there was a long, destructive civil war 10 years before the game. He grew up in the Hyrulean Civil War, and was raised by witches to boot; semi-sanctioned semi-official violence is what he's used to. (He also doesn't seem to particularly enjoy other people's authority; even if he wasn't a warlord raised by witches, it's hard to imagine him humbly petitioning the king to allow his people to settle in the north.)
847** ''Skyward Sword'' finally gives us a valid reason; Ganondorf had the rotten luck of being the {{reincarnation}} of an evil demon king, obsessed with obtaining the Triforce and bringing ruin to Hyrule. This also makes him a bit of a [[JerkassWoobie Jerkass Woobie]], with this justifying his [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremist]] point of view; sure, the Gerudo on the outside just cared about helping out his people, the demon king within wanted that Triforce, and he was gonna get it.
848[[/folder]]
849
850[[folder: Great Fairies]]
851* From an in-universe perspective, what's the point of Zelda's Lullaby being required to summon the Great Fairies at their fountains? Is the game implying that only royal family members and their messengers are permitted to receive blessings from the fairies? If not, how is anyone else supposed to do so?
852** In-universe, the Royal Family's song is not ''the'' way to get a fairy's attention, but it is ''a'' (highly effective) way. It's just that that happens to be the only way that Link ends up getting. I would assume that anyone can try their luck at getting the Great Fairy's attention; Zelda's Lullaby just gives the Fairy a good reason to answer, since a messenger of the royals is more important than Joe Schmoe Hyrule. You can basically think of it like caller ID; you're a lot more likely to pick up a phone call from your good friend than you are to pick up a call from a 1-800 advertiser number.
853[[/folder]]
854
855[[folder: Eat the cage!]]
856* Gorons are supposed to be much stronger than the average human, aren't they? Couldn't they have escaped their cells in the Fire Temple just by smashing or prying the bars loose? Or if that's not an option, just eat the walls!
857** We don't know what the bars are made of; logically they're made of something strong enough or magically enforced enough that even a Goron can't bend them. As for the walls, just because they're made of rock doesn't mean the Gorons can actually eat them. That would be like assuming a person can eat hemlock on the basis of it being a plant — sure, technically you can, but it's not going to work out well for you.
858** Don't forget that the Gorons are also terrified of Volvagia--for all they know, Ganondorf already let the dragon loose and he's currently flying around the temple. At least while they're locked up, they know full well they're protected. Link setting them free proves that Volvagia isn't around quite yet--maybe that's why Darunia was keeping him busy--so they feel confident enough to flee the temple and return to Goron City safely.
859[[/folder]]
860
861[[folder: Items required in Gerudo Training Ground]]
862* The Gerudo Training Ground, as the name suggests, is designed for the Gerudo to hone their skills. However, successful completion of the dungeon requires several items that are scattered throughout Hyrule, such as the Megaton Hammer or Iron Boots. How many Gerudo would have traveled to the opposite side of Hyrule, obtained a Goron Tunic and ventured deep into the Fire Temple to obtain the Megaton Hammer? Or how many would have navigated the Ice Cavern to get the Iron Boots? The fact that there is only one prize which has still not been claimed suggests that none of the Gerudo have ever completed their own training ground.
863** On the one hand, the Gerudo aren't known as thieves for nothing. On the other hand, it can't really be plausible for the Megaton Hammer and Iron Boots to be the only things in the world that are capable of smashing things down or sinking below the water. They probably restock the ice arrow power-up each time someone manages to retrieve it.
864[[/folder]]
865
866[[folder: Lost Woods]]
867* In the game, it is said that children that get lost in the Lost Woods become Skull Kids, and adults becomes Stalfos. Gameplay-wise, how is it possible for anyone to get lost there? If you make a wrong turn in the woods, you just get sent straight to the safe haven of Kokiri Forest. Wouldn't it make more sense if the Lost Woods functioned like it did in the original ''Zelda'' game, which have the woods repeat themselves if you don't get the right pattern down? Or does [[PlotArmor being Link]] somehow make you immune to the harmful effects of the Lost Woods?
868** It's somewhat implied that the Kokiri, with the help of their fairy guardians, are rendered immune to the effects of the Lost Woods: the fairies could simply know the correct path, or they might have magic that prevents Skull Kid-ification. Since Link has Navi accompanying him whenever he travels through the woods, he's safe from whatever magic dominates the forest.
869[[/folder]]
870
871[[folder:Consuming Poes]]
872* What happens to the deceased lingering soul consumed by hatred and unable to pass on (aka Poe), when they're swallowed up by one of the living?
873** Poes seem to have some level of corporeal energy about them (as they can at least interact with the physical world to an extent, such as by carrying lanterns or attacking people), so maybe Link consumes the energy that they use to remain in the world, thus depowering the spirit and forcing it to pass on. If this is the case, then the random heal-or-hurt effect on Link is probably because absorbing Poe energy is an unorthodox technique, and suddenly adding that energy to your body can be harmful if it's done wrong or goes to the wrong place. Or maybe the exceptionally hateful Poes are harmful to your health, which is why Big Poes and Poe Sisters can't be eaten at all: they'd kill you if you tried.
874[[/folder]]
875
876[[folder:Saving the Craftsman's Son]]
877* One thing that irks me about the whole craftsman's son becoming a Stalfos situation is that Link can travel back to his childhood when the craftsman's son is still alive and well. And he doesn't warn him not to go to the Lost Woods?! Sure, maybe he wouldn't listen, but I would at least ''try'' to save his life.
878** How do we know Link didn't try that? When you're a child, the guy's only dialogue is complaining about his mother and father and calling you a disgusting person. It's possible that speaking to him has Link start to say, "Hey, stay away from the Lost Woods, OK?", but the guy either cuts him off before he can finish or just doesn't believe him, as you've suggested.
879*** Because the guy's dialogue is the same every time you talk to him in the past. If Link said something different to him after you (and by extension, Link) learned of his fate in the future, his dialogue would change.
880*** So what? It's already abnormal enough that he says the same thing over and over again; that's just an AcceptableBreakFromReality. The developers don't have to account for every instance of FridgeLogic a player might come up with when it comes to writing [=NPC=] dialogue.
881[[/folder]]
882
883[[folder:Doors]]
884* Why do many of the doors in the game seem to have rocks inside them?[[https://66.media.tumblr.com/c46105e74051e1b2ae113c960711890f/tumblr_oodh6uge321rrftcdo2_r1_250.jpg]]
885** I belive that's meant to be stained glass or other sort of decorative inlay.
886[[/folder]]
887
888[[folder: Why can't the sages go home again?]]
889* The game drops a lot of hints that the seven sages, once they're awakened, are somehow barred from returning to their normal lives and have to give up whatever earthly ambitions they used to have -- Ruto says she can't follow through on Link's engagement to her, Nabooru also implies that she had a different kind of reward for Link instead of her sage medallian, and during the credits, you see Mido and King Zora sulking while everyone else celebrates, presumably because they're cut off from Saria and Ruto, respectively. However, we can presume that Princess Zelda wasn't confined to the Sacred Realm despite being leader of all the sages, and other games suggest that it's normal for sages to spawn a line of descendants...A Link Between Worlds even shows that its sages were free to return to their normal lives once Link defeated Yuga. Why isn't that an option for this game's group?
890** During the events of the game itself, confining themselves to the Sacred Realm is likely to prevent Ganondorf from recapturing them and re-cursing their people. None of them knew how long it would take for Link to beat Ganondorf, so they prepared to spend a long time in the Chamber of Sages. Afterward, they're not literally stuck in the Realm (as seen in the end credits), but we know that Rauru at least lived for thousands of years guarding the Triforce and fulfilling the Light Sage's duties, in exchange for only entering Hyrule through his owl avatar. It's possible that the other five planned to do the same thing, extending their lifespans in order to fulfil their respective Sage duties and maintain the seal on Ganondorf, at the cost of living only in the Sacred Realm. As for why they have descendants, it's possible that as the peaceful era went on, they gradually decided it was safe to reintegrate into normal Hyrulean society.
891[[/folder]]
892
893[[folder: Sealed chamber with the Master Sword]]
894* If the chamber with Master Sword in the Temple of Time is supposed to be secret and accessible only with the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time, why does it have a window? Anyone with a ladder tall enough and some rope should have been able to enter it. And if you're a fairy you shouldn't even need those; Navi was able to cross the window easily in the ending.
895** Twilight Princess seems to suggest that the window is actually a doorway to other parts of the Temple of Time.(Either that or it's a portal to another temple bearing the same name.) Even if it is accessible from the outside, you'd still have to know that said window leads behind the Door of Time, and even if you knew that, the sword still can't be drawn by just anyone, so it doesn't really matter if someone gets in.
896** You'd also have to worry about bringing a tall enough ladder into the vicinity of the Temple of Time without it being noticed by the town guards, when the only path to the temple leads right by them.
897[[/folder]]
898
899[[folder: Mouth agape]]
900* When the Great Deku Tree dies, his mouth remains open, in order to allow you to access the dungeon inside him afterward. But when you come back to Kokiri Forest as an adult, his mouth is closed... How, exactly?
901** Perhaps the "Tree" part isn't dead and simply regrew. What's "dead" is the magic/soul of the Deku tree, the part that bestows sentience, movement, and powrr.
902[[/folder]]
903
904[[folder: Ganondorf Playing The Organ]]
905* Why is Ganondorf playing the organ just before the boss fight? Is it just [[VillainsOutShopping something he's into?]]
906** It doesn't seem to have an effect on anything around him, so yes, it probably is just something the character is particularly fond of. From a game design standpoint, it adds a little extra flair to the final area, a little extra depth to Ganondorf, thematically ties back to when you were following Saria's Song through the Lost Woods at the beginning of the game, and shows off the ways in which sound can fluctuate when you're playing in a 3D space.
907[[/folder]]
908
909[[folder: How is Ganondorf unharmed after his castle collapses with him still inside?]]
910* Even if he's immortal, he's not invincible ,otherwise, Link wouldn't be able to cut him with a sword in the first place. Why isn't he crushed into paste under the ruins?
911** Probably the same way he survived his execution attempt by the Sages in the TP backstory. By using the Triforce of Power to keep himself alive.
912** The Master Sword has specific evil-banishing properties that allow it to hurt Ganondorf just enough for him to get sealed by the Sages. The rocks did not. Going by the events of the backstory of Twilight Princess, massive damage to his body (probably caused more by Link peppering him with Light Arrows than the collapse of the castle) forced the Ganon transformation as a way to keep him from dying.
913** Ganondorf is occasionally susceptible to attacks from normal weapons, but in most games they aren’t capable of outright killing him — you can’t defeat him with Biggoron’s Sword in this game or with the Ordon Sword in Twilight Princess, regardless of how much physical damage he sustains from either one. The collapse of his castle probably did rough him up a bit, but it’s not that unusual that it didn’t kill him.
914[[/folder]]
915
916[[folder: The Zoras’ Future]]
917* Once Morpha is defeated, what will happen to the Zoras? Will they be able to repopulate with the few Zoras left in Hyrule or will they go extinct?
918** ''The Wind Waker'' tells us no, they didn't have any trouble keeping from going extinct, seeing as they were able to survive long enough to evolve completely into the Rito tribe and adapt to living on the Great Sea. It was never suggested that their numbers in ''Ocarina of Time'' had dwindled at all in the years between Link's childhood and adulthood anyway; all we know is that they were frozen beneath the ice.

Top