History Webcomic / GrowingUpGerudo

* HasTwoMommies: Vridi has two Gerudo women as parents with Vassu, a jeweler, and Ganondorf's older blacksmith sister, Oska.

* AsianFoxSpirit: Similar to ''Majora's Mask'', Keatons are foxes with multiple tails though their traits are more heavily influenced by kitsune folklore where the number of tails they have matches their age. Three tails for youngsters and nine for an adult Keaton. Only the adult Keaton, parent of the rescued Keaten kit, is able to talk and boasts a large size. It's explained by Ganondorf and Nabooru that Keatons are messengers of the Sand Goddess and a Keaton choosing to talk to someone is a sign of a good omen. [[spoiler:Little do they know that the Keaton that spoke with Link, Falume, and Umas delivered a very foreboding warning that if Link truly wants peace and unity, he would have to prepare himself for a war between gods]].

* FusionDance: Subverted. [[spoiler:Gerudo twin sisters Falume and Umas try to fuse together like their grandmother Twinrova but they come out as a botched fusion instead, looking like one being with two heads and multiple limbs.]]

* AbusiveParents: King Daphnes is a very overbearing king towards both his subjects and his own child, to the point where Zelda has to largely stay silent in order to appease their father and use an alter ego to express themselves and do good for the kingdom behind his back. Later, [[spoiler:he not only publicly smacks Zelda after they tearfully beg him to stop attacking Link and Ganondorf, but it's harsh enough to leave a pretty nasty mark on Zelda's face.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob: This Zelda has brown hair instead of the usual gold similar to their ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' counterpart, though it tends to appear darker in the comic due to it being colored in greyscale.

* AdaptationalGenderIdentity: Zelda/Sheik. In the original game, the Sheik identity was merely a SweetPollyOliver disguise used to evade Ganondorf. In the comic, Zel is genderfluid, going by they/them as Zel, he/him pronouns as Sheik, and she/her as Zelda. While the Sheikah garb is partially used as a disguise to keep Link and Ganondorf out of danger during their heists on Hylian territory, it's still a core part of identity as [[spoiler:it's also used to reveal his true colors to his father before jumping in to help Link deal with a transformed Ganondorf]] and the name Sheik itself is actually a self-appointed MeaningfulRename long before the Sheikah outfit was even worn. During the adult arc, it's clear that Hylians disapprove of it, calling it "crossdressing" in a letter.

* AdaptationalVillainy: King Daphnes. In ''The Wind Waker'', he was the spirit of a king who felt like he failed to protect Hyrule from Ganon and generally acted as a grandfatherly figure towards Link and Zelda. The comic has him as a very vengeful king who's out to kill Ganondorf and the rest of the Gerudo, and generally acts controlling and even antagonistic towards Link and Zelda.

* AmazonBrigade: The Gerudo warriors, natch. They once again function as a (mostly) OneGenderRace of warrior women with a male Gerudo King, though this time there are more males beyond Ganondorf with the inclusion of Vridi and Link.

** Type 3: After an attempted surgery with Saria, it's made apparent that the only way to remove the piece of Demise's sword from Ganondorf is amputation. [[spoiler:After he transforms into a demonic beast, Link and Nabooru team up to cut off said arm with the Master Sword or else lose him forever to Demise's curse]].

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: [[spoiler: Subverted. Both Impa and Nabooru fear of the violent ramifications that could happen if Hylians find out that the incarnation of the hero is with the Gerudo tribe. They're correct, though by the time King Daphnes even finds out, Link is already inside the castle dressed up as the legendary hero in order to prevent future attacks on the Gerudo, though he didn't know that the attack that led to the discovery of his identity was actually part of an unrelated genocide attempt by Fenrir and Daphnes.]]

* CatapultNightmare: Happens to both Zelda and Ganon when they dream of Link battling, and falling, to the latter. Both practically shoot straight-up in bed, though Zelda takes it a step further by waking up ''screaming'', much to the concern of some nearby guards.

* DreamCrushingHandicap: One of the Gerudo children has to give up on his training to become a warrior because of his breathing problems (most likely asthma) making it impossible. However, he ends up learning magic by Koume and Kotake as part of his training to become the future king of the Gerudo.

** Hylians and Gerudo, it goes both ways. Much like in the games, the Hylians view the Gerudo race as nothing but thieves, though it's taken up to eleven with their king wanting to wipe them out. Meanwhile, the Gerudo seem to view Hylians as weaker, dishonorable cowards who fight dirty. Even a young child like Sika calls out Link for being a weak, dumb Hylian several times before their initiation and doesn't think he belongs in their tribe up until [[FireForgedFriends he wins her over during training]]. The Gerudo-raised Link also accuses Zelda of being a "stuck-up Hylian brat" after the latter insults the tribe. They both learn to drop their attitudes after Zelda apologizes to Vridi over a transphobic and racist comment, and also after a close call inside Death Mountain since Link was the one who goaded Zelda into proving that Hylians aren't "pansies" in the first place.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: King Daphnes is not only a danger to other nations, but also to his own countrymen since [[spoiler: he deliberately causes Ganondorf to transform into a dangerous demon in front of a crowd of Hylians, directly attacks Link in order to trigger the transformation, and brutally slaps Zelda in front of them. Needless to say, it's not too surprising that when Rauru points all of this out, Daphnes' own people turn on him pretty quickly]].

* LoveAcrossBattlelines: Zelda/Sheik and Vridi. Both are heirs to the throne to the Hylian and Gerudo kingdoms, but Zelda's father is out to kill all Gerudo. While they haven't quite become a couple yet, it's clear that the romantic feelings are mutual but things are too complicated to start anything.

* NonHeteronormativeSociety: In contrast to the homophobic, highly-patriarchal Hylian society, the Gerudo tribe hold a high regard for women despite their worship of a male king, and remain highly accepting and respectful towards people of other gender identities and sexualities. The difference causes a very brief moment of ignorance from Zelda when they mistake Vridi for a girl, though it quickly sways into genuine curiosity and self-reflection once the young royal realizes how restraining life in Hyrule can be and how disrespectful they came across to Vridi.

** Link is convinced he's a Gerudo and gets pretty offended when Zelda points out he's obviously Hylian.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: King Daphnes. He's not subtle with his views on things like [[PinkIsForSissies proper code of dress]], discouraging Zelda from taking on astrology because it's a "men's field", and that's not even getting into the horrid racism he has against the Gerudo even long before the genocide attempts start occurring.

* AdaptationalGenderIdentity: Zelda/Sheik. In the original game, the Sheik identity was merely a SweetPollyOliver disguise used by Zelda to evade Ganondorf, but in the comic, Zelda is transgender and chooses to call themselves "Sheik" as part of a MeaningfulRename and to honor the Sheikah tribe. As Sheik, they're referred to with masculine pronouns even by friends who know of their original name. As a result, it's only actually used as a disguise to keep Link and Ganondorf out of danger during their heists on Hylian territory, and [[spoiler:to reveal their true colors to their father before jumping in to help Link deal with a transformed Ganondorf]].

* TraingingFromHell: Gerudo's training of their children involves putting them in armor and making them run through a gauntlet of lethal traps and deadly monsters. And this is hardly the only dangerous situation the children are forced into.

* WeaponOfChoice:
** While most games depict Ganondorf's human form wielding a sword or two, this time he uses a trident similar to his traditional demon pig appearance.
** Nabooru wields a large battleaxe as part of her Iron Knuckle getup, which also serves as a CallBack to the miniboss fight in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: During Ganondorf's visit with the Gorons, Zelda and Vridi decide to eat at a restaurant where they meet a Goron chef that looks suspiciously like Guy Fieri. On Tumblr, he's even tagged as ''#Goron Fieri'' to drive the point home.

** Hylians and Gerudo, it goes both ways. Much like in the games, the Hylians view the Gerudo race as nothing but thieves, though it's taken UpToEleven with their king wanting to wipe them out. Meanwhile, the Gerudo seem to view Hylians as weaker, dishonorable cowards who fight dirty. Even a young child like Sika calls out Link for being a weak, dumb Hylian several times before their initiation and doesn't think he belongs in their tribe up until [[FireForgedFriends he wins her over during training]]. The Gerudo-raised Link also accuses Zelda of being a "stuck-up Hylian brat" after the latter insults the tribe. They both learn to drop their attitudes after Zelda apologizes to Vridi over a transphobic and racist comment, and also after a close call inside Death Mountain since Link was the one who goaded Zelda into proving that Hylians aren't "pansies" in the first place.

* ShrinkingViolet: Vridi, a very bashful Gerudo who's prone to shyness and getting easily embarrassed. The bashfulness is cranked UpToEleven whenever he sees his crush, Sheik.

* AnthropomorphicAnimalAdaptation: The Twili are drawn with digitigrade legs and Midna sports a ''vaguely'' cat-like face to suit her smug and impish personality. It's to the point where Linkle calls Midna for a "big kitty" person and attempts to hug her, much to Midna's dismay.
* AdaptationDyeJob: This Zelda has brown hair instead of her usual gold similar to their ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' counterpart, though it tends to appear darker in the comic due to it being colored in greyscale.

** How the Kokiri and Koroks are connected. Unlike Laruto and Medli, who are biologically related, it's unexplained how Fado and Mekar are connected due to the obvious NeverGrewUp problem of the Kokiri and plant-like nature of Koroks. The comic explains that Koroks ''are'' Kokiri but at a younger life stage, where they grow up from the ground like plants but become more humanoid over time.
* AdaptationalGenderIdentity: Zelda/Sheik. In the original game, the Sheik identity was merely a SweetPollyOliver disguise used by Zelda to prevent being discovered by Ganondorf, but in the comic, Zelda is transgender and chooses to call themselves "Sheik" as part of a MeaningfulRename and to honor the Sheikah tribe. As Sheik, they're referred to with masculine pronouns even by friends who know of their original name. As a result, it's only actually used as a disguise to keep Link and Ganondorf out of danger during their heists on Hylian territory, and [[spoiler:to reveal their true colors to their father before jumping in to help Link deal with a transformed Ganondorf]].

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: [[spoiler: Subverted. Both Impa and Nabooru fear of the violent ramifications that could happen if Hylians find out that the incarnation of the hero is with the Gerudo tribe. They're correct, though by the time King Daphnes even finds out, Link is already inside the castle dressed up as the legendary hero in order to prevent future attacks on the Gerudo, even though the initial attack that led to the discovery of his identity was actually part of a planned genocide attempt by Fenrir and Daphnes.]]

** King Daphnes with the unnamed king of Hyrule from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''. On the surface, the King of Hyrule from that game was largely TheGoodKing who was too trusting of Ganondorf and dismissive of his daughter's warnings. However, many background details has brought the "good" part into question since Hyrule's civil war, the existence of a torture dungeon inside the royal family's mausoleum, and his own people's attitudes towards the Gerudo doesn't match up very well with Ganondorf's own recounting of the tribe's struggles in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. He's combined with King Daphnes, who was a monarch who lived during a time ''where there was no hero'' to defend the kingdom from Ganon's return sometime after ''Ocarina of Time''. Put the worst theories about these two kings together and naturally you'd get the racist ManipulativeBastard we see in the comic.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: An injured Fenrir charges straight into battle with an experienced Gerudo warrior while a giant demon is rampaging nearby. [[spoiler:Not only does a swift kick to his torso easily ground him, he can't readily move after he gets pinned down by a halberd, which causes him to get accidentally squashed by the Beast Ganon's foot]].

* BiggerIsBetter: DoubleSubverted. While Link gets the biggest "Kargarok" egg during training, Sika deliberately chooses the smallest egg under the belief that it'll hatch into the smartest bird of the bunch. Link actually ends up with a giant ''Helmaroc'' as his companion and by all accounts, is ''far'' from being the dumbest bird on the block.

* AdultFear: Your child dying. Worse, your child dying ''because of you'' since Ganondorf's attempt to teach King Daphnes a lesson directly leads to the starvation of the entire tribe, including both himself and Link.

** The commonalities between the Gerudo, Sheikah, and Twili. Basically, it's unknown what the Twili people looked like before they were banished to the Twilight Realm and why the other two races were largely absent in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', with theories usually arguing that the Gerudo or the Sheikah are actually the Twili. In the comic, Impa explains that they were all once the same people but split into three groups after the Sheikah allied with Hylians after they came down from Skyloft, with the Twili exiled by the Hylians while the Gerudo migrated into the desert.

** The commonalities between the Gerudo, Sheikah, and Twili. Basically, it's unknown what the Twili people looked like before they were banished to the Twilight Realm and why the other two races were largely absent in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]''. Specifically, it's often pointed out by the fandom that the the Gerudo and Twili were both mistreated red-haired peoples whose domains are located inside Gerudo Desert, while the connection between Sheikah and Twili relied on the idea of both being "Shadow Folk" towards the Hylians. In the comic, Impa explains that they were all once the same people but split into three groups after Hylians came down from Skyloft, where only the Sheikah got to live in Hyrule thanks to their servitude and initial friendly welcoming of the Hylians.
** The line between Demise the Demon King and Ganondorf the Gerudo King. While it's very strongly hinted that Ganondorf ''is'' the reincarnation of Demise and his hatred in canon, it doesn't quite line up with his genuine sympathy over the poor living conditions of the Gerudo in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. Here, Ganondorf and Demise are presented as completely different characters, where the former actively fights against his destiny to become Demise's human vessel.

* DreamCrushingHandicap: One of the Gerudo children has to give up on his training because of his breathing problems (most likely asthma) making it impossible.

** Surprisingly, Fenrir takes the cake for this trope a lot more than King Daphnes. He manages to successfully guilt-trip ''Ganondorf'' despite being chained to the wall, purposefully spill the beans to a bewildered Link about his true heritage and purpose in life, needlessly lies to King Daphnes about how the Gerudo treated him while in their captivity, and even tries to psych out Nabooru with a HannibalLecture mid-battle. All attempts actually work out for him [[ShutUpHannibal except for the last one]].

** The commonalities between the Gerudo, Sheikah, and Twili. Basically, it's unknown what the Twili people looked like before they were banished to the Twilight Realm and why the other two races were largely absent in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]''. Specifically, it's often pointed out that the the Gerudo and Twili were both mistreated red-haired peoples whose domains are located inside Gerudo Desert, while the connection between Sheikah and Twili relied on the idea of both being "Shadow Folk" towards the Hylians. Impa explains that they were all once the same people but split into three groups after Hylians came down from Skyloft, where only the Sheikah got to live in Hyrule thanks to their servitude and initial friendly welcoming of the Hylians.

* AdultFear: Your child dying. Worse, your child dying ''because of you''.

* DualWielding: Link fights with two blades during his initiation test.

* AdaptationDyeJob: This Zelda has dark hair instead of her usual gold.

* ObliviousAdoption: Link is convinced he's a Gerudo and gets pretty offended when Zelda points out he's obviously Hylian.
* PapaWolf: Ganon is very protective of Link and, even though he's much chiller and kinder in this AU, one surefire way to make him lose his temper very quickly is to threaten said little Hylian.
* RealMenWearPink: Link's main outfit is pink.

%%* AmazonBrigade: The Gerudo warriors, natch. Link (who's in training) and Ganon are the only exceptions.
%%* BadassAdorable: Young Link is no less badass here than he is normally.

%%* CatapultNightmare: Happens to both Zelda and Ganon when they dream of Link battling, and falling, to the latter.

%%* FantasticRacism: Hylians and Gerudo, it goes both ways.

%%* HappilyAdopted: Link and Ganon are very close.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than the games it's based on, which have a lot of battle but never show actual blood and gore. Not so much in this comic which shows Gerudo being killed and a GoryDiscretionShot of Link dying in front of Zelda, though the latter turns out to be just a dream.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than the games it's based on, which have a lot of battle but never show actual blood and gore. Not so much in this comic which shows Gerudo being killed and a GoryDiscretionShot of a young Link dying in front of Zelda, though the latter turns out to be just a dream.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than the games it's based on, which have a lot of battle but never show actual blood and gore. Not so much in this comic which even has on panel child murder, though it turns out to be just a dream.

Can be read [[http://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/tagged/comic/chrono here]][[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/growing-up-gerudo/list?title_no=245292 and here]] and has a patreon [[https://www.patreon.com/growingupgerudo#_=_ here]].

* RealityEnsues:
** Going out in the desert at midday gives the pale-skinned Link a bad sunburn, something he didn't have to worry about in the games.
** One of the Gerudo children has to give up on his training because of his breathing problems (most likely asthma) making it impossible.