The Ancient Hero Timeline - Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
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The Timeline of Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild hangs in the balance, and the entire truth of their placement within the Zelda Timeline all relies on The Ancient Hero...and his legendary origin with the Master Sword
All is now revealed!
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Maybe it's the armor of the first hero after the second hero in manga comic called them the first but actually the second, maybe the first calamity is how 🏝 on the ground floated in the sky?
So Link gets a fursuit for completing all shrines?
Also did you know you can deflect all of Ganondorf's Gloom projectiles in his battles? It requires precise timing but it deals back a lot of damage to the Demon King.
Now if the Master Sword is a constant, then is the Spirit of the Hero a constant as well? When Ocarina of Time Link went back to the past and created the Child Timeline, his Spirit of the Hero also traveled to that timeline with him, yet in Wind Waker a Link existed and became the Hero of Wind. Does Wind Waker Link possess the Spirit of the Hero even if said Spirit went to the Child Timeline with Ocarina of Time Link? If so, where did this Spirit come from? Same goes with Ancient Hero and Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Link. If both of them had the Spirit of the Hero, where did that Spirit originate from? It can't be from Skyward Sword Link since he went back to his timeline with his Spirit.
@HMK But how could Zelda mention OoT and TP in the first game then?
wow you are wrong, well elss wrong than people saying that totk past is right after skyward sword but STILL wrong.
why can't you zelda channels not just accept that even the totk past is still in the distant future in which hyrule has ceased to exists for one or another reason thus turning into myth and legend itself?
This is by far the most coherent timeline theory I’ve seen on BotW/TotK and is by far my favorite. I was worried that Zelda was being retconned, with Skyward Sword, BotW and TotK being a new trilogy and all the other games being myths in Hyrule’s history. However, this theory shows that BotW and TotK can fit into the timeline without making all the other Zelda games feel pointless.
The timeline has never been perfect and never will be, but I really like this one, which is really coherent !
You should watch monster maze
I second this entirely. Best timeline theory for botw/totk I've seen yet. Definitely an elegant way for the devs to make a clean break from the established norms of the series w/out worrying about offending long term fans
The previous games were never pointless. Nintendo made it clear that the previous games happened, but by the time of BotW/TotK, they are seen as myths because they can't tell which games actually happened are seen as mere legends that are myths. That's just how far in the future these two games are.
The Ancient Hero could be the descendent of either King Rauru and Queen Sonia or Mineru with her own partner. But I highly doubt Link is related to them because the Spirit of the Hero moves on to the next.
I think that this Zonai Hero could be this Reincarnation of Link just from a different Breed because the Curse of Demise must effect both Timelines because Link and Zelda took the Curse with them in the Original Timeline in their future but also Demise died in the original Past creating a different Timeline which means still he reincarnated as Ganondorf as we saw in Tears of the Kingdom but also Link and Zelda reincarnated from BotW and TotK.
@@lookslikenik6931 Some people do need to remember that the hero, is literally only the Spirit of the Hero. It does not have to be any blood lines for the hero. Zelda is the only one confirmed in multiple points to be a blood line. Which tbh makes sense considering the sacred power is passed down. But the essence of link is just someone that has the spirit of a hero, and has to go through trials to prove ones courage.
@@fahlur9880 Yeah that might be but still doesn’t makes sense when every other Hero from the Games is Link as a Hylian. But I understand your point.
@@lookslikenik6931 I'm pretty sure it's more of a meta reason, as in, "we never thought of doing this before", the devs just kept making Link a hylian because they didn't do anything that would make "The hero not being Link/Link being a different race" more than a neat thought
@@lookslikenik6931 Well technically there could have been thousands of heroes in the zelda universe, with some non-hylians, some gerudo kings, zora or any species. It's just that the games so far seems to tell us only about some hylians named link (beside now the hero of the calamity being a zonai, also I suspect he's the 8th heroine but I won't spoil, there is something that you can find about it in totk)
Also we need a video talking about where the hell is Rauru and Sonia's child. Sonia literally told Zelda that she sensed a blood connection between them, meaning the bloodline had to continue after their deaths. More importantly, it HAS to be a child of those 2 , as they are the ones to have light and time powers for Zelda to get later. No one else can continue THAT bloodline.
I hope it gets explained with new memory flashbacks in a DLC for TotK.
That would be an amazing dlc memories to see. But I am more interested in the origins of Ganondorf.
it’s the same thing as the champions having descendants despite never having kids that we see. it’s really not that deep
How are people getting so hung up on this?
They had a child, but their child wasn't shown because they weren't germaine to the story. The story is about an ancient demon king and how he got imprisoned.
There is another way and that is Sonia had a sister or brother who would've taken up after her death and rarues sacrifice theywould've been the next inline to the throne as for the light and time magic easy it's hylias powers while it's not stated outright she's more highly the goddess of time I could see 1 getting time and 1 getting light powers and after her death the next in line got both or also the light powers come from the triforce.
@@midnightpluto Do you mean the champions from BOTW? Because Yunobo is a direct descendant of Daruk. As to the others, I am unsure whether Urbosa had children, but if she was the queen and if the Gerudo throne is inherited then Riju might be her descendant.
Revali most likely didnt have a descendant. And Mipha also didnt have a descendant.
So I would say those are a mixed bag, those are rather their successors, not necessarily descendants.
Or do you mean the Sages from Rauru‘s time? Link‘s Sages are descendants.
Colgera's theme is just the best choice for telling an epic story. Best theme in the game imo. I was waiting so badly for this video to happen! Had fun hearing your thoughts on this new situation.
Yeah it is really good, it’s an remix of Dragon Roost Island
Loved the video!
It is interesting video indeed. But I hope Link isn't related Rauru and Sonia because that will ruined his relationship with Zelda. Fujibayashi is a big Zelink shipper.
I like this theory a lot. It makes me wish that we saw a lot more of Hyrule during Rauru’s era. I’d like to think that while Rauru and Mineru are the last two full-blooded zonai left, there could still be a hybrid race created from Zonai and Hylians intermingling. That’s the vibe I get from the ancient hero aspect. Its face and body look like a zonai, but its ears are much smaller like a Hylians. It makes me hope that this will be elaborated on in the future.
that's right ! the ancient hero isn't a full on zonai
While i do like this theory, there are a few plotholes...
First, in one of BOTW's memories, Zelda gives references not only to skyward sword, but to Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, then, we have all of the returning Link sets, wich are now canon due to them being able to be found in-game, and finally, where and why would the OG Temple of time be created in the first place?
I got the follow up for that, remember how I close the video
This is the best theory to explain everything in my opinion, great work!
Just to add something that I thought that could have some relevance; remember that link's father was a knight, maybe in his family they had a tradition for every new boy to be a knight so that the descendant of that time could rise as the hero if it was ever needed
This is among your very best theories, I can’t help but imagine if the Tears of the Kingdom DLC actually is about the story of the Ancient Hero Xenoblade 3 Future Connected - style.
And then they have so many ideas that it will become a whole new game.
Didn’t Rauru and Mineru say they were the last of the Zonai? If so then how did another Zonai (Link’s supposed ancestor) battle Calamity Ganon? Calamity Ganon cannot exist before Ganondorf is sealed by Rauru, but after that, there cannot be other Zonai left to be that hero
They made more.
Simple that Zonai hero is a descendent of the first king or his sister (probably his sister). From a branch that left the throne behind.
I doubt Link is a direct descendent of the Zonai. Only Princess Zelda is since she shared her blood connection to her ancestors.
They could be the last of the Zonai on the surface not Last of the Zonai period
I thought Rauru mentioned that the rest of the Zonai were in hiding
I personally had the theory that they were making a new a “blue tunic” timeline. But with how you explained it this can actually fit cleanly into the main timeline with the only issue being if the other games are just stories or if they actually happened. Great video as always!
It’s up to you how you want to view it! It’s able to make sense however that the other games did take place just in different timelines. Like that’s a perfect way to explain it.
All it really is, is that BotW and TotK are so far into the future that they can't dispute if the events of previous games really happened. Hence the Era of Myth. They made it really clear that OoT happened as multiple sources in and out of the game confirm it. It's safe to say every other title happened too.
Interesting, but I feel there are far too many references to past zelda games within botw / totk to place it on an entirely separate continuity / timeline. I think it's much more likely that they're simply far, far, far after every other game, such that the Hyrule of old was destroyed (possibly in the Windwaker floods if we have to pick a single timeline to place it after), and then rebuilt by the Zonai / Rauru. I'd even go so far as to say botw link is the link for their time, they just have to wait quite a while for him lol
Or it could be like the Dragonbreaks in The Elder Scrolls, but more seamless merging of timelines rather than complete contradictions
THANK YOU someone else who is not a dum dum. but i would say it doesn't matter what ended hyrule it will happen either way in either time line. no dragon break BS or anything merging just time lines eventually having the same outcome
BOTW/TOTK cannot happen after Spirit Tracks because they take place in "old" Hyrule, which was destroyed in Wind Waker and New Hyrule is way too different Geographically and culturally to be the same place that you explore in BOTW
@@mittensdacat I think you're underestimating how much things can change across tens of thousands of years lol. The floodwaters from Wind Waker have receded, as likely implied by the map of dragon tears in TOTK showing a flooded hyrule field. This is old Hyrule, dramatically far in the future. New Hyrule is likely just considered a different region, perhaps where Yona is from? Open to possibilities
@@Fankuan19 A) Where are the trains? B) Zora no longer exist in the adult timeline C) I find it hard to believe that the inhabitants of New Hyrule, who had potentially spent thousands of years building up this kingdom (with trains) would see that the flood had receded and decide to abandon what they've got and inhabit old Hyrule again (before you ask, I also doubt that Link and Tetra just left the NPC's from Wind Waker behind upon finding new land) D) I also doubt that a flood willed by the Gods in response to a wish would recede
Completely unrelated to this topic but that colgera theme in the background slaps soo hard!!
The zonai swirl symbol is on the sandship in skyward sword (on the doors). So I think the zonai existed before the events of skyward sword. Remember the sandship existed in the past; you have to use timeshift stones to reveal it.
The Sheikah eye symbol, which also exists in Skyward Sword’s time, mimics a Zonai third eye. I think I saw Zonai swirls in some other dungeons besides the sandship, it might have been one of the Fire dungeons?
The Zonai were originally treated as gods, perhaps Hylia and even the golden goddesses were actually Zonai. The triforce could be a Zonai artifact like the secret stones.
There's only one problem with this theory: Zelda and the princess in the past had the blood of the goddess. In Breath of the Wild and in Tears of the Kingdom, its mentioned that Zelda and the princess of the first calamity had the blood of the goddess and that blood comes SS Zelda but if we go by this theory that wouldn't be possible since that Zelda went back to her present and thus didn't have descendants in the past timeline.
Perhaps Hylia, much like Demise in this timeline, somehow manages to reincarnate into another Zelda which then continues the blood of the Goddess in this timeline.
@@Surgelitex I mean I guess it's possible, but from the information the Zelda mentioned is the one we follow in Skyward Sword.
@@Surgelitex WHY complicate thing instead of jsut saying that totk past iss till in the distant future of the prior games?
why make it nonsensical with palcing it right after skyward sword? why make it more complicated by adding a forth timeline?
nintendo made it pretty clear to move on from that disaster by placing botw SO FAR into the futre they do not have to deal with it any more. WHY would they turn on that?
@@MikePhantomExactly
I hope there’s dlc to this hero and the struggles he had to face
This theory explains a lot. The only question i have is, why certain landmarks are named after characters we know like Ruto and Mido 🤔
The ancient past we see in Tears of the Kingdom is most likely far in the future of the other games. So far that no one remembers the original Hyrule. So when Raaru and Sonia claim to be the founders of Hyrule, they are actually just establishing a kingdom in the original Hyrule long after it had faded from memory.
The presence of salt rock even on mountains would be explained by it having been previously under water during the Wind Waker era.
That’s one way to think of it. I was thinking that Raru’s time was after Skyward Sword at some point before every other game. There’s gotta be evidence for either one
@@Tony-so1zlIt's established that OoT Rauru made the Temple of Time prior to original Hyrule Kingdom's establishment.
We don't see that anywhere in Rauru's time based off cutscenes and it gets confirmed in BotW that the one we see in BotW/TotK on the Great Plateau was used for ceremonies, making it the latest version of the temple separate from the one we see in OoT.
That makes four of them in total.
1. Temple of Time (Lanayru Desert in Skyward Sword)
2. OoT Rauru's Temple of Time (in OoT/TP, Hyrule Castle Town/Lost Woods)
3. TotK Rauru's Temple of Time
4. Great Plateau's Temple of Time
What if... the Ancient Hero (seen in the mural fighting the first Calamity) was in fact regular Hylian like the rest of the Links we've seen? What if the Ancient Hero was simply wearing a Zonai costume - the same one that TotK Link wears when he completes all 152 shrines? Perhaps the Ancient Hero wore that custume to honor Rauru's memory and his sacrifice.
I still think these two games take place way after all the other games. Hyrule fell into obscurity at some point and the Zonai descended from above to found a new Kingdom of Hyrule.
So a new new kingdom in hyrule if we take into condideration what happend after Phantom hourglass.
@@AlexxxMYLSince2013 yeah
Yeah same I think it's just super far in the future
Then how can Ganondorf be Sealed in the past of TOTK and still be sealed during OOT and then be unsealed at the start of the game?
@@phoenixbythefire4555 I do think that BoTW and ToTK happend in an alternate timeline created by Link's time travel in Skyward sword, a time line in witch Ocarina and all other games never happend at least how we know them.
This is the exact theory I thought!! It makes so much more sense than totk fitting into the existing timeline
An interesting theory. And potentially plausible. But there are things that poke holes in it. Especially references to previous Zelda games within item descriptions and actual lore. ‘Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight’. Rock salt being described as being remnants of an ancient sea. (Which to be fair, could also be referring to the ancient Lanayru sea that became the Lanayru desert.) as well as the existence of Lynel and Gleeoks that have only existed in the fallen hero timeline. Elements of which more suggest a timeline convergence.
I do hope that the future dlc for Tears would explore the mystery of this ancient hero from the 10,000 year old calamity.
If Nintendo confirms that totk is also at the bottom of the normal timeline, they better have this much evidence to prove it. This video makes a lot of sense
I just have to say the use of Colgera’s ost and visuals during the narration about the Ancient Hero made this theory even cooler!
Critical flaw in this theory.
Skyward Sword is itself a time-loop. All the events SS Link encounters are predicated off the time travel already occurring, so time travel instances there shouldn't split off a divergent timeline.
Also BOTW/TOTK cannot split off from SS in the past where Demise dies as that is where he casts his curse of reincarnation....which effects the prime timeline we've observed so far. Why would a curse cast in one branch of reality effect the other if there is in fact a split?
It just doesn't work within the confines of Skyward Sword's narrative. Zelda always was there in the past, thus why old Impa has the bracelet when Link rounds out to meet her. If timeline divergence was the case, there would be no Old Impa to give Link that bracelet, she'd exist in another timeline different than the one of the Link we play as.
So sorry, but BOTW/TOTK has to be within the existing timeline somewhere, or split off via some means outside of Skyward Sword, likely via Zelda's own time traveling in TOTK (As the only other instance of the timeline splitting was when a Sage of Time Zelda did a thing so it would track)
My personal guess is that TOTK's Past is either divergent after Skyward Sword and is the first instance of Ganondorf's Reincarnation, after his sealing by Raaru, his soul leaving his body and splitting for reincarnation like Japanese lore around the soul works, so the Ganondorfs in the other timelines are imprints of "Sealed Ganondorf", eventually him giving up on reincarnation and creating Calamity Ganon and restoring his soul as we see in TOTK.
Or TOTK's past itself is after every game in the timeline on it's own right, and the history of Hyrule, including Link and Zelda was lost after the kingdom(s) in whatever timeline(s) it's in fell before the Zonai descended to earth.
My guess would be your second theory, just for simplicity's sake. It wouldn't be the first time that a Kingdom of Hyrule fell, then had to be rebuilt millennia later, after the details of its history were long forgotten.
The thumbnail is so sick.
This would subtly explain how Link from BoTW isn’t wearing any traditional Green Tunic. Because there wasn’t a known hero to have worn it before.
The tunic of the wild is the classic green tunic in breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom, the developers just wanted to give people playing the two newest Zelda games an option for a newer tunic
Well, the thing is, who said that hero was a Zonai? Looks similar? Yes, but is it really a Zonai? I don’t think so, doesn’t have the third eye, the ears are different and Zonais didn’t have a tail, so it’s a different type of species. Also, the last Zonai was Rauru, according to the memories. UNLESS that hero is a mix of Hylian - Zonai, which would indicate that comes from the same bloodline of Rauru, (who could be the great great great grandparent) of the hero, and if the Zelda back then also carried the blood of the goddess, would mean that they were family related…
YES!!! This is the explanation!!! This clears everything!!!
I made a very similar prediction upon completing the dragons’ tears quest, However I couldn’t reconcile a few holes in the theory!
1. If there is indeed a split caused by the sealing of Demise, then why does old impa have the bracelet that OG Zelda gave past Impa?
The master sword being able to exist in multiple timelines makes some since but people?!? It’s is a relatively small inconsistency, but one I feel I should have mentioned.
2. What happened/were are the new timeline Skyloftians? The split would have happened after Hylia created skyloft and the cloud barrier, from what I can tell the events of Alternate SS should follow similar if not identical trajectory up till the attempted kidnapping of Zelda at the beginning of SS; this means not only a near identical skyloft but a duplicate zelda and link but an intact sky barrier and no reason for the skyloftians to think that anything existed below the clouds how is Hyrule formed?, and what does this mean for the Zonai(or the natural evolution of the Zora, the Rito, and the Gerudo)?
3. King Rauru, in the OG timeline he is also the first king of Hyrule, he also builds a temple of time, and he also is the Sage of Light, however in OoT he is portrayed as a plain Hylian, where as in TotK he is zonai?
4. But probably the biggest hole is that in BotW during one of the memories Zelda mentions Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time as well as skyward sword, but in this alternate timeline these events should be impossible!
I have spent a few sleepless hours attempting to fill these holes and cannot find a clean way of doing so!
The presence of items from every other timeline flat out proves that these games exist at the end of a unified timeline. I'm definitely eager to hear your argument for how it could be otherwise.
Ocarina also still happens Sidon mentions being related to Ruto in the Zoe’s Murals so I still think it’s one of the three branches however this is the only other option if we ignore that but I don’t think it’s separate.
I personally found the story in totk a bit all over the place and certain aspects weren't explained properly. However Zelda being the light dragon flying above hyrule like 5 mins after the Upheavel tells me that botw/totk are closed loops set within their own seperate timeline but i do like this theory and i think i can warm up to it.
Glad i aint the only that thought this! I also theorize that this new timeline mimics the old timeline but just different. Think Lorule and Hyrule being parallel worlds of eachother.
They are Parallel Reality Timelines split at skyward sword.
The Era of Myth is a section that copies the old timeline where the same events occur differently, or not at all. And this fits in perfectly with your video.
Good im not insane lmao
I really like the is theory. It explains a lot of the conflicts and inconsistencies with trying to wedge it onto another or all three of the timelines. It also gives a valid explanation of near absence of the Triforce while also shedding some light on the resurgence and focus of Hylia over the Golden Goddesses. I suppose the only thing it doesn’t clarify is some of the overlaps and nods to previous titles, unless we assume similar events and names occurred over the roughly 10k year span. But again, I’m sure additional theories might open up discussion on those.
In Breath of the Wild and in Tears of the Kingdom, its mentioned that Zelda and the princess of the first calamity had the blood of the goddess and that blood comes from SS Zelda but if we go by this theory that wouldn't be possible since that Zelda went back to her present and thus didn't have descendants in the past timeline. This is something someone else found off with this theory. Got any ideas?
@@Surgelitexthat’s easy the split happens after Hylia creates skyloft so an alternate version of SS Zelda would theoretically exist and still be Hylia reincarnated just without her memories!
I always thought it odd that the Hero was depicted as ginger when Link never is.
This makes the most sense.
If time travel result in timeline splits ala Ocarina of Time with the Child and Adult, then it stands to reason that time travel would result in a timeline split from Skyward Sword.
If zelda went back in time and told these gods with control of time about her and links adventures they started looking through time for links. that’s why we see the other hero tunics in the depths. The sheikah clearly took their main design “the eye” from their king who sacrificed himself just look at the eye of raurus when it opens. They are searching through time with the power of the time stones in skyward sword. This is cool because the zelda timeline is full circle just like the logo on Totk
I think its more likely that these 2 games are in a reset timeline after the end of the original series timeline (four swords adventures, zelda 2, etc.) The existence of the Rito, Zora, and Gerudo so close to Skyward Sword wouldn't make sense + the lack of any reference to Skyloft by anyone in the distant past (and that the Zonai may have actually originated underground, then went to the sky.) Plus the there are 2 distinct pre Botw eras; the distant past and the age of myth/legend. The age of myth/legend is where all of the games before Botw fit in, in an era so far in the past that those games are just myths. The distant past was the age 10,000 years ago referenced in botw. Totk makes it very clear that the era that Zelda landed in is in the distant past - - they constantly specify and reference that it is THE DISTANT PAST, and not the age of legend/myth which is before that. I think its very likely that sometime after the original timeline, some event actually managed to wipe out Hyrule more than any previously. It was essentially reset back into a field with scattered groups of peoples and loose stories of previous history. The Zonai came down to what was a essentially a land with groups of villagers far removed from their original history. They probably still referred to themselves as Hylians, Rauru jumps on the opportunity to unite them and boom, a new iteration of Hyrule is born. Not truly the first Hyrule but as far as anyone knows, it is. Plus factor in that there can't be multiple Ganondorfs because that stops the birth of another Gerudo male if one already exists. Hyrule Castle has been destroyed or relocated multiple times throughout previous games and it wouldn't make sense for there to be a Ganondorf under the castle the entire time when Ganondorf was being born in the Gerudo desert. In short - botw and totk are a new unified timeline just so many countless generations after the end of the original that the Zelda team doesn't have to worry about it anymore where they fit.
Another thing I noticed as well is that all of the previously amiibo locked content in botw has been updated in Totk to be contextually vague. Things like "The Goddess Sword" are now canoniclly just called "The white sword of the sky" in the time of totk, and the sword of the six sages is just referred to as a kind of claymore in totk. Almost every legendary or signifgant object has had its original name and context lost and now are only referred to in vague terms with even vaguer descriptions as if they were just stories past around a campfire.
I also don't think Sonia and Rauru managed to have descendents at any point. You'd think they'd be depicted in - ANY - of the architecture (or that if they did have a child, Zelda would be concerned about consoling that child like she visits the sages.) I think they speculate about Zelda being their descedent because they can sense similar powers in her but I think that it wasn't all it seemed , especially since none of them knew what was about to happen. I get the feeling personally that Zelda's powers don't actually come from Sonia and Rauru like Sonia had speculated - but more likely just from the fact that she's blood of Hylia - and she has the triforce. I doubt only Sonia had that royal blood flowing through her.
YESSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS!!!
ok I’m glad I watched this after the final shrine reaction, cuz I would’ve been TOTALLY lost on that costume change otherwise
Great video and quite the interesting, creative and witty theory
I do, however, believe it to be very difficult to square the circle regarding both Botw and TotKingdom being set after the games in the established timeline. There are direct references to Ruto and her role helping the hero in BotW. Of course, it could be that the Ancient Hero was helped by a different Ruto from this different timeline, but I believe it starts creating way more problems than going with "well, it's been really really long". Besides, all the legendary items and armor being found in the depths points to a sort of effort on the zonai part to uncover and catalogue important past events, it would seem. Then again, they could all be non canon. It's like they wanted to make the timeline a complete mess once more, unsatisfied as they were with it being fixed with SS.
One thing that I believe could lend credence to your theory is the fact that Fujibayashi directed SS as his first mainline Zelda. So this distancing from past games could mean him trying to establish his own timeline - a first indication of which may be considered the placement of Minish Cap in the timeline.
By far the best theory I’ve heard that doesn’t make the other games just legends. It is completely plausible as well.
The thing though is I dont think there was a timeline break in SS. At least not in the way that I understood it. By link going to the past and defeating Demise, he became the hero in the past that is celebrated in Skyloft. Very similar to a certain someone in TotK who also goes to the past fulfilling a prophecy.
Plus BotW clearly references Twilight Princess during the ceremony with Link. Plus all the other items around meant to honor past heroes (though they can just simply be easter eggs). If this were a new timeline then they wouldn't know of these events. We will eventually get an official timeline but I dont think this works.
For the most part Ive reached a point where Im comfortable with a couple other theories on where TotK fits in the timeline but that ancient hero really throws me off. Does Nintendo intend to give us more about that hero or was that it? My only theory is that it was a past Link that took the form of a Zonai for some reason. Something similar to MM where in time, history may recall a Deku, Goron, Zora and Hylian as the heroes who saved Termina...all wearing a green cap.
The same reason why our Link takes the form of a Zonai, that cool helmet.
The references to other Zelda Games like TP or WW doesn’t matter because between the Imprisoning War and the Story of the First Calamity so much time past even before BoTW also that many things could happen. Ruto still could have a big role in the Past also the Great Flood could happen but both in a different way.
The ancient Hero could just be that era's link that is born as a zonai, there no need to complicate things, the Spirit of the Hero is what is in the cycle, theres no rule that link has to be an hylian every time.
@@Unoj151100%
correct, it was completed loop
Very well written and makes total sense imo
Another interesting thought I’ve had recently is that the Zelda series could be like Roman/Greek mythology. It’s similar stories as told through different civilizations and the different variations in the timeline is just different interpretations of the events that took place.
As always, great theory man!
There's just one thing that bothers me; if memory serves me correctly, while not willing to give BOTW a definitive statement, didn't Mr. Aonuma say BOTW and thereby in extension also TOTK say that they take place after Ocarina of Time? Even if the past depicted in TOTK probably long predates the events of Ocarina of Time, the present day events would've taken place after Ocarina.
Got the follow up for that don't worry
The only thing that makes it kind of impossible is impa being given the blue bracelet to Zelda and then still having it in the present as the old lady, which kinda proves that the events of Skyward Sword are all one timeline
Yep, Skyward Sword's narrative is predicated off a time-loop being present rather than divergent timelines. Old Impa wouldn't be in the timeline we play Link in to give him the braclet, she would be in a different timeline if it weren't a stable time loop.
So all events of time travel had already occurred, thus why the Master Sword could make it to the future in the first place as well. If the timeline did split after Demise's defeat, one timeline would be without a Master Sword, which can't be the case as BOTW/TOTK's Master Sword has Fi in it still (Zelda even referring it as a She in TOTK)
@@Alovon exactly. Both of what me and you just said completely debunked this theory. It’s Prly after all the other games in a converged timeline. Even the past events I think are after all the other games after Hyrule gets rediscovered
Your theory would make sense, if Rauru founded Hyrule a long, long time after Demise's defeat. The Skyward era had Parella, Mogma, etc. No Zora, Rito or Gerudo existed yet, so you'd need a lot of time for these races to be established by the time of Rauru's Imprisoning War.
Imagine if the next Zelda game ends up being about the time period mentioned in the tapestry. Back then the Guardians were not corrupted so defeating Calamity Ganon surrounding him with the Divine Beasts, all the Guardians, Zelda, and the Ancient Hero would look epic!
I think you’re leaving a lot out here. There’s plenty of hints to BotW and TOTK that hint at the other games happening. Nintendo has always been about the little details, and the description for rock salt says it. It also can’t be too much a coincidence that Zelda casually mentioned being skyward bound, adrift in time, and whatever by twilight.
Personally I think this game takes place in a converged timeline, with Rauru and Sonia being the first to found Hyrule after the ancient sea dried out. At least this is the theory that can make the most sense to me.
Great video! Have a subscribe. I love Zelda theories even if I disagree with them. Can’t wait for the next one!
Best theory ive heard yet. Makes total sense.
This was a great video, but Damn I wish I had the art without the logo in the top left
For me, Skyward Sword is undoubtedly a closed loop. Impa would not have the bracelet for the entire game otherwise. It’s impossible for her to have or obtain it until Demise is sealed by Link. That, and the fact the Imprisoned/the seal haunts Link from the start of the game and reacts exclusively towards him seems to imply he had defeated and sealed Demise in the past. It’s his seal. Also, if you scan the Sealing Spike with Fi late in the game after already learning about Hylia sealing Demise, Fi says the Imprisoned is the vessel for Demise, but that there is still information unknown about the seal you’re witnessing.
Furthermore, Breath of the Wild references Ocarina of Time Ganondorf specifically in the Zora tablets, and of course, there are other references- which you may address, but to make your theory work, it would involve a lot of bends, twists, and turns that make it overly complicated imo.
For me:
TotK Past: In between SS and TMC
BotW & TotK present: End of the Child Timeline.
Nintendo tends to go for the most simple explanations and solutions when adding to their timeline, despite how complex it is overall. Any new lore they add when going back in time, they just mix it in with simple explanations and adjustments. The OoT split is the only complicated part. I feel like most theory videos I see on BotW & TotK, attempts to further complicate things with more splits, when the answers could just be very simple.
This is an excellent video!!
Well done, HMK!!
The Ancient Hero Aspect armor is rather peculiar.
I mean …
1st its rather short, while the Zonai seem rather tall, despite their short legs
2nd its green while Mineru and Rauru were more of a shade of gray to black
3rd it has no long flappy ears like a Zonai, but rather shorter, pointy ears like a Hylian
4th it has a tail. Mineru and Rauru did not.
5th it has red hair, like a Gerudo.
6th it has tattoos which are reminiscent of Queen Sonia‘s tattoos, which she wore all over her body.
I think if the Ancient Hero Aspect armor is meant to depict the ancient hero then he must have been mixed race. Zonai, Hylian, and at least one more race, with green skin, a tail and red hair.
I am not very deep into Zelda lore but as I understand it, Zelda is always a descendant of previous Zeldas, while the Hero, though always named Link, isnt necessarily connected like Zelda to his predecessors by blood.
If the Ancient Hero Aspect armor was worn by a direct descendant of Rauru or Mineru then this would mean the hero was related to the Zelda of his time. But then again, I must wonder, why did the Zelda of 10,000 years ago look like a Zelda, but her relative looked so different?
I mean, how can it be that 2 descendants of either of the last 2 remaining pure Zonai exist at the same time despite looking so different?
I've believed in a timeline split in Skyward Sword for a long time. It's fallen out of popularity, even though I think it's the simplest interpretation of what happens in-game and has less inconsistencies than the in-vogue "eternalism" stance.
I'm starting to like the theory that the secret stones are actually Triforce shards, and that Dindraal/Nayara/Farosh are Zonai who carried out a duty to consume their sacred stones in order to ascend into the sky, taking a shard of each Triforce with them, effectively sealing the the Triforce forever. Rauru was the protector of the remaining shards. That's a safer, and much cleverer, way to go about hiding the Triforce. It's a much more active approach than just putting it in the Temple of Light and shutting the door behind you.
What makes this such a powerful seal compared to the Door of Time? The only way to re-construct any one of the three Trifoce pieces, let alone the full relic, would be to have different people to obtain the remaining shards of the Triforce piece and combine it with the piece held by the existing dragon. What's more, none of those people would be able to wield the triforce piece themselves, because to become an immortal dragon one must sacrifice themselves completely, as the ancient Zonai trio. Let's say a future Ganondorf or someone came along, somehow learned about the Triforce, and somehow learned this great secret of the secret stones. Even then, the villain would have to convince other people to sacrifice themselves for HIM and consume the stone willingly.
I have a thought that may be way off, but it's just for my own entertainment and involves 2 Ganondorfs. (Of course, with over 10 million copies sold, I'm sure many other players have had the same idea.) Anyway, I like to think Skyward Sword happened as it did, then, many generations after that 1st Zelda and Link settled on the surface, one of their descendants (Sonia) became the 1st Queen of the newly established Kingdom of Hyrule. Of course, as we know from Tears of the Kingdom, the Gerudo King, Ganondorf, hatched a scheme to take over the kingdom, but was eventually sealed by King Rauru during what could be a 1st Imprisoning War separate from the one we already knew about in the downfall timeline, and this Ganondorf would remain underneath Hyrule Castle for thousands of years. Now, pause for a moment and go back. In the memory called "A Show of Fealty," there are two young Gerudo women kneeling behind Ganondorf who look an awfully lot like twins. Perhaps they are Koume and Kotake, a.k.a. Twinrova. Fast forward 350 years or so, and imagine these two powerful witches create a new Ganondorf in the image of the king they worshipped, and raise him as their son, setting up the events of Ocarina of Time. However, instead of searching for a Zonai secret stone to enhance himself, this new Ganondorf seeks out an even more powerful artifact. The Triforce. Then, everything unfolds just as it did, with the 2nd Ganondorf/Ganon eventually being killed in all of the timelines, with a 2nd Imprisoning War occurring in the downfall timeline. Of course, in Breath of the Wild, the calamity still happens because it originates from the 1st Ganondorf who has been sealed underneath the castle the entire time. I don't know. Everything I just said may be way off, and it may not make a bit of sense. Maybe the games really are supposed to be a bunch of different legends and folklore with no actual connection, and are meant to be enjoyed separately from each other. But anyway you look at them, it's still fun to theorize. And that's what makes this franchise so great. The fun extends beyond the gameplay itself.
I would agree, except Skyward Sword tries to make it clear (however messy) that the past and future are linked by using Zelda's bracelet given to Impa to show the timeline is linear.
Are you part of the Zelda team. That was clean man. If not you should be 😂
Its a great theory, but I have a question: how do you explain the clothes and items you collect that belonged from other games? BOTW you required Amiibos to get them but TOTK they’ve been integrated in the story.
Maybe BoTW and ToTK are not in the Zelda timeline at all. They could be in their own continuity that parallels the events of the other games. Here’s my theory of this new timeline:
1) ToTK’s flashbacks are OoT’s child events + Zelda 2’s backstory. Ganondorf betrays the king in OoT/ToTK and Zelda falls into an eternal slumber in Zelda 2/ToTK.
2) BoTW is Zelda 1 + Majora’s Mask. In Zelda 1/BoTW an old man tasks you to save Zelda from Ganon. Since Ganondorf hasn’t awaken, similar events to Majora’s Mask can occur. Link in MM/BoTW must go to four regions to help grieving spirits pass on, and awaken four giants to end a calamity in the center of the world.
3) ToTK’s present is OoT’s adult events + Zelda 2’s present. Waking up Ganondorf is the same as allowing him into the Sacred Realm, and pulling the Master Sword from the Light Dragon is the same as Sheik’s reveal in the Temple of Time. In the finale of Zelda 2, you face a shadow of yourself that has the same moves (Dark Link/Ganondorf), then free Zelda from her eternal slumber.
If this pattern continues for the next 3D Zelda game, then I believe it’s gonna be a combination of A Link to the Past + Skyward Sword, which will go through the story of the Ancient Hero forging the Master Sword and discovering the Triforce.
I interpreted events much differently.
In Skyward Sword, the Timeline didn't split, because the Timeshift Stones present an... unorthodox method of Time Travel. When Link, who didn't exist long ago, confronted Demise, the present was affected by the outcome, not the past. In taking Zelda to "the past" Ghirahim created a second Demise that, left unchecked, would have merged the "past" with the present and begin his conquest anew. Impa's returning to the past having results at the very start of the game was due to her originating from the past; she's part of the sequence of events in a way that Link and Zelda aren't.
Fast forward billions of years. Hyrule falls, New Hyrule is born, the cycle of reincarnation ensues that, in some way, shape, or form, everything single game in the series has happened.
At this point, the rising and falls of Hyrule have happened so much that the "New" part just feels redundant. And so, for the upteenth time, Hyrule is founded again, this time by Sonia and Rauru. The Zonai numbers dwindle, until Rauru and Mineru, to Ganondorf's knowledge, are the last of the Zonai, but he is wrong. One, half human, remains, the Prince of Hyrule coincidentally named... Link.
Mineru's advanced technology extends her sabotaged life expectancy as long as possible. Zelda gets the Master Sword, and much time passes in preparation for Zelda's plan. In that time, Prince Link discovers the Master Sword of this era.
Meanwhile, Twin Rova, having survived the war while still being loyal to the Demon King, scheme to revive Ganondorf.
Recognizing the Zonai era's ending, Zelda and Mineru consult the Shiekah of this time, teaching them to adapt Zonai technology even without Zonite. This prompts the birth of the Guardians and Divine Beasts, so that the knowledge of the Zonai may live on.
Twin Rova fails to free Ganondorf, but they do succeed at unleashing the Demon King's Malice, kickstarting the first Calamity. The Sheikah impress the two royals with their pace in finishing their, just in time to face the Calamity.
Together, Zelda and Prince Link seal away Calamity Ganon. Peace settling and all the Sky Islands and Zonai shrines prepared, Zelda initiates her plan to restore the Master Sword of the future.
A few generations pass. The newest King of Hyrule becomes paranoid and demands the Sheikah technology be buried. This wrath brings about the creation of the Yiga.
Five Thousand Years pass. Age of Calamity happens. Another five thousand years pass. The Sheikah technology is excavated once again(history has a habit of repeating itself). The Calamity awakens for its third and final time. Hyrule falls once.
100 years later, Breath of the Wild begins.
Nice, another theory that agrees BotW and TotK belong in a Skyward Sword split. But I still think the downfall timeline and four swords games belong in it too, since there isn't really any differences between the imprisoning war in ALttP and TotK.
Youre doing Hylia's work. Great video!
It's an interesting theory, but I'm not even going to ask how the outfits from the other games were supposed to get into a completely separate timeline. Maybe Misko is a time traveler who collected Link's stuff from different timelines so Wild Link would have it.
Have to remember: it is based on the Spirit of the Hero, it doesn't have to be a blood line for link. Whilst Zelda is part of a blood line.
Ok this makes a lot of sense, nice one
My theory is that it’s not an alternate timeline and that the ancient hero aspect is of the hero that helped hylia herself against demise in the beginning prolog of skyward sword. I also think there is an untold story after all the other games that explains a convergence of timelines and great sea receded to bring hyrule back from underneath which leads to the zonai descending from the heavenly realm to start the new kingdom. Botw and totk far in the future after that.
If the old hyrule returned then what happend to new Hyrule from Spirit tracks, it was just abandoned when the Old hyrule returned?
@@AlexxxMYLSince2013 it’s a different land. The old hyrule was still under the sea in that game. It’s called new hyrule because that’s where they settled after windwaker.
I know lots of people give Nintendo crap for seemingly making up a timeline for Zelda on the go, but honestly, if creating a new timeline is what it takes for Nintendo to exercise their creative freedom and make an amazing game, then so be it. I flipping love the Zelda series and it's strange timelines.
I don't think thats the case because in BOTW there are mentions to games like Twilight Princess.
Dude my mind is blown!
What TOTK isn’t the end but another beginning? This is the best theory I’ve heard so far.
But one thing I don’t get is after the death of demise, the master sword is still in the present where the imprisoned was killed.
I hope we get a trilogy of this series so we’ll know more.
whats funny is I had the Theory that BOTW was an offshoot of SS even when everyone else was arguing about its placement when it came out. the events of the past with the zonai could have been an alternate OOT story given Ganondorf fights against hyrule then "swears" fealty only to backstab them going after the secret stones. I have also noticed only two games refer to "hylians" as "humans" the two games are Minish cap and Skyward Sword. depending on how close the "legends" of the two are means that hylia got the idea of skyloft from the original picori that came from the sky meaning there are many sky realms and people much like the many people of the land. given in SS Hylians arent referred to being Hylians till after the descent of skyloft.
oh and ETA before SS link found the triforce in the "present" he bore the full triforce on his hand and zelda mentioned it as a mark of one with an unbreakable spirit with his own "sacred power"
Certainly would explain why this Link is such a beast.
I hope Link isn't related to either Rauru or Mineru because that will ruined his romantic relationship with Princess Zelda.
Zelda creator Fujibayashi wouldn't make Link and Zelda distant cousins since he is a Zelink shipper.
doubtm, the Ancient Hero is another Zonai unrelated
@@HMK That's what I think so too.
Every time a form of Ganon is reborn the spirit of the 1st hero appears to take that form of Ganon down with the help of the reincarnated version of Hylia, Zelda it’s simply that the Zonai that appeared to defeat the calamity 10,000 years ago was just the spirit of the hero
Another problem with this theory straight from the Devs was that BOTW takes place after OOT....Aonouma said that in an interview
What interview did he say that in
Yep
The Ancient Aspect also perfectly matches with Link's new arm further symbolizing Link's Zonai ancestry.
Oo, I like this theory. And it does show that there is nothing that says the hero has to be a Hylian.
Amazing video! You have earned my sub!
I'm hoping that we get this kind of thing for tears of the kingdom story DLC The only other thing I can think of would be master mode with more zonai parts and materials with new schematics
With this theory, it would also make sense, why the Triforce seems so forgotten in btw and totk. In this timeline, Link never found it and used it against Demise. Maybe because of that, the in Skyward Sword already blurred knowledge of it's location, was completly lost here. It could have still been part of legends, that's why it's still part of the symbolism of the royal family. But there never was a time, where gaining this legendary artefact seemed as something, one could actually do. It never was a realistic ambition and that could be, why not even Ganondorf wasted a thought on it.
So why did the mark of the full triforce appear on the hand of ZELDA before destroying Calamity Ganon at the end of BOTW?
I have literally been saying this since Breath of the Wild 😮. I was always wondering what happened after Link defeated Demise in the past and returned back to his timeline. I just don't make YT videos to explain my own theories lol. Thank you Gio for finally bringing this thought to light! 👏
This new timeline that botw and totk take place in should be called the zonai timeline because it is the only timeline in which the zonai exist and they are also very important to the understanding of the events of the timeline.
Also I think totk still happens after age of calamity.
Mind blown boom 💥
finally someone else other than me with the skyward sword timeline split. The only way these two games would ever fit into the timeline
This is a good timeline theory. Glad you realized the imprisoning war was not the one we already knew about
Yea the game made it obvious that this is a diffrent imprisoning war but alot of zelda theorists get excited when they hear certain words I'll say it again just like in real life with ww1 and ww2 there can be more then 1 war with the same name I'm glade he realized it.
im definitely curious on how all the games connect. because im definitely confused on how all the heros stuff is in the depths. and her refrence to the hero of time and twilight. cant wait for part 2
I love this theory a lot I hope Nintendo confirms it to be canon, because I really wanted to be
This doesn’t make sense because in a memory in Botw Zelda mentions twilight princess skyward sworn and ocarina of time how would she have heated of these event if they were in a whole different timeline/ reality
Yup Nintendo is definitely making another Zelda game in the same world ❤ but it’s gonna take place 10,000 years in the past. Is it a coincidence that the game cover for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom line up perfectly? I DONT THINK SO😌. What if we played as a Zonai 😀 and can swim underwater IDK
I was thinking about atavisms, a phenomenon where a mutation can make traits from remote ancestors appear after many generations. It would be amazing to see a story about a hero 10,000 years ago being born resembling a zonai because of an atavism.
another banger video
I think that the sages with the Ancient Hero and Zelda were 4(5) Gerudo women that first piloted the divine beast, one Shieka woman (Impa), and a Zonai or Gerudo woman. This Ancient Hero is not only the one depicted in the tapestry, but he and the 7 sages are in fact the 8 heroines of legend. 7 girls and 1 male. Each beast starts with Vah which is more Gerudo than Sheika. The pilots depicted in the tapestry dont resemble the 4 races but just Gerudo women with red hair. The beasts are named after the sages that fought in TOTK with Zelda and Rauru in my opinion. They all wear helmets that are eventually turned into the divine
Beasts themselves. They are connected. I wonder if the master cycle zero counts as beast 5. I wonder if there are 3 more beast’s out there. Maybe they will come in a Zelda calamity saga part 3.
I think that all this information is very interesting.
I hope Nintendo comes up with an explanation because if you think about it doesn't really make sense. Raru was the last of his people that didn't leave for the skies, and calamity ganon only existed because Ganondorf was sealed underground. So how come a Zonai defeated calamity ganon 10.000 years ago when Raru was basically the last
If in skyward sword the master sword that was left in the past appears in the future then how did the ancient hero get it
Nobody should be able to get it, only Link can even touch it except for Hylia.
So the ancient hero has a different master sword
@@adooooms Then why did BOTW Link get our master sword? You know the 1 with Fi in it.
After that since it was thousands of years before I guess
Impossible. There are just too many references to the games of the 3 different timelines. Like the speech of Zelda when Link becomes her knight, the story of Ruto in Zora's domain, or the special clothes stored by the Zonai in the Depths...
To me it seems like the 3 timelines have become one again
Remember how I closed the video, I got a follow up coming
@@HMKOkay, i'll see
Im so hoping for a prequel game. It would be Zelda's first trilogy