How Sidon Accidentally SOLVED The Rito Question! - Zoran History Explored

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  • Опубліковано 1 вер 2023
  • Over 20 long years have come and gone since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, which introduced a boundless sea of new discoveries to be made, but is it finally about time we answer some of them? Let's give it a shot!
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    #zelda #breathofthewild #tearsofthekingdom #windwaker #theory #timeline #nintendo #nintendoswitch
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,3 тис.

  • @GossipGeist
    @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +731

    Try saying "Digitigrade" 5 times fast!
    Edit: 400K views?! I am at a complete loss for words, thank you everyone so much for watching!

    • @Joe-ik1ph
      @Joe-ik1ph 8 місяців тому +57

      I tried it. I can get to 3 times, but then I end with "Diggity Diggity Diggity."

    • @Gameboy-2007-yt
      @Gameboy-2007-yt 8 місяців тому +17

      @@Joe-ik1phdiggity diggity doo

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +17

      @@Joe-ik1ph 😂

    • @Brokencode_12
      @Brokencode_12 8 місяців тому +8

      I ended with biggayparade

    • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
      @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +2

      I got Didididaguay

  • @princeofspeedz8408
    @princeofspeedz8408 8 місяців тому +2963

    Regarding the time discrepancy-- in several East Asian languages, 10,000 is used to mean any significantly large number. When referring to a length of time, it's usually more accurate to translate it as "a long time ago" (or "forever ago" in some instances) instead of exactly "10,000 years ago."

    • @engenheiroderpg9641
      @engenheiroderpg9641 8 місяців тому +464

      I originally learned this info you brought in Avatar: The Legend of Aang. There is an owl spirit that lives in a library. I don’t remember his name, but his title was “the one that knows 10.000 things” and that is meant to mean that he knows a lot, not that he knows EXACTLY 10.000 things. It’s always nice to spread knowledge.

    • @titan1umtitan
      @titan1umtitan 8 місяців тому +81

      It also could just mean that, while zora were present and existed in Hyrule, an independent kingdom did not come about until much later

    • @thomasbuick7067
      @thomasbuick7067 8 місяців тому +142

      Funnily eough this also true in English! Myriad both means a lot and 10000.

    • @AhmadZaydan195
      @AhmadZaydan195 8 місяців тому +46

      Surely, nintendo wouldn't add something that vague to their game's lore...
      ...Right?

    • @seantheimp
      @seantheimp 8 місяців тому +22

      Thank you so much. Whether or not BotW/TotK take place on (any of) the timeline(s), this fixes sooo many problems.

  • @drudle
    @drudle 7 місяців тому +678

    I gotta say, I love how the fans are like, "Here is my 57-point power point explaining Zora evolution" when you just know the devs were like, "Throw Ruto's Crown in there because it'll be a cute Easter egg and nothing more."

    • @scottishcheese13
      @scottishcheese13 3 місяці тому +52

      Real lol. I’m a pretty new Zelda fan, but I’ve become kinda obsessed because of this stuff. The only other fandom that I can think of that’s this obsessed with making canon fit together is Star Wars, and even they’re not this insane.

    • @MxDiagnosis
      @MxDiagnosis 2 місяці тому +20

      Fans: There must be an extremely complicated and impossibly bulletproof plan and detailed timeline in the Devs heads.
      GJRRM on GoT: I have a dude that remembers the lore for me because I forget.
      Akira Toriyama on why some characters don't show up anymore in Dragonball: *who?* what are u talking about? 👀 Oh I forgot they exist
      The Devs are just people they probably either forgot or didn't realise it was a possible issue 😂

    • @AkariEnderwolf
      @AkariEnderwolf 2 місяці тому +10

      @@MxDiagnosis the devs: yea, these 3 games and all future games are standalone unless stated otherwise.
      It wasn't that they forgot in the case of Zelda, it's that they legit don't WANT to be tied down by having to have a "canon timeline" anymore.
      The 3 games being Age of Calamity, BoTW and ToTK, which are connected to eachother, but not connected to any of the other games, as evidenced by the discrepancies with the sealing war, founding of Hyrule, etc.

    • @Spoonishpls
      @Spoonishpls 2 місяці тому

      @@scottishcheese13 Check out Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere (like Mistborn or the Way of Kings) if you like different fantasy stories that have lots of connections

    • @Dingleburry37
      @Dingleburry37 Місяць тому +4

      ​@scottishcheese13 also a star wars fan, they are 100% this insane as well haha. It's sad but kind of understandable why the developers dont really cater to people who love lore, i'm sure it's hard for them to keep up with the lore internally. Maybe that's why totk doesnt really connect to the previous games, they just didnt wanna accidentally retcon things more than they did

  • @sirflimflam
    @sirflimflam 8 місяців тому +900

    You know, on a fundamental level I never really understood why people were so torn about the Zora and the Rito existing in one time... There's always been a very simple rationale for it that's hard to argue against, that the Zora-turned-Rito and the Zora are simply different lines of evolution. I do like your more in depth rationale for it.

    • @FightingFoodonsFan
      @FightingFoodonsFan 8 місяців тому +114

      I remember a fake documentary that was on a television channel once, that tried to do a "If dragons were real, how would they work scientifically?" One part basically said that the serpent-like body shape of eastern dragons was the result of dragons there retreating to the water for safety (and evolving to survive there), and later came back to the land relatively recently. European dragons never retreated to the ocean, and thus the different appearance compared to eastern dragons. So BotW Rito could be Zora that stayed bird people (and evolved to be more bird-like), while BotW Zora are Zora that evolved into the beak-nosed Rito, only to evolve back into Zora after the flood was over.

    • @modelomegatyler
      @modelomegatyler 8 місяців тому +42

      i think the thing is that wind waker never implied that there were other tribes of zora, leading us to believe they all just became the rito.

    • @trentwolfgram9571
      @trentwolfgram9571 8 місяців тому +61

      It's the classic, if dogs come from wolves, why are there still wolves? style of disingenuous argument for the sake of argument. It's not that complicated, given you actually want to understand how species diversify.

    • @samuelhagberg3694
      @samuelhagberg3694 8 місяців тому +24

      Plus there's one or more games I remember that literally had two different types of zora(one friendly, and one enemies). Full on different species.

    • @modelomegatyler
      @modelomegatyler 7 місяців тому +9

      @@samuelhagberg3694personally the only one i can think of is link between worlds and i think in that one the zora queen basically said "yeah, i tell my subjects to behave but none of them listen."

  • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
    @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +965

    Whoa, wait did you say the Gorons just rolled around the great flooded seafloor without issues? That makes sense I guess

    • @bennusmagnus5277
      @bennusmagnus5277 8 місяців тому +221

      It's possible that they started living around Fire Mountains volcanic seafloor vents.

    • @mackenziebeeney3764
      @mackenziebeeney3764 8 місяців тому +239

      @@bennusmagnus5277that actually makes a lot of sense since they don’t need to breathe. They might just be chilling at the base of death mountain, underwater, Eaton rocks.

    • @kitsofthekats7040
      @kitsofthekats7040 8 місяців тому +187

      theres a reason they had to be distracted by crack instead of suffocated, blinded, and frozen.

    • @bennusmagnus5277
      @bennusmagnus5277 8 місяців тому +118

      @@kitsofthekats7040 For a second there I forgot the marbled rock roasts existed, and your comment was incredibly concerning.

    • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
      @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +42

      same @@bennusmagnus5277 much confusion for a good minute, i was like uh could he mean a literal hole in the ground? but yes, very valid point @kisofthekat7040

  • @Snowstorm...
    @Snowstorm... 8 місяців тому +964

    If there really was some massive incident that caused Hyrule to be destroyed and only refounded after the godlike Zonai descended from the sky, I am shocked the Zora had solid enough historical records to know who Ruto was.

    • @M33f3r
      @M33f3r 8 місяців тому +238

      They live incredibly long lives and so they’re likely better at keeping oral history than most

    • @BeaglzRok1
      @BeaglzRok1 8 місяців тому +242

      @@M33f3r Considering Dorephan was king 100 years before BotW (likely a good while before then as well considering his daughter Mipha is a Zora of some type of maturity by that time), plus Sidon "only" being as big as he is compared to his father after a full 100 years and change, the Zora likely have lifespans in the vein of fantasy elves, lasting centuries as a baseline. The sage shown in TotK is likely only about 5-12 generations removed from present day.

    • @MarissaChillya
      @MarissaChillya 8 місяців тому +43

      Not unbelievable though. I'll take this over needing to ignore big plotholes because of the post-skyward sword interpretation.

    • @i_garfed_on_the_carpet
      @i_garfed_on_the_carpet 8 місяців тому +6

      Wasn’t there like 10,000+ years between Age Of Calamity and Ocarina Of Time? Not unbelievable but like what the hell

    • @MarissaChillya
      @MarissaChillya 8 місяців тому +46

      @@i_garfed_on_the_carpet 10,000 years before Age of Calamity was the Ancient Calamity.
      20-30,000 years before that was the Tears of the Kingdom past cutscenes
      An UNFATHOMABLE AMOUNT OF TIME before that was Ocarina of Time.
      Ocarina of Time is so ancient there is no proof it even happened.
      The Ancient Cistern is eldritch levels of old as a structure. The Temple of Time is slightly less eldritch, with Rauru (the light sage) likely having built it during the time of Hylia.

  • @ricardoac0380
    @ricardoac0380 8 місяців тому +857

    Something to add to your Ruto and the silver theory is that in BOTW 50% of Zora weapons are made of silver: Silver Bow, Silver Longsword, Silver Shield and Silverscale Trident.

    • @hermi1-kenobi455
      @hermi1-kenobi455 8 місяців тому +27

      50%? What is the rest made of? I only remember silver.

    • @asurveillancecamera3392
      @asurveillancecamera3392 8 місяців тому +93

      ​@@hermi1-kenobi455some non specified, silver like metal. It is described as "special" and "very durable and rust-proof". It's probably some ancient stainless steel/silver alloy or something.

    • @cyndaquil1433
      @cyndaquil1433 8 місяців тому +29

      @@asurveillancecamera3392 judging by what you say we could probably say it’s a form of silver while being mixed with a bit of platinum for the durability. Though you have to take in the count platinum being probably a valuable resource so they probably only would use something like that with the Royal blood line since platinum is a rare resource and all.

    • @hermi1-kenobi455
      @hermi1-kenobi455 8 місяців тому

      ooooh ty! @@asurveillancecamera3392

    • @Sarah_H
      @Sarah_H 8 місяців тому +30

      ​@@hermi1-kenobi455 one of the tablets in BotW describes the land of Zora's Domain being "rich in ore", and the ancient Zora creating a "unique form of stonemasonry" for the construction of Zora's Domain. The Zora weapons might be made out of the same material as the Domain itself, with the same form of stonemasonry, which results in the waterproof, rust proof, water-damage-boosting properties of their weapons (and it might not *actually be* silver, the ore might just be silver in color. Sterling silver is *more resistant* to tarnishing from getting wet, but it still has to be kept dry and out of excess moisture so it won't tarnish so fast)

  • @TheHaddonfieldRegistry
    @TheHaddonfieldRegistry 8 місяців тому +650

    Ruto taking her Zora out could be the inception of the foreign Zora in TotK

    • @orianefaton1885
      @orianefaton1885 8 місяців тому +52

      Well, some of those Zora may have stayed outside of Hyrule too.

    • @mackenziebeeney3764
      @mackenziebeeney3764 8 місяців тому +43

      Right the Zora who stayed who stayed became the Rito or were wiped out, the ones who left created a new domain under Ruta but then later came back when the waters receded, which explains the silver, while the “old” domain” (really the newer roots), adopted gold.

  • @Halfendymion
    @Halfendymion 8 місяців тому +894

    Knowing evolutionary history, I'm now imagining there was a dinosaur stage between Zora and Rito

    • @orianefaton1885
      @orianefaton1885 8 місяців тому +52

      Like, some dragon like people, like... Volga in Hyrule warrior ? (I think he is the only case of a humanoid dragon in Zelda, even if it is non-canon)

    • @aaronolson6736
      @aaronolson6736 8 місяців тому +27

      I think its more so toned down their aquatic traits while making them more avian baseline. It could be that the BotW Zora are merely how the fish-people look when without a patron, compare them to the child timeline zora with larger fins and greater reliance on water or the downfall zora who became more similar to monsters. I think the Oracle games even have link meet some zora that still resemble the ones from OoT and have a patron.

    • @nouns7504
      @nouns7504 8 місяців тому

      ​@@orianefaton1885ummm, actually

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST 8 місяців тому +4

      Why? It's more like mammoths and elephants. Mammoths split into many different kinds of elephants. Some big, some smaller.

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST 8 місяців тому +1

      ​@@aaronolson6736the fuck is a patron in this context

  • @UltravioletNomad
    @UltravioletNomad 8 місяців тому +138

    I never realized just how different Komali looked before getting his wings.

    • @MysticWarriorMJ
      @MysticWarriorMJ 2 місяці тому +2

      Neither did I, I honestly never really thought about it.

  • @Applemangh
    @Applemangh 8 місяців тому +372

    This is honestly closer to how evolution works in real life. It's not about one species turning into another, it's about common ancestry. Modern Rito and modern Zora share a common ancestor in the OoT style Zora from before the great flood (or some other event depending on timeline shenanigans) separated at least two populations of Zora, and each group adapted to a different environment. Their adaptations may have been more magical and less "natural selection", which could explain away any time periods that may have been too short for that level of change.

    • @ViddyOJames
      @ViddyOJames 7 місяців тому +5

      In real life we have RECORDS of things like this. And usually they don't completely fail to mention they exist when they're sentient beings with language

    • @jacquestuber628
      @jacquestuber628 6 місяців тому +2

      Yeah but real life Evolution doesn't take just 10000 years to change from a either fish creature or mammalian creature into a bird creature.

    • @Applemangh
      @Applemangh 6 місяців тому +15

      @@jacquestuber628 Which is why I brought up the fact that there was magic involved...

    • @fruitgum9619
      @fruitgum9619 5 місяців тому +9

      ​@Applemangh yeah its not farfetched since magic exists in the zelda games. I mean if Purah can change her age with magic, I don't see why they couldn't use magic to evolve because clearly it is capable of changing bodies

    • @caleb5926
      @caleb5926 3 місяці тому

      Purah didn't change her age with magic she did it by experimenting with sheikah technology

  • @Inkmonkeywoodis
    @Inkmonkeywoodis 8 місяців тому +188

    I like the idea that the Zora change to fit the appearance of the sea life around them. That, if nothing else, could be used to partially explain why the classic River Zoras look so drastically different... although I don't think it explains why they can breathe fire lol

    • @cramerfloro5936
      @cramerfloro5936 6 місяців тому +14

      Maybe the fish and algae in Hyrule’s seas are spiceier than in it’s lakes and rivers?

    • @heyoyo10gaming4
      @heyoyo10gaming4 6 місяців тому +5

      I mean, why do you think that River Zoras and Fire Arrows never appear in the same game?

  • @mazhiwezakizo3513
    @mazhiwezakizo3513 8 місяців тому +342

    I thought there was an implication that the Rito Sage from Windwaker was also a descendant of Ruto, so she had children that were divided between these two groups.

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +79

      That connection between them was merely a suggestion based off of their naming similarities, but wasn't actually a canonical thing. I'm pretty sure one of the books makes this suggestion, while at the same time, it also suggests that Valoo, the Spirit of the Sky is the descendant of Volvagia, the Spirit of the Mountain. Volvagia has always been an evil dragon Spirit. Its hard to believe something that naturally evil would have such a well meaning descendant like Valoo. I just think they wrote a lot of stuff in those books that visually looked like it made sense to them when seeing the material in front of them to place into the book, but unless you really played these games, you wouldn't know any better.

    • @mazhiwezakizo3513
      @mazhiwezakizo3513 8 місяців тому +22

      @@GossipGeist It's not so much the names being similar, its that Sages tend to be related and when the Rito Sage in Windwaker "becomes a Sage" and plays her music or whatever her "ancestor" a zora sage appears... but I guess i remembered things incorrectly as this is a different zora than Ruto, and was a "Earth Sage" not the "Water Sage" that Ruto was... so i guess i messed that point up.

    • @orianefaton1885
      @orianefaton1885 8 місяців тому +12

      @@mazhiwezakizo3513 Well, nothing stop that Ruto may have had more than one kid, leaving one of those to stay with their people (maybe the eldest) and leaving with the youngest that may still need her or something, you know.

    • @firionkaiser8291
      @firionkaiser8291 8 місяців тому +17

      ​@@mazhiwezakizo3513Well even the Earth Sage Laruto could have descended from Ruto, it would make a lot of sense and would also make Medli her blood descendant since she's related to Laruto.

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST 8 місяців тому +7

      ​@@GossipGeistyeah the books just made stuff up to look nice, and the games are disconnected and not a cohesive lore, no matter how much we retroactively apply lore.
      And nintendo definitely lied the first time they said they had a real timeline. Fans made the timeline, Nintendo just took the concept.

  • @DannyDopamineTV
    @DannyDopamineTV 8 місяців тому +381

    I never noticed that about Komali. It's not everyday I learn a new piece of lore I didn't know already. Kudos sir.

  • @soloknight7197
    @soloknight7197 8 місяців тому +466

    I thought it was similar to this. The BoTW Rito were just an offshoot of the Zora with Raruu's Hyrule being so far into the future that the pervious games were just stories

    • @Frogboyaidan
      @Frogboyaidan 8 місяців тому +7

      Yes😊

    • @namazuna4739
      @namazuna4739 8 місяців тому +48

      With that in mind it makes so much sense that you can find all the previous hero’s gear kept safe in chests only in Zonai ancients buildings, because it's relics of their tales and history. Meaning that Zonai in previous games were maybe indeed gods living above, watching Hyrule, before deciding to descend among hyrulians for not know reasons yet ( Kind of loopholes in what I said but I like the idea )

    • @soloknight7197
      @soloknight7197 8 місяців тому +25

      @@namazuna4739 I can see that as well. Honestly, I saw it as the Zonai coming down after a timeline convergence left the people in a, well, to be generous, a dark age

    • @namazuna4739
      @namazuna4739 8 місяців тому +25

      @@soloknight7197 I agree. During this convergence, maybe even the kingdom of Hyrule in itself may have been lost, explaining why King Rauru is presented as the creator of the kingdom of Hyrule as if it didn’t exist before. Zonai may have suffer from the convergence too, explaining their decline, leading the few descending to the earth and try to recreate a new Hyrule as their knew before ( Even if I do have another theory that Zonai may have doomed themselves and their civilisation relying to much on zonaite and begin to decline when zonaite became too rare due to their overuse)

    • @soloknight7197
      @soloknight7197 8 місяців тому +4

      @@namazuna4739 That makes sense

  • @nahte123456
    @nahte123456 8 місяців тому +74

    Zora are an interesting race in general since theres like at least 4 distinct types before the Rito or the possibility they come from those things in SS. They just seem really genetically changable.

    • @umi2751
      @umi2751 8 місяців тому

      What things from SS? The tadpoles? I played it long ago and forgot it 😅

    • @nahte123456
      @nahte123456 8 місяців тому +16

      @@umi2751 yeah the parella, they live in the same area, are sentient aquatic race, and were planned to look more like Zora originally. They might nor be zora ancestors but they were clearly meant to be connected.

  • @cato3277
    @cato3277 8 місяців тому +196

    I don't think enough theories take into consideration how important it is that OoT is canon to the timeline in Wild/Kingdom. Unless totk's past is meant to be an all-in-one retcon of OoT where the ancient Zora sage IS Ruto (doubtful imo) then we are definitely seeing a sequel game. I only bring it up as I've seen a few too many hard reboot theories or SS split theories.

    • @cato3277
      @cato3277 8 місяців тому +6

      EXCELLENT vid as always btw

    • @zomfragger
      @zomfragger 8 місяців тому +21

      It's most likely a soft reboot of the franchise.

    • @disgustedluigi
      @disgustedluigi 8 місяців тому +32

      @@zomfraggerwhich sucks and I reject wholeheartedly. The original imprisoning war story and timeline is so much more interesting than TotK’s mess of a story.

    • @firionkaiser8291
      @firionkaiser8291 8 місяців тому +4

      ​@@disgustedluigiAgreed.

    • @nightwing179
      @nightwing179 8 місяців тому +16

      The past part of TOTK doesn’t explicitly state it takes place at the same time as OoT. So it’s better assumed that the past of TOTK still takes place thousands of years after the other Zelda games. Another thing to note, Nintendo doesn’t seem to actually care about the timeline and only make it seem like they do for the fans.

  • @zeromontalvan1514
    @zeromontalvan1514 8 місяців тому +30

    i think it also helps the fact that in oracle of seasons, there are zoras looking for new lands to create a new domain

  • @reperfan4
    @reperfan4 8 місяців тому +158

    On the subject of Dorephan's monument stating that the Domain was founded 10,000 years ago there might be a possible explanation that, oddly enough, really has nothing to do with anything in the games themselves and more has to do with the translation between Japanese and English.
    What I mean is that the number 10,000 can hold a unique meaning in certain aspects of Asian cultures because it has ties to...I forget if it's Buddhism or Shintoism, but it's one of the two. Basically, it's common in stories told from Asiatic religions to use the number ten thousand as a synonym for "too large to be quantified." So someone saying "I have fought in ten thousand battles" doesn't mean they've actually fought 10,000 battles but rather means "I have fought in more battles than it is possible to count." Or someone saying "I am he who knows ten thousand things" doesn't mean they only know 10,000 facts and instead means "I am someone who has more knowledge than it is possible to describe."
    That said, it's possible that since the games are made by Japanese developers that their use of the number 10,000 when describing the Zora's Domain's history isn't literally saying it was founded precisely 10,000 years ago but was rather intended in that specific cultural context where it was really meant to convey that it was founded farther back in time than anyone can actually describe. Then the English translators didn't catch on to that possible other meaning and kept the original number of 10,000 when a more accurate translation would have been to translate it as something more vague like "since before recorded history" or just "ancient."

    • @aliciacordero8399
      @aliciacordero8399 8 місяців тому +26

      So basically, the same hyperbolic use as when we default to "a million".

    • @reperfan4
      @reperfan4 8 місяців тому +30

      @@aliciacordero8399 In terms of the actual meaning, the English equivalent would be closer to when we use a made-up measurement like a "bajillion" or "zillion." We're making it sound like it could be an actual number by using something that sounds like actual large counts like billion or trillion, but the actual meaning is that the made-up number is just a stand-in for the concept of "too big to give an actual number to." The main difference is just that they use an actual number (10,000) rather than a made-up one.

    • @justcomments
      @justcomments 7 місяців тому +3

      There isn’t a way of saying the number in plural in Japanese, so they have to say the specific huge number (ie there’s no word for “hundreds” or “thousands”). Eight hundred is another of of those figurative numbers that just means “a lot, but not more than a thousand”.
      Whereas in English and similar languages it could have been translated as “thousands of years ago”

    • @aliciacordero8399
      @aliciacordero8399 7 місяців тому

      @@justcomments interesting

    • @fuseteam
      @fuseteam 6 місяців тому

      But japanese has a word for 10 thousand (ichi man) 20 (ni man) 100 thousand (jyu man) a million (hyakku man) and even 'several ten thousands' (suu man) (yes they use 10 thousand as unit, just like we do with 1000)
      I'm not sure if this theory applies here

  • @BhodiSoft
    @BhodiSoft 8 місяців тому +129

    Sidon being Ruto’s descendant also means the the sages weren’t all dead.

    • @DeusGamez
      @DeusGamez 7 місяців тому +5

      nabooru was also alluded to in breath of the wild

    • @heyoyo10gaming4
      @heyoyo10gaming4 6 місяців тому +4

      I mean, why wouldn't they have all come back? The fact that Rauru isn't with them on Death Mountain sort of gives the feeling that they aren't just visiting in Spirit form

    • @majora5651
      @majora5651 6 місяців тому +4

      I got so confused there for a hot second until I remembered Rauru was also the name of the OG light sage in OoT, not just the furry king lmao @@heyoyo10gaming4

    • @heyoyo10gaming4
      @heyoyo10gaming4 6 місяців тому +1

      @@majora5651 Wait until you hear about what they called the battle where Ganondorf was sealed away after OOT in the Fallen Hero Timeline

    • @suicideiscla55ic
      @suicideiscla55ic 5 місяців тому +1

      What if she gave birth before dying or even becoming a sage?

  • @StefawnVan
    @StefawnVan 8 місяців тому +93

    It doesn't get anymore clear than Sidon being a descendent of Ruto. This means everyone else is a descendent of someone as well. Not just the Zora.

    • @Bad616
      @Bad616 8 місяців тому +8

      Well The Goron and Gerudo Devine beast were named after the sages from OTT so they knew about them somehow too

    • @DPD232
      @DPD232 8 місяців тому +13

      Plus Gorons literally have their heroes faces carved in Goron city so they def are know. If one exists, their face is seen, then the rest exist too imo

  • @GraniteInTheFace
    @GraniteInTheFace 8 місяців тому +91

    They evolved via magic is an easier cop out and not unusual in rpg games. We think of evolution as taking centuries via darwinism. But we completely forget that magic doesn't require explanation.

  • @LinkMountaineer
    @LinkMountaineer 6 місяців тому +22

    This was very interesting! A split of the Zora population allowing one to evolve into the Rito and both coexisting definitely seems plausible.

  • @tab-xp8fb
    @tab-xp8fb 8 місяців тому +19

    something to note as well-feathers are actually modified scales. So this theory tracks scientifically as well 👍

  • @robinita46853
    @robinita46853 8 місяців тому +28

    I think it’s clear that Ruto could have been having children in the child timeline. I don’t see why she couldn’t have been the grandmother of Rutela and great grandmother of Ralis. The zora diaspora happening as you recounted it could still have happened the same way over the millennia though. I usually think of the Ocarina sages as having died and turned into spirits, but even if they didn’t, it’s hard to think of the sage of water abandoning Hyrule in its broken state with the great sea. Perhaps she was really old by that point though and the only sage left alive. Excellent video!

    • @Keanine
      @Keanine 8 місяців тому +2

      Well the hero didn't show up, and then as a last resort the gods solved the problem by flooding Hyrule. There wasn't much Ruto could have done at that point except make sure her people survive. The other sages likely did the same for their own people

  • @Nova-gh5yr
    @Nova-gh5yr 8 місяців тому +43

    With fish and other sea life being in the waters of New Hyrule it is definitely possible they found new waters outside of the great sea

  • @asap_smash1852
    @asap_smash1852 8 місяців тому +34

    Honestly, your sources are insanely credible. I had no idea about the Zora coffee in TWW! That said, I don't think evolutions need the great flood to happen. I think that the Kokiri evolve into the Koroks whenever there is a need to move the lost woods. It just so happens that the flood was one of those triggers. I think the Zora/Rito could be a similar case, and doesn't necessarily need the flood to evolve. Furthermore, the Zora wouldn't need the flood to separate into three different sects as DT also has the Zora divided.

    • @kileysevens9116
      @kileysevens9116 8 місяців тому +4

      The Koroks have always looked like Koroks. They were only human appearing for the sake of the Hero of Time. Once he was gone they returned to their little cute tree forms lol

  • @immagical7036
    @immagical7036 8 місяців тому +25

    Another thing to note about the design of the Zora and Rito in BotW and TotK is that they have the same irises and pupils. It’s likely just a coincidence but regardless, I like to imagine the fact both races share that kind of eye implies their relation to each other

  • @geminimaxxim
    @geminimaxxim 8 місяців тому +15

    What an excellent theory! The Zora lineage has always been a topic of great interest to me. As much as I've studied the monuments though, I overlooked how huge the detail about their migration is, and Yona's gold jewelry is a big find as well. Before it was clear to me that BotW was in the adult timeline, I'd thought a lot about different factions of Zora creating the Rito and the River Zora we'd see in other timelines, but I eventually resigned to these new games being a reboot. I'm glad to see that in a weird way I wasn't too far off. I'll definitely be looking into this line of thought more going forward.

  • @nuniyoa
    @nuniyoa 8 місяців тому +6

    evolution nerd here who's headed to university later this month to study!
    the concept you've come up with is actually a real thing called reproductive isolation! in this case, it's habitat isolation, where a new species arises due to isolation from other members of its species. this is why you find many endemic (native to only a small area) species on islands; their ancestors could no longer breed with the mainland population and thus developed their own unique set of traits. it's why marine iguanas look so unique compared to mainland iguanas :)

    • @c.r.blankenship9040
      @c.r.blankenship9040 8 місяців тому

      That’s why the separation theory initially makes sense… though when I thought about it more I realized that Zora would probably die if they came into contact with salt water… so my current theory is that all the Zora evolved into the Rito in Windwaker, and then later the timelines merged and the Sora from the Child Timeline populated the Lanayru region

  • @Ixbran
    @Ixbran 8 місяців тому +8

    8:55
    Thebuse of the Hyrule Warriors character portraits here makes me smile. Always happy to see people acknowledge that awesome game in some way.

  • @NebuloreYT
    @NebuloreYT 8 місяців тому +31

    Fantastic video buddy. The levels of research required to craft this theory and make these connections must’ve been insane! 😅

  • @vintoplad
    @vintoplad 8 місяців тому +29

    This is a theory I had while playing Tears of the Kingdom a while ago, but I didn't really do research to find hard clues, and I definitely wasn't gonna remember the collectables from Phantom Hourglass. Being reminded that those two items exist and having the silver consistency pointed out definitely makes me think we're right on the money.
    As for the Zora and Rito existing in the far past that Tears is claiming to show, I've seen a couple possible theories that're going in completely different directions, so my conclusion is that the placement of those memories isn't as clear cut as the game tries to lead us to believe. I just hope they're not actually the huge OoT retcon and franchise reboot they appear to be.

  • @Frog_kaeru
    @Frog_kaeru 7 місяців тому +7

    I went into this video expecting to not agree with the conclusion, but when you made the point about the other Zora using gold, I was suprised at how quickly I was convinced this theory holds water. Excellent catch. I like this explanation so much I hope it gets printed in a new history of hyrule and Nintendo pays you royalties for it.

  • @Legoguy1977
    @Legoguy1977 8 місяців тому +5

    This man
    just solved
    EVERYTHING!
    Now I can finally sleep easy.

  • @MrMindCloud
    @MrMindCloud 8 місяців тому +6

    Also, something more simple-
    Zora (not River Zora) are seen living off the coast of Labrynna. The Zora in BotW/TotK could have possibly migrated over.
    Also, Twilight princess shows stone carvings of Zora and Rito living at the same time, so maybe there are different types of Rito depending on the timeline (similar to Zora)

    • @Ahouro
      @Ahouro 8 місяців тому

      The Twilight Princess Rito carvings are non-canon.

    • @MrMindCloud
      @MrMindCloud 8 місяців тому

      @@Ahouro Is that officially stated?

    • @Ahouro
      @Ahouro 8 місяців тому

      @@MrMindCloud If you go to Zeltik, look for this video Zelda: Twilight Princess' Strangest Mystery… Solved? and then you will have all information on the mural you will need.

  • @Zelda_Thorn
    @Zelda_Thorn 8 місяців тому +6

    i love that idea that "the concept of what a zelda game should be was still not solidified" at the time of windwaker... like... you think it's solidified NOW? 😂

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +1

      It really should be at this point, but after the last two games, I don't think it is anymore, lol.

  • @thinkingatmaxvolume1992
    @thinkingatmaxvolume1992 8 місяців тому +9

    This video is legit. I like this theory because it brings up the fact that there's other lands besides Hyrule. And also that there are things going on in other places that we may or may not know about, like the second Zora's Domain. There is a Zora Village in Labrynna (Oracle of Ages), so TotK isn't the first game to tell us there are other groups of Zora outside Hyrule (depending on peoples' thoughts about whether Termina is real or not). Labrynna also has a Goron population, and Holodrum (Oracle of Seasons) features Gorons and Deku Scrubs.
    Just found this out: apparently in a linked game of Oracle of Seasons you can find a Zora from Labrynna who was sent by the Zora King there to find a new domain (but he says Holodrum has nowhere good to settle for Zoras).
    EDIT: also, Fujibayashi has directed a few Zelda titles, including the Oracle games and TotK. Just something to think about

  • @CZsWorld
    @CZsWorld 15 днів тому +1

    This is a perfect theory. I've always assumed it was divergent evolution, but you found all the evidence

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  15 днів тому +1

      Thank you for watching my content! I put a lot of time into researching this one, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

  • @moxiewatts
    @moxiewatts 8 місяців тому +4

    the rito have existed since ancient times according to the rito stormark song.

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +1

      My theory is that the Great Flood of Hyrule was potentially one of the apocalyptic occurances that took place that aided the timeline into converging. After the Great Sea receded, the Zonai and other races resettled the land. The Rito we see in the Wind Waker could be even more ancient than the ones referred to by the Rito in Tears of the Kingdom. Or, TotK is just straight up in the Adult Timeline and it's only a matter of time until someone finds out how to prove it. This theory should help kickstart that journey, I hope.
      Also, I see you've decided to become a Legend! Thank you for your support!

    • @Ahouro
      @Ahouro 8 місяців тому

      The Stormwind Ark was most likely built after all games except Botw and Totk.

  • @drew4947
    @drew4947 8 місяців тому +6

    another note that i think helps this is the zonai coming and helping establish hyrule - the small populace of hyrule at that point probably needed help and the zonai were that help

  • @thelittleghost3784
    @thelittleghost3784 8 місяців тому +11

    This is the first Zelda theory in awhile that’s really gotten me thinking, so good job!
    If this idea is true though, I wonder if it could help to explain a converged timeline. With the time mechanics the series has shown that’s impossible to happen, however BOTW and TOTK strongly suggest that reality. Mostly because it seems they wanted to soft reboot the series, but it’s a lot to consider.

  • @princetbug
    @princetbug Місяць тому +2

    I'm so incredibly whelmed by this video, and happy about it too.
    Made this connection a while ago but until now had yet to see a video on it. It was always "how can zora and rito coexist it doesnt make sense! must be time shenanigans!". Like it literally mentions they evolved. Doesn't mean every single zora did, and we know there are multiple zora populations.
    It's like wondering how gorilla exist if we humans do. It's understandable not to realize how silly that is, but it does make me chuckle, or irk me from time to time.

  • @Pure_Molly
    @Pure_Molly 8 місяців тому +2

    I am a little new to this discussion and the fact my guy said at the end this took 20 years to kind of solve it is insane

  • @emilycanfield2634
    @emilycanfield2634 4 місяці тому +3

    God I loved this video, it reminded me of the old videos/posts about the timeline before it was actually established. Love Zelda deep dives, and regardless if Nintendo intends for all these connections to actually be a thing, still so neat for players and fans to find stuff like this

  • @OctagonalSquare
    @OctagonalSquare 8 місяців тому +4

    I had the beginnings of this theory during my first TOTK playthrough! When Sidon mentions that his fiancé (forgot her name) is from another place, I was like “what?”. Then as the old sages were shown, I knew that the “first Hyrule” couldn’t have been the one from just after Skyward Sword. I mention in one of my streams that the Zora from elsewhere must have been Zora from before the flood that didn’t evolve into Rito and then came back

  • @hyrulecoco8606
    @hyrulecoco8606 8 місяців тому +2

    My personal head cannon is that Hyrule Warriors is both the connecting game and the start of a new timeline, in the first Hyrule Warriors people from every timeline join up into the same timeline which would connect all of them for lore and species wise. It would cause another split because Age of Calamity is an alternate version of what took place before the great calamity

  • @SalvableRuin
    @SalvableRuin 8 місяців тому +8

    Wind Waker is obe of the greatest Zelda games. The art style is stunning.

  • @FishSlap1
    @FishSlap1 8 місяців тому +46

    More evidence to Botw Totk taking place after the adult timeline:
    The Deku tree states that koroks fly out to make more deku trees in hope that new lands can refill the sea with land. We can also see a major expansion of land going from Phantom Hourglass to Spirit tracks which are centries apart. So, it makes sense, that overtime, the koroks cover the ocean, which will eventually dry up and become the depths. Also, in the depths, we can see plant life that looks very similar to plants in the sea.
    Also, the depths are full of gloom. Who was left in the sea after WW? Ganondorf. The remains of his soul build up the gloom which take over the depths. The gloom comes from the curse of demise, as we can see a red liquid like substance from below Ganons tower in Oot and demise has flowing red substances all over him.
    Raru doesn't know about the master sword because it is still stuck in the depths. When Totk Ganondorf turns into Demon King Ganondorf after the use of the secret stone, he spawns his armies woth not only the blood moon, but also an upheaval. He tears the ground like he does in Totk's present.
    After he is sealed away, of course hyrule will investigate the depths. A few years after the events of Ganondorf's sealing, that generation's spirit if the hero incestigates the depths with some other soldiers and researchers. A certain force guides him to the corpse of Wind Waker Ganon, where he finds the sword that can harm the Demon King Ganondorf, more known as the master sword. This discovery makes him worthy enough of his aspect being preserved in the temple of time.
    Edit: I made a mistake with the spirit tracks statement. I've never really played spirit tracks and I didn't do any research... Doesn't disprove the point though

    • @quadzers5703
      @quadzers5703 8 місяців тому

      Are phantom hourglass and spirit tracks actually centuries apart? I thought it wasn’t that long since niko is still alive

    • @tjeerdtrekkie1030
      @tjeerdtrekkie1030 8 місяців тому +2

      Erm no. Spirit tracks takes place in a new hyrule they found after a few months of sailing. Tetra was Zelda's grandmother in Spirit Tracks so thats 2 generations at best. Hylians live longer yes but not centuries lol. Officially its like 100 years I believe

    • @tjeerdtrekkie1030
      @tjeerdtrekkie1030 8 місяців тому

      ​@@quadzers5703Yeah tetra was also zelda's grandmother so centuries is a hell of an overstatement

  • @Kooshanator5
    @Kooshanator5 8 місяців тому +5

    Awesome video! That really does neatly tie the rito and zora up in a nice little bow! The details about Komali were an awesome catch!

  • @isaloud11
    @isaloud11 8 місяців тому +2

    This man deserves more views and subs as well

  • @HBSaxMachine
    @HBSaxMachine 4 місяці тому +1

    Love this
    Instantly subscribed
    Can’t wait to binge this channel

  • @NotThatAxl
    @NotThatAxl 8 місяців тому +34

    Pog if true.

    • @BokoblinBoy
      @BokoblinBoy 8 місяців тому +1

      Yes sir

    • @UnreadyBelief
      @UnreadyBelief 8 місяців тому

      Why do you still use the word pog

    • @UnreadyBelief
      @UnreadyBelief 8 місяців тому

      What is wrong with you?

    • @NotThatAxl
      @NotThatAxl 8 місяців тому +4

      @@UnreadyBelief many things

    • @UnreadyBelief
      @UnreadyBelief 8 місяців тому +2

      @@NotThatAxl same honestly

  • @Sarah_H
    @Sarah_H 8 місяців тому +12

    Dorephan's story still holds up, based on the script on the stone tablet we repair in the The Broken Slate quest (part of the Sidon of the Zora main quest), and the cutscene that plays after we complete the Water Temple, where Zelda visits the Sage of Water AT the Water Temple/Wellspring Island. Dorephan's tale says that, 10,000 years ago, the Zora settled in what is now Zora's Domain, and that the Zora king of that era built East Reservoir Lake in partnership with the current king of Hyrule. In The Broken Slate, the slate mentions "the watery bridge's resting place" that "connects the Zora to the people of the skies"; the "watery bridge" is the waterfall that comes down into East Reservoir Lake when we shoot the King's Scale through the stones in the shape of a water droplet, which leads right up to Wellspring Island/the Water Temple, where Zelda spoke to the Zora Sage of Water 10,000 years ago, who then promised that their descendant (Sidon) would assist the future hero in defeating the Demon King
    So: the ancient Zora settled in what is now Zora's Domain due to the quality of the water (likely due to the existence of the Ancient Zora Waterworks, which were presumably a filtration system, and are Zonai in origin based on the fact that their architecture matches the architecture of the Water Temple). The Zora of 10,000 years ago built East Reservoir Lake to prevent the catastrophic floods that happened every ten years in collaboration with the current Hyrulean king (probably Rauru), and the waterfall from Wellspring Island connected the Zora to the "people of the skies" (the Zonai). At some point after the Imprisoning War, the waterfall from Wellspring Island stopped falling, and the sky islands (including Wellspring Island and the Water Temple) were hidden from view. Nearly all knowledge of the Zonai and their technology was lost, and the Ancient Zora Waterworks fell into disrepair, resulting in modern Zoras' ability to purify water (they were forced to learn this technique when the Ancient Zora Waterworks were no longer being maintained and all knowledge of them had vanished from living memory)

  • @Narrative_Ink
    @Narrative_Ink 8 місяців тому +2

    Congratulations on almost hitting 10k! I remember watching you a little bit ago when you were just over 1k!

  • @YLT3
    @YLT3 8 місяців тому +1

    Very well made video man, your editing is amazing

  • @paperpopper2586
    @paperpopper2586 8 місяців тому +6

    Sick video, i hope this theory spreads and we can finally put this mystery to rest

  • @chriscastillo654
    @chriscastillo654 8 місяців тому +13

    I alway thought it never made sense why they became bird people but then as i got older it kinda did. The gods did'nt want anyone to find hyrule under the sea except the or a hero,( tower of the gods) they made it so zora around Hyrule could not find Hyrule by making them evolve into Rito , keeping them as far away from Underwater Hyrule. I also add only around Hyrule because one reason I think Rito and Zora co exist now is that years later Zora outside of Hyrule could have traveled back to Hyrule. Look at Yona ,Sidons wife, she came from another Domain which makes sense the world isnt just Hyrule there has to be other zora worldwide. Since before the gods sealed windwaker Gannon, he was winning maybe allot of people left Hyrule to save themselves which could explain how Sidon is a decendant of Ruto ,Sorry if this is talked about later in the video just started watching and wanted to share that thought or rather a rant 😂

  • @ChrisLeeW00
    @ChrisLeeW00 4 місяці тому +2

    Anakin: In the Wind Waker, Hyrule is a vast ocean with islands.
    Padme: Oh, so there’s lots of Zoras in this game?
    Anakin:

  • @minatorisato861
    @minatorisato861 10 днів тому +1

    Another detail to add is that in wind waker, they still have a royalty, where as in botw and onward its a chieftian leadership. They probably still had royalty from Zora culture until it was phased out

  • @SethaaSchneegepard
    @SethaaSchneegepard 8 місяців тому +3

    I‘m really happy that the Zora and Rito are existing side by side ❤

  • @liamcullen3035
    @liamcullen3035 6 місяців тому +6

    This shouldn’t have been interpreted as a lore conflict. Divergent evolution is well-established, so it is perfectly possible that some Zora evolved into Rito whilst others did not.
    There was no contradiction by the Rito and Zora existing simultaneously, unless we were told that *all* Zora evolved into Rito (but we could also chalk that up to unreliable narrators).
    Still, I enjoyed your exploration of the supposed conflict! Thanks for making this video 🙂

  • @kylehogan2247
    @kylehogan2247 8 місяців тому

    The opening of your channel introduction using the classic sounds and looks was more than enough to make me subscribe you now that I have found you

  • @v0dch4n
    @v0dch4n 8 місяців тому +1

    this was a fantastic video dude. ive been loving all your content, keep up the good work! hopefully this isnt weird to say, but your voice is super nice and soothing. i listened to this video while i was going to sleep last night, which was nice and peaceful and now im back to watch it again with my full attention span haha! awesome work

  • @KaiTexel
    @KaiTexel 8 місяців тому +4

    Komali is my all-time favorite video game character and i never noticed his evolutionary growth 🤯

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +3

      To be honest with you, neither did I until I was making this video, lmao.

  • @polleonardtaliesinhywel6986
    @polleonardtaliesinhywel6986 8 місяців тому +4

    This theory would require Rauru’s Kingdom to have been set after the Wind Waker then, due to the presence of the Rito Sage in his era.

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +3

      Yep, that's the idea. After the Great Sea receded, he refounded the Kingdom of Hyrule.

    • @thedukeconiosantiago9180
      @thedukeconiosantiago9180 8 місяців тому

      Interesting... but there was no ancient texts about the past hyrule and not even an infamous name like link was a first thing that the king of the gerudo would know about. He questioned the name once he heard it.

    • @danielnasby7695
      @danielnasby7695 8 місяців тому

      Or we're all going blind because they're is no Rito in TotK's past section. I think Nintendo is gaslighting us into thinking Rito existed around Ocarina of time.

    • @mazhiwezakizo3513
      @mazhiwezakizo3513 8 місяців тому +4

      I still think that the Past events of TotK/BotW occur AFTER the latest events of all the previous games. Alot of minor details would seem to support this. The known history of the Gerudo in TotK/BotW and their appearance would also imply that. OoT Gerudo have gold eyes and round ears, but in TotK/BotW, their eyes are now red and they have pointed ears... except Ganondorf who still has round ears and gold eyes. If OoT occurs after TotK/BotW past events... then OoT Gannondorf would be a much more recent occurrence in Gerudo history than TotK/BotW Gannondorf, yet the Gerudo are shamed by the current game's Gannondorf and it's because of him that they don't permit to have another male be born... instead of making any mention of OoT Gannondorf.

    • @c.r.blankenship9040
      @c.r.blankenship9040 8 місяців тому +2

      Yes, there are strong indications imo that the geography of BotW/TotK (which I vote we start calling the Merged Timeline) is mostly from the Adult Timeline. It also makes the most sense for the Zonai to have evolved during this timeline as well, perhaps taking to the sky to avoid the flooding of Hyrule.

  • @VGInterviews
    @VGInterviews 8 місяців тому +1

    This is the first time watching this channel, that intro animation was great, love me when OoT assets are used, kudos!

  • @tomrees82
    @tomrees82 8 місяців тому +2

    12:45
    We see that the Zora exist at this time, not Zoras Domain.
    The biggest contradiction is that Rito exist while King Rauru was alive.

  • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
    @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +7

    Wow, great insight about the dragon scale and the Zora evolution into the Rito.

    • @The-Silliest-Little-Guy
      @The-Silliest-Little-Guy 8 місяців тому

      The lizalfos?

    • @amandaslough125
      @amandaslough125 8 місяців тому

      ​@@The-Silliest-Little-GuyLizarfos have always been regular enemies throughout the series.

  • @rosebrigade
    @rosebrigade 6 місяців тому +41

    "The games are more than likely just reboots of the series after the timelines have converged"
    That was already confirmed by Nintendo. The point of BOTW was to converge the timeline and reboot the line at the same time. Which is why so many things from all 3 timelines appears in the BOTW/TOTK games, like Lynels for example, who only appeared in the Fallen hero line.
    But I'm happy to find a theory channel that actually clarified the zora's disappearance and reappearance. I was always just under the impression that some Zora eggs were left in the old domain in some sort of sanctuary and resurfaced after the flood diminished.

    • @Mari_Izu
      @Mari_Izu 3 місяці тому +2

      There's no converging, just a soft reboot where past games are old "legends".

    • @rocketlanterns
      @rocketlanterns 2 місяці тому +1

      unless you count the converging that happened in Hyrule Warriors

    • @bigotbently9612
      @bigotbently9612 18 днів тому

      Deliberately obscured and (potentially) implied? Yes.
      Confirmed convergence? No.

  • @aoldatabase548
    @aoldatabase548 8 місяців тому +1

    Amazing video! So well made!!! You earned a sub and deserve many more

  • @danyzg_2053
    @danyzg_2053 8 місяців тому +2

    I think when Sidon refers to Ruto he means the sage from totk rather the oot

  • @Star_Zura
    @Star_Zura 8 місяців тому +3

    Towards the end of the video you equate the founding of Zora's domain with existence of the Zora people. I just wanted to point out this is probably the same issue as the Hylian people re-founding Hyrule kingdom. Awesome video and i love the lore and deep dive.

  • @deadshields8561
    @deadshields8561 8 місяців тому +4

    Certainly interesting, but I still don't see too much evidence on some of the more specific elements like Zora living on Great Fish Isle, but the connections are there. The presence of Zora scales in Phantom Hourglass are certainly a very key piece of evidence at the very least, it seems unlikely that such an item would be present in such an amount without their origins being close by.
    Also neat details with the changes Komali seems to undergo after reaching Valoo and Yona's different jewellery, never noticed those things before.

  • @Arcenus237J
    @Arcenus237J 8 місяців тому +1

    Solid theory and great editing!

  • @autumnrain6731
    @autumnrain6731 8 місяців тому +1

    Very Informative, hope this video blows up! Earned my sub ^^

  • @MichaelW1980randoms
    @MichaelW1980randoms 8 місяців тому +13

    Cannot wait to see extensive discussions on this! While I don’t believe in a Zelda History and view the games as what their series name suggests (a legend) I find videos like this and the discussions they inevitably spawn, highly entertaining! So thanks for that!

  • @turbosnail413
    @turbosnail413 8 місяців тому +3

    I'm just kinda rambling about things you got me thinking about here but:
    In totk, the Water Temple is the source of pure water for the Zora to live in, and Zelda visiting the sage of water at the temple means some Zora lived near there in the time of Hyrule's founding. It being zonai in origin means either Dorephan must have misunderstood the amount of time his people have been there, or they left at some point and returned only 10000 years before BotW. Both could be true I suppose but I don't like assuming characters are wrong about their people's history, as it makes theory crafting confusing. Either Skyward Sword ISNT first in the timeline anymore, or maybe it is and TotK tells us what happened after the goddess statue fell to the surface. I have a lot of questions about the lore of Skyward Sword but the answers are almost always "don't worry about it more than Nintendo does."

    • @c.r.blankenship9040
      @c.r.blankenship9040 8 місяців тому +1

      Imo there’s no way the memories happen before Skyward Sword. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that Windwaker has already happened and that this is a Hyrule that was once underwater (The Hyrule compendium entry for rock salt mentions it being left over from a great sea, and this is an item you can find on mountains). Most likely both games - including the memories - happen at the beginning of a Merged Timeline; the merging of the timelines would also explain why so much of their cultural memory treats the memories as “the beginning.” A lot of stuff was forgotten as two distinct versions of a Hyrule collided

    • @dr.blockcraft6633
      @dr.blockcraft6633 8 місяців тому

      Or that 10,000 years Isn't literal.
      Oftentimes stories Use large Numbers to Just say "A really Long time," Especially when It's being Translated. like, Moses spending 40 days In the Desert.

  • @skauf2889
    @skauf2889 8 місяців тому +2

    if you just solved this than you have blessed the zelda fanbase and the greatest debate in zelda history thankyou

  • @Nyxael5845
    @Nyxael5845 8 місяців тому +1

    You expect me to listen to 13:51 and not make a Muscle Man joke out of that?
    Nice video btw!

  • @mysryuza
    @mysryuza 8 місяців тому +4

    I just can’t get enough of theory videos about the Zora and Rito. They’re my favorite races and I can’t seem to choose one I would want to be!
    People should be talking about the Sidon’s tablets because it also mentioned his history with Yona, which people love to ignore for the sake of hate “justifications”
    I theorize that Yona could be from Labrynna since it’s the only area we know besides Termina (not sure why Termina’s Zora would return to kingdom-like fashion) that have friendly Zora outside Hyrule onscreen. There could be Zora from New Hyrule, but that would be a bit awkward cuz yknow how royal bloodlines be like, but I feel like it would be inevitable because there was King Zora in Labrynna (Unless it’s a different King Zora)
    I wonder how New Hyrule would fair with the existence of OG Hyrule, unless they became the same kingdom over the years, but that would probs open a can of worms.

  • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
    @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +3

    I love that info about the Ruto crown, didn't play that game but I know of new hyrule.
    Actually tbh I always wondered through if it was really a new continent or just the world just stopped being flooded and they hit the ground again, lol?

    • @orianefaton1885
      @orianefaton1885 8 місяців тому +1

      I played both games, but I had kinda forgotten about it, until the picture was showed and I was like "wait, isn't it.. oh SHIT !" and then I was hit with the realisation he explained and was like "I am an idiot sometimes..."

  • @HDGamerofficial
    @HDGamerofficial 8 місяців тому +1

    Love this video!! 👏👏👏 amazing theory and amazing video quality!

  • @KlaySmith-mn6dj
    @KlaySmith-mn6dj 2 місяці тому +2

    You made it make sense. I still believe this games timeline began after timelines converged and the sea dried up to reveal the new hyrule. To which the zonai came down and the new Hyrule Kingdom was later “founded”. So obviously at the end of the timeline as the creators claimed years ago.

  • @yeolderenaissanceensemble
    @yeolderenaissanceensemble 8 місяців тому +7

    12:45 i don't think it is a contradiction, it is merely the founding of a city, not the first introduction of the race to the area. Actually, now I think about it, Ganon might have destroyed the Zora's towns and so they went off and founded the city of Zora's Domain.

    • @hyper_lynx
      @hyper_lynx 8 місяців тому +1

      True, the original calamity from that time might not have gone peacefully

  • @Ganondorf77
    @Ganondorf77 8 місяців тому +7

    This answers the zora rito issue, now if only someone could explain how ganondorf has been sealed underneath Hyrule Castle since the founding of Hyrule, if the last 2 titles are to be after all of the previous titles how has he been left undisturbed through all of the events of those games. I don't see how he could be down there during oot after what happened to Hyrule Castle. Think we need to deal with the elephant in the room before we claim a possible reboot

    • @GossipGeist
      @GossipGeist  8 місяців тому +1

      He's a heavy sleeper I suppose. The man needs his beauty nap, I mean look at those wrinkles in TotK!

    • @Defender1876
      @Defender1876 8 місяців тому

      @@GossipGeist thing that is missing is that males in the gerudo is suppose to be born every 100 years but in botw it has been over 10k years from what we hear on a male being born in the race

    • @coryfreake9070
      @coryfreake9070 8 місяців тому +8

      Short answer: Hyrule was refounded. The map of the Imprisoning War's world is the same as BotW and 10 000 years ago. The other games have different maps but Ancient Hyrule having the same as BotW proves that they took place consecutively, not before any of the other games. Other things prove this as well. The Zonai rulers calling the Phantom Ganon armor ancient to them or the Imprisoning War being a documented part of Hyrule's history (Therefore not part of the era of myth) means that the other games took place before.

    • @ChangedFigure
      @ChangedFigure 8 місяців тому

      ​@Defender1876 My Theory about that is the the Gerudo Women keep evert male born a heavy secret. They may feel that it may incite fear in Hyrule since they know the calamity was once a Gerudo Male. A more morbid theory is that they straight up kill every male at birth. Though, I highly doubt Nintendo would make that Canon.

    • @thedukeconiosantiago9180
      @thedukeconiosantiago9180 8 місяців тому

      Hm well the issue with Ganon is simple. He is put on a life and death needle which could imply that the Ganondorf did restart the curse but once calamity broke out (or the past battles did) it would weaken the seal. We also have to take I to a fact that almost every Ganondorf before or after was attracted to his body, aka under hyrule. They usually go towards hyrule all the time.

  • @xenithfreelancer
    @xenithfreelancer 8 місяців тому +2

    Dang I made a Zora Race a few years ago but struggled with backstory. This gives me new inspiration since I didn't understand much about Wind Waker

  • @Axecon1
    @Axecon1 8 місяців тому +13

    There's also the possibility that Ruto is the name of the Zora sage seen in TOTK's flashbacks and Sidon claims to be a descendant from her. She is the namesake of Vah Ruta and her mask shares the attributes of the divine beast. It's also doesn't really contradict the stone tablets.
    I'm of the belief that the events of TOTK's past is an alternate telling of Ocarina of Time because it exists in a branched timeline that runs parallel to OOT.

    • @c.r.blankenship9040
      @c.r.blankenship9040 8 місяців тому +3

      There’s better evidence for the memories to exist after all previous games and after a timeline merge, especially because there’s a lot of details to suggest Windwaker already happened, and that comes after OoT

    • @Axecon1
      @Axecon1 8 місяців тому

      @@c.r.blankenship9040 I can see it either way, but I'm curious, what's your support for favoring post-WW?
      Why I think it's on an alt timeline (which branched from Skyward Sword):
      -No mention of the Zonai in other timelines. Also the Sheikah went extinct when they are practically flourishing in 10000 prior to BOTW, and during BOTW and TOTK
      -SS Link and Zelda settled the surface but did not formerly establish a new kingdom
      -The springs, temples, and architecture of Skyward Sword are all still heavily featured and unchanged in BOTW/TOTK. This could be because Fujibayashi was the director on all 3 games however.
      -This placement gives credence that Rauru and Sonia are the first of the Hyrulean dynasty and their unbroken lineage allowed to flourish better until Zelda who inherited their power
      -I'm pretty convinced Ganondorf of OOT and TOTK are the same individual in parallel timelines. His actions are the same, and in both games he distinctly has rounded ears
      -Still keeps consistency with the Zora Stone tablets which is the only recorded history
      -It doesn't interfere with events and happenings of other Zelda games, this timeline may even re-join those timelines at some point
      There are of course some inconsistencies to still work out but I see this as a better placement theory.

    • @c.r.blankenship9040
      @c.r.blankenship9040 8 місяців тому +1

      @@Axecon1 so I’m probably gonna miss something in your comment so just reiterate it if I do, and I apologize if this is a little bit scattered.
      1) the maps of BotW, TotK, and the TotK memories are all the same, indicating a continuous timeline between all three games but not with Skyward Sword
      2) I don’t know if Koroks ever show up in the memories but in order for the memories to be before Skyward Sword, the Koroks would have to still be the Kokiri
      3) the existence of the Arbiter’s Grounds - in a more ruined state than it was in in Twilight Princess - means that this is after Twilight Princess (though I suppose this wouldn’t technically rule out the memories happening before Twilight Princess)
      4) Ganondorf did reincarnate once before at the end of the child timeline, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that it happened again
      5) the Hyrule compendium entries for rock salt mentio that it was left behind by the great sea
      6) the best explanation for when and why the Zonai evolved in the first place is the flooding of Hyrule, though they could conceivably also be descendants of the Wind Tribe from Minish Cap - either way, can’t be between Skyward Sword and Minish Cap
      6) There is a rito sage who has the same fully avian appearance just like in BotW as opposed to the more human-looking rito in Windwaker, suggesting at least a thousand years of further evolution in the intervening time
      7) the female Gerudo in the memories have pointed ears, which places them a considerable time after Ocarina
      I think there’s more, but I can’t think of it right now

    • @Axecon1
      @Axecon1 8 місяців тому

      @@c.r.blankenship9040 Thanks for sharing! I'm curious if we'll get answers in the DLC or future Zelda games but for now I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of debate on the timeline placement for years to come

  • @wizcatcheslightning
    @wizcatcheslightning 8 місяців тому +5

    Well done here! Excellent research 😎

  • @kennyholmes5196
    @kennyholmes5196 8 місяців тому +1

    An alternative solution that I have is that the Rito from Wind Waker and the Rito from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are unrelated. Here's why I think so:
    Tabantha and Hebra were not present whatsoever in games released before Breath of the Wild, and the forest that the Master Sword was found in used to be in the top left of the map with Death Mountain at the center top, whereas in BotW and TotK, the Master Sword's forest is top-center and Death Mountain is off to the right a bit, but still halfway between Akkala and the forest you find the master sword in.
    In addition, the Wind Waker rito completely vanish from the timeline after Wind Waker, which implies one of three things. Either the Rito died out, the Rito moved away, or they became isolationist, with the first or last ones being most likely in my opinion due to Valoo and Jabun both being guardian deities and both not moving, even after Valoo got pestered by Gohma and Jabun's home was smote to rubble by Ganondorf.
    On top of that, the Rito of Wind Waker have their noses turn into beaks and exclude their mouth entirely, whereas the Rito of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have their mouths as part of their beaks right from hatching. And before you argue that it's been ten thousand years, I will point out that they've both been like this for tens of thousands of years as well, as shown by the past scenes.
    Therefore, either it's been literal millions of years since the old timelines, or they are unrelated. And in my book, it's much, much simpler for the two Rito to be unrelated aside from sharing a name, with the Wind Waker rito taking their names from ancient legends about people with wings and beaks. Legends that the Rito of the time of Tears of the Kingdom's past inspired.

  • @crunch5
    @crunch5 8 місяців тому +2

    I’ve seen a lot of people say how, since there are artifacts from all previous games in TOTK, that all of the timelines ending up merging together allowing for Botw and TOTK to be able to mention them, as it doesn’t make sense for it to be in the adult timeline then mention how Oot!Link fought alongside Ruto, when in that timeline no one opposed Ganondorf.
    I also personally think Totk’s past takes place after Skyward sword, since link and Zelda just started to repopulate the surface, and afterwards “gods” (who were the zonai) came down to help, and then Raruu met Sonia, who could be SS Link and Zelda’s descendant (if they got together, if they didn’t, she’s probably still Zelda’s descendant atleast)
    Anyway, I really liked this video! It really makes the timeline seem so simple lmao

  • @methodius--9405
    @methodius--9405 8 місяців тому +7

    I just say that "Rito" is just Hylian for "Bird Folk".
    >The Fokka from Zelda II? Rito.
    >The Zora-Rito? Rito.
    >The Rito from BoTW? Rito.

    • @methodius--9405
      @methodius--9405 8 місяців тому +3

      "Attentive readers may note that the timeline shown here differs slightly from the one found in Hyrule Historia. The timeline can be interpreted in a number of ways, and may change depending on new discoveries that have come to light and on the players' imaginations.” Page 10 of Zelda Encyclopedia
      >>>Classic Timeline
      >Skyward Sword
      (The Imprison is crushed by Link’s Triforce wish. Divine prank allows the Master Sword to exist in two timelines.)
      (Founding of Hyrule)
      (The Hero of Men received the Minish Blade)
      >Minish Cap (Vaati is sealed)
      (Vaati escapes and kidnaps beautiful girls, a Hero use the Four Swords again.)
      >Four Swords
      (Ganondorf is born)
      >Four Swords Adventures
      (Imprisoning War)
      >A Link to the Past
      >Link’s Awakening
      (Triforce splits)
      >A Link Between Worlds
      >Tri Force Heroes
      >Oracle of Ages/Seasons
      >The Legend of Zelda
      >The Adventure of Link
      >>>Child Timeline
      >Skyward Sword
      (The Imprison is crushed by Link’s Triforce wish. Divine prank allows the Master Sword to exist in two timelines.)
      (Founding of Hyrule)
      (The Hero of Men received the Minish Blade)
      >Minish Cap (Vaati is destroyed)
      (Ganondorf is born)
      >Ocarina of Time (child timeline)
      (Ganondorf is captured)
      >Majora’s Mask
      >Twilight Princess
      >>>Adult Timeline
      >Skyward Sword
      (The Imprison is crushed by Link’s Triforce wish. Divine prank allows the Master Sword to exist in two timelines.)
      (Founding of Hyrule)
      (The Hero of Men received the Minish Blade)
      >Minish Cap (Vaati is destroyed)
      (Ganondorf is born)
      >Ocarina of Time (adult timeline)
      (Ganondorf is sealed)
      (The Great Flood)
      >Wind Waker
      >Phantom Hourglass
      (Founding of New Hyrule)
      >Spirit Tracks
      >>>Wild Timeline
      >Skyward Sword
      (Demise is killed by Link in the past. Divine prank allows the Master Sword to exist in two timelines.)
      (Founding of Hyule by the Zonai)
      (Ganondorf is born)
      (Tears of the Kingdom memories)
      (Imprisoning War)
      (First Calamity)
      (Breath of the Wild memories)
      (Second Calamity)
      >Breath of the Wild
      >Tears of the Kingdom
      Remember Link left the Triforce of Courage into eight pieces for Wind Waker, but then he STILL have the Triforce of Courage on the end of OoT to show to Zelda. Think of OoT Link trades the Triforce of Courage for another Triforce of Courage in the past, thus making Ganondorf and Zelda's family in the Child timeline to have their own Triforce. TP Ganondorf has the whole “Prank of the Gods". In Skyward Sword Link went to the past to fight Ghirahim, he "TRADED" the Master Sword for another new Master Sword just like the Triforce in with OoT Link. Fi was “doubled”, so the two Fi both the original. That way, you have the Master Sword existed both the present and the alternate past.
      Timeline has only the starting point Skyward Sword, followed by Minish Cap.
      Minish Cap caused a 2-way split: PRIME Split: Link makes it to Vaati before the third bell, stopping his ritual to steal Zelda's Light Force, then has his showdown with the wind mage. This outcome leads to the BRIGHT Timeline. ALTERNATE Split: Link fails to reach Vaati by the third bell, leading to Vaati absorbing Zelda's Light Force, and Zelda dies. This outcome leads to the DARK Timeline.
      Expanding on each timeline split from Minish Cap:
      BRIGHT Timeline
      Vaati fails to steal Zelda's Light Force; Zelda survives; Link DESTROYS Vaati with the foursword - this IS the actual ending we DO see, when we beat Minish Cap. Recall that Vaati was NOT SEALED, he was destroyed. This becomes the timeline where Vaati no longer exists; Zelda was not killed; and Hyrule did not lose the Light Force for a few generations, thus it evolved more prosperously and had little adversity outside of the Fierce War, which was THIS timeline's conflict over the Sacred Realm and Triforce (note too that the knowledge of this realm and relic comes FAR SOONER than in the DARK Timeline). The King unified Hyrule and peace followed, up until this timeline's first game - Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf born in THIS timeline, has already seen the 'war' and even joined the King's truce. THIS Ganondorf's ambitions for power followed a path to the ultimate power, the Triforce, which he is very aware of and so his M.O. took him on a more political approach, earlier on. Of course we know the two fates THIS Ganondorf follows, one for each of the two timelines that split from OOT: CHILD, to Twilight Princess where he is KILLED (and there IS NO Four Swords Adventures thereafter); and ADULT, to Wind Waker where he is KILLED (and there ARE two incredibly stupid games to finish off the ADULT continuity, that I cannot even bring myself to even CALL 'Zelda games': Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks).
      DARK Timeline
      Vaati successfully absorbs Zelda's Light Force, vastly increasing his powers and killing Zelda; Link has a much harder fight but he IS the hero and prevails; Vaati is too powerful to be destroyed by the foursword, so Link is forced to SEAL him instead. THIS timeline is darker from the get-go, as Hyrule has lost their beloved princess and is robbed of the light force until Hylia's next reincarnation in a future Zelda. No pantheon of sages is established until centuries later, as the powers are passed through bloodlines and normally held by the young 'maidens' of those lines. There is no temple of time; rather there was the need to establish a sanctuary to house the foursword and it's prisoner. Vaati eventually breaks free, as we see in Four Swords, and the hero again defeats and reseals him. Then comes Four Swords Adventures (obviously the true Four Swords sequel) where we contend with Vaati one final time. But by now, Link's foursword is steroided-up on power; whilst the wind mage's stolen light force from centuries past, has waned enough such that Link is finally able to destroy Vaati. But on top of being the sequel to Four Swords and the final curtain for Vaati, it is also a PREQUEL to A Link to the Past; and most importantly: Four Swords Adventures, is THIS timeline's introduction to Ganondorf! THIS Ganondorf, much like the rest of THIS Hyrule save for the royal family, has NO KNOWLEDGE whatsoever of any Triforce or sacred realm (actually called the Golden Land in this timeline). As such, THIS Ganondorf's ambitions lead him to seek out the most powerful artifact that he WAS aware of: the Dark Trident. It is this trident that makes him GANON in THIS timeline; and ONLY in THIS timeline, does he EVER have the trident. At the end of Four Swords Adventures, Zelda and the six maidens seal Ganon within the foursword. And by the time Ganon escapes (if a far weaker Vaati can do it twice, c'mon!), the world is now aware of the Golden Land and it's sacred relic; and Ganon leads one of the many armies fighting in what was called the Imprisoning War. These armies eventually breached the golden land, and fought within that land to claim the Triforce; so the King ordered the seven sages of that time (which did NOT include Zelda and in fact, were originally called the Seven Wise Men) to seal the gate to the Golden Land, thus IMPRISONING the armies within - hence the name of that war. In A Link to the Past, Link learns more from the seven maidens he rescues - that Ganon was the victor who claimed the triforce, and wished to rule the world, which turned the golden land into the Dark World.
      And there you have it. Timeline that makes perfect sense, with splits that make perfect sense. Solving the FSA problem by recognizing it is direct sequel for FS and the prequel to ALTTP. There aren't actually two Ganondorfs, it is the same man born into each of the two timelines. The one in OOT then experiences a timeline split leading to the two different ADULT/CHILD destinies. Chronologically, OOT is at par with FSA; which would mean that OOT's Link 'the hero of time', is THAT timeline's version of the FSA Link; and same with the Zeldas in fact.

    • @GarryDKing
      @GarryDKing 8 місяців тому +1

      considering moblin has been used to describe dogmen, heffalumps and extremely obese bokoblins. This could make sense for the Rito too.

    • @Ahouro
      @Ahouro 8 місяців тому

      @@methodius--9405 Your timeline is impossible so stop spreading it, we know you like to spread this lie.

    • @methodius--9405
      @methodius--9405 8 місяців тому

      @@Ahouro it’s not really impossible. BotW and TotK are basically a fourth timeline from that branches off from Skyward Sword.
      Besides, Zelda Encyclopedia and the Official Zelda website says that can our “imaginations” can be used.

    • @Ahouro
      @Ahouro 8 місяців тому

      @@methodius--9405 A timeline split from Skyward sword is impossible because one of them would not have Skyward sword Zelda in them and without her no Hyrulian royal family.

  • @just_a_regular_rat
    @just_a_regular_rat 8 місяців тому +3

    You’re welcome?

  • @Limoncita_
    @Limoncita_ 8 місяців тому +1

    Hope one day you’ll make it to 100k subs, you deserve it. You put a lot of work into your videos so i think 7k subs isn’t enough xd

  • @mr.wheelchairperson8963
    @mr.wheelchairperson8963 4 місяці тому +2

    Aww man, I’ve been trying to get to get in game photos of the domain at night. It’s always raining thought. But this, @3:28 this is STUNNING.

  • @user-ol5nm7th6j
    @user-ol5nm7th6j 8 місяців тому +4

    Tf did my husband do?😳🤔

  • @saraross8396
    @saraross8396 8 місяців тому +4

    Some of this I agree with. I don't agree with the "dead sages" theory. For one thing, they are shown to be very much alive at the end of Ocarina of Time. They lack any of the usual Zelda depictions of ghosts whether they be friend or enemy.

    • @fumikagetokoyami5040
      @fumikagetokoyami5040 8 місяців тому

      Well, the Satori is a dead sage, technically. I can’t remember where I saw it in Tears Of the Kingdom, but there was something about a story of a Sage that fought til his last breath, where it had died on Satori Mountain, becoming the guardian of the mountain after death.

  • @LilHawg
    @LilHawg 7 місяців тому +1

    the ethereal water also gives a good gameplay reason why link's swim time is so insanely short

  • @oligb1469
    @oligb1469 8 місяців тому +1

    When I found the lore tablet that said that Sidon was Ruto's decedent I freaked out! Mostly because Majora's mask takes place a few months after Ocarina of Time which means that Majora's mask we find in the depths protected by 6 lynels could very well be the original which terrifies me because why would you need that much protection for a replica?

  • @MellyMellouange
    @MellyMellouange 8 місяців тому +3

    in multiple asian languages, "10,000" can be non-literal and instead mean "hundreds upon hundreds", as in, "an amount so big, it's uncountable". So when Doraphan's tablet says "Thus, as the legends go, the domain was born 10,000 years ago", the intent could've instead been "the domain was born hundreds upon hundreds of years ago". So you can take instances of the number "10,000" with a grain of salt.