Who are the ZONAI? - A Breath of the Wild Documentary
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- We return to one of Breath of the Wild's greatest mysteries. Who are the Zonai, and what happened to them?
Special thanks to LoruleanHistorian, Kohle, LLLLLink, Rinkuto, Nonoctoro and Chateau LonLon for helping with the discussion and research of this video.
LoruleanHistorian - bit.ly/2T1evJh
Rinkuto - / mrlouink
Opening cinematic shots made by RwanLink
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Thumbnail created by Monster Maze
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Calamity Sans Font
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Check out the first episode!
• Zelda’s GREATEST Secre...
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Footage used:
Twilight Princess HD Playthrough (4K) - LoreboxGGG
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Skyward Sword Playthrough (4K) - goodgamez
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Other Zelda Playthroughs - ZeldaMaster
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Music & Sound used:
Opening theme composed by ZREO
• Video
"Pyramid of the Sun" composed by Phantawalker
• Aztec Music - Pyramid ...
"Medieval Siege Battle" composed by Michael Ghelfi
• Siege Battle | Combat ...
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#Zonai #BotW #BreathoftheWild2
Who’s here because of the reveal of legend of Zelda tears of the kingdom?
With the CLEAR Zonai dragon imagery? YES
@@JustJeff777 me!
y e s
Me lol. I need to do my homework before this game comes out
Meeee!!!
I'm hope you like the shots in the intro guys. It was a pleasure to make them ;)
You made those models! My god you’ve got talent dude!
Wow, how'd you do it?!
So fluid man, great job
you are so talented
Congrats man! It's amazing, you should be making movies :)
Zelda 30 seconds into TOTK:
"so yeah here's a Zonai"
And then literally everything onward was zonai at the detriment of a better story
@@joshvolk5832All thanks to Zelda though. If she didn't go to the past and tell Mineru to keep the tech alive for Link to use in the future, Mineru would've destroyed it all due to how Ganondorf abused it. She literally was planning on doing so until Zelda convinced her to trust that Link will fix things. and that's one of the first things to happen, so the Hyrule from BotW timeline ended with Zelda going back in the beginning.
@@MarioMastar all thanks to nintendo. The people who wrote this garbage
@@joshvolk5832 the story is excellent in both games; that's not only my opinion, but the overwhelming opinion of players and Zelda fans alike. I'm sorry you didn't like it though.
@@nikkolasgoff9232 i assume were both in zelda echo chambers. I see a lot of hate on totk and I imagine you see a lot of positivity. I wouldn’t say its an objective fact that its been an overwhelmingly positive reception. Its reception has been divisive in the lore community which imo is the most important. But at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter anymore. Nintendo is going to continue watering down story elements to favor gameplay. While also suing their own fanbase
Coming back to this after Tears of The Kingdom… wow. We all thought them as a barbaric tribe but nah. They were actually pretty chill.
I'm starting to think that the people of Lurelin Village are the descendants of the Barbaric Tribe. They both live in Faron after all. That would mean that said barbarians were Hylians whose barbaric ways seem to fade away as time went on. That's my theory.
Granted, we only see...what?...three Zonai in ToTK?
I personally feel like it'd have made Skyward Sword better if they did ToTK's story first, then did the remake/retcon. as it feels odd going back to Skyward sword, to see Link and Zelda effectively create Hyrule, only for the sky people to have been Zonai and their names were Rauru and Sonia. Personally I love the Zonai so I'd like if Skyward sword had us play as a young Rauru instead.
@@ReluctantWarriorand the wilder part, even THEY don't know much about thier own people. Mineru is studying her people and Rauru mostly is focused on raising the kingdom. It's implied the 3 dragons were former Zonai who ate their stones for whatever reason, but given Mineru is obsessed with learning more. What's curious is what she was trying to uncover. Her spirit powers also imply she was intending to live forever so she could keep studying, but that was cut short when Rauru died due to the abuse of the Zonai power and she, feeling personally guilty decided to destroy it all so no one would use the technology for evil. All until Zelda told her to keep it so Link had the best chance of fighting Ganondorf and knowing the stones and tech are in good hands, she can finally ascend to the afterlife. Likely feeling satisfied by her studies of what the Zonai's purpose was.
Ah the good old days, when the Zonai felt like some easter egg the entire fandom was completely obsessed with on the blind hope they'd become relevant. Little could we know just how incredibly right we were for this obsession.
"we" 😂😂😂😂😂 shut yo GOOFY ass
They ended up being furrys🙁
@@fantapapi469Problem?
@@angryvaporeon1121 based
But the question is, did nintendo always want the zonai to be important to the story of totk, or did they make the zonai important because the fans obsession
Because of the cinematic opening, I couldn’t remember whether I was watching a theory video or a homemade Zelda movie
I say it’s both.
Omg me too it was gorgeous
It's by Rwanlink. This stuff is the norm for him.
Lol but true
Wait it wasnt a movie?
This is absolutely amazing. The amount of detail, research, not to mention editing is stunning. I cannot even imagine the amount of work and dedication one has to put into something like this. Glad I was able to be a small part of it! I hope this documentary goes down in Zelda history as one of the best. It definitely deserves it!
Moving from the end portion of this video, discussing the interlopers as dark magic users associated with the Gerudo, the Sheikah, The Majora Tribe, and potentially the Zonai, is even more compelling in tandem with the "Curious Case of Kakariko Village" Theory on your channel, because the Shadow Temple heavily suggests that the Sheikah of Ocarina of Time have an intense relationship with Dark Magic prior to the game, which in turn matches the discussion of the green of the lumina stones being associated with the green of the green substance found beneath kakariko village, and their connection with the dead, and the presence of the green glow in the Fused Shadow and other Twili magic.
Prior to Ocarina of Time also puts it in the likeliest possible of the battle of the Interlopers for the Sacred Realm.
Getting more speculative, perhaps the presence of the eye symbol on Zant's throne without the tear, could actually mean that the tear was added to the motif after the split. Perhaps the tear represents the sorrow of the Sheikah's past, where they were torn apart following the war for the sacred realm and subjugated by the royal family.
Taking all of this together could mean that the story of the Zonai is actually the story of Hyrule's cultural divisions prior to its unification, and the origins of the Sheikah in relation to many of these other peoples during and as a result of the Interloper conflict.
Stop promoting your channel.
@@BalboaBaggins tf do you mean
@@BalboaBaggins He literally did not do that. He was congratulating NBC on this video. Stop telling people what to do.
@@BalboaBaggins he is not promoting his channel he is giving a congratulatory speech to a fellow content creator!! So hey listen and shut up. Sorry dont mean to be rude
I feel the need to point out the sages existed before Ocarina of Time. Your job in Ocarina was not to gather them for the first time, but rather to gather replacements for those who were lost.
Huh
In every game featuring the sages, they are referred to as descendants, are they not?
@@BurnsyRuns wind waker was just successors, but its not out of the question that they are descendents (kokiri children turning to trees, and zora evolving into rito)
True, but Rauru is speaking of past sages from that era, and while there were games that came out before OoT that referenced sage's or included them, technically wasn't OoT the first time chronologically that Sage's are introduced into the timeline? And then while we are gathering replacements it's still technically the first introduction of them chronologically iirc
@@BurnsyRuns almost every game has their version of the sages, OoT's are obviously the most popular but there are all sorts of groups. it's "sages," not "Sages" if that makes sense
One theory that I've always had, was this: Was the Link from 10,000 years ago actually a Zonai? I've always wondered why, in the tapestry, Link is shown as having red hair. It's not a limitation of the tapestry itself, as Zelda has blonde hair, which means that either this Link had red hair, or was wearing a helmet with red hair in it. Something like the Zonai's helmet. Also, while every Link we've known has been a Hylian, or the closest thing to it in-game (cough cough Skyward Sword cough), it was never stated that he had to be Hylian. The curse simply states that it affects the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Hero. If the Zonai were as dangerous and war-mongering as their stated to be, it could be that Link was born a Zonai, as an embodiment of Courage. It could even explain what happened to the Zonai. Link helped the Hylians, and so brought his people closer to them. Then, they simply interbred with the Hylians, until there was nothing about the Zonai left. Plus, the Royal Family wouldn't want it to be known that they were saved by the Zonai, as that might diminish their power, so they simply retold the story as Link being a Hylian, and the Zonai as having "mysteriously vanished". Then, any part of the Zonai culture was systematically removed from history, until all that was left was ruins. After all, our civilizations have been doing that for centuries, and they've had 10 millennia to do the same.
That's a good theory
basically the hylians "colonised" the zonai for their own personal gain. LMAO just like britain
Good!
Not really related but that "Link is not stated to be Hylian" make me think of the fact that Twilight Princess' Link may be part Gerudo if you take some theories into account.
He's the descendant of the hero of time and live in a farm.
In Ocarina of Time, Link encounter three girls who like him; Malon, Zelda and Ruto.
Zelda and Ruto being princesses (and Ruto not Hylian even if... nevermind), only remaining choice is Malon. She live in a farm and is already close to Epona.
This is a theory but it is commonly accepted that these two end up together.
And Malon is half-Gerudo. She has red hair, the game states that Gerudo girls are making boyfriends amongst hylians, and Talon (the father of Malon) tell Link it reminds him of his wife when you wear the Gerudo mask.
so basically, the zonai are to hylians what neanderthals are to modern humans? makes sense lol
Personally I do think that was hinting towards something, because Zelda in the tapestry is not only blonde but practically identical to the colours of her BoTW incarnation (white dress, blonde, white) yet Link is completely different
"Babe, wake up! NBC released the Zonai video!"
BABE! BABE! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAABE! BABE!
NBC is my favorite news site
Watch out! Hey! Hey! XD
yes babe
That’s cool and all but is that a zonai swirl
I love how all the Zelda-Tubers are not competitive towards each other and they all support each other with collabs and they generally seem a lot closer as a group of content creators compared to other youtubers.
I greatly appreciate this too. It just helps us look for the truth and see things from a different angle.
So true!! Makes sense that they’re cool if they love Zelda that much 😏
That would be silly if they were competitive. I think anyone interested in zelda lore wants every bit that they can get(though i do have my favorites)
Friendship is magic
Have you seen the One Piece community? LOL but yes. Fellowship among similar/fellow content creators are always a plus for us viewers
As someone with Mexican descent, have family in Mexico and been to Mexico more times than I remember, the Zonai ruins and character remind me of the Mesoamerican cultures. In Mexico City near the Presidential Palace they have excavated a column that reminds me of the pillars made by the Zonai.
I was literally there just a few days ago lol. When I came back the trailer for tears of the kingdom was revealed
Facts, I love the Zonai and their region and architecture since I first got to the Faron region in BotW
Link’s Mexican now?!
check out the leaked art book for some of the armor. i though about the same when i saw it
👎 Mexico is NOT real 🚫🙅♂️🙅🏽
It's always so cool coming back to these theories after having played a bunch and having discovered the sequel lore. Some stuff held up, some was off, and some is in-between. Great stuff.
Im literally gonna make some popcorn, turnoff the telephone, put this on the television and watch it like a movie.
I... I wish I had thought of this.
This is practically a movie. And it's a lot more interesting than many movies I've seen
Exactly what I did! Minus the popcorn. 🥲 No calls please. Thanks.
I did the same lmao
At 10pm, with a blanket and my cat... it was great
With commercials?
"It's my sleepover so I get to pick the movie"
honestly i wish my friends were into this stuff cus yes 100% oh my god
?
My theory is that the zonai suddenly disappeared because they used their magic to put their souls into luminous ore underground, which powers the hand that seals ganon
And the zora built their domain out of that stuff 💀 cutthroat
@@sunfeatherX3 theres even a guy that you need to collect luminous stones for ._. how do they not know of this belief
So close
No they went to the sky becuase they are 4 year olds who go somehwere new
I think the Zonai disappeared because Mineru destroyed all remaining evidence of the Zonai's existence after Ganondorf used the secret stone to kill her brother. Notice how Zelda has to suggest keeping it around (as she genuinely doesn't know what to do) and she laments about how guilty she feels that all this happened, blaming herself because her extensive research of the Zonai tech and building all the tools is likely what drew Ganondorf to them in the first place. She gives a strong sense of "We should've never created these tools if they could be weaponized. The Zonai secret needs to be buried so no one will ever use it for evil again." but after Zelda convinced her (and Rauru) to give LInk a chance, notice the future completely changes as Rauru knows to save LInk and give him his arm and introduce Zonai magic to him. and Minuru instructs the constructs to continue their duties for all eternity but only listen to the call of the hero, the key being Rauru's arm. "We normally only listen to our creator, but we were instructed to make an exception for you."
Plus being the guardian of spirit, she seemed to intend to keep herself alive to keep researching through the constructs (as in Construct form she mentions that she's still tweaking her robot, bless her, she is an engineer at heart), but when everything is fixed, in the good ending with the sages gathered, she finally can leave the planet and allow her suit to decommission as she is satisfied that the world's in good hands and her technology will lead to a better future under LInk's protection. Finally resting in peace with her brother and Sonia. That seems to give the best hints to what the Zonai may have been like and given the dragons, why they might have all but disappeared, as with great knowledge comes great responsibility. But it seems Mineru's deep interest in her history was due to wanting to preserve her almost lost ancestor's technology, only until the point Ganondorf abused it and then she wanted to destroy it. Likely also why the Constructs are strictly programmed to only listen to her. Even Rauru can't tell them what to do and she programmed the override for Link's case specifically.
"Ganondorf was sentenced to execution."
*Water Sage is murdered.*
lol
/
Rip Sidon and his ancestor. Just couldn't get the water shield up in time.
Maybe the real zonai were the friends we made along the way.
+
🤣 omg you fucking nailed this one ☝🏼
That was amazing. Thank you
Thanks for sharing!
Way to reestablish the Tribe and resurrect a prehistoric civilization.
how much research do you want to put in a game theory?
nbc: yes
MatPat approves, and has another FNaF theory doing something similar for the hundredth time.
Did he talk about how something that looks like Zonai swirls appear on the Lanayru Sand ship in skyward sword? Could be a link to them
@@pocketshield7486 he did, along with in many other places in many other games. I actually have a working theory that the Zonai were the people who once lived on land spoken of in Skyward Sword, but fled to the sky upon Demise's awakening, only to live there for so long that they forgot their original culture and became Hylians once their descendants returned to the ground.
The ideas about the sky and the heavens are _sooooo_ much more interesting after today’s BOTW2 trailer.
Hey I'm from the future. Enjoy the novelty of the trailer while it lasts.
Edit: Well this aged like milk
AND EVEN MORE FROM TODAYS TRAILER YO
Yup!!!
@@MooseyVGM And now from the gameplay showcase there are actual zonai materials up there
Check out today's lol glorious
1:22:44 That statement aged like fine wine lmao
Imagine the devs watching this and just thinking “I used the design cuz it’s pretty damn”
that would be pretty funny
That’s most likely the correct answer
This dude can make an hour and a half video on a tribe we know almost nothing about. Nintendo should hire him to fix the Damn timeline😉
🤦🏻♀️
@@Duriel123 I absolutely agree with you XD
The Zonai have huge connections with all sorts of mesoamerican cultures, Not only are the serpent heads similar to Aztec designs but the broken disk that people thought was the mirror of twilight could be inspired by the Aztec sun stone which is confused with the Maya calendar. While it does depict the 20-day cycle it was most likely used for sacrifice and is one of the most recognizable mesoamerican symbols today. Also, the Zonai pillars are reminiscent of stelae found scattered throughout the Mayan region with carved writings such as important dates. Also while yes the Aztec capital was by the water, Lurelin village is more likely to be a reference to Mayan settlements on the coast seeing as it lies next to the Faron jungles much like in the jungles of the Yucatan. Even other games like Majoras mask has loads of mesoamerican influence I could go into more detail but there are just so many references, This stuff is so cool! Glad to see you have a segment on it in your video since for some reason I haven't seen many people talk about these connections which are odd, Cant wait to see what else there is in BOTW 2, and keep up the great work NBC!
Reading this comment I realize that I expected the stone tower temple to be brought up at some point in this video, but I suppose the geographic difference between Hyrule and Termina might've been enough reason for its exclusion. 🤔
The point of Majora's Mask having some Meso-American influences is a very good point, lest we forget the majestically prancing Odalawa, the giant tribal warrior boss of the swamp. Also, it is a point that Zonai dragon statues do bear resembelence to Quetzacoatl, the feathered Serpent-God of the Aztecs. However, the architecture of the Zonai ruins is off, not fitting the influence.
@@MidoriOfTheShuinsen True, Like NBC said there were asian influences in zonai architecture creating a mesh of real life cultures to make this fictional one which is cool, same goes for Majoras mask also having some african influences mixed in
I love how many different influences this game has. I particularly love the Arthurian references, though I guess Link being the 'once and future king' who is reborn whenever he is needed is a pretty big one.
This is very possible, but its also possible that it could be based on early civilizations in Japan since the developers likely know that history the best.
"zonai might be part of the plot" dude, you had no idea.
Always love these "In retrospect....my guess was in the right direction." cases. XD
I think it's so fascinating how the klesha poisons correspond to a different triforce virtue than is traditionally associated with that animal in the games. Like, the boar/pig is associated with power, but also foolishness (Ganondorf being powerful, but still being able to thwarted by a child sometimes), the rooster/bird is associated with wisdom, but also greed (very prevelant in Hilda, Zelda's Lorule counterpart, where she's incredibly cunning and intelligent, but her intense desire to help her kingdom blinds her to the consequences of her actions, and also Tetra, a literal pirate), and the serpent/dragon is associated with courage, but also aggression (Link solves most problems via sword and rarely tries to talk things out with an enemy).
Further, the modern sages seem to reflect that as well. Tulin is brave like link, ironically reflecting the dragon (despite being a bird), but he is reckless which worries everyone for his well being. But the fact that he didn't give up is what ultimately saved the Rito from starving to death.
Yunobo is strong and has a wild aggressive attack like the boar. It was easy for fake Zelda to use his position as head of Yunobo co to bully everyone with absolute pride, and given how they all talk to him after the brainwashing is gone, he seems to feel genuinely guilty about his actions, implying his rage was amplified by short sightedness and lack of foresight
Sidon seems to be a reflection of wisdom as he wants to help the zora with his water powers, but is afraid of losing his sister and is very pacifistic despite being adept at the spear. It'd say his blight is less "greed" and more Pacifism. as he's afraid of losing someone because he's overthinking the worst case scenario rather than attacking the source of the problem. and only once he gets told off by his wife, does he realize what it means to be a King and take his father's place.
Riju is definitely power, though she doesn't show ill personality traits as much as needs to master controlling her lightning powers and her responsibilities as a young Queen. Though she doesn't really have much of a growth arc like the others, she has good control over her powers and thus is able to easily save the Gerudo.
Mineru is wisdom and her lust for knowledge caused her to build all these devices that could be used 10,000 years later to help Link stop evil. She does blame herself for Ganondorf getting the secret stone and attacking everyone, but the Zonai tech doesn't have any negative reprocussions except the one boss fight possessed by Gloom, which is mostly locked underground where no one could be hurt anyway. Thus her foresight and planning ultimately protected Hyrule in both timelines, the With and without Zelda.
and Link is the most successful wielder of courage. as unlike Tulin, his bravery leads to successful protection of the land. The only time he really let it get to his head at a cost was Hyrule WArriors, but typically Link does the right thing wiht his heart in the right place. The player may be able to mess up, but Link himself usually doesn't. Even Wind Waker Link was just a regular boy who saved the whole world because he wanted to protect his sister. No powers, just a teen with a sword.
Interesting idea, the 3 elemental sages show the reckless half of the Triforce's power while the 3 spirit sages show the power as used properly at their own physical detriment. (since LInk, Mineru and Riju do kind of take a beating to help everyone, while Tulin, Yunobo and Sidon have to be told off to "get it together")
0:00 - Intro
7:59 - Chapter 1: Recap
14:49 - Chapter 2: Timeline of Events
20:05 - Chapter 3: Cultural Connections
26:37 - Chapter 4: Ganandorf
31:58 - Chapter 5.1: The Interlopers
36:04 - Chapter 5.2: True Identity of the Interlopers?
44:03 - Chapter 6: Buddhism in Zelda
52:19 - Chapter 7: Wind Tribe & The Oocca
57:12 - Chapter 8: Darkness & Light
1:05:59 - Chapter 9: The Dragon
1:11:37 - Chapter 10: Origins of the Swirl
1:17:23 - Chapter 11: The Sheikah Tribe
1:21:33 - Chapter 12: Conclusion
You're welcome :)
Thanks dude
Thanks!
Thank you for adding these timestamps! Just one thing though: you spelled Ganondorf with an "A" instead of an "O". Otherwise, this was very helpful!
You know you’re tired when Ganondorf becomes Gandalf...
Dude ur epic
I’m personally partial to a pre-Skyward Sword Theory. The Zonai could have all been ancient hylians or shiekah from before skyloft was raised. They would have worshiped the goddesses and the triforce. The boar being used so little may not have been the zonai, but rather more contemporary people tearing them down. They would have become symbols of evil after Ocarina of Time despite that not being their original intent. A kind of rewriting of history.
I was thinking the same thing about the boar statues everytime he mentioned them being more destroyed than the others.
Well, this aged well
There are skyloft carvings on the Lanayru ruins
@@jacksondavies1451 what why? What did i miss lol.
another key fact to consider that he didn't touch on: the size of the boar statues. had they been on pillars like the others, the pillars would have to have been larger to support the increased size of the boar head comparative to the owl and dragon iconography.
In my opinion size denotes importance, and the boar was larger than the other two... just my two cents.
Who's here after Zonai CONFIRMATION in the Aonuma gameplay?
Maybe the two “zonai swirls” are supposed to represent different things, while still both being part of zonai, instead of one being shieka. Like maybe the plain swirls are to symbolise a challenge or trial while the swirls with ticks are supposed to symbolise something like a home or a more peaceful place, if that makes any sense.
:/.............Yeah makes sence
Kinda like shadowmarks for the Thieves Guild in Skyrim.
maybe they are supposed to be for those who allied with the Zonai?
I was thinking one was meant to be an open eye, while the other a sort of "wink."
What if the 2 swirls represent 2 phases of the zoani 1st phase when they where loyal to ganondalf and 2nd phase when they broke that alliance
As a mexican, i love how much care you put on saying correctly both the names of the old gods and the capital city of the Aztec empire or "mexica" as school books say how they truly called themselves, saying the x as if it were a j in spanish language, i did found a lot similarities with them in both the war clothing and architecture, great job on the video :)
Hahah but he really butchered the Buddhist and Indian words
Should have mentioned how its strange the ruins have so much overgrown grass when all of you people are lawn mowers
I dont care.. Plus mexican plus ratio.
@@mavisseafoam Buddhism is Indian...
@@DirtyBobBojangles lol get it? Cuz it's racist, and racist = funny right? Sick joke bruh GOTTEM
it turns out that the theories are way better than the actual Zonai... Welp, that's life
Well I am about 5 minutes in TotK and I'm pretty sure this video is about to have a 2nd viral bump
"creation of technology" has the same energy as "history began in 1674"
40:07 that wasn't the fused shadow that corrupted Yeta. She was corrupted by the mirror of twilight which I think was created by the Hylians and/or the sages.
Ah- very true. Thanks for the correction! It's possible that the mirror was made by the interlopers given it's design, so it could still be the same source of power.
As someone who grew up on Twilight Princess, it's so awesome to see that it has such a huge part to play here. :)
Here after the nintendo direct, it looks like there'll be a lot of zonai in botw 2!! I’m so excited
Nintendo: This structure was made by the Zonai!
NBC: no
I wonder if someone at Nintendo watched this and is like “someone finally gets it”
This should throw money at my man
This is my theory on what happened to the Zonai. The Zonai used all their souls to seal Ganondorf since the hand's color is similar to luminous stone. Also the luminous stone in the cave in the first trailer for botw 2 has souls of the Zonai too. So maybe the hand draws souls out of the luminous stone to keep the seal on. When link got grabbed by the hand. His arm got cursed by the souls of the Zonai.
close enough lol
It’s been so awesome going back and watching these videos in preparation for TotK. I plan to watch all of them and be totally prepared.
The animations in the opening are completely out of this world. Fan creations are just so beyond amazing.
I know how hard you worked on this one, NBC. I just wanna say I admire the dedication, and appreciate the result.
Hi. I'm Mexican :P I'd just like to add that the resemblance to prehispanic cultures isn't only reduced ced to Aztec heritage. The luminous stones and greenish blue stones also look like Mexica sculptures. There's also the Cultural del Occidente (westernt Mexican cultures)
There's a famous piece, called the Mascara de Malinaltepec that looks very similar to the zonai art. It also look like the new statue with a green energy neck that appeared on the 2021 E3.
Idk if it's useful at all, I just noticed it and want to point it out :D
Edit: 24:44 lake Texcoco xD I never noticed that in the game. CDMX is actually built over that same lake, el Lago de Texcoco.
I'm just being a nerd. 🤓
So.. it's mexican and aztec? I was right! Danny Trejo was the first link 😆
I'm sure this will get buried, but the previous video in this series got me thinkin about the Zonai-esque labyrinths, probably made by the Sheikah.
What if the labyrinths, rather than being adorned in Zonai architecture just for aesthetic appeal, were adorned in Zonai architecture as a *WARNING*?
Because it's theorized now that the Zonai, or at least a subset of them, were followers of Ganon (pig statues, magical markings on their clothes that give them power [like the Bokoblin]). At least in the cultures of Hyrule, Ganon is seemingly universally regarded as a symbol of pure evil. A savage tribe that worships them, even if it was only a subset of that tribe, wouldn't gain a good reputation. Given that Dragon and Owl statues are also found amongst Zonai ruins, it seems to me that the tribe either worshipped all three symbols simultaneously and split into different factions, or were different factions with respective symbols from the beginning. In either case, the other bit of evidence I see pointing towards this theory is the fact that the Zonai were described as "warlike." Aside from being "magic users," this is the only bit of information we really have on their culture. It stands to reason that a warlike tribe of savages with ties to the incarnation of Evil would be recipients of heavy mistrust and ill-will from the other denizens of Hyrule. We also know that the Zonai vanished suddenly several thousand years ago. Something that isn't really precedented by any other bit of BotW lore, as far as I know.
So, with all that in mind, hear me out.
What if, rather than vanishing randomly, the Zonai were wiped out?
Specifically by the Sheikah.
History is written by the victors, afterall. What if the Zonai people who worshipped Ganon (although they probably wouldn't have called him that) were wiped out because they were seen as a threat by the Sheikah, who are servants of the Goddess, and would very much revile anyone who worshipped the direct antagonist to the Goddess' will (being Ganon). That might explain the labyrinths. What do you do with artifacts (Zonai clothing) that have heavy ties to malice and Ganon (markings that increase power)? You lock them away in a labyrinth where nobody could get them. And then, you might even carve the outside of those labyrinths with Zonai architecture. Because to the people of Hyrule, at the time the labyrinths were created, the Zonai and everything associated would be seen as a recently defeated evil. Nobody would want to enter something covered in their markings. This COULD also explain why the labyrinths have scattered chests and rewards. Lures and misdirections for those who ignored the warnings and ventured in (although that's probably better chalked up to video game logic). It's also interesting to me that the Zonai were very specifically highlighted as being "warlike." Rather, that that was the ONLY trait that was focused on. Not the fact that they were magic users, not the fact that they were heavily religious (they carved the iconography of their religion on basically everything they made), not the fact that they were industrious and adventurous (which we can surmise because we find their architecture all across Hyrule). No, specifically the fact that they were "warlike." This is a stretch, but you know what that sounds like to me? Propaganda. Regardless, it's a telling bit of language. Cultures are far too complex to accurately be boiled down to 1 attribute like that. Which makes me think that, rather, the biggest mark that they left on history WAS some sort of war or major conflict? Then the Sheikah, winners of said conflict, wrote history to reflect the Zonai as warlike, since those were the terms on which they had the most engagement. This bit is probably reaching too far, and we can chalk warlike up to video game descriptions.
There is ANOTHER layer to this theory, which is arguably more interesting.
We know that at least SOME of the Zonai worshipped Ganon, or something very closely associated. What about the other Zonai though?
I'd said previously that cultures are too complicated to boil down to a simple attribute, and that goes for their religions too. We see Dragon and Owl heads as religious iconography everywhere. Very importantly, they're the only Zonai statues that haven't been defiled. I think this suggests that there was, in some sense, a division (or divisions) between the Zonai. Those who worshipped the Dragon (Courage), those who worshipped the Owl (Wisdom), and those who worshipped the Boar (Power). Sheikah, being servants if the Goddess, would only really have an issue with the subset that worshipped the Boar/Ganon. So in this theoretical war, perhaps Zonai fought on both sides. Those who worshipped the Dragon/Owl siding with the Sheikah to help eliminate what had clearly become a cult of Ganon in the Boar worshippers. Which could explain why it's ONLY the boar statues that are obviously defiled. They were symbols of a history the Sheikah were trying to eradicate.
OR
The Boar worshippers were a subset of Zonai that arose AFTER the Zonai had settled in Hyrule (see: the Zonai were likely a seafaring tribe at some point, even if they weren't the ones that Akkala Citadel was built to defend against). The only evidence I have for this is the fact that the only place we ever see Boar head statues is in the Zonai Ruins, which we know to be their home base. Maybe the Zonai settled, and as they spread, a new cult was forming in their most populated area. Idk
I have a few more ideas relating to all of this, about the hero we see in the tapestry, the mystery pilots from 10,000 years ago, what would have happened to the Zonai who the Sheikah didn't actively eliminate, the leviathan remains in Hebra mountain being the water spirit the Zonai worshipped, etc. But I'm posting this unfinished cuz I've been typing forever and I'm losing my train of thought. I'll probably come back later and finish, hopefully with new information, as I'm sure there's a lot I don't know that would directly disprove some of these theories lol. Uh thanks for reading all this if you did
d u d e, WTF!!!
Sick theory
Bro that’s incredibly well thought out
Dude, make that into a yt video, it would blow up
This theory slaps. I'm borrowing this for my head canon if you don't mind.
Ugh these documentary type vids are so breathtaking and entertaining!!! Everyone whose efforts went into making these should be proud af,they are spectacular
The Three Tribes theory is interesting, because they each have a unique relation to each piece of the Triforce.
The Yiga follow the wielder of the Triforce of Power, but are a powerless splinter group with little influence; The Sheikah follow the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, but their ignorance is what enables the Great Calamity; The Zonai could follow the wielder of the Triforce of Courage, but they're shrouded in mystery and remain hidden during the worst events (if they aren't actually extinct).
Really cool insights...
Me chilling here day 1 on Tears of the Kingdom listening to him say "The Zonia may not have a part to play in the sequel"
Yeah...😂
Hehe well the Zonia don't really exist but.... the Zonai... XD
Sorry, not sorry. XD
Hindsight is 20/20 but it's fascinating to see the leap of logic connecting the savages of Faron to the Zonai. I get that there's no way to really know they weren't one in the same, but still
Now that we have totk, we know the ruins of faron were zonai in origin, but that leaves the barbarian set to not be connected to anything. What tribe was the barbarian armor from then? The demon tribe of demise maybe?
@@stathisconstantinouI remember reading that the tribe were some hylians who worshipped the zonai but once they went extinct started using zonai magic to make the barbarian clothes
The Zonai are so mysterious that everything from is a completely different zone and world. Everything look it came from a mysterious savage past maybe a magical dystopia?
...Or maybe Nintendo didn't give a damn about the Zonai and they thought they were just placing cool rocks.
@@Alfonso88279 that's probably sadly true...
"completely different *zone* and world." I see what you did there.
The devs said they left them a mystery so they didn’t have to spend time giving a back story. They just used them to explain “ancient” stuff. The zonai were not meant to be anything.
You know everyone is scouring UA-cam for E3 leaks right now. I hope this video gets like a million views bc of that fact
Love that this was done a year ago - *watches intently*
OH how young and naïve we all where...
Imagine a reality where the Zelda developers actively keep up with Zelda Theorists and go so far as to consult with them when expanding the in-game narrative for BOTW 2.
It would be great ;-;
I secretly think the devs follow the zeldatubers and consider their theories when plotting a new game story, like: what could we do to shock them?? 🤔
I think that would be a little counterproductive. If the devs used the zeldatubers and the larger community to inform their games, we would have never gotten anything like BotW in the first place. Yeah, I think that a lot of things that the community comes up with are cool, but there's a big problem with making and developing just in the design space that already exists. It makes it so you can't make anything truly new and awe inspiring. Admittedly, I think your heart is in the right place as it feels like the series interconnects well in places, but then drives way off the path like this is a series of parallel timeliness that occasionally cross paths, with features that get passed into the others when they do link up.
Don't need that. Comment above is right, games like BotW wouldn't be made then. Just look at most "What BotW needs" type vids. They usually mention things from prior games or scrapped concept art, hardly anyone really thinks outside the box.
Why would you consult with theorists? Kinda defeats the whole purpose of theories.
Before I even get to watching, I appreciate the use of Zelda Reorchestrated’s Twilight Symphony. Always makes me happy to see that music get attention since it’s just so good. Been listening to it since they uploaded it online so many years ago.
Nintendo went "Meta-game" and the texture change of the barrows was actually done only to symbolize the way the Hyrule Royal Family was part of "eliminating" the zonai. *That* is the major thing I got out of this video lol. Anyways, after the E3 trailer I'm quite excited to see what the next video on this series is going to look like, we still got a year ahead of us.
I have a slight theory on the Zonai after totk:
What if there were 2 different groups who were described as zonai? The Zonai in totk being the original zonai, and a group later on who were described as a barbarian tribe. In Faron it seems that the old zonai civilisation ruins were layered with a new design. In addition the barbarian set in botw describes a tribe which does not really reflect what we get to know about the zonai in totk.
nah, the barbarian armor was definitely meant to represent the zonai originally before totk was even a thing. The layering you are describing is literally just the devs putting a new coat of paint over the old one, because I doubt the world builders were thinking this far ahead in 2015 lol
@@LNKSonUA-cam Zelda was never meant to have a timeline to begin with, nor has it ever been really planned for the games, if you actually have anything in-game which would point to a different theory I would be happy to hear it. And yes, the devs putting a new coat of paint is just a way to put their ideas in to the old botw map, but that does not really disprove of this theory. Its as if you are assuming that the Zelda franchise is even planned to fit the timeline to begin with... Which spoiler alert its not
I like to think the Barbarians were the Hylians, before the Zonai descended from the Sky
I think there may be a connection with the Lynels for some reason. Be it a war or possibly alliance with them. I was just thinking that due to the Barbarian armour having what looks like a skull and mane of the Lynel.
Yeah, I was wondering if he was gunna talk about the skull on the armour. Dosen't it also look like the giant unexplained skull formation at the bottomless swamp?
Maby the mane but the skull isn't like that of a lynel if I were to guess it's from an ape of some sort but I'm not an expert
@@panyanabrd3183 he talks about the armor in the first Video. He also says that the Link from Impas Story looks like ge wears that armor. I agree, it looks similar.
A few things that could explain the Akkala citadel being less old could be:
1) The old citadel was destroyed and a new one was built more recently;
2) There was a smaller castle once that was built on over time; possibly as the threat of Ganon seems more and more unlikely and defences were concentrated on other threats;
3) Many castles, such as the Tower of London, were originally built in wood, and were rebuilt or covered in stone after they were built.
What if the Akkala Citadel was built on top of the ruins of a previous Akkala Citadel, with the ruins becoming buried in the steep hill that Akkala Citadel 2 (the current one) is built on? KInda like how some cities are built on top of older ruined editions of the same cities.
I actually didn't like the whole "Zonai descended upon the Hylians" thing. I would have much preferred them to be some kind of rogue race that turned against the gods and became an ally to Ganondorf. Then their descendants could have tried to right the wrongs of their past and help you find the secret stones of their ancestors. Instead we got a half man / half goat thing marrying the first queen of Hyrule and then making an incredibly dumb decision to allow Ganondorf access to the castle. Ah well.
This video is great post-ToTK. A very neat foray into what could have been.
Heres a theory for you, what if the zonai are just the ancient forgotten ancestors of the sheikah? As in they are sheikah, but over time architecture changed along with society and they moved away and because of bad communication lost the history of these people
War does cause a loss of history, and the unification of new society
Good point, maybe they're desribed as war-like because they were at war with Hyrule, during the Chaos Era, they lost and settled in the kingdom, stripped of territory abandoned name "Zonai" and became Sheikah. Leaving peacefully they also abandoned war-like culture and focused on technology. It's a possible theory.
Maybe they were a future culture that traveled back in time, forcing them to rebuild and eventually becoming the shieka. Would explain how the shieka were able to build so much advanced tech while the world was still dominated by massive beasts. And why they are so into prophecy. Perhaps they traveled back because of a Calamity and were willing to significantly alter the timeline to avoid this.
@@flooftof But the Zonai seem to reference the events of Ocarina of Time. By then, the Sheikah were already a thing and had served the royal family for decades.
It just seems strange that the Zonai would become the Sheikah, then the Sheikah would become the Zonai in the future, and then turning back into the Sheikah at some time before the 10000 years before BotW.
I have actually been thinking about that, since many of the things he stated were built by the Sheikas look very similar to those built by the Zonai. Maybe the Sheikas changed their name after rejecting their history with Ganon.
I would make a Zelda pun, but I don't wanna TRI and FORCE it
Clever
People are probably going to try to LINK their puns to yours.
Leave, *_NOW_*
Lol
Takes a lot of COURAGE to pull a bad pun you know is terrible but I can tell you put some WISDOM into it.
Who else is here to see how much estimation is right after Tears of the Kingdom released?
I enjoyed this theory and its funny to look back on... but we really just took the 1 loose thread of the barbarian armour and fucking ran with it like all hell didnt we?
Your content never ceases to amaze me. The facts, shots and voiceover is always perfect. Sometimes you include humor, and the background music always, and I mean ALWAYS, fits what you are talking about. Never stop making your amazing content!!!
Matthew Doherty you can go to hell. *yeet*
@@matthewdoherty803 Nobody threatened you. They made a joke about yeeting you to hell. They did not literally threaten you with hell. Like, just read what they wrote. It was a joke, not a threat. Also, hell is not real, so it would be a fairly silly threat.
Thank you Phantom Mountains, very well put
What did I even say that was “cowardly” Matthew if that is even your real name
Lol
He wigli gigly and phantom mountains sorry im in a bad mood right now i know that doesn't excuse what i said but im sorry i deleted all my previous comments
Again sorry
13:29 You mean boar for power, owl for wisdom, and dragon for courage, right?
Yeah, he probably misread it, but on-screen is the right quote atleast xD
Just thinking that
It comes up again later and there he says it correctly. So just a misread.
he did a big project based on this we're going to let it slide,
it's just a little misread
Read this right before NBC said it, lol
The green energy representing courage explains why it attracted to Link in the BOTW 2 trailer.
This is so interesting to re-watch after finishing totk
Finishing??? Are you on fucking speed elixirs??
@@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf some people got the game earlier
I love how BotW has deep lore in addition to amazing gameplay. One of the best games of all time imo.
Isn’t it great how he used the Aztecs to tell the history of the Zonai
The most compelling argument for me that the zonai, at least at some point, followed ganon is that the barbarian armour very clearly has red hair like ganon.
Just here to see if he got anything right
This production quality is truly amazing, you have outdone yourself yet again.
*sees the new video has posted*
"Oh cool, I'll just have this going in the background while I do some work."
*sees extremely epic intro*
"... I'm going to have to devote my undivided attention to this o.o"
LOL same, i’ve been listening to a lot of theories in the background of work or drawing but the intro to this one let me know it would need my *full* attention
Jesus, all lore videos about the Zonai have aged like milk...
Probably because they were better written and more interesting than the actual story of tears of the kingdom
@@eboroniBased
*sees Zonai Charge*
Welp, time to do some research...
When you brought up "powerful magic users" quickly thought of the new villian that was in hyrule warriors age of calamity.
Imagine Nintendo hiring a 3D artist for a new Zelda game and telling them, "Just pick whatever old Zelda designs you like and throw them all over the place, the theorists will go crazy."
Appreciate all the work NBC & co., looking forward to more about the Zonai after BOTW 2's release!
ITS CONFIRMED
Here after the gameplay video!
At 35:25 - you make the case that not all sheika eyes have a tear drop on the bottom and you use the character young Impa from Skyward sword as evidence - since her shirt has an eye. You state that her shirt doesn't have a tear drop -- but look again. The tear drop is in fact there - it just hangs much lower than we're all used to.
I LOVE that you put these vides together. You, Zeltik, and the others -- I put these on while I'm work (software engineer) and its just such a great way to spend the day.
Alternate Title: Every Swirl in Zelda Explained
I’m at the point where he starts talking, I’m literally shaking with excitement
literally shaking
34:29 I’m gonna put a note here.
If you know you know
Hehe
OH MY GOD
holy shit
Here immediately after the trailer dropping today. Anyone else?
Same.
The opening credits are art
Yes, the opening is impressive. The epic ZREO music also fits well.
Watching this from a hospital emergency bed, nothing could stop me from catching this!
Are you ok?
I'm so glad I watched this before Tears for all the nuances of foreshadowing/environmental storytelling.
It's broad but also intricate. Very well made. Very informative. Thank you.
HOLY HECK THE ANIMATION AT THE BEGINNING SO GOOD MWAH
The 3 tribe theory fits well with thematic colour assignment to each Triforce trait.
Power - Red - Yiga
Wisdom - Blue - Sheikah
Courage - Green - Zonai
As instigated in the OoT goddesses scene.
Cultures across Hyrule with connections to those traits/pieces also follow the theming.
( Altho side note the Rito seem to get a little messy across the series with merging their connections all together, being that they were Zora but took over the Goron Patron & spiritual stone but also due to flight have absorbed the wind related aspects which was previously forest based. )
Bro this video looks like a ton of effort is put in it. Luckily i was following through with community post
The arm that holds down Ganondorf/Demise, belongs to the Hero on the ancient tapestry from the legend. The colors also match
All that visual lore, armor hints, and buildup they did for zonai in botw just to throw it all out for totk I will never understand. Maybe Nintendo was still mad about having to make a timeline and think youre all morons.
"Maybe Nintendo was still mad about having to make a timeline"
Silly boy, timeline exists since the 90s.
It’s actually here! I hope botw 2 has more story on the Zonai.
It would be cool if they brought back the book of Mudora as a translation mechanic for Zonai symbols/language. Maybe give it some kind of cool negative effect like you can translate but it will summon traps or monsters in the room or ruin you use it in. Make it like the Necronomicon. lol I know its silly, just thinking about it trips me out.
Thanks for making this I’m trying to learn more about Zelda lore as a casual fan ❤
Honestly NBC you make the best content on UA-cam. The editing and voiceover with no flaws is a sight to behold. As a fellow editor I know just how difficult it can be to just organize clips and make them fit with your voiceover, and you have a done it masterfully.
*me sees the title of the video* thinks "Oh cool a thirty minute doc on the zonai" *sees the length of the video* *Also me Slow clap of mad respect*
NBC: "Everything is connected. All of these designs are connected to one another and also to the Zonai."
The devs: "We just think swirls are neat."
Edit: Great job on this though. This is an excellent video. I hope many people are able to see this high-quality masterpiece.
how is it possible that every single theory was cooler than the truth
bad writing
@@StarmenRock it's due to people being too optimistic. I won't doubt it's not the best writing(i mean they went from unknown to known by all across hyrule in a short while) but its due to people being too optimistic and expecting something massive but it wasn't.
nintendo likes simple stuff and will retconn old games if necessary to tell the story they weant to tell
Game is meant for children as well so don't expect it to be that deeper or complex
Obtained item: Zonai Charge
We also have a power called "Fuse.." The Interlopers built the "fused" shadow!