Japanese Majora's Mask is VERY Different - Region Break

[@Lampent12]

The Skull Kid scream in the JP version almost feels like a cut away gag. The timing is just impeccable 😂

[@gregwilliams4926]

I wanna think that it shifted to the Moon's hearing, cause you can hear it lower pitched when it zoomed in on its face, reacting to it finally body slamming the earth.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Haha it does! Would have assumed it's intentional. Honestly this game is sheer nostalgia, this came out in third grade and I played it so much. Better then ocarina. Since I loved RE/MGS, starship troopers and vampire hunter D as a wee lad this games darker style was right up my alley

[@WickerOSeer]

I think there’s a good chance “Last” was changed to “Final” to sound more ominous in English. “Last” also feels more awkward than “Final” to have on its own, as it is on the in-game clock.

[@n30p47h1c]

Ya, I don't think anyone would mistake "Last" to mean "Previous" in this context. Also, he explained it so awkwardly that I didn't even understand what he meant at first

[@GameMasterKyro]

​@@n30p47h1c I only understood what he meant after you explained it, so thank you very much for that.

[@GL_099]

This is very common in localization. Japan loves using english words and sometimes they just don't sound quite right, because they don't have a good grasp on the language. That's all it is. It was changed in the english version because it sounds better, that's all.

[@alteye1]

@@GL_099 Agree with this one. "Last" (ラスト/rasuto) is commonly used in Japanese in certain situations. For example sports practice, somebody counts the reps out loud, they'll count "1, 2, 3, 4, last", literally "rasuto".

[@4xzx4]

@@GameMasterKyro I still don't understand... 😶‍🌫 (not an English native speaker)

[@Cliffordlonghead]

12:42 The counter on the japanese save file is not a death count. it a count of how many times the player played the Song of Time.

[@LilacMonarch]

That's really interesting. Seemingly the same counter from OoT isn't the same. Funny how they liked to just show you mystery numbers on the n64 zeldas lol

[@bahamutbbob]

It's like, the counter when you finish Link to the Past is a save counter. At least the one at the end of the credits, I don't remember if file select gets the same number applied to it.

[@Dhaos620]

​@@bahamutbbob It's a death counter. link's awakening got one too

[@blackm4niac]

@@Dhaos620 Link's Awakening also seems to be the only Zelda game with a death counter where the number actually matters. If you finish LA without dying once you'll get a fairy Malon at the end of the credits flying across the screen singing.

[@devonm042690]

@@blackm4niac I thought it was Marin escaping the dream world as a seagull?

[@jamesprumos7775]

The mask was called the "Deku Nuts Mask" because in Japan Deku Scrubs are called Deku Nuts.

[@bahamutbbob]

Then what did the call the item, Deku Nut?

[@VintageFenrir]

What are deku nuts called?

[@thepsyshyster]

@@VintageFenrir Deku Nuts are called デクの実, roughly translated as Deku's Nut/Seed. The Deku Scrubs are called デクナッツ, which is pronounced in Japanese the same as we say "Deku Nuts" in English.

[@randomnpc445]

​@@thepsyshyster Sound like the idea is that in Japan they're trying to compare Deku Scrubs to coconuts. That's the only reason I could think for them to add the English word for "nuts" to the name like that.

[@yellohammer8571]

​@@randomnpc445Funnily enough, looking at the faces of the Deku Scrubs, they do have textures similar to a coconut.

[@jonicthedgehog]

Intrestingly, the japanese cutscene with Epona is retained for the 3DS remake, rather then using the american one.

[@HelpTheWretched]

I noticed the 3DS version also keeps that treasure chest shortcut in the Pirate Hideout.

[@cl8804]

@@HelpTheWretched i noticed the 3ds version also is dogshit

[@DoUbLeH9]

They don't like seeing the hero of time happy.

[@nathancphillips2497]

@@cl8804found the nerral fan. The 3ds version is fine. Form your own opinion

[@cl8804]

@@nathancphillips2497 i have. it sucks shit from a straw

[@somedude2343]

Fun fact: In the Japanese version of Majora's Mask, the game uses Japanese for it's language. Meanwhile, in the American version, it uses English for its language. Cool, huh?

[@Cabbbage7]

Odd he didn't mention that, I wonder if he's getting paid off by somebody.

[@BoundaryBreak]

I knew i forgot something!

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Hi​@@BoundaryBreak

[@Hemostat]

every 60 seconds in japan a minute passes

[@jadedheartsz]

@@BoundaryBreak I do have a theory about the nose ring thing-perhaps Nintendo were hoping to avoid getting protested by PETA as they'd freaked out over the album cover of Aerosmith's "Get a Grip" which similarly featured a cow with a photo-shopped nipple-piercing.

[@the_bookworm8281]

I find it interesting that there are changes made to the USA version from the original Japanese version, that they would later backpedal in the 3DS remake. In the 3DS remake: 1) The Epona cutscene uses the original Japanese one. 2) The block formation on the entrance of Stone Tower uses the original Japanese one. 3) The shortcut in Pirate's Fortress that was cut in the USA version of N64 MM was brought back. I am sure there are other examples as well. N64 MM had an extremely short/rushed development cycle of under 2 years, so it makes sense that there would be so many differences between each version of the game.

[@JohnDoe11VII]

Sounds like the 3DS team didn't backpedal, they just ported the Japanese version and started work from there ignoring or were unaware of changes in the US version. There is also a bunch of weird issues introduced with the 3DS version with changes to water skipping and zora swimming. Changes in geometry making a stray fairy awful to get.

[@the_bookworm8281]

@@JohnDoe11VII It is only a small handful of stuff that is kept from the JPN version; otherwise it is either based on the USA version (Deku Palace, Skull Kid noise, Mikau pushing, etc) or something new.

[@TheMacC117]

​@@the_bookworm8281 if that's true, and they backpedaled on the Epona Scene, that's ridiculous. The US version that doesn't cut her face, and actually shows Link having some emotion, is objectively better.

[@StarlingKnight]

​@@JohnDoe11VII But then, western 3DS version of MM lacks the underground passages in Deku Palace garden, so it doesn't fit all well that it's based on the Japanese version with western languages and (example) Skullkid's face color changed

[@SeedyZ]

Here's a couple changes between Japanese and English that are relevant to speedruns. - Song of Double Time in the US does a scene reload, while in JP it does not. This lets you skip some cutscenes in English, like Mikau slowly walking and collapsing onto the beach. - The snow boulders blocking the path to Mountain Village can be backflipped through on English, but not on Japanese, meaning you can skip needing an explosive for it. - Saving Koume in the woods is a little faster in English because you only need to talk to Kotake in the shop once after seeing Koume to have her give you the red potion, instead of twice. If she's in the Woods looking for Koume, targeting her to talk in the US version has her lower down immediately, while in JP you need to talk to her first before she starts coming down to you. - Loading zones are faster on English than on Japanese. - When doing a Hyper Extended Superslide (HESS) with Infinite Sword Glitch (ISG) active, hitting a ledge in English does not stop the superslide, while in JP it does. This makes a method of skipping Goron Lullaby called Snowhead HESS only doable on the US version. Combined with other little time savers, this makes English the faster version for a lot of categories over the Japanese version, when for a lot of other games it's the other way around where English is slower.

[@hentaidude666]

You watch Zelda Feet Glitcha too eh?

[@p_clove]

god tier comment from seedyZ

[@spacekoalalove]

I love your comment. This took me back. 🥰

[@Cabbbage7]

I did NOT expect this video to open up with Shesez detailing the history of blackface

[@NoobsDeSroobs]

Not really a lot of detail, though.

[@Cabbbage7]

I think it was more than enough 😂 for the type of video this is I feel the amount of context he gave was appropriate. It would be odd if it turned into a documentary on blackface for 10-20 minutes. ​@@NoobsDeSroobs

[@MachFiveFalcon]

[Edit: @sunwukong2 reminded me that in OoT, Skull Kid originally had large lips - more like black face.] It's one of the cases where his design doesn't resemble American blackface cartoons as much because he has a beak instead of large lips, but I'm glad they changed his design anyway to make it clearer to the US.

[@JohnnyRetroInc]

Interesting how having no face is quick to interpret as having blackface, more of america being very quick trigger, or American news media and less Japan’s ignorance.

[@SteveNever1]

Regardless of the history I think the straw design looks better anyway

[@JaidynReiman]

Bean Salesman- That honestly makes WAY more sense. That's not an easy spot to find, so it makes sense to have him on a higher ledge not normally accessible. Otherwise its so weird that the Deku Guards don't just go in this obvious hole with two torches next to it, find him, and kick him out. Pirates Fortress- Seriously?! Every time I access that I keep thinking "there's obviously a shortcut to jump down, right? Wait, no? Why not? What's the point of this extra wall here? Well it was in Japan! It also makes more sense the chest would face the throne as well.

[@qwesx]

Regarding the Pirate Fortress: I assume that this was done because the shortcut caused some issues. When entering the top area there's a cutscene strongly hinting at a wasp nest. It's possible that many players overlooked the small window to shoot it down and tried to do something with the shortcut instead, either getting frustrated that the nest can't be shot from that position, accidentally falling down or simply there being some weirdness with the follow-up cutscene when Link is standing in that position. Also it makes way more sense that the throne room doesn't have some really convenient assassin spot right behind the throne.

[@devonm042690]

@@qwesx Tatl calls you as soon as the cutscene ends, because Link runs to the window and overhears a conversation between the leader of the Pirates and one of her subordinates. If you answer her call, she tells you that you can shoot an arrow through the gaps in the window. Unless this was added to the US version, players would have no excuse for missing this. Especially since you wouldn't be able to find the shortcut to the room below until after the cutscene.

[@DestroyedArkana]

I'm assuming the bean salesman was moved because too many people never found that hole in playtesting. No idea why they decided to remove all the other shortcuts in that area though

[@DR---]

​@@DestroyedArkanathey probably removed the other holes because players were getting confused and lost. That area is already maze like and those short cuts aren't needed and just make things more maze like and confusing.

[@UniGya]

The removal of the tunnels in the Deku Palace might have been to free up memory. A common problem with localization back in the cartridge era was that English text often takes up much more space. Because of this it wasn’t uncommon for content they deemed unnecessary to be chopped off to make space. They probably saw that there was already a stealth minigame for you to avoid the guards so cutting out short passageways could free up enough space for what they needed

[@TheMacC117]

This is correct.

[@sasamichan]

I always interpreted the black face as shadows. Like a jawa.

[@TheLonelyGoomba]

Same. I think that was the intent but y'know, better safe than sorry with these things. Never know how people will react

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

It’s similar to why the Gen 1 Pokemon Jinx was changed (both officially in the US AND Japan eventually) to have purple skin rather than black skin. Jinx looked like a racist caricature (and it really did, too, regardless of the original intention).

[@saphi20]

@@TheLonelyGoomba and you see what good that “better safe than sorry” did to the world, with weaklings everywhere crying about the most stupid things and demanding censorship everywhere…

[@muffet1536]

Reminds more more of like Vivi ff9 honestly

[@ShuajoX]

The original design always just looked like a shadowy imp to me. Jynx or Mr. Popo, I understand immediately. But the idea that Skull Kid's design could be interpreted as blackface was genuinely shocking to me. The glowing eyes and the beak make him look less humanoid, so I never made that connection.

[@pcho93]

As someone who is proficient in Japanese and lives in Japan, there is a better explanation to the "Last" part. As most people are probably aware, Japanese people use loan words from English such as "desuku" (desk) or "daburu" (double). Another one often used is "rasuto" (last) which they use to exclusively mean "final" and never "previous". It is also a word they would understand despite it being written in English. If they ever wanted to say "last/previous", they would say the word in Japanese, izen（以前） or zenjitsu (前日) meaning "previous day". I knew this as a fact from my early years teaching English to children who would understand that an activity would be coming to an end when I told them "last" despite their low level of English proficiency. If I told them "final", they would look around in confusion.

[@CaptMurph]

That's interesting. The other half of that is I feel like "Last" is more equivalent to 最後 in native Japanese usage than "Final." It's something I've noticed doing translations. And since the team scripting and working on the game would be native Japanese speakers, they would likely be thinking of 「最後の日」and looking to stylize how they represent that concept. "Last" seems to consistently be the choice within Japan.

[@featheryfemme]

Well, yes, but I think he was saying English speakers might be confused. It would make sense for Japanese speakers, as "last" only means "final" for them, but "last" in English could be interpreted as either "final" or "previous".

[@JM-zv4uo]

With the cow differences which are confusing but in Japan they normally use nose rings for cows and rarely with bulls.

[@OKeijiDragon]

Early in the year that Majora's Mask came out, there was major controversy arsing over Jinx's blackface appearance in Pokemon. I imagine around the time this game first came out in japan, all that drama was fresh in their minds and made the earliest decision to remove the blackface.

[@PretzelSage]

japan just doesnt care or see it the same as we do. search gyaru

[@TheMacC117]

Strange that Ocarina of Time escaped it though, Skullkid's face is still black there.

[@OKeijiDragon]

@TheMacC117 I don't know if it's strange since OOT was released well before the blackface controversy occurred (if no one is causing a stink about something at the moment, why bother after all) though I will say that NOA were seemingly becoming sensitive to cultural elements when localizating Nintendo games around this period, if the infamous Fire temple chants are any indication.

[@j.k.4479]

The Last/Final day part was explained poorly, you should have said that confusion could arise from the fact that "last" could be interpreted to mean "previous" and so it was changed to "final" to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. Otherwise, great video!

[@emmettturner9452]

Exactly. In the same spirit, I should point out that you mean should have and not “should of.” ;)

[@minionofgruumsh]

It took me a while to understand what was being said there, too. But also, I don't think it goes that deep. "Final", as a word, has more gravitas and different implications behind it than "Last"; "last place", "last chance", "last remaining" vs. "final countdown", "final exam", "final episode". it just *feels* better in a natural language sense.

[@lancepate]

I personally think it has more to do with the fact that cursive and serif heavy writing are hard to read even for people that know it; if you go back and look at "1st" and "Last" you'll see what I mean, if I just glanced at those I probably wouldn't notice a difference.

[@mrjoe5292]

@@minionofgruumsh Honestly this makes more sense to me. "Final" is better for English speakers, they probably didn't think too hard about the word choice until they came to localize it. Or perhaps "Last" would be more readily understood by a Japanese audience even if it's not the best word to use in English.

[@mcdonkey500]

lol yeah that made no sense to me

[@theswordidtruth]

"Skull-too-la" for Skulltula always cracks me up. Don't get me wrong, it's how I said it for most of my life, too. Then I saw a comment that pointed out that it's a portmanteau with tarantula- creating "Skull-chu-la" -and I've never gone back.

[@latt.qcd9221]

I think just about everyone that played a Zelda game growing up pronounced at *_least_* one thing wrong in it. I remember always mispronouncing "ocarina" of "oh-CAR-in-uh" as a kid instead of "a-kr-ee-na." Doesn't help that the British pronunciation is more like "o-kuh-ree-nuh", only adding to the confusion.

[@dia3654]

​@@latt.qcd9221very true. There still seems to be confusion on 'Farore', lol.

[@Quaz_Tf2]

There are languages where Tarantula is a normal T (all except english) and they are "Skulltulas" in every language

[@brittany4724]

👀 You'd have a chuckle about how I pronounce it, probably. "Skuhl-tuhl-ah" 😅 I also always read "deku" as "duke (doo-kee)" and had no idea that "c'mon" was "come on" and read it like "see mon," only ever thinking it was a language quirk of Termina-nians/Hyrulians. But hey that's what you get when you're an American 5th grader trying to read dialogue and adventure at the same time lol

[@enchantedbananas]

idk where the extra G came from but Gorons will forever be "Gorgons" in my head bc that's a better name.

[@MetroAndroid]

It's unfortunate they changed the Skullkid's face from Ocarina of Time. Navi mentions that he's sad he has no face, which is also implied to be why he purchased the skull mask. So him being faceless is kind of very relevant given the mask symbolism of the sequel. 2:33 Skulltula comes from tarantula and the last half is pronounced similarly. 5:00 We kinda got the short end on the Deku Palace, it was like its own mini-dungeon in the Japanese version! 9:15 I don't think I ever actually used the owl statues to save, maybe once. Idk, I just always wanted to "finish" a session and not stop in the middle. xD

[@LittleWhiteRabbitB]

I did always wonder why Skull Kid's face looked different compared to OoT. I mean, in game it's explained that he has no face, so I think that change was unnecessary.

[@benredfield6643]

Yeah the skulltula pronunciation catches a lot of people out. I know back then I said it in a weird way too. To add more flavour to that pot, in Japanese they're called スタルチュラ, sutaruchura. This matches up with the Japanese pronunciation of tarantula, タランチュラ (taranchura). One more thing about the name. If we translated スタルチュラ a bit more literally we'd get Staltula. In the Japanese games their name follows the same pattern as Stalfos and Stalchildren etc.

[@Ian.Murray]

I agree. Modern sensibilities ruin timeless art.

[@evilstarlegacy]

I'm not sure if him having a straw face changes that. He still has eyes and the beak even when it's black, so he kinda has a face already.

[@cezarjulian0320]

@@Ian.Murraywhen did the American version come out relative to the Japanese version?

[@tykat12]

Part 2 Part 2!!! Great video, always love a Region Break episode!

[@BoundaryBreak]

More to come!

[@NicoDoesLP]

​@@BoundaryBreakwanted to let you know the reason they use "last" instead of "final". It's because in Japanese SAIGO (最後) means last or final, but Japan sometimes uses the wasei eigo "LAST" to describe that. It's not uncommon in Apex Legends to say "ラスト！ラスト！" To indicate that there's only one guy left on an enemy team (the last guy)

[@thetophatguyandroid5959]

The Japanese Deku palace does make more sense. I was always wondering why the bean guy is just in a hole that is just there for no reason inside the castle

[@GmNdWtchr96]

"Oh no, the evil moon is crashing into the Earth again! What a totally un-frustrating way to play a video game!" -Strong Bad, "Doomy Tales of the Macabre"

[@R-MAN-mp5tw]

Oh no! Whatever shall I do?

[@chompythebeast]

Appropriate pfp _Burninating the countryside..._

[@KairuHakubi]

Seems like a lot of the localization was to make it less frustrating. I can't imagine going through all those deku tunnels while slowly running out of time, having to start, what, mapping it myself? I don't even feel like it was the frequent "make it easier for the americans, they're wusses / make it harder for americans, they need everything challenging / want to avoid people beating it in a weekend" tack either, it's just that this was a very rushed game and it had some edges to file off.

[@Terezar]

Homestar runner references always get a thumbs up from me

[@sithlordmikeyp]

I prefer Skull Kid's scarecrow design, but I kinda think the change was unnecessary. Maybe I was ignorant, but I never got the vibe that it's blackface from OoT. I thought he just looked mysterious, like his face was a shadow. I still think that actually.

[@Alloveck]

Same here. I see the original version's black being like the classic Final Fantasy Black Mage's black face: Perpetually shadowed out, rather than actually black. Also, if his face is totally obscured by shadow, who knows what it might actually be under that darkness. Maybe even a skull? If it's textured like clearly visible straw, then it's definitely not a skull. So the name works a lot better if his face is mysteriously shadowed out. The US version might as well be called "Straw Kid." And whether the original Skull Kid face was supposed to be actually black or in shadow, I'd say that in terms of pure aesthetics, that original all-black style just plain looks better either way.

[@spaceghost9969]

That’s because you’re not a crazy person. How insensitive of you to enjoy a childhood video game! Are you gonna take that?

[@latt.qcd9221]

It's definitely not blackface. There's literally dozens upon dozens of fictional characters in Japanese media that have characters with a completely black face. The kind of people who would complain about something like that don't actually care about it; they just like to complain and virtue signal.

[@GoggleGum]

@@spaceghost9969You’re stawmaning lol

[@spaceghost9969]

@@GoggleGum that’s pretty funny man. I see what you did there. Nice.

[@Tomiply]

3:49 Wait, why is it unnecessary if it's way better? That's reason enough. And why is it surprising when looking at a 3D game like this? It makes sense because it's a 3D game. Like, in the US version, you can actually see Epona now. They fixed an issue that happened because of the 3D perspective.

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

Alternate universe Shesez: “A really normal change that needed to happen”

[@didiercollard]

I think he means it's surprising because it takes a lot more effort to make a change like that than you'd usually see in a localization. But between that and things like the owl statue save feature, it seems like they used the opportunity of a newer edition to make a major patch. Pushing Mikau also seems like it was a major hassle in the original version! Glad they fixed it.

[@Bootleg_Jones]

Seems like the changes for the US version were a bit of a mixed bag. Lots of good QoL improvements for the most part but also some weirder changes like removing those underground passages in the Deku Palace.

[@Careidina342]

The Gerudo Pirate shortcut is one that shouldn't have had been cut.

[@clydesapere1977]

@@Careidina342 Agreed. Maybe they thought players blasted through the fortress fast enough already and they wanted to stretch the stealth section of the game by removing that shortcut.

[@DougSalad]

One of the only places in the game with wall spiders, too. Not counting gold ones, I mean

[@demiliomason1565]

Completely arbitrary claims to make calling them "unnecesarry" as if implying the changes are bad in some way. The deku nut paths are changed obviously because without that hill to get to the bean salesman he needs to be somewhere else so the player can actually access him. Abd to male the area easier, as with less paths there are less chances new players will get lost.

[@bahamutbbob]

​@@clydesapere1977 Laughs in stone mask.

[@crystalqueen9711]

You also forgot one major detail where when you get to the moon, the Japanese version has a short cutscene showcasing the children and the tree while the US version just smashcuts to Link

[@spacekoalalove]

I swear Shesez was playing a later release version of MM. I played this originally on the N64 and half the things said to be in the Japanese release I’m pretty sure I remember playing through as a kid.

[@JeffreyThrash]

I remember feeling jealous that Japan would usually get games first (it's almost as if Japanese companies prioritize Japan, first!), but this series has made me realize that in the pre-update world of video games, this often resulted in the eventual US version getting some crucial bug fixes that (mostly) made the US version the most stable and balanced version. It's interesting in this case, though, that some of the changes in the US N64 release were actually changed back to how it was in the Japanese release in the 3DS remake!

[@bewearstar9462]

Yeah this game released 6 months apart from April 2000 in japan to October 2000 in the usa and November 2000 in Pal regions

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

More stable and balanced does not always mean more fun as kids love messing around and finding cool exploits to show to their friends

[@JeffreyThrash]

@@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena That is true, but as an adult I definitely don't have the patience for "jank" that I used to...

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

@@JeffreyThrash depends on what you mean by "jank"

[@shinyagumon7015]

I feel like the changes in the Deku Palace might be to make this part of the game easier for US players. You know less pathways means less ways for the players to get lost in, probably also the reason they moved the Bean seller because as you pointed out right before the top of the hill is only accessible in the Japanese version so the entrance needed to be moved to a different spot so US players could still reach it.

[@omegahaxors9-11]

A little fun fact about the 3rd save file is that because it runs double duty for file 1 and 2, you can use it to smuggle save states between the two. This is extremely useful for setting up Arbitrary Code Execution, allowing for otherwise impossible setups.

[@devonm042690]

Meanwhile I just use it to back-up my suspend point before resuming in case I mess something up.

[@yellohammer8571]

I remember reading somewhere about a glitch in the game, where if you save in one file inside a place where you can't ride your steed Epona, but in the second save a file when riding her, and return to the previous file, you will end up bringing Epona to the spot where you can't ride her, like a town or something.

[@professorhazard]

That tunnel in the pirate fortress is reminiscent of the area with the big stacks of bananas in the Yiga hideout in BotW

[@ThaneGaming]

I just beat the Japanese version of Majora’s Mask without a guide this year! I can't read Japanese, I'm just very familiar with the game and wanted to challenge myself to see all the differences. Besides the raft being raised at the Marine Research Lab (6:34), the Gibdo fetch quest at the bottom of the well was the trickiest part! I just kept handing over items until they accepted it... 😅 There are a lot of fixes in the US release that make me appreciate it more (like the one you mentioned at 8:06, with Link retaining his original position before putting on a transformation mask).

[@Okada_Caelun]

I assume the issue with Skull Kid's face was that, in the Japanese version, just was supposed to be "shadows". He's got the big hat, so it was probably supposed to be like like the Garo or Poes where the face is too shadowed to be seen... speaking of I don't think *they* got their faces changed, huh.

[@VideoGameJNPoop]

The counter on the Japanese save file is not a death counter unlike in Ocarina Of Time, it's actually a counter for how many times you save the game with the Song Of Time. This also means it is impossible to finish the game with zero saves on the file too, because playing the Song Of Time is (obviously) required to continue the game.

[@Lego3400]

That tunnel in the deku palace is the only place in the game that features Skullwalltullas, leading to an entire enemy being cut from the US version.

[@crystalqueen9711]

No, there's still one Grotto in Termina Field with a Skullwalltula in it, you need to go down there for a piece of heart

[@jaxpool155]

the stuff about the tunnels in the deku palace in the jpn version just clarified something that always seemed odd to me about the us version! i played the jpn version when i was a teenager, up through deku palace and when watching people play the us version something about the map always seemed off to me. thanks for solving a 15 year old mystery for me!

[@boingboingboingboing]

8:02 it was changed because the US version has switches to move the blocks on the temple side which are not there in the JP version

[@jimmypulido2465]

Nice video i like how you get straight to the point instead of rambling about your channel

[@_Majoras]

0:49 all they had to do was make skull kid say he was playing a character 🤣 it somehow worked for tropic thunder

[@CLxJames]

And Justin Trudeau

[@mokajones74]

Right off the bat Skull Kid being the same empty void as the back of the mask is actually pretty powerful

[@qwertyb18]

He keep saying "for some reason" like it's not obvious the US version was made after with fixes and improvements

[@JulianimeIsAmazing]

I think he's implying that the potential logistical issues or quality of life issues might not be immediately apparent, as they range from arbitrary at best, to bizarre and inconvenient at worst, or, are otherwise very clear improvements that address bugs, or address efficiency or game direction or gameplay experience.

[@rubenel7993]

How is getting rid of a shortcut considered a "fix or improvement"?

[@enerelbatbold1234]

Fun fact: Mario, Sonic, Earthbound, Legend of Zelda and Super Smash Bros was all made in Japan.

[@laggianput]

You dont say

[@enerelbatbold1234]

@ I can say whatever I want

[@pglagowski]

Most of these changes seem like additional playtesting tweaks. I bet those hidden paths in the Deku fortress were removed for pacing reasons.

[@UltraNurture]

I was on one of your twitch streams that you recorded some footage for this video and it was a good time and I hope I can catch your streams in the future. Can’t wait to check this video out!

[@Kaitri]

I can imagine some Japanese people seing this and being like "omg why didnt we have those qol changes"

[@cookieface80]

Well the 3DS version has most of the US changes in it for all regions.

[@BagOfMagicFood]

I did see a Japanese video comparing the original Super Mario 64's differences to the Rumble Edition without mentioning that many of the changes were first made in the international versions that came out in between the two.

[@robertwilliamson2856]

Good episode! Majora's Mask is my favorite game of all time and I didn't know some of these regional differences.

[@peenywallie]

11:55 That is because Deku Scrubs are called デクナッツ [deku nuts] in Japanese

[@yellohammer8571]

I read in the comments that it was comparing Deku Scrubs to coconuts, and if you looked at the textures of the Deku Scrubs' heads, they do look like the outer husk of a coconut.

[@jayalriik7421]

5:10 This is because since the tunnel leading to the top of the geometry in the Japanese version was removed, it needed to be accessible still in the US version. Plus much more intuitive and looks more important in the US spot.

[@SpecterVonBaren]

I wonder if the change of barrels to pots in the Skultula house is just that the localizers thought the barrels looked too large and heavy to be put up in the ceiling.

[@sk8erbiscut]

Both Zelda's are my favorite N64 games. Love your work man, I've been around since around 20k subscribers. I hope everything gets better for you.

[@ange101387]

As a kid playing this game I was kind of terrified of certain levels and certain enemies even though still one of my favorite games

[@TeruteruBozusama]

I haven't beaten it yet but it's one of my favorite Zelda games still 😅

[@OffSatan]

I did always wonder why skullkids were straw/wood like in OoT and MM, when they are the product of a child going through the process that turns you into a stalfos, skull is even in the name. It seems to me that skullkid's face is in shadow from his hat.

[@brettbrett678]

As a kid i never used the owl statutes to save my game. I read that if i saved with it it would only save for that time and then anything after was lost amd i took that to mean my entire file would be gone, so i always jaut used the song of time to save

[@KairuHakubi]

I just never used it because I was lucky enough to have time to myself to never have to interrupt playing. and I had a guide so I could plan out each cycle, never having to stop midway. Plus it just makes me nervous, trusting my progress to it..

[@bahooneyonastick]

Never would’ve expected so many differences ! Great video and presentation, so interesting!!

[@oskarsiwik3517]

I completely don't understand the explanation for "Final" vs "Last" day.

[@ShuajoX]

I think the assumption here is that "Last" could be misinterpreted by its alternative meaning, "Prior", as in "Yesterday". But nobody really talks like that. Most people will say "yesterday" or "last night", but not "last day".

[@eronth]

@@ShuajoX Yeah that was my take too. I suspect it was changed mostly because "final" sounds a bit more impactful than "last", despite meaning essentially the same thing in this context.

[@ganon513]

The last font is much cooler tho​@@eronth

[@WildWire124]

The ONLY reason I can think of changing the pendant of memories to be blue is because memories(which is an idea that ties into wisdom) and love are typically more associated with the goddess Nayru? That's all I got.

[@JoeyMulvaney]

Yeah, but skull kid looks to have a beak. Black birds DO exist. I don't get the blackface thing. It does not apply here.

[@featheryfemme]

he had giant orange lips in oot, which may have something to do with it.

[@NorkiNorkiGaming]

I think they removed the shortcut in the hookshot room of Pirates' Fortress because players were using it without realising they need to shoot the hornets' nest first and they would just get captured and thrown outside.

[@justinbuergi9867]

Still my favorite Zelda game!

[@RobotacularRoBob]

Still my least favorite Zelda game!

[@Buskeeeeeeee]

No it’s not. I know you bro, you don’t have to lie.

[@MajoraNoodleArms]

didn't realize this was only 10 hours old. Awesome! My favorite game of all time

[@davidlightblue2023]

For some reason barrels are very relevant in Japanese games. The Atelier series (like Atelier Lulua, Ryza, Lydie, etc) has special dialogues about barrels. If you get near to them and you press A (as if it were a NPC) the character will shout "taru!" which means "barrel". Maybe this is not relevant for other countries and they change the barrel with another object. It reminds me of the fruits from Animal Crossing and Yoshi's Island, in which apples are different as we usually see them. So they are "weird" for us and not for Japanese people.

[@velvetbutterfly]

I only played Rorona and Ryza but they kept the "Barrel!" gag in english. I'm not sure why it's a gag but it just adds to how happy and wholesome the game feels

[@maxisenberg9093]

how do you fail to see how the cow having a nose ring could be a sensitivity thing?...

[@barttheraven]

10:10 I'm a little confused as to what you meant here between last and final.

[@eraldmurati7697]

I was too, but I think he’s saying some players would think it meant last day as in “the day before”, think last in the phrase “last time”

[@GraceKelone]

Great video!! Thanks for making it, Shezes :)

[@GokaiPlatinum]

Blackface also was popular in Japan, thanks to Sanrios version ot Black Sambo. There is some lingering ignorance to it to this day over it there, which is why this keeps needing to get changed in US versions.

[@hereniho]

Yeah because a character having a shadow covering their face is clearly a personal attack against blacks. 🙄

[@Srcsqwrn]

Thank you again for such a great video, Shesez!

[@BoundaryBreak]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gabriellockwood2780]

Canada’s Leader did blackface and STILL is allowed to be in their Government- Granted, there’s only like 6 other people living in Canada, so… 😂

[@Gigglerue]

That counter on the Japanese version isn't a death counter, though I can see why you would think that given it's a death counter in Ocarina of Time, but in Majora's Mask it's actually a save counter, which I find really handy in having a challenge save file with as few cycle resets as possible. Fun fact: the fewest possible resets in a glitchless run is 002, in other words proof you accomplished the 3-day challenge, and without using owl saving no less! meanwhile 004 is the fewest possible resets for 100% completion~ :9 000 - Save file creation 000 - First save (counter does not go up for this one), entering Clock Town for the first time 001 - First reset, playing the Song of Time for the first time as a Deku Scrub 002 - The first cycle completed, either Beat Majora and the counter goes up, or collect as much as possible, or both! 003 - Wrapping up anything that wasn't obtainable in the first cycle, stuff like the All-Night Mask, Postman's Hat, Bomb Mask, etc... 004 - Listening to granny's stories, effectively wasting a cycle just for a heart piece and bomber entry...

[@inkygloves5197]

I think one of the reasons for them removing the ring from the cow is that the nose rings can be seen as a form of animal cruelty. They're used for controlling bulls and sometimes cows with attachable poles. And for weaning calves from their mother's milk (weaning rings have plastic spikes that make nursing uncomfortable for the mother and discourages her from allowing her calf to suckle). Granted that's a bit of a stretch. The first example is for safety, because you need to be able to wrangle an out-of-control bull/cow to prevent it from hurting humans. The second is so that calves can stay with their dairy cow mothers for longer without the farmer having to worry about the little fella drinking up all the valuable milk. But I do think some groups do take objection to them, and I won't say I don't understand why. It is a little harsh to think about a pierced septum that regularly gets tugged on.

[@sociallyundead419]

​@@hypercynic Because some people think it looks cool? 😂

[@cleverman383]

@@hypercynic maybe its a bdsm thing

[@alexandrialee1705]

@@hypercynicbecause women aren’t cows and don’t experience animal cruelty? Lol

[@hereniho]

@@sociallyundead419 Anybody who wants a nose ring should get one. It's a great indicator for everybody else to not take you seriously.

[@sociallyundead419]

I agree that it's a great deterrent! If I got one I'd get to avoid people like you, who judge based on appearance! 💚

[@4203105]

7:55 the change was probably made because they added switches to the other side and the blocks being up there would interfere with the switches.

[@MistressMajora]

I always thought the "tula" in "skulltula" was pronounced like the "tula" in "tarantula" because it's a skull spider. Almost like "chula". I know Zelda fans are adamant and vicious about their own personal pronunciations of the names of objects/characters within the series, so I'll let it go, but I do find it odd when people say "Skull-toola" or "Ochre-eena" instead of Skulltula and Ocarina.

[@alessandro6885]

When explaining Skull Kid’s Japanese vs. English screaming, a better way to explain would be this: “In the Japanese version, Skull Kid’s screaming audio only plays when the camera is focused on him and how loud or quiet the volume is depends on how far the camera is from him. In English, the localization team changed the variable for the sound, making it GLOBAL, so the audio volume stays the same regardless of the angle.” This is, to me, a better explanation since it directly explains the localization team messing around with the game’s code and making those changes that way versus a standard text based change or redrawing/retexturing an object without changing the code. But still a great video regardless!

[@taipion64]

I like the black face explanation. That’s hard to do in thirty seconds. As far as the nose ring on the cow goes animal cruelty has always been a much bigger deal in the US. Just look at the history of Milo & Otis.

[@AndrewDiMola]

I always thought it was strange there was nothing on that hill! Finally validated.

[@大銀河帝国の皇帝]

What do you mean, you can only save at the owls in the US version? I have the German version and I can save at them~

[@theEndermanMGS]

I think it is just that he was specifically comparing the US and Japanese versions. Within that context, the US version is the only one of the two with owl statue saving.

[@Siberianhusky89]

To be honest, I never really used the owl statues to save for the most part. I only used them to "save" if I was trying to do some of the craziest glitches this game has to offer. And some of them are ridiculously fun to use.

[@SlapadelicMusic]

Because there’s already whiners in the comments: The video is *not* accusing Japanese MM of being racist or intentionally depicting black face, it is explaining how in context it could remind players of black face or be interpreted as such, and therefore makes sense to change it to something that’s more innocuous to the culture it’s being presented to. Please people learn context and history and media literacy, the lack of all three is on display all over the internet these days lol

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

Gen Z man. Context/history/media literacy is just utterly lost on them. Brainwashed by wokeism. I fear for the future of the human race.

[@noireisbest6786]

Ain't that the truth! Some people barely understand even basic recent history let along the history of the US... And media literacy (or rather the lack of it) is a whole different can of worms.

[@keiffermaynard3384]

>Media literacy Cringe

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

@@keiffermaynard3384 proud of our ignorance I see

[@SlapadelicMusic]

@@keiffermaynard3384 media literacy is cringe? what a bizarre thing to say

[@TransientWitch]

It's so strange how much was made simpler, but also how many shortcuts were just removed between the versions

[@HeitorMD]

was just watching zelda 1 region break yesterday, such a coincidence

[@ThatJuanCanuck]

Wow, having played both versions countless of times for a long time, I'm truly surprised at how many differences I didn't notice until now, that I am seeing them side by side.😮

[@juanpi_alv]

I'm impressed by how many changes, for whatever reason, are between both versions haha. Also, I didn't quite get the "last" and "final" difference. Is it because it sort of looks like 1st?

[@TheFrozencup]

I took it to mean as, 'second' to last. As in this is the last day and the next one is final.

[@jonahshinault1506]

I think he means that last day could be interpreted as the day before like how people say “last time” to mean the time before

[@LilacMonarch]

"Last" can also mean "previous", which is clearly not what was intended. So "Final" is just clearer

[@YuBeace]

When looking up references for Skull Kid I definitely noticed the depictions of him with his face being entirely made of shadow instead of wood/straw. Thought it was a stylistic choice but now I know he genuinely just looked like that! Funky.

[@-ZH]

Ngl, feels more scary and better when the scream cuts in the jp version

[@tizanidinegoogl]

Actually it feels glitchy and ruins the impact.

[@TapticDigital]

Here I thought I knew all there was to Majoras mask, then Shesez drops a knowledge bomb on me. Love seeing Zelda stuff from this channel!

[@danielcarpenter1489]

Yo my favorite game! Thank you for covering this glittering dark star in the Zelda series

[@MySelfTheThird-ft8fo]

Im surprised by the amount of improvement there was. Not just dialogue or localisation but legit quality of life improvement !

[@loneskullkid]

Wasnt the Skull Kid in Ocarina of time also black faced? Think it was in my Pal version?

[@brettbrett678]

Yea he was also black faced on all US versions. It wasn't until MM they changed his face

[@loneskullkid]

​@@brettbrett678Yeah thought that was the case thanks

[@haakenbailey7381]

He also didn’t have a beak mouth in OOT, he had giant orange/yellow lips. Yeah.

[@WorldWalker128]

I'd wondered why this Skull Kid had a straw-looking face when the Skull Kids in OOT for the N64 showed them having black heads. I'd thought, given that the Skull kid had what looked like a beak instead of a mouth, that they were bird-people based on ravens or crows.

[@PretzelSage]

could be because twilight princess was on the way, and skullkids had been changed to be scarecrow-like in making for that title.

[@Slxczr]

you’ve met with a terrible fate

[@chompythebeast]

, haven't you?

[@z0mborg8]

Maybe they thought the secret passages in the Deku Palace were confusing, or didn't like how it looks like it let you avoid sneaking around the guards completely, which I guess makes sense even if it IS cool to have the option to choose one path or the other. Having the bean salesman in a more obvious accessible spot makes sense too.

[@YuBeace]

There are definitely people who get mad about nose rings, but as someone with a ton of farming experience, I gotta tell you nose rings are extremely beneficial. But I guess the process of putting it in is what upsets people because it does involve temporarily hurting the cow’s nose, but it’s more of a momentarily discomfort to them than a trauma. Nowadays people opt for different methods to control/calm down cows, but sometimes when a cow needs care from a vet, their nose does get temporarily clamped to make sure they don’t move around too much. But how rowdy they are depends a lot on the breed and how they were raised. …maybe they removed the nosering to signify the cows were friendly and very tame? Lol. Probably not the reason but it’s true they are very friendly.

[@hereniho]

Probably since nose rings are more associated with bulls in the US? Though I can easily see a bunch of yuppies calling it animal cruelty without knowing the actual facts behind it. Those same yuppies eat beef and drink milk while also saying dairy farmers are evil and should just release their cows to the woods to "be free" (and all die off in a matter of weeks to months, but the yuppie doesn't care as long as they get to feel smugly superior for "saving" the cows from the ranch.) In truth, nose rings are really important and beneficial like you said. Some humans get nose rings too, and they don't complain about it hurting for long after the initial piercing. And trust me, if the cows were in constant pain, you'd know it since they'd be as rowdy as a bull any time you go near them.

[@Cactar8]

I love stuff like this. My first experience with this was when I was around 2004 when I was 7 and played Final Fantasy 10, the Japanese version was more finished and had more bosses and I longed for it for years and looked up everything about it. Thanks for making this content.

[@TercesGarret]

That is a big stretch right there with the blackface.

[@featheryfemme]

you might think, but localisations make changes that seem unnecessary all the time for similar reasons. they might not have any effect on the actual gameplay but COULD be seen as offensive or cause backlash and as you can't update a cartridge game without getting everyone to buy a new version, they choose safe over sorry.

[@TercesGarret]

@@featheryfemme Yeah that's what people say, but I never saw anyone actually sue Nintendo for their soundtrack on Ocarina of time. Sorry bud, but I already hate both localizers and whiners as much as it's possible.

[@featheryfemme]

@@TercesGarret i’m confused as to what nintendo suing people over the oot soundtrack has to do with this

[@TercesGarret]

@@featheryfemme You're saying localization and censoring is important, I say it's important not to have it. OoT is a great example of how censoring yourself only affects your product for the worse in all scenarios.

[@featheryfemme]

@@TercesGarret i’m not saying it’s important. i’m saying their decision was rational. they don’t care what you think of the quality of the product is after the fact, they want to appeal to the largest possible crowd and not offend anyone if possible. that one single texture does not affect your enjoyment of the game as you wouldn’t even know what was changed if you didn’t know what it looked like before. they’re here to make money, not statements. still really confused what the lawsuit thing is about

[@maykol33]

I think these minor differences is because the game released in Japan 6 months before the US, that alongside memory and the rumble pack allowed devs to change a few things and localize it to the US.

[@maridaka7603]

9:56 This explination made total sense and it DEFINATELY did not sound like Shesez was talking out of his ass.

[@Johanliebert574]

He means that last could be interpreted as (previous) instead of final

[@Johanliebert574]

Got it ?

[@jinxliddell1910]

11:47 is in katakana, it reads "C item" translated Also wanted to add I love seeing these videos, it's fascinating to see the differences between a single game depending on location and how some things are translated

[@nerd_mor]

Engagement for the algo god

[@kantpredict]

There was one thing that bugged me as a UK player, years later, when i could only find a US rom of the game. In the opening cutscene when the fairies scare Link off of Epona, there is a lot of extra dialogue from Tatl, Tael and Skull kid giving unnecessary exposition that wasn't in the European version

[@pache396]

the japanese version just feels unfinished

[@Commodore128]

Oh goodness, that change to the owl statues is wild (and extremely positive). The ability to save in the NA version is limited enough as it is, I couldn't imagine trying to play this game without even that!

[@LetsPlayNintendoITA2025]

well owl save is in european too lol

[@RyujiRoyalSkull]

Awesome differences! Awesome video! Keep it up Shesez!