The Zelda Timeline Doesn't Matter! - Nintendrone

Some of the most trivial discussions I've ever heard are those revolving around the Zelda Timeline. The conversation delves deep into the stories and history of the Zelda universe, but the discussion usually revolves around one topic. If every game in the series takes place within the same universe, what order do they go in?
Back in the day, no one really cared about it, but now it's become one of the most annoying conversations on the internet!

[@alonsosaernoriega1602]

A 48 minute and 48 seconds rant about how you dont care about something, god I love this channel.

[@jasonnewbery]

Its like in “The Other Guys” when Mark Wahlburg shows off his gymnastic skills “sarcastically” to make fun of people who danced and did gymnastics lmao

[@ElRicardoMan]

16:24 Can that song be the norm for whenever you get pissed off and start ranting? I laugh every time I hear it now.

[@jerryseinfield9609]

Sameeeee 😂 and it is the new norm thank God!!!

[@charlescresto1]

This is even funnier now with tears of the kingdom's story

[@PaleoSteno]

So true

[@Christopher-md7tf]

And the super nerds are still coping so hard trying to somehow make it fit with Skyward Sword and the rest of the timeline 😂

[@B33FY2011]

This video had me laughing my ass off at how much the whole fan made timeline winds you up. Well thought out and well told and has earned a well deserved sub from me. I can't wait to go through the rest of your content after watching this.

[@badwolf8112]

He's also mad about the official timeline created by Nintendo

[@hanburgundy4317]

@BadWolf Which makes this whole video just a tantrum lmao It's not the fault of the fans that the games have interconnected lore - the developers PUT it there. They're the ones who created all of these connections, and after writing themselves into several corners, they created an official set of Timelines to explain the connections to the best of their ability. They even state that the lore between the games are word of mouth: legends. Stories that are passed down through generations. Any inconsistencies can be chalked up to how the stories changed over time in the telling. The games are all connected, and there's a Timeline if you want it, but overall it doesn't matter. They proved that with Breath of the Wild being a full on anthology game that takes place 10,000 years after the unification of all of the Timelines because la dee da lol

[@DukeTheDukeTheDukeTheDuke]

@@hanburgundy4317 The timeline was not created by nintendo. It was fanmade. And they made it the the timeline because people could not shut up about it.

[@Zanybandz123]

I noticed something, All of the people who freak out if there is something in two different timelines never really noticed how Tingle is in both Majoras mask and Wind Waker. No one better say that reincarnation BS

[@LuckXvaati]

Same with Beedle. Makes no sense that Beedle existed in Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, and Breath of the Wild.

[@DoctorMario606]

It isn't the same Tingle. Tingle in Windwaker is just mimicking the Tingle in Majora's Mask him hence why he isn't as nice as him.

[@natenatenate10]

@@DoctorMario606 Tingle scoffs at timelines and the mortal concerns of power and desire

[@D00DM00D]

What about Beedle tho, he's in *6* games

[@ThornHailsnap]

The argument I hear about Tingle most often is that WW ver. is a decendant of MM ver., though clearly that can't be the case because MM takes place in an alternate dimension. They simply can't be related. And even if they were, why would Tingle's great great great great great great great great grandson be nearly identical to his great great great great great great great great grandfather, both in looks and in maturity? Same goes for Beedle and any other recurring characters.

[@MrGojira95]

I mean this series is called the LEGEND of Zelda. “Legend” as in a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proven to be true. “Link”, the main hero, is basically like an actual link, as in a connection. A connection to create different interpretations of the legends of Hyrule. All the Legends are not set in stone (even if Nintendo attempted to do that with the Hyrule Historia). But they are different stories told in different interpretations. Much like how a rumor can spread from one person to the next, but after about 10 or 20 different people pass down the same rumor, it begins to be interpreted differently. The point is Legends and stories, much like Zelda, are passed down from generation to generation, and can, and will, be interpreted differently depending on how someone sees the Legend of Zelda.

[@JuwanBuchanan]

True, but the issue is Zelda scholar nerds are trying to create a Zelda timeline connecting all these games together and treating them as canon, when it's clearly obvious it didn't need one, and Nintendo only made it worse with BOTW.

[@CertifiedClapaholic]

I don't understand why people can't just accept that each game is it's own game and story unless otherwise specified 🙄🙄

[@cato3277]

Because (at least pre BoTW) all the games pretty clearly would place themselves in a part of the timeline. Zelda 1, sequel in Zelda 2, Prequel in ALttP, even FURTHER prequel in OoT, diverging timeline sequels for OoT in WW and Majora, an origin to the timeline in SS - I could go on. These are just the major titles. There will always be a timeline, and just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean others don’t.

[@TheNerdyGinger]

How does this man not have more subs

[@JuwanBuchanan]

Because he keeps it real and doesn't tell people what they want to hear.

[@ssstatickid]

This is exactly how I've always felt about it. There never was a Zelda timeline. It's just a bunch of games with awesome puzzle dungeons and loosely similar characters and stories. THANK YOU

[@dexenationgracey1979]

It's like people don't know that stand-alone sequels exist.

[@Gedi2211]

I couldn't care less about the Zelda timeline. All that matters to me is playing great games. A timeline, in my opinion implies that the series has an end, something which I hate to think about. It will never end. Zelda does not need a timeline to be enjoyed. Nintendo did not think much about a timeline when they did Zelda, and that's all good. The Legend of Zelda is a game series which I really enjoy and the good thing about it is that you don't have to play other Zelda games to enjoy one you want to play. The Legend of Zelda games do not need to be connected to one another. There does not need to be an overarching story. The whole discussion about the Zelda timeline is silly

[@AzumangaFan13]

This is now my favorite video on KZbin.

[@JazzEKeez]

Of course the Zelda timeline was an afterthought retcon, but making up theories to link them up is still a fun exercise in imaginative detective work. Personally, I like to think that the zelda games are just a series of stories from parallel universes which all contain a Link, Zelda, and Gannondorf representing the balance of Power, wisdom and courage only some of which are connected as prequles and sequals.

[@jakebarton4325]

OW, my brain.

[@nickk3077]

Why can't Majora's Mask fit between Ocarina of Time and WindWaker? While Link was away in Terrmina, wouldn't it makes sense that something bad happened without the hero and that the gods would flood Hyrule at that time?

[@HyperCharge]

Because the start of the Wind Waker timeline happens after Adult Link is sent back in time by Zelda at the end of the game, so from that point onward in that continued timeline, Link no longer exists. The Wind Waker story revolves around the idea that the timeline split in this manner.

[@nickk3077]

@@HyperCharge Ok. That's good to know! Thanks! I would've preferred Majora's Mask's story fitting somehow, but it's fine.

[@pit2643]

"Because it's a fucking Mario game!" The new phrase should be "Because it's a fucking Legend of Zelda game!"

[@PinClockFuntime]

I think just calling them all legends makes a lot more sense, what do you even need a timeline for? If you think of the games as legends rather than timelines things make a lot more sense and are far less of a headache.

[@HyperCharge]

It's a combination of fans speculating a timeline and going super hardcore deep on all the games and then Nintendo desperately wanting to validate the fans when they didn't plan it out.

[@hanburgundy4317]

@HyperCharge Nintendo are the ones that wrote the interconnected lore into the games. You act like the fans made connections from nothing and Nintendo was obligated to cater to them, but the game developers are the ones who wrote the lore.

[@Elijah-NUMetal-IsMyWife-Boyd]

@@hanburgundy4317Tell me you missed the first ten minutes of this video, without telling me that missed the first ten minutes.

[@15spidergel]

So when do we get the video about the Zelda Multiverse, lol?

[@PaleoSteno]

I really want this to be the video that boosts your channel. You deserve it so much.

[@bananajoe5850]

The only way Ganon appears in the games is because every 100 years a gerudo king is born and that would be Ganon. You would know this by playing ocarina of time.

[@VikingBoyBilly]

IN the beginning of the mario timeline.... a carpenter named Jumpman Mario saves Pauline from his pet gorilla, Donkey Kong, and after some Hijinks involving baby bowser and some enchanted frog yoshi helps the stork deliver them twin boys, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Wait, before that, the twins... and baby wario, and princess toadstool... and Donkey Kong's grandson (???) fall back onto yoshi's island, because bowser's self from the future went back in time to do..... something unexplained, AFTER ALL THAT, the twins actually make it to their parents like they were supposed to (undoing the ending from yoshi's island before restoring it). Then, in the future, E-Gadd invents a time machine and sends adult mario and luigi back to meet their toddler selves to help stop an alien invasion that was attempted in the past that's never got mentioned... because the problem was already resolved in the past from the future to stop them from taking over the world, of course! Then mario grows up to be a middle aged man, Donkey Kong Junior grows up to be slightly younger (even though he existed before mario was born???) and Donkey Kong's grandson, who was in Yoshi's Island 2 DS, is now a teenager at the same time???? Anyway, mario beats bowser a couple times. And that frog. Remember him from Yoshi's island? Yeah. He's wart. That's my theory. Even though nobody really cares about mario 2. Do I have to go on? I'm tired

[@VikingBoyBilly]

but Wart was in Link's awakening! And so was Yoshi! It's all connected to the zelda timeline!

[@muamua101]

HyperCharge, you're one of the few people I love to hear speak for a loooooooooooooong vid. GOOD SHIT!

[@joalcogui]

Love your channel and your videos. Also, let people enjoy things.

[@sleepymeds3617]

This is an awesome explanation of the zelda series. I've never played a Zelda game until recently (BOTW) and there were some bits and pieces that confused the hell out of me. We all played Smash at one point and recognize that characters belong to certain series. So naturally I questioned where Sheik or Ganondorf would be in BOTW but thanks to this very detailed explanation I can play through the rest of BOTW without being confused as hell. Thanks dude

[@HyperCharge]

I'd recommend playing Ocarina of Time if you really want a basic overview of all things Zelda

[@sleepymeds3617]

HyperCharge Sweet, I'll get to that

[@shuumo453]

To everyone saying "Ohh itss a hobbbyyy" 46:24

[@AlbaCOR3]

People don't obsess over Super Mario because the Zelda games have enormous detail and kind of go out of there way to try and make a compelling story. Also it was interesting as hell to think of 2 timelines after OoT came out before Skyward Sword.

[@RecklessL1fe]

Every time a vid of yours pops up on my feed, I get HYPE AS FUCK. Your delivery is the shit and you're on point on everything so far. Keep it up!

[@joshi4185]

But... where does the Hyrule racetrack from Mario Kart 8 fall in the timeline? And the time Link fights Kirby and Sonic in a pokemon stadium in Smash?

[@LeafRazorStorm]

What about the secret zone in Sonic Lost World?

[@linkzellda]

*Joshi* How the people of Skyloft can breath is they are suspended above the clouds? And how the people of Skyloft have an endless supply of foods, materials, and water?

[@kirbyfazendoummoonwalk9214]

Smash is Completely separeted from the cannon of all the franchises that it jas The Hyrule Racetrack i dont know maybe Mario is part of the zelda universe lol

[@bezoticallyyours83]

This was a funny and entertaining vid

[@A..D..D]

No “ side of salt “ here , it’ll be the main course good sir .

[@Ilikecatsismychannelname]

Truth about Breath of the Wild = a game full of Easter eggs referencing earlier games purely for the sake of making long time fans go 'Hey! I recognize that! Cool!' Fan reaction to Breath of the Wild = the Easter eggs are significant evidence hinting to its placement on a timeline that never really existed aside from when Nintendo thinks they can use it to make more money selling books detailing it to fans...then they just make up whatever sounds good. Sometimes an Easter egg is just an Easter egg and has no actual significance. This is how I treat them. If I were to place it on a timeline...it would be placed so far into the future that it may as well be an alternate universe for all the significance past installments have to the plot and backstory. Which is minimal at best. Personally, I don't take all this timeline stuff seriously. Do I have my own made up continuities for the games fall on? Well, yeah. I just don't share them. I'm a writer. It amuses me to imagine the ways all the myriad stories of the Zelda games might connect. It's basically a puzzle game I play to see how many alternate connections I can come up with that make narrative sense. That is the challenge of it: tying everything together in a way that is both simple and makes sense. It's not easy because the games clearly weren't conceived of as being a cohesive narrative. But that's kind of what makes it fun. Yet I am just as happy to play the games on their own and NOT think about how they link together. I just enjoy the game on its own merits. Which is what was always intended. So why take all of this seriously? I don't, and I'm still having just as much fun as I always have. Basically, I agree with this video and the opinions shared within it...though perhaps not the angry tone. Mostly because I'm more inclined to just roll my eyes and shake my head at the whole timeline discussion. It's silly, but not worth getting angry over. ....Wow, this got long...

[@HyperCharge]

That's kind of the way I see it. I might see if they're making any connections to previous games, but unless they're being very specific, then it's probably not that thought out. At the end of the day, I don't actually give a shit. Talked into a mic for about an hour or two, edited the video, and then moved on with my life. I think my personality really throws some of these people on the defense, when most of my videos are done in the same exact manner.

[@benjaminholm3374]

Well Nintendo shoudlnt have created the timeline..........

[@tysonasaurus6392]

The idea of making a Zelda timeline canon is a fucked idea conceptually, they didn't start the games with a canon in mind, and they didn't with the sequels probably not until Majora's mask. The idea that anyone takes the official timeline seriously is an absolute joke because it contradicts itself and doesn't really affect the stories of the other games

[@gravityfallscanada]

Not looking for trouble here but I would love to see a Mario timeline. The closest we have in the Mario & Luigi series. As for Zelda I understand the frustration as I was mad as well when Breath of the Wild completely messed up the timeline. However imagine if all the Zelda spin-offs were canon that would suck and you'd be ripping out money from your wallet all the time to buy the games. Going back to Mario here, if or when Mario gets a timeline I will dispose of all the non-canon games and just keep all the games I find fun.

[@HyperCharge]

There are some pretty clear connections for the Mario games. For example, Mario Sunshine takes place after Super Mario 64, Super Mario World takes place after Super Mario Bros 3. The thing is, no one really cares about it that much, because the timeline would literally add nothing when you think about it. If Nintendo gives us a Mario timeline, it would be pretty interesting, but it's not like it matters that much when all Mario does is save Princess Peach from Bowser. While I dislike the timeline for Zelda, I still see the appeal in trying to figure it out. Zelda has very specific call backs like the Triforce, the Master Sword, the Temple of Time, while Mario kind of lacks reoccurring elements like that.

[@kirbyfazendoummoonwalk9214]

I think the Mario Timeline is just the release order of the games, The only contradiction to this is if you believe MatPat stupid theories

[@fupaking9719]

Finnaly an entertaining youtuber, thank God i found your channel! Insta-subbed :D

[@ThatOneDudeWhoPostsStuff]

I just realised that I haven't yet completed a lot of these Zelda games and really want to play them so I have to stop watching to avoid spoilers but at the same time the video is too good.

[@holamoco]

This is what I've been arguing about all the time. The timelines are bullshit. Except for the direct sequels, the rest of the Zelda game are Remakes for a next generation consoles or handheld (gameboy, gameboy advance). THE ZELDA GAMES ARE JUST REMAKES!

[@dustinchisam79]

Society was on the verge of collapse in Mad Max 1. We were a few years post apocalypse in 2 and 3. In Fury Road, the collapse was decades ago and Max wasn't any older. This led to people theorizing that Tom Hardy wasn't playing Max, but was playing the Feral Kid from 2. But the answer is obvious-George Miller is unconcerned with continuity in this regard. The Legend of Zelda makes it clear that when evil returns, there will always be a hero named Link and a Princess named Zelda to oppose it. We know certain games take place before and after others and most have new versions of Link and Zelda, while a few will occasionally have the same Link and Zelda from a previous game. That's all. But fans tried to fit the timeline of every single game together was rhe Zelda fandom's version of "Tom Hardy is really the Feral Kid." It was a mistake for Nintendo to try to answer this.

[@DREW-TO-THE-BEE]

From being recommended your videos twice, I subscribed. You remind me of an arlo that says fuck.

[@jerryseinfield9609]

I never considered the Zelda Timeline an issue. I considered how complicated it was to be the beauty of it

[@chrisredfieldjm]

Funny Chit! I've always liked this series. I have played most of them, but not all. While I'm playing the game I find it interesting to think "When did these events happen?" I don't need a timeline. The mystery of not knowing is what interests me. I will give you props though. When I noticed the 48 minute timer I knew I wasn't going to watch the whole thing! You kept me here though. Nice Job.

[@HyperCharge]

Appreciate ya!

[@DarthAles]

If Nintendo really wanted to salvage the timeline there is one easy way of doing so. Been thinking about it ever since they confirmed that Breath of the wild takes place waaaaaaaaay at the end after all the other games (over 10000 years holy shit) but that it doesn't belong to any particular timeline. Looking back at the old timeline of games it's clear that most games were never meant to be connected and Nintendo didn't really start trying until they noticed that the fans were into it. It's an absolute mess and figuring it out is kinda like trying to logically piece together actual old real life legends such as ancient religious texts and whatnot. The way I kinda see it is that every Zelda before Breath of the wild is simply a legend that exists within that game's universe. The reason there's so much contradicting fan service in Breath of the wild is because all the legends we've played until now were made up in that era and used things in that era as inspiration for the current retelling of those stories. There's Koroks and Rito in Wind Waker because they exist in Botw. Lon Lon Ranch appears in multiple games because it actually exists in Botw. Maybe in the actual historical event, a farm of some sort did exist but it wasn't actually Lon Lon Ranch. The Master Sword is sometimes said to be in the lost woods and sometimes in the temple of time, sometimes the temple of time is in the lost woods. In Botw we see that both places exist but that the Master Sword was never part of the temple of time. Hell, the way Link in Ocarina is put to sleep for 7 years and wakes up in a chamber of blue water after goign to the temple of time could be implying that it actually refers to the shrine of resurrection that's located close to the temple of time but that when the story gets told in the Botw era, it's been twisted almost beyond recognition. Dunno if my thoughts are making sense but the gist is that they could fix the timeline by basically soft rebooting the series with Botw and declaring all previous games only pseudo-canon as the forms we experienced them in are as legends told in the Botw era and may not fully represent the actual historical event or even happened at all. From there, Nintendo could simply move forward and forget about all the old shit and actually put in some actual effort to maintain an actual timeline if they wanted to. You could even argue that the reason every game is about Link and Zelda and a ton of familiar characters is because the games, as we experience them, are actually being told to a young Botw Link and he's inserting himself into the stories. In reality, the only Link to actually exist is the one in Botw which would leave the door open for future games allowing the hero of legend to be any character you create and of any race.

[@AdventureHusky]

This is actually a great theory and a fantastic way to fix the timeline(s). And I would have to guess the way the Hylian's came up with Wind Waker is just how they interpreted the foreign countries across the seas from them or it was a story made to explain the gods of the sea and sky. Twilight Princess could be a disciplinary story to scare kids, OOT/MM could be the usual heroes tale and I get religious vibes from SS like this is how Hylia, their goddess, created the world and their land like God for us in the real world. I would love if the final Zelda game was this and "Link" was imagining the story in his head the whole time and you're just playing out the hero fantasy.

[@DarthAles]

@@AdventureHusky I'm far from the first one to think of it but it was a fun little thought experiment. I really doubt Nintendo would actually make this a thing though and I guess I have to admit that I'd miss playing as Link. But you know, for just one game it would be really cool if you could create your own hero and be any of the races. Like you also bring up it would be interesting to explore these stories that we're familiar with from a new angle within the universe.

[@anthonypalumbo1057]

I've been saying this for years. I have friends that will talk for an hour about the Zelda timeline, and I'm like, who gives a fuck. The developers don't even care so why do you?

[@thurianwanderer]

Thanks for the video. I can only speak for my generation. My Zelda timeline started in 1992 and already ended just when OoT came out. ^^ Back then I realized, that ALTTP was just a Zelda title for the new video game system SNES like Zelda 1 was for NES, so the storyline was just redone. + the Valiant Comics and promotion/concept art always were imaginative guidelines for me not just for the first two games but also very well for ALTTP. OoT broke the former continuity and the solid plot due to the new game play mechanics. Of course I liked it, the very fact to walk through (another) Hyrule in 3D and a few nice things that could have been worked into my own fictional main story/plot, but the first pictures of Wind Waker were too much, everything ever since was too messed up. Yet new Nintendo Systems again and again I haven't got the money for ^^

[@hanburgundy4317]

You're missing out. Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are some of the best entries in the series, from both a gameplay and story perspective, and Breath of the Wild is one of the most fun for gameplay even if the plot is dumb.

[@magnificentmajunior]

Let people enjoy what they fucking want to. We fucking KNOW it's pointless, but it's fun and enjoyable to find connections between the games. It's a hobby, and it's something Nintendo clearly acknowledges with later games.

[@andrewspencer1378]

Well he did say it was petty nerd shit anyways. I think it was a pretty good video, even though I love wondering about the timeline.

[@HyperCharge]

It would be pretty fun to piece together the timeline if Nintendo actually cared about it. If Nintendo had some sort of vision to create an elaborate story, then it would be really fun to piece everything together, but Nintendo is just coming up with stuff on the spot for every game. Maybe you think that Nintendo has some sort of master document that has every Zelda game planned out for the next 100 years, but that’s probably not the case. In Breath of the Wild, you might over analyze the fact that the Temple of Time is in the game. It’s pretty cool to see the Temple of Time in ruin and you could make a ton of connections to previous games based off that fact. The problem is that Nintendo wasn’t thinking about those connections and they were just putting in small nudges to previous games for fan service, which is why they carelessly put in the Koroks and the Rito from the Wind Waker. You can put a ton of emphasis on the Temple of Time, but why even bother, when Nintendo will just put in whatever they want, regardless of the continuity? Maybe you could ignore their inclusion, but how can you put so much emphasis on some details, but straight up ignore other details? The conversation itself is not only a waste of time; it’s also a pointless endeavor with no end in sight. Nintendo will never come up with a solution to this “problem”, so at this point, it’s just a pretentious discussion about some imaginary fan theory. Every game is like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit together, but god damnit, we’re going to get a hammer and force these connections that were never meant to be there! It’s could be a fun discussion that is pointless, but it’s now devolved into a frustrating discussion that’s not only pointless, but has absolutely no solution, because Nintendo doesn’t give a shit. The only way Nintendo might be able to fix it would be to create a brand new timeline with some stories that could bridge the gaps in logical ways. You could assume that they will do that with future Zelda games, but that’s never going to happen at this point. At the end of the day, I don’t actually give a shit. I might sound angry in the video, but that’s just for entertainment purposes. I mostly made this as a way to showcase how ridiculousness this is, while also poking fun at people who take it too seriously. I could have delivered this more formally, but I don't actually hold this discussion to that high of a standard.

[@HyperCharge]

Yeah, the Zelda from the first two games are completely different Zelda, even though that doesn't effect any of the continuity outside of the first two Zelda games. Sure, they''e both technically different Zelda's, Links, and Ganondorfs, but it basically the same characters in a different story.

[@TempoSabel]

46:24

[@magnificentmajunior]

I appreciate you maturer response, but regardless these kinds of issues should be discussed a little less scrutinisingly. Not because it's super serious business or whatever, but because there's more evidence SUPPORTING the timeline than there is destroying it. + The point about Ganon getting the full Triforce in ALTTP makes sense because the sacred realm is where the full Triforce goes after it's used. The Triforce, or rather what was left of it, went back to the Sacred Realm after Ganon was sealed there. Yeah, okay, Ganon can't touch it as long as there are two other righteous hearted souls possessing the qualities for a triforce piece, but remember - this is the DOWNFALL TIMELINE. That's why it's IN the downfall timeline. Link is dead = Ganon gets the Triforce. Hell, maybe Ganon gets the Triforce BEFORE being sealed away. That should be easy enough considering Link dies. + Recurring characters aren't proof of a non-existent timeline. You're absolutely right, it's easy fanservice. But since identical ancestors are something the series literally EXIST on, a few others on the side isn't evidence for anything. + Your point about Ganon getting the triforce of power in TP isn't really a point to make imo. Yeah, it's dumb, but if it's at least elaborated then isn't that enough? Twilight Princess takes place hundreds of years after Ocarina, and we know that Ganon will ALWAYS get the Triforce of Power when the thing splits into three because his heart seeks power more than any other. Excuse my nerdiness but I had to get those points out of the bag.

[@NIGHT-GAURD]

My theory is that Breath of the wild It's just a cluster Fuck of all of these timelines and takes place at the end

[@d_fendr6222]

I respect and agree with all this work you did to bring this information to us. However, unfortunately, the timelines are considered canon by Nintendo. Perhaps, in say another Hyrule History book, many of these inconsistencies will be cleared up.

[@HyperCharge]

I can understand how messy the timeline was until Nintendo made Skyward Sword, because they were trying to fix the continuity of the series. That's why moving forward, I was assuming they would have put more thought into it, but now that Breath of the Wild has proven that they doesn't care, then the timeline might as well not even exist. The timeline might be canon, but Nintendo doesn't treat it like that, which is why it's existence and the entire discussion is so frustrating.

[@d_fendr6222]

Many people actually think BoTW isn't even in a timeline because there are a few hints that the past games are just stories and never happened. Like when King Rhoam states that the legends of Ganon were told in stories and fairy tales. While I don't believe the theory it is interesting and clears up some of the things you mentioned.

[@HyperCharge]

I suppose, but isn't that just a giant cop out? Clearly, Nintendo didn't care about the continuity for Breath of the Wild, but I feel like fans will make up anything to hold onto their little fan theory. I mean, if you can waive the game off of the timeline, why can't I just waive off every other game in the series and just not give a shit about the timeline? Maybe Nintendo will clear things up in the future, but as of right now, I'm not that convinced.

[@d_fendr6222]

HyperCharge Yeah.

[@linkzellda]

*D_fend R* It is not canon and the only sorry Nintendo is getting away with is because Nintendo dickless fans are super gullible. But for me, I'm not gullible and Nintendo just lied to their fans.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

I feel a surge of affection for you. Yes, there is an official timeline, but it was quickly cobbled together years later to appease loud minority fans and make money. It's a retconned clusterfuck. I just go by game release order. I wouldn't even care about it, if obnoxious timeline nerds didn't go "Well akschually..." Zeldas are sequels, standalones, and sister games. Oh and they do easter eggs. That's it. Besides, Nintendo are not good storytellers.

[@freakopath]

Best 48 minutes wasted of a "pointless" video ❤️

[@Zacian2.0]

Hahah, I bet TotK really messed him up huh.

[@ItsJustN8]

Sub fucking earned. God this was great

[@bedwablackburn]

I love this... To be devil's advocate.... Not too troll too much:Quantum Mechanics and diminishing bloodlines. lol

[@bedwablackburn]

Oh... and this is hilarious on 2x speed. :)

[@SoCalSon395]

There's a reason people care about the Zelda timeline and not the Mario timeline is this: Mario doesn't try to go too deep into story. The ones that do, at least in the case of the Mario and Luigi games, are written to be released in story order. Because of this, there's no need for the timeline. Because Zelda, at least since a link to the past, has a lot of lore. Most of them are origin stories or direct sequels, and we're not really sure what Breath of the Wild is supposed to be. Mario doesn't make sequels in any sense other than, oh hey, it's been a minute since the last Mario game. Oh well, the toads got careless again. The timeline is weird, but Nintendo has been trying to set it up forever and they did their best with OoT. Look, the timeline is messy sure. It takes way less time to explain it the way I did, and if you don't call your entire audience (you are trying to get people who like the timeline to agree with you right?) dick-less nerds, you might get your head out of your ass long enough to see that you're pissing people off more than making a legitimate argument. Your argument started off as about whether we should care about the timeline, and it turned into an argument that we should care about it but only because one internet nobody thinks it is a load of shit. By the way, it's not fan service, it's retcon. There's a huge difference. Fan service is putting threepio in phantom menace. Retcon is wiping his memory so he can still be oblivious in the originals. Learn your terminology. Also, turns out, nerds are a large group in Nintendo's marketing, so whether you like it or not, it was a good marketing idea for Nintendo to release a timeline. It doesn't matter if you think it's bullshit, it's going to keep happening. You'll really enjoy the games better if you learn to like the lore, because if this is your opinion, every future Zelda game will bother you and you and I both know that, lore or not, Zelda games are pretty damn good. Don't ruin the experience for yourself and others by obsessing over the timeline.

[@HyperCharge]

Honestly, I made this to vent my frustration for an audience that is either neutral, or thinks that the timeline isn't important. If you genuinely believe that the Zelda Timeline is legit, then your mind is never going to be changed, because you're already taking huge leaps in logic in order to justify the timeline's existence. I wouldn't really call what Nintendo does as a ret-con, because that would imply that they are actually fixing something. I would consider Skyward Sword a kind of ret-con, but besides that, it's mostly just fan service. Ganondorf didn't need to be in Twilight Princess, the Temple of Time didn't need to be in Breath of the Wild, and Beedle didn't need to appear in 6 different games. They put in these reoccurring characters, because people like them, which is why it's mostly fan service. You can waive off some things as a ret-con, but a lot of what Nintendo does is just fan service. At the end of the day, I don't really care that much, but I just made a video about it because the whole concept is ridiculous. I think that the entire Timeline is meaningless, so I enjoy the games as they were intended. Really, the video would probably be even worse off if I didn't at least explain my own problems with the timeline, because then I would have just been even more of a giant asshole. Not that I can suspect everyone to like my videos, because I'm not trying to make videos that appeal to everyone. It's a very niche style that not a lot of people are going to enjoy, but the select few who like it end up loving what I do. My audience liked the video, the people who I don't really care about disliked the video, a smaller new influx of people liked the video and subscribed, and I had a great time making it.

[@SoCalSon395]

HyperCharge Look, I thought I made it clear that the timeline is messy. I agree with you on that. But Nintendo went down the rabbit hole a long time back, so the timeline we have is the best they could do. All I'm saying is that it's easier to like Zelda if you can come.to terms.with the timeline. Its more fun to enjoy something than to let it bother you, especially if it bothers you this much.

[@thearmanig98]

This is the fucking best fucking KZbin fucking channel fucking ever.

[@bobafett240]

FUCK YES KEEP IT COMING MY DUDE

[@adrienmicollet991]

Awesome work dude

[@mikeruiger7174]

Super entertaining haha!

[@NitnerockBobarr]

Very good work. I like it.

[@holamoco]

Yes it's just fan-service fantasies. Shit I can just make up how they are connected for fun. They don't have to be "canon" or "official", it's just pathetic.

[@Frogman1212]

The timeline does make sense but it isn't perfect. Try reading DC comics. Now that timeline doesn't make sense.

[@jacob6672]

another great vid

[@jasonnewbery]

Disclaimer was hype as shit

[@RSquaredOnline]

Great video!

[@shibbyguy101]

Fucking amazing video. I agree completely that the timeline is absolute bullshit.

[@shogue8746]

HyperCharge, am I alone in this or did you all notice that Nintendo themselves were behind the existence of these timeline theorists. For one, when it came to A Link to the Past’s release in 1992-1993. The publishers wrote on the back of the box cover: “The *predecessors of Link and Zelda* face monsters on the march when a menacing magician takes over the kingdom.” When they could have just easily said: “Link and Zelda face monsters on the march when a menacing magician takes over the kingdom.” Preventing all of this. Nintendo really opened Pandora’s Box in that instance, and it didn’t even help that the previous Zelda title before it was a sequel to the Original NES Zelda as well. “The predecessors of Link and Zelda…”

[@kurtemeigh]

Is this video the same thing for 40 minutes???

[@AwesomeJoshy9090]

Watch it and you'll see

[@sessione2]

No homo, but I love you lol

[@googleaccount8211]

My favorite KZbinr get a patreon

[@pickleberry6668]

Haha lol

[@muamua101]

like

[@err275]

I don't take Nintendo's timeline seriously because its written for 10 year olds. REALLY, it's worded for kids. And it's just a game so, whatever. But you go gettem, fella!

[@HyperCharge]

Well, I could have said that within a minute, but that wouldn't be that interesting of a video!

[@chozo914]

Sure it doesn't matter but the least u could do is get ur information accurate. Just a few minutes in and there's already huge historical inaccuracies and proof that he's just ignorant on the actual history of the zelda timeline and its theories. Tl:Dr This dude has no idea what he's talking about.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Congratulations now you understand why the timeline is hot garbage

[@chozo914]

@@bezoticallyyours83 I been knew that, doesn't change that this vid is hot garbage too

[@Elijah-NUMetal-IsMyWife-Boyd]

@@chozo914Hey, how about instead of being a petulant child with a subjective view; why don’t you actually explain these supposed inaccuracies?

[@cato3277]

The idea of there being no timeline is so silly and stupid. There isn’t even anything for be to elaborate on, there just is a timeline.

[@noahwarnock3611]

How does your voice survive these videos?

[@HyperCharge]

It usually doesn't. I just drink a lot of water during recording to keep my throat from dying and sometimes I'll pop a couple of cough drops if my throat hurts after.

[@jerryseinfield9609]

HyperCharge oh dang Sam thatz dedication

[@miselojaime2214]

Dude, you have become one of my favorite youtubers. For two reasons, 1. You are straight up hilarious, 2. Your discussions and the way you view video games, it is casual but well thought out at the same time. I really hope and pray that your channel grows!

[@KidSnivy69]

I love being a casual Zelda fan, means I can sit back a watch the fun.

[@SteveNorwalt]

This is a total cop-out, but the way I see it, it is called the "legend" of Zelda. It's just the same basic story being told by different people. Much like how actual legends often get warped to barely resemble how the events actually occurred.

[@JuwanBuchanan]

@S R And because of that Nintendo is now trying to create a canon timeline, but the problem with that all these games conflict with one another with their own legends and events that don't tie themselves together, therefore you get a mess.

[@jinkies1649]

@@JuwanBuchanan you see this happen with a lot of long running franchises like Star Wars and Marvel and DC. There’s always gonna be some asshole who gets up his own ass trying to tie everything together, even when there doesn’t need to be any connections. Yeah there were some games that were supposed to be connected but the majority weren’t and some people just can’t accept rhat

[@thecrimsondragon2379]

First of all what the fuck? Second of all why did they do this?

[@SimplySora_]

I remember when you had 500 subs man. Good job! Hope you keep growing

[@HyperCharge]

Row Row Fight The Powa!

[@SimplySora_]

HyperCharge y'know most people your age would be working at McDonald's or some crap to make money. MEANWHILE. here you are ranting about a theoretical timeline in a fantasy video game for almost an hour... Why did I grow up in this generation

[@CosmicCreatorCat]

UltraCraftingMC 2000 I know it's been a year, but it has to be said. If you think making a few quality videos a year means he doesn't work... Ur dmb m8

[@jeremyknight9980]

4:00 Oh, believe me. There are people who have their own theories about the Mario universe. ranging from timelines, the series being all but a play, movies, TV shows, Books to different Dimentions. I've even got into discussions with people about the Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi games. where they believe Sticker Star and Color SPlash take place in the Book from Paper Jam while the first 3 games take place in the main series along with the Mario and Luigi series.

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

I'm surprised there's anything relating to that(then again, I never look 😂)

[@adampeterson9664]

But was Zelda right? Does she REALLY have the triforce of wisdom? I mean, Link solves all the puzzles, becomes a veteran of a multitude of items, and takes up the "master" sword. He clearly is the one using wisdom.

[@ThornHailsnap]

Zelda's probably got the Triforce of Hiding, the Triforce of Running or the Triforce of Getting Kidnapped.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

More like the triforce of kidnapped

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

Honestly, because courage could only get you so far with puzzles lol

[@adampeterson9664]

@@thejonbrownshow8470 just my theory, but they have been wrong for so long that it is why Zelda in BOTW only awakens her power when she shows the courage to defend Link. My theory is that the princess has to use to Master Sword to end the cycle and permanently beat Ganon

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

@@adampeterson9664 hmm... Almost like link and Zelda were able to exchange triforces... I'd love for them to hop on the multiversal craze and make some else world games with the main trio there switching triforces between universes

[@isaaclee3525]

Ehh the timeline is bullshit but at least it doesn't take away anything from the games.

[@tristancangemi1528]

Pokemon Timeline: Just a puzzle gotta look at dem context clues we learned in school m8s. Zelda Timeline: Probably like Pokemon right? RIGHT?

[@kazoorion7993]

Thank god Metroid Timeline is 100% confirmed by Nintendo themselves.

[@nullplan01]

Thank god it doesn't involve time travel.

[@nullplan01]

Don't count your boobies before they are hatched!

[@SnipingIsFun]

Because it is straightforward

[@matthewjohnson3302]

Well it’s a real story. We be forcing Zelda timeline to link with the others when they really their own story

[@hanburgundy4317]

Fans aren't the ones writing the interconnected lore when designing the games lol Nintendo created these timelines.

[@alicyjinx8923]

I actually think Mario has a sort of vague timeline, but it doesn't really matter. I think the cool thing about Zelda games is that they can all sort of fit in a timeline, but at the end of the day they are all sort of just re-tellings of the same story. The same "Legend". And thats really cool to me.

[@pacoramon9468]

Then there is Metroid, where the only problem with the timeline is that Metroid Other M is canon because of Sakamoto.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Shh. 🤫 We don't speak that name. If you do, then it will creep into your game collection and turn all Metroids into Other M. Wanna fire up Super? Now it's Other M 16-bit edition. Just got your grubby mitts on Dread? Well now it's going to give you a reason to feel dread. Found a working copy of Metroid at a local yard sale for a song? Well, I think you know what happens.

[@Thenumber1yoshi]

I kind of knew that the timeline was bullshit the second the developers gave a non-answer to Breath of the Wild's placement in it yeah they said it would ruin fans fun or creativity trying to stick it to a timeline but I know what they really meant is "We don't give a shit, you fans can argue about this game's connections and it's continuity in realtion to the other games in the series that came before by yourselves, we're not dealing with this bullcrap!"

[@AdventureHusky]

I don't think its a problem that Nintendo doesn't care, but rather they just wanted to try to make sense of their own canonical universe and failed and are trying to push it under the rug and focus less on connecting the universes and more on just making compelling games both play wise and story wise.

[@ikagura]

I do share the idea that Zelda didn't need a timeline at all... even if I like the idea where Link failed once in the past so you see Hyrule's downfall. they even retconned the Wise Men to the Seven Sage in the GBA remake of AlttP. Anyway I see that many SNES game are pretty much remakes of their NES counterpart (Super Castlevania IV could've been just the first Castlevania retold and Super Metroid shares a lot with the first game)

[@hanburgundy4317]

Super Castlevania IV is the best one lol Simon's Theme slaps.

[@ThornHailsnap]

The thing about timelines is that everything has to fit together, and if anything breaks the continuity, no matter how seemingly minor, the timeline doesn't work. In the case of split timelines, one thing not working might break one timeline but not the others, like how the Triforce splitting in OoT is consistent with WW but not ALttP. But the Zelda Timeline as a whole has so many inconsistencies that almost nothing works, even within split timelines. Great video by the way.

[@bboyy97]

I'm so fucking confused right now Seems like this shit works out if you treat it like Final Fantasy. Some games are connected while others are just soft reboots with their own stuff going on. Works for me. Much simpler that way.

[@holamoco]

No Final Fantasy is connected. They are all stand-alone games. There are some rumours that some FF games may be connected but it is not. The only thing the FF games have in common are some names, monsters. But not connected. The same was with Zelda, they are just remakes.

[@bboyy97]

holamoco When I'm referring to some FF games being connected, I'm assuming games like 13-2 and stuff like that are direct sequels. Are they not like that, though? I'm not too familiar with the series.

[@holamoco]

BluHawkGames Yes you are right.

[@HyperCharge]

That's kind of the way I see The Legend of Zelda. You can say that Majora's Mask is a sequel to Ocarina of Time, that the Wind Waker takes place after Ocarina of Time, and so on, but anything past that might as well be a completely separate game.

[@Kayclau]

I need a sequel to this

[@LucatheDingo88]

I use to be one of those poor fools that tried piecing Together all the Zelda games into a Timeline, in Retrospect I only knew of the Zelda Timeline cause it was part of that old Zelda Retrospective that use to be up on the now Defunct Gametrailers website. For whatever reason they decided to make the Zelda Timeline part of there Retrospective, and I often feel Gametrailers and the (Angry Video Game Nerd Chronologically Confused about the Zelda Timeline episode that was made in response to the Zelda Timeline Craze that Gametrailer's unintentionally started) are the reason that the Topic of the Zelda timeline was even a thing. I mean I don't recall anyone discussing the Zelda games connecting into a Timeline before that Gametrailers Video, and I didn't give it much thought before then. After Zelda released the official timeline, I was not happy with the Answer, I was angry at first, but in the years following the official timeline made me realize that Zelda never needed to have a Timeline, and even with the quote on quote official Timeline, I chose not to believe in it now. I realize now it was foolish to ever try and put these games into a Timeline. Final Fantasy doesn't have a Timeline, and neither does Dragon Quest, Shin Megami Tensai, Kirby, Mario, F-Zero, and the Majority of other Japanese Video Game franchises. Playing around with Continuity and retconning old story conventions to try new things is quite common in Japanese pop Culture, it's happened with Dragon Ball, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, and several other animes, it's even happened with non anime stuff like Godzilla. Even if there are exceptions to this rule like Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, and Kingdom Hearts, I feel like this eventually limits there creativity as they will eventually write themselves into a corner which creates a problem for future installments. When Koji Igarashi created his successor to the Casltevania series, Bloodstained, he made the smart choice of not having a timeline for these games. Even though (Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night) features a companion prologue game (Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon) but aside from being part of the same franchise, and using alot of the same characters and assets, both these games are self contained Adventures, in no way do you need to play one to enjoy the other, or understand the plot since both games are largely disconnected with self contained stories (Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2) even though this one clearly is a sequel to the original Curse of the Moon, it's not a continuation of that games story, as they basically ignore the events of the first game like it didn't happen. So thing I've learned from all this, is like Video Game Timelines in general, the Zelda Timeline is pretty pointless. I'm just sorry it took me such a long time to realize that.

[@Brandon-jf9cv]

21:41 the solution here is time spent in the future is time spent in the past he doesn’t go back to before he drew it he goes back the amount of time he was in the future that’s why he can go back there open a chest go to the future come back, and the chest will still be open, and he can’t go back until doing the first dungeon as an adult or at least for a little while haven’t played in a long time, so can’t remember exactly details, but sheik blocks you for a while. And for twilight princess at the end of the game, Zelda uses the ocarina of time to send link to before he pulled the sword, and he warns Zelda and the kingdom about Ganon but because he had the triforce of courage when he went back in time, it caused the triforce to split, in the child era gifting it to link Zelda and Ganon again but he didn’t know this until the execution because it automatically saved him. He did not know he had it before then.

[@Elijah-NUMetal-IsMyWife-Boyd]

You clearly missed the part, where he questioned that exact logic. Gannondorf was seeking the power of the triforce throughout ocarina of time’s story; there is no conceivable way that he was clueless to his possession of the triforce of power unless they intentionally wanted to delegitimize their own villain, by presenting him as an incompetent fool.

[@Ravenfeather1809]

This timeline was clearly a marketing gimmick for Skyward Sword lol. They have abandoned it

[@SynoPTL]

Love to rewatch

[@tylermarik5709]

I love this shit, it's real shit and it's great

[@deusola911]

What about the zelda for the CD-i (:

[@kirbyfazendoummoonwalk9214]

It is the direct sequel to BOTW

[@Moonsong227]

As a not Zelda fan yet, I always thought growing up that the series was a bunch of serial mythos, like literally everything else Nintendo lol. Zelda is about saving Zelda and being a chosen one and beating an evil wizard guy. Mario is about saving peach and beating an evil oni turtle villain. Metroid is about shooting enemies in a space themed level. Pokémon is about battling enemy Pokémon. Pretty much every game for the first twenty years of videogames did this bc videogame hardware sucked in comparison to even tech at that time. I literally had no other impression about games until all the timeline conversations lately. Even Pokémon had a few years of obsession with it, even though it was kinda obvious your trainer from two different games were two different people even if you linked them. Annoying as it is sometimes, it’s the myth. It’s like all the spin offs of Greek mythology even to this day. Which kinda bleeds into a discussion for another day about what pieces of a story make it a spin off of a myth, one among a group of myths, and what pieces are just aesthetic or window dressing.

[@jonbrown1502]

I find it weird they don't include Hyrule warriors in the timeline and ironically that and wind waker got me intrested in this series for the first time 2 months ago lol good thing I saw this video lol cool channel and I will follow your advice here and not care about the timeline lol you should do a Hyrule warriors uncivil synopsis btw

[@ThornHailsnap]

Theory: Since all games following BotW seem to be set in the same world, and since that world contains names and references to most or all previous games, I would theorize that the world of BotW is the real world, and the other games are just retellings of an ancient legend - maybe the events of 10,000 years ago - by various people from various races and generations that all live in BotW's Hyrule. Similarities are more accurate recountings of events and inconsistencies are gaps of knowledge being filled in with what sounds good. Names of places in BotW may be based on stories, or vice versa. Perhaps the events of Skyward Sword are real, and the other games are retellings of that story by later generations. Wind Waker could be a Hylian retelling of a Rito story, which would explain why the Rito appear in that game but look more Hylian than their BotW appearance. Minish Cap could be a story or derived from a story told by a grandfather to his grandchildren, whose imaginary friends were miniature people.