The Zora Have BAD Defenses (Zora Domain Analysis)

[@TheBreadPirate]

*Zora 10:11

[@SuperSmash333]

I was wondering why you said rito 🤣

[@pigeonmanepic]

@@SuperSmash333 they are technically the same species

[@QuizzicalSoup]

I was gonna say

[@Mr_M5.]

@@pigeonmanepic well... not in BoTW and ToTK though

[@LinkTheOnePieceFan]

mr 2.5 stars got a word wrong

[@Luke08700]

Ironically the koroks have the best defenses because no monster can get through the magic fog and even if they did they can’t even see the koroks

[@oussama7132]

Until there's a spark

[@Epicboy099]

The local fire lizalfo's reaction to this information (the korok fortifications are mostly made out of wood):

[@thunderbeforelightening7455]

But when they chop down the deku tree...

[@TheBreadPirate]

The Koroks are the definition of "out of sight, out of mind". They are invinCible because they are inviSible.

[@vman103]

@@thunderbeforelightening7455Or just let Gandondorf himself deal with the guy, he's done it before, he can do it again.

[@pigeongod3450]

I love the fact the only thing saving the Zora from annihilation is a bunch of rocks that fell by complete chance

[@lasercraft32]

That and the fact that monsters are very uncoordinated and don't form large armies to attack cities very often (the only exception being the pirates we see in Tears of the Kingdom).

[@TheBreadPirate]

Ganon has foiled his own plans.

[@_Axel_12_]

​@@TheBreadPirate True

[@JayEverdeenValentine]

​@@TheBreadPirate Yeah, pretty much the rocks aren't even strong enough to even take down a full heart, they only take down at least a half of the heart

[@williamgeorge3111]

This actually was reflected in in Age of Calamity. The Rito held out for quite a long time by just sniping anything that approached the cliffs they live on, the Gorons are... well, Gorons, so they're excellent soldiers by nature, and the Gerudo had to be infiltrated by the Yiga rather than assaulted outright. The Zora are shown to have struggled the most, with Dorephan almost getting badly injured by an Electric Moblin before Mipha takes it out with Vah Ruto.

[@TheBreadPirate]

The Zora SHOULD be the strongest race, but they really wasted their potential. Install a gate, for pete's sake!

[@LinktheCommunistWaifu]

I loved that scene where the Electric Moblin does a giant jump slam to try to take him out. Man, age of calamity was a gem.

[@Fenyx_Birb]

I mean how are you supposed to catch up to a literal bird that can snipe you from a football field away.

[@lukeroberson2115]

I honestly don't think that makes any sense. I mean, Dorephan canonically beat a GAURDIAN with nothing but a tiny scar on his forehead. How in Hyrule did he get pressed by that monster?

[@williamgeorge3111]

@@lukeroberson2115 Because Zora are so weak to electricity that most can't even touch a single shock arrow. Plus, the Moblin came at him while he was distracted.

[@jlco]

11:32 If I remember correctly, BotW mentions that Lynel bows are made of metal strong enough that Hylians can't draw them. Link, of course, uses them anyways.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Yup. That's another ridiculous feat. XD

[@reign_issue]

maybe his great-great-grandfather on his mother's side was a lynel.

[@Bonitoflake26]

@@reign_issueyes, that is true

[@Herra_K]

He can also deflect an entire lynel charging at him, so yeah.

[@jlco]

@@Herra_K which is, in fact, not a typical Hylian capability.

[@ZombieComics-Aura]

I hadn't thought of how the waterways would give the Zora such a ridiculous tactical advantage The Royal Family had to have been sweating like "Yeah...better to have them as our allies than enemies."

[@TheBreadPirate]

The Hylians and Zora are perfect allies. No other races synergize so well.

[@lazulenoc6863]

if the Zora showed any intent of building a decent military, they could be a serious threat.

[@Ilovetulinspower23]

Fun fact: the zora in the first games were enemies that look WAY different than in BOTW and TOTK. To put it bluntly, they were way uglier & more monstrous.

[@nottruebud]

@@Ilovetulinspower23 that's where Hyrule warriors come in

[@CoralCopperHead]

@@Ilovetulinspower23 The originals are known as the "River Zora," the sleeker updated design we got in OoT are the "Ocean Zora." Don't know if there's a name for the specific genus from BOTW/TOTK though, I think they might just be "Ocean" as well. This despite the fact that the only games to sport actual full-on oceans _don't have any Zora 'cause apparently they evolved into _*_birds?_* But now the Rito and the Zora exist side by side, it's like the devs recognized how stupid that plot point was in WW.

[@BennettLasseigne]

In Breath of the Wild, it actually points out that the domain is constructed out of luminous stone.

[@kateleese1037]

i just commented about that. there was a botw side quest about that, wasn't there?

[@justjackson156]

Yeah I rdcently replayed through botw and there is a side quest

[@thod-thod]

And that in turn is made of human souls

[@TheBreadPirate]

Nuts! I wish I remembered that dialogue in BotW.

[@marquezmartinez7580]

Not to mention that it would really hard to sneak into Zora’s Domain because of the Luminous Stones illuminating everything.

[@spencereades]

I feel like we're ignoring the fact that for much of Ganon's army, falling in the water is a one-hit KO. Bokoblins and Moblins would be barely an inconvenience, especially if they had access to the Rito gust weapons. Moving onto Drakenwild's video to see if that angle pans out :)

[@Lost.io1]

yea 90 percent of ganons army disintegrates if they fall into any small body of water

[@TheBreadPirate]

Oh yeah, you know that we HAVE to talk about it in the Rito video.

[@dalooneylass5561]

Ganon’s army is water soluble for the most part

[@sciencewithfun2052]

​@@dalooneylass5561they are made of sugar

[@bastienlafleur5838]

Forget Rito gust weapons. TOTK confirmed Zoras have water manipulation powers.

[@Pyro_UH]

Zora's do have ranged weapons. They can actually throw their spear and because their water manipulation allows them to recall them like having a string attached to them (this is canonically explained in a stone tablet by Sidon). Also most Zora weapons get a significantly boost when they get wet, literally doubling their attack power. Also they are the only race that have healers.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Those are some really good points! I'll heart your comment so it can be seen by more people. I haven't seen all the tablets in the game yet, so I had no idea they would recall their spears.

[@Pyro_UH]

@@TheBreadPirate Thanks, I realized that the way I wrote the comment may come as a discussion. I actually loved the video and how deep it went in the mechanics and lore, so I wanted to share the info. Link acting as the enemies was hilarious. 🤣 Sorry for the spoilers. I actually don't remember if the Stone Tablet was from Breath or from Tears. 🤔

[@JellypusStudios-uy5ei]

They got loyalty enchanted tridents

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Honestly, that was my first thought the second I walked into Zora's Domain in BotW. I mean, you have this giant bridge, which is good, but no walls, no gates, and no way to retract the bridge...

[@TheBreadPirate]

Exactly. Just a huge oversight.

[@Ep1c_bunni]

Yes but in other games of legend of zelda the Zora was super strong but know they somehow they must have got weaker after the calamity

[@MofuMofu-w1f]

Not to mention the giant fish shaped anvil suspended over their entire civilization

[@soapy247]

Another thing I want to mention, in botw we see Vah Ruta sink into the water and go through Rutala river and then into the mountain where Ruta rests, which means there is an entire underwater passageway or something connecting these places that the Zora can use as an escape

[@Drakenwild]

Thanks again for having me, this was a lot of fun! ^^

[@TheBreadPirate]

Agreed!! This was awesome.

[@bluebeebean]

Hi! I just wanted to say I love your voice and your humor! I subscribed to you, and once I’m done with this video I’m definitely heading over to watch your content!

[@Drakenwild]

@@bluebeebean Thanks, appreciate it! ^^

[@BYAK_BYAK]

What is your accent? it sounds cool.

[@Drakenwild]

@@BYAK_BYAK that'd be Polish!

[@dreaalmaes770]

“This STUPID GIANT FISH” 😂

[@Drakenwild]

It's dumb. I will die on this hill. xD

[@TheBreadPirate]

It's so stupid.

[@JustACoffeeCup]

Another thing to add why is it so dumb, its because: Its made of luminous stone lets say it does not crush anybody if it falls (It will) but the another issue is that stones can have silica dust when they break and theres a very severe disease which is (sorry for the extremely long name) Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, or in short, Silicosis, which is when you inhale it… it will not be fun, you will probably die.

[@thereseopel8448]

I__I. [ ] l--- I. I [_] () l--- / ---- *HEAVY*

[@marioman118]

The zora can also get to the kakarico bridge because there is a new cave that connects the Lanayru wetlands to that lake. The only problem though... is that it has a lot of monsters.

[@aguyontheinternet8436]

probably not more than a retreating army, but fair.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Whoa.... that opens up even more manuverability.

[@Survwithagun]

"The rito being the water people" -bread pirate

[@OuroborosTheProtobean]

i was looking for this comment

[@Wert960]

@@OuroborosTheProtobean Me to😎

[@punsor]

This is going to be a fun series

[@TheBreadPirate]

Agreed.

[@LinkTheOnePieceFan]

Bread is a 2.5 star meal @@TheBreadPirate

[@homerman76]

@@LinkTheOnePieceFan Ah yes, the integer overflow rating, the 12.5/5 star meal is too much for a normal food scale

[@Dan_Kong]

@@LinkTheOnePieceFanyou have become an enemy of the bread pirate crew.

[@Linkathon]

@@LinkTheOnePieceFanBe prepared to walk the plank and be keelhauled!

[@krealyesitisbeta5642]

Ganon: “Why aren’t the Zoras wiped out!?” Monsters: “Too many rocks….” Zora: “Hehehe rocks go brrr~”

[@thereseopel8448]

Me: AAYYYYOOOOO?!?!?!

[@Red_Ropushka]

Bread and Drakenwild could be hired for making the new lore of another games from this series. *Main quest: 'The battle of Zora's Domain.'* Such a bloodbath.

[@Drakenwild]

Hah, thanks! :D

[@TheBreadPirate]

That would be a cool DLC.

[@lasercraft32]

I'd like to note that most of the monsters in the game (excluding only a few like the Lizalfos and Octorocks) _can't swim._ The Zora could simply take refuge underwater during a battle and the monsters wouldn't be able to do much. Especially since there's a high likelihood that Zora's Domain has an underwater section we never even see, seeing as they are fish people. Then again... They didn't do that in Age of Calamity, where we see an attack on Zora's Domain firsthand... so maybe not.

[@TheBreadPirate]

You're right, there's probably a 50-50 chance they have escape tunnels under the domain.

[@thereseopel8448]

One word. ELECTRICITY!

[@pirateraider1708]

@@thereseopel8448 Crazy thing about water and lightning: Electricity only travels on the surface of water. Realistically the Zoras would only need to dive down a few feet to protect themselves from thunderstorms and even that gleeok dragon.

[@jj3085]

13:54 I would also like to point out the Zora’s previous weaknesses to fire and ice. In Twilight Princess, the Zora Armor is exceptionally weak to fire and ice attacks; making Link take 10 hearts worth of damage when hit by one of the aforementioned elements. Additionally, all the Zora of Ocarina of Time were frozen in the adult timeline. Another weakness of theirs is their need to be near a body of water due to their semiaquatic nature. Meaning they won’t be able to survive outside of the southeastern regions of Hyrule.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Yeah, the Zora are nerfed really hard.

[@jj3085]

@@TheBreadPirate definitely. By my estimation, the Gorons should be the strongest race due to their home being on a volcano (they literally have the high ground), the extreme heat that permeates throughout Death Mountain, high strength, high durability and access to minerals and ores used for weaponry as well as bomb flowers. That being said, I understand why you and Drakenwild see the Rito as the strongest.

[@robkendt]

The Zora have always been my favorite race in zelda but all of a sudden I see them from a different light. Sidon, watch out!

[@TheBreadPirate]

The Zora are pretty cool regardless of their defenses, not gonna lie.

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

They're my favorite race, but BotW and TotK have made Rito and Gerudo very attractive.

[@diezweids]

the rock used in the domain is luminous stone as said in a side quest in botw where if you bring the guy using a chisel luminous stones he will give you a diamond so he can make the repairs made by the calamity

[@kateleese1037]

i've just commented about that too. good job remembering sidequests, guess we're just vengeful for the annoyances

[@TheBreadPirate]

You are correct. I was a dumb dumb and didn't remember.

[@timschommer8548]

I don't really think it is fair to say that the zora bow is unusable just because it is made of metal, unless you plan on disqualifying almost every bow in Hyrule. Also, in BotW, they were trying to build up tolerance to touch shock arrows, which implies that if they could touch them, then they did have a way to fire them.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Your second point is interesting. I don't remember thm building tolerance, but that would be very helpful for battle! But you should double check the sprites for the bows in BotW. Many of them have metal ornaments on them, but still posses a wooden base. For example, the Soldier's Bow has a lot of metal on it, but is still wooden on the inside (same with all Hylian Bows). It's only the Lynel and Zora bows that are 100% metal and thus useless.

[@timschommer8548]

@@TheBreadPirate Anything defined as wooden catches fire in the hot parts of Eldin (at least for weaponry). Also: the golden bow. I don't think they were successful at building up a tolerance to electricity, but the implication is still that they would have been able to fire the shock arrows if they could touch them, meaning they had working bows.

[@TheBreadPirate]

@@timschommer8548 That is fair. I wonder if the metal exterior on the Bows protects the wooden inside while they are on Death Mountain?

[@FortyTwoBlades]

@@TheBreadPirate metal bows did exist historically, though they weren't as common as wooden ones. As far as the metal used in their weapons, the implication seems to be that they use something similar to titanium, which is why their weapons are so light, rust-free, and typically full of holes, as that further lightens them for swimming as well as reducing drag in the water. When it comes to the bows, titanium is an incredible spring material, so presuming that the metal used is the same as for their other weapons and that metal being titanium-like it should work quite well. Of course, all of the weapons in BotW/TotK are "chunked up" a lot so that their details are visible to the player and we have to presume that they wouldn't be as thick-sectioned as they appear based on the game models. ~A knife and tool designer by trade, and former archery instructor

[@TheBreadPirate]

Actually, in BotW the zora bow was called the "Silver Bow." Silver is rust proof, which titanium is only rust resistant. So it makes sense that it would be made of silver. However, Silver does not bend like aluminium or titanium might. @@FortyTwoBlades

[@thexdfacedgamer2306]

Link: **Can bend metal bow strings.** Also link: **Slowest swimmer known to man.**

[@Et_Exterminatus]

I love these videos. The one about Lookout Landing was absolutely hilarious.

[@TheBreadPirate]

:D Thanks!

[@rat_mikey]

Drakenwild's accent is so lovely. I could listen to her talk about laying siege to the Zora's Domain for hours.

[@UncertifiedBombexpert]

The Zora do not have a need for the bridges surrounding the domain, the main purpose is likely to create ease of access to tourists and merchants, however if the Zora were desperate enough they could likely destroy the major bridges that cross between mountains and major rivers, along with the three main bridges that access the domain itself. Being Zora, they could simply travel up and down stream with ease. while the enemy could not and would be force to follow the trail and cross said bridges, the only downside is that any non Zora reinforcements would not be able to assist as effectively (if the reinforcements were Rito, they could likely have a much easier time crossing into the domain, however Gerudo, Hylian, and Goron reinforcements would likely not be much help.

[@Gegey88]

1. the zora sword is not short. look at it compared to link. 2. thin Rapier like swords are blindingly fast and have wonderful point work, making them very good at taking down armored enemy's. it may be light but its a rapier. 3. that cross guard is ideal for disarming enemy's. 4. they have spears. there is one way to get to zora's domain.

[@janTesika]

even if it's the length of a normal broadsword, the zora are easily 10 feet tall a lot of the time. relatively speaking, it's a short sword.

[@Gegey88]

fair enough@@janTesika

[@prx_ainz]

What if I told you, blocking the roads with rocks is exactly what Ganondorf wanted. You see if they did block the roads off, I suppose he would block off all the waterways and send troops up to the mountains to absolutely siege the zora, he would also cut off the waterfalls, making water and seafood finite, and with the whole zora population confined within the domain, they would run out of food and water sooner or later, and it wouldn’t help that they would be defenseless against the flying monster thingys dropping bokos on their faces, and thus Zora’s Domain will fall

[@CoralCopperHead]

I think you vastly overestimate Ganondorf's power in this case. The closes thing we've seen him do to this is close off the single entrance to Dodongo's Cavern -- this would require outright damming the rivers, waterfalls, and giant "screw-you" sized resevoir, using labour from creatures that disintegrate when submerged. He's a strong sorceror/wizard/whatever, but he's still got limits. Dude gets wrecked by a forest kid with a sword on the regular.

[@saraross8396]

It's always been my understanding that the "giant crystals" on the cliffs were ice. They have the same effect as ice when you climb on them (you slip). They also look similar to ice formations and areas in other regions. Besides, a (repeatable) sidequest in Breath of the Wild confirmed that the domain is made of Luminous Stones. If you give a certain amount of them (can't remember if it is 10, 15, or 20) to a worker near the entrance of the city proper, you will get two diamonds on the first trade and one for each trade thereafter.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Very true. I forgot about that quest from the last game!

[@Enforc3r]

I know luminous stone is part of it But i think the non glowong parts are made of “Blue stone” the stone from the quest in tears to get a zora fabric

[@dalooneylass5561]

I think the luminous stones that grow out of the mountains around the domain are a different less valuable variety of luminous stone that doesn’t glow nearly as much, and that the luminous stones we give to the guy from the side quest is to add some more flare to the less precious stone the majority of the domain is actually made out of

[@Honored-one81]

"Rito being the water people" 💀 10:11

[@TheBreadPirate]

I made an oof.

[@Wert960]

❗️ @Honored-one81 YOU GOT COPIED❗️

[@yis8fire]

Bread gonna offend a lot more zelda fans today

[@TheBreadPirate]

It's a part of the job.

[@LunaP1]

😆

[@bdk336]

Cool detail you may have missed about the riverways: there's actually an underground waterway that connects lake Hylia with Cora Lake/The Menoat River which lets out into the sea. Given how much water flows through there it likely was navigable for the Zora until The Upheaval which seems to have broken up and raised the passage. It is now Cora Lakefront Cave and unfortunately infested with monsters including electric likelikes.

[@TheRealSmirks]

Draken's accent is so cool lol! This was really well thought out and it came out amazing. You should do more of these for like the Rito or something♥😅.

[@Drakenwild]

Thank you, random commenter! :DD

[@TheRealSmirks]

@@Drakenwild 😅😭.

[@TheBreadPirate]

You need to check out Draken's Rito video then! It's awesome.

[@dewmilk17]

@@Drakenwild Where is your accent from??

[@Drakenwild]

@@dewmilk17 it's Polish!

[@someoneelse2069]

I think that what you fail to account in this video is that Zora's domain, unlike lookout landing, was built PRIOR to a threat, therefore, it makes sense that it would be more decorative rather than defensive. They didn't need defense and just though, hey! that looks cool, let's build it! And the King was like Sure. This is likely the same thing for the weapons, they were made as decorative weapons.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Actually, the description for the bows says "They are used for fishing" so they're not totally decorative. But good points about the architecture. The Zora just haven't reacted to the change in monster threats quickly.

[@someoneelse2069]

@@TheBreadPirate Indeed

[@overweightseal4331]

why is this man not the number one Zelda KZbinr? these videos are so just, fun

[@TheBreadPirate]

Because other KZbinrs are fun too. :D

[@JoTheCraftyShark]

BreadPirate in the background after drawing a terrifying plan for ganondorf to obliterate zora's domain: 👍 :D

[@stratonikisporcia8630]

Ganondorf if he had a plan would be the strongest villain in all Nintendo franchises

[@TheBreadPirate]

We do a little bit of trolling here. :)

[@NatetheSensitivePlant]

One part that you left out that could totally change the tides, heh, Zora have confirmed water magic. While we don't know all of the details what we do know is that this involves both manipulation and healing and that more than the royal family could do it as outside of mipha and sidon there were other zora mages. While this doesn't totally make up for the lack of ranged weaponry the ability to wash away groups of foes or create barrier or heal injuries might be the reason they don't have the best weapons, armor, or fortifications.

[@Eric188092]

Cool video! While you focused on Tears of the Kingdom Zora's Domain, I'd like to add to the skepticism of the Zora being proactive in manning strong defenses with forewarning, is that while they were devastated by the Calamity (hence why they wouldn't have the defenses and forces shown in the Age of Calamity missions featuring the Domain) it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't start re-fortifying their defenses in the timeskip between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (not 100 years by any stretch, but enough years to get started!). Taking out the lightning hydra was definitely a good call, taking out the pest (Muckoroct or something to that effect) that polluted the water in ToTK should have been worthy of an extra mentioning when you brought up what polluting the water would do; it alone could cripple the mobility of the Zora within their city, since the Zora are comically slow moving on land anytime we see them (Mipha and Sidon riding water on land in Age of Calamity is a QoL game feature, we don't see them do that in the cutscenes of the game nor in the main games' play). All that time spent making a new statue for Sidon and Link's victory when they could have devoted those resources to a gate. No wonder that Red Lynel in BoTW was able to stay up there so long and threaten the Zora!

[@HyruleGamer]

Another excellent analysis! Now onto Drakens vidja! 🤙

[@thod-thod]

Dorephan is, however, very good at sweeping through HUGE swarms of monsters. Look at AoC’s fight for Zora domain (although they would have lost that without Vah Ruta)

[@TheBreadPirate]

He's way older in TotK, so his fighting abilities are probably weaker. Sidon however...

[@poetgriot18]

So, for the swords, as a weapon maker, those holes are terrible, but the backspike has a lot of utility. If its even slightly sharpened it wont hinder removal on a stab, and it adds disarmong and tripping options.

[@mak3x7]

Yes but that is for land weapons, however zora are fish people. The issue is getting in water, out water, and swimming through water. The holes just allow water to pass and reduce surface area when swimming. Remember, water is more resistant than air after all. 100% this is also why the shields are so small. Technically it helps significantly when the zora fights underwater... But with little to no underwater threats, its main purpose is just to improve mobility.

[@AWhaleShark]

Everyones gangster until link comes in with a whole freaking bombing plane

[@nelsonmaqueravenegas8237]

@A.RandomShark Even Ganondorf would explode

[@adenxiao4454]

Could you please do Gerudo Town for totk? I was wondering how the sanctuary would fare if the monsters approached from the caves - there’s also that secret entrance, which is practically a hidden hole with no defenses

[@mightygryffon]

Some thoughts of mine: I think that the Zora shield is more of a buckler, which is a small shield that you use with a sword (a messer if I'm not wrong). Also, if the longsword is pretty heavy, and the goal is to kill and not to injure, Zoras are very tall, so they could just hold the longsword high up and drop it while holding it if that makes sense. Now the spear, even though the design is kind of weird, it is actually kind of effective imo. The Zoras are L O N G, they could use the spears like staffs and just knock enemies over AND attack the Wizzrobes pretty easily i'd say. Also if they use a dash attack like Link does (when sprinting then attacking) I think that they could reach at least 1.5 times Link's range when using the same attack. Now that wall you talked about, is actually pretty effective. Monsters cant swim, at least most of them. And the Zora most likely have alliances, and Hylians and Gerudo can't swim infinitely, not to talk about Gorons. That wall can be used as somewhere to stand on for those other races, and to defend against Lizalfos as they can swim and fast, but are less versatile there than on land. Now about the Aerocuda, the Zora are strong, Aerocudas aren't, they could just throw rocks at them or something. The bomb barrels aren't a huge threat, they don't cause a big explosion, but the monsters they carry could be, even though it's like 3 Aerocuda at a time most of the time. And if Ganon chooses to block their path, that would also mean blocking his forces from coming inside, and as the Zora have kind of a fort, they kinda have an advantage as they are not as open as the monsters.

[@Epicboy099]

This is a great and very accurate video, bread pirate. I want to see you do gerudo town next, as it did both great (like the tall walls) and dumb (like no gates on flat ground) things to protect the vais.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Gerudo have an interesting situation. It will be fun to analyze them.

[@SceptyMakesMusicalMistakes]

@@TheBreadPirate Oh boy, another giant, easily toppled stone structure directly above the leader's living space!

[@Drakenwild]

​@@SceptyMakesMusicalMistakesmonument to monarch's pride and ignorance, I'm telling you!!!

[@Epicboy099]

@@SceptyMakesMusicalMistakes the bomb barrel arrocudas are going to have a field day with this one

[@DoodleDino123]

There's a hinox up on Ruto Precipice, but from there it has no easy way to get down to the Domain. It probably wouldn't be able to survive the fall from the Precipice into East Reservoir Lake, and even if it could, there's no way for it to get down from there that doesn't involve another long fall onto solid ground (it's too big for the staircase up to the Reservoir from the east gate of the Domain); it can go south and follow the path up Zora River, but it's debatable whether it would be able to make it across the bridge without the bridge collapsing under its weight, and it would have to tear down the arches which would structurally weaken the bridge even more. The aerocudas are also capable of carrying the much bigger and heavier lizalfos (the ones over Rist Peninsula in Akkala carry lizalfos archers), so aerocudas could airdrop lizalfos into the waters under Zora's Domain, which would mean that the Zora would be unable to use their main means of escape (if they're not faster than the lizalfos in water and can beat them to the waterfalls), so they'd be trapped in the Domain and be easy pickings for the bokoblin archers (brought in by aerocudas from the encampment on Tal Tal Peak) situated along the outer walls of the Domain, since there are NO WALLS and the entire Domain is open-air. The only completely enclosed space in the Domain is the cove where the shrine was in Breath of the Wild, WHICH IS RIGHT UNDER THE GIANT FISH, so if the Zora took refuge there then the bokos (or the hinox) could just destroy all structural support for the giant fish and make it collapse on top of them, killing them all in one fell swoop. The weight of the fish falling would probably collapse the main part of the Domain, too, which is NOT supported by any columns (the columns only support the outer wall, the central part of the Domain is "floating"), so now any survivors that can't beat the lizalfos to the waterfalls are easy prey That's not even mentioning the fact that Electric Lizalfos exist, but I can't think of any in the area of Zora's Domain/Akkala

[@TheBreadPirate]

Yeah, there are surprisingly few electric lizalfos in the area. Maybe the Zora forced them all out?

[@ch-animatestudios]

11:32 Metal bows are real things! They work! While the Zora bows are pretty ornate and themselves might not work, that doesn’t mean metal bows don’t work

[@TheBreadPirate]

Fair! I did hear about Aluminum bows during my research.

[@joshuaneate358]

Lizalfos hits itself with electric arrow 😂 14:09

[@FanaticChain]

Am so glad draken is getting some recognition

[@Drakenwild]

:D

[@nachoolo]

I think that the Zora's Domain being so well defended naturally could explain why the Domain itself it so focused on architectual beauty instead of defensive structures. Like you said, they could basically collapse the cliff over the valley's entrance and they could be completely isolated from the rest of the world. They basically live in an impassible fortress already.

[@Spiggle25]

The rocks probably wouldn’t even be an issue if you scaled back from an invasion. All you would need to do is block northern escape by fortifying the rivers and southern escape by blocking the river. Ultimately you would probably siege out the zora while you slowly worked your way in while the wizrobes drakes havoc and airdropped archers screwed with things

[@TheBreadPirate]

A siege would take a lot longer since the Zora have an endless supply of fish underneath them. But it sounds like you're proposing a lighter invasion altogether! That would be risky... but maybe you're right. That would still be a lot of enemies for the Zora to fight. .🤔

[@lolli_popples]

“The rito being the water people-“ Well I’m glad you clarified because otherwise I would have been confused.

[@GoodNeutralEvilChaos]

I would honestly love if you did this for the others as well.

[@pipo_ippo24]

The hook on the long sword is used on weapons in real life like the Wahaika. Sometimes the Maori people used that weapon to actively hook somebody by the mouth hence the english name, Mouth of the fish. But most of the time the Wahaika is used for thrusting it inside anothers body. (The Wahaika's hook part is a bit blunter than the Zora Long Sword which likely makes it easier to get out the opposing enemy. Some are very blunt however.)

[@Nixie_noobionlassie]

We need this as a series

[@HylianLegend]

I love you bread. You have created one of the best pieces of entertainment in existence.

[@TheBreadPirate]

XD

[@noahnaugler7611]

I mean, it's not impossible that the Zora happen to have access to an amazingly light spring-steel, or perhaps with such a spring constant that such a small bow is equivalent to a Longbow in both power and mass despite its small size. Obviously, gameplay doesn't really reflect this, but I think it's a cool idea

[@TheBreadPirate]

Anything is possible in Hyrule. Good point!

[@capnotserp]

it would be cool if you reviewed depths yiga base defenses! they seem pretty well fortified even for the player to get into

[@TheBreadPirate]

Oooo, interesting idea.

[@gooseguyfilms4460]

Do akkala citadel next. That one’s interesting because there’s already a ton of stuff about it in creating a champion.

[@TheBreadPirate]

That's a cool thought! I only considered the towns in the game, but there are a few forts that would be cool to examine.

[@JayEverdeenValentine]

Well the Zora's aren't technically naked even if it looks like it, sincerely we cannot see their private zones soo I wouldn't say that they're naked, pretty much they might just wear some layer of clothing to cover up that probably looks similar to their body. As for Sidon, there's information that he does wear shorts.

[@cupkelpie4656]

That was a really good collab! I hope the two of you will make another at some point in the future :)

[@TheBreadPirate]

🤞

[@angelicamartinez-i2h]

I love the hat in time music you played in the video

[@insxmniac_54]

I'm literally imagining right now the zora pushing monsters off the bridge leading to the domain into the water

[@TheBreadPirate]

Bye bye monsters! :D

[@thevgkid7067]

I really like these defense videos 😁There super interesting and well made.

[@TheReaIFutabaSakura]

Same here, it’s really good

[@TheBreadPirate]

Thanks both of you!

[@Zeldean1986]

Dont mind me just sitting here watching this during school

[@Apple_Sauce_Zelda]

Hey zeldean! how’s school going?

[@Zeldean1986]

It's great, I got all my homework done so I'm kinda just watching this. Sadly I am going to have to leave for class before the after show.

[@TheBreadPirate]

DURING SCHOOL?!

[@Zeldean1986]

Yea. I'm out of school now, but it was a good video.

[@richardmahn7589]

There’s going to be a pop quiz on this! Haha

[@sowhoareyou320]

I love the idea of a breadstick wearing a pirate hat and a lockness monster? Fish? Thing coming to on scrutinise the Zora

[@pokadotplot]

This is a great series! Glad to see another video on theme.

[@TheBreadPirate]

:D

[@daframo]

I would like to argue, that a gatehouse near the bridge would have a detrimental effect on the defense of the region. Not having them, allows for the enemies to also lack an advantadge point. The Zora being a water tribe, they can just as easily hide under the quicker river currents in the lower bridges and ambush enemy troops. With the upper bridges I think its a reasoning on what weapons (spears) they are used to be in, and how could they prepare bridges to block the way for enemy forces. For example, using their great water manipulation to create a water slide effect like the one we have seen in Mipha's statue. After all, no matter if its a silver or red enemy, throw them off the bridge and they ain't coming back They would deal much batter with Guerrilla warfare than human or hylian strategy

[@geoshark12]

Counter argument would be the stones strength , it survived the upheaval with no damage to the main structure. And it hold up that giant fish , it would not be so easy to destroy

[@flameshard4096]

I LOVE THIS, i would love to see more stuff like this! i am very curious how the gerudo specifically would fair

[@TheBreadPirate]

The Gerudo will absolutely be discussed in the future. I'm curious how they will do too.

[@nathanblackburn1193]

The rito are probably gonna be number 1 but I think gorons are gonna easily take second place because they're so darn resilient, immune to extreme heat, resistant to electricity and potentially only weak to cold (though we don't know for certain that it's a weakness or if they just dislike the cold) and even then icy enemies are weak to heat and even in TotK's cooled Death Mountain there are still burning hot caves that icy enemies can't enter, even ranged attacks presumably aren't an issue for gorons as they're simply too resilient and even then we do know that the gorons have developed cannons so they could still use those

[@TheBreadPirate]

I would put the Gorons in #1 and Rito at #2. The Gorons have SO much potential, and even possess cannon technology, but they are super uninterested in war. That is their only weakness.

[@nathanblackburn1193]

@@TheBreadPirate Yeah I just figured the rito would be number 1 because they can fly so if they needed they could destroy the bridge leading to the village and it would hardly effect them making them extremely safe and with the ability to fire arrows from basically anywhere because of said flight

[@AnAveragePurplePikmin]

​@@TheBreadPirate Im 90% sure Gorons are just living Rocks

[@HylianGamr1]

Yoo a part 2! Love this series that is starting to form!

[@TheBreadPirate]

:D

[@henrytripp8327]

Hey just to point out at 10:15 you said “Rito” instead of Zora… just a fun thing I noticed but I would LOVE a video on the Rito

[@ArcTemplar]

I noticed and was about to make the same comment 😂

[@Drakenwild]

Well, my man, do I have a great news for you!

[@Gokuh.]

I'm pretty sure he said that because the Zora are shown to evolve into the Rito in games like windwaker

[@TheBreadPirate]

I made a mistake. Please send me to prison.

[@crimsonf4cker653]

Well they are related

[@AstaoftheEclipse]

17:14 the fact that “Oh, It’s You” plays caught me off guard lol

[@TheBreadPirate]

I was going to use "Here's the Plan" from Hat in Time originally, but the Snatcher's theme is just TOO good.

[@BackflipBrickfilms]

About the fishtail: Have we ever really seen a significant amount of luminous stone get destroyed? Even the segments damaged by the Upheaval seemed like the area around it got broken, not the stone itself. I think there's broken Luminous Stone in the water temple but that would've been because it was exposed to Zonai Magic of some kind, maybe Constructs doing 10000 years of target practice? It's been a while since I was in this area so I'm not really sure, but the fishtail isn't that terrifying to me.

[@TheBreadPirate]

Good points. The thin columns holding up the fish structure might be scarier, but it's take a LOT of force to dislodge.

[@XaivierHuckabees]

Good job! It is a very put together video. I love all of the facts and reasons and jokes you put in.

[@PK_Yoshi]

Correction: 3 escape routes use the waterfalls to climb ploymous mountain and once at Mipha court jump into the east reservoir and then you’ll be in the wetlands shortly later

[@Highstar25]

I feel there's a big oversight in this video, that being the zora fighting style. Zora aren't ever going to want to engage an enemy on the land when there is water nearby. The reason they favour spears and thin thrusting swords is that they are as effective in the water as they are on land, and the diminutive size of their shields is likely because A: A large shield would slow them down a lot in the water and B: a small shield can be used like a paddle to swim faster. As a result, for the zora, none of their buildings would EVER be built as primarily defensive structures, as the whole army would just use them as a diving board to get underwater. To them, rivers are their walls and streams are their palisades. Larger bodies of water even de-fang an electrical assault, as even real lightning bolts fizzle out pretty quickly in water. The best thing for them to do defensively would be to create underwater shelters and harpoon launchers that can drag foes down to their doom, as well as a rapid escape route to the ocean.

[@Backfisch5927]

9:58 I'm pretty sure there's another waterfall and just because they can swim really fast doesn't mean they can't escape on foot.

[@mh6276]

3:51, THANK YOU for being a Mipha and Link shipper like me!

[@OffbrandDTraveler]

11:30 Actually there is a thinner part of the bow near the ends, which could be what allows them to bend They obviously won’t bend the same, but it’s a good compromise between fancy design and practicality that you don’t see on any other Zora weapons -Though Link is built different anyway so him being able to bend it doesn’t really count- Also I think something important to add to this, also, is that it’s concerning how the Zora have also been shown to be practically incapable of defending themselves. In both games, they’ve pretty much solely relied on Link to solve all their problems. As opposed to most other areas where their inhabitants may not have the situation under control, but they can still at least do _something_ before Link arrives In TOTK had Sidon not been born with his special power, they would pretty much be sitting ducks. And with nowhere to escape to with all the Monsters with deadly electric weapons roaming around, they’d probably all be dead by the time Link got to them

[@TheBreadPirate]

You make good points. I wonder if the Zora became lazy overtime because they relied on the Hyrule Royal Family to help fix all their problems. But with their ally gone they are more helpless? 🤔

[@thajocoth]

Since the monster bodies vanish on death until the next blood moon, the hooks on the weapons aren't a problem if they're used for the killing blow. Also, zora weapons deal double damage while wet... The only way I can think of for that to work is if water reacts with the material the weapons are made of to essentially create a poison, an acid, or an anticoagulant. If it's an acid, that could help negate the hook problem... That could also make the holes in the weapons themselves strategic. More surface area of weapon could be more damaging, and the taller zora are going to be stronger so they don't need to rely on weapon weight as much to force it through their enemies.

[@generaltechnomage306]

Question about the mountains surrounding the Domain: Would an army of Lizalfos be able to climb all those mountains? Also, what do you think the chances are that their bows are made of something similar to plasteel? That could explain why they can bend?

[@TheBreadPirate]

In BotW the bow was called the "Silver Bow." In Tears of the Kingdom they renamed it to the Zora Bow, but I see no reason it wouldn't be made of silver. And an army of Lizalfos would have a better chance of scaling the mountains than any other land-monster. Their jumping and running skills are unparalleled. Still a long trek though.

[@cheribonzai]

Are we going to totally ignore the fact that the zora can attack from the rivers? They may not have guards stationed at the rivers mouth anymore like in botw, but iirc there is npc dialog and lore in the game that states their soldiers DO in fact patrol the waters. Granted the enemy forces could just learn the routes, but in turn the zora could just randomize their patrols. All in all, I think forgetting about the rivers being usable by the zora was a terrible oversight lol

[@indigo0977]

Why are you assuming their plan is to hold out at the palace? That wouldn't play to their main strengths of maneuverability and speed in the water. Wanting to maximize those advantages also explains why they have minimal armor and why their weaponry is lightweight.

[@frozenthirdyear]

Shoutout to the TF2 sound effects! I love hearing them in videos completely unrelated to TF2.

[@RobloxOverloadGames]

Haven’t watched the video yet but in AOC the only captain that needed help was the zora one in the bit before hyrule outpost, i’m doing that that part tommorow

[@TheBreadPirate]

I hope the battle went well!!

[@RobloxOverloadGames]

@@TheBreadPirate it did! I’m at the gerudo highlands now

[@OligarchMartial]

Don't forget that the Lizalfos canonically almost beat the Zora by themselves, and might have some veterans.

[@mantaraypower]

please remember hyrule warriors while not explicitly cannon the actions of terraco don't actually affect the domain so we can see how they would respond-the creation of additional structures around the domain. also, they have no reason to ever go on land so they can hide underwater where there barbed weapons that are used for fishing would have destructive effects on the lizalfos above. for future videos please have a look at warriors it gives a more realistic scale of armies since dialogue doesn't need to be added to every npc. still great vid good work

[@justtes1961]

“The rito being the water people” 😭

[@Z-Dino]

If the big fin tail fell then I think the king would just catch it

[@TheBreadPirate]

XD

[@octoink145]

This may be just in Majora's mask, but the zora basically have built in boomerangs in the form of their arm fins

[@Xion431]

The hooked weapons might not be as bad as you think as the Zora are on average stronger than your average Hylian, especially when you consider how fast they can swim in the water and their overall size (granted some of that has to do with water bending Im sure)

[@fatalwaffle1715]

What if Zoras learned new techniques with their water abilities? For example, if they learn to lower the temperature of their water, turn it into ice, allow them to freeze, raise the temperature of their water, make it boil, allow them to burn, and turn water into water droplets which can turn into clouds to change the weather to whatever they want like Rain or snow and even summon lightning?

[@Goldenroses930]

can you PLEASE do a video on the gerudo they are my favorite race also i love your content also how do you think each nation would fair in a civil war

[@TheBreadPirate]

A civil war would probably be a stalemate. All the races have distinct advantages in their regions, but would struggle in hostile environments. The Gorons would probably win if they had the motivation to do so, but they don't. XD And I'd love to cover the Gerudo!

[@jorgeblanco1929]

No need for defense when you got drip

[@TheBreadPirate]

XD

[@mitchellcui4072]

What about the fact that lizalfos are also excellent swimmers?

[@TheBreadPirate]

They can swim well, but never demonstrate an ability to swim up waterfalls. So I didn't bring it up.

[@idkwhattoputhere0770]

@@TheBreadPirateFloating Platform Octoroks could carry monsters over the mountains.

[@Cosmosdestructor]

Link is able to bend the Zora Bow because he has extreme levels of super strength. Look at Age Of Calamity, where he deflected a large chunk of Hyrule Castle, which was about to crush Zelda, with a single arm.

[@Apple_Sauce_Zelda]

Another banger video from the captain!

[@Apple_Sauce_Zelda]

@@PrimeGenerathagoatpretty good what about you?

[@TheBreadPirate]

How can you say that!? It's only been out for 3 minutes.

[@Apple_Sauce_Zelda]

@@TheBreadPirateI clicked on my notification and watched the video instantly… I have a new superpower

[@Apple_Sauce_Zelda]

@@PrimeGenerathagoatexactly!

[@Zeldean1986]

Hello Applesauce