Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Story Recapped

[@commonwealthrealm]

What do you think of Tears of the Kingdom's Story when you add Breath of the Wild to the equation? Did it meet your expectations?

[@evansed1439]

The story was not what I thought it would be But TotK is already my Favorite Video Game!

[@a.jthomas6132]

I wish we could’ve learned more of Ganondorf’s backstory and motivation in conquering Hyrule. Plus, seeing more of Link x Zelda since they are in a deeply involved relationship since Breath of the Wild.

[@shadowcastyt]

@@a.jthomas6132his motivation is power

[@lenninmontiel4539]

Its interesting but does take some sages off like the sage of shadows like impa or the sage of forest and their temples but the story is good enough

[@lenninmontiel4539]

​@@shadowcastytor links twink buns lmao

[@shaoronmd]

if you think about it... this Zelda's life is quite tragic... not only did she had to seal calamity Ganon and wait for 100 years for Link to heal his wonds and defeat CG... THEN she was thrown back in time, with no way back took the long route by turning into a dragon until Link releases her from her dragon form... Twice she had to endure hardship for an insane stretch of time...

[@slayer_of_bananas4831]

at least for those thousands of years of dragonification she wasn't conscious but yeah no this zelda has gone through so much

[@billygabrielz]

Zelda's entire life in BOTW and TOTK was so tragic. It started with her being pressured by the knowledge if Calamity Ganon's ttack and failing to prepare for it. The memories in BOTW shiw such a desperate young girl trying every idea she can conceive to ensure the safety if her people, only for it to backfire with the corruption of the Divine Beasts. She deserves a spa day 😭

[@amazinc754]

Yeah it's unbelievable what she's been though. At least she wasn't conscious for the thousands of years as a dragon but she did hold ganon for 100 years and then literally saw the future went back in time and had no idea what happened to link or Hyrule

[@speedude0164]

I started reading this and went "this guy better not say Zelda was a dragon for 10 000 years".

[@dr.diamondcat3955]

We know it was technically longer than 10,000 years, but we don't exactly how long it was.@@speedude0164

[@billiamor2638]

Totk has honestly the best master sword pull of all the series

[@prons_gaming5083]

I think botw is a close second

[@TheCreed1217]

Agreed, its just super emotional

[@firemaiden029]

And the contrast that you pulled the sword from zelda's head to retrieve it and then to finally defeat ganon you have to shove the sword in his head...

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

With music and setting... A Link to the Past has it flatly beat.

[@merentori]

The way Ganondorf kills Sonia is so brutal, like punching her so hard in the back that he presumably like broke her spine her something, Jesus

[@PoliteTia]

I agree. It was really brutal! 😲😢

[@a.jthomas6132]

Yeah very brutal. It proves how cunning Ganondorf is. He is like a poisonous snake that can strike at any moment.

[@Angler4]

Bro blew her back like a anime villain

[@Tyrannosaur6265]

Warlock punch

[@kushgodreturns5873]

​​@@Tyrannosaur6265 no one is safe from the Warlock Punch

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

My theory is that the Ancient Hero had been a member of the royal family given that (as far as we know) the royal family was the only one with Zonai blood by this point but he's also dressed more extravagantly than other Heroes we've seen including the Hero of the Wild with gold and what looks like jade jewelry around his neck and wrists with what looks like a loftwing headpiece on his forehead. We also see around the hem of his skirt what looks like the Triforce which we rarely see anyone outside of the Royal Family themselves wear.

[@ArrakisHeir88]

Well, Demise cursed the spirit of the hero. That doesn't necessarily mean he CAN'T be royalty.

[@lumikera]

So Zelda and Link were siblings ? Or cousins.

[@jockson7574]

I hope in dlc we can get more story and lore of the ancient hero, ancient princess, original champions (who could be the sages), and war that took place 10,000 years ago. If not dlc then maybe a sequel will explain it

[@a.jthomas6132]

If Zelda processes the time power, that would explain how Terrako manages to travel back in time to create an alternate reality in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

[@nworder4life]

Nah it most likely came from Zelda's mother as she built Terrako with little Zelda and Terrako had a built in song for Zelda which was likely built into him by the queen.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

Something special with the Sheikah tech I suspect.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

​@@acgearsandarms1343 the Sheikah had time-bending tech way way back. Thousands of years before Link and Zelda's era of Skyward Sword, the Sheikah had the Gates of Time and the Timeshift Stones. This is before the Zonai came down (which we know because these Gerudo already have pointed ears, so it's after Ocarina of Time).

[@overthegardenwall7143]

🤯 ☠

[@DarthTingleBinks]

It's worth noting that the Divine Helms are very similar to the ones the sages wear in the past. And in the description of the Divine Helms, it's implied that they are, in fact, the same. Which would mean that, at very least, the direct descendants of those sages (or even the sages themselves) had those helms altered by the Shiekah to help them control the Divine Beasts.

[@a.jthomas6132]

That part there is what caught my attention when I first saw these helms. It leaves me a lot of questions about the connection between the Imprisoning War and the Great Calamity.

[@DarthTingleBinks]

@@a.jthomas6132 I kinda got the impression that the first Calamity was after the Imprisoning War, but still fueled by that Ganondorf's hatred. And every time the Calamity came it was increasingly destructive, as Rauru's seal wss getting weaker. And then, finally, after the Calamity of BotW, the seal broke. The Calamity was no more, but the source regained its power.

[@1jidion]

@@DarthTingleBinks the seal on ganondorf was bound to break eventually, whether link and zelda stumbled into that chamber or not, the seal was gonna break, it always does, link and zelda just happened to be in the right place at the right time, for zelda to get that secret stone, teleport to the past, and link to use raurus arm, those events were set up perfectly, for ganondorfs...demise

[@DarthTingleBinks]

@@1jidion Okay? Also... No. Link and Zelda didn't just stumble upon him. It wasn't a coincidence. It was always supposed to happen that way, because Zelda was always supposed to travel back in time.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

Did the ancient Sheikah refurbish these masks?

[@nworder4life]

I wouldn't call the Guardians and divine beasts inferior technology. The Sheikah's tech was way more effective for war. Vah Medo was like a freaking war ship, it could decimate any Zonai construct.

[@alejandrochavez213]

Plus, they mastered teleportation, which the zonai didnt have, and managed to create the sheikah slate, the smartphone equivalent of magic, effectively democratizing what before was only possible through magic.

[@aetherial87]

Also when you upgrade your energy cells they turn from Zonai green to a Sheikah blue.

[@nworder4life]

@aetherial87 That's really interesting

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

Exactly. Constructs can't hold a candle to Guardians. Constructs wouldn't be able to level Hyrule. The Zonai used technology to live. The Sheikah used technology to fight. That's the difference between these two peoples coming to the forefront.

[@pibbitycockapoopoo]

But we know the sheikah 100% tried to imitate some parts of zonai tech, like making their divine beasts after the helms that the sages wore, as well as making the divine beast helms you get from the amiibo in botw / quests in totk

[@0perativeX]

In Memory 7: A Show of Fealty, Ganondorf first bends the knee to King Rauru, insincerely pledging allegiance. But delivers a rather sinister line, "It is unfortunate that the noble Zonai no longer grace this world with their presence. All except you and your sister that is." He smiles a little before Rauru speaks his piece. Was Ganondorf smiling because the Zonai had simply left Hyrule... or because he and his Gerudo had secretly assassinated them?

[@a.jthomas6132]

Probably he is jealous of the Zonai’s Grace being given to the land of Hyrule.

[@yamiswife101]

A nice callback to Ocarina of Time, where he does the exact same thing

[@a.jthomas6132]

@@yamiswife101 It is indeed a callback to Ocarina of Time which is my first Zelda game.

[@IchigoUnbound]

Teba has one of my favorite character designs. I was a quite disappointed that we didn't get him as companion but at least there's a reason for it.

[@a.jthomas6132]

I agree with this one. Even though I was worried that Tulin will come along. But he proves himself that he is more capable of being a Rito Warrior. And I would die protecting him like any brother should of

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

He did all that training in Age of Calamity, and then when he was sent back to this timeline he was made Elder. Maybe that's why the Age of Calamity DLC made a point of showing off Tulin's Tornado. It's the origin of his Gust powers being shown.

[@a.jthomas6132]

Rauru would’ve been a great partner to Link if not the briefest opening part. There is a bit similar with both him and Link such being lost without the love of their love of their lives (Queen Sonia and Zelda). Hopefully we get to see their interactions in future dlc.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

Technically he's a partner in the same vein as Ezlo.

[@lumikera]

I mean, really, he never left. His spirit is just chilling in Links arm. So is Sonia’s, I guess ? Not to mention Mineru is also just living inside Links iPad. He’s practically a walking funeral home. The writers probably just found it difficult, if he was a partner (or any of them were partners) to find a way to write a one sided conversation cause Link doesn’t talk. We had Fi in skyward and everyone hated her.

[@theisheep2676]

@@lumikera I loved Fi

[@a.jthomas6132]

Even though it is not shown much in comparing to Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, but is still having romantic feelings for Link? If you remembered Breath of the Wild, her sacred powers were awaked when the person is closest to her is in grave danger. Plus, Kass’s last song show the Princess of Hyrule feelings towards her Appointed Knight. The blooms of Silent Princess flowers symbolize their endless love in the secret ending. We get a lot of hints and suggestions again in Tears of the Kingdom that they are more involved as they lived together in his house, help restoring Hyrule, their visits to the Lover’s Pond (mentioned by a NPC in Lurelin Village) and build a school for a new generation of Hylian children. In Dragon Tear memory 8, Zelda speaks highly of Link to her ancestors with her fondness of her knight/hero as she blushes. Rauru and Sonia would’ve like to meet him as any parent would like to meet their daughter’s boyfriend. And lastly , a Light Dragon’s instinct to save & aiding Link the final battle against Ganondorf, and her description of the “warm, loving embrace” how she feels home with link. My hope for the next Legend of Zelda game is we get see them become royal rulers of Hyrule to make Zelink completely canonized!

[@AlaiaSkyhawk]

Aye, if you look around and put the bits together, it's pretty-well spelt-out/heavily implied in a lot of places in TotK that Zelda and Link are a couple. We might never get to actually see it in game, but I think with this paticular incarnation of them we can honestly say with certainty that Link will be the next King of the rebuilt Botw/TotK Hyrule :)

[@a.jthomas6132]

Matthew Mercer did a phenomenal job being the voice of Ganondorf! Can we all agree that he deserves to be nominated for best performance in the 2023 Game Awards?

[@1jidion]

i can agree with this, love matts voice, great as mccree, even greater as ganondorf

[@a.jthomas6132]

@@1jidion Do you know that he once played Ganondorf in one of those old web series, and he is a big Zelda fan since the 80’s?

[@acgearsandarms1343]

Shame there’s not a lot of him. But he did good with what he was given. I’m more impressed with his delivery as the mummified Ganondorf. The voice matched extremely well in his decrepit state.

[@_itsmunah]

His Ganondorf voice didn’t match the character design but the mummified ganondorf was spot on.

[@JuicePurifie]

P O

[@chillouttm3804]

My theory that’s kinda unrelated but still about ToTK: So the triforce is missing for both Botw and ToTK. So what could have happened to it? My theory is that Rauru somehow came into contact with the triforce, which made it split giving himself the triforce of courage, Ganondorf the triforce of power, and Sonia the triforce of wisdom. Then Ganondorf wants to overthrow hyrule for what ever reason (probably either mimicking WW Ganondorfs reason or Demises). But since the King and Queen both hold a triforce, and secret stone, this would be impossible. So he rolls up and kills Sonia and takes her secret stone and knowingly or not also takes the triforce of Wisdom. Things happen and Ganon is being sealed by Rauru. Ganon is then awakened like 100,000 years later after link and Zelda undo the seal and causes the upheaval. Raurus arm then fuses to link officially granting him the triforce of courage. Then eventually link confronts ganon and kills him and obtains the full triforce. This is the reason that link is able to change Zelda back.

[@lumikera]

almost as if nintendo is trying to erase the triforce from lore but keep it for marketing

[@wiskerfall4519]

I love the fact that even commonwealth puts zelink in the video although it’s brief like saying that Zelda developed feelings for link and calling link Zelda’s love I still appreciate those touches since zelink is basically cannon with this interaction of link and Zelda so thanks

[@a.jthomas6132]

She still has feelings for Link. There are hints and suggestions to that like being school teachers to the children and visiting the Lover’s Pond.

[@Dominicn123]

Lol bruh she began developing feelings for Ganon during the time she was with him, he hit that so many times when she finally got to see link again she wasn't interested anymore and had to pretend

[@wolfy3444]

@@Dominicn123 Lol, dude you really have to wake up to reality. Like be FR 💀

[@mrbiscuits001]

I don’t think links ready for anyone after losing mipha. He definitely cares for Zelda a great deal but they’re not a couple

[@villager7804]

@@mrbiscuits001that’s some delusion there. You gotta be dumb to miss all the hints in both games

[@redonslaught3019]

Tail on the Ancient Hero makes me think Minish, as we know they have size changing magics and came from the sky like Zonai they might have a long history together...

[@wildmoonchild8210]

I just beat the game so im happy to be able to click on videos without worrying about spoilers

[@panosmosproductions3230]

Disney did a similar sequel-prequel thing with Frozen and Frozen 2. And just as the Zonai were hinted at through the various strange ruins in Breath of the Wild, so to was the existence of the Northuldra in a short seen in Frozen where 4 rock pullers are jutting out from thick mist, the same 4 rock pullers that mark the entrance to the Enchanted Forest inhabited by the Northuldra in Frozen 2. This helps to explain why the sequel-prequel structure is an excellent way to introduce radically new ideas without retconing the already established ideas and concepts of the original.

[@nathanwong3345]

“When calamity gannon rose its ugly head”

[@BakkerfeelingAdventures]

Great work! I really enjoyed watching the complete (and tragic) story of these 2 amazing games. 🙏😊

[@dgm66]

Time travel can be so messy. I typically do not like it when stories use it because they often run into a chicken-or-egg type paradox situation. The Zelda we saw was looking at depictions of her life from the past in the underground ruins. That implies that another version of herself has gone through this before. If so, how many times has this actually happend?

[@justjared9985]

It only happened once. That's the point of a closed time loop, which this game is. She went back in time and became the dragon to heal the Master Sword. That means there was a dragon version of Zelda and a healing Master Sword hidden away for millenia, separated from the rest of the world. It's really not that complicated.

[@brannycedeno6823]

Narration and narrator were top notch. Give him a raise.

[@grossartus]

Fun fact: i found Minerus quest first before any other Wise and it was by accident, i just wanted to see what was in the cloud i tried to navigate blindly and suddenly i fell in the ruins where the shrine was, i had enough hearts to open the door and voila

[@GhostWulf70792]

Dude that's so cool, so you had a robot as your first sage.

[@grossartus]

@@GhostWulf70792 yes and i didnt know that it was supposed to be actually the lastvone before thebfinal battle haha until Purah said we need to findbthe 5th sage x.x

[@grossartus]

But it was funny that i was literally walking with the robot arround all of them

[@lumikera]

@@grossartusi had this same problem. the cutscene where they were all stumped and surprised and speculating where the “hidden” fifth sage is, meanwhile i have a whole robot chilling behind me who happens to have a familiar rock on her

[@mr.ranno5432]

My new timeline theory: the destruction timeline. After SS, as a dying wish demise destroyed everything, the Skyloft breaking in 2, leaving some in the air and some on the surface, those who were on the surface stayed hylians, but the ones in the sky evolved into the Zonai over thousands of years, sometime later they decided to descend to the surface like in the murals

[@lumikera]

this is exactly what i thought it was originally. imo zonai have to be somehow related to hylians in order to have kids with them. just like sheikah, gerudo, and hylians are “related”. otherwise idk how they made an heir

[@PoliteTia]

Wonderful. Thank you so much for this! ☺King Rhoam Bosphoramu would have been so proud of Zelda. Zelda sacrificed so much of herself for Hyrule.

[@a.jthomas6132]

After how he treated Zelda, I don’t feel he deserves anything in return. Even being too damn cold on her and not being supportive of her passions to being a scholar. King Rauru is the kind of father Zelda needed most.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@a.jthomas6132 Doesn’t excuse his actions but honestly I find people too harsh to King Rhoam with context. The Kingdom and her people did matter more. Zelda knew this too, but her own shortcomings made her feel useless if she didn’t contribute as a scholar. He made misguided mistakes with good intentions thinking what he did was best for all. He knew he wronged Zelda and would have been the father she needed after her return, regardless of her powers awakening or not. But we all know that never came to pass. He would have made amends had he been given the chance. But he held this regret for the past 100 years. I don’t agree with what he did, far from it. But will you really deny a soul even something so small as closure for being too strict? Is his transgressions against Zelda really deserving of nothing? He was not unloving, he was being stern and cold. Had he held his cold disposition after his death, then you would have a point. But it’s never always a black and white situation. There’s always nuance and you have to see things from both perspectives. Yes, he deserves retribution for his choices, but who’s to say he didn’t already receive it? I will agree that King Rauru and Queen Sonia gave her the parental guidance she needed and had been denied for so long.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

Impa wasn't proud. She wanted it undone. That may be because she's Sheikah though. They've been protecting the royals since the first Zelda, so to have the last royal disappear under her watch would be the biggest failure to the long line of her Impa ancestors, and her people in general.

[@a.jthomas6132]

I hope the next Zelda game allow Link and Zelda become future rulers of Hyrule since one the themes of Tears of the Kingdom is building a better community in every village.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

Yes yes yes

[@kit76149]

Nintendo deliberately had them parallel Rauru and Sonia. Rauru has a ponytail and blue eyes and gives Link his arm, then Zelda and Sonia obviously have similarities. Sonia was a commoner who married Rauru, etc. There is a theme of torches being passed and the champion successors becoming leaders. Not to mention, well, there's only one way to have another Princess Zelda after this one.... so I'd say it's pretty likely, if not literally necessary for the franchise due to established lore. But it'll probably only be implied like with skyward sword

[@jockson7574]

We just need a sequel

[@m.rockwellparker9162]

I have only had one other video game make me cry (Ori), but TOTK got me twice (Sonia and Zelda's sacrifice). Very powerful storytelling that doesn't allow the audience to look away or avoid its tragedies.

[@whyshouldi9786]

I think that the demon king Ganondorf is the reincarnation of demise and the original ganondorf. All others were phantoms, bodies, and calamities crafted by him.

[@prons_gaming5083]

I like this theory, and it's my personal headcanon

[@andresbarquin]

I prefer the theory that this ganondorf is the most recent incarnation of demises hatred, not the first. Since the rito existed during the imprisoning war, it is more likely that the imprisoning war takes place long after any of the other games. Placing the imprisoning war before the events of the minish cap just creates so many contradictions in the lore.

[@whyshouldi9786]

@@andresbarquin it’s quite clear that it takes place before ocarina of time, since there is a different temple of time on the great plateau which goes into the sky allowing them to build another at that location. Not to mention twinrova who can be seen serving ganondorf in the past who are young in that memory and 400 in ocarina of time. It’s clear what happens.There is unrest following the war with no monarch to lead hyrule. The monsters still remain and so the picori grant the picori blade and seal the monsters in the chest. Then the Minish cap takes place. The triforce is then discovered and war ensues ending in the hyrulean civil war which would be quelled by Sonia and raurus descendant, the new king. Then ocarina of time takes place.

[@andresbarquin]

@@whyshouldi9786 the existance of another temple of time that goes into the sky doesn't prove the imprisoning war takes place before OoT. It is just as likely that this temple of time was built after any of the other games, then rose into the sky, then they built a new one. And the thing about twinrova, we have seen many characters reappear in multiple games despite not actually being the same characters. For example, impa, beedle, tingle, malon, and twinrova who appears in the Oracle games despite dying in that timeline during OoT. chances are, they are not the same twinrova. The rito having any sort of presence during the imprisoning war is enough to prove that the imprisoning war could not have occurred before OoT. The rito did not exist before OoT and if they did, where did they go, why did a new and unrelated species also called the rito evolve from the zora in the adult timeline only for the original rito to show up without reason and replace the new rito? It makes no sense.

[@whyshouldi9786]

@@andresbarquin it makes perfect sense if you think about it. What if the rito just migrated elsewhere during the hyrulean civil war, they are birds after all. What if they sheltered in the storm wind ark? And as for how the rito would then be created during wind waker, just call it a coincidence, after all there are multiple tribes of zora. Also how does it make any more sense for the game to take place in the adult timeline with what happened to hyrule. Also what happened to just trusting what the game tells you? The game said that rauru is the first king of hyrule. Maybe the kingdom was destroyed and renewed over the ages with the same name but he is the first king of any hyrule he created the kingdom originally.

[@Iluvantir]

This origin story for Ganondorf is a repeat of what happened long LONG before. Are they hinting at a Repeating Circle of time, where the world starts, time splits into three, then recombines for a new re-start... just with a few differences? Could be, and interesting if so.

[@terryfowler971]

I'm so happy for all the upcoming zelda lore and theory videos!

[@fredrikmagnusson6469]

I would love for Link and Zelda to finally get married or something, imagine the quest to plan their wedding!

[@a.jthomas6132]

That’s my hope as well.

[@jadenmartin-qr3zh]

This game really gave a new meaning to the name imprisoning war.

[@prons_gaming5083]

Especially after that freaking amazing cutscene of the end of it

[@ZYCKORL]

Why is nobody talking about how you can hear Zelda scream in the second roar of the light dragon after she transforms lmao

[@armnhc84]

I guess I missed the part where the Zonai nearly went extinct and Rauru/Mineru were the last two in existence. I only remember Ganondorf commenting on how the rest of the Zonai decided to simply leave Hyrule and leave it to Rauru to rule 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@lumikera]

Not to mention that they stayed around in some form for awhile after. Ancient hero’s aspect which is the hero from 10000 years ago was furry. Gotta be related. That being said that means there were like prob 10 thousand yewrs of furry zelda’s and links.

[@mikeskis7887]

I want it so bad to tie in with previous games 😢

[@fintanoblack2458]

Same

[@FlowerItzel18]

Absolutely love this narration, I’m not even halfway done with the game but I mind the “spoilers”

[@Hyrule-Postman]

Lets hope there's a DLC that is Zelda and Link's wedding

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

This occurs after Ocarina of Time. The Gerudo are already pointed-eared by this point. Consider that just before Ocarina of Time, the various races were brought together under one banner, and that was considered the founding of a new and improved Kingdom of Hyrule. This is not the original founding, which was done by Link, Zelda and the other Skyloftians from Skyward Sword. However, it was a major enough change to be considered a new founding. It must be the same here. The Zonai descend and forge the Zonai/Hylian Kingdom. This is a major change for the better, so it's considered another founding.

[@ziegfeld4131]

No

[@Tycholarfero]

​@@ziegfeld4131Yes?

[@lindseylandeck7457]

I have a simpler theory. Hylia is the daughter of Rauru and Sonia, and she was already all grown up and had left Hyrule before the story presented in ToTK, it allows a lot of Skyward Sword, BoTW and ToTK to make sense without any retcon.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

@@lindseylandeck7457 but that doesn't make sense. Even ignoring a mortal birthing a deity, how could Hylia descend onto the world right after it was created by the Golden Goddesses if she didn't exist until after Hyruleans did?

[@Jasonlords]

I just want to say, you don't need a narrator. You've good a pretty awesome voice to listen to.

[@peppermintchai]

I’m surprised I had to scroll this far to find this. Please do not use the narrator. Your voice is awesome!! Vibe of this video is off

[@SN0H]

When they just randomly went hard about them being partners near the end caught me so off guard 😭😭 i wasn't expecting them to keep emphasising it

[@katierecommends8595]

Spoiler alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hear me out: Link symbolizes Courage, Sonia symbolizes Wisdom and Rauru symbolizes Power. When they came together, the power they used to transform Zelda back was the Triforce. What do you think?

[@itsJoshW]

Zelda has the full Triforce, which is her sacred power suggested by Sonia. Cool concept, however likely not directly intended. Rauru was symbolically considered a "Hero" with Courage by sealing the Demon King. So that would remove "Power" from them, anyway. Sacred Light (in the Sacred Realm) is what likely brought Zelda out of the draconification form.

[@gakamech]

If they ever make a sequel to Tears of the Kingdom I really want Zelda to upgrade from princess to Queen, the only time she's queen I believe is in Hyrule Warriors and that Zelda is so badass

[@yamiswife101]

The masks worn by the sages kinda remind me of the Twili

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

I liked how Link had companions again that were helpful to his quest. Additionally, I thought when they came to help it, it was one of the best moments in the series ever due to how earned it felt.

[@groudonor12]

Let me show you TP, OOT and WW..

[@groudonor12]

So unoriginal

[@NikolaiVolkovski]

Just finished TOTK, and it’s a masterpiece, almost a perfect game, but the story and lore definitely leave you feeling lacking

[@DoraKage]

Love this game to bits. But I guess I have two nitpicks: (1) Sheikah tech, and all the events surrounding the cyclical calamity - the divine beasts, champions are practically non existent here. reduced to easter eggs almost. Would have been nice if there was something mentioned about it at least (2) time travel in general is pretty messy. I mean ok, Dragon Zelda was around hidden behind a Sky Barrier in BOTW, but how could the Deku Tree in his thousands of years existing, not sense the presence of 2 Master Swords? Surely by the time of BOTW - the time travelled master sword should have been almost at full power and noticeable.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

It's weird. Did the modern day Hyruleans go round removing every bit they could find, out of fear? That's not easy given that the Shrines, Towers and Pillars seem to extend into the Depths (think about the Gerudo Tower, or the Kihiro Moh Shrine). Maz Koshia didn't die at the end, unlike the 143 other Monks. Maybe he used his magic to collect it all, and take it to whatever realm he has access to (maybe the same one that houses the Trial of the Sword) under the whims of the Hyruleans. The only bits that remain though are those that Purah and Robbie's team made, and the random Ancient Blades.

[@jerryelpato25]

8 years passed it's obvious that some of those artifacts wouldn't exist, due to avoid another war with any sheikha technology as Zelda said at the end in bow, the divine best won't work.

[@a.jthomas6132]

What I am curious about is the connection between the events of the Imprisoning War and the History of Calamity Ganon. Is the Calamity a product of Ganondorf due to the fact Rauru’s sealing is slowly weakened? Does the helms each Ancient Sages are familiar to the Devine Beasts? There are many weaves and threads that needed to be filled out. Hopefully we get some for future DLC.

[@SuperMonkeyBros69]

you literally answered your own questions bruh

[@1jidion]

the Calamity is a product of Ganondorfs hatred, due to the fact Rauru’s sealing is slowly weakened, and to add, the seal was going to break eventually

[@a.jthomas6132]

@@1jidion That would explain why his malice is trying to escape his physical form.

[@SuperMonkeyBros69]

@@1jidion yea not that hard to figure out idk why they still have it as a question

[@sa3270]

It doesn't make sense to me that Zonai or mixed zonai would still be around at the time 10000 years before BOTW, since the Zonai were already fading out at the time of the founding of Hyrule. So I could only say that maybe the tapestry depicts events from two different eras? More likely, Nintendo just goofed in their story.

[@TheOmnalink]

Great work and great voice over

[@Newlife2811]

Interesting theory but unfortunately it's just that. The reality is that TOTK makes another timeline split and more. The fact is this, Zeld in the very very distant past became an eternal dragon. That causes all kinds of problems for BOTW. there was no light dragon in BOTW so we know that TOTK is in fact something completely different and is truly not a true sequel to BOTW but something of it's own. My biggest questions is what now? Who was that ancient hero as they dont make sense. And one more...WHY WAS THE MASTER SWORD TEASED TO BE HAKF ZONAI?! Dont get me wrong, I Love TOTK, I just feel like we got a very differnet game than what could have been.

[@itsJoshW]

100% a theory, I'd argue entire bullshit speculation.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

This doesn't make a timeline split. This causes a time travel loop. Like how Guru-Guru taught adult Link the Song of Storms, whose soul returned to his child form through the Master Sword, where he then taught Guru-Guru the Song of Storms, so that later down Guru-Guru's chronology he could teach adult Link. Don't forget that yet another cloud barrier was in the way, and it was only broken by the Light Dragon as Link is to leave the Great Sky Island. There's no way he'd be able to access her altitude to confirm or deny her existence in BotW. She was hidden the same way as Skyloft was way back when.

[@ajlucky0076]

Botw happened before Zelda went to the past. The light dragon just kinda popped into existence once Zelda went to the past and changed the future.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

@@ajlucky0076 no, that's not the case. This would mean there's a timeline split - one with the Light Dragon and one without. But in the start of TotK, before Zelda goes back, the mural depicting her transformation already exists, meaning the Light Dragon is in that timeline. This means there's only one timeline.

[@jeremygriffin620]

"granted them 2 of the 7 secret stones," says the narrator with regards to Rauru and Mineru. Was there actually only seven? My current count, to my best guess, is a minimum of 10. Given what we have seen there is every likelihood of three additional stones being within the beings of Dinraal, Naydra, and Faroosh. Further, the implication that they are doing a direct and eternal service to the goddess seems to imply that there could be even more draconized Zonai, to have been the more tragic tales of draconization.

[@metaltom2003]

Right, we don't know if any other stones existed before that either. Maybe there were a lot more that were just lost or destroyed somehow before the events we get to see. It's very likely there were three more stones, at the very least, due to the three divine dragons existing. The other thing I would like to mention is that while we do know that Rauru and Mineru were the last of the Zonai, we don't know if they had any other siblings that may have died at some point beforehand.

[@jeremygriffin620]

@@metaltom2003 My take on the story leaves me with a gap. Mineru and Rauru are the last of a branch that came down to the surface, but I think they carefully worded the story to leave the possibility that others simply remained in the sky, elsewhere. So, there could be whole branches of the species living elsewhere with 255 spiritual stones in a big vault or something.

[@metaltom2003]

@@jeremygriffin620 Definitely a possibility. I think they purposely left that part vague so as not to write themselves into a corner with future titles.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

The statues and compendium refer to those three dragons as spirits in the form of dragons. Not the Light Dragon. So I’m disinclined to think they had secret stones to begin with. The mural too even depicted 7 stones. Not until evidence comes up to prove otherwise.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

I thought that 3 of the Sages might have eaten their stones and become these dragons. I don't know why they're all female when they transform, but I'll overlook it. It would be weird to have 3 instead of 4 transform, but wasn't there some God associated with the Stornwind Ark? I'm not sure it correlates perfectly, but that's my only guess as to the 4th dragon, the former Sage of Wind.

[@Matthiass721]

Loved it. Narration took on a real Zefrank note with the gerudo being plagued by gibdooo!😂

[@carlospereira-ww2vo]

Great video. I watched like an hour ago but I had to come back just to give a like.

[@Frizzly007]

Some of the line in this video are hilarious. Zelda geeked out, link had beaten enough shrines to pull it out. Ect…lol😆also, i dont blame ganon, a king made to feel like a laky after the Zoni came down in a hostile takeover to rule over everyone

[@Korbuskirbo]

Extremely underrated story that deserves more recognition. A truly incredible story of sacrifice

[@AwesomeCaden73]

I’ve saved this to my watch later lost for when I finish the game 🙏

[@GhostKreep]

“Zelda geeked out” 😂

[@PureDarkness13579]

Love the video, but most of the Zonai structures, including the Water Temple, were once located on the surface, as stated through the lore. A steward-bot specifically state that the sky islands once were on the ground and through the tablets in Kakariko Village we learned that Zelda worked with Mineru to lift them into the sky beyond what I assume is the cloud barrier, to help Link in the future.

[@pixilmon]

I think the hero of the wild might return to termina seeing how totk is very similar to oot

[@Lv-nq9qz]

After watching this, I have to wonder, is Ganondorf a zonai descendant, or a half zonai, half Gerudo? It would explain a lot. Why he's green, why he seems to know how the stones work, why he has dragons on his clothes. What if he was from another faction of the zonai, who never recognized him as a true zonai and shunned him. What if Rauru is his father and he's ashamed of him? I've been getting a lot of Game of Thrones feels from the story so far, maybe it's just all the dragons

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

Green Gerudo is nothing new. It's not common, but not impossible. As that annotation noted, those two green guards of his may be new versions of Kotake and Koume, who were kind of green (but more aged) in their other appearances.

[@aletserrece]

I just clicked this vid for the first time, but I could swear I've seen it before. Having major Deja Vu with this. Did you guys upload it earlier and changed it or am I going crazy?

[@fuzzy3932]

well, here is a video I've been waiting for!!!

[@Enderofl]

I really loved the story in Tears of the Kingdom, but my problem with it is how it links to Breath of the Wild. I think that Botw links up well to Totk but Totk doesn’t link up well to Botw

[@fishnewt1331]

So many theories can come from this one single game alone.

[@kursedmilk]

22:23 NOPE lmao

[@dratinifan13]

Been waiting for this vid!

[@ZeranZeran]

Excellently made video

[@jonson856]

That reference to real life declining demographics was just too funny for me hahaha

[@beans72]

We’re escaping the depths with this one boys 🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯

[@nathan22211]

what makes you think Mineru and Raru are the only 2 left? I haven't played Tears, and from the cutscenes I saw watching RTgame, we only really got to see the plateau, the old temple of time, and the imprisoning chamber. with the zonai ruins on the surface being in the jungles in the west, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more zonai.

[@NapaCat]

What Ganondorf says to Rauru when he's swearing fealty.

[@SomeRandomParticle]

If Hyrule was established in Rauru's time, and Botw is connected to the rest of the timeline, then those events most likely happened after the events of skyward sword.

[@jayfeather965]

Some Zelink shipper wrote this.😁

[@itsJoshW]

Literally

[@bandito241]

Very nice video.

[@jonson856]

The final battle, where Link and Zelda team up and then Link catches Zelda was the best ending ever. At least for me.

[@a.jthomas6132]

Did a part of Zelda is not all loss due to her love for Link?

[@jonson856]

@@a.jthomas6132 Thats what I would presume. Other commentators have also speculated that very likely something like her desire to help Link (or love for Link????) formed the baseline consciousness of her draconified form. Similar with Ganondorf. The moment he swallowed the stone, thats when he lost because he lost all his personality, yet at the same time, a little bit of him was still there and formed the dragons base consciousness. That is why in his draconified form he tried to bite the Light dragon/Zelda.

[@foxdavani4091]

The voiceover is fantastic, but goddamnit. The story is so convoluted, it might as well be terminator 345 and six put together. Cheese that is one confusing story.

[@an2n901]

I swear the intro guy has the same voice of the ninja storm saga reviews i watched

[@honeymatchalatte]

This was SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

[@ironlotus8003]

To me the "ancient hero" armor resembles the Picori. Red tipped tails, Mouse like snout, long ears.

[@amazinc754]

This video is way too good

[@natureinmotion2355]

In a World. Where everybody thinks this voice is the coolest voice ever. One man's stands alone. This summer. Witness the event of the century. Hit a thing with a thing. Become the best abusive narcissist in the world, in, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the kingdom. Rated R.

[@pedroespana6281]

I love this franchise

[@fredrikmagnusson6469]

Thank you for this!

[@shawnharmon7304]

Damn onions got me towards the end 🥹🥹. Im not crying you’re crying

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

I'm not crying.

[@nicholasderemi8493]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@shawnharmon7304]

I love this story!

[@AidanRatnage]

5:21 so did everyone else present, no one took Ganondorf's secret stone from him after he was paralysed even though Zelda knew the seal would break. 13:33 "into Bellum", like in Phantom Hourglass? How do you know it was 8ish years? 14:26 Didn't Link already have it at this point? 16:04 How did he get there? 19:43 I didn't notice any fraud going on here. 25:14 Where did Link's clothes go?

[@EclipseStudios970]

lol answer to question 1: Game/Lore Logic answer to question 2: Narrator Logic answer to question 3: he put it back after BotW answer to question 4: Rauru's hand brought him up question 5: idk question 6: ....to show that his arm gets healed?

[@AidanRatnage]

@@EclipseStudios970 5 was "Pyramid Scheme" look it up if you don't know.

[@MULTIPLANGOD]

this is awesome

[@johanstenfelt1206]

Hm, how very interesting, i wonder what will be next for this Franchise at this point? What do you think?

[@nothing4youhere540]

Damn, 10/10 for that narration. Like velvet... Mmmmmm....

[@LORDY_VEE]

I miss Jason V.O

[@drummerlinn]

The dramatic tone and the silly sentences are a hilarious combination.

[@ThePurpleSquirrelsGamer]

Yay Zelda videos!!!

[@Saracen93]

Love this summary. Pyramid scheme of the lightning temple though? Did chatgpt write this? Lol

[@itsJoshW]

It's 80% fanfiction so probably.

[@Rip_me-ethan]

But first zelda geeked out 🤣

[@Gerben2008]

Hello👋 this is just what i need

[@amberstargames]

Just a quick question, what’s the difference between malice and gloom?

[@itsJoshW]

Malice is a non harmful version of Gloom. Gloom, or Miasma, depletes and entirely destroys your hearts. Malice hurts your hearts. "Malice" depicts that the substance is hate and anger, whilst "Gloom" depicts the substance is darkness and evil. Malice depicts "the curse of the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero" and gloom depicts "the legend of Zelda".

[@novustalks7525]

So the 3 goddesses were all zonai and became dragons?

[@awesomeerr8765]

Dude what? Interspecies bestiality? Absolutely disgusting. Seems like a really cool story though

[@stevemorris8545]

Link must have found that MsgNotFound Master Sword dup glitch to be able to pull it from in front of the Deku Tree in BOTW since the OG was embedded in Zelda's light dragon forehead for millennia. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Iamsynes]

Is no one gonna talk about how the original sages were wearing masks to mask the fact that is was Darunia, ruto, nabooru and revali? No.. ok.

[@itsJoshW]

Them doing this denotes that they would need to acknowledge skyward sword never actually was important in the game.

[@xinpingdonohoe3978]

Why Revali? Medli would make *more* sense than Revali, but still no sense. This simply has to be a different collection of Sages.