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00:06The Legend of Zelda features a lot of constants, elements you can bet on appearing to tie it all
00:12together, seen in everything from music, to setting, to gameplay. But in regards to its
00:18story and history, there are also plot details that repeat, giving each game a sense of familiarity
00:24while expanding in different ways. Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at the most
00:29important recurring story threads in Zelda games.
00:40But before we dive in, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and
00:45ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:49Rise of the Underdog
00:56It has become somewhat of a running gag in the series to have Link begin many of his adventures
01:01asleep. And in many of these cases, he's a late riser, with everyone else in his town or village
01:08having already gotten up and began a productive day. This immediately paints him, for lack of a better
01:14word, as lazy. Others don't expect greatness from him because of this. In fact, there are multiple
01:20instances of other characters outright doubting his abilities, sometimes regardless of his
01:26sleeping schedule. Navi criticizing him at the beginning of Ocarina of Time, Impa chastising
01:32him for being too late to help Zelda in Skyward Sword, and Revali blatantly telling him he isn't
01:38good enough in Breath of the Wild are just a few instances of characters doubting whether
01:42Link is capable of doing what needs to be done. But hey, we all love an underdog story.
01:49Yet despite these truths, it seems that I've been tapped to merely assist you.
01:54Tested by the Gods
02:03The ones who are betting on Link's rise to glory are the gods themselves, but they still want to
02:10make sure he's up to the task. Across several games, we see that the central goddesses of the
02:15Zelda pantheon—Din, Furor, Nehru, and Hylia—have placed tests in his path. In the case of the Golden
02:23Goddesses, they gifted three pearls to guardian-like deities, which opened the Tower of the Gods,
02:29a trial for the hero in Wind Waker to reach the Master Sword. In the case of Hylia, she created
02:35an
02:35entire spirit to guide the Link of Skyward Sword, taking him across dungeons and silent realms,
02:41collecting ancient tablets and pieces of a mystical song, all to see if he was worthy of collecting
02:47the Triforce. Although it's not quite the same, other stories see him called upon by the Triforce,
02:53a mark of the gods, part of which appears on the back of his hand, or speaks to him directly
02:58like in
02:58the Oracle games. Seeking Redemption
03:18The core Zelda stories are not about redemption, but that act is often designated to different side
03:25characters. While Nintendo places us in the role of the underdog, various supporting characters are
03:30given their own demons to rise above, and play important roles themselves. One of the most notable
03:36is Groose from Skyward Sword. He begins the game tormenting Link with his cronies, but by the end,
03:42he's thrown himself into danger to help Link, and even ends up admiring him.
03:47Burn from Spirit Tracks plays second fiddle to the main villain for most of the game,
03:52but his most important deed comes when he switches sides after the heroes show him compassion.
03:57Then there's Ravio from A Link Between Worlds, who abandoned his home in Lorule and his ally,
04:04Princess Hilda, out of fear. But after being shown true courage through Link,
04:09he returns at the end to help Hilda see reason and put an end to her scheme.
04:20The Gerudo's Regret
04:29The Gerudo only appear in a handful of games, but in most of those appearances,
04:34they're essentially the reason for Ganondorf's existence. It's said that a man is born within
04:39the tribe only once every 100 years, and that man becomes their king. While Ganondorf has used his
04:46position to seek power and bring ruin to others, often with the help of many other Gerudo, there
04:52are some who have shown profound regret and even resentment that their tribe birthed such a horrific
04:58person. I've always found this aspect fascinating, as the Gerudo are normally characterized as being
05:04fiercely noble and proud. We see this remorse and anger in key figures like Niburu in Ocarina of Time
05:11and Urbosa in Breath of the Wild. Elsewhere, the Gerudo of Four Swords Adventures are adamantly
05:17against Ganondorf for violating their laws, and the ancient Gerudo in Tears of the Kingdom
05:22eventually rise up to fight against their ruler's violence.
05:26We just received word that the last free village in the Gerudo Desert has fallen.
05:30Parallel Worlds
05:39There are so many parallel worlds, alternate realities, and mirror dimensions in the series
05:45that it's honestly hard to keep track of them all. One of the challenges that many iterations of Link
05:50face is delving into these other worlds, and therefore tapping into that fear of the unknown
05:56prevalent in adventure stories. A Link to the Past was the first to do this, sending Link into the
06:01Dark World, once the Sacred Realm but warped by Ganon's power and hatred. In its spiritual successor,
06:08A Link Between Worlds, Link once again had to venture into a darker reflection of his homeworld
06:14with low rule. Others include the Twilight Realm in Twilight Princess, a shadowy dimension, and Termina in
06:21Majora's Mask, a strange land parallel to Hyrule with familiar faces under different names living
06:27different lives. Even Zelda had to venture into an alternate realm with the still world in Echoes of Wisdom.
06:44Travelling Through Time
06:52When not traveling into a parallel world, it's a safe bet to say Link will instead be traveling through time.
06:59This began with the Hero of Time, who traveled back and forth between a seven-year time period in Ocarina
07:05of Time, and was trapped in a three-day time loop in Majora's Mask. In Oracle of Ages, Link travels
07:12400
07:12years into the past to defeat Varen, a sorceress whose actions alter the present day. Although not a major
07:20part of the game, the Hero of the Sky briefly traveled back untold centuries in Skyward Sword, and Zelda
07:26once again got to get in on the action in Tears of the Kingdom, traveling back probably even further
07:32than any version of Link to witness Hyrule's founding. Power destroys the land.
07:56The Hero of Time
07:56Whether it be told in an opening cutscene or built into the lore of the game, Hyrule hasn't seen many
08:02times of peace. Several games detail a tremendous war and the impact it has on the current state of
08:08the kingdom. A Link to the Past tells of an imprisoning war, with many fighting and dying to obtain the
08:14Triforce. A Hyrulean civil war occurs not long before the events of Ocarina of Time, with remnants
08:20like torture chambers in Kakariko Village hinting at the bloodshed. Other games, like Skyward Sword
08:26and Spirit Tracks, instead place the blame on powerful demons seeking power. Although,
08:32in the case of the latter, it's in an entirely different location. Regardless, the destruction
08:36and loss of lives is always a result of groups seeking power over others.
08:54A King's Shortcomings
09:13To be perfectly frank, the King of Hyrule, historically, sucks at his job. Whenever one appears,
09:20he's either a bad father to Zelda, or his actions or inaction leads to the ruin of his kingdom. In
09:26Ocarina of Time, he's easily fooled by Ganondorf, a guy so evil that even a child can tell he shouldn't
09:32be trusted. However, he doesn't believe Zelda's warnings and winds up dead because of it, leaving
09:37everyone to suffer. In Breath of the Wild, he discourages Zelda as she tries to learn more about
09:42her kingdom's history, and places a ton of pressure on her to awaken her divine powers. While that is
09:49important, his negativity ends up eating away at her, which is no good for anyone. There are exceptions,
09:55like the King in Minish Cap, who was attacked by Vaati, unawares. But even these cases show him
10:01being tricked by the villain. This makes the King in Wind Waker, who could also fit neatly into our
10:07entry about characters seeking redemption, so interesting. He knows his shortcomings in the
10:12past played a part in the flooding of Hyrule, and still seeks to protect his people as a spirit.
10:17At least Echoes of Wisdom broke the mold. Zelda's father in that game is nothing but helpful and supportive.
10:32A Prophecy Foretold
10:47Fantasy, as a whole, is a genre that loves its prophecies. So it's no surprise that the
10:54Legend of Zelda has included its fair share. We don't always see the source or teller of the
10:59prophecy, but Link is usually at the center of them. Legends tell of a hero clad in green,
11:05who will be able to wield incredible power and put a stop to the incarnation of pure evil.
11:10This likely stems from Demise's curse at the end of Skyward Sword, but multiple games include similar
11:16predictions, like Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, and even Echoes of Wisdom. Even if it isn't about
11:22Link or Zelda, prophecy can still be a driving force for a story. A hundred years before Breath of
11:28the Wild, a prophet foretold the next coming of Calamity Ganon, instructing the king and his forces
11:34to excavate old Sheikah technology. Not that it ended up helping them.
11:38But there was also a prophecy.
11:44The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear,
11:49and the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground.
11:54The Loss of Innocence
12:03There's a good reason that Link, even at his oldest age, is usually kept pretty young. And
12:09that's because one of the franchise's main themes is the loss of innocence. We've seen it time and
12:15time again, though some games place a heavier focus on it than others. Ocarina of Time is perhaps the
12:21most obvious, with Link giving up his childhood in order to be the hero Hyrule needs. There's a
12:27distinct feeling of sorrow that comes in Skyward Sword between Link and Zelda, sharing romantic
12:32feelings but not being able to properly express them before the plot rears its ugly head. Twilight
12:38Princess follows Link as he's whisked away from his peaceful farm life in an attempt to rescue his
12:43friends. Here we get great examples of this theme not always being used for Link. As the kids deal with
12:50the pain of missing home, and Ilya briefly loses her memories from the trauma she endured. While it's
12:56seen to a lesser extent in other games, it's a key building block to each adventure and Link's story.
13:17What are some other recurring story elements you like seeing in The Legend of Zelda? Share your
13:23thoughts in the comments. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great
13:28gaming videos every day.
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