The Legend of Zelda Timeline
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The precise chronology of the Zelda universe is hotly debated among fans. As time progressed and more games were released, the exact order of the games in an overall timeline became complex and heavily disputed. There are bits and pieces of definitive information to connect certain games to each other, but there is no definitive explanation for how every game relates to each other in a standardized timeline of events.
The creators of the series have repeatedly dropped hints as to the order of the series, but over time most of these "revelations" have been overridden by newer materials, games, and statements, much to the point that the overall timeline was considered relatively unimportant by the creators. Much of the ambiguity of the chronology of the Zelda series is due to the fact that the games take place over a span of centuries or even millennia, featuring many different incarnations of Link, Princess Zelda, and other characters. Some of the other confusion arises as a result of mistranslation and localization problems. Nintendo of America's localization process during the NES/ SNES era was to have a Japanese-speaking employee directly translate the text, and an NOA employee (with no pre-requisite of understanding Japanese) would then take the literal English and re-write it to suit American grammar and culture. The man most frequently assigned this task was Daniel Owsen.
The general rule of thumb is that the games are the final authority. The information in the instruction booklets is also canon, unless contradicted by the games or mistranslated. Manuals are marketing and technical material, and thus are not always subject to the scrutiny of the creators of the game. Information from other official sources, such as Nintendo Power magazine and its Official Strategy Guides, may also be acceptable, though this is not acknowleged by all fans. Many different 'camps' have arisen in the debates, including some more or less formal groups such as the Bombers, who strive to remain neutral in the argument while at the same time searching for an accurate conclusion.
Here is a list of the Nintendo-published games in order of release, with the known information regarding their place in the timeline:
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda was the first released game in the series. In it, Ganon steals the Triforce of Power. In order to face him, Link must assemble the Triforce of Wisdom. The game ends with Ganon's death, resulting in Link's possession of the Triforce of Power.
[edit] Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link almost certainly takes place several seasons after the original game, as indicated in the manual. It stars the Link of the previous game nearing his 16th birthday and discovering a Triforce mark that has appeared on his hand. The Zelda in this game is not the same Zelda as in the first game. The manual describes how long ago, a prince should have inherited the full Triforce from his father, who died after telling the prince's sister, the original Princess Zelda, the location of the last piece. The prince and a magician questioned Zelda, who refused to reveal the location of the Triforce; in anger, the magician cast a sleeping spell upon the princess, dying himself in the process. Out of grief, the prince then ordered all future girls born in the royal family to be named Zelda. In the game, Link eventually finds the Triforce of Courage, thus fully uniting the Triforce, which he uses to awake this original Zelda.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past allegedy takes place generations before the original game, as heavily emphasized in the US promotional materials, and advertised on the packaging of the Japanese edition. The game's prologue references a past event, now often referred to as the Imprisoning War, during which a portal to the Sacred Realm (or Golden Land or Dark World), which contained the Triforce, was opened. Many people traveled through the portal, but none ever returned. Eventually, evil power began to flow from the portal after Ganondorf found the Triforce in the Sacred Realm. Seven sages were called upon to seal the portal to the Sacred Realm, and the knights of Hyrule were called upon to defend the sages. The knights suffered heavy losses, but the seal was cast, and evil flowed no more. The game tells how the seal was broken by Ganon with the help of his alter ego, Agahnim, and about Ganon's defeat and Link's possession of the whole Triforce. Link retrieves the Master Sword from its pedestal deep in the Lost Woods in this game.
Confusion was caused over this title's placement when Miyamoto stated in an interview that it occured after the original (see Miyamoto Order). However, judging by the director's admitted lack of interest in game storylines, some choose to brand it an honest mistake on his part.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was initially universally agreed upon to occur very shortly after A Link to the Past, starring the same Link. The game's instruction manual states that Link left Hyrule on a journey of enlightenment after defeating Ganon. The Japanese official website states the game is a direct sequel to Triforce of the Gods (ALttP), but many believe that LA's place in the timeline has been modified by the Oracle series. (see below).
[edit] BS Zelda
BS Zelda is a remake of the original game that features the BS-X's boy and girl mascots instead of Link; however because it is merely a Super Mario All-Stars-esque reimagining, and has no apparent backstory, its place in the timeline is unaltered.
[edit] BS Zelda: Kodai no Sekiban
BS Zelda: Kodai no Sekiban has the same gender selection; to account for this the Hero of Light, whom the player embodies, is a single person but of indeterminate gender. While of dubious canonicity, the ingame events take place shortly after The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The previous hero is frequently alluded to (but not by name) and is said to be absent.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ends with Ganondorf sealed in the sacred realm in possession of the Triforce of Power, thus explaining The Legendary Hero story of The Wind Waker; however, A Link to the Past's backstory may instead take place during this game. Many consider this the earliest story, due to the appearance of legendary figures, such as Ganondorf and the Sages. This game most likely took place before Zelda II: The Adventure of Link because the towns in Zelda II bear the same names as the sages from OoT. Presumably, the towns in Zelda II were named after the sages from OoT as a result of their fame. At the end of the game, Link leaves the Master Sword in its pedestal in the Temple of Time. Shigeru Miyamoto, producer of the Zelda series, stated in an issue of Nintendo power that Ocarina of Time was the first game chronologically - at the time of the interview. This game's ending brought about the Split Timeline Theory.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask takes place very shortly after Ocarina of Time and stars the same Link, who has been returned to his youth. Link travels to the alternate world of Termina in the game.
[edit] Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons are connected via a password system, and one takes place immediately after the other. They can be played/regarded in either order, depending on the player's preference. The saga takes place at a time when the united Triforce is in Hyrule Castle and Ganon is dead. The Twinrova sisters from Ocarina of Time are alive in the game. Dialogue suggests that the Link and Zelda featured in the game meet for the first time. Upon completing both games via link-up to receive the 'full' ending, the very last scene shows Link on a raft sailing off into the sunset, waving goodbye to his friends. This may suggest that The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening takes place immediately after the Oracles series chronologically. The majority of theorists believe it takes place after A Link to the Past, due to the strikingly similar gameplay elements, perspective and storyline links (Ganon was killed and returns in his ALttP garb, the triforce was recovered from him and so lies united in the Castle, and, if the games are a prequel to Link's Awakening, they may even feature the very same Link from the SNES title, which would retain LA's reputation as its sequel).
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was stated by Eiji Aonuma in 2004 to be the "oldest tale" in the Zelda series. This has caused controversy as how to interpret the word "oldest". The versions of Link and Princess Zelda featured in this game are childhood friends.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker takes place over a hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time. The land of Hyrule has been flooded, with only islands remaining and the land almost entirely erased and forgotten. The game references the Hero of Time's defeat of Ganon and the latter's sealing into the Sacred Realm by seven sages. During the game, Ganondorf breaks free from the seal and is defeated by Link, ending up with the Master Sword buried in Ganondorf's head at the bottom of the sea. It is stated in an interview with Eiji Aonuma that the timeline splits after OoT, one branch carrying on from the devastated world Link reclaimed from Ganon's forces, the other branch from the childhood he returned to after Ganon's evil was sealed. If so, TWW is in the first branch, following the "adult" ending. Unfortunately, apparent references to Majora's Mask in The Wind Waker throw Aonuma's quote into some confusion for some theorists.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures takes place "years" (according to the back of the English box) after Four Swords. Although Aonuma does not state where it stands in relation to the rest of the timeline, many believe it to be a bridge between the newer games in the timeline and the older classics, due to a combination of gameplay melds (i.e. features from both groups are present) and the nature of the storyline; after all, this title sees the human Ganondorf gain his Trident and turn permanently into the blue boar Ganon, wage a campaign strikingly similar to ALttP's 'Imprisoning War', and get himself sealed by a hero who knows how to open the Dark World. As such, several see it as a link between either Twilight Princess or The Wind Waker, and A Link to the Past (and whatever follows).
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap takes place long before Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. If "Palace of the Four Sword" (the bonus dungeon featured in the GBA version of ALttP) is interpreted as canon, then The Minish Cap also takes place some time before A Link to the Past. Many fans have suggested that The Minish Cap is the first game in the Zelda chronology, but there is little in-game (or other official) evidence to support this besides containing a possible explanation of how the tradition of the hero wearing a green cap started, how monsters were released into the world (while they were already there in all other games), where the Armos originally came from, and the possible naming of Death Mountain. However, this is the earliest story involving Vaati, and contains his origin and transformation into his most familiar form; therefore, if Eiji Aonjuma's comment about Four Swords' placement in the timeline is taken as fact, The Minish Cap would be the first game in the series.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess takes place a hundred and something years after Ocarina of Time.[1] In the split timeline theory Twilight Princess takes place after Ocarina of Time, and is thought to take place after the "child" ending. As Majora's Mask continues the story of young Link from Ocarina, it therefore takes place shortly after Ocarina of Time and over a hundred years before Twilight Princess. The game chronicles how Ganondorf's vile acts resulted in his attempted execution; however, he was gifted with the power of the goddesses and escaped. The state of the Triforce is not certain in this game as the marks that appear on the hands of Link, Ganondorf, and Zelda are never referred to as the Triforce, and bear more similarities to the marks of the Triforce in other games where Link doesn't have one of the pieces, but is granted special abilities from the mark, as seen in Oracle of Ages/Seasons and Adventure of Link. In the game, Link retrieves the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Sacred Grove deep in the Faron Woods; in his time period, only the ruins of the ancient Temple of Time remain. A mysterious time portal takes Link back to a fully intact Temple of Time sometime in the past, where he finds the same pedestal from which he withdrew the Sword in the forest to be in the exact same location as the pedestal in the past-version of the Temple of Time. This may suggest an OoT - TP - ALttP connection.
[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass takes place no more than a year after the Wind Waker with the same Link.
Some fans say that the chronology of the series should not be so rigid. Just as real-world legends are retold with different variations, each game could merely be a different retelling of the same story. With each advancement in videogame hardware and the ever-changing desires of the consumer, the base story of Link saving Zelda from Ganon and recovering the Triforce is embellished, modified, and changed outright. Just like any other legend, The Legend of Zelda changes as it is retold through the years.
In an interview that Nintendo Dream conducted with Eiji Aonuma in December 2006, he mentioned that there could exist two universes. The split in the timeline occurs during Ocarina of Time, when, at the end of the game, Link is sent back in time by Zelda. Once returned to his original time, Link goes to see her again, and the result of this meeting is an alternate future in which the villain Ganondorf is arrested and tried by the ancient sages, which causes him to get banished to the Twilight Realm; Twilight Princess then occurs several hundred years after the Ocarina of Time child Link's era. Meanwhile, The Wind Waker occurs in the 'original' timeline, hundreds of years after the adventure of adult Link in Ocarina.[2][3]
In any case, the creators maintain that the series has a set timeline, but due to the poor translation protocols in the 1990s and the constant debate over what counts as being canonical, the publicly available information is disputed and may not be reconciled any time soon. Eiji Aonuma promised he will do his best to patch it all up and hopefully reveal the timeline someday, and Shigeru Miyamoto publicly stated there is a master document containing the timeline - although no proof of this document outside of Miyamoto's word has surfaced in the years since he made the claim.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
[edit] Communally believed or once communally believed theories
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ "Interview with Eiji Aonuma" (English) [Question: When does Twilight Princess take place? Aonuma - In the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years later.]
- ^ "Interview with Eiji Aonuma" (Japanese) [Partial translation: "ND – About when is the Twilight Princess timeline set? Aonuma – In a world several hundred years after 'Ocarina of Time.' ND – And 'Wind Waker'? Aonuma – 'Wind Waker' is parallel. In 'Ocarina of Time,' Link jumps to a world seven years ahead, defeats Ganon, and returns to the time of his childhood, right? 'Twilight Princess' is a world several hundred years after that pacified childhood time."]
- ^ Nintendo Dream (2007). Interview with Eiji Aonuma (English translation). Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
