Spoiler Silver Arrows and the Master Sword

[OcarinistOfTime]

These items have both been the only weapon able to defeat Ganon at different times and I think It all lies in the Defeated split. You see when Link fails the Master Sword lost a tremendous amount of it's evil destroying power. It only appears in LttP afterward and is only a means to stun Ganon this time around. The Silver Arrows have become the only thing strong enough to bring down the Demon King. It could be the effect of retcon but I think that the Silver Arrows are the Light Arrows and Ganon now being a being of absolute evil a relic of pure light is much more powerful against him.

 

[xkillinuguyx]

I think the masters swords power has nothing to do with link being defeated. we learn from wind waker that the master sword weakens due to the death of the sages who prayed for its power.

 

[Justac00lguy]

If I recall the Four Sword was also used to defeat Ganon and seal him in Four Swords Adventures...

Spoilers Ahead!The Master Sword is mainly used to seal the Ganon(dorf) in most cases, in the Wind Waker it effectively turned Ganondorf into stone (however this could be some sort of physical seal), in Twilight Princess Ganondorf is also seemingly killed, however there was a scene where Ganondorf lost the Triforce of Power crest on his hand, this could be the reason.

The Silver Arrows act as the light arrows in a way, they seem to peirce the darkness within and in the Ganon battle they are used after he has been pierced. It's kind of a combination of the two, however so far the Silver Arrow is the only weapon known to kill a fully powered Ganon. Since the fact that it has appeared in only two titles thus far maybe it will be one of them one off items that will be lost in history.

 

[Locke]

Silver Arrows > Master Sword > Light Arrows.

The MS was never "the only weapon able to defeat Ganon." It was able to defeat him in two games when he didn't have the ToP (WW and TP). Both games also used the Light Arrows simply to stun him. The Silver Arrows are much more potent than both.

However, I do think the Silver Arrows are quietly being retconned out. It's better for the series for the more iconic Master Sword to be the ultimate power over evil, while the Silver Arrows fall into obscurity.

 

[OcarinistOfTime]

I'd also forgot to think about that. I haven't played Wind Waker in so long some of the finer points of the plot have become distant dreams. So, it's pretty obvious the Master Sword is weaker in the defeated timeline because the Hero of Time never assembled the new sages and therefore it's legendary power is gone forever.

Silver Arrows > Master Sword > Light Arrows.

The MS was never "the only weapon able to defeat Ganon." It was able to defeat him in two games when he didn't have the ToP (WW and TP). Both games also used the Light Arrows simply to stun him. The Silver Arrows are much more potent than both.

However, I do think the Silver Arrows are quietly being retconned out. It's better for the series for the more iconic Master Sword to be the ultimate power over evil, while the Silver Arrows fall into obscurity.

I think with new Zelda 3DS we'll be able to find out if it's retcon by the end of this year.