10 Legend of Zelda Facts You May Have Missed Out On

1. The Dying Soldier – Ocarina Of Time
There’s a very obscure interaction often missed by players in Zelda: Ocarina of Time. After meeting Ganondorf face to face and getting the Ocarina of Time, but before opening the Door of Time, there is a wounded soldier slumped in the back alley of Hyrule Market. He explains what happened regarding Ganondorf and why Zelda has fled, before dying quietly. This interaction can only be accessed between this short frame of time.

2. Ganon’s Sword – Wind Waker
In Wind Waker, if you translate the Hylian text on Phantom Ganon’s sword, it states Zubora Gabora. This isn’t meaningless gibberish – it’s actually the names of the two blacksmiths who reside on Snowhead Mountain in Majora’s Mask.

3. Totaka’s Song – Link’s Awakening
The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is one of the few Nintendo games to feature Totaka’s Song. The song is a 19-note tune that composer Kazumi Totaka is famous for hiding in nearly all the videogames he works on. The song is infamous for being notoriously difficult to find, to the extent that people are still looking for it in some games as far back as the N64. In Link’s Awakening, it can be heard if you wait in Richard’s villa for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. A second method involving the name-select screen exists for the Japanese and German versions only.

4. Spell it out – The Legend Of Zelda
In the original Legend of Zelda, the layout of five of the dungeons in the Second Quest mode spell out the word Zelda when arranged accordingly.

5. Indigo-go’s – Majora’s Mask
If you visit each member of The Indigo-go’s in their rooms in Majora’s Mask, each can be found playing a piece of music from other Zelda games. Evan plays the Game Over music from the original Legend of Zelda, Japas plays the Underworld music, again from the original Legend of Zelda and, finally, Tijo plays the cave theme from A Link to the Past. Additionally, the band are famous for their single “Ballad of the Wind Fish”, a reference to Link’s Awakening.

6. Tingle Tuner – Wind Waker
In Wind Waker, if you make use of the Tingle Turner in the Tower of the Gods dungeon, a secret story can be found called The Legend of the Fairy. This 5-part tale tells of a fairy that, long ago, appeared before the Hero of Time, aiding him while he was “Lost in darkness by supplying him with maps. This ‘legend’ is, in fact, a chronicle of Tingle’s role in Majora’s Mask. It is said on an island in the Great Sea, “they celebrate one’s 35th birthday with a green coat and red pants. They do this in hope of becoming like the legendary fairy, Tingle!”.

7. Who is the Hero’s Shade – Twilight Princess
After many years of heated debate, sensible theories and ridiculous guesses, the recently released Hyrule Historia finally put one of the series’ key mysteries to rest. Oh, and I’m not talking about the timeline. It has been confirmed that the Hero’s Shade in Twilight Princess, the skeletal being who teaches you sword techniques, is indeed the ghost of the Hero of Time: Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
This marks the first time we ever experience extended pieces of dialogue from Link, as well as the first time two Links have ever crossed paths. Now you can read the following and know it comes from the mouth of the hero who saved Hyrule and Termina. “A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. You may be destined to become the hero of legend, but your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero’s tunic you wear. You must use your courage to seek power… and find it you must. Only then will you become the hero for whom this world despairs.”

8. Star Fox reference – Majora’s Mask
In Majora’s Mask, the second row of masks on the item menu contains the Keaton Mask, Bremen Mask, Bunny Hood, Don Gero’s Mask and the Mask of Scents. Their appearance and order appears to be a reference to the members of the mercenary team Star Fox from Nintendo’s popular series of the same name. The masks seem to represent Fox, Falco, Peppy, Slippy and Pigma (an ex-Star Fox member).

9. Look, no sword – The Legend Of Zelda
You can actually complete all the dungeons and reach the final boss, Ganon, in the original Legend of Zelda without ever picking up or using a sword. However, your tremendous effort will ultimately be in vain, as he can’t be defeated without it.

10. The name game
Princess Zelda is named after Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of The Great Gatsby for you literature fans). Shigeru Miyamoto revealed he had a soft spot for the name and decided to use it for the title of the first game.