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Is Twilight Princess Linked to Majora's Mask?

TattooArtist

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Just a quick, random theory. I understand evidence is quite poor, but I just want some opinions.

Hyrule Historia included a chronological timeline, which spawned a plethora of theories. One thing that created a lot of fan speculation was that Majora’s Mask (2000) comes before Twilight Princess chronologically. Many gamers now try to find the connections between the two games.

One theory that seems to pop up mentions a similarity between Link’s ally Midna in Twilight Princess and Majora’s mask, as the two share the same eye pattern. The villain, Zant, also sports a similar eye pattern on his outfit, which led to fans suggesting that the villains of Twilight Princess created Majora’s Mask. On GameFaqs, there is a thread about the Twili creating Majora’s mask. One user, RottenStuff26, adds evidence to the theory: “Majora’s Mask was made by an ancient tribe that disappeared from the world. The Twili were a tribe that was banished from the world. Similarity. The powers that made the mask were the powers of evil. The forbidden magic that the Twili used was evil.” Are the Twili truly responsible?
 

Jirohnagi

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There's similarities but i'm gonna still stick with the original explanation that Termina is a parallel Hyrule. So for all we know the Dark Tribe of Termina who sealed away their mask could've been the counterparts to the Twili who didn't seal away theirs and worked on mastering it.

The only real thread that binds the two games is Link Himself as in TP we see OOT/MM Link as the Hero's Shade and he states he was full of regrets and has absolved them aiding TP Link
 
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I think it's possible, but there's no real evidence to support it.
One detail that could support this possibility is that the Twili only came to be known by that name after they were imprisoned in the Twilight realm... before that they were referred to as the interlopers (which could suggest that they didn't originally come from Hyrule) and were likely known by another name before that.

There are also theories that draw possible connections that both the Twili and Majora's Mask could have to the Sheikah... and if we add those into the parallel Hyrule concept, then it's possible that the Twili were once Termina's version of the Sheikah.
Given that Termina does seem to have a slightly distorted sense of good and evil, if the ancient tribe of Termina were once Sheikah, then it's easily possible that they might have crossed the line between good an evil if they thought they were doing it for the right reason... Termina's Mask of Truth does have more abilities than it's Hyrulean counterpart, but did come with the Skulltula curse, potentially as a result of this.
Majora's Mask also seems to have initially been created with good intentions, but they lost control of it.
Likewise, the Fused Shadow itself isn't necessarily evil... Midna is able to use it for good, and it's plausible that others were only corrupted by it because they were overwhelmed by it's power... a potential side-effect similar to that of the Mask of Truth.
 
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There's similarities but i'm gonna still stick with the original explanation that Termina is a parallel Hyrule. So for all we know the Dark Tribe of Termina who sealed away their mask could've been the counterparts to the Twili who didn't seal away theirs and worked on mastering it.

The only real thread that binds the two games is Link Himself as in TP we see OOT/MM Link as the Hero's Shade and he states he was full of regrets and has absolved them aiding TP Link

I'm not for sure if I buy into that idea that the Hero's Shade is MM Link. If he is, then how did he become a Stalfos or whatever he is? I think it is implied in the Hyrule Hystria but I think I read somewhere that the Hero's Shade may not be MM Link but someone else.

Also, if TP Link is an incarnation of MM Link, then how would there be two Links? I mean, Link's spirit is currently in his physical body in TP, so how is MM Link still walking around if he has no spirit? Because Link's spirit is reincarnated into the TP Link, I don't see how MM Link would still be walking around.
 
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I'm not for sure if I buy into that idea that the Hero's Shade is MM Link. If he is, then how did he become a Stalfos or whatever he is? I think it is implied in the Hyrule Hystria but I think I read somewhere that the Hero's Shade may not be MM Link but someone else.

Also, if TP Link is an incarnation of MM Link, then how would there be two Links? I mean, Link's spirit is currently in his physical body in TP, so how is MM Link still walking around if he has no spirit? Because Link's spirit is reincarnated into the TP Link, I don't see how MM Link would still be walking around.

He's not a Stalfos... he just looks like one because he's dead... he's actually just a spirit.
Basically, some time after MM, Link returned to Hyrule and became a Hylian Knight before eventually dying and being buried... his body has decayed over time, and his spirit reflects the current appearance of his body.

As for there being two Links... think of a person's soul as being separate from their memories... when Link is reincarnated his soul is passed on, but not his memories (likely due to Hylia not wanting him to remember the suffering he went through in the past)... in the case of the Hero of Time, it would appear that when his soul passed on to the Hero of Twilight, the memories that were left behind became the Hero's Shade... seemingly so that he could pass on the knowledge of combat techniques he had learned while he was alive.
 
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He's not a Stalfos... he just looks like one because he's dead... he's actually just a spirit.
Basically, some time after MM, Link returned to Hyrule and became a Hylian Knight before eventually dying and being buried... his body has decayed over time, and his spirit reflects the current appearance of his body.

As for there being two Links... think of a person's soul as being separate from their memories... when Link is reincarnated his soul is passed on, but not his memories (likely due to Hylia not wanting him to remember the suffering he went through in the past)... in the case of the Hero of Time, it would appear that when his soul passed on to the Hero of Twilight, the memories that were left behind became the Hero's Shade... seemingly so that he could pass on the knowledge of combat techniques he had learned while he was alive.

Well, I don't see how some dead person would still be around because of their memories. And I don't think people who have been reincarnated remember anything from their past lives anyway. I'm also confused if Hero's Shade is Link, how is he so tall? Because Link has always been a short character and if he is still short at 17 years old, he is probably about done growing. So how is Hero's Shade so much taller than TP Link?
 
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Well, I don't see how some dead person would still be around because of their memories. And I don't think people who have been reincarnated remember anything from their past lives anyway. I'm also confused if Hero's Shade is Link, how is he so tall? Because Link has always been a short character and if he is still short at 17 years old, he is probably about done growing. So how is Hero's Shade so much taller than TP Link?

The Hero's Shade does imply that he had not taught anyone else the skills he had learnt while he was alive, and that he regretted it, so you can think of it like his unfinished business... and once he finished teaching Link, it does seem as if he moved on.
We have also seen in SS that Zelda retained Hylia's memories when she was reincarnated (although she was initially unaware of those memories)... there have also been times in other games where Zelda suddenly demonstrates knowledge or abilities seemingly out of nowhere... possibly evidence of dormant memories from her past lives surfacing (which would also explain her affinity with the Triforce of Wisdom).
Perhaps describing it simply as memories was oversimplifying it a bit... basically it would be whatever is left when the soul is gone... a shadow (or shade) of their former self.

There could be all sorts of reasons why the Hero's Shade appears to be so tall, but seeing as it's just the manifestation of a spirit, rather than his actual physical body, and can transform into a wolf at will, I think we can safely say that his real body may not have actually been that tall... he could have just made himself taller in order to aid TP Link's training, seeing as Link would mainly be using those techniques against enemies who were larger than him.
 

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There's a lot of speculation but it's a solid enough theory I suppose. There's just not a whole lot to back it up, even if you make some seriously intuitive leaps - which there kinda aren't any to make. Yeah, people have pointed out the slight resemblance between Majora's Mask and the Fused Shadow, but I'd hazard any similarity is purely coincidental (or ninty just making their usual out of context callbacks or just straight up "borrowing" from their previous work) It is explicitly stated that the Fused Shadow is a power that is not to be trifled with for any reason, and when Midna uses it she is clearly scared of it. But that sounds awfully similar to the completely unbridled chaotic power of Majora's Mask - a power so out of control it became sentient and corrupts anyone seduced by it.

But there isn't much direct evidence to connect the Dark Interlopers/Twili to the nameless tribe that created Majora's Mask. Come to think of it, I think there's a (EDIT) Game Theory Lockstock n' Goggin video on this very thing.

Only if one assumes that the Dark Interlopers were the tribe and they came to Hyrule from Termina and were then banished by the Hylians to the Twilight Realm where they became Twili does this theory really function. And all that sounds reasonable enough. It remains to be understood exactly how intrinsically linked Hyrule and Termina are. Obviously Link managed to find his way there by way of those who were already passing between Hyrule and Termina freely - the Mask Salesman and Skull Kid - and the Lost Woods seems to hide Termina from everyone except for those who know it's there or who somehow have some uncanny method of traversing the woods freely.

The Hero of Time appearing as a Stalfos in Twilight Princess is telling, given the myth that adults who get lost in the woods become stalfos. This ties into theories that Link is dead or dying in Majora's Mask and he could even be experiencing a dream that is taking him through the various stages of grief - a theory that ninty has apparently debunked. Link could even actually be dead or dying as an adult, and his dream is taking him back to his unresolved childhood. If any of this is true, I imagine Link went into the forest to die knowing that he could remain as a spirit and hope to pass on his techniques to his successor later and even perhaps act as a guardian of sorts to the Kokiri or the border between Hyrule and Termina. But this raises the question as to whether or not Termina is an actual place or if it just exists in Link's mind. I think the part about the events of Majora's Mask being a hallucination is bupkis.

EDIT: pretty sure that video I mentioned is Lockstock n' Goggin, not Game Theory.
 
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One option that comes to mind about the Hero's Shade is that he is a part of Twilight Princess' Link. As it was already stated a few posts ago, there are times when memories are retained from a previous life. The Shade may actually be how the mind of this Link deals with recovering the memories from that past life.

Or, the soul is reaching out to create the ghost. With the ghost residing as part of Link, it's really just two approaches to the same concept.
 
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I was always under the impression that twilight princess was young Link from OoT/MM grown up. I mean TP feels alike like OoT for one. and you might be onto something between the twili tribe and the tribe who used majora's mask in hexing rituals.
 

Jirohnagi

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I was always under the impression that twilight princess was young Link from OoT/MM grown up. I mean TP feels alike like OoT for one. and you might be onto something between the twili tribe and the tribe who used majora's mask in hexing rituals.

TP happened on the Child Timeline if i recall so theres chronological continuity and The Heroes Shade is Link from OOT. There isn't any other connection really bar nintendos love of reusing asserts and models.
 
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Still waiting on the official English localization but if Hyrule Encyclopedia is any indication then there could be more connections than some of the obvious ones like the Hero's Shade. But any other connections will still be only theories until confirmation for or against. So, some of the translations from HE I've seen suggest Majora created Termina using memories and such from the Skull Kid. Don't know if this has been assumed already, but this suggests that Majora's Mask is from Hyrule or a surrounding area and not Termina. Therein opens the possibility that the tribe which made Majora's Mask are the same as the interlopers. Not really much evidence here though, other than both dealt in dark magic, both vanished, and the similar designs on the mask and the fused shadow.
 

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We don't really know where Majora's Mask was orginated from, or where the "tribe of legend" is from either, for that matter. The Happy Mask Salesman "travels far and wide" for masks. And clearly he knows the locations of interdimensional portals. Majora's Mask and the tribe of legend may not even be from Hyrule or Termina.

Hyrule, I feel, is out of the question. I don't see any connection between the interlopers and Majora's Mask. The Fused Shadow is nothing like Majora's Mask. If Majora's Mask is from Termina it should be remembered in legend.
 

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The Hero of Time appearing as a Stalfos in Twilight Princess is telling, given the myth that adults who get lost in the woods become stalfos.

The Hero's shade is unlikely to be a stalfos, as there are some very distinct differences between them and the shade. I mean, in every single game they're featured in, they have a skeleton. That's kind of one of the more distinct features of a stalfos. Besides the skull as the main face (which looks very different from the stalfos), the shade has no bones at all, and is seen as more of a ghost. Even the eye color is different.

latest
250px-Stalfos_Artwork_%28Twilight_Princess%29.png

I think the part about the events of Majora's Mask being a hallucination is bupkis.

I mean, Nintendo described it as a parallel world, though I've heard they changed that somewhat recently to say skull kid created it, meaning the idea is indeed bupkis.

There's similarities but i'm gonna still stick with the original explanation that Termina is a parallel Hyrule. So for all we know the Dark Tribe of Termina who sealed away their mask could've been the counterparts to the Twili who didn't seal away theirs and worked on mastering it.

Though the mask came with HMS, who very well could've come from the original Hyrule.
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File:Stalfos_Artwork_(Twilight_Princess).png
 

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