Breath of the Wild Timeline Theory and Ideas

[Aku]

I was thinking... Maybe this is a new Ganon altogether. One that is so unknown it's called 'it.' Would explain the Old Man referring to it as 'Calamity Ganon' instead of 'Ganon' and using 'he' him' etc., if this thing was supposed to be Ganon(dorf.)

The reason I say this is because people normally use 'him/her' primarily if there is some degree of familiarity (or a sense of one.) Notice how most people normally don't use 'it' unless there is nothing to go on as to who/what it is, or the creature is just so alien, most usual standards of reference don't apply. If this was Ganon the Dorf, the Old Man should logically be saying to Link, 'This is Dorf, his history is yada yada yada, he returned yada yada yada.' Knowing that it's the Dorf instead of some other monster is quite important if you don't want to send your Hero on a suicide run, because the Dorf needs highly specific equipment to take him down. Making the guy you're sending think he's some other monster (or you acting as if it's not the Dorf) would be so severely irresponsible that it goes into infinity, as not only it heavily risks him dying due to not knowing what he's up against, the Dorf is known to covet the ToC (along with Zelda's ToW) and sending the Hero in to get slaughtered when he carries it would be a crime against humanity.

So, I'm thinking that this is at the end of a Timeline, and in the distant future. Hyrule had likely been at peace for a good long while, so long enough that a Zelda might have returned to being Hylia (and why people now refer to her again.) But this new Ganon came suddenly and destroyed everything, leaving most buildings destroyed, and the ToT quite damaged. The Dorf is probably so degraded at this point by his many deaths and resurrections (or he's perma-dead) that this thing likely came by to take his place (as evil seemingly hates a vacuum) and just started mega wrecking with glee. However, this thing is so powerful and chaotic compared to the Dorf (and so hell-bent on destroying everything unlike the Dorf) that it might have insta-killed the Hero the moment the Hero showed up and said 'Hi', necessitating his resurrection so Hero can try for Round 2. This creature is so different, Link could have even died thinking it was the Dorf and now has to learn all over again how to kill this thing.

 

[CM30]

I was thinking... Maybe this is a new Ganon altogether. One that is so unknown it's called 'it.' Would explain the Old Man referring to it as 'Calamity Ganon' instead of 'Ganon' and using 'he' him' etc., if this thing was supposed to be Ganon(dorf.)

The reason I say this is because people normally use 'him/her' primarily if there is some degree of familiarity (or a sense of one.) Notice how most people normally don't use 'it' unless there is nothing to go on as to who/what it is, or the creature is just so alien, most usual standards of reference don't apply. If this was Ganon the Dorf, the Old Man should logically be saying to Link, 'This is Dorf, his history is yada yada yada, he returned yada yada yada.' Knowing that it's the Dorf instead of some other monster is quite important if you don't want to send your Hero on a suicide run, because the Dorf needs highly specific equipment to take him down. Making the guy you're sending think he's some other monster (or you acting as if it's not the Dorf) would be so severely irresponsible that it goes into infinity, as not only it heavily risks him dying due to not knowing what he's up against, the Dorf is known to covet the ToC (along with Zelda's ToW) and sending the Hero in to get slaughtered when he carries it would be a crime against humanity.

So, I'm thinking that this is at the end of a Timeline, and in the distant future. Hyrule had likely been at peace for a good long while, so long enough that a Zelda might have returned to being Hylia (and why people now refer to her again.) But this new Ganon came suddenly and destroyed everything, leaving most buildings destroyed, and the ToT quite damaged. The Dorf is probably so degraded at this point by his many deaths and resurrections (or he's perma-dead) that this thing likely came by to take his place (as evil seemingly hates a vacuum) and just started mega wrecking with glee. However, this thing is so powerful and chaotic compared to the Dorf (and so hell-bent on destroying everything unlike the Dorf) that it might have insta-killed the Hero the moment the Hero showed up and said 'Hi', necessitating his resurrection so Hero can try for Round 2. This creature is so different, Link could have even died thinking it was the Dorf and now has to learn all over again how to kill this thing.

That's definitely possible. Recall hearing that the Ganon in Four Swords Adventures is a new one.

But I kind of hope it isn't a different Ganon to be honest. Don't like the idea of Ganon turning out to be 100% mindless, and am hoping that he has a bit more personality when you actually meet him in person.

 

[Aku]

That's definitely possible. Recall hearing that the Ganon in Four Swords Adventures is a new one.

But I kind of hope it isn't a different Ganon to be honest. Don't like the idea of Ganon turning out to be 100% mindless, and am hoping that he has a bit more personality when you actually meet him in person.

I think one thing that makes me think that, is the way Aonuma spoke about him before the E3 stuff was shown, saying something to the effect that this guy was going to be a different kind of villain, which made many people think there would be no Ganondorf in this game. (Some people though he was bringing back somebdy, others thought this would be a new villain altogether.)

I don't think this creature is going to be mindless exactly, but it might be made less relatable. It's less human and more it, meaning it doesn't have a people that it tried to protect against burning winds or anything else that might make us feel sorry for it. It is intelligent enough to be able to reprogram Guardians (made with Shiekah tech, no less!) so it could potentially (if used in future games) turn your tech against you. I think maybe Nintendo might have felt they were starting to run out of ideas with Ganondorf, it's possible they might have wanted to think of new things to do with him but couldn't. This new Ganon, they can do whatever they want, it's a blank slate- it's story, motives and abilities are unknown. The characters know nothing about it, it just came in suddenly and started destroying stuff.

 

[Paz]

My theory is that Botw link is the link from Ocarina of time and Majoras mask and the whole theory revolves around the temple of time. The temple of time appears in only Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild. Skyward sword being the first game in the series automatically rules out this link being before that game. The next time we see the temple of time is in Ocarina of time where it is in very good looking condition. After Oot we next see the temple in the child era in Twilight Princess where the temple is destroyed and almost unrecognizable to what it looked like in Oot. I think that Botw is before Tp and after Majoras Mask because The temple in Botw still looks somewhat like it did in Oot but slightly broken down due to maybe a war. And link in Botw looks slightly older than the link from Majoras mask probably because he has been asleep for 100 years, not dead, and has been awoken to fight the Ganon he was not in Hyrule to fight during Majoras mask. Also Oot is the first time Ganon ever appears in the Zelda timeline so this Calamity Ganon must be the result of Ganondorf Trying to take hyrule without a hero to stop him, so the seven sages seal him in a new hyrule castle far away from the old and now broken temple of time, then he brakes out of the seal but can't leave the castle as seen in Botw. This theroy also could show why Hyrule castle is so far away from the ruins of the temple of time in Twilight Princess, Because they moved it between Majoras mask and Botw.

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

My theory is that Botw link is the link from Ocarina of time and Majoras mask and the whole theory revolves around the temple of time. The temple of time appears in only Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild. Skyward sword being the first game in the series automatically rules out this link being before that game. The next time we see the temple of time is in Ocarina of time where it is in very good looking condition. After Oot we next see the temple in the child era in Twilight Princess where the temple is destroyed and almost unrecognizable to what it looked like in Oot. I think that Botw is before Tp and after Majoras Mask because The temple in Botw still looks somewhat like it did in Oot but slightly broken down due to maybe a war. And link in Botw looks slightly older than the link from Majoras mask probably because he has been asleep for 100 years, not dead, and has been awoken to fight the Ganon he was not in Hyrule to fight during Majoras mask. Also Oot is the first time Ganon ever appears in the Zelda timeline so this Calamity Ganon must be the result of Ganondorf Trying to take hyrule without a hero to stop him, so the seven sages seal him in a new hyrule castle far away from the old and now broken temple of time, then he brakes out of the seal but can't leave the castle as seen in Botw. This theroy also could show why Hyrule castle is so far away from the ruins of the temple of time in Twilight Princess, Because they moved it between Majoras mask and Botw.

But where did the ruins of the Guardians, as well as the whole bit about Ganondorf being captured and then sealed, go? This is one of the reasons I can't see it taking place anywhere but at the end of a timeline; the ruins of the Guardians are littered everywhere, and they can't just up and poof.

 

[Paz]

But where did the ruins of the Guardians, as well as the whole bit about Ganondorf being captured and then sealed, go? This is one of the reasons I can't see it taking place anywhere but at the end of a timeline; the ruins of the Guardians are littered everywhere, and they can't just up and poof.

I explained that the seven sages would have sealed ganondorf because link wasn't there to kill him like what they did in alttp, and as for the guardians I believe that they were made by the shieka to aid the seven sages in fighting Ganondorfs minions because link wasn't there.

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

I explained that the seven sages would have sealed ganondorf because link wasn't there to kill him like what they did in alttp, and as for the guardians I believe that they were made by the shieka to aid the seven sages in fighting Ganondorfs minions because link wasn't there.

But they didn't seal him. We saw what happened in TP, and the HH confirms that Ganondorf was too confident in his abilities, which led to his capture and his later (failed) execution. And yes, the Guardians were most likely made by the Sheikah, but my point is that there are possibly hundreds, if not thousands, of ruined Guardians scattered across Hyrule. How could they all just disappear during Twilight Princess?

 

[Paz]

They probably disappeared like the robots from skyward sword did or the sky people in twilight princess. there's no telling how long the time is between games like with PH and ST. Twilight princess could take place hundreds of years after botw, long enough for the guardians to just disappear from history. Another theory I have on the guardians is that they could possibly be designed by the shieka to self-destruct or disappear once Ganon has been defeated which is why they're still around in botw.

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

They probably disappeared like the robots from skyward sword did or the sky people in twilight princess. there's no telling how long the time is between games like with PH and ST. Twilight princess could take place hundreds of years after botw, long enough for the guardians to just disappear from history. Another theory I have on the guardians is that they could possibly be designed by the shieka to self-destruct or disappear once Ganon has been defeated which is why they're still around in botw.

It definitely isn't hundreds of years after, considering the fact it seems Ganondorf's failed execution took place only a few weeks/months before TP, and he never had the Triforce prior to the execution, meaning he wouldn't be in a powerful and near immortal state like he would be otherwise. Not to mention, Aonuma stated that TP only took place a little over a century after OoT, meaning only 100 plus a few would pass.

 

[Paz]

Oh cool, I never new that TP came only 100 years after. When I was making the theory I was really stuck on if botw came before or after TP, I put it before based on how the temple of time looked newer in botw than in TP. Now that you said that TP is 100 years after oot it makes more sense for botw to be after TP. I still want to believe that botw link is the same link from mm because I think they said this link is one we've seen before.

 

[Dio]

It definitely isn't hundreds of years after, considering the fact it seems Ganondorf's failed execution took place only a few weeks/months before TP, and he never had the Triforce prior to the execution, meaning he wouldn't be in a powerful and near immortal state like he would be otherwise. Not to mention, Aonuma stated that TP only took place a little over a century after OoT, meaning only 100 plus a few would pass.

Aounuma makes lots of contradictory statements. It should be hundreds of years or over a thousand. Loads of things in game suggest a huge time has passed since OOT. Not to mention TP was always stated to take place parallel to Wind Waker on the timelines so as much time that took place between OOT and WW is the same as between OOT and TP. WW takes place 'hundreds' of years after OOT so TP has to as well.

In game evidence of a longer timespan between OOT and TP include the Lakebed Temple in TP having to be an expanded Water Temple from OOT due to its location and there being no other water temple. Not only would such a contruction take ages but the presence of a Deku Toad in Lakebed suggests the temple has been there a very long time. A Deku Toad takes a thousand years to grow to maturity from a toadpoli. Even if a partially mature toadpoli was placed in the new temple it would have taken hundreds of years to actually grow to full size.

We also can see the ruins of the Temple of time being clearly ancient in TP. Not something that happens in 100 years but many hundreds.

 

[Paz]

So then my theory of botw being between MM and TP could still be true. The Temple in botw looks too similar in terms of age to the one from OOT to be older than the one from TP.

 

[Dio]

So then my theory of botw being between MM and TP could still be true. The Temple in botw looks too similar in terms of age to the one from OOT to be older than the one from TP.

I dont think it can be between OOT and TP. Ganondorf was executed not long after OOT and he was disintigrated into the Twilight. He says himself that it was the hatred of the Twili that nourished him and awakened him back from the void. Only when he found a suitable puppet in Zant did he make his move to leave the Twilight realm.

Breath of the Wild features the calamity Ganon which shouldnt be there if Ganon is in the Twilight realm. Therefore the game must take place after TP if it is in the Child timeline.

 

[Paz]

I dont think it can be between OOT and TP. Ganondorf was executed not long after OOT and he was disintigrated into the Twilight. He says himself that it was the hatred of the Twili that nourished him and awakened him back from the void. Only when he found a suitable puppet in Zant did he make his move to leave the Twilight realm.

Breath of the Wild features the calamity Ganon which shouldnt be there if Ganon is in the Twilight realm. Therefore the game must take place after TP if it is in the Child timeline.

You said that it had to be hundreds if not thousands of years between OOT and TP so could it be a possibility that Calamity Ganon could be the physical form of the curse that Demise put on link and zeldas decedents and was separated from Ganondorf when he was executed by the sages. I say this because every time Calamity Ganon is mentioned in botw they say "It" and not "He" or "Him" implying that this is some beast and not a person.

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

You said that it had to be hundreds if not thousands of years between OOT and TP so could it be a possibility that Calamity Ganon could be the physical form of the curse that Demise put on link and zeldas decedents and was separated from Ganondorf when he was executed by the sages. I say this because every time Calamity Ganon is mentioned in botw they say "It" and not "He" or "Him" implying that this is some beast and not a person.

But he was never executed. It was a failed execution, a "Divine Prank" if you will, as when Ganondorf was supposed to die, the Triforce of Power came to him and empowered him. And the death of Ganondorf doesn't cause the cycle to end and Demise's hate to leave; this is shown at the end of TP, where Ganondorf DOES in fact die and a new Ganondorf is reincarnated later in Four Swords Adventures.