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Could the Key to Determining Timelines Lie with the Zora?

Twilit Archon

We Burn... Burn With Us.
Joined
Oct 30, 2011
Think about it for a second. In Wind Waker there are absolutely no Zora whatsoever. Of course some people say they evolved into either the Ruto or the map fish things, but I don't think so. It is pretty well agreed upon that WW is in the Adult timeline, as Link not being around is what led to the necessity of Hyrule being flooded.

So remember what happened to the Zora in OoT? They were all frozen, and even though we were told the Zora Domain would eventually thaw, what if it never did? Or what if it was frozen for too long and the Zora died? By the end of the game, from the player's point of view, Zora's Domain is still frozen over. That is a very long time to be frozen.

Following that line of logic, it could be assumed that the games without Zoras fall into the Adult timeline, while games with them fall either before the split, or in the Child timeline.

Just a thought.
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Because the Zora's were frozen when Link was an adult. Whenever you beat the game and everyone's celebrating at Lon Lon Ranch, the Zoras are there too. Also remember that at the end of the game the Master Sword is replaced and Link is a child again, this results in Zora's Domain never being frozen over. Couple these facts with the sage in WW that was a Zora and she tells you that her ancestor is Medli, a Rito. An ancestor won't just be a different race entirely unless there was an evolutionary connection somewhere in the line. It's a nice theory but it's just not the case. Also you wouldn't be able to establish any kind of timeline from this fact alone. You would have games with zoras and games without zoras. While part of the timeline has to be speculation and what ifs, this theory doesn't hold any ground since it's not a what if at all.
 

Twilit Archon

We Burn... Burn With Us.
Joined
Oct 30, 2011
I had forgotten about the ending of Ocarina. It does actually show Zora's Domain thawed as well. I still have a distinct problem with the evolutionary idea however. A race of fish people would not evolve into a race of bird people because of the world being flooded. It is utterly illogical. If that is the case, it really seems pointless to me to guess at the timeline, because that would mean that the people creating the games either have no comprehension about cause and effect, or else just don't care about it, and in either case it could mean any number of other things could be simply randomly related.

I really like knowing the chronology of things, but I guess I'll just have to wait until Nintendo feels like spilling the beans about the timeline.
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
One has to remember that the Rito needs a scale from Valoo the dragon in order to be able to fly. So divine intervention and magic are definitely at fault in their evolution. There's also the dispute between the Zora's Domain Zora's being fresh water or salt water, possibility of the salinity in the water of the sea killing them off and everything. One can't forget that in a world filled with magic that anything is possible and more often than not a logical answer just isn't plausible and we have to resort to it's magic and that's that.
 

Locke

Hegemon
Site Staff
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Location
Redmond, Washington
There's no denying that the Zora became the Rito.
Eiji Aonuma: [Translation] We created the Rito as the evolved form of the Zora that appeared in "Ocarina of Time" and the Koroks as what the Kokiri became once they left the forest. They appear different, but they have inherited their blood.
Turning them into a flying race makes more sense not only from a game design standpoint, but also in terms of story. Hyrule being hidden under the sea is a very important plot point, and you just can't have a race of amphibious creatures dominate the sea with the potential of discovering it.

Apart for the Zora during OoT's credits, Laruto and the Rito serve as proof that the Zora did survive the adult ending. You might, however, argue that once the Zora became the Rito, there are no more Zoras in the AT. There are Zora Warriors in PH and Geozards in ST, but nothing like the form we know from OoT/MM/OoA.

But on to the main point, I don't like judging the timeline based on the appearances of races. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a terrible idea and invalid, but I think decisions whether or not to include a race are based almost exclusively on which races would best fit the game. (gameplay, style, etc.)
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
There's no denying that the Zora became the Rito.Turning them into a flying race makes more sense not only from a game design standpoint, but also in terms of story. Hyrule being hidden under the sea is a very important plot point, and you just can't have a race of amphibious creatures dominate the sea with the potential of discovering it.

Apart for the Zora during OoT's credits, Laruto and the Rito serve as proof that the Zora did survive the adult ending. You might, however, argue that once the Zora became the Rito, there are no more Zoras in the AT. There are Zora Warriors in PH and Geozards in ST, but nothing like the form we know from OoT/MM/OoA.

But on to the main point, I don't like judging the timeline based on the appearances of races. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a terrible idea and invalid, but I think decisions whether or not to include a race are based almost exclusively on which races would best fit the game. (gameplay, style, etc.)

I agree with Locke in thinking that basing timelines strongly on evidence provided by the appearance of the races of Hyrule is not the best strategy. It is not that it is an inherently bad strategy or that the appearance of races provides no evidence. The reason I believe the strategy fails is that there is so much overriding evidence which conflicts with the evidence provided by the appearance of races. Locke is probably accurate in attributing this inconsistency to the developers priority of gameplay over timeline/story.

For example, many theorists think we have good reason to put order some of the games as follow: OoT-TP-FSA-ALttP (with other titles possibly between these). However, the Gerudo are in OoT, not in TP, in FSA, then not in ALttP.

Another example includes the Zola. Many theorists to not put all the games in which Zolas appear on the same side of the timeline, but many who theorize on the races of Hyrule believe that the Zola may be related to the Zoras. Even if they are not, there presence is not indicative of game connections.

Also consider enemies along these same lines.

Having said all this, there are some reasonable connections to draw. For example Gorons only appear in games usually treated as earlier in the timeline, Anoukis only appear in one section of the timeline, etc. However, one has to weight all the evidence, and on balance all the evidence taken together does not support a strong connection between races and chronology.
 

JuicieJ

SHOW ME YA MOVES!
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
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On the midnight Spirit Train going anywhere
It's confirmed that the Rito are the Zora. It's not a fan theory and never has been. As Locke showed, Aonuma himself confirmed it, and if it isn't obvious enough in the game with the Zora's Sapphire symbol being on their clothes and Medli being a descendant of a Zora Sage, I don't know what is.

I still have a distinct problem with the evolutionary idea however. A race of fish people would not evolve into a race of bird people because of the world being flooded. It is utterly illogical. If that is the case, it really seems pointless to me to guess at the timeline, because that would mean that the people creating the games either have no comprehension about cause and effect, or else just don't care about it, and in either case it could mean any number of other things could be simply randomly related.

Well, look at where they are. Dragon Roost Island. The Zoras have to live on the land as well as the water. Dragon Roost Island would dry their skin out. Badly. It makes complete sense for them to become bird people in order to fly around the mountain. Plus, Nintendo just wanted to try something different, so they went with the Rito.
 

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