The Legend of Zelda Timeline

[Link12]

Hey Link 12 here and what im going to talk to you guys the Zelda timeline theroy.I think everyone knows about the timeline and if you dont......??? It is were timeline splits into two parts after Ocarina of Time one part is of your childhood and the other timeline is about your adulthood.Ummm if any of you guys need help with timeline am the man.Soooooooooo...... Ya Link 12 out

 

[JuicieJ]

Oh, man, I've talked about this so many times. I don't know if I feel like getting into this again... (Whatever.)

There are only certain games in the Zelda series can truly be proven and not contradicted by anyone. In other words, they're the basis of all "timelines," I guess.

............/WW--PH--ST
SS--OoT
............\MM--TP

But with where games were set when they were made, we can safely say this:

............/WW--PH--ST
SS--OoT
............\MM--TP--ALttP--(LA)--LoZ--AoL

The other games are a mystery. Personally, I consider the Oracle games non-canon. They just don't have any connection to any of the other games (story-wise) and they both start out the same way with the opening trailer. One's just at sunset. (Not that they aren't official Zelda games, of course.) The FS trilogy can't be placed without contradiction, so I don't put them anywhere as of the moment. I just hope Nintendo decides to make them a separate legend, as that would save a lot of trouble of forcing an explanation in the "timeline," which would have a contradiction no matter what. And it just makes more sense that way. Buuut that's just me.

(I still hate "timeline" debates.)

 

[Locke]

But with where games were set when they were made, we can safely say this:

............/WW--PH--ST
SS--OoT
............\MM--TP--ALttP--(LA)--LoZ--AoL

LttP was a sequel to OoT on the AT when it was made. Placing it after TP (or anywhere else) is just speculation/theory.

 

[JuicieJ]

LttP was a sequel to OoT on the AT when it was made. Placing it after TP (or anywhere else) is just speculation/theory.

I'm saying it's very assumable. Hence the "safely." I never said it's official. But there's no mention of it in Twilight Princess's backstory, so...

 

[Caleb, Of Asui]

Based on the way the series was designed originally, I think the order up to the release of Majora's Mask was pretty solidly:

........../OoT(F)
OoT(P)
..........\MM--ALttP/(LA)--LoZ/AoL

Obviously, showing it as a split timeline without The Wind Waker is rather pointless. Without The Wind Waker as a sequel to Ocarina of Time's Adult ending, as it were, that means the future potion of the game is simply an alternate future that didn't actually happen. Multiple interviews with Miyamoto and some of the other team members from back then said that Ocarina of Time was intended as the Imprisoning War (A Link to the Past's backstory), but the way the Imprisoning War story goes there cannot be a hero, so I think they decided to make Ocarina of Time's future a self-erasing story of how the Imprisoning War would have gone had there been a hero.

 

[JuicieJ]

Based on the way the series was designed originally, I think the order up to the release of Majora's Mask was pretty solidly:

........../OoT(F)
OoT(P)
..........\MM--ALttP/(LA)--LoZ/AoL

Obviously, showing it as a split timeline without The Wind Waker is rather pointless. Without The Wind Waker as a sequel to Ocarina of Time's Adult ending, as it were, that means the future potion of the game is simply an alternate future that didn't actually happen. Multiple interviews with Miyamoto and some of the other team members from back then said that Ocarina of Time was intended as the Imprisoning War (A Link to the Past's backstory), but the way the Imprisoning War story goes there cannot be a hero, so I think they decided to make Ocarina of Time's future a self-erasing story of how the Imprisoning War would have gone had there been a hero.

Actually, just because no Hero was mentioned in the Seal War doesn't mean that Nintendo can't decide to write one in. I definitely don't think Ocarina of Time was it, but they can make a game to where there is one.

By the way, where's Twilight Princess?

 

[Locke]

The SW was already in place by OoT. If they said that OoT is the SW in 1998 (which they did), then there's no reason at that time to assume otherwise. It also means that the canon version of the SW at that time was OoT's story, which involves a hero. When dealing with a creative process, it's best to accept a modified version of a story than to force every inconsistency into its own story, creating several versions of the same thing.

(He didn't include TP because he was talking about the timeline in 2000.)

 

[JamesBond007]

LttP was a sequel to OoT on the AT when it was made. Placing it after TP (or anywhere else) is just speculation/theory.

Placement of ALttP is difficult. Technically, there are three possibilities:

Option 1:
----------/--ALttP--TWW/PH--ST
SS--OoT
----------\MM--TP
This won't work, because TWW backstory mentions only the Hero of Time. Thus, I don't need to post full timeline here.

Option 2:
-----/--TWW/PH--ST--(SS)--TMC--FS/FSA--(SS)--ALttP/OoX/LA--TLoZ/TAoL
OoT
-----\MM--TP
If ALttP is placed in the Adult Timeline (after TWW), then we need another Master Sword, because the old one is lost. Placing SS not before OoT, but after ST or FSA could work. There are "Gilded Guy is Vaati" theories by some people, but now (at least until more news about Skyward Sword, the game itself) my theory says "Gilded guy is (related to) Agahnim". Using FSA option, maybe Ganon (with the Trident) will appear in SS using his (different) alter-ego again? His appearance under different name than Agahnim also could work.

Also, I found that (dead) Twinrova's last quote from OoT is interesting:

I'll come back to haunt you!

Maybe she is, in fact, not really dead in the Adult Timeline, and she returns in OoX to "haunt" Link?

Excluding Twinrova (reason above) and using my Three Master Swords theory, there are only three flaws - Helmaroc King and Jalhalla in FSA (both killed in TWW, although there might be different incarnations of them, like different Gohmas), Sea Zoras in OoA (In Hyrule, they evolved into the Ritos, but maybe Labirynna is a different story?) and appearance of Deku Scrubs and Gerudos in FSA (they were absent between The Great Flood and FSA (Ganondorf doesn't count).

Option 3:
---------/--TWW/PH--ST
SS--OoT
---------\MM--TP--TMC--FS/FSA--ALttP/OoX/LA--TLoZ/TAoL
This timeline raises a couple of questions:
1. What happened with the Triforce of Power after TP?
2. In OoT - Lon Lon Ranch, in TP - Ordon Ranch, in TMC - Lon Lon Ranch again. What's going on here?
3. FSA and AoL maps - why they look like an island(s)?
4. In ALttP, the whole Triforce is present in the Sacred Realm. How?
5. If Skyward Sword goes first, what's the origin of the Hero's Clothes?
6. In some games, the same Master Sword can shoot Sword beams, in others cannot. Why?
7. Like in option 2, what's the mystery of Dekus and Gerudos? They were absent between MM and Four Sword Series (Gerudos appeared only in FSA). Again, Ganondorf doesn't count.

 

[TheGermanLegend]

Placement of ALttP is difficult. Technically, there are three possibilities:

Option 1:
----------/--ALttP--TWW/PH--ST
SS--OoT
----------\MM--TP
This won't work, because TWW backstory mentions only the Hero of Time. Thus, I don't need to post full timeline here.

Except Zelda and maybe the other sages noone in Hyrule really knew where the hero of time was. They only knew he was able to timetravel. Ganon attackt Hyrule after this but ALttP Link stoped him. He lived his life and then he died. Ganon attacked again but there was no hero. ALttP-Link was dead so only the hero of time could help them. If he can timetravel, why can't he just appear in their time to fight Ganon. They didn't know he was on the other timeline.

I think this works pretty well and would explain why only the Hero of Time was mentioned in the WW backstory

 

[JamesBond007]

This won't work either, even if the ALttP Ganon is the same as OoT/TWW Ganondorf, for two reasons:
1. Both Ganondorfs - OoT (sealed by the Sages) and TWW - have only the Triforce of Power.
2. ALttP Ganon has the whole Triforce and loses it at the end. Also, Ganon is killed.

If there is only one Ganon(dorf), and he is still alive, then he must somehow get only the Triforce of Power between ALttP and TWW. I think that's impossible.

 

[JuicieJ]

Also, I found that (dead) Twinrova's last quote from OoT is interesting:

[I'll come back to haunt you!]


Maybe she is, in fact, not really dead in the Adult Timeline, and she returns in OoX to "haunt" Link?

I would say that's just one of those "You crazy kiiiids!" comments. Nothing significant.