Spoiler Timeline continuity in BotW

[gold]

During the memory of Zelda knighting Link, Zelda says

Spoiler

"...Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight..."

Which indicates that this game takes place in the child timeline, after Twilight Princess.

But there's something that doesn't make sense to me.

The child timeline follows Link after he is sent back in time seven years following the defeat of Ganondorf. The Hero of Time isn't remembered, because he never existed in that timeline-- after Link warned Zelda, there was no need for a hero. Even though Zelda entrusted Link with the Ocarina of Time, and the events of Majora's Mask happened, none of that is on record. Majora's Mask happened in a parallel universe- no one in Link's world would know of any of that, save for the fairies and Skull kid. All that led to the Hero's Shade, in Twilight Princess, blah blah blah.

My point is, the Hero of Time didn't exist, as far as the child timeline goes. So, I'm thinking that maybe BotW doesn't take place in the child timeline. But it can't exist in the Adult era either, because Twilight Princess never happened.

So...I'm not sure what to think. If it can't exist in either of these scenarios...what if there's another branch somewhere? It would be the only conclusion I can come to that makes sense, but the question there is where the branch is, and what the branch consists of. Unfortunately, that's all I've got, but I figured I'd post this here and maybe someone could add to it? It's possible it's just a continuity error, but this is a pretty big snag.

Also, this may not be in the right section, so please feel free to move it if it's not! Still getting used to what goes where, so it's my bad if that's the case!

 

[Dio]

Just because TP didn't happen in the adult and decline eras it doesn't mean the twilight did not exist in the other eras. The sealing of the interlopers would have happened before OOT which means the Twili exist in every branch of the timeline.

 

[River Zora]

Bear in mind all three of those things apply to Twilight Princess Link specifically and on his own.

He took the Sword Skyward (City in the Sky)

He took the Sword through time (Temple of Time)

And then he took it into the Twilight (Twilight Realm)

As much as I didn't want this game to be on the CT, and how much it screws with the Koroks and Rito's already explained transformations, there's no doubt in my mind that the CT is the intention and what Zelda says is what shows us this intention.

 

[PallidinAF]

But when child Link came back and warned Zelda and saved Hyrule, you don't think she told the Kingdom that Link saved Hyrule? I am sure that his legend as the hero of time was told. So to me that line from the memory in BotW makes sense.

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

My point is, the Hero of Time didn't exist, as far as the child timeline goes. So, I'm thinking that maybe BotW doesn't take place in the child timeline. But it can't exist in the Adult era either, because Twilight Princess never happened.

Perhaps it wouldn't be well-known by the more common denizens of Hyrule, but if anyone would know about the Hero of Time, it would be the royal bloodline, regardless of that Link not technically being a hero in that timeline. Twilight being referenced firmly puts it in the CT no matter what though, as Zant wouldn't have the reasoning (AT) or the means (DT) to invade Hyrule and thus give the hero a reason to enter the twilight.

Although this game is so far in the future past everything we've had so far, it honestly doesn't seem to matter. There are already references and location names that shouldn't be a thing in the CT (locations named after WW characters that would have never existed), and yet there they are. That scene with Zelda (which I haven't seen myself tbh) could be just that, a reference for the fans of the series to enjoy and appreciate.

It looks like we can add this game to the "Nintendo doesn't actually care about the timeline" pile, at least from what I've seen so far. I can maybe see how Koroks exist through some other means than a great flood due to Kokiri not being a thing by TP (although they evolved to be able to survive the flood...), but Zora and Rito just can't exist together unless we pull out some magic retcon mumbo-jumbo like the downfall timeline.

 

[Dio]

Perhaps it wouldn't be well-known by the more common denizens of Hyrule, but if anyone would know about the Hero of Time, it would be the royal bloodline, regardless of that Link not technically being a hero in that timeline. Twilight being referenced firmly puts it in the CT no matter what though, as Zant wouldn't have the reasoning (AT) or the means (DT) to invade Hyrule and thus give the hero a reason to enter the twilight.

Although this game is so far in the future past everything we've had so far, it honestly doesn't seem to matter. There are already references and location names that shouldn't be a thing in the CT (locations named after WW characters that would have never existed), and yet there they are. That scene with Zelda (which I haven't seen myself tbh) could be just that, a reference for the fans of the series to enjoy and appreciate.

It looks like we can add this game to the "Nintendo doesn't actually care about the timeline" pile, at least from what I've seen so far. I can maybe see how Koroks exist through some other means than a great flood due to Kokiri not being a thing by TP (although they evolved to be able to survive the flood...), but Zora and Rito just can't exist together unless we pull out some magic retcon mumbo-jumbo like the downfall timeline.

Koroks were never stated to have evolved just that they just took that form. No reason why they couldn't do that on another timeline branch.

As for Rito and Zora existing together. If you took a bunch of people and put them on an island they and their ancestors could never leave where it would be advantageous to adapt in order to survive eventually after millions of years their ancestors could become another species whilst the rest of humanity remained mostly unchanged without the need to evolve. Same sort of situation could have happened isolating some Zora from the main bunch.

 

[Moblinking5000]

Bear in mind all three of those things apply to Twilight Princess Link specifically and on his own.

He took the Sword Skyward (City in the Sky)

He took the Sword through time (Temple of Time)

And then he took it into the Twilight (Twilight Realm)

As much as I didn't want this game to be on the CT, and how much it screws with the Koroks and Rito's already explained transformations, there's no doubt in my mind that the CT is the intention and what Zelda says is what shows us this intention.

Then how do you explain the fact that Ruto awakened as a sage and helped the HoT in the timeline that BotW takes place on? (Applicable to AT and DT)

Or the fact that Aonuma said that Ganon has attacked Hyrule plenty of times in this timeline? (Applicable to the DT only)

Or the fact that Zelda inherited the Triforce, with it becoming a thing for the RF to rule with the TF during the Golden Age? (DT only)

Or the fact that Ganon is at his most inhuman ever in BotW?(Only seen in the DT, where his mind degrades with each resurrection)

The reference to the Master Sword being embedded in Twilight is a piece of noteworthy evidence for a CT placement, but the reference to Ruto being a sage goes more into detail. If it said something like ''the Hero who entered the Twilight Realm and helped the princess of that realm defeat the Usurper King and take back her throne and natural form'' then that would be the same level of specificity as the reference to Ruto. However, keep in mind that other conflicts have happened involving the Twilight,(coughInterloperWar) so this could be a reference to another event in another timeline, especially when we already have multiple games involving skyward and time travel events. It's harder to argue that the monument referring to Ruto is another event when it matches OoT perfectly and goes into more detail than that one line from Zelda.

 

[Gaga]

When is Ruto referred to?

 

[Moblinking5000]

When is Ruto referred to?

http://imgur.com/a/7GA8K

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

There are so many DT references it's not even funny. From the MS being north of Hyrule Castle, to the fact the sages from OoT are referenced, and the entirety of Adventure of Link being straight up mentioned in the same knighting speech Zelda gives, it's literally impossible to ignore. Some of the most damning evidence, however, is the Hero's Clothes of the Wild, which looks exactly like the tunic from AoL, not to mention the description:


"A tunic sewn for he who wandered the wilds. Strangely, it fits you perfectly."

Link was a drifter in the original Legend of Zelda, who just so happened to stumble upon Hyrule and found Impa. She then tasked him with finding the 8 shards of the Triforce of Wisdom and rescuing Zelda. It's really @hwrdjacob 's right to share this theory (since he came up with it), but Breath of the Wild is most likely a retcon of the Downfall Timeline, with the original Downfall Timeline games being placed on the end of the current Child Timeline based on everything we've seen.

 

[Jamie]

Please God Aonuma just clarify this for us.

 

[hwrdjacob]

Please God Aonuma just clarify this for us.

"BotW isn't canon, it was just a prank bro"

"convergence even though there's next to nothing from WW and the Rito are specifically distanced from the Zora"

"It's pre SS even though the events of every CT and DT game has happened"

The pessimist in me is saying Aonuma would try to toy with us further/phone it in while distracted with the next game

Right now, completely from a circumstantial viewpoint; the timeline I've had in my signature for well over a year now actually DOES hold the most water at this point, since both TP and AoL have happened pre BotW according to various key dialogues from Zelda herself

 

[Jamie]

"BotW isn't canon, it was just a prank bro"

"convergence even though there's next to nothing from WW and the Rito are specifically distanced from the Zora"

"It's pre SS even though the events of every CT and DT game has happened"

The pessimist in me is saying Aonuma would try to toy with us further/phone it in while distracted with the next game

Right now, completely from a circumstantial viewpoint; the timeline I've had in my signature for well over a year now actually DOES hold the most water at this point, since both TP and AoL have happened pre BotW according to various key dialogues from Zelda herself

Where does it say TP happened pre BotW? Because that's damn weird.

 

[hwrdjacob]

Where does it say TP happened pre BotW? Because that's damn weird.

Zelda mentions that the master sword was "steeped in the embers of twilight", the Embers of Twilight obstensibly being the Sol Orbs.

Again, refer to my signature.

I could go into the specifics but I don't want to evade the spoiler police over it when Zelda point blank alludes to AoL's events, but is talked over by Revali in that memory so it's damn near impossible to hear in the english version (we had to resort to the Japanese and French versions to grasp what she was saying and it is definitely an AoL allusion), since that basically does my job for me

Spoiler

and the Royal Family inherits the Triforce as their birthright, as per the NES era

tl;dr BotW seems to be retconning the DT which in and of itself was already a "retcon" (of the Schrodinger's Canon variety)

 

[River Zora]

Any transcript of what she says then if it's so obviously an AoL allusion?