Spoiler Which Had the Better Ending, Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?

[TrueChaos]

I was just having this debate with a friend. I preferred OoT because it was a heartfelt apology from Zelda for dragging Link into her problems that she was partly responsible for (or at least she felt responsible for) and him having to sort it all out when things go wrong whereas MM tried to be all philosophical but failed dismally. My friend did say that he wasn't keen on either ending but preferred the Majora's Mask battle over Ganon so said MM had the better game end. I do agree that the Major battle is more fun than Ganon but the ending for MM was disappointing after such a great final battle.

between the 2 games' final bosses and endings, which do you prefer?

 

[MW7]

I'd actually say OOT for both. I agree that the ending to the story for OOT was vastly superior to the ending for MM. For the bosses it's more of a toss up for me, but I have always had more fun fighting Ganon than Majora for some reason. So overall I felt OOT had the better ending of the two. Even if you consider final dungeons/areas, I'd say Ganon's Tower was more enjoyable than the Moon as well.

 

[TrueChaos]

I'd actually say OOT for both. I agree that the ending to the story for OOT was vastly superior to the ending for MM. For the bosses it's more of a toss up for me, but I have always had more fun fighting Ganon than Majora for some reason. So overall I felt OOT had the better ending of the two. Even if you consider final dungeons/areas, I'd say Ganon's Tower was more enjoyable than the Moon as well.

oh yes, Tower over the moon any day. there wasn't much to the moon and what was there (bar Majora) was optional. sure some of the challenges on the moon were good but the Tower was SO much better

 

[Koosholts]

OoT, I think, had the better ending. You see a cute cinematic of Zelda apologizing to Link and Link giving back the Ocarina, too adorable. Also, if you count the credits, at the very end the elusive cinema of Link running back to Hryule which created the whole split timeline theory. How can you get much better than that? Majora's Mask ending wasn't bad, but I don't think it beats Ocarina of Time's ending.

As for the final battle, I'm going with Ganondorf/Ganon as well. The very first phase was easy and boring, but once you finally defeated his first phase things got interesting. The whole timed section down the tower was an amazing addition to the game. I loved timed sections in games because it adds to the difficulty, and Ocarina of Time's final battle delivered. The final battle with Ganon was also moderately difficult to the first time player. With all of those things considered... Ocarina of Time wins both sections hands down.

 

[A Link In Time]

I maybe nostlagic for the title, however, I believe Ocarina of Time to be the victor in both categories. Admittedly, I was not satisfied with the endings to either N64 Zelda game, however, OoT's felt more conclusive with Link leaving Zelda behind, Navi departing after completion of the hero's mission, the scattering of the sages. and the final ceremony in Hyrule Town and Field at the end.

As for the final boss battle, I'd have to go with Ganondorf/Ganon. The boss battle was executed perfectly from the organ music playing in the tower of the castle at the start, to the dark energy keeping Navi at bay, to the escape scene from the crumbling castle, to Ganondorf's emergence from the ground, and subsequent Ganon battle. The feeling of isolation generated from observing the ruin of the castle was immense and it was masterfully broken by the emergence of the dark lord. And don't even get me started on the Ganon battle. The flames surrounding the combatants, the plethora of (amusing) ways you could tackle the hell demon, Zelda's intervention at the end all contributed to an unparalleled sense of achievement at the end. There is a reason why many consider Ocarina of Time to be the greatest game ever created.

 

[Fred Flintstone]

In terms of epicness, I picked Ganon over Majora, OoT ending over MM. However, in build up I prefer MM. The moon falling, the giants coming, the mask living, Majora's Mask is unbeatably epic at that moment. It is my favorite cut scene ever. Compare it to the making of a bridge, hands down it wins. you can glitch into ganon's tower without using the sages anyway so that diminishes it even more in my eyes. I do say Majora no FD is harder though.

 

[Blue Canary]

Well, majora's mask for both. Majora's mask isn't just my favorite zelda game, it's my favorite game. and you know why? because of the story, ending , and boss.

 

[guapo2003]

They both have really great endings, but my vote is for Ocarina of Time. There is nothing better than to beat the original boss of the Zelda series in his true form, and then to let Link go back in time to live his life as a Child once again.

 

[JuicieJ]

I have to go with the third option. The final battle in OoT surpasses that of MM in my opinion, but MM's ending is far better than OoT's. MM's has some pretty deep meaning behind it and is, in a way, inspiring. I'll never forget the Happy Mask Salesman's lines at the end of that game. Ever.

 

[Cfrock]

I prefer the battle with Majora because it's longer and has a lot more variety than the Ganondorf/Ganon fight from Ocarina of Time. I found battling Ganondorf/Ganon to be much better in both Wind Waker and (especially) Twilight Princess. I also prefered what happens on the moon over Ganon's Tower. The moon dungeons were exciting and challenging and had that aura of mystery about it.

As for the endings, I liked both but prefer Majora's Mask. The entire story to Majora's Mask just had so much more depth. Ocarina of Time never lets you forget that you're trying to stop Ganondorf. In contrast, Majora's Mask has the falling moon, but not everything you do is focussed on stopping it. Take the Kafei and Anju story for example. The only goal there is to reunite the couple. It has nothing to do with the moon and your only reward is the Couple's Mask, which is used to get a heart piece. The game is about the people of Termina, their relationships, their fears and their lives. Seeing Kafei and Anju's wedding at the end was perfect after everything you went through to get them back together.
Majora's Mask was all about entering the unknown and believing in yourself. That's reflected in the main challenge, stopping the apocalypse. It is something so overwhelming that it's difficult to believe you can even do it. How can a mere boy stop the moon from falling? Majora's power turned you into a Deku Scrub before you could even react; how can you face such an awesome force? Like the Happy Mask Salesman says (albeit, in Ocarina of Time) "Just have faith..."

When you consider the end of Ocarina of Time, Link is right back in the same situation he was in at the start. He has to go and warn Zelda of Ganondorf to prevent things simply repeating themselves. At the end of Majora's Mask, all of Termina has changed. The people have been forced to face their mortality and re-evaluate what is important to them. As Link leaves, it is with a great sense that the people and races of Termina have learnt and grown a lot over just three days. Overall it was a much more personally satisfying ending and I felt like I'd really earned it.

That said, Ocarina of Time's ending is great and fighting Ganondorf/Ganon was fun and exciting.

 

[SinkingBadges]

Ocarina of Time was at some point the only game where I never really looked away to do something else until the credits finished; I also think it also has a pretty nostalgic feel, not because of the fact that I played it when I was 5-6, but because the tone always seemed to me like it acknowledged how things came, went or changed with time. That's the impression I get, at least, since the tone could be considered as really broad in the feelings it evokes.

Majora's Mask is a funny one... I used to find it inconclusive, like someone else mentioned above. Though, after giving it some thought and going over the theme it seemed to emphasize, I get the feeling that it wasn't supposed to feel conclusive at all. The Happy Mask Salesman's last few words mention partings among friends, and how a reunion is sure to follow at some point (and vice-versa). It sort of reminds me of the phrase (I think it was actually a poem, but I haven't really analyzed it, so I can't make comparisons with the poem itself) "No man is an island". Maybe we all drift among the seas, find each other, part, meet again some other time, and so it goes; in our lives, we are never stuck together or isolated. That's basically a common fact of life, and the only possible ending to that is... well, death.

 

[Princess Majora]

I think i'm going to say OoT did, just because it was more Zelda with Gannon, Zelda and Link all together at the end. Majora's mask still has a special place in my heart though <3

 

[DarkMachi]

I actually really liked the ending for MM... its not that I didn't like the ending of OoT however, I kinda like how you get to see all the people that you helped. Then if you don't help them, you won't see them at the end... It seems like you actually effected the outcome of the game in a way that you don't in OoT.... (Its only a little but, I really like that).

 

[TheMinishMaster]

It depends. Are you looking for an apologetic ending or a Happy-Because-I-Just-Ridded-This-World-Of-A-Possessed-Moon ending.

 

[KogamoSJS]

I preferred the final boss and ending from MM. I don't know why, but MM always seemed to have all the individual aspects better than OoT, but OoT was somehow the overall better game. The final boss of OoT was kind of... easy. There were only two parts to it, and one of those parts was a very familiar character. The ending wasn't my taste, I guess. It could have been more dramatic and/or mature. The final boss of MM was pretty difficult. You aren't clear on what to do. There were three parts to it. It was a totally unique and original character. The ending was pretty mature. It wasn't about apologies... well, it kind of was... but there was much more focus on the characters' growth both physically and mentally. It summed up Link's growth throughout the game, showing all the people whose lives were completely turned around by him. It even went as far as telling what Skull Kid had learned about friendship. I guess everyone has their own opinion.