One Brother’s Heinous Bargain: A Kingdom In The Devil’s Grasp

The composer brothers are perhaps the most famous siblings in the Zelda series. And though they appear in two games, it is within Majora’s Mask that their relationship is truly at its darkest.

For those that aren’t aware, the Composer Brothers are found in Ikana Canyon, the land of the dead to the east of Clock Town. The valley is full of ghosts: spirits that are filled to the brim with loathing, regret, and misery over their memories of the past.

Two of the canyon residents grew up together and have a dark and twisted tale of their own. Majora’s Mask had plenty of dark themes in it, but when analyzed, the relationship between the Composer Brothers shows just how sick the game can really be.

Not too much is known about their past, but the narrative below could be considered one possibility shedding more light on their lives.

A Tale Of Two Brothers

Flat and Sharp are two spirits that call Ikana Canyon their home. In life, they made music for the Ikana Royal Family and were very good at what they did. They were likely made wealthy by their musical talent. It’s possible they even resided somewhere in Ikana Castle.

It’s probable the brothers were close in life and played off one another in their music. One of them would become inspired by a melody, and the other would come in behind, setting the harmony, rhythm, and volume of whatever tune they were writing together.

The two shared the same blood, same affinity for music, and same fortune that they worked for the royal family.

The Brotherly Bond

There’s just something unique about the relationship between brothers. They can be constantly competing, fighting, and driving each other nuts, but if something bad happens to one, the other is usually their first ally.

An older brother may tease their younger sibling to no end, but the moment a bully starts doing the same thing, that older brother is going to do anything to protect his “little bro.”

Sharp is the older of the two. Maybe he grew up wanting to be a musician, and when he got really good at performing his craft, Flat saw that, desiring to become an artist himself.

Flat grows up trying to be like his “big bro,” but he doesn’t have as much luck. So, he begins to lose steam and sight of his goals. Finally, a bully mocking his musical attempts shatters Flat’s last remaining piece of hope and confidence. Depressed out of his own mind, Flat decides to give up on music… until Sharp steps in and builds his little brother back up.

With training from Sharp, Flat grows into himself, and the pair combine their talents. Their success is slow at first, but soon, people are catching on to the fact that they’re rich with talent. Finally, the royal family notices them, and they’re hired to play exclusively in Ikana Castle.

It’s a great thought that their relationship was so tight growing up, and it makes their story all the more ripe for the downfall that would later befall the brothers.

Somewhere along the way, the kingdom fell, and the army, citizens, and royal family all became spirits. Those spirits were forced to roam the land in search of non-existing hope that one day their kingdom would rise once again into splendor.

The Composer Brothers yearned for just one last chance at the spotlight… one more song… one more moment. And when they didn’t get it, it drove them all the more mad.

The Devil Himself

Eventually, Sharp couldn’t handle it. So, he made a deal with the Devil, and that’s where the greatest mysteries within their tale come from. Sharps sells his soul to the Devil, but two unanswered questions burn in the minds of Zelda fans.

Who is the Devil, and what did Sharp get in return for his soul?

In Christian tradition, the Devil, also known as Satan or Lucifer, is thought to be the antithesis of good. He is pure evil and the king of Hell. In Majora’s Mask? It’s much more unclear who the Devil could be.

To answer that, fans would have to be privy to the religion and culture of Termina. Is the Devil an exclusive belief to Ikana Canyon? Citizens of Clock Town don’t appear to be overly religious. If they were religious, when they saw the moon falling, they’d probably have reacted differently. There’d be praying of some sort taking place, and yet, most seem content to simply carry on with their lives.

Is it possible that the Devil is Majora? The mask was used in hexing rituals, and many think of the mask as its own entity, but what if the mask is merely used to channel the power of the Devil?

If Majora was the Devil of Termina, perhaps Majora’s Mask is merely an item that the evil deity can channel evil magic through, even if the people that once used it didn’t know that. In their minds, they could have simply had an item that they realized was dark and all-powerful.

Who else but the Devil would be bent on the complete and utter destruction of Termina? Once Skull Kid had the mask in his grasp, the Devil granted him some power and then started giving him ideas… like using a moon to destroy the entire land.

The Tragic Irony Of The Bargain

Sharp sells his soul to the Devil, but fans don’t know what he got in return. In fact, it’s possible he was scammed and received nothing.

Flat tells Link that Sharp sold his soul and then sealed his brother into an underground tomb guarded by an iron knuckle.

Was sealing his brother part of the deal? Maybe the Devil wanted to keep the miserable souls of Ikana Canyon ensnared within his grasp forever, and he knew that there were only a few obstacles in his way. There was a pesky scientist with his daughter and one Composer Brother that wasn’t as depraved as the other.

What if the Devil knew that Flat could save his brother one day, maybe even save the entire kingdom from itself with some sort of song?

Knowing that, the Devil played upon the evil desires already in Sharp’s heart and got him to seal his brother away. Then, he persuaded Sharp to dry up the river, which trapped Pamela and her father in a house surrounded by members of the living dead.

With those two obstacles removed, the Devil was satisfied.

What a true betrayal of trust by Sharp. Flat thinks, “Hey, we’re dead, and the kingdom we love is in ruins, but I still have my brother by my side.” And then Sharp takes that blind trust and love, and shatters it with a single heinous act.

And what did Sharp get in return? Probably nothing. The Devil promised to restore the Ikana kingdom and then after gaining Sharp’s soul chose not to fulfill his end of the deal. The tragic irony here is that not only did one brother bury the other in an underground chamber for God knows how long, but Sharp may not have received a single reward for it. This makes the betrayal utterly worthless.

Not only is the canyon ruined on a political and financial level, but the relationships in Ikana Canyon are themselves tainted; brother betrays brother, father fails to protect daughter, etc.

A Ray Of Hope

Eventually though, something the Devil doesn’t anticipate happens. A living outsider enters the canyon and frees Flat. From there, things go awry for the Devi

l. After being freed, the younger brother requests that Link save Sharp.

Flat arms Link with a cleansing song that can release Sharp’s soul from the Devil’s grasp and break the curse placed on the Composer Brothers. Link plays the song, heals Sharp, and the spirit vanishes without a trace.

It’s unknown if the two brothers reunite afterwards. Fans know Link saves the canyon and its people, but the fate of the brothers remains shrouded in mystery. Do they make up? Did they fade away at peace?

The Brothers’ Future

There is but one hint as to the brothers’ fate. A small clip is shown in the credits of the ghost king of Ikana Castle and his two swordsmen. If they remained after Link saved the canyon, it’s possible Sharp and Flat did as well.

In the end, it all comes down to speculation and what fans want to believe happened to the brothers. Was Sharp forgiven, or was the rift provided by his dark bargain simply too much to recover from?

After all, Flat was sealed in a tomb underground by the one person he loved most in the world… his brother.

“The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!”

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