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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild represents a new timeline in the series. However, one theory may finally connect the series’ many timelines.
The Legend of Zelda franchise has an ever-growing narrative spread across multiple timelines, even though each game seems to be a self-contained storyline. As a result, it can occasionally get confusing as to which timeline is the prime one or which timeline a new entry will fall under. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dealt with a similar situation upon its release.
Breath of the Wild follows yet another iteration of Link as he ventures out into the land of Hyrule to save it from the corruption caused by Calamity Ganon. However, unlike its predecessors, Breath of the Wild doesn’t appear to connect to previous timelines from the other games. By being its own entity, it opens up more doors regarding how these games connect as a whole. One theory on Reddit may have already discovered the answer within Breath of the Wild’s story.
Breath of the Wild is so interesting in terms of story because it tells a narrative in two parts, past and present. In the past, Link was a knight tasked with protecting Princess Zelda. However, after suffering a mortal injury, Zelda places him in stasis to heal. While healing, 100 years pass, and Calamity Ganon’s influence corrupts Hyrule. When Link awakens, he can’t remember his past and must collect those memories while finding the Master Sword and Hylian Shield to face off against Ganon. However, after he awakens from his slumber, Link can’t recall his dreams. In the theory created by Reddit theorist ArtisanBubblegum, Link’s dreams were of all the previous entries in the franchise.
The Legend of Zelda franchise is separated into three timelines. “The Hero is Defeated” includes the original game and occurs when Link is defeated in Ocarina of Time, concluding with Link’s victory in Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. “The Hero is Victorious” is divided into two distinct eras. The Child Era follows Link’s return to his childhood after Ganon’s defeat and features stranger titles like Majora’s Mask, while The Adult Era follows an era where Link disappears and Ganon is only sealed away, free to return at a later point, and includes titles like The Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks. Since each timeline features a new Link, not counting entries outside of the trio such as Ocarina of Time, they all have the same premise of defeating Ganon and obtaining his iconic weapons. This could be because this is what Link had to do in the battles preceding his stasis.
The theory also posits that as his dreams go on, they diverge more and more from reality. If they happen chronologically in terms of release, this could explain some of his stranger adventures. An example of this peculiarity could be the face on the Moon in Majora’s Mask. There’s also the more cartoonish style of games like The Wind Waker. While they serve to show variety in style, they could also represent the farthest Link is from reality in his mind. However, as titles like Twilight Princess represent a more realistic style, with hints of magic, they could also show how Link is slowly returning to a realistic mindset as he gets closer to reawakening.
When observed at a glance, the theory seems outlandish but fun to entertain. However, closer examination shows that there may be more legs to the idea than previously considered. Breath of the Wild is the perfect blend of realistic and cartoonish style, melding the styles of previous games. Plus, Twilight Princess was the last title to release before Breath of the Wild, showing his return to reality. Though it isn’t canon, the theory puts into perspective the otherwise layered history of The Legend of Zelda franchise.
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