Did Zelda Change The Timeline in Tears of the Kingdom? - TOTK Theory 

Alright, apologies in advance there's a little bit to unpack here: The theory people were mentioning to you is TEMPORAL MERGING. Its when you have a single timeline but if a character goes back and changes events it rewrites the future. Usually we follow the perspective of a character who stays in the present, and once the Traveller goes back, the present snaps to how it would be altered by events changed in the past. People might be different, or not even exist at all anymore, same as with events. Usually, at least with the character we follow, they have memory issues, because they remember the original timeline but now also remember the memories they would have had from the altered history. A lot of people in my TotK Theory video were mentioning Stein's Gate; I looked into it and it sounds like that's what's happening in that anime, if anyone reading this wants an example of TEMPORAL MERGING. TotK does sometimes imply TEMPORAL MERGING, with us staying in the present with Link, and with some characters seemingly not remembering him, and apparently (someone told me) there's a character who doesn't understand why they misremember a specific poem about dragons? I haven't found it yet but I'm looking. I am 96.5% sure TotK IS NOT TEMPORAL MERGING, for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned in your video (I mentioned them too in my theory and comments videos). Ganondorf unsealed recognizes Zelda meaning she was always in the past; that doesn't necessarily mean events can't happen differently but it does confirm at least that she's always there. TotK is definitely not alternate timelines, again like you mentioned, and the Master Sword is the biggest piece of evidence for this. If Zelda changed events and caused an alternate timeline to split, then she would not exist in the original timeline where Link is. This means when Link sends the Master Sword back, if time was MULTIDIMENSIONAL, then the sword would arrive to no one, because Zelda does not exist in original timeline anymore. Obviously this doesn't happen, so it pretty much confirms a single timeline. I also don't think Nintendo really wants to get into split timelines again. The CAUSAL LOOP makes way more sense (PREDESTINATION). Zelda is always in the past and events in the memories we see are the original events. The CAUSAL LOOP, where a future event causes a past event, which then causes that same future event, would be (1) Ganondorf becomes unsealed and indirectly causes Zelda to go back and (2) Zelda is part of the Imprisoning War that leads to Rauru sealing Ganondorf. Zelda can not go back in time unless she finds sealed Ganondorf but Ganondorf can not be sealed unless Zelda is part of the fight. There's no way to know which event comes first aka CAUSAL LOOP. If you watch that final battle memory Zelda using her time abilities as a distraction is a major part of that fight; if she wasn't there then Ganondorf might not have been sealed in the first place and the future would be completely different. But like you showed in the video with your tapestry and other examples, the future is the same. Also wanted to point out that Rauru says the constructs were the first thing they made (during Sky Temple of Time intro section), and they exist before the Purah Pad and Zelda show up (theres a construct in that purah pad memory.) The Shrines came after and we see they exist in the molduga memory, which I would take to mean that the Zonai were already advanced before Zelda showed up. If you're one of those people reading this who think Zelda changed events, even if she wasn't there at all, the tech would still exist meaning we should have seen it in BotW before there's even a hint of time travel. But we don't see the tech. I would also agree that, just like how Dragon Zelda and the sky islands are hiding above the cloud barrier, that the Zonai Shrines are also hidden. What makes sense to me is that they were hidden until Link needed them in the present, so either Ghost Rauru or Dragon Zelda made them reappear. TLDR Dragon Zelda, Sky Islands and Zonai Shrines always existed and time was not altered.

Durians yeeted from the timeline, RIP

I think its perfectly reasonable to consider the sheikah technology may have vanished strictly for gameplay reasons. That aligns with Aonuma's philosophy of 'gameplay first, story second'. If we're willing to say all this Zonai tech was around in BotW, just out of sight, the sheikah tech may be present 'just out of view' in TotK also.

the "Hylia is the Goddess of Time" theory has never been stronger than it is now thanks to TotK

This is so affirming, i've been trying so hard to explain that there is no "dragon break" because of Zelda's time travel. I was positive she has always remained in one time line and a perpetual loop (explaining the coexistence of botw Zelda and the light dragon) until that loop is broken in Totk

In addition to the story being told from Links perspective, i think it also makes sense that zelda could travel back in time without creating a new timeline because of her (Hylia's) time powers. When Link gets sent back in time, he isnt supposed to be there so a new reality is created. Zelda has dominion over time so she can travel up and down the river without disturbing it. Or you could also say that zelda used her power to specifically create a new timeline when she send link back in OOT.

Hey Burgerson, Three things. 1) Great video! 2) The idea that Zelda changed the past when basically everything in the game points to a closed time loop is nonsense. You are absolutely correct and did a fantastic job pointing out tons of evidence that the Sheikah Tech existed, and continues to. As for 3... 3) The Cloud Barrier is more questionable. In my recent video, I went over it some, and at the start of the game, you can actually see the ground. It's somewhat obscured, but I have footage of being able to see glowing geoglyphs, parts of Hebra, and other landmarks from the sky. Even in the cutscenes, you can see far off-ground from beyond the borders of hyrule, even in your footage here. More important though, is that in Lookout Landing, in the meeting room place around the telescope, there is actually a book that details the events of the Upheaval. More specifically, it states the sky islands appeared on the day that the castle rose into the sky, not just random debris falling. This means that Zelda coming through the clouds isn't the thing that made the islands visible, merely the reveal to Link clearly where he is. I do believe there was a cloud barrier, not the same one from SS, but a different one made by Zoani to hide their land, as alluded to in the Storm Wind Ark story. It also seems that this protective cloak was broken the day that Ganondorf awoke and shoved the castle into the sky. I'll reach out to talk to you on the side, there are some things I want to discuss. Great video here as always.

People who worry about the missing BOTW technology probably don't appreciate how much time has passed. Looking at the Hudson storyline, we could easily get 6-8 years from BOTW. Other indications of a decent amount of time passing include things like Link being able to drink adult beverages now, a certain engagement, and the theme of passing the torche to the next generation. Once you start thinking in terms of 6-8 years of time gap, everything makes sense. As for the new Shrines, the best argument is the upheaval pushed them above ground. The ground map shrines are built on light roots, so sinkage of the ground could have revealed them. If the shrines had reverted to green stones, that could have made the visable height easy to obscure.

I hope this isn’t off topic, but the tapestry and the way Impa describes the Calamity has started to cause some theory dissent to the idea that ToTK’s Ganondorf and the Calamity are the same being, but instead two different demon kings entirely (likely the Calamity being the broken remnants of Dragmire). I’m really not sure how I feel about it, given that most sources say the Calamity rose from beneath Hyrule Castle I.e. Ganondorf’s imprisoned corpse, but I found it interesting Impa referred to the calamity as “the demon king from ancient times”. Solid video as always though

To me it's like the windmill from oot, a loop that has one entrance and one exit but rejoins the road all the same. I know this contradicts what Nintendo officially states on botw/ totk but I think that the games takes place in the fourth timeline that offshoots from Skyward sword [the one were demise is defeated] with Zelda not going far back enough to go to a different timeline "History doesn't repeat, but it sure loves to ryme" a phrase I believe can be used in many theories but not this one, it's a loop, it repeats.

The last 2 murals that show Zelda swallowing the tear & becoming the dragon, exist before Zelda goes into the past indicate that it is a predetermined timeline where going into the past cannot change it.

My theory is that Mineru had some Sheikah assistants with her who had taken an interest in the Purah Pad when they were studying it along with Mineru and even constructed their own based on the technology which was the Sheikah Slate we use. This continued to evolve especially after the new queen or king of Hyrule ascended to the throne and wanted a way to help the swordsman Link as well and ordered them to construct an army to help him.

Reminds me of the time travel trope in shows/movies where the hero was always meant to save themselves! “Maybe I did, but I haven’t yet. But I will have done” - River Song from Doctor Who 💜

A theory I came up with is that in the Ancient past, when Zelda and Mineru began their preparations for Link’s Battle in the future (i.e. Raising Sky Islands, etc). They used the data from the Purah pad to allow for the Zonai shrines to be prepared in near by location to the Sheikah shrines. A lot of the Zonai Shrines involve finding crystals, that then increase in size and transform into the Shrine. Then the shrine seemingly transports Link as he enters. Because of this, I believe Zelda and Mineru used Zonai Magic/Technology. To create a system of Shrine activation in the Future. When the Uprising started, it would trigger the Zonai Shrines to form and basically override the existing Sheikah shrines that were no longer needed. The Sheikah shrines would service as the building blocks for the Zonai tech. Which is why so many of them are near the Sheikah locations.

It's rare when RU-vid suggests a random video to me and I like it so much that I subscribe because of it. This was such a video. Well done. Well spoken. And not super long or in the weeds either. Thanks for this.

I love that you're using evidence to build validity for your argument 💚 that's the best kind of argument! Ngl, i thought you explained the tech disappearance well enough in that other video 😅 but thank you for deep diving it! Also your point about Zelda being the one in the new timeline is such a good point!! Another great video 🎉👏🏼😁

5:43 if you are wearing the Ancient Hero Prospect when talking to Impa, she kinda of imply this ancient hero was responsible for the defeat of the Calamity 10.000 years ago.

amazing video, and also a really good look into how the time travel works in this game. I think it's safe to say that making sure there was *not* a timeline split was a deliberate decision from the devs, because we know what happened last time there was a timeline split.... (it got confusing and the devs don't seem to worry about connecting it to the new games anyway)

Nice editing Daniel! And great video overall (; had a similar theory in mind. Next time I'll hopefully have enough time to talk to you and tell you in a call (:

Good stuff here Capt!

Further to your argument at the end regarding the cloud barrier, I think people need to realise its not necceserily a literally cloud barrier at all times, as Hyrule's Sky in both Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild clearly doesn't have the clouds overcast constantly. Its more like a dimensional or pocket dimensions or invisible cloaking barrier as shown by BotW when the Dragons literally fly through or into some portals. People need to stop debating this really, its already been defined by Skyward Sword a decade ago that you can hide islands up there.

This kinda makes me wonder, what exactly causes a timeline split to happen versus a closed loop? Besides the obvious changing history thing. Like, why did Zelda being thrown back in time in TotK keep her on the same path? It already happened, yes, but why? Versus OoT's split, where Link is sent back and, boom, timeline split. I feel like I maybe know the answer as I'm thinking about it. Does it have to do with the Ocarina of Time? Pulling the Master Sword ensured Link stayed on a closed loop every single time. He went back and forth and back and forth several times with no splits. But the Ocarina sent him back and suddenly it wasn't a closed loop anymore. You could argue that Link "changed history" via the Master Sword pulls, as he changed things in the Spirit Temple as a child and then returned as an adult to finish up, among other instances (the time blocks for one thing). But the timeline still stayed intact. Is the Ocarina magic simply different in its effects? Thereby, MOST of the time there will be a closed loop, and rarely a split? Special circumstances? Whew. Brain is tired now haha! Love this video and your logical approach! :)

Man, it feels good to FINALLY be able to watch TotK vids! Excellent as always and couldn't agree more!

That theory also doesn't make sense when you take into account that the Yiga clan are in TOTK, and play a larger role than BOTW, and they were former members of the Sheikah who defected from them. If the Zonai replaced the Sheikah then how would they still be around?

This is an awesome analysis!!

Really great video!

I already knew this, but it was interesting to hear what the theories going on were. I can see why people jumped on it, since multiverses are a hot thing these days. Time loops and all are not all that common in storytelling, so this was a fun look into how they worked. Now to figure out the pesky mysteries of TotK. Are the Dark Skeleton’s ancient dead dragon’s? Are the Gleeok’s the dark counterparts given their den below Typhlo ruins? (Not like the dark skeletons. More in a “evil” sense) Is the Fire Temple the original one from Ocarina of Time? Mysteries galore!

I like to think the barbarian armor is a precursor to before and during the time Zonai came down after the events of skyward sword to help create a safe hyrule for the people. The evolution of armors throughout the land before the kingdom of hyrule was established

It's worth mentioning that Zelda went to the past with the FULL triforce, meaning there would either be 2 triforces now, or there was another Divine Prank.

In Hyrule's past in TotK, two things are very clearly missing: The Master Sword, and a hero to wield it. There's no mention of it by anyone then. Calling it 'the sword that seals the darkness,' like, Rauru should know what it's called, right? Especially if the Master Sword was planted where he built the Temple of Time. Unless, of course, it's not there.

Great content!

Most people talk out of their butt dude, when dark souls 3 came out people were still in denial or hung on to provably wrong theories.

Excited to watch.

About the sheikah tech: they were planned for the Wild Hero to use once; then with the monk gone, would stop working after time - and for Purah and others, become the focus of their work to stop any future attempts from Ganon to stolen the tech. They demolish every tech and try to erase all of their history too. The bridges in Totk need repair; why it's not repaired? Because they are focused in other things... About Zelda time travel: I think it's more like the Oracle of Ages: the events in the past create changes in the present, but only from Link perpective - someone will say, "the black tower it's bigger again? I'm seeing things again"? And you even change the lives for some of them: the king Zora is dead; you travel back in the time, save him there; when you return to the present, he is alive. No one remembers he died, only you. For them, the king was always there. Oh, some clue for your idea: the cloud barrier it's actually visible in BotW, you can see Dinral and Naydra going there!

I dont know how Tarrey Town and so many other things from Botw are around the world of totk like you said. The Mipha statue being replaced with Link and Sidon, also the guy in Gerudo jail is the guy who was at lovers pond with the woman and they now have a kid. Botw has to happen for them to be together Link is the reason they are together in the first place being to nervous to talk to one another. This is what i believe

about the cloud barrier tho. is it now completely gone? will the sky islands always be visible from now on? like i dont think the cloud barrier has ever been completely gone.

As far as the overall timeline I think that there was a second timeline split in Skyward Sword when Demise and Link went back in time. The timeline without Link when he was sent back may have led to the events of BotW and TotK.

While you did skip over the era discussion at the beginning of this video (and Im admittedly responding before I';ve finished watching) I do have some thoughts on defining Eras. I wasn't sure at the beginning of this video if your use of the word was about our views on games having a set era (e.g. the hero of time era) or whether you were referring to the Eras as defined by TotK? The game mentions 2 specific "eras", the Ancient times and the Era of Legend. Zelda refers to the founding of Hyrule as being at the beginning of the Era of Legend. The Ancient Aspet is an ancient hero. And then there's armour referred to as being from the era of legend, and then others that refer to being from ancient times. I'm leaning on the Eras of Ancient times and Legends as referring to the same large nebulous span of time. Otherwise the ordering of events make little sense. Rauru time is either before or after all the classic games (except maybe after Skyward Sword), but then the presence of all the classic tunics in Zonai locations implies Rauru could be after. But then when is the Ancient Aspect from, if this is also referred t as Ancient but has been kept in the Sky Islands since Sages rose them into the sky?! Hero tunic from Zelda 1 is referred to a Ancient, but then OoT gear is referred to as being from era of legend, so that also confuses placement. Hence my thought that Legend and Ancient just mean the same thing... Would be interesting to know what the Japanese translations for these two are. Has anyone looked at the Japanese writing for when ever points in time are referred to in TotK?

I 100% agree with you. And here's my timeline belief, as well as I'm going to go off on a limb and say Nintendo will announce, sometime this year, a new "book" on the entries, with an updated Timeline. 0 - Creation 1 - Era of the Zonai and the Hylian's 2 - Zonai battle, that lead to a faction being banished to the Twilight Realm; "Era of Chaos". (My personal belief is that they were the original "Sheikah" tribe, the ones Impa from Ocarina of Time belonged to). 3 - The "Void of the Evil Realm" had been sealed away, known as the Twilight Realm, in TOTK known as the Depths. 4 - Sacred land from the Zonai ancestors were lifted into the sky, where the Temple of Light would eventually be placed (Forgotten temple?), which also housed the Triforce along with the Secret Stones the sages have for defeating The Demon King. 5 - The Sacred Realm is now sealed, known in TOTK as "Sky islands". 6 - Establishment of Hyrule Kingdom and the union of the people of Hylian descent and their queen, Sonia, and the Zonai, Rauru. 7 - TOTK Past, The First King Rauru seals The Demon King away, whilst his wife Sonia had died to The Demon King. Sonia & Rauru had a boy, named Rauru, who was Hylian. 8 - This Rauru took it upon himself later, with the sages, to lift the Kingdom & the Temple of Light to the Sacred Realm, and in replacement, built a "new" Hyrule Castle. 9 - Hyrule Castle was first built in the same location as the Temple of Time stood, with a new Temple existing as a gateway to the Sacred Realm within the back chamber, locked behind the Door of Time, which utilized 3 stones created through magic to open. 10 - Rauru, and the Ancient Sages, would go onto create the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, which Destiny states will be used to vanquish the evil Demon King in the future by the Hero of Legend. 11 - Hyrulean Civil War 12 - Ocarina of Time. Here is a bit where I separate the 3 timelines. - Fallen Timeline / "Hero not present": 0 - Ganondorf succeeds in obtaining the Triforce, with no one contesting him, he succeeds at obtaining it, but the King appointed 6 additional sages & Zelda to "seal" the door on the Sacred Realm for good. 1 - A Link To The Past | Side quest entries for the same title exist outside of the timeline and have no bearing on the timeline 2 - A Link Between Worlds 3 - The Legend of Zelda 4 - The Legend of Zelda: Adventures of Link - Child Timeline 0 - Ganondorf is stopped before breaching the Sacred Realm, sent to execution, TP happens, escapes to the Twilight Realm 1 - Link ventures off on a side quest; Majora's Mask. At this point, unsure if it's related to the mainline timeline yet (No games in this timeline lol) 2 - Twilight Princess; The game that would inhibit originally an uprising of the Twilight to take over the Light Realm (Hyrule), turned into Ganondorf taking over after escaping to this realm. - Adult Timeline 0 - Ganondorf is sent to the "Void of the Evil Realm" after being defeated in Ocarina of Time. This is known as the "Depths" in TOTK, and escapes through a gateway. Hyrule is flooded. 1 - Wind Waker & the Great Sea 2 - The Twili invasion of Hyrule continues as originally expected without Ganondorf intervention, however they have him to thank for the gateway. 3 - The Great Sea empties, leaving areas raised, split, or rubble destroyed. Hyrule needs to be rebuilt, as society is researching their past. 4 - The Twili mingle into society and take way as the Sheikah, who then utilize the knowledge and magic they learned from the Zonai to create divine beasts. 5 - The "Sheikah" then created tapestry, claiming these beasts were originally created to fend off the Calamity Ganon, convince the Hylian's to build on the Sealed Grounds where the Demon King was located. Building this structure then weakens the seal on the Demon King, unknown to the people of Hyrule, known by the "Sheikah", or Twili, of the era. 6 - As the barrier of the seal on the King whither, so does the seal on the Sacred Realm, and the Dragon's go through this barrier. The Sheikah then move the location of the Master Sword to the Lost Woods with magic, likely Triforce intervention from the Royal Family who now possess the full Triforce due to Wind Waker. Locations of the land also shift, due to this very same concept. 7 - Time Passes, BOTW's past happens. Sheikah Technology that was buried, due to the attempt to take over Hyrule, was not claimed to be used originally to destroy Calamity Ganon. Unknown to Zelda, the technology turns on her and the Royal Family, as they were never meant to be used by the Hylian's. 8 - BOTW Present. 9 - TOTK Present. To make sense of this: I am insinuating that the following games do not take place; Either they were myth, side adventures, or simply retellings of the same events, but heavily exaggerated: Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, Four Swords/Adventures, Oracle Games, Link's Awakening, Triforce Hero's, Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks. To elaborate even further; games such as Skyward Sword and the Minish Cap were exaggerated tellings of the events of the past, and were not accurate. Games such as Four Swords were simply follow ups to that exaggeration, rather than actual historical events. Games like Link's Awakening and the Oracle Games, were exaggerated side adventures of the hero, rather than shape the "timeline of events".

what if, instead of breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom being “an eventual outcome of all timelines,” ocarina of time was the eventual outcome of all potential timelines and the zonai era of tears of the kingdom and skyward sword are just two separate parallel timelines happening simultaneously leading up to OOT

That shrine theme never gets old

Thank you for addressing this! All the stuff I've been saying!

8:48 what is this song again? Arbiters Grounds?

The act of Zelda's time travel was always bound to happen. Fate is pretty deterministic in Zelda, and i wouldn't be surprised if those more closely linked with time are also more bound to fate. Especially the incarnation of the goddess herself

"You were always meant to come here."-Archimedes

If there was no corrupted Guardians or Divine Beasts Zelda and Link might’ve straight up beat Calamity Ganon first try. Therefore, Link is never in slumber for 100 years.

I'd say at some point this loop started and Zelda changed history. But at this point the loop is more or less perpetuating itself.

I'm still convinced the era is post skyward sword and pre Minish Cap either before or after the interloper wars.

So there were 2 Master Swords? The one in Korok Forest and the one in Zelda's head?

Does that mean during BotW, there were TWO Zeldas (one on the ground as human, one above the cloud barrier as the Light Dragon)? Is that allowed?

If Zelda, as the light dragon, has the master sword, does the hero on the tapestry 10,000 years ago have the master sword or something else? Multiple master swords in existence at the same point in time, kinda like skyward sword?

the only issue I have with the games timeline, [not with your respons] is that this all means that there is actually 2 Zeldas; AND more importantly, that there has always (at least since she turned herself into a dragon) been 2 Zeldas. Right!? Because she existed above the sky cloud barrier as a dragon, while she was on Earth fighting the Calamity....

so it isnt short for captain? its like a name, Capt?

Yeah, I recently completed Tears of the Kingdom and I'm completely lost with trying to make sense of the timeline in Tears of the Kingdom... Did Zelda travel back in the time after the events of Skyward Sword?

Idk if totk changed history but it definitely changed HERstory

Exactly

Zelda should have flown at 88mph. :D

I really dont like all these people claim its a recon because there is an easier answer that happen before in the zelda games a new hyrule with a new founder king and queen their argument is that rauru didnt say it was another hyrule and im like are you stupid who says that? you buy a preown car you dont go around saying this is my preowned car it had 3 other owners no you tell people its your car. The only reason he mention he was the founder is because she mentioned she was the princess if hyrule

This is like VaatiVidya but for LoZ instead of Dark souls

One issue with the evidence from impas house. Why does she explain it as if we heard the legend, but not lived the expericance.

Written records are the only evidence that exists after the timeline undergoes shifts, which is why Hyruleans go to such lengths to create these records. The Queen wouldn’t have been distracted had the Princess not been present, so we don’t actually know what the original sin that Gdorf committed against the first royals, but this is another temporal paradox in the Zelda series. We like to think of the timeline as splitting, but it seems that in Hyrule, the wave-function collapses and timelines mesh together, cycle, and get tangled.

Cool, cool, cool

And Terako is not cannon Therefore u can not include age of calamity in defense of your theory

Ngl. I had the same theory too

This is a case of partial quantum or chrono causality. Events of the present or future inadvertently cause the events of the past to occur. Another example of this phenomenon would be the Song of Storms, Link learns it from the organ grinder man in the Kakariko windmill as an adult then goes back to the windmill as a child plays the Song of Storms in front of a younger version of the person who taught him the song to drain the village’s water well.

Hi

11:15 The same reasoning can be applied to disprove a fourth split theory starting from Skyward Sword. Demise is destroyed by Link's Triforce wish and is later resurrected in the past by Ghirahim. Link follows him to the past and seals him there. This scenario initially looks like the one that caused the timeline-split in Ocarina of Time but it is the exact opposite. After sealing Demise in the Master-Sword, Link and Fi travel back to the future through the gate of time. There can't be a fourth split here because by going forward in time you skip the history that unfolds due to your own actions. When arguing that there is a split happening in SS, Link and Fi wouldn't be able to return to their initial timeline but that's exactly what happens as Groose and Impa are there waiting for them to return. Even if you argue that the gate of time offers a unique version of time travel that sort of acts as a fix point in space-time and that you would actually be able to return there from the altered past you run into the problem with the Master-Sword. The timeline where Demise was annihilated by the Triforce is the one where the Goddess Sword was forged into the Master-Sword. This is the timeline Link and Fi return to in the end and also the timeline where BotW and TotK could take place (with no "curse" from Demise to haunt the hero and the reincarnation of Hylia). The "timeline" that would be created by sealing Demise in the Master-Sword (and thus the one where all the other games take place) would be left with no Master-Sword because Link took it with him (by magically hopping timelines through the gate of time). This timeline would be left with only the Goddess Sword that would have to be reforged into the Master-Sword some time before Ocarina of Time (as it appears in that game).

Tears of the Kingdom! Teheee

No.

頭いいビデオだ😀

Tears of the Kingdom whether you believe in Zelda altering time and creating a time line split (something this series is famous for now so i wont knock it too hard) or you believe in no paradox theory of time travel where it is literally impossible to adjust time because they things you did in the past would have already happened and were meant to happen all along, regardless of which you believe... neither works for the theory that zelda caused the sheikha tech to not exist because... it did exist. Theory busted.

The calamity and events of breath of the wild were way too big for people to just not talk about at all. I get that there is that one guardian but I think it’s more of a red herring than anything.

Debate Skyward Sword is canon or not? 💀 Ofc it’s canon, it’s literally the first canonicity of TLoZ, pretty sure it’s been proved by Nintendo themselves too loll, jus found that funny is all

No, she didn't.

7:25 Keep in mind that Sidon never refers to Mipha as a Champion🤔

I think botw and totk exist in a separate timeline entirely In skyward sword link travels back in time to when demise had just been sealed, he defeats demise and returns to his original timeline where that battle never occured This is where the timeline splits. After skyward sword link and zeldas decendents presumably establish the kingdom of hyrule, however in this new timeline with demise defeated the zonai decend from the heavens and return the skyloftians to the ground Rarau and sonia become the founders of hyrule after this event.

2:55 Yes

I have an idea for a new title…. Legend of Zelda: The Beacon of Hope The game would have a dark western cowboy theme like twilight princess but have the vast open layout like breath of the wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The land will be scattered with different ranches, animals, characters, etc… Basically, instead of scattered shrines you will have huge ranches, farms, and villages scattered throughout the land that will be apart of the main story but also used for side quests and item fetching for certain goods that you will need throughout the game. Link is considered an average worker until the story and game progresses and by the end of the game he becomes a real cowboy that saves the land from outside intruders. Dungeons will take place outside of the mainland and into certain areas like forests, mountains, swamps, lakes, caves, etc… Lastly, it will have a dark western theme. Like a combo of Zelda and Red Dead put together!!!! First M rated Zelda game that uses pistols, shotguns, blood, gore, fist fights, profanity, nudity, etc… and new enemies would include alligators and snakes in the deep swamps and giant polar bears in the high snowy mountains. Opening cutscene of the game will be Link getting his ass beat in a fist fight by the toughest rancher and having to go back to work the next day with a black eye and busted lip. He will revisit the same rancher for a rematch in the middle of the game which overthrows his position as head rancher. I know this might sound kinda stupid but these were just some thoughts I had LOL but let me know what y’all think??? ⚔️ 🤠

I just say that this timeline is a completely new universe, separate from the previous games , the things that happened in that timeline might have some similarities to previous games but for the most part this world is it’s own

12:56 No not the cloud barrier In BOTW Zelda had not yet found the stone that transferred her to the past She did not find that until the beginning of TOTK which was still the BOTW timeline At the moment she picked up the stone That became a fixed point in Hyrule’s history So in BOTW there is no Light Dragon because the timeline doesnt diverge until she picks up the recall stone dropped by Gannon

If this had always happened and the light dragon shed the tears that made the hieroglyphs thousands of years ago, how come they are visible until now? Shrines are explained in game and it's easier to believe how they suddenly popped up, but we see the dragon creating the images on a memory

When you start the game you are under hyrule castle when you come across gannons body. Once that happens is when the upheaval happens. From that point until Link regains consciousness is years. Since the upheaval brought the zonia technology back to the hyrule people and that technology is far superior to shiekah technology which causes it to fade out. We don't still use VCRS or hand crank cars so why would they still use outdated tech?

Zelda could have changed and created another timeline, and the dragon we met could be just another Zelda from another timeline, which would be loops that go on forever. Whenever one goes back to past, they already created a new timeline, like it or not, that's quantum mechanics for you. The Zelda we meet at the end of the game, is a different Zelda who has the exact memory of the one we knew.

4:23 It isnt that The Calmaity timeline didnt happen But rather a divergent Calamity history was created Not that the BOTW timeline we played was erased all together💯

Sadly the most likely excuse is just for gameplay reasons. There is currently a thing going around that according to the end-credits, the story was out-sourced. Which might be way the game is so weird when it comes to continuity with BotW and the rest of the series.

Disregarding what happened to the sheikah shrines. Wouldn't this timeline born from Zelda's time travel? Considering Rauru saved Link from DEATH by replacing his arm because Zelda would not stop telling everyone how amazing Link will be in the future. So in the original timeline where Zelda simply disappeared and no one from the first era of Hyrule ever heard of Link and put their hope in him, Link should have died under that gloom infection according to Link and Rauru's first conversation, right?

I agree with most of your arguments against the timeline change but the Link's perspective one doesn't quite work. You say Zelda would have gone from her time to a new timeline but then how would we ever know for certain that the Link we witness waking up on the Sky Islands (and playing from his perspective) is Link in the original timeline? Yes we see the game from his perspective, but the intro at the beginning of the game is just a memory (as defined in the menu) like all the other memories we see from Zelda's perspective. They'[re all Zelda's memories and we don't witness the Light Dragon prior to that intro memory. Zelda may have changed time but she also wouldn't have stopped a Zelda from existing in Link's past, so even if she had disappeared into another timeline, Link from any timeline would have met Zelda, unless Zelda grandfather paradoxed herself somehow. Due to Link being a mute we also never get a clear description from him of the events he experienced versus what we witness in the intro memory. Its very possible he thinks Zelda disappeared but she actually just fell into the chasm below and died - as grim a thought as that is. The only way we could prove whether the intro of the game is from the original timeline is if we witness the Light Dragon prior to or during the intro before Zelda time travels. Unfortunately we don't see behind those bombable rocks in the intro... Would someone modding and blowing them up in the gameplay intro prove anything? Maybe. Though I should state that the other arguyment related to just how much evidence of Shiekah tech there is hard to justify this theory. The Calamity could have happened regardless of the Shiekah tech but the game is peppered with reminders of that tech (no matter how small). To me one of the strongest arguments is that Ganondorf knows Zelda in the intro before she time travels, but again you could argue that maybe Ganondrof, while Rauru in the original timeline simply don't because of their own experiences.

Creation of new timeline is not a necessary consequence of changing history. If it is CHANGING history, it would REPLACE the ONE timeline, not magically xerox copy the whole mass of the universe. That is the meaning of 'Legend' here, the previous way the universe was formed into matter, is RESHAPED to fit the new timeline, while the MEMORY of the old, the 'Legend' remains WITHIN THAT MATTER. If Sonia could turn it back, it would not only move in time, it moves parallel in DIMENSION as well, the SAME matter. Every stone, every grain of sand, they are the object where the Legend remains even when the EVENT was replaced with the new timeline. In principle. However, yes, in THIS case, that didn't happen, this is a closed loop. What did happen, was that Zelda took on the powers of Gods in OoT, and created the twin timelines of Adult and Child. I believe the historium is mistaken in Downfall timeline, Link didn't directly face Ganondorf but fought for his entire existence, and could have died or remained insignificant if OoT was never PLAYED. But because OoT WAS played, the reforming of the world was two-fold: Firstly, the loss of Hyrule Castle Town was sealed WITH the Triforce into the Sacred Realm, and that became the Great Sea where a hero never arrived. Secondly, the "happy" ending of OoT, is in fact a purgatory where those lost SPIRITS where disconnected from the SOULS that ended up in the Great Sea. For this reason, that world is now unraveling and connects to the Twilight of its existence. This separation of soul and spirit, is the essence of dragonification, AND the mummification that Sheikah monks seek for. This fundamental is the originator of Poes adn Fairies, and the Spirits that can linger like King Rhoam. I suggest this theory: Mineru and Rauru ARE dragonified. Their souls only, if even, linger to their flesh, through the combined efforts of them and Sonia, as is foreshadowed in Mineru's ability to transfer spirit. This is the result of them being most vocal against an anceint Gerudo-Zonai war, where they developed Secret Stones with this horrible cost to their beings. The war, where the ORIGINAL soul of Rauru the Sage, descendant of Gaepora died, and became preserved in the Sacred Realm as its guardian. Although King Rauru has no recollection of this, his body still experiences the Legend, adn is well aware of the kind of cost like sealing Ganondorf with him under the Hyrule Castle.

I honestly think TotK has essentially erased all pre-BotW from canon. The thing is, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to make a fresh start when you take into account that pre-BotW Zelda fans are only a mere 16% of the current Zelda player base Why keep the confusing previous continuity just to appease such a tiny fraction of your audience? And in case you're wondering where I'm taking the 16% figure from, it's fairly simple. Before BotW, 3D Zelda games sold on average 5 million copies. By the time TotK was released, BotW sold 31 million copies, and TotK is well on it's way to surpass that too. Well, 5 million is the 16% of 31 million.

It's a reboot. You know how I know it's a reboot? Several reasons. 1 Hyrule was founded by Rauru. Not REfounded, not REbuilt, not REdiscovered. Founded. There was no Hyrule before he married Sonia. 2 the sacred bloodline of the goddess did not exist before the union of Rauru and Sonia. Sonia had time magic. No sacred light, no power of sealing. But Skyward Sword clearly shows that Hylia herself descended to live as a mortal among her chosen people, and that's where the holy bloodline came from. 3 Zonai are not Hylias chosen. The Zonai are the sky people who descended and founded Hyrule, and the Hylians were on the surface. This contradicts the history of the demon war, the sealing of Demise, and the sending of the Hylians to the sky by Hylia to save them. 4 The presence of Ganondorf at the founding of Hyrule and the subsequent sealing war makes it utterly impossible for Ganondorf to later reincarnate to menace the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero. He's not dead, he's trapped, and he's been trapped since the beginning, and the Calamity was how he attacked Hyrule while trapped. Ganondorf could not then also be both sealed below Hyrule Castle and attacking Hyrule in Ocarina. He could not be sealed under Hyrule Castle, but also kidnapping girls on the great sea. He could not be sealed under the castle, but also sending the 7 sage descendants into the corrupt Golden Land. He could not be sealed under Hyrule Castle while also trapped in the Twilight Realm. TotK and by extension BotW is a reboot. It is its own self contained timeline with no branches.

this is the problem with zelda she could easily use the master sword to defeat ganon and not need Link for anything due to her time lord powers also there has to be some type of butterfly effect going on here as we know while she was the light dragon she was also in botw as zelda and we also have in botw 2 count them 2 master swords

You're forgetting that in order for the timeloop to exist there has to be an origin point for it, even if it's inconceivable. This theory relies on this being the very first time zelda went back in time.

:)

This game is a sequel to breath of the wild but a prequel to skyward sword. It is an endless time loop which is already established. That’s my thoughts.

Correct However Link’s lack of experiencing the shift doesnt negate the fact that Zelda created a divergent timeline in TOTK

Your explanation falls flat the master sword was in botw aswell It was with the deku tree

She had to rewrite history so that her time line would survive.. ganondorf was going to spread darkness all over the world. Sometimes you have to go through the past to change the future and because of that ganondorf will never destroy the world and make it his own..

The Real reason the shrines are gone, and the reason it does not make sense is Nintendo prioritizes gameplay design over story design. They needed to get rid of shrines for gameplay reasons and really didn't care to explain why they vanished choosing to let fans fill in the blanks for them. Its lazy, its unsatisfying but that is just how Nintendo do.

If Nintendo doesn't care about the timeline, seems pointless to bother making sense of it.

still doesn't explain my personal pet peeve: why zelda doesn't instantly connect the dots between calamity GANON and GANONdorf (seriously girl you're supposed to be the scholar)