How Sidon Accidentally SOLVED The Rito Question! - Zoran History Explored 

Try saying "Digitigrade" 5 times fast! Edit: 400K views?! I am at a complete loss for words, thank you everyone so much for watching!

I gotta say, I love how the fans are like, "Here is my 57-point power point explaining Zora evolution" when you just know the devs were like, "Throw Ruto's Crown in there because it'll be a cute Easter egg and nothing more."

Regarding the time discrepancy-- in several East Asian languages, 10,000 is used to mean any significantly large number. When referring to a length of time, it's usually more accurate to translate it as "a long time ago" (or "forever ago" in some instances) instead of exactly "10,000 years ago."

If there really was some massive incident that caused Hyrule to be destroyed and only refounded after the godlike Zonai descended from the sky, I am shocked the Zora had solid enough historical records to know who Ruto was.

Something to add to your Ruto and the silver theory is that in BOTW 50% of Zora weapons are made of silver: Silver Bow, Silver Longsword, Silver Shield and Silverscale Trident.

Whoa, wait did you say the Gorons just rolled around the great flooded seafloor without issues? That makes sense I guess

You know, on a fundamental level I never really understood why people were so torn about the Zora and the Rito existing in one time... There's always been a very simple rationale for it that's hard to argue against, that the Zora-turned-Rito and the Zora are simply different lines of evolution. I do like your more in depth rationale for it.

Ruto taking her Zora out could be the inception of the foreign Zora in TotK

I never realized just how different Komali looked before getting his wings.

This is honestly closer to how evolution works in real life. It's not about one species turning into another, it's about common ancestry. Modern Rito and modern Zora share a common ancestor in the OoT style Zora from before the great flood (or some other event depending on timeline shenanigans) separated at least two populations of Zora, and each group adapted to a different environment. Their adaptations may have been more magical and less "natural selection", which could explain away any time periods that may have been too short for that level of change.

I like the idea that the Zora change to fit the appearance of the sea life around them. That, if nothing else, could be used to partially explain why the classic River Zoras look so drastically different... although I don't think it explains why they can breathe fire lol

Knowing evolutionary history, I'm now imagining there was a dinosaur stage between Zora and Rito

I thought there was an implication that the Rito Sage from Windwaker was also a descendant of Ruto, so she had children that were divided between these two groups.

I thought it was similar to this. The BoTW Rito were just an offshoot of the Zora with Raruu's Hyrule being so far into the future that the pervious games were just stories

I never noticed that about Komali. It's not everyday I learn a new piece of lore I didn't know already. Kudos sir.

On the subject of Dorephan's monument stating that the Domain was founded 10,000 years ago there might be a possible explanation that, oddly enough, really has nothing to do with anything in the games themselves and more has to do with the translation between Japanese and English. What I mean is that the number 10,000 can hold a unique meaning in certain aspects of Asian cultures because it has ties to...I forget if it's Buddhism or Shintoism, but it's one of the two. Basically, it's common in stories told from Asiatic religions to use the number ten thousand as a synonym for "too large to be quantified." So someone saying "I have fought in ten thousand battles" doesn't mean they've actually fought 10,000 battles but rather means "I have fought in more battles than it is possible to count." Or someone saying "I am he who knows ten thousand things" doesn't mean they only know 10,000 facts and instead means "I am someone who has more knowledge than it is possible to describe." That said, it's possible that since the games are made by Japanese developers that their use of the number 10,000 when describing the Zora's Domain's history isn't literally saying it was founded precisely 10,000 years ago but was rather intended in that specific cultural context where it was really meant to convey that it was founded farther back in time than anyone can actually describe. Then the English translators didn't catch on to that possible other meaning and kept the original number of 10,000 when a more accurate translation would have been to translate it as something more vague like "since before recorded history" or just "ancient."

i think it also helps the fact that in oracle of seasons, there are zoras looking for new lands to create a new domain

Zora are an interesting race in general since theres like at least 4 distinct types before the Rito or the possibility they come from those things in SS. They just seem really genetically changable.

I don't think enough theories take into consideration how important it is that OoT is canon to the timeline in Wild/Kingdom. Unless totk's past is meant to be an all-in-one retcon of OoT where the ancient Zora sage IS Ruto (doubtful imo) then we are definitely seeing a sequel game. I only bring it up as I've seen a few too many hard reboot theories or SS split theories.

They evolved via magic is an easier cop out and not unusual in rpg games. We think of evolution as taking centuries via darwinism. But we completely forget that magic doesn't require explanation.

This was very interesting! A split of the Zora population allowing one to evolve into the Rito and both coexisting definitely seems plausible.

Sidon being Ruto’s descendant also means the the sages weren’t all dead.

It doesn't get anymore clear than Sidon being a descendent of Ruto. This means everyone else is a descendent of someone as well. Not just the Zora.

Another thing to note about the design of the Zora and Rito in BotW and TotK is that they have the same irises and pupils. It’s likely just a coincidence but regardless, I like to imagine the fact both races share that kind of eye implies their relation to each other

something to note as well-feathers are actually modified scales. So this theory tracks scientifically as well 👍

I think it’s clear that Ruto could have been having children in the child timeline. I don’t see why she couldn’t have been the grandmother of Rutela and great grandmother of Ralis. The zora diaspora happening as you recounted it could still have happened the same way over the millennia though. I usually think of the Ocarina sages as having died and turned into spirits, but even if they didn’t, it’s hard to think of the sage of water abandoning Hyrule in its broken state with the great sea. Perhaps she was really old by that point though and the only sage left alive. Excellent video!

Honestly, your sources are insanely credible. I had no idea about the Zora coffee in TWW! That said, I don't think evolutions need the great flood to happen. I think that the Kokiri evolve into the Koroks whenever there is a need to move the lost woods. It just so happens that the flood was one of those triggers. I think the Zora/Rito could be a similar case, and doesn't necessarily need the flood to evolve. Furthermore, the Zora wouldn't need the flood to separate into three different sects as DT also has the Zora divided.

With fish and other sea life being in the waters of New Hyrule it is definitely possible they found new waters outside of the great sea

What an excellent theory! The Zora lineage has always been a topic of great interest to me. As much as I've studied the monuments though, I overlooked how huge the detail about their migration is, and Yona's gold jewelry is a big find as well. Before it was clear to me that BotW was in the adult timeline, I'd thought a lot about different factions of Zora creating the Rito and the River Zora we'd see in other timelines, but I eventually resigned to these new games being a reboot. I'm glad to see that in a weird way I wasn't too far off. I'll definitely be looking into this line of thought more going forward.

8:55 Thebuse of the Hyrule Warriors character portraits here makes me smile. Always happy to see people acknowledge that awesome game in some way.

More evidence to Botw Totk taking place after the adult timeline: The Deku tree states that koroks fly out to make more deku trees in hope that new lands can refill the sea with land. We can also see a major expansion of land going from Phantom Hourglass to Spirit tracks which are centries apart. So, it makes sense, that overtime, the koroks cover the ocean, which will eventually dry up and become the depths. Also, in the depths, we can see plant life that looks very similar to plants in the sea. Also, the depths are full of gloom. Who was left in the sea after WW? Ganondorf. The remains of his soul build up the gloom which take over the depths. The gloom comes from the curse of demise, as we can see a red liquid like substance from below Ganons tower in Oot and demise has flowing red substances all over him. Raru doesn't know about the master sword because it is still stuck in the depths. When Totk Ganondorf turns into Demon King Ganondorf after the use of the secret stone, he spawns his armies woth not only the blood moon, but also an upheaval. He tears the ground like he does in Totk's present. After he is sealed away, of course hyrule will investigate the depths. A few years after the events of Ganondorf's sealing, that generation's spirit if the hero incestigates the depths with some other soldiers and researchers. A certain force guides him to the corpse of Wind Waker Ganon, where he finds the sword that can harm the Demon King Ganondorf, more known as the master sword. This discovery makes him worthy enough of his aspect being preserved in the temple of time. Edit: I made a mistake with the spirit tracks statement. I've never really played spirit tracks and I didn't do any research... Doesn't disprove the point though

This is a theory I had while playing Tears of the Kingdom a while ago, but I didn't really do research to find hard clues, and I definitely wasn't gonna remember the collectables from Phantom Hourglass. Being reminded that those two items exist and having the silver consistency pointed out definitely makes me think we're right on the money. As for the Zora and Rito existing in the far past that Tears is claiming to show, I've seen a couple possible theories that're going in completely different directions, so my conclusion is that the placement of those memories isn't as clear cut as the game tries to lead us to believe. I just hope they're not actually the huge OoT retcon and franchise reboot they appear to be.

I went into this video expecting to not agree with the conclusion, but when you made the point about the other Zora using gold, I was suprised at how quickly I was convinced this theory holds water. Excellent catch. I like this explanation so much I hope it gets printed in a new history of hyrule and Nintendo pays you royalties for it.

This video is legit. I like this theory because it brings up the fact that there's other lands besides Hyrule. And also that there are things going on in other places that we may or may not know about, like the second Zora's Domain. There is a Zora Village in Labrynna (Oracle of Ages), so TotK isn't the first game to tell us there are other groups of Zora outside Hyrule (depending on peoples' thoughts about whether Termina is real or not). Labrynna also has a Goron population, and Holodrum (Oracle of Seasons) features Gorons and Deku Scrubs. Just found this out: apparently in a linked game of Oracle of Seasons you can find a Zora from Labrynna who was sent by the Zora King there to find a new domain (but he says Holodrum has nowhere good to settle for Zoras). EDIT: also, Fujibayashi has directed a few Zelda titles, including the Oracle games and TotK. Just something to think about

Fantastic video buddy. The levels of research required to craft this theory and make these connections must’ve been insane! 😅

Dorephan's story still holds up, based on the script on the stone tablet we repair in the The Broken Slate quest (part of the Sidon of the Zora main quest), and the cutscene that plays after we complete the Water Temple, where Zelda visits the Sage of Water AT the Water Temple/Wellspring Island. Dorephan's tale says that, 10,000 years ago, the Zora settled in what is now Zora's Domain, and that the Zora king of that era built East Reservoir Lake in partnership with the current king of Hyrule. In The Broken Slate, the slate mentions "the watery bridge's resting place" that "connects the Zora to the people of the skies"; the "watery bridge" is the waterfall that comes down into East Reservoir Lake when we shoot the King's Scale through the stones in the shape of a water droplet, which leads right up to Wellspring Island/the Water Temple, where Zelda spoke to the Zora Sage of Water 10,000 years ago, who then promised that their descendant (Sidon) would assist the future hero in defeating the Demon King So: the ancient Zora settled in what is now Zora's Domain due to the quality of the water (likely due to the existence of the Ancient Zora Waterworks, which were presumably a filtration system, and are Zonai in origin based on the fact that their architecture matches the architecture of the Water Temple). The Zora of 10,000 years ago built East Reservoir Lake to prevent the catastrophic floods that happened every ten years in collaboration with the current Hyrulean king (probably Rauru), and the waterfall from Wellspring Island connected the Zora to the "people of the skies" (the Zonai). At some point after the Imprisoning War, the waterfall from Wellspring Island stopped falling, and the sky islands (including Wellspring Island and the Water Temple) were hidden from view. Nearly all knowledge of the Zonai and their technology was lost, and the Ancient Zora Waterworks fell into disrepair, resulting in modern Zoras' ability to purify water (they were forced to learn this technique when the Ancient Zora Waterworks were no longer being maintained and all knowledge of them had vanished from living memory)

Also, something more simple- Zora (not River Zora) are seen living off the coast of Labrynna. The Zora in BotW/TotK could have possibly migrated over. Also, Twilight princess shows stone carvings of Zora and Rito living at the same time, so maybe there are different types of Rito depending on the timeline (similar to Zora)

This is the first Zelda theory in awhile that’s really gotten me thinking, so good job! If this idea is true though, I wonder if it could help to explain a converged timeline. With the time mechanics the series has shown that’s impossible to happen, however BOTW and TOTK strongly suggest that reality. Mostly because it seems they wanted to soft reboot the series, but it’s a lot to consider.

I'm so incredibly whelmed by this video, and happy about it too. Made this connection a while ago but until now had yet to see a video on it. It was always "how can zora and rito coexist it doesnt make sense! must be time shenanigans!". Like it literally mentions they evolved. Doesn't mean every single zora did, and we know there are multiple zora populations. It's like wondering how gorilla exist if we humans do. It's understandable not to realize how silly that is, but it does make me chuckle, or irk me from time to time.

This shouldn’t have been interpreted as a lore conflict. Divergent evolution is well-established, so it is perfectly possible that some Zora evolved into Rito whilst others did not. There was no contradiction by the Rito and Zora existing simultaneously, unless we were told that *all* Zora evolved into Rito (but we could also chalk that up to unreliable narrators). Still, I enjoyed your exploration of the supposed conflict! Thanks for making this video 🙂

evolution nerd here who's headed to university later this month to study! the concept you've come up with is actually a real thing called reproductive isolation! in this case, it's habitat isolation, where a new species arises due to isolation from other members of its species. this is why you find many endemic (native to only a small area) species on islands; their ancestors could no longer breed with the mainland population and thus developed their own unique set of traits. it's why marine iguanas look so unique compared to mainland iguanas :)

God I loved this video, it reminded me of the old videos/posts about the timeline before it was actually established. Love Zelda deep dives, and regardless if Nintendo intends for all these connections to actually be a thing, still so neat for players and fans to find stuff like this

another note that i think helps this is the zonai coming and helping establish hyrule - the small populace of hyrule at that point probably needed help and the zonai were that help

This man just solved EVERYTHING! Now I can finally sleep easy.

Wind Waker is obe of the greatest Zelda games. The art style is stunning.

"The games are more than likely just reboots of the series after the timelines have converged" That was already confirmed by Nintendo. The point of BOTW was to converge the timeline and reboot the line at the same time. Which is why so many things from all 3 timelines appears in the BOTW/TOTK games, like Lynels for example, who only appeared in the Fallen hero line. But I'm happy to find a theory channel that actually clarified the zora's disappearance and reappearance. I was always just under the impression that some Zora eggs were left in the old domain in some sort of sanctuary and resurfaced after the flood diminished.

I alway thought it never made sense why they became bird people but then as i got older it kinda did. The gods did'nt want anyone to find hyrule under the sea except the or a hero,( tower of the gods) they made it so zora around Hyrule could not find Hyrule by making them evolve into Rito , keeping them as far away from Underwater Hyrule. I also add only around Hyrule because one reason I think Rito and Zora co exist now is that years later Zora outside of Hyrule could have traveled back to Hyrule. Look at Yona ,Sidons wife, she came from another Domain which makes sense the world isnt just Hyrule there has to be other zora worldwide. Since before the gods sealed windwaker Gannon, he was winning maybe allot of people left Hyrule to save themselves which could explain how Sidon is a decendant of Ruto ,Sorry if this is talked about later in the video just started watching and wanted to share that thought or rather a rant 😂

Anakin: In the Wind Waker, Hyrule is a vast ocean with islands. Padme: Oh, so there’s lots of Zoras in this game? Anakin:

I had the beginnings of this theory during my first TOTK playthrough! When Sidon mentions that his fiancé (forgot her name) is from another place, I was like “what?”. Then as the old sages were shown, I knew that the “first Hyrule” couldn’t have been the one from just after Skyward Sword. I mention in one of my streams that the Zora from elsewhere must have been Zora from before the flood that didn’t evolve into Rito and then came back

Awesome video! That really does neatly tie the rito and zora up in a nice little bow! The details about Komali were an awesome catch!

As you said yourself, it's interesting to think about, but my favourite thing nagging at me, especially considering the whole "absolutely no dlc" thing, is the idea that the depths represent both the old flooded Hyrule due to the foliage in the area, but also Lorule and the Dark World.

My personal head cannon is that Hyrule Warriors is both the connecting game and the start of a new timeline, in the first Hyrule Warriors people from every timeline join up into the same timeline which would connect all of them for lore and species wise. It would cause another split because Age of Calamity is an alternate version of what took place before the great calamity

Cannot wait to see extensive discussions on this! While I don’t believe in a Zelda History and view the games as what their series name suggests (a legend) I find videos like this and the discussions they inevitably spawn, highly entertaining! So thanks for that!

Wow, great insight about the dragon scale and the Zora evolution into the Rito.

I’ve seen a lot of people say how, since there are artifacts from all previous games in TOTK, that all of the timelines ending up merging together allowing for Botw and TOTK to be able to mention them, as it doesn’t make sense for it to be in the adult timeline then mention how Oot!Link fought alongside Ruto, when in that timeline no one opposed Ganondorf. I also personally think Totk’s past takes place after Skyward sword, since link and Zelda just started to repopulate the surface, and afterwards “gods” (who were the zonai) came down to help, and then Raruu met Sonia, who could be SS Link and Zelda’s descendant (if they got together, if they didn’t, she’s probably still Zelda’s descendant atleast) Anyway, I really liked this video! It really makes the timeline seem so simple lmao

Love this Instantly subscribed Can’t wait to binge this channel

Pog if true.

Sick video, i hope this theory spreads and we can finally put this mystery to rest

The opening of your channel introduction using the classic sounds and looks was more than enough to make me subscribe you now that I have found you

You made it make sense. I still believe this games timeline began after timelines converged and the sea dried up to reveal the new hyrule. To which the zonai came down and the new Hyrule Kingdom was later “founded”. So obviously at the end of the timeline as the creators claimed years ago.

Komali is my all-time favorite video game character and i never noticed his evolutionary growth 🤯

i love that idea that "the concept of what a zelda game should be was still not solidified" at the time of windwaker... like... you think it's solidified NOW? 😂

Congratulations on almost hitting 10k! I remember watching you a little bit ago when you were just over 1k!

Very well made video man, your editing is amazing

I‘m really happy that the Zora and Rito are existing side by side ❤

the rito have existed since ancient times according to the rito stormark song.

Aww man, I’ve been trying to get to get in game photos of the domain at night. It’s always raining thought. But this, @3:28 this is STUNNING.

I like this better than "some of them turned back into Zora"

Certainly interesting, but I still don't see too much evidence on some of the more specific elements like Zora living on Great Fish Isle, but the connections are there. The presence of Zora scales in Phantom Hourglass are certainly a very key piece of evidence at the very least, it seems unlikely that such an item would be present in such an amount without their origins being close by. Also neat details with the changes Komali seems to undergo after reaching Valoo and Yona's different jewellery, never noticed those things before.

I just can’t get enough of theory videos about the Zora and Rito. They’re my favorite races and I can’t seem to choose one I would want to be! People should be talking about the Sidon’s tablets because it also mentioned his history with Yona, which people love to ignore for the sake of hate “justifications” I theorize that Yona could be from Labrynna since it’s the only area we know besides Termina (not sure why Termina’s Zora would return to kingdom-like fashion) that have friendly Zora outside Hyrule onscreen. There could be Zora from New Hyrule, but that would be a bit awkward cuz yknow how royal bloodlines be like, but I feel like it would be inevitable because there was King Zora in Labrynna (Unless it’s a different King Zora) I wonder how New Hyrule would fair with the existence of OG Hyrule, unless they became the same kingdom over the years, but that would probs open a can of worms.

Love this video!! 👏👏👏 amazing theory and amazing video quality!

This is a perfect theory. I've always assumed it was divergent evolution, but you found all the evidence

Towards the end of the video you equate the founding of Zora's domain with existence of the Zora people. I just wanted to point out this is probably the same issue as the Hylian people re-founding Hyrule kingdom. Awesome video and i love the lore and deep dive.

There's also the possibility that Ruto is the name of the Zora sage seen in TOTK's flashbacks and Sidon claims to be a descendant from her. She is the namesake of Vah Ruta and her mask shares the attributes of the divine beast. It's also doesn't really contradict the stone tablets. I'm of the belief that the events of TOTK's past is an alternate telling of Ocarina of Time because it exists in a branched timeline that runs parallel to OOT.

Solid theory and great editing!

This makes so much more sense than anything i ever thought up

This theory would require Rauru’s Kingdom to have been set after the Wind Waker then, due to the presence of the Rito Sage in his era.

I'm just kinda rambling about things you got me thinking about here but: In totk, the Water Temple is the source of pure water for the Zora to live in, and Zelda visiting the sage of water at the temple means some Zora lived near there in the time of Hyrule's founding. It being zonai in origin means either Dorephan must have misunderstood the amount of time his people have been there, or they left at some point and returned only 10000 years before BotW. Both could be true I suppose but I don't like assuming characters are wrong about their people's history, as it makes theory crafting confusing. Either Skyward Sword ISNT first in the timeline anymore, or maybe it is and TotK tells us what happened after the goddess statue fell to the surface. I have a lot of questions about the lore of Skyward Sword but the answers are almost always "don't worry about it more than Nintendo does."

Enjoyed this video a lot and subscribed! looking forward to the rest of what you have already made!

Zora's Domain being "discovered" 10,000 years ago is still possible. Even with Zora existing in TOTK before that, we don't know how long before that. But even if it's 1000 years, that is long enough to be forgotten in a world without perfect means to keep records. Especially with a race that can't use paper and ink very well.

I love that info about the Ruto crown, didn't play that game but I know of new hyrule. Actually tbh I always wondered through if it was really a new continent or just the world just stopped being flooded and they hit the ground again, lol?

12:45 i don't think it is a contradiction, it is merely the founding of a city, not the first introduction of the race to the area. Actually, now I think about it, Ganon might have destroyed the Zora's towns and so they went off and founded the city of Zora's Domain.

This is the first time watching this channel, that intro animation was great, love me when OoT assets are used, kudos!

Another detail to add is that in wind waker, they still have a royalty, where as in botw and onward its a chieftian leadership. They probably still had royalty from Zora culture until it was phased out

Well done here! Excellent research 😎

This answers the zora rito issue, now if only someone could explain how ganondorf has been sealed underneath Hyrule Castle since the founding of Hyrule, if the last 2 titles are to be after all of the previous titles how has he been left undisturbed through all of the events of those games. I don't see how he could be down there during oot after what happened to Hyrule Castle. Think we need to deal with the elephant in the room before we claim a possible reboot

this was a fantastic video dude. ive been loving all your content, keep up the good work! hopefully this isnt weird to say, but your voice is super nice and soothing. i listened to this video while i was going to sleep last night, which was nice and peaceful and now im back to watch it again with my full attention span haha! awesome work

This man deserves more views and subs as well

Tf did my husband do?😳🤔

You’re welcome?

Very Informative, hope this video blows up! Earned my sub ^^

I am a little new to this discussion and the fact my guy said at the end this took 20 years to kind of solve it is insane

Some of this I agree with. I don't agree with the "dead sages" theory. For one thing, they are shown to be very much alive at the end of Ocarina of Time. They lack any of the usual Zelda depictions of ghosts whether they be friend or enemy.

in multiple asian languages, "10,000" can be non-literal and instead mean "hundreds upon hundreds", as in, "an amount so big, it's uncountable". So when Doraphan's tablet says "Thus, as the legends go, the domain was born 10,000 years ago", the intent could've instead been "the domain was born hundreds upon hundreds of years ago". So you can take instances of the number "10,000" with a grain of salt.

Oh! nice detail of Sidon's silver and Ruto!

Dang I made a Zora Race a few years ago but struggled with backstory. This gives me new inspiration since I didn't understand much about Wind Waker

Amazing video! So well made!!! You earned a sub and deserve many more

You expect me to listen to 13:51 and not make a Muscle Man joke out of that? Nice video btw!

Now I need someone to solve how a dream can become a seagull without it being a genocide .

Super polished video!!!