Majora's Mask and the Art of Dark Symbolism 

Oops. I accidentally released the first marathon video early 🙁😏 SCHEDULE: Vid 2: 10/22 Vid 3: 10/25 Vid 4: 10/28 Vid 5: 10/31 Let’s do this🎃

For me, the theme that always stuck with me was the idea that “you can’t save everyone”. You can collect all the masks. You can try and complete a “boss rush” before facing Majora. You can try to “do it all”, but the credits scene always includes the Butler grieving in front of his son. There’s no way you can prevent that. You have to learn to accept the things you cannot change. Until I played this game as a kid, no other game I played ever really managed to express this idea so well.

On your theory, I don't think Link is trapped in Termina per say, but that doesn't mean he isn't cursed at the end of Majora's Mask. In Twilight Princess, the sequel to Majora's Mask, you can meet The Hero's Shade, a towering skeletal creature resembling a Stalfos who teaches you sword techniques. The legend goes that people who get lost in the Lost Woods without a fairy turn into Stalfos. The Hero's Shade carries what looks like the mirror shield, the last shield acquired in Majora's Mask. His height is similar to that of The Fierce Deity. He has one red eye, which could be the price Link pays for his dependence on dark Sheikah magic like the lens of truth, similar to how Bongo Bongo, the boss of the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, became obsessed with the Lens of Truth and became a horrifying monster with one red eye. When Link left Termina, he continued to search for Navi, but ended up getting lost in The Lost woods. Out of sheer desperation for survival, he used the Fierce Deity mask and mask of truth to try to discover the way home, but it did not help him. He became corrupted by the dark power of the masks and ended up becoming a Stalfos. The great hero who saved Hyrule and Termina was unable to save himself from becoming a monster...

I thought it was all a metaphor for trauma and healing, and the fact that mental scars fade but never truly go away

Majora's Mask, to me, is about acceptance. So much in life is out of our control, and Link is no exception to this. Link never had a choice in being the Hero of Time; the goddesses chose that path for him. Try as Link might have to reach the Triforce before Ganondorf did, the goddesses sealed Link away until he was ready to wield the Master Sword, allowing Hyrule to be conquered in his absence. Link could have reaped what he sowed in the Hyrule he fought to take back from Ganondorf, but Zelda instead sent him back to a childhood he now knew was a lie amidst a time that wouldn't remember what he did. And Navi, his faithful companion who was there with Link from the Deku Tree to the fiery battle with Ganon, disappeared, leaving Link entirely alone. "The road to hell is paved by good intentions." When we see Link again at the start of Majora's Mask, he looks utterly defeated; just to be robbed by Skull Kid of the Ocarina of Time, Epona, and, upon entering Termina, his identity; at least what was left of it. Enter the Happy Mask Salesman (this is where my views differ from the video). Regardless of his true intentions, the Salesman offered Link a path. A path to reclaim his identity through healing. Of course this rings true for what it took Link to regain his body. But as he travels across Termina to reclaim Majora's Mask, he regains his identity through his experiences. Whether it was by his decision or not, Link is a hero. And as Link travels across Termina, as he fights through the temples to restore it's lands, as he aids and connects with it's citizens, he is dutiful, observant, helpful, kind, and brave; simply put, a hero. And not because of any prophecy or goddess's will, but because Link is in a position to do something and has the experience to back it up. He makes it his choice. And as Link heals the land of Termina and all who inhabit it, he heals himself. Maybe not entirely, as evidenced by the Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess, but enough to help him carry on. The cruel flow of time will always take people in different directions. But what we take from it, our experiences, is what makes us who we are. And that can never be taken away from us.

I would like to point out a different theme: adulthood. Think of it. Link struggles with being a child. The villain is a Skull Kid. Tingle refuses to grow up. Each area has a problem with children (Deku Princess, Elder's Son, Eggs, Pamela). The Bosses become Moon Children. Majora's Incarnation acts like a child. And if you do enough work, you get to become an adult and clap Majora's ass.

10:04: Apparently, that theory was recently confirmed by Nintendo. The tiny, withered tree WAS the Deku Butler's son after all.

So basically you're suggesting Majora's Mask & Termina could be Link's "Silent Hill"?

The second I saw the scary preview for this game about the world ending by a scary looking moon my 7 year old self knew this was a game I was dying to play. I remember the anxiety hitting hard as I was figuring out what the hell to do in a dungeon and panicking about the moon falling. My childhood is defined by themes of anxiety and sadness, not in a bad way but rather catharsis by creation of tension

"His long, lost friend" Imagines very tall navi

Best game ever in my opinion, and very underrated. Majora’s Mask is Nintendo’s accidental masterpiece.

Now I am wondering how the Happy Mask Salesman knew that Link’s ocarina was stolen, and how he knew that Link wasn’t a Deku? I also wonder how he knew the melody and power behind the Song of Healing and how it would remove the curse? Is the salesman the one who orchestrated all of this and was behind it all along? Think about it... He knew that the Skull Kid was lonely, weak, and lost. He gave him Majora’s Mask with the knowledge that it would consume him and cause great evil. He knew that “Fate” would eventually bring the Hero of Time to him. Hence why he waited by the stairs for Link to arrive. Could he be the one pulling the strings all along? Maybe he IS the devil and wanted to cause some mischief in the land. And Lastly, if the mask salesmen knew of the masks power... why not wear it himself? or try to destroy it? Maybe the Fierce Deity mask is from Adult Link who had already died trying to save Termina?

"this was supposed to make us feel something" *link happily jumps

I haven't played any Legend of Zelda games, but seeing that mask and that moon face, I wonder how kids put up with that without any nightmares.

Legend of Zelda: Groundhog Day

This is a really nice and dark theory! However, I like to interpret this story as one of different dark themes. Grief, hopelessness and death are definitely prominent but so is loneliness and the emphasis on childishness. But what I think encompasses Majora's Mask most of all is loss and how people deal with it. Everyone in the game is dealing with a certain type of loss. Skull Kid with the loss of his friends, Tatl with the loss of her brother, the Deku King with the loss of his daughter, even the Happy Masked Salesman with the loss of Majora's Mask! Everyone is dealing with a type of loss and who's to say Link isn't? No matter what he may physically look like, he still lost his childhood and now, he's even lost the credibility of his adulthood. The game even begins on his search for Navi, a friend who he LOST. This game is poetic in the story it tells because so many people can take away a lot from it. I personally think the entire game is about Link coping with the loss of his innocence and deciding that even though he was robbed of it, he wasn't going to let it stop him from helping others find peace and hope again. (Sorry this was so long. Thanks for reading!)

Of all the games that never really needed a creepy pasta. With all due respect for the writer "Ben drown" is kind of just a drop in the bucket compared to the actual content of the game.

Omg this actually made me realize a lot of stuff...I never noticed the Butler crying by the dead deku scrub. That’s so sad :(

Majora's Mask Moon: "I am the most disturbing and scary moon in fiction!" Local58 Moon: "Hold my throne"

Termína is literally finish/end in spanish

Marathon starting off hot with my favorite Legend of Zelda game

Was anyone else terrified to be stuck at Romani Ranch at 2:30 AM? I avoided that place *AT ALL COSTS.*

My eyes practically rolled to the back of my head when you suggested that barn girl gets raped by the aliens.

Majora's Mask is such a masterpiece. Like honestly, it made me really feel something. We'll never have a game like this ever again :(.

I'm sure someone else has said this already, but the theory at the end has already been debunked. Link can't be trapped in the 3 day cycle at the end of Majora's Mask because it's canon that he appears as the hero's shade in Twilight Princess. It's stated in Hyrule Historia that the hero's shade is OoT Link. The hero's shade is a grown adult, Link grew before he died and was a soldier or knight at some point judging by his armor, missing left eye and the sword skills he teaches you. He had a child as well, it's canon that TP Link is OoT Link's blood descendent. Also, there was an interview stating that the true ending of Majora's Mask is when you get the fierce deity's mask and defeat majora's mask with it. If the defeat of Majora's Mask is part of the canon ending then it'd have to stay dead, not revive over and over, otherwise the true ending would just be you getting the fierce deity's mask. Link came to the lost woods to search for Navi and he rode away after saving Termina to continue looking for her. Also, your idea that Termina was destined to be destroyed is actually debunked by the citizens' own dialogue in game, they all state that the skull kid (Majora's Mask) is responsible for everything going on and that it all started recently. The giant boulder at the ranch for instance, it's explicitly stated by the prospector there that skull kid put it there. Or the curse on Ikana Kingdom, the king states that the skull kid threw open the doors to the stone tower temple and evil poured out. In other words, it wasn't destiny, it was Majora's Mask.

This game came at the perfect time for me and my buddy. I lived in the middle of nowhere in southern Indiana with 2 kids near me, one of which was my video game playing homie. there was no one and nothing else near us to do after we'd fully explored every bit of woods and trails within in biking distance. We both loved the Zelda series and spent our time doing dumb things like beating RE2 on 64 with the knife but Majora's Mask was truly special to us. This game was a mindblowing experience for young me. It absorbed months and months of our time, figuring everything out and using the limited time he was allowed to get online with AOL to find what we could to figure out all the million little intricate ways to accomplish things. This video brings back some serious memories of a game that came at just the right time in my life when I was still getting over just how amazing games like FF7, RE1 and 2 and Ocarina of Time were to let me get a glimpse of something a little deeper and darker, despite my limited ability to fully put all of it together then. Looking forward to the rest of this video clubbing me with nostalgia.

The thing I miss most is the astral observatory. I swear I could live in that place forever

Excellent video, but saying Romani could've been assaulted is outlandish dude.

Shows how twisted Majora is to not only want to destroy all of Termina, but screw up everyone's lives along the way. Manipulating, tricking, lying to, cursing... and ultimately being an entity that cannot be reasoned with. Ganondorf himself actually had goals and ideals, albeit twisted, but Majora just wants to see the whole Terminian world literally burn. (And possibly Hyrule as the two are connected). If every mask in Termina is based off of a soul, whatever Majora was originally had to have been something chaotic through and through. It is made clear that Majora feeds off of the despair it causes (contrasted to Fierce Deity who does the opposite). Also, while other Zelda games thrive on the number 3 (due to the 3 goddesses), Majora's Mask has 4. The goddesses have long left this separated world. You actually have 4 days originally, not 3. But that first cycle you HAVE to see the world destroyed if you go about the game normally. There are 4 regions. 4 giants worshipped in place of the goddesses, etc. Majora, you definitely cannot trust, or make deals with under any circumstances. It thinks it is doing Termina a favor, hence why in stopping it? YOU are the 'bad guy.' Simply delaying the inevitable fate of Termina. Majora even basically tells you that running away is an okay thing to do. "And when you're the bad guy you just run, right?"

Though I respect your thought process, I think you're going a little TOO deep here. Hyrule Historia shared with us that the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess is this Link. So the entire theory of being in this loop in Termina is already sort of debunked by that. Link made it back to Hyrule, because his grave can be found in the graveyard in Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess. I don't see The Happy Mask Salesman as the devil. He is definitely mysterious, and vital to the plot for this story, but he is not the "devil." The reason you keep the Fierce Deity's Mask in the end is simply a decision for replay value, since the playable game only exists within the 3 days (the story ends with a new day, so why would you be able to play here?), it gives you an easy way to clear all Temples so that you can complete story arcs that require it if you didn't do it the first time. To argue this, you'd have to also be asking why they let you keep all items and weapons every time you go back in time as well. It's just simply a game mechanic decision. This is actually one of my more favorite parts of Majora's Mask, that you can essentially play temples over and over again without starting a new file if you really wanted to. Sometimes, you just have to separate what was meant to be part of the story, the end of a story, and general gameplay. You go back to the First Day after the New Day because that's just simply THE GAME. It's sort of like saying Link is stuck in a perpetual battle with Ganon at the end of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, etc. because the game puts you back before the boss after beating the game. The story clearly shows that Link leaves at the end of each of these games. That's why I think you're going too deep. You're attaching a story theory to just how the game is designed, where no story is meant to be. But I do agree with your thoughts on the symbolism. Grief, death, hopelessness. You forget to mention that at the end, the Happy Mask Salesman acknowledges that Link made everyone very happy, and that he succeeded in ridding the evil in Majora's Mask. There are definitely a lot of themes and tones to pick up on in this game, which is why it's my absolute favorite. Aonuma has said that back then when his child was younger, he developed these stories with him in mind. He wanted his kid to be able to learn life lessons in each game. And I think the story here is how to cope with the harder parts of life. So, again, I respect your perspective on this, and it's definitely an interesting theory, but I guess I disagree about some things.

Psst! It wasn't Granny from the Inn that was attacked by Sakon, it was the bomb shop owner's mother. Granny, on the other hand, seems to have some form of alzheimer's, and is constantly calling everyone by her deceased son's name. (Though if you read her journal, you'll find that she often knowingly uses this to avoid eating her Granddaughter Anju's cooking.)

Zelda Majora's mask is the only game that made me have feelings that i never felt before, and i can't even explain it to this day, it's a true masterpiece indeed.

"rather than button smashing through the dialogue like i used to" child me feels personally attacked lmao

I love watching any video that talks about the dark themes and such of Majora's Mask, and your's did not disappoint. Majora's Mask is easily my all time favorite Zelda game for many reasons and the dark undertones is definitely one of the major ones. There were certain quests and bits of story that didn't get covered here that I was really hoping to see, but oh well. Regardless I think you did a great job talking about Majora's Mask. Looking forward to more spooks from you later this month!

Quebec should be an independent country. Like if you agree!

In the official Hyrule Encyclopedia, it is stated that Termina is nothing more than a figment of the Skull Kid's imagination brought to life by the mask, and that once the mask was defeated and Link left, Termina ceased to exist.

Something about majoras masks has always kinda creeped me out, but as a Zelda fan, I really appreciate it.

This is intense why did I never see this but I did remember that creepy ass moon....... Actually never forgot it

Majora's mask had one of the best openings, that ambience and him kinda realizing he's lost with epona

i watched my older sister play through this game when i was younger, (hardly literate), but the thing that always freaked me out was the movement. some characters (like Skull Kid's) movement reminded me of how the druggies in my city would often move.

I was expecting you to go a different route, that upon receiving the Fierce Deity Mask and using it he becomes intoxicated with its power and refuses to let his adventure truly end and uses the mask's power along with the Ocarina of Time to maintain the time loop, so he and the Skull Kid can play forever.

That moon is kinda hot ngl

This game always had a weird sense of wholesomeness to me. Like, it's tragic what happens in the game, but Link's actions help the characters move on and accept the things that have happened to them. The one scene that always brings me to tears tho, is when we learn Skull Kid's origin (something that can be glossed over entirely). It's just very real, and it's something that feels like it could happen to actual people. I love this game, it's so great.

One of the things that really hit me, and i didn't even think about it until I was older, was the fact that none of the people you make happy...stay happy. For example if you help Anju and Kafei, they get married happily and everything is hunky dory and you get their mask...but then you go back in time to do something else and Anju is back to looking for her lost love. Kafei is hiding. Ultimately, you dont really change anything.

23 minutes? I'm here for it.

I really wanna see a spinoff channel of you talking about your favorite video games now. Maybe a pilot episode of a new series could be Ocarina of time? I dunno, just spitballing

When I was 11-13, me and my friend played this daily. It was my game, but I would bring it to his house. We liked it so much that when he moved, he tried to steal my n64 expansion pak, I got it back, but he did sneak off with my holocart copy. As an adult, I re assembled the whole game, box, manual, and holo cart, and have it sitting in a protective case. Not because a friend stole it from me, or to rebuild what was lost, and not to replay the game again... but out of sheer respect of how deeply that game made a rather innocent 13 year old feel extreme depths, by exposing awful truths.

One curious thing to note about the Song of Healing: If you take the first 6 notes and play them backward and speed them up, you get Saria's Song from Ocarina Of Time, which is one of the most cheerful tunes you can play on an ocarina. Funny how playing that backward and at half speed turns one of the most upbeat, cheerful melodies in a Zelda game into one of the most haunting ones.

I love people how make such great theory videos and when it comes to their own theory it's like they completely miss the entire point of everything that they themselves just said before. You don't even need to, say, mention the fact that if Link is trapped forever in Termina would make it pretty difficult him to be the a full grown Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess. Your perception of the ending is almost the complete antithesis of the whole message of the game. In a way, Majora is a representation of death, or rather the "peace" that comes with death. The whole story is framed so that Majora is actually the hero, (It's also on purpose and quite funny you believed Majora that Fierce Diety was bad and that Majora was "good"). How? Everyone is clearly aware of the amount of suffering that all of the citizens of termina go through. What they don't understand is why Majora is doing this. It's to grant them peace. By killing them through the moon, none of the citizens have to deal with the suffering in their life or even overcoming it. They will just cease to exist. However, as players and living beings, we're already somewhat skepticial that this is an idea. Ikana Valley is supposed to represent what would happen in the aftermath. There's no suffering, just death and decay. Is that the kind of world we want to create for ourselves and for our offspring? A barren wasteland? No. So, Link goes out of his way to DENY people's peace of death, refusing to let them die and forcing them to suffer (side note, very nietzschean) in hopes that they might continue to live again to see a brighter, better, happier, "new day". That's why Majora thinks that Link is the bad guy, from Majora's warped perspective, Link is actually making people suffer, but as players and humans, we understand that overall, through the experience of suffering, everyone actually grows stronger.

I kinda like the theory that Link is Trapped perpetually in Termina, but Hyrule Historia really throws a wrench, rock, goldbar, and bomb into your idea there, because Majora's Mask is followed up by Twilight Princess in the Timeline, and TP Link is a descendant of Majora Link, and also the Hero's Shade apparently. But the Idea of Link being perpetually trapped in Termina, doomed to go into the Lost Woods and Stumble upon it over and over again only to relive saving everyone is one that's Rather Interesting, as well as the idea that Happy Mask Salesman is also a sort of Devil in this situation regardless. Thanks for showing off my favourite game, your video on it, though short, was incredibly enjoyable, kind of like every other video ever made on it. Now for my theory on Majora, it won't take too long I hope. I like to think Majora, The Fierce Deity and the mentioned "Goddess of Time" mentioned throughout the game are representations of the Triforce in Termina, each one having an overall theme of chaos. Majora is a wild, child-like god who torments and destroys as if playing with toys, and that's not just because of Skullkid, it's even showed off in the final boss fight, where Skullkid is not present. The Fierce Deity is supposedly, according to interviews, the accumulation of all the Terminians' hopes and dreams, but is still said to "Have powers as dark as Majora's," I think referencing the chaotic nature of the mask. And the Goddess of Time, first mentioned by Tatl, is an ethereal being who has no defined form, but allows Link to reset after every fuck up or Song of Time, Using her powers along side the Ocarina's Magic to constantly revert time to allow Link to complete the quest, which would explain why Link can't bring back certain items through time or any at all if it's the bad ending. So there are my thoughts on what's going on behind the scenes in the world of Termina.

I think the concept of time and stress are directly linked to the feelings that Aonuma felt while making the game it was his first shot at a mainline Zelda and he had a little over a year, maybe not purposefully but most certainly subconsciously his anxiety’s the pressures and stress from undertaking Such a big task with huge time constraints to be near or better than ocarina of time.

Why does it seem like everyone had the same experience with Majora, falling in love with Zelda when we were kids, but then playing it in college to fill a void after failing to finish it as a child, and then loving the message.

Every so often, Nintendo makes shit a bit dark in their games. Majora's Mask, Luigi's Mansion, Metroid Fusion... And, it's always awesome.

Isn't it Bomb Shop Lady the one who gets assaulted by Sakon? 16:56 "None of them [Zelda games] let you continue in endgame." In the Oracle games you can continue exploring the world after the final boss is defeated and everyone has new dialogue/events about how you beat the big bad.

I had a similar experience with a book called the Silver Key when I was a kid. I tried reading it and just couldn't grasp it. Later, I came back, and realized it was a very cool book. I love what understanding time can give you.

It’s crazy that Nintendo made this masterpiece in a year

I had a similar experience, where I also could not exactly appreciate or feel motivated enough to finish the game as a kid. Revisiting it when I was older definitely helped and it's nice to see other people have done the same.

Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game. It's bizarre, unsettling, beautiful, and I honestly think it shaped my personality at a very young age. I've seen this video on your channel for a while but I've honestly been hesitant to watch it because the game is so special to me. Here we go! Edit: I literally cheered a little the moment you brought up Romani Ranch. One of the best examples of this game's brilliance. It's also amazing how the people at the ranch act throughout the 3 day cycle. It's super sad as time goes on. However, I don't think the Fierce Deity Mask is connected to the Happy Mask Salesman, since the Moon Child is the one who gives it to you, nor do I think Link is trapped forever in Termina. Contrary to popular belief I don't see the Happy Mask Salesman as an antagonistic force in the story. Could he have his own agenda? Could he somehow be a "bad guy"? Maybe. But I don't think he was the secret mastermind behind the conflict. I think the real questions revolve around WHAT Majora and the "Fierce Deity" actually are. The Japanese version makes it even MORE clear by calling the Fierce Deity Mask the "devil mask". Whatever the mask is based on is pure evil. There's also the question of how exactly the bosses, the moon, the moon children, and Majora relate to one another.

The fan theories are really overblown with this game. They're cute and they deliver some good food for thought sometimes, but the core of Majora's Mask is sublime and it's essentially buried under a pile of fanfic at this point.

It's about deadlines. They were on a really tight schedule to follow up a massive commercial success and that feeling just leaked into the game and got magnified. Happy Mask Salesman is based on Miyamoto, who was in charge. It's literally a Japanese salaryman's nightmare.

Fav game is majoras mask? Obsessed with paper Mario and Zelda? Huge horror/thriller fanatic? Are we brothers lol

I have a few things to say. The first is, yes, the game TECHNICALLY starts from the first day after the end credits, but that is simply a game function. In the credits, it is seen that Link leaves Termina. I just think that Termina is not forever doomed. Also, I wanted the point out that Link made his way back to Hyrule, but his childhood was permanently stained. The Shadow Temple, The Demon King Ganon, and all of the events that he experienced in both Ocarina Of Time and Majora’s Mask. His mental state would be very fragile, and could be one of the many reasons why he eventually turned into a shade in Twilight Princess.

Deku scrub... SCRUB! How have I taken so long to see this!? He turns us into a scrub at the beginning!

"They" are actually based off of the Flatwoods Monster in West Virginia.

I love majoras mask. Just saying

Loved this! I look forward to these videos every time. Legend of Zelda series holds a sentimental place in my heart. Link to the Past was one of my first video games and I played with my mom. Since then Link has had my heart. I'm always thrilled and appreciative of the layers revealed in the story line, like this one in Majora's Mask.

I feel privileged to say I found every mask In the game as a kid Had GameCube collectors edition fell in love with ocarina but honestly love the dark tone in majora especially the final boss forms

So happy you included the intro. It’s always been one of my favorite openings of a game. Totally sets the mood and stuck with me until this day. This whole year has had that same feel.

I loved the existence of the time travel system. Whenever I played other games there was always this hint of sadness after accomplishing something knowing that there was no going back unless you literally restarted the game. There was something so refreshing to my anxiety that with just a song I could return to the first day and redo portions I loved and repeatedly see the result of my actions. Though I was progressing, there was so much less of this sense of permanence and things being unchangeable. The fluidity is nice. It’s still the very best game to calm me when I’m feeling anxious.

finally a spooktober special without loud skeletons

Funnily enough, I was in tune far more with this game at a young age than you describe, probably explains why I am so warped. You - took your time, boy.

This was a good video for me until 15:54 where I felt it goes off on a tangent. I don't agree with your theory. I think the end credits give us a glimpse at what happens next with Link safely returned to the woods of Hyrule. The fact that the three day cycle starts over, complete with the Fierce Deity mask is simply so that you can continue to play the game including trying out that amazing mask in the other boss fights. Nothing more, nothing less.

FINALLY! The Link is dead theories were ridiculous to me, they were creepypastas to quickly explain the spooky theme but they don't explain anything at all. The child wearing Majora's mask blatantly states that when you get the mask you'll be the bad guy, Link in this strange domain needs to get rid of every child and leave the last one who says "everyone has gone away" to get the mask. Then there's the symbolism of Majora representing the sun and Fierce Deity has decorations of the moon, which is strange considering it is the moon that will destroy Termina. "Are you ready? you're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine right?"

When I first played majoras mask as a kid I didn’t get it either. I loved it but then I FINALLY got to the song of time everything else made sense from there. Thankfully I didn’t have to look it up. It just eventually clicked after enough experimentation. I thought I was missing some sort of sage device at first 😂

dude you make such good content that is thought provoking and mysterious without being eye rolling or pretentious. It's really amazing. Props

This is my absolute favorite game ever! even as a kid i was so blown away by how incredible every aspect of the game intertwines and i didn't even understand what was going on and now that i do im just blown away how insane this game is even still. Every small detail and melancholy moment. It truly is a one of a kind game. I'd highly recommend anyone to play it even tho has dark subjects it handles them so beautifully. And this video sums up alot of good points and some i haven't considered. Very well done!

Never clicked on anything so fast

Every place covered a different topic all together. Termina/clock town is dealing with denial, ie refusing to stop the carnival for the moon. Woodfall is anger, as the Deku king is angry about the Deku princesses disappearance. Next is snow head. The theme of snow head is bargaining, as seen with darmani, just wanting to rest, but he can’t as he is the decorated soldier of snow head. Then in great bay, depression, as seen with lulu. Lulu’s eggs were stolen, stoping her from caring anymore. Which is why you find her staring out at the water. Finally, Ikana valley, which is acceptance. Which is clear, when going through the mini dungeon to get the mirror shield. You must leave an item for each of the Gibdos. When they leave, they say “I bear no remorse!”, meaning that they are finally at peace and accepting their death. Same with the skeleton that you fight in the ancient castle. Once he dies, his spirit tells you that for him to move on, you must release the curse from the stone tower, because when it opened, it brought back the dead. After that, the game is just acceptance and forgiveness. Those are all symptoms of grief, aka when someone is faced with death. First denial, when they are still alive. The anger because it can’t be true. Then bargaining, because you obviously don’t want to die. Then depression, the sadness that comes with anything tragic. Them finally, acceptance. Death. They move on, because they are fulfilled. That’s my whole take on the story.

Majora's mask does end. Link leaves termina, grows up, has a family, then dies with regrets as he couldnt pass down his techniques. He then teaches his descendant, link from twilight princess.

Majora's Mask (my favorite Zelda game) turned 20-years old today. I have soo many fascinating memories playing and watching my older brother play this game in the basement. It was only today that I discovered that our birthdays are very close to each other. Amazing job on the video! 🙏🏼

That alien invasion at the ranch scared the shit out of me as a child.

One thing I love about MM being a sequel; It raises the question. What do you do when you've fulfilled your destiny? Link was dragged into the events of OOT sort of like a prophecy, but now that he has succeeded in that destiny and embarks on his own personal quest to find his friend, only then does he get dragged into saving Termina. It's an opening with more character than most video game introductions.

I will probably be shredded here, but I believe Majoras Mask > Ocarina. The boss fights, the ability to transform, even being able to revisit boss fights. Just love it all. This game brought my odd entering puberty elementary self to tears

My personal theory is that this game takes place in links head. At the end of ocarina of time link goes to look for navi, he goes into the forbidden forest and is slowly losing his mind. As he goes deeper and deeper into the forest he starts to lose it because he doesn't have his fairy to guide him. And when anyone wanders into the forbidden woods without a fairy, they turn into a stalfos. The same stalfos that trains link in twilight princess

I've only recently discovered your channel and thought today about how I hoped you knew about this game (since I had seen the Moon in some of your openers). I was going to mention it to you, as I was excited to see what your perspective would be of this game, and lo and behold, it shows up in my suggestions feed. This game has always been my favourite. Even in 2019 with all the other releases, Majora's Mask lays near and dear in my heart. At a young age, it frightened me. Growing up and reading theories and thinking about it more, I came to love it to almost the point of obsession. I remember spending days having conversations in fan forums, arguing with people about the trite theory that "Link is dead" and how it is a weak and flimsy theory at best. I hated that theory with a passion, and I could never understand why until recently. Death has become a prominent visitor to my family lately. With several aunts and uncles, and now, my own mother, all passing on to another life, I thought about their lives. Their trials, their victories, their losses, their lessons... I picked up my iPod and listened to the music I had and a few songs in, Theophany's Lover's Mask began to play. I let myself remember the whole quest involved with getting those two lovers reunited and the feeling of accomplishment I got from it... Then I realized why I hated the Link is dead theory. It negates every single thing Link had accomplished. It makes all of the suffering, all of the victories, all of the losses, all the friends, all the memories mean nothing. It invalidates the whole experience and thus, my feelings towards the game. Link endured this trial to help him grow. In Ocarina of Time, he saw things no children should have seen. He did things no child should do. People seem to forget that, while Link is in an adult's body, his mind is still that of a child. His last memory before waking up and being forced to go through every temple was of him pulling the sword out of the pedestal, up to that point he was a brave child, but then this child is forced to fight the King of Evil's henchmen, all the while trying to grow accustomed to his new, and foreign body that is very much his, but not as he remembers it. Throughout that journey, he relied upon Navi heavily to guide him, to talk him through things, to be at his side. It is only natural that some one who needed a fairy that badly to chase after her, even through the terrifying depths of the Lost Woods. Majora's Mask was about him learning independence. It was about Link finding his own footing in the world without Navi. It was about him experiencing human emotions--adult emotions--to allow him to grow up after missing out on those years he was locked away in the Sacred Realm with the Sage Raru. This game touched my heart upon realizing these things. I had gathered most of that realization before, but once I knew why I hated the other theory and what it meant to me, I can't help but love this game even more. I'm sorry for the long-winded post. Seeing that you've done a video about this game has brought me joy. Thank you for a satisfying scratch to an itch that would come a little over a year after you would post this video.

The scene that most stuck with me was the argument between the Mayor, the construction workers, and the guards over evacuating the town. There's no right or wrong, just a bunch of scared people trying to come to a decision.

Congratulations, you just turned a dark story to something darker and depressing!

I've loved this video since it came out. Only in the past couple months have I fallen in love with your content and just realized that YOU made this! That's insane to me, I've watched this at least 3 times! Making it 4 :)

nIgHtMare ur vID wasNT ScAry omG jk Don't hurt me.

Your theory did stir up some thoughts. There is some emphasis on the Ballad of the Windfish when playing some of the sidequests. The game where that song originated was an entire land that was just a dream. Termina is likely a nightmare that Link cannot get out of.

This was the very first game I bought with "my own money" as a young boy. Watching this really brings back the memories and a few tears! Well done!

Nexpo, I hadn't watched this since the marathon when it first uploaded. The intro brought me back to that night and it gave me a creepy vibe/entertaining feeling. Loved it

BRO MAJORAS MASK IS THE SHITTT

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Romani was not "Raped" by the aliens. This is The Legend of Zelda. Not Southpark and the Stick Of Truth for Gods sake.

Man. I genuinely appreciate this video. The information provided, describing the feeling given growing up with the game. And especially including music from the Times End: majoras mask remix by theophany album. This album brings a new life to the already great sound track of the game. Good job man

Your channel is criminally underrated

My new favorite Halloween yet due to you. Thanks man

He Protecc He attacc But most importantly... *HE COME BACC*

Thank you so much for this!! MM is definitely my absolute favorite LOZ game, & my son & I would play this as much as we could, until we beat it. The graphics, the houses, the music... amazing! Loved this ❤️

This is dark atmosphere done right, not that twilight princess artificial stuff