The BEST Side Quest in Zelda History 

This side quest is so good it feels like if you didn't complete it, you didn't actually experience Majora's Mask.

I always loved that when you wore the Couple's Mask and spoke to the Happy Mask Salesman, he would give you his normal assessment of the mask's history, but then would suddenly chuckle and say: "You must have gone through a lot of trouble to acquire that mask!" It's like the game is acknowledging that it threw a lot at you for the side quest and you deserve to feel proud for successfully completing it. 🥰

"That's the Postman's Hat, isn't it? That is a fine thing. It is filled with the joy of freedom."

The possibility that Kafei is unfaithful is hinted at in the names... Kafei and Cremia... coffee and cream! The developers and writers didn't miss a beat on this quest!

One particular scene that always stayed with me is the moments between Cremia and Romani on the last day. Cremia let’s Romani drink the Chateau Romani and when Romani asks why? Cremia tells her that “she’s grown up and old enough to try it.” Then later tells her to sleep on her bed together that night because she knows the moon is going to fall and it will probably be the last time they live. I felt Cremia’s love and sadness in that scene as well as trying to keep Romani happy and ignorant of their upcoming deaths so she can be a hold her innocent kid nature just a little longer Moments like these along with all the other character moments and side quests makes this game a freaken masterpiece ❤

I love how in Majoras mask the butterfly effect is a major key factor when it comes to side quest.

i think anju felt the most pain of all when that umbrella pole went right through her face

I love how after saving clock town we see that EVERYONE's story in this quest gets resolved instead of us having to choose between who gets hurt and who gets helped

I adore this quest and it took me YEARS to realize that the couples mask depicts a couple embracing rather than just some weird runic symbol. Also the last thing they say to you as the moon is about to hit will always stay with me. "We will greet the moring togethter." No matter what that morning is- what matters is that they are together now.

I always saw Kafei as an alternate reality Link. He gets to actually live a life of peace, find love into adulthood, only to be regressed into a child instead of sped into adulthood. To top it off, you actually get to play as him. There are far too many parallels

I would argue that anju/kafei is the main quest, and the whole moon thing is just a distraction along the way. As you noted, the first thing we see at the start of every cycle is kafei dropping his letter in the box. MM is a weird and beautiful game.

Whenever I replay Majora's Mask I like to make this the absolute last thing I do. That way Kafei and Anju are reunited when Link defeats Majora.

I will never not be mad that they didn't show an adult version of Kafei at the end of the game. It makes me Furious.

If Anju being willing to wait for Kafei in Clocktown knowing that the moon is about to destroy the town isn't love, I don't know what is

I remember playing Majora's Mask for the first time and coming across her crying on the bench on the second day. As a young girl I really empathized with her & I was so determined to help her out.

I saw the title and was immediately like "Anju and Kafei. Has to be." And it was. Let's go! Now to watch the rest of the video.

Anju and Kafei are what definitively made me fall in love with narrative design. And now, years after playing, I am actually a game designer with a specialisation in narrative design

I'm surprised you didn't mention what happens if you forget to give Anju the Pendant of Memories before going to help Kafei when you were talking about optional scenes associated with this quest. Kafei enters the room, walks over to the mannequin holding Anju's dress and mask, and just stands in front of it. It's so heartbreaking to realize at the last moment that you screwed up in this way. Especially with what Kafei says if you talk to him there. "Isn't her bridal dress lovely? We promised each other when we were children that we'd marry on the day of the Carnival of Time. ...But my promise... I couldn't keep it." Kafei was so close, but Anju was already gone, and it's your fault because you carelessly forgot about the precious item Kafei had entrusted to you.

Man, I knew this side quest was huge, but I had no idea that there was this much content!

This is easily my favorite quest in the Legend of Zelda. My favorite part has to be when you watch The Postman run off, it's just so heartwarming!

All these years later and people are still talking about Majoras Mask and the stories it tells.❤

this has always been my favorite Zelda sidequest along with tarrey town from BOTW, and I constantly reset Majora's Mask right after completing the quest and leaving anju and kafei together

Idk if you're gonna mention it. But the VERY FIRST thing I noticed when they've been reunited, is the parallels with Link leaving a child and coming back as adult, and then ultimately going back to child while everyone he knew and loved is now an adult.

Wow! I learned soo much more about this quest line than I thought I knew! Makes me have a lot of respect for characters I thought were insignificant. Seeing the way anju handled her grief was just heartbreaking... These characters are all made of polygons and yet that pose of her crying on her bed was something I literally experienced myself just a few days ago...it's so real

Really clever how Kafei is an adult who is turned into a kid by the Skull Kid. Coming off of being adult Link and having all the endgame power of OOT, it makes you really identify with him. Plus he's one of very few characters other than link to wear a mask and I can't think of a 3d Zelda where you control someone other than Link, or can't think of a moment offhand.

And to think, this sidequest might not even exist, including all of these small, intriguing details, if Yoshiaki Koizumi wasn't allowed on the team in a desperate struggle to meet that 1 year deadline. God Bless that man, and the whole 1998-2000 Zelda team. This game is truly special. Even if it is the lesser *game* out of the N64 duology, it is the far superior *experience*. I'm keeping this masterpiece until my grave. 😅

This is indeed the best quest in all of Zelda and the best game in franchise bar none. I played it in the mid to late 00's, somewhere around there, on the gamecube. I didn't have internet so i had to really put in some effort to work through the quest but i quite enjoyed it and to this day i hold MM in highest regard for making me feel for the people of clock town. Not just Anju and Kafei but for everyone. This town feels alive and real because everyone's lives are stitched together, this feels like a real place.

Very thorough! It could only be that one. I've had to make alterations to fit my own adaptation, but I hope to one day make it justice differently in a more faithful, intimate way. You've also made me realize that I didn't know the Mayor is likely aware of Kafei's whereabouts! I would like to add a little detail: When Romani talks about Cremia, she doesn't specify who it is that she likes, not even their gender: "My sister, Cremia, has >someone< in town she likes... But >that person< will get married the day of the carnival." And when Cremia opens up to Link, she lingers on Anju's name, not Kafei's. In fact, Kafei is never mentioned in what sounds like Cremia letting something off her chest: "In town...I have a friend. >Her< name's >AnjuAnjuher< wedding." The only time Cremia mentions Kafei is when you ask her directly with Kafei's Mask. She says "Kafei isn't here" with a face of bored exasperation at Madame Aroma's digging. Understandably, as you said, she doesn't want to be seen as a homewrecker, but that lack of emotion seems to indicate she has absolutely no interest in Kafei in the first place. Romani adds "It's hard for my sister... Going into town..." Would it be hard because Kafei is there, or is it because Anju is there? In the inn right next to the bar where Cremia delivers the milk? Even though Anju's mother assumes that Kafei may have run off with Cremia, and even if it were implied that Kafei might have had feelings for her in the past, when I hear it from Cremia herself I can't really shake the impression that this might be a situation of unrequited, probably even unconfessed feelings from Cremia towards Anju. It may very well not be the case, but the way the Romani sisters talk about it doesn't really fit well with everything else otherwise.

The way Kafei is just speechless at you if Sakon sees you and flees 😭

Every time I play Majora's Mask, whenever I feel ready to take on Majora, I always go through a full 3-day cycle to complete (or re-complete) this questline before heading to the top of the clock tower. This quest feels so emotionally charged that it makes the struggle against Majora feel even more intense.

All the sidequest NPCs being interconnected is also a reason I like Elden Ring so much. On the subject of this being the best Zelda sidequest I find it hard to disagree even if I tried to. Only other one that comes to mind is the trading quest from OoT but even then, while iconic, it doesn't measure up. This really is a master class in worldbuilding and character writing.

I did this quest at one point while going for 100% masks, and after a few more cycles I was ready to face Majora but felt that it wouldn't be right if Anju and Kafei didn't receive their happy ending in the "canon" cycle, so even though I knew it made no difference, I did the whole quest a second time over before going to the moon

The attention to detail is what really sells Majoras Mask for me. When I was just a little kid, too stupid to progress through the main plot, let alone through the side quests, I spent most of my playtime exploring clock town. Observing the citizens and their interactions makes the town feel like a real community.

Finally a new analysis video of my favorite quest from my favorite game of all time. I cannot describe how important Majora's Mask is to me, but most of all how much I adore the people in Termina, and this quest encompasses this more than any other. Great job!

I think the Quest also is a life lesson. No matter how hard you try, you can't help everyone. Some sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. Majora's mask is such a great game whereever you look it's filled with cleverly thought out details. Nothing actually feels pointless when you really dive into it. It might had the shortest developement circle but the team created what might be the most inspiring game of all time. You really can live in that 72 hour world. You can trace every step these characters take, you can talk to them and they will give you more dialogue everytime you come around. The least characters are static and even the characters you first experience as "unlikeable" have moments that might turn your view upside down. The Gorman brothers for example. Rough guys who actually miss their brother. While their brother sees failure after failure and tries his best to maintain what he has, of course he's grumpy because of it but later in the milkbar you find out he's got a softspot after all. My personal favorite is the Ranch side quest line (like the entire ranch, from helping the cucco farm to rescuing the sister's from being abducted to delivering the milk) It's a lesser known thing that Romani returns on the 2nd day, past 6 I think not quite sure but a little bit later in the day. Most players who struggle a tad bit on their first playthrough as the game gives you little directions might find Romani on day 3 and become confused about her and feel sorry for her (at least I did) Aaaaah there's so many details, so many things that happen every day, the main quest in Majora's mask is great no doubt but there's just so much more, no pointless quest... every quest feels like it requires a hero to help it really is my favorite for everything

ngl, failing this quest results in a more emotional outcome than succeeding in it. i remember the feeling of dread when i realized that kafei was going to be stuck in sakon's hideout while anju waits for him until the end.

Gorgeous and well-produced video!! Makes me want to play Majora's Mask again :P

One thing I always thought about was Link’s reaction to Kafei….maybe the hero of time jumped to help because he saw himself in Kafei. A man trapped in a child’s body, and how hard it is to live with secrets you can’t share….

This may be the best Zelda analysis video I've watched. I got Majora's Mask the day it came out in America, and I've played through at least 20-30 times since then. I always 100% the game, which means that I've done this sidequest twice for every playthrough. I went into the video thinking that I wouldn't learn anything, so I was shocked at just how much more there was to this. Most of the stuff with Anju's mother or Cremia, I had not seen. And I had certainly never seen the other outcome of Kafei returning to Clock Town. While I've always found parts of this sidequest tedious, I do think it qualifies as the best Zelda sidequest. Thanks for showing me something new!

Thank you for mentioning the cons to this side quest. I’ll never forget the first time Sakon saw me and I stayed there until the moon crashed because I was in straight denial that I really ruined the quest. 😭

Amazing video. Yeah, I can't think of sidequest I like better in zelda. I like helping Batreaux become human in SS, but it's not really a contest. MM is my favorite game because the writing is so good. The world feels more alive than in most games today, even though it's graphically outdated.

You made a good point about how easy it is to miss those small scenes and put together some of the clues. I've 100%ed Majora at least a dozen times in my life and somehow never put the pieces together that Anju's mom lied about her husband dying to protect Anju from the truth. This game was such a masterpiece in creating a fleshed out world, full of real people - people with fears, anxieties, struggles... Ugh, I want to play it again now!

Oh damn, I got to see pretty much all of the hidden cutscenes, EXCEPT the mailman writing himself a letter to flee. As someone also obsessed with schedules, just not to the same degree as him, that just hurtssss

I said it when the game first came out, and I've said it ever since (and this video obviously nailed it) - this side quest is so multi-faceted and in-depth and required such an interesting manipulation of times and events that it really just transcends any other "side quest" in the series. What an absolute thrill it was to finally see it through to the end for the very first time.

I did this side quest in the cycle where I completed the game. When I saw Anju in her wedding dress stood outside clock town during the end credits.. I LOST it 🥺 she looked stunning

The moment I saw the title, I knew exactly which one you were referring to, because I still remember it, decades later. Completing it more or less demonstrates that you understand all the mechanics of the game and have already devoted a large amount of time into understanding the game and it's world.

Definitely my favorite sidequest. It makes full use of the game's clock system, and spaces out events accordingly. There is something to do all 3 days. I also like the detail of Cremia saying "Did a middle aged woman put you up to this?" like she knows Anju's mother has been spreading rumors about her. At the wedding scene in the credits, Cremia stands on Kafei's side and not Anju's side, even though she is Anju's friend. This may be due to some bitter feelings she has towards Anju's mother.

I can definitely relate to having my face impaled by an umbrella 3:53 those days are the worst 🌂

So glad my first playthrough of Majora's Mask was a 100% one, felt like I truly got to understand so much about the game and how it was made yet this video showed me things I still missed! MM is such a special game in so many wonderful ways and still brings me so many emotions despite being such an old game

Majoras Mask & Breath of the Wild are the two games with the biggest difference between how little you can do in order to complete the game & how much there is to experience if you 100% it. BotW has some comparable side quests like the ones for the Ancient Cycle or the final memory, but even compared to them this sidequest is still my favourite to experience even though it doesn't yield my favourite rewards.

What's truly amazing about this, is the time crunch the Majoras Mask team was under, yet they put so much thought and effort into the side characters and side quests. Tripple A games that have an excess amount of time dont even do that. (Asside from a select few, like Red Dead Redemption 2)

This has always been my most favorite side quest, Majoras Mask is my favorite game, and I love that I love this quest so much I already knew basically every detail mentioned in this video lol

Chateau Romani is a pretty solid quest reward if you ask me. On top of the extra storage, one of those drinks gives you infinite mana until you reset to day 1. That's pretty major to have going into the final boss if you don't acquire Fierce Deity's mask.

This side quest definitely fed into my reasons for loving MM so much. I've had people argue with me that the whole of Termina is too small, but this quests highlights the fact that, like the Yakuza games, you can turn a corner and see something happening with fair regularity, rather than walking or running for five minutes to reach an event that may or not only last about a minute. As you say in this video, the quest has layers and depth, with different outcomes and further detail beyond the singular narrative you go on. It takes an approach seen more in games like The Witcher III where you aren't simply running to points A and B and A again with a simple, sometimes time-consuming objective, but rather you start at A, and go on a journey through points B or C, D or E, and all the way to your conclusion. I wish more quests, not just in Zelda but in games in general, tried to give their quests more to do than your standard fetch or slay quests. I get wanting to make a game take longer because you made huge maps or the devs were told to make the game take as long as possible, but having quests like Kafei and Anju make the world feel more lived-in. It helps us care more about these characters or their plight. This quest alone made Clocktown seem bigger, fuller even, than some large-scale cities we see in RPGs or Adventure type games. Quests like this are my bread and butter. That is why Kafei and Anju will live on as my favorite Zelda quest.

Before watching the video: My personal favorite is the Gilded Sword followed by the Bomb Mask guy and his two options. Specifically the second where you blow him up.

Did anyone finish this without looking it up I feel even while looking it, everytime I play it btw, there's still stress and prompts a breath of fresh air

I got the game in english as a 7 or 8 years young spanish speaker, took me like 10 years to complete this quest all by myself just playing and trying things, worth it all. Amazing memories fr.

My first playthrough. I had no idea what was going in. Took me many multiple cycles to get to salons cave. Then.. I had no idea what I was doing.. and i was on a timer I figured it out too late. Nothing has scarred me so hard. Love it

It's so dynamic! What an incredible interpretation, I love this!

21:38 "Honestly you don't know pain until you've failed to retrieve the Sun's Mask, or, even worse, if Sakon sees you outside his hideout and flees because you didn't realize you weren't fully hidden." Here's a third one: I was (stupidly) doing this sidequest alongside the sidequest to acquire Romani's Mask alongside the Great Bay Temple questline, in a run to see how much I could get done in as few cycles as possible (tip: if you talk to Anju in the kitchen on the Night of the First Day, drop the letter in the nearest mailbox, then warp to Milk Road and run like a bat outta hell to Romani Ranch, you can get there in time for the ghosts). I had just finished collecting all the Zora eggs from Pinnacle Rock on the evening of the Second Day, and I only realized what time it was after I'd reunited the seahorses: around 4pm. I had to swim straight to wherever the closest land was so I could stand on dry land to pull out my guitar and warp to Milk Road: 5:50pm. Right as I got to Milk Road, it turned night, 6pm, and the gate across the road appeared in front of me, forcing me to switch to Goron Link and roll through the Gorman Brothers' Track to get around it: 6:30pm. I got into Romani Ranch, rolled to where Cremia was waiting in her wagon, took off the Goron Mask: 6:50pm. As I was walking up to her, I hit the A button too early and rolled instead of talking to her, and before I could get up and try to talk to her again, it turned to 7pm *AND SHE LEFT.* I chased her all the way to the gate trying to talk to her the whole way but you apparently can't, I was Z-targeting her but never got the Talk prompt, and as soon as we went through the warpzone to Milk Road, she was fucking gone. I finished the rest of the Great Bay Temple questline, met with the Curiosity Shop Guy to get the Priority Mail and the Keaton Mask, restored the Great Bay Great Fairy, did the dress rehearsal with the Indigo-Gos, and I was still able to squeeze in giving the Priority Mail to the Postman to get the Postman's Hat (but I wasn't able to go in and see the cutscene/read the dialogue because I didn't have Romani's Mask). I had to do the ghost questline aaallll over again in the next cycle with a new run of the Anju/Kafei questline

_I’m sorry, Anju, can’t you see?_ 🎶 _You’re just not the girl for me_

I was always certain that the actual secret was Cremia actually had a crush on her best friend Anju and that's why she was so sad about her getting married to Kafei. In that cutscene on the evening of the second day when you take the milk to town with Cremia, she specifically says Anju's name when's she mentions the marriage that she's talking about so mournfully. I just think it's a lot more interesting of a twist that would add even more depth to the story, because then you have not only a "love triangle", but one that is completely misinterpreted by those around them, which just adds yet another layer to the story overall. I love this interpretation because there's no hard evidence that can disprove it, and leaving players to piece things together for themselves is part of what makes this game so great.

The Anju and Kafei quest is troublesome because it can drag on, but I really appreciate how it fully engages the entirety of the time loop mechanic of the game. The loop has a lot of gameplay implications, but this quest has among the strongest narrative implications. The fact that the second best quest involving multiple days is the Romani Ranch quest which has substantial overlap with the Anju and Kafei quest.

This quest is so important that it's literally a main story element of the Majora's Mask element and even ends with them reuniting at the clock tower just before the final battle. This quest hits me emotionally on a deep level and is one of the many reasons why Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda. It just feels so nuanced and human, especially if you read between the lines such as Kafei's relationship with his mother and father, the hints of the love triangle with Cremia and Anju, and that final line "We'll greet the morning... together."

This video is so timely as I'm currently playing through this side quest. I also agree that it is the best Zelda side quest! It's very interesting to understand all the character threads in this story

yo i love your videos man. just found the channel today on my homepage, love the zelda content always. also agree that this is the greatest zelda sidequest in history. i love majora's mask

The whole Bombers book made Majora's Mask. It was a sidequest full of sidequests that were as important as the main quest.

The mailman is probably my favorite part of the quest, so glad you put him in the thumbnail 🥰

Thanks so much for this video. Wish i could see or read 100%all interactions and dialogue of everyone involved. Loved the vid, made me shed a tear. Thanks again.

This side quest felt so great to complete!! Majora's Mask is also my favorite Zelda 3D game easily!! This game is also the last game my Grandma watched me playthrough 100% not long before she passed away. She even taught me how to memorize the songs and thanks to her I do that with every game I play

Thank you for making this video. This is my favorite quest but I was always so nervous when making it because I never wanted to make mistakes. I didn't think of all of the possibilities. Majoras Mask is truly a detailed masterpiece.

Thank you for the amazing breakdown! I had no idea this side quest had so many branching paths that led to so much more info to build up the finale!

Love the multiple stories and the many different ways it can go based on how you interact with the characters

This is a fantastic video! Great job!

Amazing video, thank you for taking me back to my childhood!:)

Cremia’s crush could be read as being on anju, making the mistaken belief all the more bitter. If you are into that kinda thing

Wow I missed a lot, thank you for making this video!

Thank you for revealing so much. Nice job.

Majoras mask is my favourite in the series. Functionally not the best but i'll always have a soft spot for it as it is literally the first game i ever played. (I had no idea what i was doing was 4 years old at the time) love it to bits and yout video makes me love it all the more. Brilliant analysis bravo sir!🙏🏾🙌🏾

I'm learning so much from this video I don't think I knew about the Postman's letter to himself I didn't know Anju's dad abandoned the family I didn't know Anju's grandma was her *paternal* grandma There are so many layers here

I always do this sidequest when I play the game. I set it so that I can grab the postman's hat on the first cycle that Link is back to hylian form and the chateau Romani right before going to the moon :) I love the tension it adds to the usual narrative, to do it alongside dungeons... knowing that you have to finish or be out of a dungeon at certain times just to catch timed events. It's also satisfying to collect so many masks during the first cycle you have as a hylian. I even use tricks like using bombs to get Goron Link past fences that can only be jumped over as Epona so I can collect all the regular transformation masks and the Stone mask too. It's really fun :D

I feel like I should mention on behalf of the fandom that the game never specifies that Cremia's crush is on Kafei; that ambiguity plus some of Cremia's dialogue lead some to believe her crush is on Anju. It's a debate/theory from the old forum days

Genuinely one of my all time favourite video game quests!

Majora's Mask is, hands down, my favorite Zelda game. A strong contender for my favorite game, period. Even the minor side characters have a way of drawing you in, making you feel for them. No game has ever drawn me to complete it as organically as Majora's Mask did. I *wanted* everyone to have their happy ending.

Great deep dive!

This video made a really strong case for me to put Majora's Mask next on my list of Zelda games

Great video. It is truly an amazing game and this quest is one of the best. I had heard the theory that Cremia has a Crush on Anju and not Kafei. But I don't recall the bits of dialogue that hint at this

I learnt so much about this quest, despite it's my favorite game and I already 100% it twice ! Thanks a lot, this amazing story deserves honour !

The observatory music is one of my favorites

Majoras mask has the greatest side quests in all zelda games and is such an underrated game.

Awesome channel, subbed! Keep it up!

I've always had a theory that Anju's father and Cremia's mother had an affair and ran off together. That's why Anju's mother is so bitter and suspicious of Cremia.

Awesome video, man

Amazing Video!

12:40 - sacrilege to talk over that melody!

I'm sure the entire script to this game has been dumped somewhere or other. What I wanna know is whether or not anyone has catagorized where you're able to find every piece of dialogue (obvious exceptions to any that've been dummied out). This would be especially helpful to know given the sheer amount of variables you could get out of characters reacting to your different masks.

I love how there aren't just two outcomes from the sakon and bomb lady interaction. i.e. Recovering the bombs or letting them be stolen (to do anju & kafei quest) There's also the worst of the 3: Killing sakon, locking you out of both

"Save one man, save the entire world." Came to mind regarding this quest.

Glad you acknowledged how punishing this game can be. Needing to run through a large chunk of a quest all because of a tricky part isn't fun! When I was playing, I committed myself to 100% completion...and that meant the Goron race. Well, after a while, I finally beat it...and then found out at the forge that I was too late. That one detail that is seriously easy to forget meant I had to do the race again. Almost immediately, I started to wonder if I also had to do the whole second dungeon again too because I had to unfreeze the Goron region again. Thankfully, there was a way to transport to the final boss. But that still meant that I had to travel all the way to the dungeon from Clocktown, beat Goat, AND once again beat the Goron race. But in reality, I think, unless I had beaten the dungeon within a single game day, I would've had to do beat Goat again anyway. So, the game kind of punishes you for playing it right! It was wildly infuriating. If the story and theme of the game wasn't so freaking good, as well as fun of searching for things like heart pieces, this would be one of my least favourite Zelda games.

What you're talking about in this video, is the same reason I always loved the Circus Leader's Mask even though it's completely useless. Well, it DOES have a use, but it can only be used in an event you need to have already beaten to get it, but to me that means it has no actual use. It's only purpose is to give a little bit of depth to the Gorman Brothers. You have these three rude, obnoxious jerks, and that's all they are, until you get that mask. You learn one of them was once inspired to go into show-business because he heard a song as a kid, was inspired, and wanted to meet the people who sang it, and has long-since forgotten that because his life has been hard. Then you have his two brothers, who you learn actually love their middle sibling very much, miss him, feel bad that his life is going hard, envy how he went into show business, and even deep down regret how they've wasted their lives being nothing more than thieves and thugs. It's a really nice little bit of humanization for them.