Topic: Discussion: But the hero did not appear...

[Biohazard]

So where do you all think the link of OoT and MM went off to?  Did he finally get defeated...or what killed?  We had a great discussion in teh PGC chat the other day about this and some people had really good responces to this logical explainations as well.  I thought this would be fun to talk about so where do you guys think he went?

[Laser60]

He died of old age.  Either that or some weird STD

~the end~

[mouse_clicker]

Very simple explanation- he didn't exist. At the end of Ocarina of Time, when Zelda sent Link back to "regain his lost time", he split off into an alternate timeline. In HIS timeline, Ganondorf did not exist and hence neither did many of the problems plaguing Hyrule (it'd be kind of silly for Zelda to return Link only to have him repeat everything all over again). All Zelda games except for Majora's Mask take place on the timeline in which Ganon was defeated and banished to the Dark Realm. Majora's Mask chronicles the quest of Link after being "returned" and takes place on the alternate timeline. Because of this, Link phyiscally *doesn't* exist in the timeline going up to Wind Waker because he's on the alternate timeline. That's why he didn't return to defeat Ganon because he couldn't. I assume he lived out the rest of his life in a relatively peaceful Hyrule.

[thejips]

I always thought that at the end of the Ocarina of Time, Link was caught in an endless time loop.

My conception of it was that he killed Ganon, went back in time, before Ganon was defeated, and thus had to redo the whole thing. He may have done it thousands of times. When he got bored, he decided to run away from the time loop...and ended up in Termina, where he probably spent the rest of his days along with Epona.

[enigma487]

well...  if you've played windwaker, i believe the story went...
and the Hero went to other lands to battle evil,
and as he went, the triforce was broken and spread across the land.
people need to pay attention to the story and more detail during game play.
so many questions that people ask could have been answered if people would just pay attention!

[odinfire]

Since were all talking about OoT, I just wanted to comment.  My friends and I were just discussing this.  All throughout Oot Link "seems" to be going back in time but in actuality he is NOT.  OoT sports "reversal" of time rather then actual time travel and this is where Nintendo messes it up.  Link does not travel back in time because if he did he would still be old Link when he goes back.  When Link puts the sword back in he not only goes back to the past but he becomes young again.  His age was reversed.  Therefore any experience he had as old Link "should not" be remembered.  He should not have any items to take back to the past either.  When nintendo set it up so his age reverses his experience should have been reveresed also.  Its actually quite a huge error in the story.  BUT THEN AGAIN HE COULDNT USE THE ITEMS HE COLLECTED IN THE FUTURE IN THE PAST COULD HE.  They explain away Links aging because he slept away 7 years when he originally pulled the sword and thats fine but when he travels back he should still be the same age.  Either way Link should have lost the 7 years of life the sword took away from him.

I mentioned the "infinite time loop" theory in another thread and was made fun of, but if you look very closely at the end of Oot (which I just replayed) you can see clearly that Zelda is upset at the end when she turns around to face link.  She is upset at what she sees in the window.  It really is in fact their first meeting again.  It is a time loop.  It also makes sense why the hero would not show up for wind waker.  In the end of Oot, Gannondorf tells them directly he is going to go after their "decendants" next time.  When looking back its pretty clear that Wind Waker or a true follow up to the timeline would not have the same Link in it.  I dont think Nintendo thought about a timeline until somewhere around LttP or Oot.  I dont think they really cared or thought there would be so many sequels.  I really dont think there is much continuity at least until OoT and WW.  Even WW dosent make sense in that the hero went off to other lands...  I think they were just refering to Majora's Mask.  With the time reversal theory there HAS to be two realitys.  One without Link in which the Hyrule he "rescued" in Oot exists, and the one where he was a kid and Majora's Mask took place.  I really believe that in the end of OoT they intended the time loop theory, but then when they needed a story for Majora's Mask they just threw that away because it wouldnt make sense and it wasnt really explained all the way out in the end of OoT anyway.  They leave us in the dark on purpose.  So we really dont understand what happened.

As far as the original question...  Link is gone, stuck in the time loop, and the legend goes on because he helped the future which the events would allow WW to take place.  Leave it to Zelda to keep messing things up.  She really shouldnt have the triforce of Wisdom because she shows nothing of the sort.  She keeps getting kidnapped, and now she got Link in an infinite bind.  Its funny in WW how Gannondorf just keeps tossing her aside like shes nothing.  But then again I suppose Corruption would always just toss wisdom to the side.      

[Tygerqb12]

I've always thought that the alternate dimension, in which Termina and Majoras Mask occured only existed until Link passed the age where he defeated Ganon, then he returned to the real Hyrule, and main timeline.  I have no proof for this, just read it on some website, and thought it made alot of sense.  As for why the Link didn't appear and Hyrule had to be flooded, I'm not sure.

[GoldShadow1]

"When Link puts the sword back in he not only goes back to the past but he becomes young again. His age was reversed. Therefore any experience he had as old Link "should not" be remembered. He should not have any items to take back to the past either. When nintendo set it up so his age reverses his experience should have been reveresed also. Its actually quite a huge error in the story. "

Why do you say that?  Just because his age changes doesn't mean his memory does.  It's magic, remember?  It doesn't have to follow any rules.  Besides, he was just returning to his normal reality anyway.  The change to Adult Link was the abnormal part.

[ThePerm]

whenever he age reverses it would also affect the time line...sure he lives two lives one in the future and past...but as soon as he returns to the past the future will always be affected. So there has to be a time split. He has to grow up eventually...and that could end up beign several future zelda games...who knows...ganon may end up gtting the triforce anyways.....

[Army_F_body]

If he's stuck in a time loop, wouldn't it be interesting if he is returned to a future timeline to battle evil.  Like Scotty being stuck in the transporter pattern buffer for 80 years in that episode of the next generation.  Could be a good plot for a future game.  Maybe he returns to a world totally enveloped by evil, like the corrupted golden realm of LttP.  It also seems that Nintendo's Zelda timeline only accounts for, OoT, MM and WW.  I wonder what their answer is for the others.  I guess there just alternate realies of the Zelda universe.

[Biohazard]

Quote
Originally posted by: enigma487
well...  if you've played windwaker, i
people need to pay attention to the story and more detail during game play.
so many questions that people ask could have been answered if people would just pay attention!

Whoa, come down there tough guy.  It's called a discussion and the answer is open to all answers not just one, so get off your high horse...anyway very good theries all.  I also agree with Army woudn't it be cool right when our present link was about to be downed OoT Link steps in and downs the enemy.

[couchmonkey]

I agree with enigma.  It seems to me that after Link left Hyrule for Termina (I will ignore questions of what happens at the end of Ocarina of Time, that ending is just WAY to rhetorical and messed-up to go into here)  his portion of the Triforce left his body.  Whether or not he ever returned to Hyrule, he no longer possessed the Triforce, nor did his descendants.  When Ganon returned, nobody was in posession of the Triforce of courage so nobody had the power to fight him.

[Hostile Creation]

Well, for one, he was in an alternate dimension (Termina) for a while, among other things, probably.  He was elsewhere and couldn't help.

[Evilmanman]

(spoilers of OoT)

I am positioned to believe from Majora's mask that when Link was returned to his original age he remembered everything, that is why he went searching for Navi instead of re-opening the temple of time, as he knew that Gannondorf would follow him into the sacred realm and claim the triforce.

Until I played Super smash bros. Melee I thought that after saving Termina Link went searching for Hyrule in a boat, hence the game Link's Awakening, but then I got the Marin Trophy which doesn't look like Zelda.

[Hostile Creation]

Awakening is not at all Hyrule.  I think after the NES game it says he went off to sail the seas for adventure or something like that.  Plus, *spoilers for OoT* Ganon was still locked away in the seal.  Things didn't revert back how they used to be, entirely.