The Mystery of Zelda’s Disappearance - Breath of the Wild Theory

For a hundred years, Zelda restrained the Calamity Ganon. But where was she?

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#Zelda #BreathoftheWild #LegendofZelda

[Zeltik]

Thanks for watching!

(yes, Jonah was inside the whale not Noah, I'm an idiot 😅)

[itsmeyaboi]

Other games: *bad guy locks princess in a castle*

Zelda: uno reverse card!

[chrispork]

To add on, Zelda’s sealing magic may have allowed her to assume a temporary form as a being of light, sealing her physical body in some sort of stasis until Link freed her from Ganon.

[memedumpster]

"...she was one with Ganon, like an antibody latched onto a virus."
"For 100 years, Zelda fought Ganon from within, like a parasite..."

I like that both of these analogies work for Zelda.

[morten]

Ganon: I don't feel very well.

Vati: The flu?

Ganon: Zelda.

[justsomeguy]

So here’s a real question, _who named an island after tingle?_

[lindenbree]

I've heard this idea before, but I like how you pointed out the irony of Zelda being like a parasite, considering how that's been Ganon's mode of assassination several times

[ollievendor]

Imagining zelda, unconscious, meditating, curled up in a little ball in a mass of malice inside ganon for 100 years, holding ganon back and telepathically communicating with link...
She needs a hug.

[ZenkuTheories]

I thought that Zelda being inside Calamity Ganon was pretty obvious, given that she only appears after Link weakens his Dark Beast Ganon form.

[MorganCoffeeBean]

Ganondorf also possessed Zelda in Twilight Princess, so it’s only fitting that she gets a turn

[Fire_Summoner]

Until a voice sung out from the master sword.
Fi: Did you know that Link is nearly dead?

[rayeittastay]

I always thought it was common knowledge that Zelda was inside the Calamity. It seemed pretty obvious when I first played it.

[Joe-ikph]

I always thought that she was inside Ganon, especial since she bursts out of him at the end. I also thought that during the 100 years, she was in her own ethereal form of golden light. Similar to how Link turns into light after freeing each divine beast. How does Link do that anyway? Is it his own power, or does Zelda do it for him?

[CanadianBagle]

Youtube: This video has 5 comments
Me: Can I see them?
YouTube: See what?

[memedumpster]

_A chronological breakdown of this theory's presentation._

1:08 Cite popular theories, putting this one relevant to Zelda in context of the larger ecosystem of theories
.

1:25 Summarize Zelda's background and journey through the memories - providing his own descriptive interpretation of these events
.

3:38 Quickly recap the key present-day interactions between Link and Zelda (which match our own observations as the player).

4:33 Pose the motivating question - “Where Was Zelda?” and discuss key observations to pique the viewer's interest.
Observation 1): The nature of Zelda's conflict with the Calamity appears quite different from the nature of Link’s conflicts throughout the wilds of Hyrule.
Observ 2) Zelda doesn’t appear to have aged in 100 years.
Observ 3) Link also didn’t age in these 100 years, but we know this is because of his “stasis” in the Shrine of Resurrection.
Observ 4) Zelda's location is never explained in-game.
Observ 5) All of Zelda’s communication with Link throughout the game is telepathic.
Observ 6) Zelda is wearing the same clothes - which are in identical condition - as the day she approached the Calamity.

5:28 Explore an existing answer in the community: End-game Zelda "isn't real, but a spirit, like...the Champions."
5:59 Assert unlikelihood of this answer (being careful to never declare the idea outright incorrect) and provide a key observation justifying its unlikelihood.
Observ 7) In the BotW2 trailer, Zelda has a haircut - a very physical change.
6:24 Provide a comparison which lends some credibility to this interpretation before moving on.
Observ 8) King Rhoam also displayed comprehensive physical changes in his old man disguise.

6:32 Explore another possibility, introducing it by linking observations that have already been shown/brought up:
Zelda was nowhere to be seen in the castle, yet (5) she's able to communicate telepathically with Link, so “another possibility is that Zelda was actually in another dimension, such as the Sacred Realm..."
7:00 Substantiate this possibility.
Claim: Zelda’s connection to the Triforce in BotW is clear.
Observ 9) The Triforce insignia appears each time Zelda uses her divine magic.
Temporarily proceed with the idea that this claim is likely true.
Borrow an assumption from established lore: With the power of the full Triforce, sealing herself in the Sacred Realm for a century wouldn't be a stretch.
Justify assumption with connections.
Observ 10) Zelda's last action before facing the Calamity was to put the Master Sword in its pedestal.
Connections: OoT Link and SS Link accessed the Sacred Realm by placing the MS in pedestals.
7:42 Explore problems with this possibility.
Claim: (2) and (6) contradict what we know about the Sacred Realm:
Observ 11) OoT Link was sealed in the Sacred Realm specifically _to age._
Observ 12) BotW Zelda faced the Calamity in her physical body, implying that placing the MS in its pedestal clearly didn’t take her to the Sacred Realm.

8:17 Explore evidence for the final possibility; cue ♪ Attack on Vah Ruta ♪ to build the suspense.
Observ 13) The golden light at the heart of the castle shines brightly when Zelda speaks telepathically to Link at the top of the 1st Sheikah Tower.
Observ 14) The golden light within Ganon’s cocoon shines brightly when Zelda speaks just before the final fight.
Connect observations: "The game seems to suggest that Zelda's voice comes within the cocoon with Ganon."
(Seemingly) Contradictory observation: Only Ganon falls out of the broken cocoon.
8:49 Pose this final possibility as a question: Is she in Ganon? and explore further.
KEY OBSERV 15) Recap the end of Rhoam's retelling of the Calamity in great detail, highlighting how the Calamity lunges at Zelda with jaws open.
KEY OBSERV 16) Robbie's memoirs begin with: "Let me start from the beginning. It was 100 years ago. Calamity Ganon had already _swallowed_ Princess Zelda.”

9:51 *Assert previous possibilities as false and final possibility as fact.*
_"Zelda's absence isn't unexplained. Nor was she within the Sacred Realm or in an unseen chamber within Hyrule Castle. She was inside Ganon, consumed by his Malice."_

10:04 Reinterpret the fight against Dark Beast Ganon, using this final possibility as an explanation for all the nuances in the fight; cue ♪ Dark Beast Ganon Battle ♪ for maximum emotional impact.
KEY CONNECTION 1) Working from within explains how she projected the weak spots. Analogize to virus to further illustrate the point.
KEY CONN 2) Working from within explains how she exposed the Malice eye for the final blow.
KEY CONN 3) Link's final blow on the Malice eye _immediately precedes_ the moment Zelda bursts free from the Dark Beast.
KEY CONN 4) Link's final blow on the Malice eye hits _the precise location_ from which Zelda bursts free from the Dark Beast.

11:31 Explore oddities of this theory by exploring the difference between Zelda being physically within vs. spiritually within the Calamity.
12:09 Reemphasize the consequences of this theory on the game's adventure.
12:21 Conclude with the irony of Ganon being infected by a divine parasite.
_Drop the f*cking mic._

[weshuiz]

Kirby: eats

Luigi gets sucked in a painting by bowser

Gannon eats zelda
*whats up with nintendo and vore?*

[Mistupishi]

This is going to be a long comment.
Unrelated from the content of this video and maybe pointless for many of you, but I hope Zeltik will read it because it's a sincere message of appreciation for his work. I've waited so long to write something because I'm usually an observer and I don't like to grab attention.
People saying that the point of this video was pretty obvious... it is indeed.
But I want to point out something else: the talent of Zeltik in writing and storytelling, and his beautiful voice. English is not my native language, I'm Italian and I live in Italy, but I like Zelda universe and I love English language since my childhood when my mother, an English teacher at that time, fed me with everything related to English culture, from British lullabies to the story of the american independence war.
I don't have many occasions to practice with my English in everyday life, so I search as many online contents as I can in English language rather than Italian.
By doing this, I finally found your channel, Zeltik, and I want to tell you that you have one of the clearest voices I've heard in my life (ever considered the idea of recording audiobooks?). I swear I can understand, without subtitles, every single word in every single video you upload, and even if I don't know the meaning of a specific word, I can understand the spelling so I can search for it.
Everything you decide to share with us is a gift, especially for me and my desire to improve my comprehension of your beautiful language, and to learn more about Zelda universe, of course!
I remember we used to write fake letters to imaginary pen-friends during English lessons, at school.
Now I'm writing one to a real person trying to do my best in not making mistakes, and sorry if I did.
Your videos are made with love and passion, and are free to watch for all of us.
Thank you sincerely, your foreign follower.

[robotmaster]

Zelda being inside ganon sounds like a title for something found on the hub.

[ManyPlay]

Ganon: How can I get out there?
Zelda: I gotta get in there
Link: Coma

[TheHylianBogatyr]

“Like Noah inside the whale” you mean Jonah?