Daily Debate: How Do You Think the Kokiri Were Able to Attend the Party at Lon Lon Ranch During Ocarina of Time’s Credits?
Posted on August 10 2024 by Nick Miller
Within every Zelda game are mysteries, things that the player is left clues towards, but that are never fully explained. These mysterious entice the player, spurring exploration and speculation. They help make the world feel lived in and larger than the scope of the game’s story by showing that things happen outside of what’s directly relevant to Link or Zelda, and that the player isn’t always owed an explanation for it.
From the secrets that lie beneath Kakariko Village to the monstrous claw marks on the tree at Lake Hylia, few games contain as much mystery and intrigue as Ocarina of Time. However, not all of Ocarina‘s mysteries are grim, as evidenced by the presence of the Kokiri at Lon Lon Ranch during the game’s epilogue.
It is established early in Ocarina of Time that the Kokiri will die if they leave the forest. Players were surely met with surprise then when the Kokiri were shown joining the party at Lon Lon Ranch after Ganondorf is defeated. If the Great Deku Tree was honest in this assertion that leaving the forest spells death, then how is it possible that the Kokiri were there? What explanation can rectify this inconsistency with established lore?
The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia by Dark Horse Comics, though not entirely canon, offers one explanation. It says:
The Kokiri are told that they will die if they leave the forest, but that is because they will age in places the Deku Tree’s power does not reach. After the Sage of Forest revives and the child of the Deku Tree is born, they become able to venture outside of the forest they had been confined in for so long.
I find this explanation unsatisfactory for a few reasons. First, it doesn’t explain what changed with the new Deku Tree Sprout that now allows the Kokiri to leave. Did the Great Deku Tree make that rule, and the Deku Tree Sprout decided to change it? Was the Great Deku Tree lying to the Kokiri in order to keep them safe within his forest? Does the Deku Tree Sprout’s anti-aging magic have a wider reach than its predecessor? Nothing offered explains why this change in guard would broaden the Kokiri’s range beyond the forest.
Second, the Deku Tree Sprout tells Link that his friends don’t recognize him because “the Kokiri never grow up! Even after seven years, they’re still kids.” So, if the Kokiri were able to maintain their youthful glow because of the power of the Deku Tree, then why didn’t they age in the time between when the Deku Tree died and when the Sprout emerged? If they only remain children because of the Deku Tree’s power, then they should have aged right along with Link.
Furthermore, the Deku Tree Sprout tells Link that he aged because he is a Hylian. If leaving the forest didn’t cause instant death to the Kokiri, but rather caused them to age (as the Encyclopedia suggests), then the explanation of Link being a Hylian isn’t satisfactory because he would have aged regardless of whether he was a Hylian or a Kokiri.
So, what’s your theory behind this mystery? How do you think the Kokiri were able to attend the party at Lon Lon Ranch during Ocarina of Time’s credits? Does this moment mark the Kokiri’s first time leaving the forest, setting in motion their transformation into Koroks that freely roam Hyrule? Are the events of the credits even canonical? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Nick is a writer for Zelda Dungeon and a longtime fan of the Zelda franchise. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, archery, skateboarding, and some good ol’ fashioned family time. He’s an advocate for physical media and an avid video game collector. His favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, though Breath of the Wild and the Link’s Awakening remake are close contenders. His other favorite video games series include Kingdom Hearts, Fallout, and Ratchet & Clank.
