Daily Debate: What Zelda Boss Has The Most Mysterious Origins?
Posted on May 31 2020 by Alexandria Weber
Meant to evoke fear and uncertainty into the player, bosses in the Zelda series are meant to challenge the courage of Link, and consequentially the player. As Link encounters otherwise insurmountable feats for such a young swordsman, feeling out of one’s depth has the reward of a sense of accomplishment and a building confidence when a boss is defeated.
The initial fear and intimidation across the series, however, is helped not only by the size or power of a boss but also by the unfamiliarity and mystery. This is why each Zelda game has a new string of bosses, to remind the player that this is an adventure they haven’t been on before and to pull players in on account of their curiosity. Some bosses have the context of their respective dungeon like the Death Sword in Twilight Princess, or of their backstory like Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, but most bosses only have their appearances to judge by.
How Ganon transformed into malice and the subsequent creation of Calamity Ganon remains a mystery that may be explained in Breath of the Wild 2. However, I think that the boss with the most mysterious origins is Majora’s Mask and the incarnation and wrath that follows during the fight. The mask itself is said to be hailed from a mysterious and long-forgotten tribe that used it in ancient rituals. Before the events of Majora’s Mask, it was secreted away to avoid further catastrophe and it is unknown how the Happy Mask Salesman got a hold of it, or how it seemed to take on a life of its own.
What do you think is the most mysterious boss? Do you prefer for the mystery to be maintained? Let us know in the comments below!
Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!
