Find Out Why the Master Sword Kills Link in this Breath of the Wild Theory
Posted on November 05 2018 by Alexis S. Anderson
Coming upon something as significant as the Master Sword in Breath of the Wild was extremely gratifying. However, those who found the sword too early in their playthroughs were met with more pain than glee as the sword drained them of their hearts rather than be pulled from the stone. But why, after all these games of implicitly trusting Link to wield it, did this Master Sword harm him? Youtube’s Newbornkilik offers a handful of theories in his recent video.
Newbornkilik’s first theory suggests that Calamity Ganon may have eliminated the Wind and Earth sages, and that the blade loses much of its power once those sages can no longer send it their prayers. For this reason, the sword needs to be charged up and it supplements its power by taking the lifeforce of whoever tries to pull it from its pedestal. In line with that thinking, he posits that though the sword may use the hearts of the unworthy as an external source of power, Fi’s benevolence keeps it from instantly draining potential wielders– giving them a chance to let go if they aren’t strong enough.
He wonders also if Fi has the ability to determine whether the person attempting to wield the Master Sword is worthy, and has decided that Link is not because he failed in his first confrontation with Calamity Ganon. Another interesting angle is that after his defeat, Link may be more motivated by a desire for vengeance than by purely noble intentions. In A Link to the Past it’s stated that the sword requires one who is pure of heart to wield it– so this could be why Link’s rejected at first, as well.
The same quote in A Link to the Past also requires one to be strong of body, so Newbornkilik’s most plausible theory is that the sword really just needs Link to prove he’s stronger now than he was during his first encounter with Calamity Ganon. This makes sense, as Link’s whole journey in this game is about gaining the strength necessary for this showdown and his hearts are a reflection of how long the player has been working toward that goal.
A rather silly, but fun theory is that if Breath of the Wild comes after Twilight Princess in the timeline, Link’s bloodline couldn’t been tainted by the Shadow Crystal that Link had in his body during that game. This might confuse the Master Sword and, detecting darkness, it fights against Link before realizing he’s the chosen hero.
Finally, Newbornkilik shares the idea that the sword was still in recovery in the woods, and that it needed Link’s lifeforce to get it into working order or used it as a safeguard against those who would try to destroy it while in its weakened state.
Well, of all these theories, which do you like best? Do you have a different idea as to why the Master Sword does damage to Link in Breath of the Wild? Check out more of Newbornkilik’s Zelda related videos here and share your thoughts in the comments!
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
