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Is the Hero of Time dead in the Downfall timeline?

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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It's kind of unclear to me whether his uncle was brought back from the dead or if he just took a quick nap and got better.
considering the king of hyrule was brought back in the ending despite being a literal skeleton in the intro, yes I think it's safe to say link's uncle died then and there, and was revived in the ending
 
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It's kind of unclear to me whether his uncle was brought back from the dead or if he just took a quick nap and got better.

And I would posit that no off screen death has any impact, especially since they're the only deaths that occur in Zelda. Nothing makes your villain look incompent quite like making them absolutely nonthreats. Unless the death happens as part of the narrative, confining it to a retroactive encyclopedia canon renders it totally unimpactful.

I'm pretty sure the stairs leading into my apartment have a bigger on-screen body count than Ganon.

In general, I would agree with you. It's part of the "show, don't tell." Though, if done right telling can have a dynamic impact of its own. The Hero's shade, for instance, was an off screen death, but it had quite a bit of impact on the story.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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considering the king of hyrule was brought back in the ending despite being a literal skeleton in the intro, yes I think it's safe to say link's uncle died then and there, and was revived in the ending
That's fair enough.

I would still say it falls into that Dragonball issue of being able to undo any significant consequences after each conflict, thus rendering each conflict kind of tension-less.

In general, I would agree with you. It's part of the "show, don't tell." Though, if done right telling can have a dynamic impact of its own. The Hero's shade, for instance, was an off screen death, but it had quite a bit of impact on the story.
Honestly, I feel like the Hero's Shade storyline is greatly hampered by the nonspecificity of it. The game plays very loose with the idea that he's the Hero of Time. I feel like being vague about it hampers any impact it could have on the story. Give the Hero's Shade something to do narratively.
 
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mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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That's fair enough.

I would still say it falls into that Dragonball issue of being able to undo any significant consequences after each conflict, thus rendering each conflict kind of tension-less.
if I'm not mistake, I think LTTP was the only time people were brought back to life w/ the Triforce, so it varies
 
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Idk I always liked the theory that Link got "defeated" but actually formed the order of knights that would help seal Ganon the next time.

But he is probably dead.

Would he become the Hero's Shade then?
 
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If he got taken out as a child, he likely would have, but would have a much more childish appearance. If he lived to accomplish something, probably not.
Yeah, if he survived and ended up dying outside of battle, then he wouldn't become The Shade. But if he died in battle, what happened in the CT that would cause his spirit to linger MORE than being killed by Ganondorf in the DT? Are we just waiting for the dead Hero of Time to pop up in the downfall timeline?
 
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Yeah, if he survived and ended up dying outside of battle, then he wouldn't become The Shade. But if he died in battle, what happened in the CT that would cause his spirit to linger MORE than being killed by Ganondorf in the DT? Are we just waiting for the dead Hero of Time to pop up in the downfall timeline?

I'm just waiting for the Doctor Who moment, where Link meets with some eight or ten spirits of past heroes. Bonus points if they are the bosses of their own dungeons, and fight in distinctive ways.
 

Requiem Of Spirit

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I always thought that he died battling Ganondorf/Ganon; Hyrule Historia (Hyrule Historia Timeline) said something close to "the Hero was defeated" and I always interpreted it as meaning that Link died because that seemed to be the most simple answer.

But it could also mean that he was simply imprisoned or left Hyrule. :shrug:

I was going to add that he becomes the Hero's Shade in TP, but then realized that was the "Hero is successful" timeline based on HH.
 

Pokémaniac13

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Joking aside, I think the idea that Link would make a tactical retreat may contradict his virtue as most courageous to be chosen by the Triforce of Courage. Although I would actually kind of be open to the idea of there being a grumpy 100+ year old Link cooped up in a cabin somewhere, living with the burden of screwing things up. That's actually a pretty good trope when done right.
Like Up.
 
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Ocarina of Time 3D should have had a cutscene explaining the Downfall timeline if you lose against Ganondorf
 

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