Rupees?

[basement24]

I think Penny Arcade summed up the reasoning behind where they can be found quite nicely.

(I blanked out one word in the cartoon since it might not be acceptable)

But otherwise, I think this thread's really strayed from the original topic question...

 

[Chrono]

The original LoZ manual called them rubies, not rupees. This is kind of odd considering a ruby is only red in colour, and there was only yellow and blue rupies in the game. The red one was only introduced in ALttP.

I wonder if the term slipped into the word rupees because of a bad translation, or just someone without the knowledge of what exactly a rupee was used the term for the English manual of ALttP -- the first place they were called rupees that I'm aware of. They still call them "precious stones" in the ALttP manual, so it makes me think it might have just been an error that stuck.

I recall "rubies" was the bad translation, not rupees. LoZ is the first game to call them rupees. NoA called them Rupies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7aN5wPdNFU

 

[Steve]

Yeah, I remember calling them rubies until I played Ocarina of Time. As for what they are, Rupees are a currency in India, though they're coins not crystals, I believe.

 

[TVTMaster]

as does that whole theory that crazy TVT guy came up with. If they could be grown in the ground, their value would plummet, thus causing a depression in Hyrule.

Hang on, good crazy or bad crazy?

Either way, it's clear from the games that rupees do spontaneously pop out of cut grass and slain animals, and they are found in large fragile rocks. I just tried to explain why. I'm not sure why Hyrule's economy hasn't collapsed by now.
Maybe Hyrule actually uses much higher values of rupee in normal transactions, and a green rupee is less than a 1 yen coin. Bombs, arrows, and potions are likely extremely cheap to produce- they also are known to come out of the grass. Stuff like shields and tunics are probably there as hooks for customers who come for the amazing two-dollar tacky outfit and stay for the more expensive stuff like actual food that the game doesn't bother letting you buy.
So low-value rupees are typically found in nature, but perhaps higher denominations of rupee exist that are used in actual trade. Link's just buying discount adventure gear. Farming rupees and whatnot would be like spending all day mowing lawns for like fifty cents, which can buy you stuff typically found in grass and such anyway. It would explain why Tingle charges you like 598 rupees per map- that's like six bucks, but Link is too busy saving the world to get a job. As for rupees in pots, maybe people throw them in with their stuff as a good luck charm.

Makes more sense than that "Minishes hide them under grass since they're such nice folks like that" nonsense MC tried to feed us, anyway...

 

[Chrono]

The most interesting theory I read was probably about the minish placing those items there (rupees, hearts, etc). But the most logical reason behind it is that it's just a game. Might as well try explaining how rupees/hearts/bombs/etc fall when you defeat an enemy.

 

[Steve]

But the most logical reason behind it is that it's just a game. Might as well try explaining how rupees/hearts/bombs/etc fall when you defeat an enemy.

Thank you, I was just about to post the same thing, after seeing these posts. It is the most logical explanation, and wild theories with no evidence don't exactly make the cut.

 

[TVTMaster]

Bah, you people are no fun.

Might as well try explaining how rupees/hearts/bombs/etc fall when you defeat an enemy

Alright. Rupees, hearts, arrows and bombs could easily fall from humanoid enemies like Bokoblins or Lizalfos or Darknuts or whatnot, but animals are a different issue. Rupees and bombs are easy enough- improperly metabolized ruprose can become unstable, and this waste product would reasonably be stored in some sort of bladder, which would act as a bomb. Reserve ruprose might also have some sac that releases it when cut open, and arrows would perhaps be made from bone or claws and such.
I don't know about hearts- in real life, there is no analogue for medicinal animals that medicinal plants would have in real life, but I suppose it's easy enough to conceive that said medicinal substances would, again, be stored in some organ somewhere for later use.

So yeah, it's a game, but it's fun to try to make sense of it.

 

[angelkid]

In the MC a Minish says, and I quote:
"You've heard of travellers who find a Kinstone and get really lucky? Well, that's all thanks to items made by us Minish! You see, we thrive on making humans happy. It gives us energy. But we only do it in secret."
Another Minish says:
"Sometimes it's a flower seed, and sometimes it's a stone. We hide our lucky items in all sorts of unexpected places. But the real trick is making it tough for humans to notice!"

Both of these quotes gives us evidence to support that it is infact the Minish who hide the items such as hearts, rupees, arrows, bombs, and in MC Kinstones. Another piece of evidence for this, is that after unlocking them, you can find the Remote Bombs in the wild. This doesn't sound like much, but the Remote Bombs were engineered by a Minish and humans do not yet have them. Only the Minish do. This suggests it must be the Minish who hide the items as they are the only ones to have the Remote Bombs to hide.

The final piece of evidence I have to suggest it was the Minish who put the Rupees and other such items in the ground is, Picolyte. For those of you who do not know, Picolyte is a substance which when drunk, gives the drinker increased luck making it easier for him to find a certain type of item. For example, there are types of Picolyte for Rupees, Hearts, Kinstone Pieces and Items (Bombs and Arrows) and some others. Now, Picolyte was engineered, again, by the Minish. Now to me, this is another reason to suggest it was the Minish who put the Rupees and items there in the first place, as they have engineered a 'potion' or 'charm' that makes it easier for humans to find the items.

Also, Rupees are an Indian currency as everyone else has stated. The video provided above proves that it was originally intended to be Rupies. Perhaps Nintendo just liked the name. One thing, is the name of the Indian Currency spelt Rupees or Rupies?

 

[TVTMaster]

However, is there any reason to believe that the Minish are present in any game other than The Minish Cap? They're not that small, and they'd be easily visible in the 3D games. Tiny leprechaun things hiding it everywhere doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and it's Capcom's explanation, anyway. The Minish aren't exactly a secret in MC, and you'd think someone in some other Zelda game would say something about them if they were present.

 

[angelkid]

Perhaps they all leave with Ezlo. Until the Gateway opens again next centuary. However, I think it is possible they are there in every game, however, only if you believe that MC comes first on the timeline. They can only be seen by children, perhaps Link is never yound enough again to see them in any other game? It's the only explanation there is though. I for one, would like to believe that they are there in every game.

 

[startimer]

why would you argue with an in-game explaination? the MC theory makes enough sense, and no other (official) reasons have been given so i'm going with that. and the reason the minish dont appear in any other game is that they don't play a major role in the plotline. and yes, they are that small that they cant be seen. besides, they don't re-stock the grass while humans are watching

 

[TVTMaster]

Actually, in OoT and MM, you can visibly see certain kinds of grass actually re-growing, and when this regrown grass is cut, rupees and hearts and such again come out.

I dunno, the Minish explanation seems like kind of a cop-out to me. Not to mention the Minish couldn't really hide stuff like that on enemies, and you can also find rupees/hearts in Twilight where the Minish would supposedly be spirits and unable to do their work. Rupees and hearts also appear out of grass and such in plenty of other games set in places where Minish don't live, like in Holodrum, Koholint Island, Labrynna, Termina, and the World of the Ocean King. Rupees and such are also found in ancient, forbidden places like the City in the Sky or the Temple of Time, or in places where Minish aren't likely to hang out, like fire temples and underwater levels. You can even find stuff in ghostly wastelands and such... the fact that this phenomenon is so widespread kind of makes the Minish explanation seem rather implausible.

 

[startimer]

i think the most likely reason is that they are just common stones. though why you would use common stones as currency beats me

 

[angelkid]

Rupees and hearts also appear out of grass and such in plenty of other games set in places where Minish don't live, like in Holodrum, Koholint Island, Labrynna, Termina, and the World of the Ocean King.

You don't know that the Minish don't live here. Other than in MC the minish have never been mentioned, but just because they aren't mentioned doesn't mean that they aren't there, they could easily live in different places such as those that you listed.

Rupees and such are also found in ancient, forbidden places like the City in the Sky or the Temple of Time,

In-game quotes suggest that the Minish are an ancient race. In the BS for MC it tells us that 'long ago' the Minish gave a sword to a human hero... Blah blah blah. The important part is the 'long ago' which tells us that the Minish were around before MC which is said to be the first game. (PLEASE don't turn this into a timeline debate, that isn't relevant.)

or in places where Minish aren't likely to hang out, like fire temples and underwater levels. You can even find stuff in ghostly wastelands and such... the fact that this phenomenon is so widespread kind of makes the Minish explanation seem rather implausible.

In MC there are LOTS of portals that turn you into Minish. This shows us that the Minish HAVE to have entered the temples and also built things in them. So what's to say that they wouldn't go back?

 

[majoraskullkid]

Hey everyone! The more plausible reason that I can give you is that IT'S JUST A GAME!

Where do you think you could find these if it was not in plants, pots, and enemies? Look in Mario Bros. they are everywhere! in the enemies, floating in the air, in some ? Block and on the ground.

Do you imagine Link or Mario taking a job only to gain rupees/coins? I don't think so.