Would Bosses Still Cause Trouble if Ganon/Vaati/etc Were Not Around?

[Djinn]

We fight them at the end of every dungeon in every game. The gigantic monsters sent by Ganon, Vaati, Zant, Veran, and any other future villain. But what kind of trouble would these giant monsters cause for the kingdom of Hyrule if there was no great mastermind controlling them? Would a Gohma still rage across Death Mountain, or Dodongos attack villages? Or would they even exist if there was no villain to create them?

Now in LttP the bosses were minions of Ganon meant to guard the maidens sealed in the crystals so he would be free to invade the light world. In OoT the bosses were monsters sent by Ganondorf to guard the temples from new sages emerging. In Wind Waker the bosses were placed by Ganondorf for various purposes such as protecting the two temples, and attack the forest haven and Dragon roost islands. In Twilight Princess the various bosses were corruptions created by the fused shadow or mirror of twilight pieces. With Zant personally creating Stallord. While the bosses of the original LoZ were guardians of the triforce of wisdom protecting it from Ganon. And the bosses of Adventure of Link were guardians of the triforce of courage.

Now what I have wondered is, would some of these creatures still be there living in the dungeons and eating would be heroes if Ganondorf or any other villain have not come to power and required them to protect sage seals or any other artifact. Obviously the ones personally created by Ganondorf and Zant like Stallord or Phantom Ganon would not be present. But other monsters such as Gohma, Mothula, Gleeok, Dodongo, and Moldorm have appeared enough times in different games with different forms that they might be large species of animals living in Hyrule. Only much larger than the standard monster commonly found in Hyrule. Would they still be there living in random underground caverns, or long forgotten temples only to be discovered by unsuspecting heroes?

Dodongos are very likely since in OoT they had a cavern all their own that the Gorons wished to keep sealed. Gohma is another that appears to be a creature, since Ganondorf used one to attack the Deku Tree before he had the triforce of power to create creatures magically. Plus it appears to be a larger version of a tektite showing that it might be a related creature or an adult form.

There is also the question of smaller monsters found in the various temples. Some are minions of Ganondorf or any other main villain. But many might not be, only monsters that would normally live in the underground places of Hyrule away from the civilized areas. Would these creatures still be in the temples if a villain had not specifically sent them there to kill and hero? I believe the poes might still be there, they are old dungeons that are very likely haunted by many spirits. But then there are moblins, darknuts, stalfos, lizalfos, and many others that may or may not act upon Ganon's orders.

I would like to hear opinions on this, are they only there as minions? Or are they just the larger creatures that happen to live in these more dangerous areas?

 

[Nye Pendragon]

I think yes.

Mainly because there is always evil, everywhere. Even if they don't have an absolute source (like Ganon/Vaati/Zant). The enemies are still there without the main antagonist; he's just the one controlling them. They become an army when a leader appears. But without a firm leader, they are simply scattered and may not amount to anything other than trivial crimes and causing a ruckus. They may not even be 'evil' before they are corrupted by someone else. They may not realise their potential until a leader steps up.

So what would happen if no main antagonist was in a Zelda game?

Probably, there would be no structure to the violence or to the enemies. They would do as they please. There might be leaders per each type of enemy (like moblins), but no real 'head hancho' to follow. So I wonder, would they be weaker? Stronger? More of a threat because there is nobody restraining their actions in favor of suprise or stealth? Perhaps. Because there is no restraint, they could run wild and be even more dangerous. That might actually even work. The temple bosses would probably rule only over the creatures in their habitats, but what if they didn't? The chaos would insue because different enemies would not be on each other's side because they are not working together on the same goal, but on seperate sides! That would cause huge problems for Hyrule. It could be even worse than if a sophisticated antagonist stepped onto the scene. It would be insanity! D:

It could even be that the bosses are not actualy even evil before an antagonist corrupts them. Maybe they're just peaceful, giant creatures with raw power and are just turned evil. It could even be the same for the moblins or anything else.

I don't know if this works for Zelda, but as a general idea, I think it's very intriguing. I wonder if Nintendo will ever explore this kind of option. o:

(I think I went completely off-topic, haha.)