Who is Skull Kid?

Sorry about the absence of this editorial last week, but my school work was piling up, and I knew it would continue to do so if I put it off to write this, so I did my work instead. But this week, I was completely free to write this! Skull Kid is believed to be the main antagonist of Majora’s Mask, and essentially, he is, but in truth, it was Majora, who was slowly taking over Skull Kid’s mind, and in the end, it was Majora that Link fought, not Skull Kid. However, Skull Kid’s personal history is still interesting, and I’ve always wondered about why Skull Kid does some of the things that he does throughout his appearances. If you feel the same way, then hit the jump to find out what Skull Kid is all about!

Skull Kid first appeared in Ocarina of Time, in which there were actually three different Skull Kids, but it was the one Skull Kid that Link taught Saria’s Song who returns in Majora’s Mask, which is revealed when, at the end of Majora’s Mask, the Skull Kid says to Link:

“You have the same smell as the fairy kid who taught me that song in the woods…”

Skull Kid really only has a minor role here, but we still learn something about him that helps us understand the character. During the Mask Trading Quest, when you get the Skull Mask, Skull Kid asks to have it, to make him look tougher, and this is when we first learn of Skull Kid’s interest in intimidating masks. Navi also comments that the Skull Kid appears to be unhappy that he has no face. While this is changed in later games and rereleases of Ocarina of Time, the comment remains the same, and could be taken to mean that the Skull Kid is unhappy that he has no distinguishing features that could be said are part of a face. He has eyes and mouth (or a beak, in later games and rereleases), but those aspects by themselves do not make a face.

Now, as I said in the introduction, I have always wondered why Skull Kid acts out. I believe this stems from him not having a face. Your face is your identity, your identity is the proof of who you are. Not having a face is like not having an identity. Without an identity, Skull Kid only wanted to make himself happy, which was usually at the expense of others. This lack of identity most likely also led to a lack of self confidence, which then caused his liking of intimidating masks, so that he would look more menacing (and sure of himself) to other people.

This could also be interpreted differently, in that, on a subconscious level, Skull Kid was hiding from himself. We know that Skull Kids are what children become after getting lost in the Lost Woods, and maybe this kid didn’t like what he became (not surprising… but at least he has a lot of wood…). And now, moving on to the events of Majora’s Mask, there is another reason that he would have for hiding from himself….

The Four Giants were once Skull Kid’s friends. They had been friends since before the Four Giants created the four separate regions of Termina, and when they announced that they would protect the land whilst laying dormant, Skull Kid was understandably, uncontrollably angry and sad at their decision (another cause for his continued tendency to act out?). Skull Kid then took out his frustration on the inhabitants of Termina. The people of Termina then called on the Giants to do something about Skull Kid, and, in response, the Giants, in their fury, demanded that Skull Kid leave Termina… or be torn apart.

I know I’d be having a good hard look at myself if my friends threatened me like this. In fear of the Giants’ wrath, and sad at the complete loss of his only friends, Skull Kid fled (presumably back to Hyrule). Perhaps Skull Kid wasn’t unhappy because he had no face, rather, because he had no friends?

However, after Ocarina of Time and before Majora’s Mask, Skull Kid returned to Termina for an unknown reason. Tatl and Tael were simply seeking shelter from the rain when they found Skull Kid crying in a log in Termina Field. Huddling together for comfort, the three of them soon became friends. Despite enjoying the happiness of once again having friends, the Giants’ departure had still cut Skull Kid deeply, and the scar remained.

Despite having new friends, Skull Kid continued his mischievous ways. This could simply be showing off on Skull Kid’s part, as his way of saying to the Giants, “Who needs you guys, when I have these guys?”. However, I still wonder how Skull Kid perceived Tatl and Tael. He certainly saw them as friends; but how much did he value them? Given his continued mischievous acts, and the fact that, after ambushing the Happy Mask Salesman, he jumped at the chance of having a new intimidating mask, his emotional insecurity is definitely still there. When Skull Kid left Tatl behind and when he hit Tael don’t really count, because, at that stage, Majora had more control over Skull Kid than he did over himself.

On the other hand, they can count. On a somewhat religious note here, it is those with weak will that allow themselves to be corrupted by evil. This would suggest that, while it was Majora in control, Skull Kid felt a similar way, and allowed Majora to commit that act through him. This is confirmation that he is still insecure, because, if he was sure of himself, if he was still friends with the Giants, I feel he would’ve been able to stand up to the power of Majora, or at least realise what was happening, and discard the mask.

At the end of the game, after Link has defeated Majora, Skull Kid has a brief conversation with the Giants, realising that they did still think of him as a friend, and that they never forgot about him, even during their separation. Skull Kid then makes the following comment:

“Friends are a nice thing to have.”

Indeed they are. Skull Kid also asks Link if he would be his friend, too, to which, Link agrees, but rides off back to Hyrule anyway, suggesting that it was more of a mutual agreement.

Now, for the character’s future. While it is not confirmed, it is hinted that the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess is the same one from Majora’s Mask, given that they both know Saria’s Song. I personally feel that it is the same Skull Kid. At an unknown point in the past, Tatl and Tael left Skull Kid, and, because of it, Skull Kid made himself new friends (the puppets he attacks Link with).

Skull Kid does use these puppets to attack Link, though, in a cruel game of hide-and-seek. However, given the (most likely) large amount of time between when the Giants left Skull Kid and when they reconciled, all the anger and feelings of betrayal would have warped Skull Kid’s mind to an unknown degree, which is evident here in the violence that he includes in an otherwise-innocent game. It could also be a latent effect of being possessed by Majora, which is suggested by the fact that Skull Kid’s face now partially resembles the moon from Termina. But that’s just my theory.

So what do you guys think? Do you agree with my analysis of Skull Kid’s past, or do you have a different theory? Do you think Skull Kid’s mischievous tendencies do stem from an identity crisis? Do you think that the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess is the same one from Majora’s Mask, or different? Let me know in the comments.