The ageless debate on how the Zelda games fit together. The first a timeline was introduced was back when The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released. This game was set to take place before the originals. It only got more convulted from there.
Disclaimer: If you don't want to read all of the quotes, skip to the bottom of the post.
Here I will data log all of the Timeline relevant Word of God quotes that are canon above all else.
The First Five Games:
This was the first Timeline quote recorded. It was by Miyamoto himself:
"Ocarina of Time is the first story, then the original Legend of Zelda, then Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and finally A Link to the Past. It's not very clear where Link's Awakening fits in--it could be anytime after Ocarina of Time." --Shigeru Miyamoto, 1998
However, this was debunked in a 1999 interview where Miyamoto said:
"The order is Ocarina of Time, Triforce of the Gods [A Link to the Past], then comes the first, and The Adventure of Link." --Shigeru Miyamoto, 1999
Four Swords Series:
"The GBA Four Swords Zelda is what we’re thinking as the oldest tale in the Zelda timeline. With this one on the GameCube [(FSA)] being a sequel to that, and taking place sometime after that." --Eiji Aonuma, 2004
This was great. There was a solid concrete Word of God placement of the series. And yet, FSA seemed to contradict everything about it. Why, you ask? Let's find out:
"In an example with Four Swords Adventures, I was the producer.. I didn’t actually put the story for that game together... Mr. Miyamoto then came in and upended the tea table... we changed the story around quite a bit... storyline shouldn’t be something complicated that confuses the player... and the storyline changed all the way up until the very end." --Eiji Aonuma, 2004
And then everything started to fall apart. It seemed like the original intent was for FSA to be a prequel to OoT, but then when Miyamoto changed everything around, it now seemed impossible. It made it even worse when Capcom took over the Four Swords Series with an interview about The Minish Cap:
"We did not think to develop a trilogy from the beginning. When we developed the first Four Swords game for GBA, we created a new Hyrule legend that said that a long time ago, evil Vaati brought crisis to Hyrule and people sealed that evil. We had some thought that we wanted to carry over that story into future titles some way." --Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Capcom)
With the emphasis on the "new Hyrule," one begins to wonder if the FSS takes place in a separate universe, or a different timeline, if you will. One begins to wonder if the series is even canon at all. That is up to the theorist.
Things Start To Get Better:
With the release of the Wind Waker in 2003, we started getting the legit timeline foundation we have today. We also heard first word of the split timeline:
"Q: Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall Zelda series timeline?
Aonuma: You can think of this game as taking place over a hundred years after Ocarina of Time. You can tell this from the opening story, and there are references to things from Ocarina located throughout the game as well.
Miyamoto: Well, wait, which point does the hundred years start from?
Aonuma: From the end.
Miyamoto: No, I mean, as a child or as a...
Aonuma: Oh, right, let me elaborate on that. Ocarina of Time basically has two endings of sorts; one has Link as a child and the other has him as an adult. This game, The Wind Waker, takes place a hundred years after the adult Link defeats Ganon at the end of Ocarina.
Miyamoto: This is pretty confusing for us, too. (laughs) So be careful." --2002
A simpler version was posted on the Zelda Homepage:
"In terms of the storyline, we've decided that this takes place 100 years after the events in The Ocarina of Time. We think that as you play through the game, you'll notice that in the beginning the storyline explains some of the events in The Ocarina of Time. You'll also find hints of things from The Ocarina of Time that exist in The Wind Waker.
There's also a more complicated explanation. If you think back to the end of The Ocarina of Time, there were two endings to that game in different time periods. First Link defeated Ganon as an adult, and then he actually went back to being a child. You could say that The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the ending in which Link was an adult."
Then with Twlight Princess in 2006 we even got a more solid confirmation of the split:
"–When does Twilight Princess take place?
Aonuma: In the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years later.
–And the Wind Waker?
Aonuma: The Wind Waker is parallel. In Ocarina of Time, Link flew seven years in time, he beat Ganon and went back to being a kid, remember? Twilight Princess takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years after the peace returned to kid Link’s time. In the last scene of Ocarina of Time, kids Link and Zelda have a little talk, and as a consequence of that talk, their relationship with Ganon takes a whole new direction. In the middle of this game [Twilight Princess], there's a scene showing Ganon's execution. It was decided that Ganon be executed because he'd do something outrageous if they left him be. That scene takes place several years after Ocarina of Time. Ganon was sent to another world and now he wants to obtain the power..."
Modern Day:
With the pending release of Skyward Sword upcoming, another interview confirmed not only a master timeline, but also the placement of SS:
"Yes, there is a master timeline, but it is a confidential document!... The only people that have access to the document are myself, Mr. Miyamoto, and the director of the title. We can't share it with anyone else! I have already talked with Mr. Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable with releasing this information - this title takes place before Ocarina of Time. If I said a certain title was the 'first Zelda game' then that means we can't ever make a title that comes before that! So for us to be able to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting titles before and after each other." --Eiji Aonuma, 2010
So, after all of that mumbo jumbo out of the way, you can start theorizing to you're hearts' content.
Post your Zelda Timeline here, and let's have a good hearty debate.
Mine timeline is this:
----------/--TWW/PH--ST
SS--OoT
----------\MM--TP--ALttP/LA--LoZ/TAoL--OoX
TMC--FS/FSA
For a picture version, go here: Hayzer's DA
Disclaimer: If you don't want to read all of the quotes, skip to the bottom of the post.
Here I will data log all of the Timeline relevant Word of God quotes that are canon above all else.
The First Five Games:
This was the first Timeline quote recorded. It was by Miyamoto himself:
"Ocarina of Time is the first story, then the original Legend of Zelda, then Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and finally A Link to the Past. It's not very clear where Link's Awakening fits in--it could be anytime after Ocarina of Time." --Shigeru Miyamoto, 1998
However, this was debunked in a 1999 interview where Miyamoto said:
"The order is Ocarina of Time, Triforce of the Gods [A Link to the Past], then comes the first, and The Adventure of Link." --Shigeru Miyamoto, 1999
Four Swords Series:
"The GBA Four Swords Zelda is what we’re thinking as the oldest tale in the Zelda timeline. With this one on the GameCube [(FSA)] being a sequel to that, and taking place sometime after that." --Eiji Aonuma, 2004
This was great. There was a solid concrete Word of God placement of the series. And yet, FSA seemed to contradict everything about it. Why, you ask? Let's find out:
"In an example with Four Swords Adventures, I was the producer.. I didn’t actually put the story for that game together... Mr. Miyamoto then came in and upended the tea table... we changed the story around quite a bit... storyline shouldn’t be something complicated that confuses the player... and the storyline changed all the way up until the very end." --Eiji Aonuma, 2004
And then everything started to fall apart. It seemed like the original intent was for FSA to be a prequel to OoT, but then when Miyamoto changed everything around, it now seemed impossible. It made it even worse when Capcom took over the Four Swords Series with an interview about The Minish Cap:
"We did not think to develop a trilogy from the beginning. When we developed the first Four Swords game for GBA, we created a new Hyrule legend that said that a long time ago, evil Vaati brought crisis to Hyrule and people sealed that evil. We had some thought that we wanted to carry over that story into future titles some way." --Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Capcom)
With the emphasis on the "new Hyrule," one begins to wonder if the FSS takes place in a separate universe, or a different timeline, if you will. One begins to wonder if the series is even canon at all. That is up to the theorist.
Things Start To Get Better:
With the release of the Wind Waker in 2003, we started getting the legit timeline foundation we have today. We also heard first word of the split timeline:
"Q: Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall Zelda series timeline?
Aonuma: You can think of this game as taking place over a hundred years after Ocarina of Time. You can tell this from the opening story, and there are references to things from Ocarina located throughout the game as well.
Miyamoto: Well, wait, which point does the hundred years start from?
Aonuma: From the end.
Miyamoto: No, I mean, as a child or as a...
Aonuma: Oh, right, let me elaborate on that. Ocarina of Time basically has two endings of sorts; one has Link as a child and the other has him as an adult. This game, The Wind Waker, takes place a hundred years after the adult Link defeats Ganon at the end of Ocarina.
Miyamoto: This is pretty confusing for us, too. (laughs) So be careful." --2002
A simpler version was posted on the Zelda Homepage:
"In terms of the storyline, we've decided that this takes place 100 years after the events in The Ocarina of Time. We think that as you play through the game, you'll notice that in the beginning the storyline explains some of the events in The Ocarina of Time. You'll also find hints of things from The Ocarina of Time that exist in The Wind Waker.
There's also a more complicated explanation. If you think back to the end of The Ocarina of Time, there were two endings to that game in different time periods. First Link defeated Ganon as an adult, and then he actually went back to being a child. You could say that The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the ending in which Link was an adult."
Then with Twlight Princess in 2006 we even got a more solid confirmation of the split:
"–When does Twilight Princess take place?
Aonuma: In the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years later.
–And the Wind Waker?
Aonuma: The Wind Waker is parallel. In Ocarina of Time, Link flew seven years in time, he beat Ganon and went back to being a kid, remember? Twilight Princess takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years after the peace returned to kid Link’s time. In the last scene of Ocarina of Time, kids Link and Zelda have a little talk, and as a consequence of that talk, their relationship with Ganon takes a whole new direction. In the middle of this game [Twilight Princess], there's a scene showing Ganon's execution. It was decided that Ganon be executed because he'd do something outrageous if they left him be. That scene takes place several years after Ocarina of Time. Ganon was sent to another world and now he wants to obtain the power..."
Modern Day:
With the pending release of Skyward Sword upcoming, another interview confirmed not only a master timeline, but also the placement of SS:
"Yes, there is a master timeline, but it is a confidential document!... The only people that have access to the document are myself, Mr. Miyamoto, and the director of the title. We can't share it with anyone else! I have already talked with Mr. Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable with releasing this information - this title takes place before Ocarina of Time. If I said a certain title was the 'first Zelda game' then that means we can't ever make a title that comes before that! So for us to be able to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting titles before and after each other." --Eiji Aonuma, 2010
So, after all of that mumbo jumbo out of the way, you can start theorizing to you're hearts' content.
Post your Zelda Timeline here, and let's have a good hearty debate.
Mine timeline is this:
----------/--TWW/PH--ST
SS--OoT
----------\MM--TP--ALttP/LA--LoZ/TAoL--OoX
TMC--FS/FSA
For a picture version, go here: Hayzer's DA
