Thanks for watching! (yes, Jonah was inside the whale not Noah, I'm an idiot 😅)

Other games: *bad guy locks princess in a castle* Zelda: uno reverse card!

Ganon: I don't feel very well. Vati: The flu? Ganon: Zelda.

Imagining zelda, unconscious, meditating, curled up in a little ball in a mass of malice inside ganon for 100 years, holding ganon back and telepathically communicating with link... She needs a hug.

So here’s a real question, _who named an island after tingle?_

To add on, Zelda’s sealing magic may have allowed her to assume a temporary form as a being of light, sealing her physical body in some sort of stasis until Link freed her from Ganon.

"...she was one with Ganon, like an antibody latched onto a virus." "For 100 years, Zelda fought Ganon from within, like a parasite..." I like that both of these analogies work for Zelda.

I thought that Zelda being inside Calamity Ganon was pretty obvious, given that she only appears after Link weakens his Dark Beast Ganon form.

Until a voice sung out from the master sword. Fi: Did you know that Link is nearly dead?

Ganondorf also possessed Zelda in Twilight Princess, so it’s only fitting that she gets a turn

Zelda being inside ganon sounds like a title for something found on the hub.

Kirby: eats Luigi gets sucked in a painting by bowser Gannon eats zelda *whats up with nintendo and vore?*

I've heard this idea before, but I like how you pointed out the irony of Zelda being like a parasite, considering how that's been Ganon's mode of assassination several times

I always thought it was common knowledge that Zelda was inside the Calamity. It seemed pretty obvious when I first played it.

KZfaq: This video has 5 comments Me: Can I see them? KZfaq: See what?

“Like Noah inside the whale” you mean Jonah?

I always thought that she was inside Ganon, especial since she bursts out of him at the end. I also thought that during the 100 years, she was in her own ethereal form of golden light. Similar to how Link turns into light after freeing each divine beast. How does Link do that anyway? Is it his own power, or does Zelda do it for him?

Ganon: How can I get out there? Zelda: I gotta get in there Link: Coma

Slight tangent but I love how important Zelda is to the plot of this game. She's not just captured, she's the real hero of the story who's been holding Ganon back this whole time, and is the one who finally seals him in the end, with Link being the one who basically just breaks this hundred-year long stailmate between Ganon and Zelda. Her name being in the title finally feels completely fitting, because this time it really is her story.

_A chronological breakdown of this theory's presentation._ 1:08 Cite popular theories, putting this one relevant to Zelda in context of the larger ecosystem of theories . 1:25 Summarize Zelda's background and journey through the memories - providing his own descriptive interpretation of these events . 3:38 Quickly recap the key present-day interactions between Link and Zelda (which match our own observations as the player). 4:33 Pose the motivating question - “Where Was Zelda?” and discuss key observations to pique the viewer's interest. Observation 1): The nature of Zelda's conflict with the Calamity appears quite different from the nature of Link’s conflicts throughout the wilds of Hyrule. Observ 2) Zelda doesn’t appear to have aged in 100 years. Observ 3) Link also didn’t age in these 100 years, but we know this is because of his “stasis” in the Shrine of Resurrection. Observ 4) Zelda's location is never explained in-game. Observ 5) All of Zelda’s communication with Link throughout the game is telepathic. Observ 6) Zelda is wearing the same clothes - which are in identical condition - as the day she approached the Calamity. 5:28 Explore an existing answer in the community: End-game Zelda "isn't real, but a spirit, like...the Champions." 5:59 Assert unlikelihood of this answer (being careful to never declare the idea outright incorrect) and provide a key observation justifying its unlikelihood. Observ 7) In the BotW2 trailer, Zelda has a haircut - a very physical change. 6:24 Provide a comparison which lends some credibility to this interpretation before moving on. Observ 8) King Rhoam also displayed comprehensive physical changes in his old man disguise. 6:32 Explore another possibility, introducing it by linking observations that have already been shown/brought up: Zelda was nowhere to be seen in the castle, yet (5) she's able to communicate telepathically with Link, so “another possibility is that Zelda was actually in another dimension, such as the Sacred Realm..." 7:00 Substantiate this possibility. Claim: Zelda’s connection to the Triforce in BotW is clear. Observ 9) The Triforce insignia appears each time Zelda uses her divine magic. Temporarily proceed with the idea that this claim is likely true. Borrow an assumption from established lore: With the power of the full Triforce, sealing herself in the Sacred Realm for a century wouldn't be a stretch. Justify assumption with connections. Observ 10) Zelda's last action before facing the Calamity was to put the Master Sword in its pedestal. Connections: OoT Link and SS Link accessed the Sacred Realm by placing the MS in pedestals. 7:42 Explore problems with this possibility. Claim: (2) and (6) contradict what we know about the Sacred Realm: Observ 11) OoT Link was sealed in the Sacred Realm specifically _to age._ Observ 12) BotW Zelda faced the Calamity in her physical body, implying that placing the MS in its pedestal clearly didn’t take her to the Sacred Realm. 8:17 Explore evidence for the final possibility; cue ♪ Attack on Vah Ruta ♪ to build the suspense. Observ 13) The golden light at the heart of the castle shines brightly when Zelda speaks telepathically to Link at the top of the 1st Sheikah Tower. Observ 14) The golden light within Ganon’s cocoon shines brightly when Zelda speaks just before the final fight. Connect observations: "The game seems to suggest that Zelda's voice comes within the cocoon with Ganon." (Seemingly) Contradictory observation: Only Ganon falls out of the broken cocoon. 8:49 Pose this final possibility as a question: Is she in Ganon? and explore further. KEY OBSERV 15) Recap the end of Rhoam's retelling of the Calamity in great detail, highlighting how the Calamity lunges at Zelda with jaws open. KEY OBSERV 16) Robbie's memoirs begin with: "Let me start from the beginning. It was 100 years ago. Calamity Ganon had already _swallowed_ Princess Zelda.” 9:51 *Assert previous possibilities as false and final possibility as fact.* _"Zelda's absence isn't unexplained. Nor was she within the Sacred Realm or in an unseen chamber within Hyrule Castle. She was inside Ganon, consumed by his Malice."_ 10:04 Reinterpret the fight against Dark Beast Ganon, using this final possibility as an explanation for all the nuances in the fight; cue ♪ Dark Beast Ganon Battle ♪ for maximum emotional impact. KEY CONNECTION 1) Working from within explains how she projected the weak spots. Analogize to virus to further illustrate the point. KEY CONN 2) Working from within explains how she exposed the Malice eye for the final blow. KEY CONN 3) Link's final blow on the Malice eye _immediately precedes_ the moment Zelda bursts free from the Dark Beast. KEY CONN 4) Link's final blow on the Malice eye hits _the precise location_ from which Zelda bursts free from the Dark Beast. 11:31 Explore oddities of this theory by exploring the difference between Zelda being physically within vs. spiritually within the Calamity. 12:09 Reemphasize the consequences of this theory on the game's adventure. 12:21 Conclude with the irony of Ganon being infected by a divine parasite. _Drop the f*cking mic._

This is going to be a long comment. Unrelated from the content of this video and maybe pointless for many of you, but I hope Zeltik will read it because it's a sincere message of appreciation for his work. I've waited so long to write something because I'm usually an observer and I don't like to grab attention. People saying that the point of this video was pretty obvious... it is indeed. But I want to point out something else: the talent of Zeltik in writing and storytelling, and his beautiful voice. English is not my native language, I'm Italian and I live in Italy, but I like Zelda universe and I love English language since my childhood when my mother, an English teacher at that time, fed me with everything related to English culture, from British lullabies to the story of the american independence war. I don't have many occasions to practice with my English in everyday life, so I search as many online contents as I can in English language rather than Italian. By doing this, I finally found your channel, Zeltik, and I want to tell you that you have one of the clearest voices I've heard in my life (ever considered the idea of recording audiobooks?). I swear I can understand, without subtitles, every single word in every single video you upload, and even if I don't know the meaning of a specific word, I can understand the spelling so I can search for it. Everything you decide to share with us is a gift, especially for me and my desire to improve my comprehension of your beautiful language, and to learn more about Zelda universe, of course! I remember we used to write fake letters to imaginary pen-friends during English lessons, at school. Now I'm writing one to a real person trying to do my best in not making mistakes, and sorry if I did. Your videos are made with love and passion, and are free to watch for all of us. Thank you sincerely, your foreign follower.

Ganon: Uses a parasite to get what he wants Zelda: Well well well... How the turntables...

She weakened Ganon, forcing him to go into a cocoon. Which (Probably) has the same powers as the shrne of resurrection. Keeping Zelda alive.

Wife: "Change your clothes, they're filthy!" Me: "Zelda didn't change her tattered clothes for over 100 years!"

Ganon's Inside Story

I always thought that Zelda, as an incarnation of Hylia, Goddess of Time, contained Gannon in some kind of time loop with her. This prevented her aging, and may be connected with the Bloodmoon's strange time-reversing/time-looping effects.

11:35 "Noah inside the whale"... it's Jonah who was in the whale, Noah was in a boat.

Everyone: *is in quarantine Zeltik: *But where was Zelda????*

Legend of Zelda: Xenomorph edition.

You are amazing Zeltik.

I remember when people were saying that there's no plot in BOTW, looking back at the cutsceens they still evoke feelings from the first walkthrough - this game is a masterpiece

...wait, how is her disappearance a mystery if Robbie literally says that she was swallowed?

When you get an ad for an ad-free browser *YOU HAVE BECOME THE VERY THING YOU SWORE TO DESTROY

In-game fact that is implied in various ways and outright stated twice: Exists Zeltick: Is this a theory?

There's a funny irony here that in ancient times, Demise fought with all he had to devour the soul of the goddess Hylia in order to obtain the Triforce. Zelda, soul of the goddess and (if speculation is to be believed) complete Triforce and all, just waltzes up to Hyrule Castle and lets herself be devoured to stop the physical manifestation of Demise's curse from spreading

"...she was one with Ganon, like an antibody latched onto a virus." Topical content

This is a weird THEORY to me because this all seemed pretty explicit in the base game

Like Noah inside the Whale. Um, Zeltik, it's Noah's Ark and Jonah in the Whale/Great Fish. My brain did a record scratch stop when you said that, lol.

I thought she was to busy yelling at me to come save her while i was making friends with Bokoblins

I always thought it was kinda obvious... Great video nonetheless.

So... Ganon eat Zelda and after 100 years never digest... That was a heavy breakfast

Zeltik:Almost like a womb or heart Me: pretty sure it’s a ballsack

I have a theory: What if instead of link remembering the memory’s it’s the master sword/Fi putting the memory’s in his head? This would explain why when link is unconscious in his memory’s he can still remember them?

Last time I was this early, I was in an incubator in the Maternity Ward.

i have a couple of theories on how Zelda survived without eating, sleeping, and without aging, maybe she was stealing the Calamity’s own energy/Malice in order to survive (maybe she’s infected now?) or maybe she was in a Stasis state just like Link as the Calamity’s regeneration pipes are very similar to the ones found in the Shrine of Resurrection

The voice in the master sword, could that be Fi who helped to turn the goddess sword into the master sword? Could this be that fi asked zelda to take link to the shrine and the sword to the deku tree?

"A being older than time" I see what ya did there....

Yeah, this is exactly the impression I got, when I played through the game. Didn't realise it was a topic of debate, honestly!

Wonder how bad she smelt being trapped inside a demon king for 100 years.

So Zelda basically casted Destiny Bond from pokemon. “Ganon, if you kill me it will kill you also.”

Now I’m waiting for the spinoff announcement. The Legend of Zelda: Ganon’s Inside Story

is anyone else entranced with his voiceovers?? literally keeps me reeled in 24/7

one of your best videos in a while, no reaches and really convinced me. pacing was off (5 mins for an intro?) and an abrupt ending, but real good!

2:50 You can just say Fi. We know the voice is Fi.

When I first saw the thumbnail, I first saw “inside Ganon” lol

It’s similar to how Zelda sealed herself away in Skyward Sword to prevent Demise from breaking his seal

11:38 It's Jonah not Noah. Noah was the guy who built the ark and gathered one pair of (almost) every species.

Imagine the conversation if Zelda was also a spirit. "Yeah, so remember when my father told you what was going on here? And how he was actually a spirit? Yeah, this is kinda awkward, but I am as well. So, uh, thank you for saving Hyrule and all, but I'mma head out to heaven... See ya"

I haven't seen a Zeltik theory in 4ever!

"Against Bokoblins or Hinox" *Bokoblin casually has Ancient Bladesaw*

I went on an adventure and found the spot from the end cards. Amazing view.

Ahhh I need them to give us more information about the zonai and champions from 10,000 years ago

no, zelda just turned into a disco light and started vibing with ganon for 100 years

Y'know, this video brought back a previous question i had awhile ago. He says at 11:50 "A splice of Malace and Shekiah technology". If its a mix a sheikah teck and malice, was the sheikah teck just a bunch of unused parts? Or was Calamity Ganon just possessing a powerful Sheikah robot? And same for the Blights too. Did they just rip parts of the Devine beasts off to possess? Am I just blind to a story element or something?

anybody else wondering how zelda feels to give birth to herself essentially everytime ganon shows up or of the like, like isn't she suppose to be the goddess hylia herself in human/hylian... my head hurts a little

Just want to say, I hope In the next game Zelda is actually with you and part of a caravan with that ox thing. It’d be cool to have like a partner with you instead of always just saving the princess. Idk maybe I just love final fantasy crystal chronicles too much

I figured she allowed Ganon to swallow her, allowing her to supress him from within. A thought that struck me was how Ghirahim in Skyward Sword temporarily had Demise swallow Hylia/Zelda's soul, and perhaps through this, even with Ganon slowly regaining terrain over his own movements, Zelda had the know-how of how to keep him tightly sealed as she learned in her past life directly from the source of their reincarnation curse? As for her not aging...she's Hylia incarnated. That piece of divinity may be the one thing that allowed her to withstand the Malice and keep both herself and Ganon in a sorts of stasis.

That's also how she knows that the Blood Moon is rising and Ganon using his malice to bring enemies back to life.

Me: OH A ZELDA THEORY! Zektik: YOU MEAN A THEORY OF SQUARESPACE?

Now we need to talk to the master sword in the sequel.

I love your videos so much! You really piece everything together in such a good way. You're the best zelda content maker on KZfaq! For sure.

All wonderful stuff mate! While I was watching I was thinking when the sequel comes out I should rewatch this video for the perfect refresher!

I wish I have Nintendo Switch to play this masterpiece.

Some random thoughts from my brain: what if Zelda sealed herself away and that’s why you don’t actually see her until the very end. Idk. And this is not the topic of the video but what if Midna is a part of the Zonai tribe. She has the same teal color on her which may resemble luminous stone that is supposedly from the Zonai. Maybe SHE is the hand holding Ganondwarf in the sequel trailer. She has swirls on her too which is the tribes symbol. Also the sound that the master award makes in that one memory is the same sound that it makes when fi talks through it in skyward sword.

I need you to get a job narrating nature documentaries because that voice is so soothing. *....

What a fantastic theory! Your videos are always so well put together. Such a pleasure to watch. Thank you!

I was just needing something to watch. Thank you 😌

Video starts at 0:58

this broke my brain. excellent video. let the binge watching of your channel commence!

Since she was one with Ganon, maybe that could be a lead as to why they went below the castle in the sequels trailer. Maybe she saw in its mind where the malice was coming from

Never have I been so early in my life

Calamity ganon: yes doctor i have horrible pain in my stomach Doctor: don’t worry ganon you only have a zelda, it will eventually leave your body.

If her location is shown in a cutscene, how did this get as far as needing a video?! :/

I'm really happy they brought back Fi. It's comforting that Fi is there when the timeline started and they're there when the timeline is ending

I just assumed this and thought everyone knew this. Hey, great minds think alike

Love your channel. When do you think the next Zelda game will come out? Thank you!

Once again, an amazing video from Zeltik. Thanks for giving us all this amazing content!

Robbie’s diary at Akalla’s (I think it’s akKala) laboratory says that Zelda was swallowed. I thought everyone knew she was eaten 😅. What a torture to endure for 100 years. I can’t even imagine what she went through. Hopefully we learn something about it In the sequel.

Yeah but...where was Zelda's physical body then? And why didn't she age or change clothes?

Filler ends and video starts at around 5:32, actual answer at 8:50.

Ok, officially Zeltik this time you just mess up my mind but also explain so many questions in the games, nice. I hope you well in these times you, family, friends, and love one.

I honestly thought Zelda was at the corner store buying smokes...Told Link she would be right back, going out for smokes...v_v

"Inside Ganon" lol

That's right Link ages in OoT! Oh wait, then he goes back to being a little kid. Maybe the sacred realm is just bullshit and does whatever the plot demands.

I really hope that BOTW2 is two player cooperative where you can have Link and Zelda both playing at the same time

Didn't NBC already do a theory on this? She was a spirit fighting from within Ganon against his malice.

Thank you Zeltik, when I got the game, I was wondering that too.

Hello, Greetings from North Korea, Good video

I thoroughly enjoy your explanations. They are not far fetched and always have a good amount of fact behind them. This by far is my favorite theory.

Amazing video as always. Your content breathes life into me. Thank you!