I always thought Malon was links future wife because with twilight princess's link being the hero of times grandchild, if zelda was the mother I'd expect the royal family to protect the prince he'd be as they're so protective of the hyrule royal bloodline

The Zora sapphire thing is so funny to me considering that Link, a 9 year old kid raised by other kids in a forest his whole life, likely has no idea what marriage or an engagement is He just thinks it's nice he got the stone and is one step closer to his goal, that's all

You forgot to mention that The hero of Twilight also knows Epona's song and has a horse that shares its appearance and name with The hero of time's Epona implying that both Epona's song and name were passed down through the generations and it further strengthens the theory that Malon is the love of the hero of time since Epona is Malons horse not Links.

honestly ive always loved the idea of Malon and Link being together. its just so sweet 😭

Honestly, the most Link and Nabooru would have is a “with benefits” relationship that will break off mutually.

Malon definitely seems most likely especially if the whole Majora Mask was his subconscious theory is true. Malon just makes too much sense.

Nothing makes me more happy than discussing a character's love life; whether it's canon or not

Talon: "How would you like to marry my daughter? Just kidding! Hahahaha, unless..."

Man choosing between Malon and OoT Zelda is so dang difficult. One you have to consider all the evidence of Twilight Princess Link, Ordon Villiage and the Hero of Time. 2 its such a pain that OoT Link and Zelda can't even be together because of those backing evidence. Like after watching the Hero's Purpose videos (by Majorlinks) literally wanted me to see Link and Zelda together and the Hero's Purpose make it very dang convincing but at the same time have to hold the account for Malon.

I always thought Malon was cute when I played Ocarina of Time 3D as a kid. Also in the manga, Malon falls for Link when he saves the farm. Of course in the manga, Link has a crush on Zelda, which even Malon recognizes.

Considering how his spirit looks in tp, he may as well have had a shining armor later in life

LMAO Talon really is that dad who "left to get milk" and never came back

I was hoping you'd bring up Cremia's implied feelinga for Kafei; he's one of the few residents of Termina who supposedly doesn't have a Hyulian counterpart. I say supposedly because I think it's possible he's some kind of parallel version of Link, who you even sorta get to play as. There's also that scene where Cremia is talking with Link about the wedding, while also mentioning how glad she is for his company and how she's been feeling lonely. Coincidence?

My first approach to Ocarina of Time was the manga adaptation. The author was more of a Zelink guy and his adaptation made it clear but Link's interactions with Malon were rather cute there.

We can never have enough Link's loves content! Bless you, Andy. Happy new year!

Shipping is a guilty pleasure lol. I always liked Saria the most in OoT. In fact, she's in my top three fav ships with Link in the series, along with Medli and Midna. But of course, Saria being a Kokiri and Link being a Hylian, that'd never actually work. I believe the theory that Link ultimately ends up with Malon, as both start the game off the same age, age together, Malon's Dad pushes Link to marry her one day, and there's even a Gossip Stone somewhere in the game stating Malon is waiting for a "knight in shining armor" to sweep her off her feet. I like Malon too, though I find Romani and Cremia in Majora's Mask far more interesting as characters.

I always saw OoT as a kind of love story, which I think even Miyamoto said once, in that there is a love between Link and Zelda but they are fated not to be with each other. I think Link does end up marrying Malon though, and TP Link is their great grandchild - explaining why he lives on a ranch and knows Epona's song.

I've been a Malink shipper ever since I discovered Linked Universe. I was a Zelink shipper before that, but honestly, Malon makes a lot more sense for this particular incarnation of Link than Zelda does. And their relationship in LU is just so wholesome :)

Fun fact: In the beta ending for OOT, Link rides off on Epona, with Malon. Also? I think one of the main reasons why people always tend to ship Zelda and Link? Because it fits the classic fairy tale. Hero saves princess from the evil beast/wizard, then the hero and princess fall in love and get married. And hey, it seems they likely DO in some games. Also? OOT is actually the first game that gives multiple options for Link, if you think about it. Marin was the first non-Zelda romantic option we saw, (And actually, the first that actual chemistry seems to form with. Zeldas past were barely characters to know.) And such is a trend that's carried on heavily.

I can’t wait for this! It always make me happy to see you make videos about OoT :D

Honestly, I'm a sucker for the "childhood friends turned to love" trope, which is a reason I like Miphlink so much in BOTW. It's also why I love LinkxSaria. But I also love Malink in this game because it can morph into the same thing. I love LinkxSaria because Saria loves Link wholly unconditionally: she loved him before he ever became a hero. With Malink it's not quite the case, but it's not really a rescue romance per se. Plus, in the Child timeline, she will likely never know him as "The Hero". This version of Link is probably the most popular with women to date. Just look at the sheer number of them who like him. I'm probably going to go to the BOTW vid after this, because I have thoughts on the major ships there. All good ones, though. I'm no naval commander unless I'm playing World of Warships, you know, with real virtual ships. With guns. That go boom. Love me the U.S.S. Massachusetts! And HMS Warspite! Edit: To clarify, I understand that LinkxSaria is inappropriate as it appears, but we've no idea how old Saria actually is, and Saria is far, far more mature and worldly than her peers. If Saria were given the opportunity to grow up as Link has, she would be number 1 on the list by a wide, wide margin. You also left out Navi. The developers have explicitly stated that Navi fell in love with Link over the course of the adventure.

It says a lot about Link when you have to analyzing the people who he might love 😏

Zelda: My mom always said "never do trust a ginger" 😂 Malon: [sneezes]

Sorry big text and theory incoming! MaLink makes a lot of sense but ZeLink is definitely not as impossible as people like to put it. I figured out a way in my headcanon with how it might work with Twilight Princess. What if Zelda and Link had multiple children and one of them ended up marrying Malon's child. Both of them decided to leave the royal life behind and moved on to a calm farming life. Link and Zelda's child would have probably heard of Epona's song from well, Link himself and Malon's child from Malon. And I believe that would cause the bloodlines to split apart. Link has descendants in the royal family, but his descendants in the farm life are the ones who after several generation lead to Twilight Princess Link. This would make him and TP Zelda very distant cousins at most I think. (Though If you wanted to ship TP Link and Zelda with this theory, I suppose real royals have never been stopped by being even closer Cousins. Look at the British Royal Family in a not so distant past. Not saying that it isn't messed up, but It wouldn't seem far fetched for a royal.) I feel the issue or maybe even the point with the game is, that we don't see how Link reacts in game. We don't see his pain, his warmth, his love. We have to imagine what he feels. That is up to everyonee. But to me it came off that Zelda was pained to let him go. She wanted to put his happiness before hers by sending him back in time. And that she might have been hurt to let him go onto his adventure in Majoras Mask too. I feel that if not for the whole timeline shenanigans, the ending of Ocarina of time would have been a perfect ending to tease a romance. The lost hearts are able to reunite. That being said, I think MaLink would be the easiest way to connect OoT and TP. The signs are clear and make sense. ZeLink needs a few more explanations to make it work, but I think with enough generations, it's not that hard to imagine it. But whoever Link ended up with, I hope Link had at least some happy years with the love he chose. It's really sad how neither Zelda, nor Malon nor Link get a happy ending, no matter how you put it. Either one of the girls, Malon or Zelda, who both feel for him, end up without Link. But both of them would lose him early to a battle of some sorts after having children with him. So Zelda or Malon's children would lose their Father too. And Link ends up as a spirit filled with regrets, who deserved so much better. I admit I'm a big Zelink Fan but I can see MaLink as a serious possibility. But in my head canon, after the Hero's Shade passes on all his knowledge to Link, he reunites with his love in the afterlife. It could be Malon if that is your head canon, but in mine it is Zelda. And what she says to him is "Let's go home, where you are supposed to be, how you are supposed to be."

I believe that Zelink happened. As it was addressed in an interview if OOT/MM Link were to have a girlfriend. He would want it to be Zelda. Several characters make remarks about how he's searching for the princess in game. Like Ruto...his self proclaimed fiancé. Pointed out how he was worried/thinking about Zelda. Impa addressed to Link not worry about Princess she is safe. Even if it was to learn the Song of Time in Majora's Mask. Link thought of Zelda...and was in a deep daze that he snapped out of...to me indicates he was happily daydreaming. Indicates Zelda as a possible love interest. Also who does LINK go to as soon as he ends up back in the past. Indicated he has his memories intact. He goes to see Zelda...yes, it's also to warn her. And with the different timelines. I think OOT Zelink was the one that destined for them to be tragic lovers. Link and Zelda could have a tragic forbidden type of relationship. They couldn't marry because of his status. But still be lovers that result in a child. For all we know. Link could even been a bodyguard to Zelda at some point. As a theory. There's many that go on in my head. The thing is TP Link and Zelda have NO romantic interest in each other. Link addressed he didn't have an male heirs to pass on his skills. So this makes me believe he had a daughter. Who could had two children or what not....and TP Link and Zelda are distant related. As say a Zelda could take the throne...and another descendant wouldn't have to worry of such. Just because TP Link knows Epona's song. Doesn't mean he ended up with Malon. Malon taught Link the song...and Epona became LINK'S horse even in Majora's Mask. There also could be reasons TP Link ended up on a ranch. It doesn't always mean their a descendant.

I believe Malon was the proper partner for Link. For once, he can actually live by her side. And also I think that their interaction seemed to be the only want that spoke the loudest in volumes. Since Twilight Link is a descendant of OOT Link, I don’t see anyone else but Malon to be his wife to create a family.

Man this thumbnail gives me such nostalgia lol. I miss the older anime style of animation so much, wish it would make a comeback. Very good video by the way, Malink is probably the best ship in my opinion.

an episode just released and it already has actual captions instead auto-captions?! Thank goodness I've already followed you somehow haha

Malon was always my first choice. It makes sense lore wise with Twilight Princess, too. Great video!

When I first played OOT, I used to make-believe that Malon was my wife who I settle down with after the story After a long day of side-questing, I would ride Epona "home" to LonLon Ranch and do "farm-husband" stuff It's a little embarrassing to admit now, but that's why Malon made the most sense to me as an actual "happily ever after" partner for Link to grow old with Zelda just has too much going on

I like to assume it was Saria in the long haul myself. In TP the Kokori are gone, and following the flow of time after that, BotW has the Koroks in their place. The Hero of Time's journey throughout the world might have emboldened plenty of Kokori to abandon their immortality to experience the world at large, and Saria definitely would be the first for the chance to be with Link again. Of course the whole Kokori/Korok thing is the only thing I like it for, and it holds about as much weight as the Rutella business mentioned elsewhere in the comments here. Who can say?

If we assume that Zelda and link in OoT got together it might bring up some issues, and i don't mind the fact that Link in TP is a farm boy. Cause if we assume that this is the canon paring wouldnt that mean that the Link and Zelda from TP are... Related? Cause i mean if every new Zelda in the timeline is a descendant from the last that means that the Zelda in TP is unequivocally a descendant from the Zelda in OoT, right? Like TP Link IF we assume OoT Link and Zelda got together.

I wouldn't dismiss Ruto, Rutela from TP has blonde hair and her name has the Ru- prefix, which is definitely meant to be a reference to Ruto. Maybe Link actually did get married to Ruto and had a child(Rutela) before getting with someone else like Malon, either a divorce or possibly Malon being Link's mistress.

I have to agree with your conclusion that Malon makes the most sense. However, don't discount Saria completely. She has the best emotional connection to Link, and she's a *Sage* -- she could likely use her magic to grow up, even if that's not possible for any other Kokiri. Either way, i just *can't* drop the ship I've had since I was a teenager myself in the 90s.

i saw that sneaky little "this is the best video on youtube" in the search bar and i agree cuz this is entertaining me lol

Always remember kids the reason link got so many love interests in ocarina of time his because originally at the end of the game you would be able to choose with who link would stay with

Link is too much man for any 7 women. He'll need at least 12.

I like the tragic route where he always loves Zelda first, but her status as a princess and his as a nobody - or a knight depending on the game - renders that a forbidden relationship. This in turn causes Link to settle with protecting her from afar. Eventually finding his own family with a kind woman who undersstands when he confesses this. Thus her tragedy - in this case Malon - is that she knows he'll up and leave without hesitation if Zelda needs him but will also come back when she's safe. If you ask me, it fits with the whole theme of tagedy and curses in each game. After all, isn't the whole series happening because Link was too in love to stay out of Demise' curse? And Hylia too unwilling to part with him and thus setting off Skyward Sword?

Here for the premiere.

Awesome video

I wonder how Tears of the Kingdom will affect your video on Link’s love interests in BotW and AoC.

Link and Malon are canon in my book.

I’ve usually been a Gerudo fan, but I will say Malon is an absolutely lovely woman. Redheads are always my favorites.

If the Hero of Time got together with Zelda that would mean that the Hero of Twilight would be related, possibly siblings, with the Zelda of his time. Idk that would seem weird to me. I'm also a defender of the Link x Malon idea. It seems more natural as well. With Zelda there'll always be a power dynamic one way or another. With Malon I think they would look each other eye to eye.

Every time I hear about the "Termina isn't real" stuff I just have to think how Skull Kids backstory is directly linked to Termina and how it doesn't make sense

it is worth noting that the manga would seem to suggest Zelda as more likely, but it's also a bit fuzzy on where exactly link comes from.

So Links are always descendants of other Links, I always believed that a Link could be born anywhere and because of destiny he will be a Link’s avatar.

6:52 In other words, he’s going like, “Just kidding 😂” “Unless?”

Nice

Yeah for me it has always been a given as my head canon, Link and Malon end up together. There is just too much evidence that points towards it, Twilight Princess being the biggest reason but there's also Majora's Mask's Cremia and Romani sure but don't forget the "love triangle" of Cremia, Anju and Kafei which kind of parallels the idea of Malon, Zelda and Link, if we consider that Termina was this "dream world", this parallel world to help Link cope with his internal issues.

Honestly I kinda agree the story fits better this way

Before you even got there, I suspected the Ordon reasoning being the strongest case for Malon, who I do agree he ended up with.

9:07 - speaking of that, I have a theory to add. What if the relationship between Kafei and Anju is an allegory for the relationship between Link and Saria? They both like each other, but because one of them is stuck as a kid the relationship falls apart. Perhaps Link's attempt at fixing Kafei and Anju's relationship reflects his own desire to want to make something work with Saria; unfortunately for Link, he knows there's nothing he can do for his own situation, so maybe he imagines fixing an impossible situation for a couple as a form of personal consolation.

"Shipping them together is wildly inappropriate" You say that as if that's ever stopped anyone LMAO

8:10 what is the music here? It’s so beautiful.

I hope there's a Malon/Marin equivalent in Tears of the kingdom

omg I wasn't expecting Saria to be a stoner. almost spit out my coffee LOL!

I like this breakdown and agree with the assessment. Curious though, where does it mention that Twilight Princess Link is a direct descendant of the Hero of Time?

Shipping is not a guilty pleasure of mine. I feel no guilt at all.

These videos usually fail to poi t out an important detail. Link already has Epona in Majora's Mask. This tells us clearly that Link spent time with and became close with Malon when he was returned to the child timeline. Malon would not have trusted just anybody with taking Epona. Link simply having Epona in Majora's Mask is indicative of his close bond with Malon.

Hi, nice to comment here. I love your theories as much as Zelda Saga. I would love to ask you something. It's about the mask seller. He is sus like no one else, and I mean it, not just because of his "impish" looks and attitude. Why he knows the song of healing? Why he takes majora but not fierce deity? Why he seems so fixated over people happiness? Why he seems to be real when Termina is in a debate to be so?? And the one that gives me the more tok: Why the hell the majora's kid in the tree over the meadow is so freaking similar to him?

Saria stole Link's hyrulian kush and blazed up 😂

i do have thing to say TP Link was not born in Ordan he was found by Russel in the woods

These are the Zelda Waifus that I love the most. So many Fan Fictions I have read as well as written about a few times during my younger years.

i was so confused when i played the nabooru scene like was she hinting at smth with a 9 yr old kid? and i thought nintendo wouldnt do that but i guess they were diffrent back then

You really opened my eyes to the Link/Malon potential in Oot. When I was younger, I was hardcore Zelda/Link all the way. (Now I'm more Gannondorf/Zelda, but that's purely fanon.) But think about it. Link loves the forest, exploration, adventuring and I think he would fit more with Malon. Malon loves horses, the outdoors, the wild and the forest. Zelda would be a Princess becoming Queen and have to do her royal duties, running state affairs, politics all that. I think Link would find it suffocating and probably want to settle down with a humble, peaceful life after all his adventures.

*ahem* There’s a Manga for Twilight Princess that explains Link’s Backstory, and…. Well, if you don’t want spoilers, I’d suggest you stop reading, but if you don’t care, then: Link was originally born and raised in a far away town on the border of the desert where he was trained in the art of combat. They were told that their city was built to protect that side of Hyrule from bandits and criminals from the desert. He wound up in Ordon after the village mysteriously disappeared. Viola. Backstory ✨

it would be interesting if there were twelve sages in one zelda game and they were the sages of blood, and one of them is the sage of light, One of them is the sage of breath, One of them is the sage of life, One of them is the sage of doom, One of them is the sage of rage, one of them is the sage of space, One of them is the sage of hope, One of them is the sage of void, one of them is the sage of mind, one of them is a sage of heart, and finally one of them is the sage of time,

With the fact that Twilight Princess now has a manga adaptation with a lot more backstory and lots more lore added, are you going to consider doing another video?

Oot link ends up with Malon it’s hinted a few times in game and twilight princess link is the hero of times grandson who starts off on a ranch

Well your ending statement makes so much sense BUT Really TP is just a couple gens ahead? I thought the games were hundreds if not thousands years apart...

No guilt. At all. Set the sails!

Here my opinions, from my fav to least fav OOT pairing: Well, Saria never ages in appearance, but she could be several 100s years old by now, so if people consider this ship inappropriate, they should blame her instead of him. 😁 As for her role as a sage, I think when Link gets back in time, he could change the future and somehow manage to make Mido be the sage, which would give Mido more character development as well as allow Link and Saria to remain in the same World. But since Link still has some journeys to do, he has to leave the forest every now and then, making her the new definition of a "stay at home wife". As for Nabooru, she is obviously a few years older than him, but when Link grows up, that's not really a problem. One problem remains, and this is once again her role as sage. But who sould replace her? There are two options IMO, which would be either Ganondorf if Link somehow can convince him to turn good, or Ingo from the farm, because he already experienxced the brainwashing, just like Nabooru. Malon is a good choice, she is cute, a diligent worker and is, for a change, *not* a sage, therefore the most uncomplicated relationship. 😊 Ruto is kind of hard to imagine as a serious Relationship. She has a crush on Link, but the marriage is kind of arranged/forced. If Link refused, he couldn't get the Zora Stone. So yeah, she basically put her crush on him over the fate of the World. 😅 And it's questionable if Humans and Zora are compatible for making children. Princess Zelda - NO! She has two souls (according to the Manga, Sheik is an own personality), is hard to meet (no person is worth to deal with those annoying guards everytime they meet), can turn into a man (while becoming Sheik) and on top of that it's a cliché that the Hero needs to get the Princess. 😂 Honorable mentions from other Games: TWW: Medli x Link is my favourite couple from TWW, and actually my second fav from all Games. 😊 Link x Zelda: Well, this time Zelda is more suitable than in OOT, but again her other personality ruins everything. 😂 Skyward Sword: Fi is pretty cute, and her personality from being completely rational to thankfulness in the end is great. The Shop girl is the best love interest in the Game, because it's not necessary for the Story/programmed, but it takes time for the player to make her fall for him. 😊 Zelda - NEVER in this Game. She hid the fact that she was Hylia, causing him to be attacked by monsters... oh yeah, and she almost killed him at the beginnibg because she didn't believe his bird wouldn't appear. Sorry, but while in the other Games, the Main problem with Zelda was her other self or the fact that it's a cliché. But this time, Zelda is the problem all by herself. Twilight Princess: Obviously, Ilia x Link. 😊

Ruto was a Tsundere

I always thought Link ended up with Malon. In Ocarina of Time Malon shows she has a crush on him. Talon's comment after the Cookoo game, the Gossip Stone mentioning Malon dreams of a knight in shining armor who will sweep her away. Then there's Romani who also has a crush on Link and how Link really enjoyed the hug from Cremia who they successfully make it to Clock Town (puberty alert.) Then look at the 2D games. The Zelda in the original game is a redhead. The girl in Link's Awakening, Marin, who seems to like Link and he seems like her is also a redhead. Then it seems very likely that in Twilight Princess that Link being a rancher is likely the great grandson (not sure home many generations later) of the Ocarina of Time Link and Malon. Link seems to like girls with orange hair.

if majoras mask is a dream henknows what he wants malon to do

Link x the girl behind the counter of the Bombchu Bombing Challenge

Malon all the way!

actually all the "evidence" that Malon and Link got together is just evidence that oot link is an ancestor of tp link. Link bought Epona, so Epona is Link's, she's not Malon's anymore, Epona's music, Link knew and could have taught anyone. As for the presence of NPCs in Majoras Mask, honestly it's more about the world of Termina than about link. Besides, we don't know how much time passed between MM and TP. Aside from the fact that the royal family is said to have enjoyed the link, a marriage would likely not have been prevented. Besides, TP Link is the only Hylian in a village of humans who don't know their parents, so TP Link could have been born anywhere. And the fact that he is a farmer means nothing about who his ancestors were.

Hm, haven’t you covered this Link already? Did you have to make a singular Video about it too or something?

Hear me out: If MM is a journey into Link's psyche: His counterpart is Kafei, who is in love with Anju, but recently got de-aged and thus doesn't want her or his mother to see him that way. Perhaps Link feels similarly about the Cucco girl in Ocarina and ends up with her!

Malon supremacy.

We are talking about the same princess who screwed her timeline by sending Link back and not having any means to stop Ganondorf and basically flooding Hyrule.

If Majora's Mask is a dream where did Kafie come out??. He doesnt appear anywhere in Ocarina of Time

Isnt it hard confirmed that oot link married malon the farm girl and his decent was tp link since hes a rancher and the game is heavily a ssquel to oot

0:50 Bro Link was 16 when she said that 💀

Well Saria doesn’t age physically, but theoretically she could be around for hundreds of years, and wouldn’t have the childlike nature of the other Kokiri… If the species literally can’t grow physically you can’t right off relations for them arguably, it be like a Gerudo getting with a Zora or a Tolkien Elf with a Dwarf…

Here me out, Genghis Khan got an entire harem for conquering most of asia, should it be too hard to believe that the hero of time, a legendary hero and very very handsome man, couldn't have a harem of ladies including a ranch girl, a princess, a fish princess and a much older thief lady whos basically 'naughty teacher'? He boinked them all. Thats what I believe.

Even as a kid I always thought link would end up with malon if anyone.

I find the colors of the 3ds version too saturated. The pc port is the best option

Hasn't he already done this one?

Personally...i think that kokirl girl with the olive green hair and double bun tails that sasis link like he is a newb is strangely his best match but unfortunately Kokirl can't grow up my second choice is for link is the garudo that matches your colors it's like a sexy challenge and finally number 3 is definitely Impa she is an powerful woman with a great bust and mysteries

The milk mamas Malon and Cremia forever!!

Maybe the point is that Zelda didn't want to take any more of Link's life trough battles and titles and sends him to a separate way that is why he would be with Malon, fail as a hero but living as a normal person

For majora mask not being real or a dream I personally think that it is link's way to the after life like he is tested to see if he is still a hero worthy of of the afterlife if he didn't beat majora he would go to hell and if he won he would go to heaven

My headcannon states that while Ocarina of Time, Link had not much interest in Romance because he was mentally a child (atleast until he was forced to grow up because of his quests in both Hyrule and Termina,) and when he returned to Hyrule Link chose Malon because of her simple and relatable origins and also his interactions with Cremia and Romani.

Link and Malon forever. Before the official timeline came out, I always thought he was literally the girl of his dreams due to Majora’s Mask and Marin. Then Twilight Princess with Link working on a farm.

Malon seems the most logical choice... but... am I weird for having a soft spot for Link and Ruto?

Aw hell naw, nabooru out here doing a misato

10:25: Also, because remember: Fish are food. Not friends. :)