The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time #2 Hyrule in three dimensions

Longshot

The Longshot is an upgraded form of the Hookshot which can be found inside the Water Temple. It is obtained after defeating Dark Link in the standard versions of Ocarina of Time. However, it is obtained much earlier in Master Quest. The Longshot has twice the reach as the normal Hookshot, allowing Link to reach more distant targets. The Longshot can pull Link towards Hookshot targets, wooden objects and some enemies, such as ReDeads. Similarly, it can pull certain enemies towards Link, such as Morpha's eye. The Longshot is required to fully navigate the Water Temple, as many targets are out of reach from the regular Hookshot. The Longshot can be used to cross the broken bridge in Gerudo Valley as well as the River of Sand in the Haunted Wasteland.

Boomerang

"If you throw it, it comes back! The Boomerang can stun or defeat enemies. Use Z Targeting to improve your accuracy. Some enemies can only be defeated with the Boomerang."

The Boomerang is an item that Link can throw, at which point it will return to him. It can be used for both combat and Puzzle solving. It can be used to stun enemies, although a single hit will defeat weak enemies, such as Keese. It can also be used to retrieve items that are out of Link's reach. The Boomerang first appeared in The Legend of Zelda and has gone through several design changes since then. In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Link can draw the path that the Boomerang will take, allowing a more direct control of it. Moreover, the Boomerang can also be used to turn Sparks and Anti-Fairies into Fairies in certain games.

In Ocarina of Time, the Boomerang can only be used by Link as a child. It is the main item Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly. The Boomerang is needed in order to defeat Tailpasarans, Parasitic Tentacles, the Big Octo, and the Boss of the Dungeon, Barinade. It also allows Link to collect distant items such as Gold Skulltula Tokens. It can be used to stun and defeat certain enemies. Before being thrown, the camera shifts to a first-person perspective, allowing Link to aim. The camera will remain in a third-person perspective if Link is Targeting something. When Targeting, the Boomerang will follow its target until impact.

Piece of Heart

Pieces of Heart, also known as Rare Peach Stones, are recurring Items in The Legend of Zelda series. They are collected to form a full Heart Container, extending Link's maximum health by one Heart.

Pieces of Heart were first seen in A Link to the Past, and have since appeared in almost every other title following it. Pieces of Heart are scattered throughout the world. They can be found in Treasure Chests, won in mini-games, purchased, or given to Link after completing a Side Quest. In many games, a Heart Container can form by collecting four Pieces of Heart. Obtaining a Piece of Heart will immediately refill all of Link's health, regardless of whether or not that Piece of Heart is completing a Heart Container. The amount of Pieces of Heart depends primarily on how many Heart Containers are in the game; the Pieces of Heart, combined with the Heart Containers, typically add up to a total of 20 Hearts by the end of a game. The number of Heart Pieces in a game is inversely proportional to how many dungeons (therefore, bosses with Heart Containers) are available in that adventure. Because of this, Majora's Mask currently holds the record for having the highest number in the series (52, this for featuring only four Heart Containers).

It is unknown if any character other than Link understands the use and purpose of the Pieces of Heart, or if any character other than Link can use the Pieces of Heart, as very few characters ever have anything to say about them, even when handing them out as rewards. In Twilight Princess, if Link catches the Piece of Heart while fishing in the Fishing Hole, Hena will remark "Whose heart did you catch? You big sweetheart!" In Skyward Sword, Beedle will eventually sell Link a Piece of Heart starting at 1600 Rupees. If Link asks Beedle about the item so that he can buy it, Beedle will tell him that he does not actually know what it is, and that he found it somewhere nearby. Fortune tellers who give hints leading to the location of Pieces of Heart refer to them as something having to do with love.

Although now a series staple, a number of games do not feature Pieces of Heart. Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures and Tri Force Heroes do not have collectible Pieces of Heart, as Heart Containers are not permanent upgrades in those games. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, despite having permanent Heart Containers, also do not have Pieces of Heart. In Breath of the Wild, Pieces of Heart are replaced by Spirit Orbs, and are obtained at the end of every Shrine. 4 Spirit Orbs can be traded in for a Heart Container at a Goddess Statue.

There are 36 pieces of the heart in the game.

Epona

Biography

Epona is first seen when she is just a foal at Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time, where she is raised by Malon. She is wild and untamed, running away when Link approaches, as only Malon can get close to her. After Malon teaches Link "Epona's Song." Epona stops running away and approaches Link. Malon then says that Epona has taken a liking to him.

Link then finds Epona seven years later when she has become a mare. However, things have taken a turn at the Ranch and Ingo is now in charge. Ingo plans to present Epona to Ganondorf, who he claims gave him ownership of the Ranch. At first, Epona will run from Link as if he is a stranger, but if he plays "Epona's Song", she will remember him and trot to his side. Link can then participate in a horse race against Ingo with Epona as his steed. If Link wins, Ingo will get furious, challenging him again while betting Epona herself on the outcome of the race. If Link wins, Ingo lets him keep Epona. However, Ingo then attempts to prevent Link from leaving with Epona by shutting the gates of the Ranch. Link can guide Epona to jump over the walls of the Ranch to escape into Hyrule Field. Afterwards, Link can play "Epona's Song" while in Hyrule Field to call her. During the ending credits, Epona is seen running across Hyrule Field, and is later seen next to Malon during the celebration of Ganondorf's defeat at Lon Lon Ranch.

While riding Epona, Link cannot get hurt by enemies and can only attack by using the Bow. He can also whip her to get up to six speed boosts, appearing on-screen as Carrots. The boosts can be used to jump over barriers and fences, such as in the aforementioned escape from Lon Lon Ranch after Ingo shuts the gates, and are restored after a few seconds. Epona can be used to jump across the broken bridge in Gerudo Valley and to play the Horseback Archery Range minigame in Gerudo's Fortress. She is also required to summon Big Poes in Hyrule Field. Despite this, obtaining Epona is entirely optional, as Link can also cross the broken bridge in Gerudo Valley using the Longshot.

Development

During the development of Super Mario 64, the development team had plans to include a horse, which were later moved to Ocarina of Time. The developers did not want controls to be difficult, so Epona was made to automatically jump over barriers if she has enough speed. To make the experience more entertaining, the carrot system was established, as well as mounted archery. The developers also wanted to include one-on-one battles and horseback swordplay, though such features did not appear until Twilight Princess.

The scene where Epona jumps over the broken bridge in Gerudo Valley was specially requested by Shigeru Miyamoto. A similar scene is shown when Epona escapes from Lon Lon Ranch, which had more than one exit, so a cutscene was made for each. The idea of horses and these scenes were inspired by Western movies.

Saria

Saria is a character in Ocarina of Time. She is Link's childhood friend from his years in the Kokiri Forest. She is well-liked amongst other Kokiri, particularly by their boss, Mido, whose dislike of Link might be partially explained by the latter's close friendship with Saria. She often travels to the Sacred Forest Meadow to play her Ocarina. She plays a song that inspires people to dance called "Saria's Song." When Link becomes the Hero of Time, he rescues Saria from the Forest Temple and allows her to awaken as the Forest Sage.

Biography

Saria is the first of the Kokiri to greet Link after he receives Navi, his own Fairy. She congratulates him for finally finding a Fairy and is surprised to hear that the Great Deku Tree has summoned Link, as it is a great honor to speak with him. After receiving his quest from the Great Deku Tree, Saria meets Link at the exit of the forest to say goodbye. She gives him the Fairy Ocarina and asks him to come back and visit her.

Once Link has met with Princess Zelda, he can find Saria in the Sacred Forest Meadow, where she will teach the young hero the song she has composed. This song allows Link to speak with her at any time and is also used to brighten Darunia's mood, thus allowing him to grant Link access to Dodongo's Cavern.

During Link's seven-year absence, Mido kept spreading the rumor that Link was responsible for the death of the Great Deku Tree. Of all the Kokiri, Saria was the only one who stood up for Link. When Link awakens, the Forest Temple in the Lost Woods becomes his first destination after an emergency call from Saria. On the way, he comes through Kokiri Forest where the Kokiri inform him that both Saria and Mido left for the Lost Woods. Following them, Link first encounters Mido, who refuses to let him pass. However, after playing "Saria's Song," Mido understands that Link has to be one of Saria's friends and as such can be trusted and let through. Link continues to the Sacred Forest Meadow and discovers that Saria's "secret place" houses the entrance to the Forest Temple. Link then goes in and manages to defeat the temple's evil spirit, Phantom Ganon. By doing this, he allows Saria to awaken as the new Forest Sage. Saria then says goodbye, knowing that the carefree days of old are over, and gives Link the Forest Medallion.

Later, when Link talks to Mido again, the latter asks him if he would help him keep a promise to Saria: to tell Link that Saria had been waiting for him. When Link defeats Ganon, Saria and the other Sages bundle their powers to seal him away. During the ending, she can be seen overlooking a celebrating Hyrule on Death Mountain with the other Sages, seated atop Darunia's head.

Nomenclature

Saria's name, like several other characters from Ocarina of Time, is taken from a town in The Adventure of Link. Given her connection with music and that fellow Kokiri Mido and Fado have musically-oriented names, Saria may come from the word "aria," a type of song.

Great Deku Tree

Biography

In Ocarina of Time, the Deku Tree is the guardian of the Kokiri and of their forest. He protects the Kokiri's Emerald, one of the three Spiritual Stones.

At the beginning of the game, the Deku Tree sends Navi the Fairy to summon Link to him, explaining to the young boy that he has been cursed by Ganondorf. Link is asked to journey Inside the Deku Tree, the first dungeon of the game, and destroy the root of the curse, the parasite known as Queen Gohma. Afterwards, the Great Deku Tree details Ganondorf's motives, the Golden Goddesses, and the Triforce they created. The Deku Tree withers and dies soon after due to the effects of the curse. Before passing on, he tasks Link with saving all of Hyrule from Ganondorf, directing him to meet Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle outside the forest, and entrusting him with the Kokiri's Emerald.

When Link returns to Kokiri Forest seven years later as an adult, he finds that it has been overrun by monsters due to the Deku Tree's absence. After clearing the Forest Temple and awakening Saria as a Sage, the Deku Tree Sprout takes root in the ground before his predecessor, and the monsters plaguing the forest subsequently vanish.

Malon

Biography

In Ocarina of Time, Malon is a young girl who loves to sing outside Hyrule Castle's walls at night. She, along with Ingo, takes care of most of the duties at Lon Lon Ranch due to her father's laziness. Link first meets Malon, who calls him "Fairy Boy," in the Market where she is looking for her father, Talon. Link finds Talon asleep outside Hyrule Castle and wakes him up using the Cucco that hatched from the Weird Egg Malon gave him. After this, Talon returns to the Ranch and reunites with Malon. When Link visits Malon at the Ranch, she introduces him to a young Horse named Epona, and teaches the young hero "Epona's Song," a song her mother composed.

When Link returns to Lon Lon Ranch seven years later, he discovers that Ingo exiled Talon and took over the Ranch. Malon has been working for Ingo out of fear of the Ranch's Horses facing abuse from him if she disobeys his orders. Moreover, since Ingo was struggling to tame Epona, he was planning to give her as a present to Ganondorf, though Malon was the only one who could tame her. Malon tells Link that she recognized him but was not sure who he was until he told her his name.

As a minigame, Malon lets him race around Lon Lon Ranch to compete against her best time. When he is able to beat her time, she rewards him by sending a Cow to his House in Kokiri Forest, which may be used as a free source of Milk. Should Link best his own time afterwards, Malon will simply compliment his and Epona's teamwork.

With the Mask of Truth, Link can learn from the Gossip Stones that Malon dreams for a knight to take her away. A Gossip Stone in front of the Temple of Time also says that Malon was the original record holder of the Lon Lon Ranch obstacle course, her record being 50 seconds.

Ocarina of Time is the only game in which Malon's mother is mentioned. She is not present by the time of the events of Ocarina of Time, but it is clear she had a great influence on Malon and the others on the Ranch. She was the one who composed "Epona's Song," which is said to be liked by everyone on the farm. If Link speaks to Talon while wearing the Gerudo Mask or the Goron Mask, he says that it reminds him of his wife, but he quickly retracts that statement.

Ganondorf

Biography

Ganondorf was born a powerful Gerudo sorcerer, the enemy of the human races of Hyrule. The Gerudo twin witches Koume and Kotake were his surrogate mothers. The Gerudo are a race of mostly female warriors and thieves, to whom only one male is born every century. Because of this, the male is by birthright the King of the Gerudo. Nabooru mentions that she is not following Ganondorf because he stole from women and children and killed people. Ganondorf uses his position, to betray of the King of Hyrule, as well as for to cunning, manipulation and mystical power to gain entrance to the Sacred Realm, the abode of the Triforce. However, he does not obtain the full Triforce; he is left with only the Triforce of Power, which he uses to great effect in his conquest of Hyrule.

Characteristics

Personality

Ganondorf is an extremely powerful Gerudo warlock who opposes Link and Princess Zelda within the series; as such, he is a villain of pure evil and a cruel, ruthless warlord whose goal is to usurp the Kingdom of Hyrule. Ganon's only ambition in life is to obtain the Triforce and dominate the world using the abilities imbued by them. He has many characteristics of a megalomaniac. Despite his undeniable lust for power, Ganon is a mastermind; he is an adept tactician and a master of manipulation and deceit. It is not unusual for Ganon to manipulate the events of a story behind the scenes (as he did in A Link to the Past, Four Swords Adventures, and Twilight Princess), only to be revealed as the orchestrator in a plot twist. Ganon usually presents himself with the facade of a cynical yet calm and civil man, although he is known to very quickly become enraged, ensuing in a murderous rampage. Ganon has no sense of morality. In his conquest of the Sacred Realm, once he reached the Temple of Light, he single-handedly killed all of his followers who had aided him in his expedition, so that he could claim the Triforce uncontested. He is also culturally inclined, playing the organ with great skill, as seen in Ocarina of Time where he plays his own theme throughout Link's attack in his Tower. Ganon also possesses an arrogant sense of entitlement; he believes himself to be the only one worthy of ruling the kingdom of Hyrule. His pride is also shown when fighting enemies: despite being more than capable of defeating most enemies in combat, Ganon instead relies on his minions to defeat them. Apparently, he chooses to only fight opponents he deems worthy, such as Link.

Ganon is also an extremely destructive being. Conquest and destruction seem to be one and the same to him, and examples of his rule have shown him willingly turning his dominion into a wicked place of terror and chaos. He resents defiance from anybody.

Abilities

Even before gaining the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf was arguably one of the most powerful men in the entire land of Hyrule, largely due to his political position as the King of the Gerudo.

Ganondorf was also an immensely powerful sorcerer with vast mystical resources. Additionally, Ganondorf has proven himself to be a very talented swordsman, as seen in the final battles between him and Link in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. He is also very physically strong, helped further by his extremely impressive height.

Once Ganondorf gained the Triforce of Power, both his physical and mystical abilities were augmented by the essence of the Goddess Din to god-like proportions, his power unrivaled by any mortal, for he ceased to be mortal in that moment. Becoming a monstrously powerful demon king, Ganondorf became utterly unstoppable, conquering Hyrule with ease. He also implies that the Triforce of Power was sufficient enough to allow him to weaken any seals on him overtime. As seen in the events of Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Power also grants Ganondorf invulnerability; using its power, he is capable of enduring mortal wounds (such as having his chest pierced by a sword during his attempted execution), and only the likes of the most powerful sacred weapons (such as the Master Sword) appear to be able to kill him. Even without access to his full capabilities in The Wind Waker, Ganondorf was able to cast a curse to keep the Great Sea in an endless stormy night. As seen in Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Power grants Ganondorf many more powers such as size manipulation and terrain alteration: while Ganondorf is not personally shown using many of these powers, he temporarily gifts the Usurper King Zant with some of them. Ganondorf also has an unnaturally long lifespan, having lived through ages of Hyrulean chronology.

Ganondorf's dark magic, and possibly his position as demon king, give him the power to create his armies of monsters and beasts.

His power, with or without the Triforce, appears to grow over time. The sages in Arbiter's Grounds, when discussing his evil power, mention it being pure malice and hatred. As the Calamity-Ganon, his very essence is known as 'malice', possibly meaning that his demonic magic and power is fuelled as much by his own hatred as the Triforce, and his capacity for hatred is the only true limit on how powerful he can grow.

The reincarnated Ganondorf during the events of Four Swords Adventures was largely similar to the original, although it is implied that he was weaker than the original, to the extent that he lacked the ability to cover Hyrule in darkness by the time he had been defeated and sealed in the Four Sword.

Names

Since the release of the original game, Ganon has had several different names. During the development of The Legend of Zelda, he was referred to as 牛魔王 八戒 (Gyūmaō Hakkai), which is said to be derived from the Journey to the West characters Chohakkai and Gyūmaō. Before the game's release, the name was changed to ガノン (Ganon), an accurate katakana representation of different roman spellings. Both the Japanese and English language versions of The Legend of Zelda spell the character's name as "Gannon." The game's English manual instead opted for the spelling "Ganon." This disparity gave rise to the notion that "Gannon" was a misspelling introduced during the translation of the first installment's in-game text, inspiring the site and phrase "Gannon-Banned." The misspelling theory is conflicted by the Japanese versions of The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past, whose in-game texts kept the spelling of "Gannon." Ever since the English release of The Adventure of Link, official Nintendo translations have consistently used the spelling "Ganon". The first instance of the "Ganon" spelling being used by the Japanese developers is in the source code of Ocarina of Time. With the Japanese release of Super Smash Bros. Melee, the games finally adopted the official English spelling for the Japanese audience. Although the etymology of Link's name is commonly known, the original inspiration behind the name Ganon has yet to be revealed by the developers.

When A Link to the Past was released, Ganon's human form, Ganondorf, was introduced. In the Western manual of A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Ganondorf was addressed by the full name "Ganondorf Dragmire." Similarly, Ganon was also addressed in the manual by an alias, "Mandrag Ganon," which means "Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves." These names do not appear in A Link to the Past itself, in its re-releases, or in other games, though the name "Ganondorf Dragmire" is used in Ganondorf's character profile on the official Zelda website. According to the Hyrule Historia, the name "Ganondorf" refers to his human form, while the name "Ganon" is both a nickname and the name given to him when he transforms into a boar-like beast. There have been several cases in The Legend of Zelda series in which characters, such as the King of Red Lions or Zant, refer to Ganondorf as "Ganon." In Breath of the Wild, Ganon is known as Calamity Ganon

Timeline

Several years prior to Ocarina of Time, the Hyrulean Civil War ended with the unification of the various races of Hyrule under the Royal Familly. This included the Gerudo, with Ganondorf swearing fealty to the King of Hyrule and the Gerudo Desert coming under Hyrule's control. In truth, Ganondorf only did this so he could move freely throughout the country.

During the events of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is striving to conquer the lands of Hyrule and obtain the Triforce. In order to access the Triforce within the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf sought the three Spiritual Stones from the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras. When they refused to hand them over, he placed a death curse upon the Great Deku Tree and Lord Jabu-Jabu, and blocked off Dodongo's Cavern with a gigantic boulder. At the same time, he pledged false allegiance to the King of Hyrule to gain his trust.

Princess Zelda, however, senses the evil within Ganondorf and asks for Link's aid to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce. Ganondorf eventually betrays the King and assaults Hyrule Castle while Link gathers the three Spiritual Stones. The young hero returns in time to see Zelda and Impa flee, who are being pursued by Ganondorf on his Horse. When Ganondorf demands Link tell him in which direction the two had fled, Link refuses and is attacked by the King of the Gerudo, who proclaims he will soon rule the world. When Link, shortly thereafter, opens the entrance to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf follows him and seizes the opportunity to obtain the Triforce, with partial success. As he touched the Triforce, however, it split into three pieces, leaving Ganondorf with only the Triforce of Power.

During the seven years Link was asleep, Ganondorf conquered the Kingdom of Hyrule, transforming the feudal-style Hyrule Castle into Ganon's Castle, a tiered near-cylindrical skyscraper resting on a floating island that hovered above a large lake of lava. He had the Castle Town completely decimated, left in ruins, and populated by the ReDead, causing many Hylians to flee to Kakariko Village.

As Hyrule's new king, Ganondorf gained even more knowledge regarding the Triforce. Because his heart was not in balance, he was only bestowed one third of the element: the Triforce of Power. With all of the luxury and power of the subdued kingdom at his disposal, the Sorcerer Evil King is able to wait for the moment when the two remaining Triforce keepers, Link and Zelda, would reveal themselves. Eventually, he finds them in the Temple of Time where he kidnaps Princess Zelda, who had evaded his pursuit for seven years, and challenges Link to come save her. The three Triforce possessors meet again in Ganon's Castle, where the final battle ensues. When Link reaches the top of the Tower, he finds Zelda confined in a pink crystalline enclosure floating above it. Ganondorf taunts the young hero and engages him in battle, where Link is able to defeat the tyrant with the aid of the Light Arrows and the Master Sword. Using the last of his power, Ganondorf tries to make his castle collapse to kill Link and Zelda, but the two manage to escape safely. However, an exhausted Ganondorf uses the essence of the Triforce of Power to transform into a bestial monstrosity called Ganon. Despite his massive size and clever tactics, Link manages to defeat him using the Master Sword and assistance from the power of the Seven Sages. Ganondorf is then sealed into the void of the Evil Realm where he cannot harm Hyrule or lay his hands on the remaining pieces of the Triforce. As he is sealed in the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf claims that when he breaks the seal, he will destroy Link and Zelda's descendants, knowing that he will have the opportunity as long as he possesses the Triforce of Power.