Community News: Timeline Discussion: Could Multiple Master Swords Exist?

Posted by on November 29, 2011



Most major Zelda games after A Link to the Past feature the Master Sword. This includes Ocarina of Time, Four Swords, the Oracle series, the Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.

While Skyward Sword was supposed to serve as the “origin” story and explain how the sword was crafted, it generated even more questions than answers about the truth of the blade and made me wonder if this sword is the same one Link uses in later games.

So does a true Master Sword really exist or are there simply new swords in each title? Is the origin story from Skyward Sword the truth behind the sacred blade? Does any of this even matter?

This actually stirred from a friendly argument andy198 and I were having on another news post. Long story short:



Andy198: that seems different, not like zelda games at all

i have notices that the only 2 ever master swords that are >similar< (yes similare, not the same) are twilight princess and skyward sword well... looks are the same but the way it acts are 2 totally different swords

Flimsykitty: They ARE the same Master Sword. It all makes sense now (kind of).

The sages (mentioned in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess) were said to forge the "sacred blade". This was the Goddess Sword. (As stated in the introduction) Skyward Sword explained how the sword the sages forged turned into the Master Sword.

It also explained the circumstances around the sword. At the end of the game, Fi says that Demise is sealed away in the blade. She also goes to sleep in the sword to protect the evil from breaking away and Impa stays in the past to make sure no one takes it.

The next game we can logically conclude occurs next is Ocarina of Time. Obviously, because of the evolution of all the races from Skyward Sword (and the fact that all the Skyloftians are now living in Hyrule (or Grooseland)) thousands of years have gone by. What happens to swords over time? They rust and start to break apart. We also need to take into consideration the graphics of the time (which can be said about any other 2D Zelda game as well). Twilight Princess was the last “big” Zelda game and because of that, the graphics are going to be a bit similar.

There’s no definite reason as to why the sword doesn’t function the same way in each game but…

Link in Skyward Sword was the original Link. He was the original Hero and Zelda was the Goddess reborn. Does that mean that every reincarnation of Link and Zelda have the same powers? Just because they are reincarnations of the original saviors, why is it that Zelda in Spirit Tracks couldn’t use the same power Zelda in Ocarina of Time could? That’s one theory…

My other theory is that the abilities of the sword are based on Fi. This is supported because when your sword levels up, Fi gains a new power as well. She’s defiantly tied to the sword (she couldn’t go to Link after his stuff was taken in the volcano part and actually thanks him for coming to her rescue). Because she’s “sleeping” to keep the seal on Demise, the powers the sword had are gone. Link can’t use dowsing in later games because she’s not there along side him (and awake). He can’t do the Skyward Strike because that was dependant on her tie to her creator (Hylia).

So it’s either Link’s fault for not being reincarnated with the exact same power as the Hero or all Fi’s fault that the swords don’t work the same way in different games or a combination of the two.

Those are just my theories...

Andy198: accually theres a destinction

Flimsykitty: What distinction? Link either acquires THE Master Sword or some other sword (Phantom Blade, ect.)

Andy198: if u look very cearfully, u will be able to see a difference and anyway the master has always been different, never the same, heres a hint, the blade

Flimsykitty: The Master Sword is different because it has a different owner in each game and a different purpose. In Ocarina of Time, Link was the Hero of Time. In Twilight Princess, he was the Hero of Twilight and in Wind Waker he was the Hero of the Winds. In Skyward Sword, the origin story Link was simply "The Hero" because he had control of the entire triforce. It has always been the "Bane of Evil's Blade". The difference in styles is because of the different art and graphics or because of the purpose it needs to fulfill.

Andy 198: 1, its the blade of evils bane-bane means destroyer...
2, in ocaina of time, look at the shape of the master sword, in wind waker, the handles are thinker, in skyward sword, the troforce symble on the blade is different to the one in twilight princess
3, the art graphics dont really mean much, if u compare zelda games like a link ti the pastand majoras mask, thats different art graphics...

… And flimsykitty feels like an idiot because she can’t think of any good comebacks…

There is a very loose connection between the swords in each game. No one directly comes out and says: Hey, Link! This is the same Master Sword that was used by the original Hero, Hero of Time, and the Hero of Twilight! The only hint we have to go off of is the name and as you can see above… The appearances of the swords vary as well.

Anyway, what do you think?

Comments

flimsykitty says:

I still think the art style makes the difference... especially in Twilight Princess were all the art was darker from previous games. The only problem I'm having is why the hilt colors keep changing >.>

Right now I'm using the timeline of SS -> OoT -> TP -> WW which wouldn't correlate with the swords at all because SS and OoT look very different.

andy198 says:

even the image shows that they are different non the same smile.gif

BountyHunterReturns says:

I didn't read most of this, I was too busy looking at the swords biggrin.gif Tis my weakness I suppose.

andy198 says:

many people suffer with that, trust me biggrin.gif the funny thing is, i have accually got the ocarina of time master sword!!

martinDTanderson says:

The slight changes in appearance is down to art style, or aging. Also for all we know the sword may have been maintained and repaired over time.

For all the versions, you claim symbols of Power, Wisdom, and Courage.

Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, show us there is "The Master Sword" and "The True Master Sword", which is powered by blessings/music from the Goddesses.

Also I would have thought A Link to the Past would be the last known appearence of the Master Sword, and also the most discoloured.

andy198 says:

there might accually be 1 more master sword, im pritty sure there is more then 5, ye now i remember, oracle on ages and seasons (lvl 3 sword) smile.gif
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaosrules01/5142739767/

Amy122 says:

Nintendo claims that the Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess Master Sword is the same, but yet if you look at the ones I did or the art to both of them. They're not the same what so ever.

andy198 says:

they are different, if u look cearfully, u will be able to tell:
1. different type of blade
2. different sizes
3. they are used for 2 totally different things/purposes as filmsykitty said...

flimsykitty says:

But they HAVE to be the same! Y.Y (I feel like I'm loosing here... T.T)

I agree with martinDTanderson. I had completely forgotten that Wind Waker had a situation similar to Skyward Sword where the sword had to be blessed to turn into the Master Sword again. Also remember in a Link to the Past: "And the Master Sword Sleeps Again... Forever!" That HAS to be the last use of the blade and therefore, the most exhausted design.

Although you claim all three powers of the triforce in each game, the only times Link has actually touched the tiforce to wish upon it was in SS and ALttP: The first and last games of the Master Sword story.

Remember, the Master Sword only appears in the games Ganon is in. If Demise's hatred is the reason for Ganon's existance, the same sword that sealed Demise is needed to "suck" him out of Ganon.

Plus, wouldn't it be more fun thinking you have a sleeping robotic spirit and the evil of all evil stuck in your sword? I was playing OoT 3D last night and thought that was so cool! ^^ It would only get better if Groose was in there too!

@andy198: I didn't include the Oracle series because I felt that the sword appearance wasn't canon. Plus, that's a creation story of its own which... doesn't really fit in with these five. It's just like the sword in the first LoZ... it doesn't quite fit in with the others. Ooh! Ooh! Where did you get your sword from!? Do you have pictures!? I want one! 0v0

flimsykitty says:

@andy198 (again; I'm sorry, I posed my other comment too fast) The sword may have been preserved over time, as martinDTanderson said. Just because they changed the exterior doesn't mean that the spirit of the blade changed as well (I'm referring to the "idea" of the master sword, not you-know-who). Wind Waker takes place decades after OoT and a ALttP takes place thousands of years after Wind Waker. Someone had to protect the refurbish the poor thing or it would have rusted! That's why the blade looks different and that's why the hilt color is faded.

I still need to blame the reason for the sword's powers not being the same on both Link and Fi. Link isn't the same hero in each game and therefore can only use a portion of the original Hero's power. And because Fi is asleep, all the special abilities we had in Skyward Sword like the Skyward Strike and dowsing are gone as well.

Also... http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2010...ly_restored.png

Amy122 says:

And plus Ganondorf didn't appear in the Four Swords series OR Minish Cap because Vaati was the villian that time. EH...you know what...I think I'll stick out of the arguement...

flimsykitty says:

I'm counting Four Swords with ALttP and Link never got the Master Sword in the Minish Cap. ^^ He gets the Picori Blade (I know I spelled that wrong) then the Four Sword when it's completely forged again. (I don't get how these "spin-off" swords like the Phantom Blade keep getting unforged! Is that even possible!?)

I didn't think this battle would get so intense... lol, I'm pretty sure Nintendo could care less what sword Link has as long as they get their money. I don't believe they even have a full plan for the entire series.... I think they're just making it up as they go along and laughing at all the fanboys/fangirls who keep trying to decode something that's not even there...

andy198 says:

@filmsykitty-no need to say sorry

LxZ says:

The timeline I use is SS - OoT- Then a split occurs WW in the Adult timeline and MM in the Child timeline. And then after MM is TP since Nintendo did say it comes 100 years after OoT and MM. I am only following what Nintendo has said I don't bother with trying to figure out the timeline.

So I think there is two Master Swords one in SS and one in WW.

andy198 says:

if what ur saying is true then LaZ then there is only1-only the graphics are different
there is more then 1 master sword, look at what they are used for and how they look, 2 totally different things

e-dawg123 says:

the sword in TP & SS r DEFINENTLY not the same sword.

e-dawg123 says:

if u look close,the one in TP is a bit longer & thiker than SS

nateymill says:

ok, so speculation is that there are so many different Master Swords, but since the sword evolved through SS from the Goddess Sword to the Master Sword is it not possible that through time the sword itself evolved and only manifested powers necessary to the hero at that time? If you think about the size of the sword in proportion to link in WW Im sure nothing is really different. My vote is same Master Sword