In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a Deku Scrub may have made a reference to famous basketball player Michael Jordan during a puzzle. The Legend of Zelda does not normally go for topical references, so if true, it would be an unusual addition to the game. However, taking a closer look at the script and its translation can uncover the truth behind the mystery.
The Legend of Zelda is known for its puzzles, many of which rely on gimmicks to work. This style of design has helped to create some of the most memorable dungeon designs in gaming history. The approach doesn't always work perfectly, as the well-documented backlash to Ocarina of Time's infamous Water Temple shows, but for the most part, it has helped the Zelda games establish their specific niche. While Link's swordsmanship is the core of the game, the game's dungeons also provide players with a cerebral challenge.
Ocarina Of Time's Deku Scrub Puzzle Is Based On Wordplay
The first dungeon of Ocarina of Time is Inside the Deku Tree, where the Deku Scrub enemies. One of these Scrubs will tell the player the odd message "The order is... 2 3 1. Twenty-three is number one!" This gives the player a hint on how to reach the boss's room, as they need to hit the Deku Scrubs in the room before in a specific order to gain access. It's a simple puzzle, befitting Ocarina of Time's easiest dungeon, but that doesn't explain "Twenty-three is number one". One poster on Reddit theorized that this was a reference to famed basketball player Michael Jordan, who was still active at the time of the game's release.
Ocarina Of Time Does Not Intentionally Reference Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history, and he was incredibly popular in the 1990s. He is best known for leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, as well as holding the NBA career record for most points per game. But as for how he could be related to the Deku Scrub's odd phrase, Jordan wore the number 23 on his jersey throughout his career. Using this as evidence, "Twenty-three is number one" could be a reference to Jordan's dominance throughout his basketball career. Since Jordan was NBA 2k23's cover athlete, long after the conclusion of his career, it would make some sense for a game that came out during his career to reference him.
Although the Michael Jordan theory is a fun one, it is unfortunately not the case. The genesis of this phrase was a bit of Japanese wordplay that didn't translate. The original phrase was "Brother is number one". In Japanese, brother is "nii-san, two is "nii", and three is "san". So when two and three are together, it makes "brother". However, this connection is not present in English, so the translators had to find a new way to find meaning in the sentence. In the end, they went with "twenty-three is number one", with no deeper meaning behind it. While Ocarina of Time's attention to detail is impressive, the Deku Scrub puzzle's English translation was simply a replacement line.
A lot of games from Japan feature wordplay that has to be changed during localization because it doesn't translate. The Deku Scrub puzzle in Ocarina of Time was just another example, and a disappointing one since the original quote was rather clever. While it would have been funny if Ocarina of Time referenced Michael Jordan, it makes sense that there was another explanation entirely.
Source: thegreatmaharaja/Reddit, deleted account/Reddit