The footage of Ganondorf released in trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom provides clues to which games may have canonically occurred before the upcoming title. The Zelda franchise is well known for having a timeline that splits into various branches. Moreover, although TOTK is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, the latter game’s own timeline placement is an unusual case that further complicates the canon.
Although the Zelda timeline begins simply, with Skyward Sword being followed by games including The Minish Cap and Ocarina of Time, the ending of OoT splits the timeline into three distinct branches. However, at the same time, Breath of the Wild’s place on the timeline is indistinct. For example, BOTW’s Hyrule includes Linebeck Island and Ralis Pond, locations named after characters from Phantom Hourglass and Twilight Princess. These games take place on the Adult and Child timeline branches respectively, making both names appearing here greatly improbable. By extension, it is equally difficult to determine TOTK’s own position on the timeline, but recent trailers give evidence of a potentially definitive sequence of events.
Ganondorf’s Apparent Injury In TOTK Matches A Specific Timeline
The appearance of Ganondorf in trailers for Tears of the Kingdom has been the source of much discussion, but one notable detail could indicate a clear canonical tie to one timeline in particular. It seems the former Gerudo King has suffered a devastating chest wound, with the Malice that erupts from his chest bearing a striking resemblance to blood. And indeed, he sustained just such an injury during the attempted execution depicted in Twilight Princess, which failed due to Ganondorf apparently being immortal, with Zelda's Triforce of Power keeping him alive. This could indicate that TOTK, and BOTW, actually follow the events of The Legend of Zelda’s Child Timeline.
BOTW Also Makes References To Zelda’s Child Timeline
It should also be noted that this is not the only recent reference to Twilight Princess. In addition to evocative place names in Breath of the Wild, the game is also referenced in Link’s Champion appointment ceremony, during which Zelda mentions “the glowing embers of twilight.” This further indicates that the events of Twilight Princess, which is then followed by Four Swords Adventures, directly precede BOTW and TOTK on the timeline. Of course, this does not explain the references to other timelines; one popular theory used to explain this suggests the Zelda timelines actually converge prior to BOTW, which would resolve the various contradictions by making all three equally valid.
If the Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom is the same as Twilight Princess’, then this could go some way towards justifying his presence below Hyrule castle. This could be where his body was stored after his defeat at the hands of Link. Interestingly, this Ganondorf later reincarnates in Four Swords Adventures, before being sealed away in the titular sword as Ganon; perhaps his spirit somehow later escaped the Four Sword in order to become Calamity Ganon, before returning to his original body after the end of BOTW. This would explain how Ganondorf seems to be returning as Tears of the Kingdom’s final boss despite having “given up on reincarnation,” prior to BOTW's events.
The Zelda timeline can be remarkably convoluted, although this might be said of any franchise that makes frequent use of time travel. Both BOTW and TOTK are perfect examples of this, being definitively placed at the end of the timeline, but with the exact nature of preceding events remaining uncertain. However, the imagery of a chest wound emerging in connection to Ganondorf strongly suggests that the events of Twilight Princess and the Child Timeline have had a direct impact on the latest version of Hyrule. This helps to contextualize Ganondorf’s presence, and may also clarify Tears of the Kingdom’s timeline placement.
Source: Nintendo UK/YouTube