This is possibly one of the most intense sacrifices any of the Zeldas have ever made. Not only has she been locked in conscious stasis with the Calamity for a hundred years, but she’s literally given up her entire life, her human mortality to restore the master sword. Zelda’s lullaby turning into a minor chord progression and that pause before she turns….it’s painful, it’s not something she wants to do but she KNOWS she’s the only one who can do what needs to be done. Duty. This is why it’s the legend of Zelda.
She's also putting just, an ungodly amount of trust in Link here too, as well as risking a whole host of other factors... What if her dragon self is vicious and attacks Link or otherwise won't let him close enough to get the sword? What if her dragon self is hunted and the sword found and taken by someone way before Link is even born? What if she just stays in the sky and is literally impossible to reach, she's immortal, it's not like she needs to swoop down for food literally ever. What if she flew to the other side of the world instead of flying circles around Hyrule for a thousand years? WHAT IF SHE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE SWORD AFTER TRANSFORMING? It's the only path that has any sliver of hope so she kinda doesn't have a choice but my god, SO many things could go wrong in the thousands of years she needs to endure and I bet she was envisioning each of them leading up to this forbidden act.
@@sarcasticat6979In the Zelda Universe, Link is a character reborn and always destined to save Hyrule in all of his lives, by the Goddess Hylia. Hylia definitely forced the right things to happen here with the Light Dragon.
@@disrespecc9678 No... Zelda is Hylia's reincarnation, but if you ask me, reincarnating indefinitely just to beat Ganondorf seems more like a curse than a blessing.
Now come to think of it; Hylia gave up her immortality to defeat Demise way back in the day. Now in order to defeat Demise's reincarnation her own reincarnation has to become an immortal being again. Really closes of this cycle.😢
Her face at 2:54 is what really breaks me. She'd been so.... resigned, almost, to her fate of becoming a dragon. Carrying it with the solemn acceptance you'd expect of a princess meant to save the world. She'd been hesitant and anxious at moments, yes, but look at her face there. She's scared. She's terrified. She's truly losing herself for forever and there's no backing out now, only waiting for the transformation to finish and hoping it will be enough. And im crying again-
It’s not just death. It’s far worse. She is alive, but forever trapped in a form that can barely even be considered alive. No sapience or voice left to cry, only a consciousness buried deep down, unable to do anything but watch. Reduced to the eternal, helpless passenger of a mindless beast.
I had exactly the same, the moment I had a suspicion I rushed for all the memories where my fear became a reality. Fueled by that sadness I slapped Ganondorf like never before
@wally2909 same, i got the master sword glyph last so i literally didnt even suspect it until the cutscene of the dragon crying the final tear, and all at once i put it together and was shocked
The way Zelda’s story in the Dragon’s Tears quest concludes will never not mess me up emotionally. Zelda meets Rauru and Sonia, the parents she always wanted, who tell her, “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to have everything figured out immediately. These things take time.” When Mineru tells her about draconification, Rauru immediately suggests Zelda study further as an alternative. They teach her how to use her powers, and we see her confidence grow as she uses them very effectively in combat. But then both her surrogate parents die, and when the Master Sword arrives in the past (combined with the fore-knowledge that Ganondorf will be unsealed and reawakened in the future), Zelda realizes that further mastering her time powers to send herself back to the future is out of the question because doing so wouldn’t solve the problem of the Master Sword being damaged and needing repair through sacred light power, a power that only she possesses. As far as Zelda knew, this was it for her; she would never see Link or any of her other loved ones (particularly the Hateno schoolchildren, to one of whom she became something of a foster mom) ever again.
I’m glad you brought up her work in Hateno, because that was another layer of heartbreak that made me cry for like an hour. The school has the children’s pictures of them holding hands with her, and she has similar pictures on her desk in the well. In her diary she expressed excitement at giving Link his updated tunic (that she got to work on herself) and she never got to have that moment. She worked so hard to restore Hyrule after the Calamity, she created one hell of a life for herself (she even made friends with Flowerblight Ganon, for god’s sake!) and she swallowed that stone knowing she would lose everything she loved.
Rauru and Sonia aren't surrogate parents, that would mean they put their you know whats into another woman's stomach, simply put, not surrogate, but caretakers of Zelda while she was in Hyrule's founding
@@catdragon2584 And its not just her work in Hateno. She fully led the rebuilding efforts across Hyrule. From Flower Ganon, the Sheikah reclamation progects, to the setting up Hudson Co. to really supercharge the rebuilding efforts. Not to mention, she literally empowered every Hylian to take charge over the rebuilding and defense of the kingdom (just listen or read in regards to how everyone speaks about her...her words alone take charge, at a time when everyone was looking for leadership). Princess Zelda wasnt just a princess to everyone in the kingdom, she really was "A legend"......And Ill say it...This is the first Zelda game, where the focus is not only on Zelda (story wise) but also, the first game where its literally "The Legend of Zelda".
@maleahroserivera8272 You have no idea what the word "surrogate" means, do you? The word surrogate simply simply means "substitute". What you're describing is a biological "surrogate" where a substitute womb is used. The word, surrogate means more than just that: in this case Rauru and Sonia are Zelda's surrogate patents because they act more like parents to her than her actual parents did (her mother having died young and her father approaching her like a harsh king rather than a loving father).
I had found the light dragon in the game and gotten one of its scales before I got to this cutscene. So once I saw this, I could'nt stop thinking "oh my god I unknowingly shot Zelda"
@Mystrohan nah still, it's like if somebody threw a little rock at you 😭 like it wouldn't hurt you, but you'd still be thinking "hey what the hell man"
@@holybamboozler Fair enough, but if that Little Rock resulted in some skin cells that were really useful to that person, I’d probably shrug and keep flying through my immortal sky.
Literally same. I got to her super early in the game and was like "dayum why does this weird new dragon have the masters word in it's forehead 😮" Once I got to the Memories I was super apologetic about slapping Zelda to get a piece of her horn 😅
someone else pointed this out but i can’t find it anywhere, but when the first few roars of the light dragon come out, it sounds like there’s another voice screaming with it, sounding like zelda’s voice. when the light dragon roars for the last time in the cutscene, you can’t hear that little scream anymore.
She spent 100 years holding back Calamity Ganon. Then you learn that she turned her herself into a dragon-losing her identity-for thousands of years….I almost broke down at this scene 😢
The craziest thing about all this is now this Zelda is technically 10,117 YEARS OLD due to becoming a Dragon 10,000 years ago and sealing Calamity Ganon for 100 years which also technically makes her one of the oldest Zelda characters ever maybe even the oldest one ever that isn’t a god.
@@Rauruatreides Dito. I forgot in which scene but I'm pretty sure it was Impa saying in BOTW 10.000 years ago they sealed Calamity Ganon the last time. However, obviously Calamity Ganon is not Ganondorf (but his essence? I'm not very deep into Zelda mythology(?), so I'm not sure). And I would presume CG came after Ganondorf and the Imprisoning war.
@@theimage7030’to become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself’ = its not that she ‘stayed sane’, its that she lost her old personality & essentially just became a drifting husk across hyrule…
They've been foreshadowing this since before the game came out. Using the dragon instruments to play zelda's lulluby at the end of one of the trailers.
@@hiroranger2156 so if you were to go back to I believe to the second trailer back when TOTK was called the Sequel to BOTW the trailer ends on Zelda's Lullaby however the lullaby is being played on an ehru (hoped I spelled that right) an instrument that been associated with the 3 main dragons from BOTW
The moment I found out she was the light dragon, I cried. This poor girl has seen her mother's and father's deaths, watched helplessly as everyone she knew was either injured or killed, and then had to seal calamity ganon for a 100 years for Link to recover. She had only 5-8 years MAX to be normal, only to have to the similar events replayed in the past and then seal HERSELF away as a forever changed dragon. I never felt this much hatred for a villain in a Zelda game than this Ganondorf. I made sure everything I had was top-notch before I went to him. I wanted to destroy this bastard.
Not only that, but think of all the pressure that her father put on her forcing her to the point where he even said that he was embarrassed she hadn’t learnt to do this power yet
Girl is a BEAST she sacrificed her life for literally everyone after watching her third mother figure die in front of her and she downed that stone with no water Truly, Zelda has diserved the title of legend.
Low key nightmare fuel. This surprised me, ngl. I mean I started guessing she’d swallow the stone but I … I did not realize that “become an immortal dragon” was literal. What a scene…
@@burningghidorah7294 exactly bruh, how do you see literal dragons flying around hyrule, then see the draconification flashback and think "oh man, probably figurative!"
When Link first meets the mummified Ganondorf in this game, he mocks Link and expresses disbelief that Link's the one who Rauru placed his faith in. He was wrong. Rauru never even knew Link. Rauru placed his faith in ZELDA - he trusted that everything she said about Link was true, even though he'd never seen Link before, because he knew that Zelda was the kind of person who would sacrifice everything to protect a future that she might never see.
I believe that he is mocking both of them. Before Rauru seals him away, he tells Ganondorf that a knight will come with the sword that seals the darkness, and that he should remember Link’s name. Ganondorf already knew Zelda, from her being one of the Sages.
“And if all else fails, we rely on your knight, and that legendary sword he carries. Our last line of defense will be Link” He clearly had is faith in both of them…
The reason this scene works so well is that the combination of her eyes turning, which is borderline body horror, as well as the actress's PHENOMENAL delivery of "PROTECT THEM ALL!" is viscerally mortifying. She is VOLUNTARILY going through a transformation so terrifying that you can just feel how significant of a sacrifice she is making. And she KNOWS it. She's like "Link. I am suffering untold millenia and basically dying for this. You better save the fucking world with this sword." No scene in gaming has made me want to "save the world" so bad as this one. Art.
So this means that not only did she witness the rise of Ganondorf, but also every single instance of the Calamity cycle, powerless to do anything about it but float around in the stratosphere
i mean it's not really her though, Mineru said that once you go down the road of becoming a dragon you lose yourself. Zelda for all intents and purposes died when she did that.
My favorite thing is that she knew Calamity would come and destroy all of Hyrule and she did nothing to save her father or the champions. Instead she went "It's dragon time!"
Well I can actually make this joke now: My favourite part of Tears of the Kingdom was when Zelda said “Its Tearin Time” and started tearin all over the kingdom. Truly the game of all time
If you think about it, Zelda chose a fate even worse than dying. We know there is an afterlife in the Zelda universe, as it's specifically mentioned by the Poe collector that lost souls can be brought into the next life, and we see the dead continue to maintain a state of conscious being after death(think of the Champions in BOTW). However, Zelda chose to become immortal, yet lose her consciousness completely, with only her willpower remaining. She would be unconscious for all of eternity, never knowing if her plan even worked to begin with, and never knowing if the Master Sword made it back to Link, or even if he survived the events at the castle. That takes some very remarkable courage. Zelda is a woman so devoted to duty and love for her people(and Link) that she would choose this fate to give them a fighting chance.
Interesting to note that when she is roaring into the sky, you can hear her also still screaming human voice in it either the left over remnants of her humanity still being there ever slightly before she fully loses herself or maybe its just a nice little touch on who she is and is becoming.
not gonna lie, earlier when I got memory 15 & connected the dots, it blew my mind. This here seeing it happen is really kinda tragic. Really brings the "Come find me, Link" line into a whole new context
This is probably the best cutscene in the entire game. I knew this would happen since I accidentally spoiled it myself, but… watching the cutscene, the cuts to the previous memories, the title theme that starts playing as Zelda makes her decision… everything, it just blew my mind. It makes your heart wretch, and the aftermath of it too… you’re suddenly surrounded by Silent princess flowers, and you see that dragon again… and you now know who it is, and see the master sword streaming from her head. And the shift from Zelda’s normal eyes to the dragons ones… chills.
When the game’s title is revealed a few months ago. I was joking that Hyrule is crying. Yet, here I am… Heartbroken. Sad. And depressed seeing this memory again. This Zelda really ends up being my favorite version of any Zelda’s.
Soon as the Light Dragon bursts thru the Sky at the Start of the game, I figured that was Zelda. I just didn't know how. And after the memory of Rarus sister saying that she can become a dragon but she will lose herself I did not wanna believe it. And then this scene happened and bro I was so depressed. My boi Link is legit alone in the world. This was a sad moment.
Wild and Tears really justified how it's Her legend. Link may be doing the enacting, but it's Zelda's plan, Zelda's actions, and Zelda's power that makes any of it possible. Truly the best power couple.
I think this is one of the best cutscenes OF ALL TIME, let alone in only this game. The emotions and chills this put me through is unlike anything ive experienced in any other game. This has truely skyrocketed to be one of my top 3 all time favorite games
Zelda is the perfect embodiment of all three aspects of the triforce -she is powerful beyond understanding -she has the courage to undergo the act of draconification, knowing that it's effectively suicide -she has the wisdom to understand what must be done and conceive of a plan to defeat the demon king
Upon first watch...wow i was extremely shocked and i didn't know what to say truely left me speechless but on rewatch...that PROTECT THEM ALL with her Lullaby being intensified, that roar when she becomes the dragon with finally ending it with her Lullaby...yeah that won't fail to make me shed some tears
Honestly, when Link sees the light dragon at the end of this cutscene, that would’ve been the perfect time for him to talk, uttering a single word…Zelda.
Imagine giving up everything, living thousands of years to return to the curent future and giving all your hope to a swordsman that may or may not save the world.
This scene made me realize she was there at the start of totk watching over us and sends us on our way, how long she must have been up there... waiting to do just that...
This scene really hits hard for me. Because through the memories its foreshadowed she would end up swallowing her stone. But, as Mineru said, it means loosing one self, your body, soul and mind. And if you are not yourself, then what is the point? Zelda literally did the ultimate sacrifice and lost herself for thousands and thousands of years. Waiting and waiting for link to return and save the kingdom. She went through all that pain... to return the perfected master sword to us and help us win... Beautiful, but sad...
The fact that the French horn? Playing the melancholic version of the games main theme ends on an accidental not resolving the melody is such a underrated touch.
She sacrificed herself and became a dragon to protect the one who meant the most to her and help him save the world... ...does this remind you of someone? 😞❤️
It was exactly the same for me!! I thought ‘no, she wouldn’t, they’ll find another way’ and the more obvious it got, the more I tried to gaslight myself into thinking it wasn’t true
Imagine link watching this. My head cannon is that Link is watching this as a corporeal being that can do nothing but watch, if he would try to stop Zelda from swallowing the stone his hand just passes right through. It really captures the feeling of being powerless.
The first experience of seeing this unspoiled is unmatchable. The emotions that flew through me, I stood and looked around at the silent princesses for a few minutes. I was broken haha. Such a masterpiece of a game and my new favorite oat, passing BOTW. All of the Zelda games are so gorgeous! The best game series
This really puts into perspective the title of the game I never really gave much thought to. This really feels like it's her story more then ever, never have I truly realized it's indeed the legend of Zelda until this cutscene.
I was shocked when I finally saw this scene, but it was only when I reached the point where I had to get the master sword, where I saw her, wandering aimlessly through the sky, with no recollection of who she was, her sacrifice, It broke me down hard.
i didnt cry but holy shit lol. i was stunned, genuinely. that was insane. the subtle movements and the voice acting sold the scene very well. when she put it in her mouth and the music stopped i said "😳". i thought the dragon was rauru so realizing what was happening had me stunned
@@deal151 the eyelashes and it being themed around light. which in retrospect makes no sense cus ik where rauru was--in my arm. i kinda realized "maybe not" when i got on it and listened to the music. heard zelda's motif and things started to click, but i wasnt fully convinced til that memory
I've watched Trailer #3 countless times, and the music in the opening shots followed by Link diving was my favorite part. I'm very happy hearing 3:36 now knowing this melody isn't just just for the trailer, and is contextualized to such an important scene
I didn't cry. Wasn't sad. Shocked? Yes. Very. That blew my mind and was done so damn well. I wish there was a smidgen more story to build it up but it was still well done and made my jaw drop.
Do you mean in BotW? I thought they built it up a lot in TotK! I haven't finished the game yet, but I thought it was all but certain Z would undergo draconification as soon as it was mentioned by Mineru. It's not the kind of thing one mentions, plot-wise, for it to be ultimately irrelevant. That, combined with the changed melody around the Light Dragon and Zelda's careful planning of other small things (for example, instructions for constructs to have link pick up the Purah pad) made me think she was up to something. IMO this particular installation asks an awful lot of Zelda. It's like they're compensating for how bratty she was early on.
I had a feeling something was going to happen to Zelda that would not let her come back to Link as herself. This was a complete shock/surprise. I almost cried (but I’m d:4d inside so I didn’t lol) when I first watched this memory. Darn! They outdid themselves!
To think, they foreshadowed Zelda’s fate again in TotK. In Skyward Sword, before Zelda seals herself in crystal after the True Master Sword. Link first meets the Old Lady which turns out to be Impa. Right behind Impa and gates, there’s a crystal which happened to be Zelda frozen. And now in TotK. When the title comes in, Light Dragon was seen too. In fact, she was watching Link on Great Sky Island until Link sends Master Sword back to the past and Light Dragon breaks the cloud barrier.
i love that there's a moment after she swallows the stone that's like, did it not work? and you're kind of sad about it because that means there's no hope, but also kind of happy because it means zelda stays as she is... then it happens, and the tears start flowing both ingame and out of the game
I remember when they played that audio clip in the trailer (the one at the end of the cutscene that sounds like Zelda's theme but in the style of the dragon music) people were theorizing about it, and when I first heard it in the game during this part, I went nuts.
Her sacrifice really earns the title The Legend Of Zelda. 😢 I am not the person I was before this cutscene and I am NOT okay. A truly remarkable game and my absolute favorite now. My highest thanks to the game creators and everyone who worked hard to make us LOZ fans feel this way.
She suffered so much, and her last words are still a plea not for herself but for her people. The game devs could have easily made this a majestic, solemn moment of Zelda quietly accepting her fate, but instead she is terrified and in pain, shaking, desperately clutching the sword because she isn’t even sure her plan will work. The quiet “you must” that she tells herself in a moment of doubt just before she chooses to end her human life. That fear and vulnerability makes the scene so much more powerful.
I know this was foreshadowed throughout the game, so i kinda just figured out Zelda becomes the Light Dragon... Still didn't make this scene less sad for me though😢😢
I have never been so shocked and sad for a good period of time when I saw this memory by the time she came to me I was chasing her for hours like Zelda noo whyy 😢😢😢
Now I’m not sure if it was by luck or sheer coincidence on the way this plays out in game, but I never met this dragon until after I defeated all 4 regional bosses and completed all but one of the geoglyphs. The last one was the Master Sword, and I can completely admit to being floored and in tatters as my heart shattered upon realizing what happened. I knew there was a fake Zelda, but I figured Mineru would become a dragon and use her ability to separate her soul from her body to get around the identity lose. But oh no, no no no, we just had to shatter my emotions in spectacular fashion.
This was truly an amazing plot twist. I mean, all the other cutscenes were clearly building up to it, and you may have already predicted it if you were paying attention, but it still doesn't make the payoff any less inpactful
Link's lack of reaction is hilarious. There is Zelda, sacrificing her life and putting all her hopes on Link, and there's Link, probably pondering what's for dinner.
This scene knowing the context of BOTW is pretty insane... Zelda was desperately trying to awaken her powers to defeat Calamity Ganon and in the end she did so, but her kingdom was almost completely destroyed. In this game, she was able to deliver the sword to link, but the same power she yearned for ended up consuming her humanity and she was left as a dragon crying for the safety of her people and the lost of her humanity. The power Zelda holds has only brought her pain, yet she continues to do anything to protect everyone; she is truly a noble person.
Bro the musical composition that continues to modulate Zelda's lullaby made me cry, that shit is so well written as she goes to pick up the master sword 😭👏👏👏
The funny thing is is that they kinda almost foreshadow this at the beginning of the game remember when you wake up on the sky Island and then you’re instructed to go to the big temple in the centre it says Zelda is waiting for you and then you see the light dragon
I don't get how people didn't realise the light dragon was Zelda instantly. I mean..a big dragon with blond hair just happens to appear right after you send the master sword to Zelda through the TEMPLE OF TIME?...i took one look at that dragon and knew it was Zelda immediately
![ลองสุ่มไอโฟน 990 โกงมั้ย? [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.101 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bfsWe0j492k/mqdefault.jpg)
When you come out of the memory and are surrounded by Silent Princess flowers…I bawled. 😭
I was like "Oh my god! So many flowers! Doo doo! Doo doo! Doo doo! Doo doo!"
I think after that it should have shown link shedding a tear
@@Trashley652 Same. Especially because I was wearing the full glider gear, and Link always looks so stoic
I was sobbing. It was so sad 😭
There was like 40 of them
This is possibly one of the most intense sacrifices any of the Zeldas have ever made. Not only has she been locked in conscious stasis with the Calamity for a hundred years, but she’s literally given up her entire life, her human mortality to restore the master sword. Zelda’s lullaby turning into a minor chord progression and that pause before she turns….it’s painful, it’s not something she wants to do but she KNOWS she’s the only one who can do what needs to be done. Duty. This is why it’s the legend of Zelda.
She's also putting just, an ungodly amount of trust in Link here too, as well as risking a whole host of other factors...
What if her dragon self is vicious and attacks Link or otherwise won't let him close enough to get the sword? What if her dragon self is hunted and the sword found and taken by someone way before Link is even born? What if she just stays in the sky and is literally impossible to reach, she's immortal, it's not like she needs to swoop down for food literally ever. What if she flew to the other side of the world instead of flying circles around Hyrule for a thousand years? WHAT IF SHE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE SWORD AFTER TRANSFORMING? It's the only path that has any sliver of hope so she kinda doesn't have a choice but my god, SO many things could go wrong in the thousands of years she needs to endure and I bet she was envisioning each of them leading up to this forbidden act.
@@sarcasticat6979In the Zelda Universe, Link is a character reborn and always destined to save Hyrule in all of his lives, by the Goddess Hylia. Hylia definitely forced the right things to happen here with the Light Dragon.
Eventually Zelda stopped thinking.
@@disrespecc9678 No... Zelda is Hylia's reincarnation, but if you ask me, reincarnating indefinitely just to beat Ganondorf seems more like a curse than a blessing.
You're about to make me start crying all over again lol
She had no water or anything to swallow that stone. A true Queen 👑
🤣🤣🤣
Well, Link eats rocks here. If Link has a Secret Stone…
Yeah, unlike Ganondorf who had to put half of his arm inside his throat just to swallow the stone lol
Absolute throat goat… jokes aside I cried
I cracked up harder than i should have 😂😂😂
Zelda: "Hey babe, would you still love me if I was a worm?"
Link: "Yes."
Or a freakin Millenia dragon in her case XDD.
*wyrm
Link wouldn't say yes, he'd say "HIYAAAAH!"
I almost cried watching this for the first time. When she says protect them all you can just hear the pain in her voice :(
SPOILER ALERT!
After defeating Ganondorf She turns back normal
@@PowerfullPoolNoodl3 i continue reading even the spoiler but THANKS
@@PowerfullPoolNoodl3 literally still shows what you said even though you put spaces.. literally drop dead
She's a fucking pick me
@@PowerfullPoolNoodl3thanks bro
Now come to think of it; Hylia gave up her immortality to defeat Demise way back in the day. Now in order to defeat Demise's reincarnation her own reincarnation has to become an immortal being again. Really closes of this cycle.😢
The Goddess gave up her divinity, everything that made her who she was, to defeat the Demon King. Now Zelda follows in her footsteps.
How beautiful and sad that it comes full circle.
Hence the Ouroboros symbol.
Her face at 2:54 is what really breaks me. She'd been so.... resigned, almost, to her fate of becoming a dragon. Carrying it with the solemn acceptance you'd expect of a princess meant to save the world. She'd been hesitant and anxious at moments, yes, but look at her face there. She's scared. She's terrified. She's truly losing herself for forever and there's no backing out now, only waiting for the transformation to finish and hoping it will be enough.
And im crying again-
Yes i loved her face there too. It really humanized her before she became divine.
@@000052704yeah and the dragon eyes moment is so intense I love it
It’s not just death.
It’s far worse.
She is alive, but forever trapped in a form that can barely even be considered alive. No sapience or voice left to cry, only a consciousness buried deep down, unable to do anything but watch. Reduced to the eternal, helpless passenger of a mindless beast.
Tiana didn’t cry while watching this sad, emotional memory in Tears of the Kingdom.
Doesn't help that her lullaby is being intensified with the look of fear on her face.
coming to the slow realization that this was going to happen absolutely shocked me, i have to admit i almost cried at this scene
I was like, "Oh my god she ate!"
I did cry 😢. It’s sad but it’s also beautiful and cathartic
I had exactly the same, the moment I had a suspicion I rushed for all the memories where my fear became a reality. Fueled by that sadness I slapped Ganondorf like never before
@wally2909 same, i got the master sword glyph last so i literally didnt even suspect it until the cutscene of the dragon crying the final tear, and all at once i put it together and was shocked
This scene hit so hard I was up for three hours crying
The way Zelda’s story in the Dragon’s Tears quest concludes will never not mess me up emotionally. Zelda meets Rauru and Sonia, the parents she always wanted, who tell her, “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to have everything figured out immediately. These things take time.” When Mineru tells her about draconification, Rauru immediately suggests Zelda study further as an alternative. They teach her how to use her powers, and we see her confidence grow as she uses them very effectively in combat. But then both her surrogate parents die, and when the Master Sword arrives in the past (combined with the fore-knowledge that Ganondorf will be unsealed and reawakened in the future), Zelda realizes that further mastering her time powers to send herself back to the future is out of the question because doing so wouldn’t solve the problem of the Master Sword being damaged and needing repair through sacred light power, a power that only she possesses. As far as Zelda knew, this was it for her; she would never see Link or any of her other loved ones (particularly the Hateno schoolchildren, to one of whom she became something of a foster mom) ever again.
I’m glad you brought up her work in Hateno, because that was another layer of heartbreak that made me cry for like an hour. The school has the children’s pictures of them holding hands with her, and she has similar pictures on her desk in the well. In her diary she expressed excitement at giving Link his updated tunic (that she got to work on herself) and she never got to have that moment. She worked so hard to restore Hyrule after the Calamity, she created one hell of a life for herself (she even made friends with Flowerblight Ganon, for god’s sake!) and she swallowed that stone knowing she would lose everything she loved.
Rauru and Sonia aren't surrogate parents, that would mean they put their you know whats into another woman's stomach, simply put, not surrogate, but caretakers of Zelda while she was in Hyrule's founding
@@catdragon2584 And its not just her work in Hateno. She fully led the rebuilding efforts across Hyrule. From Flower Ganon, the Sheikah reclamation progects, to the setting up Hudson Co. to really supercharge the rebuilding efforts. Not to mention, she literally empowered every Hylian to take charge over the rebuilding and defense of the kingdom (just listen or read in regards to how everyone speaks about her...her words alone take charge, at a time when everyone was looking for leadership).
Princess Zelda wasnt just a princess to everyone in the kingdom, she really was "A legend"......And Ill say it...This is the first Zelda game, where the focus is not only on Zelda (story wise) but also, the first game where its literally "The Legend of Zelda".
@maleahroserivera8272 You have no idea what the word "surrogate" means, do you?
The word surrogate simply simply means "substitute". What you're describing is a biological "surrogate" where a substitute womb is used. The word, surrogate means more than just that: in this case Rauru and Sonia are Zelda's surrogate patents because they act more like parents to her than her actual parents did (her mother having died young and her father approaching her like a harsh king rather than a loving father).
@@maleahroserivera8272imagine sitting here arguing semantics incorrectly and then saying babies are in people’s stomach 😂 be so for real
I had found the light dragon in the game and gotten one of its scales before I got to this cutscene. So once I saw this, I could'nt stop thinking "oh my god I unknowingly shot Zelda"
To be fair, dragons are functionally immortal. So shooting her isn’t really an act of disrespect.
@Mystrohan nah still, it's like if somebody threw a little rock at you 😭 like it wouldn't hurt you, but you'd still be thinking "hey what the hell man"
@@Mystrohan I know, but I still felt bad after the fact
@@holybamboozler Fair enough, but if that Little Rock resulted in some skin cells that were really useful to that person, I’d probably shrug and keep flying through my immortal sky.
Literally same. I got to her super early in the game and was like "dayum why does this weird new dragon have the masters word in it's forehead 😮"
Once I got to the Memories I was super apologetic about slapping Zelda to get a piece of her horn 😅
someone else pointed this out but i can’t find it anywhere, but when the first few roars of the light dragon come out, it sounds like there’s another voice screaming with it, sounding like zelda’s voice. when the light dragon roars for the last time in the cutscene, you can’t hear that little scream anymore.
Oh man I wish I could un-hear that
She spent 100 years holding back Calamity Ganon. Then you learn that she turned her herself into a dragon-losing her identity-for thousands of years….I almost broke down at this scene 😢
yes, it is heartbreaking how much she lost and what she went through... 🙊
How was it 1000 years when link just lost her I’m confused I know ur right tho just need an explanation
@@spiritualak5147 she was sent to the past, WAYYYYYY in the past
Yeah but it still doesn't make any sense.
@@yujirohamna2430there are 2 Zeldas and it’s a whole time loop
I damn near cried.
It is so fitting that she is immortal. Death can take nothing from her... because she has already given everything.
The craziest thing about all this is now this Zelda is technically 10,117 YEARS OLD due to becoming a Dragon 10,000 years ago and sealing Calamity Ganon for 100 years which also technically makes her one of the oldest Zelda characters ever maybe even the oldest one ever that isn’t a god.
Actually, way older. 10k years ago was the age of Sheikah tech, but the time she went to was the age of Rauru and Sonia's Hyrule.
@@Rauruatreides Dito.
I forgot in which scene but I'm pretty sure it was Impa saying in BOTW 10.000 years ago they sealed Calamity Ganon the last time. However, obviously Calamity Ganon is not Ganondorf (but his essence? I'm not very deep into Zelda mythology(?), so I'm not sure).
And I would presume CG came after Ganondorf and the Imprisoning war.
My god... It's a miracle that she's kept her sanity. The fact she's been this way for 10k+ years is depressing.
@@theimage7030’to become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself’ = its not that she ‘stayed sane’, its that she lost her old personality & essentially just became a drifting husk across hyrule…
@@juice3287 Dang you're right. That's even worse 😭
They've been foreshadowing this since before the game came out. Using the dragon instruments to play zelda's lulluby at the end of one of the trailers.
wich trailer? got a link?
*mind blown*
@@hiroranger2156 so if you were to go back to I believe to the second trailer back when TOTK was called the Sequel to BOTW the trailer ends on Zelda's Lullaby however the lullaby is being played on an ehru (hoped I spelled that right) an instrument that been associated with the 3 main dragons from BOTW
@@hiroranger2156 2021 E3
@@hiroranger2156I think the tune in question is actually right at the end of this video!
The Zonai robot that saw her transform says that she is behind the temple of time, which is where it last saw her.
So did the sages
The moment I found out she was the light dragon, I cried. This poor girl has seen her mother's and father's deaths, watched helplessly as everyone she knew was either injured or killed, and then had to seal calamity ganon for a 100 years for Link to recover. She had only 5-8 years MAX to be normal, only to have to the similar events replayed in the past and then seal HERSELF away as a forever changed dragon.
I never felt this much hatred for a villain in a Zelda game than this Ganondorf. I made sure everything I had was top-notch before I went to him. I wanted to destroy this bastard.
Honest to god I wept. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I spent time crying while I sat on her forehead.
Doesn't help the Calamity happen to be on her birthday...
Not only that, but think of all the pressure that her father put on her forcing her to the point where he even said that he was embarrassed she hadn’t learnt to do this power yet
Girl is a BEAST she sacrificed her life for literally everyone after watching her third mother figure die in front of her and she downed that stone with no water
Truly, Zelda has diserved the title of legend.
The “Link, protect them all!” literally gave me chills when I got the memory
Low key nightmare fuel. This surprised me, ngl. I mean I started guessing she’d swallow the stone but I … I did not realize that “become an immortal dragon” was literal. What a scene…
How did you not think it was literal?
@@burningghidorah7294 I think the immortal part was obvious but the dragon part was a little surprising
Same. I thought it was figurative
@@burningghidorah7294 exactly bruh, how do you see literal dragons flying around hyrule, then see the draconification flashback and think "oh man, probably figurative!"
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought it was figurative lol
The fact that we come out of the memory with Silent Princesses surrounding us fucking killed me.
She gave away everything she was for us.
When Link first meets the mummified Ganondorf in this game, he mocks Link and expresses disbelief that Link's the one who Rauru placed his faith in.
He was wrong. Rauru never even knew Link. Rauru placed his faith in ZELDA - he trusted that everything she said about Link was true, even though he'd never seen Link before, because he knew that Zelda was the kind of person who would sacrifice everything to protect a future that she might never see.
I believe that he is mocking both of them. Before Rauru seals him away, he tells Ganondorf that a knight will come with the sword that seals the darkness, and that he should remember Link’s name. Ganondorf already knew Zelda, from her being one of the Sages.
“And if all else fails, we rely on your knight, and that legendary sword he carries. Our last line of defense will be Link”
He clearly had is faith in both of them…
The reason this scene works so well is that the combination of her eyes turning, which is borderline body horror, as well as the actress's PHENOMENAL delivery of "PROTECT THEM ALL!" is viscerally mortifying.
She is VOLUNTARILY going through a transformation so terrifying that you can just feel how significant of a sacrifice she is making. And she KNOWS it. She's like "Link. I am suffering untold millenia and basically dying for this. You better save the fucking world with this sword."
No scene in gaming has made me want to "save the world" so bad as this one. Art.
So this means that not only did she witness the rise of Ganondorf, but also every single instance of the Calamity cycle, powerless to do anything about it but float around in the stratosphere
i mean it's not really her though, Mineru said that once you go down the road of becoming a dragon you lose yourself. Zelda for all intents and purposes died when she did that.
@@Foogi9000 Not really died, per say, but like a coma.
@@Foogi9000I’m able to take solace m the fact that all that time passed in the blink of an eye for her.
My favorite thing is that she knew Calamity would come and destroy all of Hyrule and she did nothing to save her father or the champions.
Instead she went "It's dragon time!"
@@tarnw3301 That was the only way she could even get to that point in time, if she didn't do that she would be dead a long time ago
Well I can actually make this joke now:
My favourite part of Tears of the Kingdom was when Zelda said “Its Tearin Time” and started tearin all over the kingdom.
Truly the game of all time
Peak game
Now I get why they're called tears of the dragon. Just before Zelda loses herself as a dragon she cries
And then she turned herself into a dragon, funniest shit ive ever seen
@@Maber610into a borzoi*
@@magnabueno5360 nah.
If you think about it, Zelda chose a fate even worse than dying. We know there is an afterlife in the Zelda universe, as it's specifically mentioned by the Poe collector that lost souls can be brought into the next life, and we see the dead continue to maintain a state of conscious being after death(think of the Champions in BOTW). However, Zelda chose to become immortal, yet lose her consciousness completely, with only her willpower remaining. She would be unconscious for all of eternity, never knowing if her plan even worked to begin with, and never knowing if the Master Sword made it back to Link, or even if he survived the events at the castle.
That takes some very remarkable courage. Zelda is a woman so devoted to duty and love for her people(and Link) that she would choose this fate to give them a fighting chance.
Really is the TEARS of the kingdom 😭😭 I lost it when she said 'Link! Protect them all!'
what did you lose?
"it" @@just_call_me_leo
Interesting to note that when she is roaring into the sky, you can hear her also still screaming human voice in it either the left over remnants of her humanity still being there ever slightly before she fully loses herself or maybe its just a nice little touch on who she is and is becoming.
not gonna lie, earlier when I got memory 15 & connected the dots, it blew my mind. This here seeing it happen is really kinda tragic. Really brings the "Come find me, Link" line into a whole new context
All of the four ancient champions watching from a distance, knowing the sacrifice that was made, is beautiful.
"You must find me"...takes on a whole new meaning.
I suspected she was the dragon but wasn’t sure. Really hope we can bring her back.
She and Link deserve to be together and happy
No spoilers please
Imagine waiting another six years for the title {legend of Zelda: age of the ancient dragon}
I had my suspicions after the memory from the switch geoglyph
Just recruit mineru beat ganondorf and all will be well
@@youropinionsareshitandsoar1954 do you have the time stone? a sage with a vision of the future?
10,000 years absorbing ungodly amounts of divine light... and the damn thing still breaks after so many hits.
This is probably the best cutscene in the entire game. I knew this would happen since I accidentally spoiled it myself, but… watching the cutscene, the cuts to the previous memories, the title theme that starts playing as Zelda makes her decision… everything, it just blew my mind. It makes your heart wretch, and the aftermath of it too… you’re suddenly surrounded by Silent princess flowers, and you see that dragon again… and you now know who it is, and see the master sword streaming from her head. And the shift from Zelda’s normal eyes to the dragons ones… chills.
After I saw the memory with Sonya saying “to become an immortal dragon is to lose one’s self” I sadly knew this was coming but even then, I cried
When the game’s title is revealed a few months ago. I was joking that Hyrule is crying. Yet, here I am… Heartbroken. Sad. And depressed seeing this memory again. This Zelda really ends up being my favorite version of any Zelda’s.
Soon as the Light Dragon bursts thru the Sky at the Start of the game, I figured that was Zelda. I just didn't know how. And after the memory of Rarus sister saying that she can become a dragon but she will lose herself I did not wanna believe it. And then this scene happened and bro I was so depressed. My boi Link is legit alone in the world. This was a sad moment.
Hey, other developers and companies, are you taking notes? THIS is how you write a strong female character
Wild and Tears really justified how it's Her legend. Link may be doing the enacting, but it's Zelda's plan, Zelda's actions, and Zelda's power that makes any of it possible.
Truly the best power couple.
People don't give Zelda enough credit for being a strong female character.
this shit hit real hard, super freaky, super melancholic/bitter-sweet
This is why it is called “The Legend of Zelda!”
Link is a silent character, but you can feel and hear his thoughts when he looked around very confused and in shock
Probably thinking: she owed me 20 rupees. Now I'm not getting them back. Tragic.
The part with her eyes literally jumpscared me I was so taken aback by it
The moment with her eyes made my heart stop! This was such a powerful scene!
WHEN IT STARTS PLAYING THE MOTIF FROM ZELDA'S LULLABY IN A MINOR KEY!!
I think this is one of the best cutscenes OF ALL TIME, let alone in only this game. The emotions and chills this put me through is unlike anything ive experienced in any other game. This has truely skyrocketed to be one of my top 3 all time favorite games
1:33 I loved the music so much, how they mixed Zelda’s Lullaby, BotW Great Plateu and TotK main theme
Zelda is the perfect embodiment of all three aspects of the triforce
-she is powerful beyond understanding
-she has the courage to undergo the act of draconification, knowing that it's effectively suicide
-she has the wisdom to understand what must be done and conceive of a plan to defeat the demon king
Upon first watch...wow i was extremely shocked and i didn't know what to say truely left me speechless but on rewatch...that PROTECT THEM ALL with her Lullaby being intensified, that roar when she becomes the dragon with finally ending it with her Lullaby...yeah that won't fail to make me shed some tears
At 2:23 I love how the sky quickly turns grey and the music pause after Zelda ate the horn of her necklace to transform into a dragon!
Honestly, when Link sees the light dragon at the end of this cutscene, that would’ve been the perfect time for him to talk, uttering a single word…Zelda.
I just realised that this also means that this ends the "blood of the goddess" lineage cause this Zelda was the only one who could pass it on..
Now does that mean, the other 3 dragons (Lanayru, Dinraal, Farosh) were also some „lesser beings“ and then swallowed their stones?
they’re probably why mineru knows what happens when you eat one
@@StellarRetribution I saw a theory saying they were the oracles
I think Mineru implies that
It may have been Din, Farore, and Nayru who swallowed the stones and became those dragons
Yes. It basically says it outright in the dragons' entry in the compendium.
Imagine giving up everything, living thousands of years to return to the curent future and giving all your hope to a swordsman that may or may not save the world.
Love how the roars sound vaguely like human screams. Creepy!
This scene made me realize she was there at the start of totk watching over us and sends us on our way, how long she must have been up there... waiting to do just that...
This scene really hits hard for me. Because through the memories its foreshadowed she would end up swallowing her stone. But, as Mineru said, it means loosing one self, your body, soul and mind. And if you are not yourself, then what is the point?
Zelda literally did the ultimate sacrifice and lost herself for thousands and thousands of years. Waiting and waiting for link to return and save the kingdom. She went through all that pain... to return the perfected master sword to us and help us win...
Beautiful, but sad...
The fact that the French horn? Playing the melancholic version of the games main theme ends on an accidental not resolving the melody is such a underrated touch.
Coming back out of this memory to the silence of Zelda's abcense is like a stab to the heart
She sacrificed herself and became a dragon to protect the one who meant the most to her and help him save the world...
...does this remind you of someone? 😞❤️
The *moment* Mineru mentioned swallowing a stone, I had a bad feeling lol
It was exactly the same for me!! I thought ‘no, she wouldn’t, they’ll find another way’ and the more obvious it got, the more I tried to gaslight myself into thinking it wasn’t true
Imagine link watching this. My head cannon is that Link is watching this as a corporeal being that can do nothing but watch, if he would try to stop Zelda from swallowing the stone his hand just passes right through. It really captures the feeling of being powerless.
The first experience of seeing this unspoiled is unmatchable. The emotions that flew through me, I stood and looked around at the silent princesses for a few minutes. I was broken haha. Such a masterpiece of a game and my new favorite oat, passing BOTW. All of the Zelda games are so gorgeous! The best game series
When i got the last dragon tear and zelda yelled PROTECT THEM ALL it gave me immense chills
I got goosebumps lol. I keep rewatching it, and it hits me to the core every time
Hot damn the cinematography and cutscene blocking is so good. Her eyes changing gave me chills.
This really puts into perspective the title of the game I never really gave much thought to. This really feels like it's her story more then ever, never have I truly realized it's indeed the legend of Zelda until this cutscene.
3:16 if you use headphones or listen very closely, in the mix with the dragon roar, you can hear what is zelda screaming out
I was shocked when I finally saw this scene, but it was only when I reached the point where I had to get the master sword, where I saw her, wandering aimlessly through the sky, with no recollection of who she was, her sacrifice, It broke me down hard.
A full-on cried when I first saw this 😭
i didnt cry but holy shit lol. i was stunned, genuinely. that was insane. the subtle movements and the voice acting sold the scene very well. when she put it in her mouth and the music stopped i said "😳". i thought the dragon was rauru so realizing what was happening had me stunned
What led you to believe that the dragon initially was Rauru?
@@deal151 the eyelashes and it being themed around light. which in retrospect makes no sense cus ik where rauru was--in my arm. i kinda realized "maybe not" when i got on it and listened to the music. heard zelda's motif and things started to click, but i wasnt fully convinced til that memory
i ALWAYS cry when watching this memory 😭
I've watched Trailer #3 countless times, and the music in the opening shots followed by Link diving was my favorite part.
I'm very happy hearing 3:36 now knowing this melody isn't just just for the trailer, and is contextualized to such an important scene
The melody also plays when ganondorf transforms into a dragon. so cool
I didn't cry. Wasn't sad. Shocked? Yes. Very. That blew my mind and was done so damn well. I wish there was a smidgen more story to build it up but it was still well done and made my jaw drop.
Do you mean in BotW? I thought they built it up a lot in TotK! I haven't finished the game yet, but I thought it was all but certain Z would undergo draconification as soon as it was mentioned by Mineru. It's not the kind of thing one mentions, plot-wise, for it to be ultimately irrelevant. That, combined with the changed melody around the Light Dragon and Zelda's careful planning of other small things (for example, instructions for constructs to have link pick up the Purah pad) made me think she was up to something.
IMO this particular installation asks an awful lot of Zelda. It's like they're compensating for how bratty she was early on.
The writers did an amazing job crafting such a beautiful character. Patricia Summersett was the best choice to bring Princess Zelda to life.
I had a feeling something was going to happen to Zelda that would not let her come back to Link as herself. This was a complete shock/surprise. I almost cried (but I’m d:4d inside so I didn’t lol) when I first watched this memory. Darn! They outdid themselves!
To think, they foreshadowed Zelda’s fate again in TotK. In Skyward Sword, before Zelda seals herself in crystal after the True Master Sword. Link first meets the Old Lady which turns out to be Impa. Right behind Impa and gates, there’s a crystal which happened to be Zelda frozen. And now in TotK. When the title comes in, Light Dragon was seen too. In fact, she was watching Link on Great Sky Island until Link sends Master Sword back to the past and Light Dragon breaks the cloud barrier.
“Fear not, Zelda… If you have truly lost yourself… then I will find you.
… I will always find you.”
i love that there's a moment after she swallows the stone that's like, did it not work? and you're kind of sad about it because that means there's no hope, but also kind of happy because it means zelda stays as she is... then it happens, and the tears start flowing both ingame and out of the game
This hit me so hard man… at least she got to have a taste at having a non-toxic family with Rauru and Sonia..
I remember when they played that audio clip in the trailer (the one at the end of the cutscene that sounds like Zelda's theme but in the style of the dragon music) people were theorizing about it, and when I first heard it in the game during this part, I went nuts.
Her sacrifice really earns the title The Legend Of Zelda. 😢 I am not the person I was before this cutscene and I am NOT okay. A truly remarkable game and my absolute favorite now. My highest thanks to the game creators and everyone who worked hard to make us LOZ fans feel this way.
She suffered so much, and her last words are still a plea not for herself but for her people. The game devs could have easily made this a majestic, solemn moment of Zelda quietly accepting her fate, but instead she is terrified and in pain, shaking, desperately clutching the sword because she isn’t even sure her plan will work. The quiet “you must” that she tells herself in a moment of doubt just before she chooses to end her human life. That fear and vulnerability makes the scene so much more powerful.
I know this was foreshadowed throughout the game, so i kinda just figured out Zelda becomes the Light Dragon... Still didn't make this scene less sad for me though😢😢
I have never been so shocked and sad for a good period of time when I saw this memory by the time she came to me I was chasing her for hours like Zelda noo whyy 😢😢😢
I kid you not. She turns herself into a Dragon. Saddest shit I’ve ever seen
Everyone in the comments saying they almost cried.
I definitely cried and i cried watching it again just now.
Love the subtle zelda theme in 2:45
not very subtle, but it's sure there.
honestly my first reaction to this scene wasn't sadness. I just thought "damn that's cool asf"
The build of the bitonality in the strings and horns is brilliant in the 2:00 section.
Now I’m not sure if it was by luck or sheer coincidence on the way this plays out in game, but I never met this dragon until after I defeated all 4 regional bosses and completed all but one of the geoglyphs. The last one was the Master Sword, and I can completely admit to being floored and in tatters as my heart shattered upon realizing what happened. I knew there was a fake Zelda, but I figured Mineru would become a dragon and use her ability to separate her soul from her body to get around the identity lose. But oh no, no no no, we just had to shatter my emotions in spectacular fashion.
this scene is so beautiful and yet horrifying, the music is incredible!
This was truly an amazing plot twist. I mean, all the other cutscenes were clearly building up to it, and you may have already predicted it if you were paying attention, but it still doesn't make the payoff any less inpactful
Link's lack of reaction is hilarious.
There is Zelda, sacrificing her life and putting all her hopes on Link, and there's Link, probably pondering what's for dinner.
“My first girlfriend turned into a dragon.”
“That’s rough, buddy.”
This scene made me cry so hard most intense sacrifice Zelda has made.
This scene knowing the context of BOTW is pretty insane... Zelda was desperately trying to awaken her powers to defeat Calamity Ganon and in the end she did so, but her kingdom was almost completely destroyed. In this game, she was able to deliver the sword to link, but the same power she yearned for ended up consuming her humanity and she was left as a dragon crying for the safety of her people and the lost of her humanity. The power Zelda holds has only brought her pain, yet she continues to do anything to protect everyone; she is truly a noble person.
Bro the musical composition that continues to modulate Zelda's lullaby made me cry, that shit is so well written as she goes to pick up the master sword 😭👏👏👏
3:04 Zelda's Eyes wide open
After I saw this I knew this was the greatest game ever made
The funny thing is is that they kinda almost foreshadow this at the beginning of the game remember when you wake up on the sky Island and then you’re instructed to go to the big temple in the centre it says Zelda is waiting for you and then you see the light dragon
I don't get how people didn't realise the light dragon was Zelda instantly. I mean..a big dragon with blond hair just happens to appear right after you send the master sword to Zelda through the TEMPLE OF TIME?...i took one look at that dragon and knew it was Zelda immediately