@@Drakenwild Tbf tho the Blood Moon. I imagine too Monsters don’t poof in-universe, they die and leave corpses behind, and the poofing is just Nintendo Censorship
@@xuanluu4873 counter argument: what if the corpses turn into stal enemies (they have to come from somewhere, right?), meanwhile what the Blood Moon does is create fresh new monsters where the previous had died, giving the impression of them being resurrected.
Best Zonai theory yet, hands down. I got very close but did not quite connect the same dots. They cluster all around Thyphlo Ruins and that would explain it. Thank you!
They also are fairly close to each of the "Zonai"/Lomei Labyrinths; The 3 in north Hebra, the 2 on the other side of the mountain in the southwest, and the 2 in north Akkala
This changed how I see lynels now. Everytime I encounter a lynel I try to be peaceful for a couple second before engaging in combat. Amazing video. Keep it up! :)
I honestly kinda hope that lynels become NPCs in the next game. You have to defeat them first in a feat of strength to earn their respect and they could teach their fire techniques.
Proving your argument even more, last time I knew there isn't a single lynel found in Faron, and only a single lynel in the sotuheastern most parts of Hyrule.
There is one Lynel in Faron, right on the edge of it. He lives on one of the steep cliffs to the left of the road. Still, he is decently far from the center and he is literally the only one there. I've thought about it when it was way too late to include that in the video so I've put that thought, and a few others, in the description.
You just earned a new subscriber!! What in interesting take. May I also remind everyone of their use of magic - no other monster possesses the ability to teleport instantly to link when they’re out of range or they become compromised. They burst into a ball of pure red energy and appear in one after teleporting, perhaps a remnant of the Zonai warriors sorcery or magic? Thank you for this video, it was very thought provoking. Have a merry Christmas, if you celebrate!!
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you as well! Regarding magic, they also are able to just summon fireballs. For fire breathing you could make an argument that it's a fantasy world so it could be a biological ability by this world's rules, but summoning flaming explosion around themselves? Nope. That's magic.
That's certainly an interesting theory! I've always had a slightly different take on them. I've always seen them as solitary and proud rather than cursed and lonely, but the not sleeping or eating is very strange. I've always seen them as prideful because iirc we only see them close to, or working with other monsters in few scenarios. In one of the memories we see a dead lynel near a bunch of other monster bodies, showing that they worked directly with other monsters when they were first mobilizing against hyrule. One in the coliseum ruins, seemingly waiting for a worthy foe. And the one guarding a gate in hyrule castle, where ganon's influence is strongest. To me it seems like they only follow directions or work together when a stronger presence is around, if not they're content to holding onto a piece of land and don't bother with weaker foes. While their weapons are unique, we see that lizalfos also have forged weapons and pretty darn clever ones too, coming up with the lizal boomerangs. I think all of these were forged by the monsters when they had more cohesion leading up to the calamity
The main difference I see between Lizal weapons and Lynel weapons is that Lizal weapons seem much simpler, like bent pieces of scrap metal, held together with pieces of bone and leather, while Lynel weapons very much aren't. The Lynel in the gatehouse, in memory and in Colosseum still work with my idea, too. First two belong to the group which gave in to Ganon's influence, the last one has his own reasons. Colosseum has likely been a place where Hylians came to enjoy bloodsports in the past - the Lynel was probably kept there along with the other monsters. After Calamity happened, they all escaped captivity and took over the building. That's just my ideas though, your take is valid, too!
very interesting! it always struck me as odd that lynels seem to be sophisticated enough to posses such advanced weaponry but don’t have any hint of established society in terms of architecture or interaction with others. them being the cursed remains of an ancient society makes a lot more sense than them just sort of spawning with the quality of equipment they have. very well edited n scripted video as well! looking forward to see what else you make :)
Just found this channel, your theories are amazing! Really good points in this video especially, lots of them make perfect sense but are usually overlooked until you pay attention to the little details and context :D (And also, merry Christmas!)
I do find Lynel's behavior very interesting that they won't attack Link right away as if they are giving him a chance to flee; also, I have to give them major props for using trick shots with the bow and arrow. I think you are on to something Drakenwild. They do seem cursed.
To be honest, in retrospect, we literally see them be created out of thin air by Ganondorf, so I no longer think that is the case. They are just weirdly intelligent and honorable, that's all.
This kind of reminds me of Moblins from Zelda 1. There are a few pacifist Moblins that refuse to attack Link, and hide in caves, paying Link a lot of rupees. There is one Moblins in a dungeon that doesn’t harm Link, but just asks him for food and lets him pass if Link gives him food.
I have a theory that kind of corresponds to yours, but I wonder if the Zonai ( like Hino under the blood moon) become effected by the blood moon, like it physically changes them and makes them become more aggressive ( like Hino!) and by the time the blood moon is over the transformation is complete and they’re cursed, and this might be a little far fetched but I wonder if the cursed statue of hateno is involved somehow.
Something occurred to me while watching this: there aren’t any (canon) Skeletal Lynels Nearly all of the other creatures under Ganon/Demise’s control have Skeletal versions, besides Keese, robots, and non-vertebrate creatures There’s even a Skeletal _Hynox_ so why no Skeletal Lynels? Maybe it’s a bit more evidence for this theory? 🤷♂️
Supported by canon or not, this is still a very fun idea! I was a little disappointed to see the Zonai in TotK contradict all the previous theories/connections to the Faron barbarian tribe, so the idea of Lynels being connected to them in some way is a cool concept!
Thanks! And I've had a video more recently where I've done my best to fit new information we have about the Zonai with what we knew from Breath, if you're interested in hearing about that ^^
Sorta on topic: in tears of the kingdom, for the master mode dlc, there should be lynels that attempt to bring themself to be like zonai. Maybe like gaining zonai armor instead of rock armor, or even a new boss/mini boss that has that it even has a second phase, where it’s armor start sprouting new limbs to carry more weapons. Idk why I think this but it seems like it would be cool to be in Totk’s master mode.
This is a really cool concept, they do share the duality of what hylians thought of the zonai being considered both intelligent and barbariac, however i feel fairly certain I remember reading once upon a time they were guardians for death mountain so perhaps they were all once guardians of some sort that at some point that lost their way
I mean, this theory doesn't exactly account for depictions of Lynels in previous games, primarily because I don't think wild era games belong in the timeline at all.
@@Drakenwild now that's an interesting take are you looking at it as though the timeline still exists but this is separate or that the timeline never existed/equivalent to never existing
@@RespawnGod I used to consider the official Zelda Timeline to be living in some sort of a separated universe and Breath in its own little bubble but now that Tears are out, the only thing that makes sense to me timeline-wise is all previous games being legends within the setting of Tears - so stories based on actual events that did happen in the history of the setting, but those events are twisted and strung together, not necessarily in a correct order. So in this interpretation the scene of Ganondorf swearing fealty to Rauru is the historical truth of what OoT showed us. That said, next Zelda game will surely be very disconnected from Tears and Breath all over again, so I'm not discounting that multiverse idea just yet xD
@@Drakenwild it is an easier way for the status quo to be reset and would probably make Nintendo happy for that to be the case so I can see that working out, though I hope it doesn't accidentally snuff out the unique beast the Zelda community is 🙂
The idea of Lynels being cursed Zonai is both beautiful and terrifying, especially when you reconsider their locations throughout Hyrule. There’s an arena in the Depths in particular that has lynels trapped in cages until the mechanism starting the “trial” releases them. The reward is Majora’s Mask, which although I’ve never played the game I can assume is meant to be canonically powerful or valuable in Termina. A shame that several lore drops talk about the Zonai, the idea of Lynels being fallen Zonai probably won’t be confirmed but it’s quite a fun concept in a fantasy setting.
Majora's Mask is sort of an interface through which an evil god interacts with Termina, is the best I can explain it. And it is a fun concept! Though with what we know now from totk, I consider this theory to be debunked. There's too much going against it for it to remain plausible.
🤨😑Soo.. I'm sitting here,.. listening to a telling of a tragic backstory for zonai lynels... When the whole time, I know that lynels have been Zelda enemies since Zelda 1 and Link to the past...😑 Lynels are amazing creatures on there own.. always have been.. Why does everything have to be connected to Zonai...?
It doesn't. The main point is that there is a lot of weirdness about the Lynels that, from the worldbuilding point of view, suggests that they are more than they seem. In context of BotW specifically, Zonai is a plausible background because that is the one culture that is both known and mysteriously missing from the setting. It doesn't have to be them though. Also, I don't really like to consider BotW's Hyrule in context of past games because its placement in the timeline is impossible anyway.
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 16 พฤศจิกายน 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wPd7VFfWHIA/mqdefault.jpg)
I was full of it, as it turns out xD Nothing in here is even remotely close to correct. It was fun while it lasted though!
Tbf I feel this still works if we take the idea that Demon King Dorf only revives Monsters, so Lynels could remain as cursed Barbarian Tribe members
@@xuanluu4873 I'm pretty sure he actually creates them out of thin air. At least that is the impression I'm getting from the cutscenes.
@@Drakenwild Tbf tho the Blood Moon. I imagine too Monsters don’t poof in-universe, they die and leave corpses behind, and the poofing is just Nintendo Censorship
@@xuanluu4873 counter argument: what if the corpses turn into stal enemies (they have to come from somewhere, right?), meanwhile what the Blood Moon does is create fresh new monsters where the previous had died, giving the impression of them being resurrected.
@@Drakenwild IG? I imagine that perhaps the corpse is left behind but the soul of the monster gains a new body thanks to the Blood Moon or smth
Best Zonai theory yet, hands down. I got very close but did not quite connect the same dots. They cluster all around Thyphlo Ruins and that would explain it. Thank you!
Thanks and you're welcome ^^ Very happy that you enjoyed it :D
They also are fairly close to each of the "Zonai"/Lomei Labyrinths; The 3 in north Hebra, the 2 on the other side of the mountain in the southwest, and the 2 in north Akkala
This changed how I see lynels now. Everytime I encounter a lynel I try to be peaceful for a couple second before engaging in combat. Amazing video. Keep it up! :)
It's a bit like bowing to Grimm in Hollow Knight ;)
And thank you! I will! :D
I honestly kinda hope that lynels become NPCs in the next game. You have to defeat them first in a feat of strength to earn their respect and they could teach their fire techniques.
That'd be AWESOME
@@Drakenwildyeah that be cool
Proving your argument even more, last time I knew there isn't a single lynel found in Faron, and only a single lynel in the sotuheastern most parts of Hyrule.
There is one Lynel in Faron, right on the edge of it. He lives on one of the steep cliffs to the left of the road. Still, he is decently far from the center and he is literally the only one there.
I've thought about it when it was way too late to include that in the video so I've put that thought, and a few others, in the description.
You just earned a new subscriber!! What in interesting take. May I also remind everyone of their use of magic - no other monster possesses the ability to teleport instantly to link when they’re out of range or they become compromised. They burst into a ball of pure red energy and appear in one after teleporting, perhaps a remnant of the Zonai warriors sorcery or magic? Thank you for this video, it was very thought provoking. Have a merry Christmas, if you celebrate!!
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you as well!
Regarding magic, they also are able to just summon fireballs. For fire breathing you could make an argument that it's a fantasy world so it could be a biological ability by this world's rules, but summoning flaming explosion around themselves? Nope. That's magic.
That's certainly an interesting theory! I've always had a slightly different take on them. I've always seen them as solitary and proud rather than cursed and lonely, but the not sleeping or eating is very strange. I've always seen them as prideful because iirc we only see them close to, or working with other monsters in few scenarios. In one of the memories we see a dead lynel near a bunch of other monster bodies, showing that they worked directly with other monsters when they were first mobilizing against hyrule. One in the coliseum ruins, seemingly waiting for a worthy foe. And the one guarding a gate in hyrule castle, where ganon's influence is strongest. To me it seems like they only follow directions or work together when a stronger presence is around, if not they're content to holding onto a piece of land and don't bother with weaker foes. While their weapons are unique, we see that lizalfos also have forged weapons and pretty darn clever ones too, coming up with the lizal boomerangs. I think all of these were forged by the monsters when they had more cohesion leading up to the calamity
The main difference I see between Lizal weapons and Lynel weapons is that Lizal weapons seem much simpler, like bent pieces of scrap metal, held together with pieces of bone and leather, while Lynel weapons very much aren't.
The Lynel in the gatehouse, in memory and in Colosseum still work with my idea, too. First two belong to the group which gave in to Ganon's influence, the last one has his own reasons. Colosseum has likely been a place where Hylians came to enjoy bloodsports in the past - the Lynel was probably kept there along with the other monsters. After Calamity happened, they all escaped captivity and took over the building.
That's just my ideas though, your take is valid, too!
This is actually a great theory. I do agree with the weapons matching with the barbarian armor. Also I love your voice!
Thank you! I'm glad you ejoyed the video ^^
You're welcome!
very interesting! it always struck me as odd that lynels seem to be sophisticated enough to posses such advanced weaponry but don’t have any hint of established society in terms of architecture or interaction with others. them being the cursed remains of an ancient society makes a lot more sense than them just sort of spawning with the quality of equipment they have. very well edited n scripted video as well! looking forward to see what else you make :)
Those are exactly the kinds of thoughts that spawned this theory :) Thank you, very happy you enjoyed it! Will be seeing you around ;)
Loved the theory, Lynels are such interesting creatures. Hoping this theory becomes canon in Tears of the Kingdom.
Thanks! To be honest, I doubt that'll happen but it's fun to ponder over these things ^^
Uhhhh.....
In the OG Zelda manual. I believe it's said that Lynels are creations of Ganon.
Just found this channel, your theories are amazing! Really good points in this video especially, lots of them make perfect sense but are usually overlooked until you pay attention to the little details and context :D
(And also, merry Christmas!)
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying my content ^^ Merry Christmas to you as well! :D
I was not expecting such a well made video when yours got recommended to me, also I love your accent! Merry Christmas!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed! ^^ Merry Christmas!
I do find Lynel's behavior very interesting that they won't attack Link right away as if they are giving him a chance to flee; also, I have to give them major props for using trick shots with the bow and arrow. I think you are on to something Drakenwild. They do seem cursed.
To be honest, in retrospect, we literally see them be created out of thin air by Ganondorf, so I no longer think that is the case. They are just weirdly intelligent and honorable, that's all.
This kind of reminds me of Moblins from Zelda 1. There are a few pacifist Moblins that refuse to attack Link, and hide in caves, paying Link a lot of rupees. There is one Moblins in a dungeon that doesn’t harm Link, but just asks him for food and lets him pass if Link gives him food.
I can never not feel bad about going on lynel hunts anymore. Even if this isn’t true, the idea of lynels being depressed runaways is so sad.
It really is :c
I have a theory that kind of corresponds to yours, but I wonder if the Zonai ( like Hino under the blood moon) become effected by the blood moon, like it physically changes them and makes them become more aggressive ( like Hino!) and by the time the blood moon is over the transformation is complete and they’re cursed, and this might be a little far fetched but I wonder if the cursed statue of hateno is involved somehow.
I'm not sure what to make of that. At least as far as I'm aware there is no changes to Lynels while the Blood Moon is active.
I don't want to fight lynels anymore I want to give them a big hug😢
I actually thought that the barbarian helm was the skull of a young lynel, but this makes so much sense
Something occurred to me while watching this: there aren’t any (canon) Skeletal Lynels
Nearly all of the other creatures under Ganon/Demise’s control have Skeletal versions, besides Keese, robots, and non-vertebrate creatures
There’s even a Skeletal _Hynox_ so why no Skeletal Lynels?
Maybe it’s a bit more evidence for this theory? 🤷♂️
That is an excellent point! Thank you :D It does work really well with the theory ^^
Supported by canon or not, this is still a very fun idea! I was a little disappointed to see the Zonai in TotK contradict all the previous theories/connections to the Faron barbarian tribe, so the idea of Lynels being connected to them in some way is a cool concept!
Thanks! And I've had a video more recently where I've done my best to fit new information we have about the Zonai with what we knew from Breath, if you're interested in hearing about that ^^
if eating a secret stone turns you into a dragon maybe forging one turns you into a lynel meaning there a bunch of secret stone we haven't found
Sorta on topic: in tears of the kingdom, for the master mode dlc, there should be lynels that attempt to bring themself to be like zonai. Maybe like gaining zonai armor instead of rock armor, or even a new boss/mini boss that has that it even has a second phase, where it’s armor start sprouting new limbs to carry more weapons. Idk why I think this but it seems like it would be cool to be in Totk’s master mode.
It would though at this point I think their claim of no dlc was genuine. Would have announced it by now.
Love the theory about lynels being cursed zonai
This is a really cool concept, they do share the duality of what hylians thought of the zonai being considered both intelligent and barbariac, however i feel fairly certain I remember reading once upon a time they were guardians for death mountain so perhaps they were all once guardians of some sort that at some point that lost their way
I mean, this theory doesn't exactly account for depictions of Lynels in previous games, primarily because I don't think wild era games belong in the timeline at all.
@@Drakenwild now that's an interesting take are you looking at it as though the timeline still exists but this is separate or that the timeline never existed/equivalent to never existing
@@RespawnGod I used to consider the official Zelda Timeline to be living in some sort of a separated universe and Breath in its own little bubble but now that Tears are out, the only thing that makes sense to me timeline-wise is all previous games being legends within the setting of Tears - so stories based on actual events that did happen in the history of the setting, but those events are twisted and strung together, not necessarily in a correct order. So in this interpretation the scene of Ganondorf swearing fealty to Rauru is the historical truth of what OoT showed us.
That said, next Zelda game will surely be very disconnected from Tears and Breath all over again, so I'm not discounting that multiverse idea just yet xD
@@Drakenwild it is an easier way for the status quo to be reset and would probably make Nintendo happy for that to be the case so I can see that working out, though I hope it doesn't accidentally snuff out the unique beast the Zelda community is 🙂
you sound like Urbosa
and i love it
That's a first xD Thank you!
7 minutes in and i'm already subscribed, keep up the good content!
Thanks, that's the plan! ^^
The idea of Lynels being cursed Zonai is both beautiful and terrifying, especially when you reconsider their locations throughout Hyrule.
There’s an arena in the Depths in particular that has lynels trapped in cages until the mechanism starting the “trial” releases them. The reward is Majora’s Mask, which although I’ve never played the game I can assume is meant to be canonically powerful or valuable in Termina.
A shame that several lore drops talk about the Zonai, the idea of Lynels being fallen Zonai probably won’t be confirmed but it’s quite a fun concept in a fantasy setting.
Majora's Mask is sort of an interface through which an evil god interacts with Termina, is the best I can explain it.
And it is a fun concept! Though with what we know now from totk, I consider this theory to be debunked. There's too much going against it for it to remain plausible.
Damnit now I feel bad for hunting them
Well, you didn't know
I love this theory, and it makes a lot of sense!
Thanks, glad you liked it! ^^
Merry Christmas to the best Scottish… dragon? I believe?
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you as well! :D
(yep, definitely a dragon!)
13:40 I would not call them ugly, I think they are very cute
But by who, and what for?
Zonai turned out to be a mostly peaceful tribe. However, we can see that if angered, they are not to be messed with... just like Lynels.
While an interesting parallel, this theory has been thoroughly debunked. Not even mad tbh, was fun while it lasted.
Amazing video!!!
Thank you! :D
🤨😑Soo.. I'm sitting here,.. listening to a telling of a tragic backstory for zonai lynels... When the whole time, I know that lynels have been Zelda enemies since Zelda 1 and Link to the past...😑 Lynels are amazing creatures on there own.. always have been.. Why does everything have to be connected to Zonai...?
It doesn't. The main point is that there is a lot of weirdness about the Lynels that, from the worldbuilding point of view, suggests that they are more than they seem. In context of BotW specifically, Zonai is a plausible background because that is the one culture that is both known and mysteriously missing from the setting. It doesn't have to be them though.
Also, I don't really like to consider BotW's Hyrule in context of past games because its placement in the timeline is impossible anyway.
This video is good. It makes me think
Thank you! I'm very happy you enjoyed it ^^
I'll be nice to them crom now on ;)
I don’t think so
Fair enough