The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword/Fridge

Fridge Brilliance

 * Ghirahim's androgynous design and references to his Master are all Foreshadowing that
 * he also mentions in his second fight how his black limbs are stronger than steel.
 * Also, his flamboyant behavior and tendency to describe how he's feeling foreshadows that he's.
 * Remember Ghirahim arm-speech in the Fire Sanctuary? He wasn't just monologuing about his beauty, he was taunting Fi for her lack of arms!
 * Also also, look at the picture on the main page.
 * When you land a hit on Ghirahim in any of his fights, you get a.
 * Another thing about Ghirahim: his appearance resembles a fencing outfit (minus the mask), and he wields a rapier in his second phase. What could be more appropriate for a sword-to-sword duel?
 * Some players might be expecting as the boss of the 3rd dungeon had they not seen spoilers,
 * During the  - tclittle
 * Hyrule's desert used to be a vast ocean. In the alternate world of Termina, the Gerudo are pirates!
 * The desert used to be a vast ocean? But where did all of that water go? Permanent worldwide cloud coverage.
 * The clouds appear to be wholly magical in origin. The surface has a mostly clear sky, after all. The water could've been sent to (one of) the future(s), answering where all the water that flooded Hyrule came from.
 * One thing that I found to be absolutely brilliant is when Link Powers up the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword, the game states that now only Link can use the sword. In the later games they say that only those with a pure heart can use the Master Sword, what makes this brilliant is that it makes perfect sense, since only those who share Link's soul or destiny are the ones that could wield the Master Sword, and Link has a Pure Heart and is generally good, with time people assumed that only those with a pure heart could use it, not knowing the true reason, exactly how information tends to get warped over time. This makes it Fridge Brilliance for all the Zelda games.
 * One of the main questions plaguing the Zelda series concerns the dungeons and temples. Why are they there? Why are they so convoluted and hard? Some actually serve or used to serve a practical purpose, but others are just... there. This game explains several dungeons and various other trials by saying the Goddess left them for the Chosen Hero. Little more than a Hand Wave... until you find out
 * In other words, the temples are a collective architectural Stealth Mentor, designed to train Link to be strong enough to beat the Big Bad of whatever game they appear in.
 * In other games, it seems odd that any weapon could harm someone wielding the Triforce of Power. Now we know why the Master Sword can harm Ganon; it's ! Its name really does fit.
 * More than that, once you It may not be much, but it's clearly enough to tip the balance out of Ganon's favor.
 * This game was known to detail the origins of the Master Sword long before the game was released. But why was it named the Master Sword?
 * Skyward Sword has a few puzzles that revolve around electricity, of all things. It looks like Schizo-Tech, but what if it were the other way around, as Lost Technology? The reason we don't see any electricity dungeons in the other games is because all the components died out from lack of maintenance.
 * Relating to Skyward Sword: the art style is more "real" than in The Wind Waker, and more "colorful" or "cartoony" than in Twilight Princess. Word of God confirms its location at the beginning of the story, before the timeline split. Also, Ocarina of Time sat at a similar balance, though less so due to the primitive N64 graphics. Maybe the colors and realism didn't divide into separate timelines until after the split? One timeline became Lighter and Softer, the other Darker and Edgier! Just as, at any crossroads out here in the boring world, different choices could lead to different circumstances. And hey, maybe the Goddesses made the timeline where Lighter and Softer in order to  It wasn't needed as much in the other timeline, where everything continued in the original vein of Ocarina of Time.
 * It's well known that the Ballad of the Goddess is Zelda's Lullaby backwards;
 * The reason Link starts with six hearts instead of three like in all the other games? Unlike most of his descendants, this Link went through basic combat training at the Knight's Academy, which buffed up his endurance.
 * The first time Zelda's Lullaby plays in this game is when.
 * In the first Legend of Zelda game, an ancient legend state that the first princess to bear the name "Zelda" put herself into a long slumber.
 * Many parts in the game appear to be useless (like a part in the Sealed Grounds that has a fence over it that serves no purpose). It is later revealed however, that these parts
 * Beedle complaining that Link is heavy. He may not seem to weigh much, but keep in mind he's carrying a sword, a shield and all of his gear (yes, even the bugs and treasures). Adding all up can make someone weigh a lot too.
 * Notice how Link can't traverse between the three sub-sections without resorting to his Loftwing, but certain other species can. They include Gorons and Mogmas, who are experts at travelling over mountains and digging tunnels, respectively. So, they're disconnected by extremely high mountains, possibly created by the dark forces who invaded the past Hyrule.
 * When
 * In Twilight Princess, the Master Sword is explicitly described as "a sacred blade that evil can never touch," not only confirming the above but also explaining why Ghirahim doesn't use his signature Barehanded Blade Block the third time Link fights him.
 * A possible early indication that The Imprisoned is actually
 * A pretty silly one: Fi is your sword. The game uses Wii Motion Plus to have 1:1 (-ish) sword motion--in other words, your Wiimote is your sword. Therefore, Fi is your Wiimote, and therefore she doesn't actually break the fourth wall when she tells you your batteries are low--they're HER batteries!
 * Fi's singing expression (and some of her other mannerisms) tend to be considered Uncanny Valley territory by the fanbase. But this makes perfect sense when you consider that she is, essentially, a goddess supplied helper-bot created for the sole purpose of aiding the hero and has had (to the best of our knowledge) next to no human contact prior to Link. To this troper, that makes her even more of a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
 * A minor thing that came to mind, about the shields. Now, one may wonder, with how, for example, why the imagery of the shields Link can procure in this game don't appear in any other game, save for the  of +1 Infinity. The answer to this is simple, all the other shields break. It is only logical that, after so long, the other shields wore down over time, leaving only the   as a reminder of that ancient era.
 * Perhaps it also explains why all of the.
 * Why does the lava in that one section of the Fire Sanctuary instantly kill you? Simple: Link can't leap into the air and escape from certain death while underground.
 * On the main page there's an example of Gameplay and Story Segregation that notes that However, the state of the world at this point could easily be interpreted to mean that
 * Indeed, all of the Gate of Time-exclusive pieces of time travel seem to point at a Stable Time Loop, so the future would be predetermined.
 * How was it that Ghirahim was so easily able to tail Zelda and ? Simple:
 * He flat out states her presence is gone after the first battle with him.
 * At a point the game you're flying when Groose grabs you and pulls you down to the ground. In other words, Groose brought you down.
 * What item do you usually use to get into Beedle's Airshop? Say it out loud.
 * The slingshot?
 * Or if you want to conserve ammo (not like one would usually use the Slingshot anyway, but regardless), one would use... the Beetle.
 * Why is it when you heal Lanayru and hit the Timeshift Stone back to the present, he completely vanishes without a trace? Because he is staying in the past as a way to thank the Ancient Robots for all of their effort in saving him!
 * The Amber Relics found all over the place are chunks of Zelda's sarcophagus.
 * Would that make the Dusk Relics bits of the dark energy seeping out from The Imprisoned/'s Seal?
 * How does that work? Zelda is sealed in the past and freed in the present, and the Amber Relics are collected all throughout.
 * All the structures and enemies in the past version of Lanayru Desert have this red-and-blue abstract pattern on certain segments. A similar red-and-blue motif can be found in Gerudo-related designs, though the Past-Lanayru patterns are typically gaudier than the more faded, deserty Gerudo patterns. This signifies how the Gerudo probably came across relics of the past such as the robots or buildings and decided to incorporate elements of those designs into their own. Cross-reference an Armos with Ganondorf.
 * That symbol on the base of the Goddess Statue (the one that turns into the entry to the inside of the statue) and the Goddess Crests look like Fi.
 * The depowered Master Sword in Wind Waker is identical to the half-powered Master Sword in Skyward Sword.
 * Faron Province is associated with Farore, the Goddess of Courage. The dungeons of Faron are also where you find the vast majority of the game's undead creatures, which are pretty scary, and which require courage to face.
 * The introduction of Loftwings: for the longest time, I wondered why the herald of Hyrule was a bird. Now we know where it comes from.
 * Faron Province is associated with Farore and courage, Eldin with Din and power, and Lanayru with Nayru and wisdom - it's in the names. The native residents of each province lack these virtues: kikwi lack courage, mogma lack power, and the ancient robots lack wisdom.
 * The citizens of Skyloft have relatively small ears compared to the future residents of Hyrule in games such as Ocarina of Time (when Hylians are the most prominent race), and also lack any special magical abilities. Their origins are not touched upon, other than that their descendants inhabited the surface AKA Hyrule. The Hylians, however, are said to be descended from the gods, have magic infused blood and can hear messages from the gods. Who's the only resident of Skyloft with long, pointed ears that are comparable to that of the future Hylians? Who also obviously has magic in her blood and could hear the surface (arguably the gods) calling her? Zelda, the mortal incarnation of Hylia. She's the one who would have eventually given birth to the first Hylians. The way all other Skyloftians were designed compared to Zelda is pretty genius, if one thinks about it.
 * The introduction of Loftwings: for the longest time, I wondered why the herald of Hyrule was a bird. Now we know where it comes from.
 * Faron Province is associated with Farore and courage, Eldin with Din and power, and Lanayru with Nayru and wisdom - it's in the names. The native residents of each province lack these virtues: kikwi lack courage, mogma lack power, and the ancient robots lack wisdom.
 * The citizens of Skyloft have relatively small ears compared to the future residents of Hyrule in games such as Ocarina of Time (when Hylians are the most prominent race), and also lack any special magical abilities. Their origins are not touched upon, other than that their descendants inhabited the surface AKA Hyrule. The Hylians, however, are said to be descended from the gods, have magic infused blood and can hear messages from the gods. Who's the only resident of Skyloft with long, pointed ears that are comparable to that of the future Hylians? Who also obviously has magic in her blood and could hear the surface (arguably the gods) calling her? Zelda, the mortal incarnation of Hylia. She's the one who would have eventually given birth to the first Hylians. The way all other Skyloftians were designed compared to Zelda is pretty genius, if one thinks about it.

Fridge Horror

 * The subterranean area of Ancient Cistern was a mild case of Fridge Horror - after all, there have been plenty of creepy dungeons throughout the years. But think about it - the Hindu imagery, the golden light colors, the lotus blooms - it's pretty much Heaven. And what's downstairs from Heaven? That's right. Link just went into a zombie-infested, blood-watered Hell.
 * The main mooks in the hell section are zombie bokoblins. Who probably killed them in the first place? You did.
 * Also, just why does Koloktos  when you kill it? Considering that it runs on souls, it could easily have been powered with the souls
 * Incidentally, when you finally get the Boss Key out from under the statue, you get a Nonstandard Game Over should it lower on you. However, the chest is actually in a pit. So you're not being crushed, you're being sealed in hell with all the cursed Bokoblins...
 * So it's heartwarming to know that Fi has been with you in some form or another through every Zelda game since the first one. But what about in Wind Waker, when the Master Sword has been severely depowered, to the point of being little better than a regular sword? This seems to imply: 1) That Fi was either dead or dying by the time WW Link picked her up, and 2) that even if WW Link "saved" Fi by restoring the sword's power, he still left her impaled through Ganondorf's head while Hyrule was being destroyed around them. Somehow Wind Waker's ending got even sadder.
 * I imagine that the sword was even more 'asleep' than it was before, since the Sages could restore it right back up; not to mention the power of Evil's Bane is from the Divine Flames, not Fi. As for the sword being left behind...well, she completed her purpose, and judging by Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Ganondorf might be dealt with forever in that timeline. Meaning Fi's purpose is complete. That's the happiest thing you can really give her.
 * Just because Ganondorf is dead, doesn't mean its the end
 * The Master Sword, and thus, is still apparently gone forever, so the point remains the same.
 * That doesn't seem to be the case, as a new Demon King (Malladus) appears right afterwards. Demise's curse was never specifically about Ganondorf(s).
 * The way I see it, in The Wind Waker, Ganondorf wasn't killed--think about it. In the other games where he's actually killed, what happened to him? He'd disintegrate into ashes, or he'd just plain die. But in The Wind Waker, he turns to stone. Most likely, he'd only been sealed in stone for as long as the Master Sword remains embedded in his head. Not quite dead, unable to move with no chance for ... and the world moved on and prospered without it.
 * If you have ever played The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, the idea of it dreaming gets horrifying very quickly.
 * Skipper, like all of the little robots in the desert, are only alive in the past. And Skipper proved the robots are actually aware that they are in a future where they and everything they worked for has decayed and been forgotten. They may be robots, but they're sentient and have personalities. You'd think that'd create some sort of existential dread.
 * Additionally, after Link defeats Tentalus, Skipper and his crew are now in power of the ship again. However, we find out earlier that Skipper has a wife and child living in Skipper's Retreat. (This can be assumed by reading the pieces of paper on the walls of Skipper's Retreat - one of which is a note from his child. There are two deactivated robots in the Retreat - we can assume they are his family). Skipper has revealed that he cannot access his old home (which is why Link has to get the sea chart for him). Skipper may forever live in Lanayru's golden age, with his crew, protecting the Flame... but his wife and child are deactivated for eternity.
 * Which, in turn, is why their main industrial activity seems to be centered around gathering Timeshift Stones, which allow them to live forever at their height in Lanayru's golden age.
 * At the end,
 * Before his second fight, Ghirahim makes a speech about a "thread of fate" binding him and Link to do battle, and that he intends it to be "stained crimson with [Link's] blood." Creepy enough, but takes on another meaning if you're familiar with a certain Asian proverb.
 * It says a lot about Ghirahim that this isn't the most blatant pass he makes at Link.
 * You know how if The Imprisoned gets to the top of the Sealed Temple, you get a Nonstandard Game Over? Well...
 * There is a tunnel above the bathhouse where one could watch someone taking a bath if they wanted. The tunnel ends in . She's a peeping tom-ette! What if she spied on Link once?!
 * Nice work pointing that out. Now the shippers are gonna have a field day.
 * The scene before the dives down towards Link, lands in front of him and then suddenly appears behind him. Most would probably assume that he just teleported as usual, but if you look at the scene again, you'll realize that there was no distinctive teleporting sound or animation. Looking at the scene carefully, it looks very much like that  actually DOVE underneath Link's legs to get behind him.
 * In this game, Eldin is inhabited by Mogmas, and Gorons are wandering tribes and explorers. In Twilight Princess, the Gorons became a proud militant race inhabiting Eldin Volcano and the Mogmas are nowhere to be found. Gulp.
 * For the record, the Gorons weren't militant in Ocarina of Time (in fact, it was implied that they became militant in Twilight Princess because of the Fused Shadow and that they were most certainly not always that way), and the Mogmas weren't there, either. There's still some fridge horror there, though, but not on the levels of invasion.
 * Chill people. The Mogmas left Eldin in search of more treasure and the Gorons settled in Eldin after the threat of Demise was destroyed. (Why do you think they were roaming in the first place? Adventure archeology?)
 * In Twilight Princess we get a civilization in the clouds composed of Half Bird Half Human hybrids. In THIS game we get a civilization in the clouds of Humans that ride birds. Just what went on?
 * If Link decides to employ Guld at the Lumpy Pumpkin, he's effectively only employing his abilities to plow through the pumpkin plantation field. What's more is that he doesn't even get to rest inside the inn come nighttime, and Keet even looks down upon him scornfully. Similarly, Oolo the Kikwi is brought to Skyloft as a live lab experiment subject. Congratulations, you just made Link into a slave trader.
 * In the opening cutscene introducing Skyloft, we see the crimson Loftwing later revealed to be Link's. As the scene continues, you see Grouse and his gang jump onto their Loftwings, trailing down your own. That's right, this is the scene where he kidnaps your bird.
 * In Twilight Princess we get a civilization in the clouds composed of Half Bird Half Human hybrids. In THIS game we get a civilization in the clouds of Humans that ride birds. Just what went on?
 * If Link decides to employ Guld at the Lumpy Pumpkin, he's effectively only employing his abilities to plow through the pumpkin plantation field. What's more is that he doesn't even get to rest inside the inn come nighttime, and Keet even looks down upon him scornfully. Similarly, Oolo the Kikwi is brought to Skyloft as a live lab experiment subject. Congratulations, you just made Link into a slave trader.
 * In the opening cutscene introducing Skyloft, we see the crimson Loftwing later revealed to be Link's. As the scene continues, you see Grouse and his gang jump onto their Loftwings, trailing down your own. That's right, this is the scene where he kidnaps your bird.