51 replies to this topic

[MikePetersSucks]

So, in your opinion, being reincarnated means you automatically gets 'named' the same thing as in the previous body? Or do you think baby Ganon popped out and his first words were, "Hey, I am Ganondorf!"?

That seems to be what's going on, since everyone in Hyrule seems to be reborn with a similar body, name, personality, and destiny. If you have a complaint with that, file it with the Goddesses.

Your reincarnation and spirit speculation dwelves too deep to ignore these factors as 'the way it is'. And I don't think they're very much alike at all. It's not like a subjective opinion on Ganondorfs personality proves anything here.

No, but there is precedent, and the alternative is lolbloodlines.

Probably. Doesn't mean they'll reincarnate with the same name does it? A name is but a name, which require an external to influence it, unless Ganondorf retained the memories of his previous life, which he evidently didn't. In the same way as Ganondorf way of attaining power in FSA was external and had nothing to do with his 'spirit', so was his name.
I deem it more likely theres a bad gene within the Gerudo tribe that gives birth to greedy assholes + a naming tradition, rather than it being cause he is 'reincarnated' and his name somehow followed along.

Again, do Malon and Tingle have naming traditions?

Besides, this is all tangential. The only point I was making is that it's unbelievably unlikely that Nintendo would allow the Zelda series to have two Ganondorfs in existence, whether or not one of them is sealed away. It's bad storytelling, contrary to Ganondorf's character and thematic relevance, and the Law of Conservation of Detail is in effect.

To say nothing of the uncertainty of the existence of genetics in Hyrule.

Minor character ≠ Major characters. Also, I don't know the detail behind Castlevania. However, it seem like being a reincarnation of Dracula means you're host for his soul. Apparently it became obvious to this Soma Cruz that he was 'Dracula', and powers came alongside this little fact.
There is no such thing in the Zelda game, and Ganon had to exhaust an outside factor to obtain power.

I was just comparing circumstances of two evil cults with Dark Lord/King masters. Why bother to wait for your master to reincarnate, risk having to convince him to your side if he ain't already evil, bring him up to his former power, etc., when you can just bring him back exactly as he was with a magic ritual?

I can argue exactly the same thing regarding the Ganons. OoT Ganondorf is a Gerudo who becomes a daimaou after obtaining the Triforce. FSA Ganondorf becomes the yami no maou after obtaining the Trident. The only thing they hold in common is their name and tribe origin. Incidently, the two Zelda shares those two as well ( both are from the Royal Family ), yet you argue they have little in common.

*sigh*

There's no meaningful difference between a Daimaou and a Yami no Maou, only flashy title significance. The Ganondorfs, mind you, also have identical personalities and goals, the only difference being that they must pursue this in different ways. This is like arguing that two Links are not the same, regardless of whether or not they actually are, by arguing, "They can't be the same because they have different inventories to fight evil."

The Zeldas, atleast, co-exist and don't seem to share any meaningful traits such as destiny or personality, unlike these two Ganons who, similarities aside, have no evidence of co-existence, so you're basically working backwards to reach a conclusion you've already made, which is counter-intuitive.

According to NoA yes. Never mentioned to be nomads in the Japanese version.

The Gerudo have always been nomads, according to OOT as well. >_>

Even still, the area of the Gerudo Desert we explore in TP is tremendously small.

Yeah, and why is that? Games like OoT, TP, ALTTP, OoX, LoZ all involve the Triforce, yet in FSA its like it doesn't even exist. Might as well place the game on the AT, because they argue exactly the same things you are doing now. Master Sword is not important, Ganondorf is the same dude reincarnated over and over, the Gerudo tribe can magically jump forth when they want to etc.

You're going in circles and being argumentative for the sake of it. What the hell are you trying to blather out? You made the point that FSA can't go inbetween TP and LTTP because the Master Sword isn't used, but then I bring up that the Master Sword is only used if the Triforce is threatened. You acknowledge this and...what? Just because the Triforce isn't mentioned in FSA doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's clearly acknowledged to be by the Royal Crest, so it can't be on the Adult Timeline. Maybe, and this is so mind-bogglingly simple that you might not have thought of it, but maybe in the aftermath of Twilight Princess, the Triforce was returned to the Sacred Realm and...oh get this, get this, it wasn't disturbed until the Imprisoning War prior to LTTP, so you could put a buttload of non-Triforce games in the gap inbetween! Holy effing shit! That was easy.

[Nerushi]

Besides, this is all tangential. The only point I was making is that it's unbelievably unlikely that Nintendo would allow the Zelda series to have two Ganondorfs in existence, whether or not one of them is sealed away. It's bad storytelling, contrary to Ganondorf's character and thematic relevance, and the Law of Conservation of Detail is in effect.

That is because you are attributing an entierly fictional ( and a nearly unrelated one ) factor unto Ganondorf, the fact that his spirit must be 'reincarnated' and that this would the sole reason we ever see more than one Ganondorf in the series. Yet, the two times when we have been referenced to Ganondorfs origin, and his birth, all leads back to the Gerudo tribe. Not some eternal spirit that is reincarnated after death.
I deem these external factors, such as the Gerudo tribe, the Trident, or even the Triforce much more important than some made up excuse of theory that Ganondorf is reincarnated. Particulary when nothing, except some lenghty speculation, can be used to support it. In that case, I rather go with the 'bad storytelling'. Particulary when this ( oldest tale ) was once suggested by the same man who established the split timeline, or even consistently referencing the timeline at all.

I was just comparing circumstances of two evil cults with Dark Lord/King masters. Why bother to wait for your master to reincarnate, risk having to convince him to your side if he ain't already evil, bring him up to his former power, etc., when you can just bring him back exactly as he was with a magic ritual?

Again, you are using fictional factors that has nothing to do with Zelda in order to justify your arguments. The developers don't need an unknown mystified reason to make Ganondorf evil for the same reason that Link is the good guy and that Zelda is always the damsel in distress. We all know Link/Zelda/Ganondorf comes in as many numbers as there are games. And they're quite identical indeed. However, look at Zelda in ST. It is sort of implied that her grandmother ( Tetra, one of the founder, mind you ), was around not to long ago. In their Zelda form they're identical.
There is even the anicent King spirit in The Minish Cap. He looks exactly the same as the living King of that time!

Long story short, there is several 'similar' characters. Yet their similarities can in no way be attributed to their souls somehow being 'reincarnated'. For all we know, the goddess could have just said "I want a guy who looks and act like that other guy ( say, Link? ) to be born now" and it would have nothing to do with any reincarnation of a soul. Just as plausible as your theory.

You made the point that FSA can't go inbetween TP and LTTP because the Master Sword isn't used, but then I bring up that the Master Sword is only used if the Triforce is threatened. You acknowledge this and...what? Just because the Triforce isn't mentioned in FSA doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

It exist, but its presence is clearly limited to the Royal Family, and not Hyrule as a whole.

Maybe, and this is so mind-bogglingly simple that you might not have thought of it, but maybe in the aftermath of Twilight Princess, the Triforce was returned to the Sacred Realm and...oh get this, get this, it wasn't disturbed until the Imprisoning War prior to LTTP, so you could put a buttload of non-Triforce games in the gap inbetween! Holy effing shit! That was easy.

Sure, I agree with that your conclusion that TP-ALTTP is most workable like that. Hence, I use that placement. However, your argument is rather flawed since the Triforce already was in the SR before TP. It has already been disturbed. Either way, I deem it more likely that these 'oldest tale' or, "long time ago" ( what you call non-triforce games ) games still goes pre-OoT seeing how they still do least impact and disruption to the overall chronology right there.

[MikePetersSucks]

That is because you are attributing an entierly fictional ( and a nearly unrelated one ) factor unto Ganondorf, the fact that his spirit must be 'reincarnated' and that this would the sole reason we ever see more than one Ganondorf in the series. Yet, the two times when we have been referenced to Ganondorfs origin, and his birth, all leads back to the Gerudo tribe. Not some eternal spirit that is reincarnated after death.

There's multiple instances of reincarnation made in the series (even if only one was outright guaranteed), and Hyrule seems to generally work off of Japanese mythology tropes. To attribute everything to naming traditions when everything else about the characters are identical, and combined with the various myths that have reincarnated characters named nearly identically, seems to be a form of willful ignorance, to me.

I deem these external factors, such as the Gerudo tribe, the Trident, or even the Triforce much more important than some made up excuse of theory that Ganondorf is reincarnated. Particulary when nothing, except some lenghty speculation, can be used to support it. In that case, I rather go with the 'bad storytelling'. Particulary when this ( oldest tale ) was once suggested by the same man who established the split timeline, or even consistently referencing the timeline at all.

Well, if we're going to rely on the Trident, that nearly outright insinuates that Ganondorf was attracted to it because he was it's previous owner.

Again, you are using fictional factors that has nothing to do with Zelda in order to justify your arguments. The developers don't need an unknown mystified reason to make Ganondorf evil for the same reason that Link is the good guy and that Zelda is always the damsel in distress. We all know Link/Zelda/Ganondorf comes in as many numbers as there are games. And they're quite identical indeed. However, look at Zelda in ST. It is sort of implied that her grandmother ( Tetra, one of the founder, mind you ), was around not to long ago. In their Zelda form they're identical.
There is even the anicent King spirit in The Minish Cap. He looks exactly the same as the living King of that time!

I consider the post-Flood era to be an entirely different case, considering that there's an explicit Defying Destiny thing, and the game outright insinuating that TWW Link had no connection to the others as a defining trait in of itself.

Also lol GBA sprites.

Long story short, there is several 'similar' characters. Yet their similarities can in no way be attributed to their souls somehow being 'reincarnated'. For all we know, the goddess could have just said "I want a guy who looks and act like that other guy ( say, Link? ) to be born now" and it would have nothing to do with any reincarnation of a soul. Just as plausible as your theory.

Regardless, reincarnation exists in the Zelda universe. This is factual. No other afterlife details, save for people sticking around as ghosts, is ever given. Occam's Razor.

It exist, but its presence is clearly limited to the Royal Family, and not Hyrule as a whole.

This doesn't change the fact that it's the Royal Family Crest, and thus the Triforce must still be relevant.

Sure, I agree with that your conclusion that TP-ALTTP is most workable like that. Hence, I use that placement. However, your argument is rather flawed since the Triforce already was in the SR before TP.

LOL WRONG

[Jarsh]

I finally got an email back from Gameinformer regarding the interview in which Aonuma said FS was the earliest tale in the timeline.

We no longer have access to the information on the old web site. Sorry.

Matt

Disappointing, but expected. I still can't fathom how Aonuma came up with that line of logic considering the placement of everything in the time of FSA's release.

[ganonlord6000]

I finally got an email back from Gameinformer regarding the interview in which Aonuma said FS was the earliest tale in the timeline.

We no longer have access to the information on the old web site. Sorry.

Matt

Disappointing, but expected. I still can't fathom how Aonuma came up with that line of logic considering the placement of everything in the time of FSA's release.

Well... How many times has Aonuma said that the FS games have nothing to do with the triforce games? I recall him saying that a few times. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then FSA Ganon isn't ALTTP Ganon. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then we have two options:
1. place all 3 FS games before OOT
2. The FS games get their own universe

[Fin]

Well... How many times has Aonuma said that the FS games have nothing to do with the triforce games? I recall him saying that a few times. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then FSA Ganon isn't ALTTP Ganon. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then we have two options:
1. place all 3 FS games before OOT
2. The FS games get their own universe

I don't see how the FS games having nothing to do with the Triforce games precludes FSA Ganon from being LttP Ganon. MM has nothing to do with the Triforce games either, but MM Link is still the same as OoT Link.

[Person]

Well... How many times has Aonuma said that the FS games have nothing to do with the triforce games? I recall him saying that a few times. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then FSA Ganon isn't ALTTP Ganon. If they aren't a part of the triforce story, then we have two options:
1. place all 3 FS games before OOT
2. The FS games get their own universe

I don't see how the FS games having nothing to do with the Triforce games precludes FSA Ganon from being LttP Ganon. MM has nothing to do with the Triforce games either, but MM Link is still the same as OoT Link.

But this does mark the first time that Ganon has shown up and the Triforce is not a part of the plot. Link is in every Zelda game, Ganon is not.

Edited by Person, 28 April 2010 - 06:05 PM.

[Fin]

Yeah, so? Unusual circumstances don't clinch the two being separate. That's all I wanted to point out.

[Nerushi]

There's multiple instances of reincarnation made in the series (even if only one was outright guaranteed), and Hyrule seems to generally work off of Japanese mythology tropes. To attribute everything to naming traditions when everything else about the characters are identical, and combined with the various myths that have reincarnated characters named nearly identically, seems to be a form of willful ignorance, to me.

It is not willful ignorance as it has already been proven that names and apperances has nearly zero to do with the spirit of a person being the same, and plenty to to with linage and possibly traditions. Is WW Link a reincarnation of OoT Link? Doubtful, seeing as OoT Link would have left the timeline completely. Yet, by external attributes he is atributed as such.
Also, the one 'guaranteed' instance of reincarnation states it will be in a new form which seem to say a lot about how these reincarnation works.
There is no guarantee at all that a spiritual reincarnation means you'll keep you previous form, name or whatsoever.

Well, if we're going to rely on the Trident, that nearly outright insinuates that Ganondorf was attracted to it because he was it's previous owner.

No it doesn't.

I consider the post-Flood era to be an entirely different case, considering that there's an explicit Defying Destiny thing, and the game outright insinuating that TWW Link had no connection to the others as a defining trait in of itself.

Except that Wind Waker kinda proves that regardless of when, where and what, a new hero will always arise. WW Links none-connection was completely related to a belief that THE Hero of Time would show up.

Regardless, reincarnation exists in the Zelda universe. This is factual. No other afterlife details, save for people sticking around as ghosts, is ever given. Occam's Razor.

Yeah, as for Ganondorf, his spirit seem to stick around. Quite a lot. Also, the only thing a reincarnation guarantees is a new form that leaves behind the former life.

This doesn't change the fact that it's the Royal Family Crest, and thus the Triforce must still be relevant.

It was relevant before OoT as well, y'know.

LOL WRONG

Yeah, I meant to say 'out of the SR before TP' Hence the "It has already been disturbed" part. Either way, FSA still remain a interupting game after TP. As I see it, most evidence, including developers statement, plots, characters, and excluding graphical and geographical similarities points to an pre-OoT placement.

Disappointing, but expected. I still can't fathom how Aonuma came up with that line of logic considering the placement of everything in the time of FSA's release.

I think its very likely he himself didn't come up with that logic. When he stated the 'oldest tale', he was talking about more than one person, hence the 'we' part. I think oldest tale is completely the result of Miyamoto turning the tea-table, as it was once probably supposed to go something like OoT/MM-FSA-ALTTP.Yet, after FSA release it was FSA-OoT-ALTTP. I think TP kinda made that clear by making it unlikely for FSA to come afterwards by destroying certain plot elements, yet still closely connecting to ALTTP.

Edited by Nerushi, 29 April 2010 - 10:28 AM.

[Person]

My opinion has changed so that the Four Swords trilogy is kind of in its own little world. FSA has way too many plot holes to seamlessly connect to ALttP, and nothing precludes a Ganon to have existed before OoT Ganon. Now about the Trident bit, it have have occurred that FSA Ganon was defeated off-screen or some such, and ALttP Ganon just stole his Trident later. Of course, this is getting into the realm of "too confusing." I may just have to fall back on my old "2D games go in their own timeline" to make FSA work.

Of course, this all might be solved if they ever made a fourth Four Swords game, which I doubt they will.

[Nerushi]

and nothing precludes a Ganon to have existed before OoT Ganon.

FSA precludes exactly the same thing. Which actually means a lot more seeing how OoT had existed for years then, while FSA had not even been thouht off when OoT was made.
And besides, if its anything we know about Zelda chronology is that its grossly surrounded by wars, possible dark ages, and obscured legends.
And how much do you think history will remember one man - who worked largely in the shadows, letting another guy ( vaati ) take the dirt for him, and was in a rather secluded area defeated and sealed off...?
Its not like in OoT where everyone knew who the mean King Ganondorf was, and was defeated for everyone to see.
Even on the CT, he is know as a "big criminal", which isn't entierly out of place seeing how the sages said he was a leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule, but ultimately failed.
For all we know, the war preceding OoT could have led to the desert being cut off from Hyrule, explaining why the Gerudo tribe had to give up their peaceful lifestyle and become thieves.

I may just have to fall back on my old "2D games go in their own timeline" to make FSA work.

Well, even though I like the idea of separating 2D and 3D games, that would go against developers statements. Evidence do point to one large ( with a in-universe split of course ) contiunity, rather than two separate continuites.

Of course, this all might be solved if they ever made a fourth Four Swords game, which I doubt they will.

That probably wouldn't solve much... Although a four sword game could be used to tie up the loose ends TMC leaves us with.

Edited by Nerushi, 29 April 2010 - 03:35 PM.

[ganonlord6000]

and nothing precludes a Ganon to have existed before OoT Ganon.

FSA precludes exactly the same thing. Which actually means a lot more seeing how OoT had existed for years then, while FSA had not even been thouht off when OoT was made.
And besides, if its anything we know about Zelda chronology is that its grossly surrounded by wars, possible dark ages, and obscured legends.
And how much do you think history will remember one man - who worked largely in the shadows, letting another guy ( vaati ) take the dirt for him, and was in a rather secluded area defeated and sealed off...?
Its not like in OoT where everyone knew who the mean King Ganondorf was, and was defeated for everyone to see.
Even on the CT, he is know as a "big criminal", which isn't entierly out of place seeing how the sages said he was a leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule, but ultimately failed.
For all we know, the war preceding OoT could have led to the desert being cut off from Hyrule, explaining why the Gerudo tribe had to give up their peaceful lifestyle and become thieves.

I may just have to fall back on my old "2D games go in their own timeline" to make FSA work.

Well, even though I like the idea of separating 2D and 3D games, that would go against developers statements. Evidence do point to one large ( with a in-universe split of course ) contiunity, rather than two separate continuites.

Of course, this all might be solved if they ever made a fourth Four Swords game, which I doubt they will.

That probably wouldn't solve much... Although a four sword game could be used to tie up the loose ends TMC leaves us with.

FSA doesn't have many problems before OOT. Especially since this is the only game with Ganon that doesn't have the triforce. He could have been killed off screen, or he might be killed in Zelda Wii. After looking at the FS games, it seems clear they take place in succesion. Meaning TMC-FS-FSA doesn't have any breaks. Almost every bit of info since 2005 seem to point to TMC-OOT, so do the math, will ya? Currently, I have a few different timelines that place the FS games in succession.

1.Basic

.........................../TWW/PH-ST
TMC-FS/FSA-OOT
...........................\MM-TP-ALTTP/LA-OOX-LOZ/AOL


2. 2 universes

Universe 1:
......./TWW/PH-ST
OOT
......\MM-TP-ALTTP/LA-OOX-LOZ/AOL

Universe 2:

TMC-FS-FSA


3 (probably looks a little strange, but it can work).
........................................./TWW/PH-ST
TMC-FS/FSA-LOZ/AOL-OOT
.........................................\MM-TP-ALTTP/LA-OOX-LOZ/AOL


Could any of these work without major plotholes?

[Person]

3 (probably looks a little strange, but it can work).
........................................./TWW/PH-ST
TMC-FS/FSA-LOZ/AOL-OOT
.........................................\MM-TP-ALTTP/LA-OOX-LOZ/AOL


Could any of these work without major plotholes?

Why do you have the NES games listed twice?

[ganonlord6000]

3 (probably looks a little strange, but it can work).
........................................./TWW/PH-ST
TMC-FS/FSA-LOZ/AOL-OOT
.........................................\MM-TP-ALTTP/LA-OOX-LOZ/AOL


Could any of these work without major plotholes?

Why do you have the NES games listed twice?

Oh. Sorry about that. I only meant to type them in once: before OOT. That is just a possibility. Me current timeline is similar to your current one. If all FS games are before OOT in succession, then we don't need to speculate about how Vaati was suddenly forgoten and then remembered. While FS/FSA was questionable for a while, I don't think TMC-OOT ever was. We just get more evidence from newer games like ST which is basically screaming TMC-OOT. I think games like TP suggest the same thing for FS/FSA.

Edited by ganonlord6000, 30 April 2010 - 05:54 PM.

[Pinecove]

We just get more evidence from newer games like ST which is basically screaming TMC-OOT.

Explain please.

[ganonlord6000]

We just get more evidence from newer games like ST which is basically screaming TMC-OOT.

Explain please.

It's like this. As I can see it, based on the basic landmarks in TMC, it could have only gone either after TWW or before OOT. I always thought that FSA's map (that and TMC and FSA were in development at the same time)made it clear that TMC's Hyrule is OOT's and ALTTP's Hyrule. ST helps by showing a new Hyrule with no similarities whatsoever with FSA's /OOT's Hyrule. I know PH makes a reference to the Light force, suggesting TMC occurs long before that. ST helps as well by showing that Zelda still has the great power she has in the other games. Possibly showing that the Light Force is the true source of Zelda's power. There is also the whole deal with the spirits not watching over the mankind anymore because they aren't needed anymore.

[Duke Serkol]

How many times has Aonuma said that the FS games have nothing to do with the triforce games? I recall him saying that a few times.

I don't, but I can picture him saying that. However depending on how he worded it, it could mean different things (could just imply that they have nothing to do with the Triforce itself, or as you suggest that it bears no influence on games that feature the Triforce whatsoever, or it could be completely ambiguous).
Can you post sources for these statements?

Anyway, I've been doing some thinking about this whole "What if the comment about FS being the oldest tale wasn't bull like TP coming before TWW?".
I'll say this: I'd sooner separate FS from FSA than move FSA back before OoT together with FS.
I mean, it always was up to debate whether the two games feature the same Link or not, and as far as I know (that is, unless some of the interview GanonLord mentioned imply as much) there has never been any indication given in interviews as to when FSA takes place.
So I could far more easily accept a placement that featured these sequences:
MC-FS-OoT
FSA-ALttP

than one placing all the Four Sword games before OoT, since doing so I would both respect the statement about FS's placement and mantain the connection that I speculate exists between FSA and ALttP.
Not to mention that placing FSA before Oot raises the question "What became of FSA Ganon?". Something that can only be answered in two ways I think, either he remains sealed while OoT Ganondorf shows up and his dealt with, or he breaks free and is killed off-screen before OoT, both of which I am not fond of.
Besides, so long as it remains between MC and FSA, it's not like FS's placement changes anything really

...oh and in before "lolgeography".

Edited by Duke Serkol, 02 May 2010 - 02:25 PM.

[Fin]

Anyway, I've been doing some thinking about this whole "What if the comment about FS being the oldest tale wasn't bull like TP coming before TWW?".
I'll say this: I'd sooner separate FS from FSA than move FSA back before OoT together with FS.
I mean, it always was up to debate whether the two games feature the same Link or not, and as far as I know (that is, unless some of the interview GanonLord mentioned imply as much) there has never been any indication given in interviews as to when FSA takes place.

Actually if you look at the question he was being asked you can see that Aonuma's "oldest tale" quote was in reference to both games, not just FS.

BB: How do the Links in The Four Swords Adventure relate to the overall story line? Or is it just a subchapter or something like that?

EA: The GBA Four Swords Zelda is what we’re thinking as the oldest tale in the Zelda timeline. With this one on the GameCube being a sequel to that, and taking place sometime after that.

I guess you could say that he was saying that FSA currently occupies an unknown place in the timeline, but I think it's more likely that he's grouping the two together under roughly the same pre-OoT era.

[Duke Serkol]

Yeah it can be read both ways.

But placing FSA before OoT poses the "Ganon sealed into a sword" problem (to which there is actually a third solution I forgot to mention: sticking yet another game before OoT, one in which he dies).
That's realyl a big deal to me (not to mention just how many connections I see between FSA and ALttP), so I'll opt for reading that statement as "FSA comes ANYtime after FS".

It's funny though... he says they are "thinking" of FS as the first tale. Sounds like they did not have their minds made up.
When was this interview made again? Before or after FSA was completed and released?

[Fin]

May 17th 2004. A couple of months after the Japanese release.

Edited by fin, 02 May 2010 - 04:07 PM.

[Jarsh]

This is the only interview I recall about the relation of the Triforce between the FS games:

Interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
By Nintendo Power


NP: This title is the third game in the Four Sword series. Did you plan it as a trilogy from the beginning?
HF (Capcom): We did not think to develop a trilogy from the beginning. When we developed the first Four Swords game for GBA, we created a new Hyrule legend that said that a long time ago, evil Vaati brought crisis to Hyrule and people sealed that evil. We had some thought that we wanted to carry over that story into future titles some way.

NP: Four Sword games tend to be more action-oriented than other Zelda games. Is this intentional?
HF: No. Every game was developed based on the concept we chose. In the Four Sword series, multiplayer play is important and I had a big wish to create a vivid expression of Link's moves in a 2-D art style. Those important concepts may generate a more action-style game impression compared to others.

NP: What inspired the Minish idea?
HF: This is the result of my consideration about what is a new idea of a game field for Link. Current vs. past, forward vs. reverse, seasons, adult vs. child, etc...that kind of pair concept is a very important element of Zelda games, I think. In this consideration I reached the big vs. small concept and the small people's world this time. After more deep ideation, I found out that this pair can work as a good combination and could create the interesting Minish world.

NP: In the prologue to this game, there are some hints that The Minish People brought a golden light into Hyrule. Does this relate to the Triforce legend?
HF: Golden light is a very, very old legend of Hyrule and nobody knows how it relates to the Triforce legend. It is still a big mystery whether it has some relationship with the Triforce, which is the most important element in the Legend of Zelda series.

NP: We see many familiar characters in this game (even the kid with the dripping nose from The Wind Waker!). Did you refer to any particular Zelda game for development of this game?
HF: In a kind of reverse way. We created the world of the Minish Cap first, then chose characters to fit this world.

NP: The game's music is very impressive. How much of it is classic Zelda music, and how much of it is new?
HF: Classic is 70% and original is 30%, I think. The composer for this game is also a big Zelda fan. He does not want to miss the opportunity to relate key Zelda music elements to key points of gameplay, which will make Zelda fans say "Yes!" That perhaps explains the percentage balance.

NP: Ezlo is one of the most original characters ever to emerge in the Zelda universe. How did you come up with the idea of fusing a hat with a bird?
HF: I wanted to have a speaking hat, not a hat with a bird. Based upon my request, the character designer needed a very difficult long time to achieve the final form. The design of Ezlo fulfilled my needs - it has a good sense of existence on the GBA screen and is flexible to dynamic action and moves.

NP: Many gamers think of the bosses from A Link to the Past as some of the best in Zelda history. So it's got to be a challenge to provide new surprises in boss design. How did you go about creating Minish Cap's boss bosses? And if Ganon were to fight Vaati, who would win?
HF: Ganon is the villain from the Triforce story. We thought the Four Sword story needed a different evil than Ganon, so we created Vaati. Overall, bosses are designed to be good for Four Sword play. Ganon vs. Vaati...I never thought about. Perhaps Ganon is more powerful, because of the power of the Triforce.

NP: This title is not the first collaboration between Nintendo and Capcom. How did the development proceed this time?
HF: After the Capcom team presented the core idea and Nintendo agreed to it, we held progress meetings almost every month until completion.

NP: Are you already having discussions about another Zelda collaboration? If so, which platform are you looking at? Is it for DS?
Eiji Aonuma (Nintendo): As with previous development projects, Mr. Fujibayashi's team has done an excellent job. The Zelda universe that his team creates is bringing very good ideas and stimulates Nintendo's team a lot. I would like to continue to work with his team, but we have not decided on any platform for the next project.

NP: The New 3-D Zelda game shown at E3 was very exciting. Could you tell us your vision for the future of the Zelda universe?
EA: Since the first Zelda game, which was created by Mr. Miyamoto, "responsive intuitive interactivity" has carried throughout the Legend of Zelda series. I always keep this in my mind as the importance of the Zelda universe. Players make things happen by controller moves in gameplay. It is critical that the controls respond to the players' intentions and that the controls are easy to understand quickly. I think that as long as we can keep this "responsive intuitive interactivity," a variety of doors are open to the Zelda universe and it is not necessary to pursue traditional Zelda style. We are preparing big exciting things. Stay tuned.

I just posted the whole interview because sometimes the Wayback Machine chooses not to work. Nonetheless, here's the source.

[ganonlord6000]

This is the only interview I recall about the relation of the Triforce between the FS games:

Interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
By Nintendo Power


NP: This title is the third game in the Four Sword series. Did you plan it as a trilogy from the beginning?
HF (Capcom): We did not think to develop a trilogy from the beginning. When we developed the first Four Swords game for GBA, we created a new Hyrule legend that said that a long time ago, evil Vaati brought crisis to Hyrule and people sealed that evil. We had some thought that we wanted to carry over that story into future titles some way.

NP: Four Sword games tend to be more action-oriented than other Zelda games. Is this intentional?
HF: No. Every game was developed based on the concept we chose. In the Four Sword series, multiplayer play is important and I had a big wish to create a vivid expression of Link's moves in a 2-D art style. Those important concepts may generate a more action-style game impression compared to others.

NP: What inspired the Minish idea?
HF: This is the result of my consideration about what is a new idea of a game field for Link. Current vs. past, forward vs. reverse, seasons, adult vs. child, etc...that kind of pair concept is a very important element of Zelda games, I think. In this consideration I reached the big vs. small concept and the small people's world this time. After more deep ideation, I found out that this pair can work as a good combination and could create the interesting Minish world.

NP: In the prologue to this game, there are some hints that The Minish People brought a golden light into Hyrule. Does this relate to the Triforce legend?
HF: Golden light is a very, very old legend of Hyrule and nobody knows how it relates to the Triforce legend. It is still a big mystery whether it has some relationship with the Triforce, which is the most important element in the Legend of Zelda series.

NP: We see many familiar characters in this game (even the kid with the dripping nose from The Wind Waker!). Did you refer to any particular Zelda game for development of this game?
HF: In a kind of reverse way. We created the world of the Minish Cap first, then chose characters to fit this world.

NP: The game's music is very impressive. How much of it is classic Zelda music, and how much of it is new?
HF: Classic is 70% and original is 30%, I think. The composer for this game is also a big Zelda fan. He does not want to miss the opportunity to relate key Zelda music elements to key points of gameplay, which will make Zelda fans say "Yes!" That perhaps explains the percentage balance.

NP: Ezlo is one of the most original characters ever to emerge in the Zelda universe. How did you come up with the idea of fusing a hat with a bird?
HF: I wanted to have a speaking hat, not a hat with a bird. Based upon my request, the character designer needed a very difficult long time to achieve the final form. The design of Ezlo fulfilled my needs - it has a good sense of existence on the GBA screen and is flexible to dynamic action and moves.

NP: Many gamers think of the bosses from A Link to the Past as some of the best in Zelda history. So it's got to be a challenge to provide new surprises in boss design. How did you go about creating Minish Cap's boss bosses? And if Ganon were to fight Vaati, who would win?
HF: Ganon is the villain from the Triforce story. We thought the Four Sword story needed a different evil than Ganon, so we created Vaati. Overall, bosses are designed to be good for Four Sword play. Ganon vs. Vaati...I never thought about. Perhaps Ganon is more powerful, because of the power of the Triforce.

NP: This title is not the first collaboration between Nintendo and Capcom. How did the development proceed this time?
HF: After the Capcom team presented the core idea and Nintendo agreed to it, we held progress meetings almost every month until completion.

NP: Are you already having discussions about another Zelda collaboration? If so, which platform are you looking at? Is it for DS?
Eiji Aonuma (Nintendo): As with previous development projects, Mr. Fujibayashi's team has done an excellent job. The Zelda universe that his team creates is bringing very good ideas and stimulates Nintendo's team a lot. I would like to continue to work with his team, but we have not decided on any platform for the next project.

NP: The New 3-D Zelda game shown at E3 was very exciting. Could you tell us your vision for the future of the Zelda universe?
EA: Since the first Zelda game, which was created by Mr. Miyamoto, "responsive intuitive interactivity" has carried throughout the Legend of Zelda series. I always keep this in my mind as the importance of the Zelda universe. Players make things happen by controller moves in gameplay. It is critical that the controls respond to the players' intentions and that the controls are easy to understand quickly. I think that as long as we can keep this "responsive intuitive interactivity," a variety of doors are open to the Zelda universe and it is not necessary to pursue traditional Zelda style. We are preparing big exciting things. Stay tuned.

I just posted the whole interview because sometimes the Wayback Machine chooses not to work. Nonetheless, here's the source.

This is one interesting article. I think this is saying that FSA doesn't lead to ALTTP. Especially after mentioning that Ganon is the villain of the triforce story and Vaati is the villain of the FS games. Implying there is no connection between them. FSA Ganon didn't even desire the triforce. I hope Zelda Wii clears this up. It probably will since the newer games have been giving us the timeline.