#nintendo lore

A Brief Context 

Breath of the Wild was not the first game in the series that introduced Malice in The Legend of Zelda series, but it’s probably the most prominent. It’s name-dropped multiple times, and is impossible to miss. In fact, pretty much every enemy in the game is dripping with the stuff. Tears of the Kingdom is set a few years later, and one of the changes it made was that what was once Malice is now Gloom. This has left some people puzzled why this decision was made and some even consider this to be a negative change. Before I get into that though, it would probably be best to briefly summarize what Malice is. 

In the context of Breath of the Wild, Malice is a purple-pinkish substance that causes damage to Link. While what exactly Malice is isn’t elaborated upon much in Breath of the Wild, that’s because the original name in the Japanese text is a bit more on the nose. The Japanese name is 怨念 On’nen, or grudge. In concepts like Buddhism and Shintoism, heavy influences on The Legend of Zelda series, On’nen is evil feelings of hatred and resentment which, while not necessarily exclusively tied to the dead, are almost always used to represent the lingering feelings of resentment and regret of those who have died. For example, those who died with strong feelings of resentment may turn into an 怨霊 Onryo, which is a spirit that can manifest into the physical world through its sheer hatred and resentment. (Importantly, I am not trying to tar these religious beliefs and mythologies with a broad brush, but I am trying to speak in regards to how their influences can be found in the Zelda series.)

An example of this influence in The Legend of Zelda series would be Poes - or, at least, certain Poes, such as the ones seen in Ocarina of Time. They’re described as “spirits of concentrated hatred” by the Poe Collector, who “hate the world.” In a sense, they would be an Onryo, remaining attached to the world through their hatred. In games like Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword, we see a similar situation, where Cursed Bokoblins in both entries are able to revive as corpses through “Malice” and their “hatred of this world,” respectively. Skyward Sword even introduces the Evil Crystal, which is described as a crystallized form of a 魔物の 悪しき心が wicked heart of a monster.

However, the more significant representation of Malice in the series and the one people usually think of is Demise, the main antagonist of Skyward Sword. With his dying breath, he tells Link that the 権化が incarnation of his 憎悪と怨念が  hatred and On'nen will pursue the successors of Link and Zelda in an endless cycle. Importantly, in the Japanese text, he specifically mentions this cycle as  輪廻 Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth in Buddhism. 

In Breath of the Wild, Demise’s speech is flat-out referenced with Dark Beast Ganon’s title being 憎悪と怨念の権化 the Incarnation of Hatred and On'nen in the Japanese text, effectively harkening back to the point of Skyward Sword being an origin of the series, and connecting the whole continuity front-to-back, tied together with a neat bow.

This makes the change Tears of the Kingdom introduced with Gloom even more strange. Malice is no longer the focus, and instead the emphasis is on Gloom. This seems like a pretty significant thing to just disrupt in the series, so that begs the question: what purpose does it serve? 

The Malice of the Dead

As I’ve mentioned thus far, Malice, or On’nen, is a concept primarily tied to lingering resentment for those no longer among the living, or - at least - those who have already “died” in some fashion. Because, while some people may not be aware, Malice is mentioned in Tears of the Kingdom, in areas where it makes logical sense for it to be mentioned. For example, when describing the Calamity in Tears of the Kingdom, it is described as being the Demon King that 怨念と化して復活した姿 revived as a vengeful spirit through its hatred. 

 In this way, Calamity Ganon could be described as an Onryo, similar to Poes in Ocarina of Time. The Calamity was a vengeful spirit, and through that vengeance, it was revived through lingering emotions and regret. It’s worth noting that Ganondorf is for all intents and purposes dead while being sealed underneath Hyrule Castle - after all, his heart stops, and his spirit, revived by his lingering emotions and regret, is separated from his body. It is those same lingering emotions and regrets that give birth to enemies like Cursed Bokoblins in Breath of the Wild. This is interesting, because in Skyward Sword, Demise explicitly synonymises his 憎悪 hatred with 魔族の呪いは the curse of the Demon Tribe. In essence, Demise’s hatred is the Demon Tribe, and vice versa. This would mean that Ganon’s Malice - as Ganon is in essence the heir of Demise - is also the curse of the Demon Tribe, demonstrating why demons revive through Malice in the same way that Ganon does and why Malice is representative of the entire Demon Tribe in the eras where Calamity Ganon is a spectre. 

One could even argue that the change from Malice to Gloom is a depiction of Ganondorf’s body coming back to life - while he’s a vengeful spirit in Breath of the Wild, with Malice representing particularly the lingering regrets of a spirit removed from his dead body, this would turn into Gloom as Rauru’s seal waned and Ganondorf began to return to the world of the living once more. In essence, Gloom is the “blood” of the Demon Tribe and of Ganondorf himself, as seen in the description of Phantom Ganon, where it is described as being 血肉より生み出され born of Ganondorf’s flesh and blood, further explaining why Gloom would begin to enter the world as Ganondorf’s heart began to pump and blood - or Miasma - flowed through his veins.

This is also why Gloom can revive enemies in the same way that Malice can; while Malice allows demons to revive due to their sheer hatred and attachment to the world, Gloom allows for revival because it’s the lifeblood of demons. If I was going to oversimplify it, one could interpret Gloom as the “life” of the Demon Tribe, while Malice is death; or, more accurately, “un-life.” It is those lingering feelings of resentment that allow them to continue interacting with the world in the form of a spectre or other undead entity. This is also why Ganon is described as refusing to give up on reincarnation in the final battle of Breath of the Wild; by assuming a form of pure Malice, he is attempting to cling onto his attachment to the physical realm in a last desperate bid, resulting in him becoming the full embodiment of his hatred and resentment that keeps him attached to the world in the first place. 

It’s important to keep in mind that Gloom and Malice are not foreign to each other, but instead refer to the same general concept of deep-seated hatred and negative emotions that can have a physical impact on the world. The issue is simply that On’nen is a particularized form of this kind of hatred, as it carries a connotation of specifically and solely being associated with the lingering hateful emotions of the dead, as opposed to being a general “hatred.” The only other time it’s been used in the series in relation to Ganon specifically is in Twilight Princess, where he, similar to Breath of the Wild, is also demonstrated to take the form of a disembodied spirit that would need to revive into the world. 

While one may say that this still weakens the connection to Skyward Sword as it recontextualizes the Malice in Breath of the Wild to be tied more to Ganon specifically rather than Demise, it’s worth pointing out that Ganon is still an incarnation of Demise’s On’nen regardless; the fact that Ganondorf himself is alive, however, causes that hatred to manifest in a way that actually fits with Ganondorf’s state of being in Tears of the Kingdom. For example, Ganondorf is also not mentioned as utilizing On’nen in Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker, despite both games mentioning his evil energy, so it would be rather strange for Nintendo to randomly interject On’nen back into the series in a way that contradicted every other game thus far rather than strengthen the chronology, while also making the traditional understanding of the term meaningless for Japanese audiences. 

Simply put, Tears of the Kingdom ensures the connection to Demise still holds fast while also ensuring that Ganon’s association with On’nen actually makes sense within the context of Breath of the Wild rather than using it as a catch-all term for Ganon’s evil energy, which would create larger narrative issues in the wider series. While Ganon will always be an incarnation of Demise’s On’nen, it doesn’t make sense to say that the primary evil energy that Ganon always utilizes is On’nen - Demise is no longer the true Demon King heading the Demon Tribe. Ganon is, and Ganon generating On’nen as his evil energy while he was alive wouldn’t make sense.

This also explains why, as the dungeon bosses are dying, they spew On’nen rather than Gloom. As mentioned, On’nen is the last lingering thoughts and resentments of something that has died given form. As the bosses are dying, their lingering resentment is represented as leaving their bodies, and will persist in the world after they have died.

However, why this somewhat justifies why they moved on from Malice, since Ganondorf is hearty and healthy in Tears of the Kingdom rather than a disembodied wraith, it doesn’t really explain why they chose the term “Gloom.” What is Gloom, what is its connection to the wider series, and was it worth replacing On’nen as the main evil energy from Breath of the Wild? 

Gloom’s Origin 

Similar to Malice and On’nen, “Gloom” is not the actual canonical name for the substance. The Japanese name is 瘴気 Shōki, or Miasma. In traditional stories, it could be understood to refer to negative vapors that cause illness, but has also been associated with and can be caused by demons. In Tears of the Kingdom, the point of Miasma is it’s an energy that emanates from Ganondorf’s body as the seal placed by Rauru is nearing failure, and it causes people to get sick, which is why Link and Zelda went to investigate it in the first place. 

While some may assume that the decision to replace On’nen with Miasma was made carelessly and with little regard for the series chronology, that is not the case. Those who are intimately familiar with The Legend of Zelda series may notice recurring trends and storylines, such as ancient wars where a great evil was sealed at a significant cost, or an ancient people with advanced magic who no longer exist. Many of these tropes can be traced back to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In A Link to the Past’s manual, we learn about the Imprisoning War - not the one from Tears of the Kingdom, mind you, but the original Imprisoning War that inspired the conflict from Tears of the Kingdom. 

In this original war, Ganon is stuck in the Sacred Realm turned Dark World, but he’s able to release his evil into the world of Hyrule nonetheless. Part of this evil is in the form of 邪気 Jyaki, which refers to the same concept of an evil air caused by negative emotions and demons. It’s also capable of making people sick, as seen by the Bug-Catching Kid in Kakariko Village who gives you his Bug Catching Net, after he’s fallen ill due to the 魔物の気 demon’s evil air that is stemming across the land of Hyrule, hence why after Ganon’s defeat he’s seen recovered. 

The point of “replacing” - and I use that term loosely - On’nen with Shōki is to harken back to A Link to the Past’s own usage of Jyaki. In both games, they are an evil vapor that stem from Ganon and the Demon Tribe that surrounded the castle of Hyrule and are capable of making people fall ill. In the same way that On’nen was used to harken back to Skyward Sword, Shōki not only makes more sense as Ganondorf is no longer a disembodied spectre, as mentioned it calls back to A Link to the Past and pulls the whole series together. While Shōki and Jyaki aren’t the exact same term, mind you, they could be understood as covering the same general concept, the same way that Breath of the Wild’s 大厄災 Great Calamity is a clearly harkening back to A Link to the Past’s オオイナル　ワザワイ Great Catastrophe. 

The difference in function - On’nen merely causing harm while Shōki outright drains life energy - can also be seen as harkening back to the wider series mythology. In Four Swords Adventures, for example, it’s demonstrated that Ganon is explicitly draining the energy from the land of Hyrule to grow stronger. In this same way, draining the energy from Link (and the world) in Tears of the Kingdom is Ganondorf’s way of restoring himself, as seen by him using the Gloom to restore his original form at the conclusion of the game. 

Closing

To summarize, both Malice and Gloom - 怨念 On’nen and 瘴気 Shōki - are representative of the same general concept of evil energies and auras caused by negative emotions and demonic forces, a particular example being the Demon King. However, On’nen is more particularized in this regard, as it refers to the lingering emotions and regrets that a person (or in this case, a demon) leaves upon death. This makes sense for the context of Breath of the Wild, as Calamity Ganon is a vengeful spirit revived by lingering emotions and regrets whose body is currently dead under Hyrule Castle. It also ties into Skyward Sword, as Ganon is the incarnation of Demise’s hatred and resentment. 

However, as Rauru’s seal begins to wane, that On’nen instead takes the form of Shōki - an evil aura that can also be caused by demons and can make people sick - because Ganondorf is no longer taking the form of a vengeful spirit, and is returning to life. It has taken a more generalized form of evil energy that can be found in Japanese literature that is not specifically tied to the lingering regrets of individuals, as On’nen is. This furthermore clarifies why the only other appearance of On’nen in the series regarding Ganon is Twilight Princess, another game where he’s a disembodied spirit who must be revived, and doesn’t introduce canonical inconsistencies regarding On’nen and its associations with Ganon into the series. Furthermore, Shōki ties into the very closely related concept of 邪気 Jyaki from A Link to the Past, which also fills the role of being an evil energy stemming from Ganon that surrounds Hyrule Castle and can make people sick. 

Examples of this include the Forest of Hope and the Awakening Woods, the Distant Spring and the Perplexing Pool, and both the Impact Site as well as the Final Trial being represented in Wistful Wilds.

I’ve attached GIFs of each of these areas in Pikmin 1 and 2 with the locations of the ship parts from Pikmin 1 marked and where they would be in Pikmin 2’s map.

Small thing I noticed in the Age of Imprisonment trailer from today - while everyone noticed Daruk’s Protection being given to the Sage of Wind, the fact that the Sage of Fire does the same clap and “punch” motion that Daruk does when bestowing Daruk’s Protection on Link might have slipped under the radar.

Hey! Pikmin (HP) is considered a black sheep in the Pikmin series, standing out by offering a much different style of gameplay compared to other entries. Because of this, HP is often overlooked and disregarded when compared to the more streamlined, numerical entries. Despite this treatment, the influence of HP on the series cannot be denied, with one of the most prominent examples being the presence of Sparklium in Pikmin 4, an energy source first introduced in HP. Given the clear story relevance that HP has on the rest of the series, it may be worth analyzing other aspects of the game to see if a greater understanding of the wider narrative can be gleaned. 

In the second level of Snowfall Field, the seventh sector of the game, Olimar encounters an enemy called a Stuffed Bellbloom. 

This enemy appears to be a bulbous yellow sphere, with four tiny legs supporting its massive frame. On the front of its body are what appear to be porous holes, potentially its eyes. It has a large tail on its rear, resembling the opening of a bag, fitting given it releases Sparklium Seeds from this “opening” during the fight. Upon being defeated, it drops the Fond-O-Sphere, recognizable as a marble with a heart in it. While it may be easy to overlook a strange, one-off enemy in a Pikmin game, there may be more to this creature than meets the eye. Its general appearance heavily calls to mind a more common Pikmin enemy, the Yellow Wollyhop.

While these aesthetic similarities alone are rather striking, Young Yellow Wollyhops, the juvenile form of a Yellow Wollyhop, are frequently encountered in this area, with two being located right before the chamber of the Stuffed Bellbloom, suggesting a relationship between these juveniles and the Bellbloom. 

Furthermore, it can be demonstrated via gameplay footage that the Yellow Wollyhop and the Stuffed Bellbloom have very similar mannerisms and attacks; they both hop in the air before crashing down on any Pikmin below them, and upon death they turn over on their side, defeated.

Given the aesthetic similarities as well as the direct connection to Young Yellow Wollyhops, it’s a reasonable conclusion that the Stuffed Bellbloom is, somehow, a Yellow Wollyhop. However, that merely opens the door for more questions; how does a Yellow Wollyhop change so drastically to become the alien-like Stuffed Bellbloom we see in HP? 

The plot of HP (and to a lesser extent, Pikmin 4) revolves around collecting the previously mentioned Sparklium, or Sparkling Energy (キラキラエネルギー),  a strange type of energy that is used as fuel for space-faring vessels, such as the S.S. Dolphin II and the S.S. Shepherd. This strange fuel is acquired in various ways, including by siphoning it from a wide variety of strange items. 

Indeed, Sparklium is found in many objects, from household items like a Gameboy Advance to even living things such as plants - seeds full of Sparklium, also called Sparkle Seeds (キラの実), are found in abundance in HP. The Fond-O-Sphere that the Stuffed Bellbloom drops also contains Sparklium energy. Given that Sparklium can affect flora, as demonstrated by Sparklium Seeds, is it also possible that it can affect fauna? 

The final boss of HP is the Berserk Leech Hydroe, which was originally just the Leech Hydroe until an important part of Olimar’s Ship, the Sparklium Converter, was lodged in its head. Olimar has this to say about it in the ingame logbook: 

Normally, this is a harmless species of plant life. We only found out later that it grew vicious because the Sparklium Converter fell from the ship during our crash landing, falling onto the Leech Hydroe as it slumbered. The influx of energy sent its parasitic urges out of control.

Olimar - Hey! Pikmin

From here, we learn exactly what caused the Leech Hydroe to become violent and change appearance; the influx of energy - that is, the Sparklium from the Converter - modified its biology, sending its “parasitic urges out of control.” Because of this, we can determine that Sparklium can affect non plant-life as well. With this in mind, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Stuffed Bellbloom is a Yellow Wollyhop that has been “affected” by Sparklium to a degree that its physical makeup has been substantially changed from that of a typical Yellow Wollyhop. 

However, that merely opens the door to another question: If Sparklium can affect creatures in this way, what is Sparklium? 

The Geiger Counter ship part that can be found in both Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 4 could be particularly revelatory here. As Olimar says, 

This noisy gauge is always letting off spontaneous clicks and buzzes. It can be kind of annoying.

Olimar - Pikmin

Naturally, the implication here is that the Geiger Counter is commonly surrounded by radiation. This insinuates that the surface of PNF-404 is irradiated, which suggests a possibility: Sparklium may simply be radiation. 

This interpretation of Sparklium is also supported by an in-universe note from Olimar in Pikmin 4, detailing treasure. It is accompanied by the following image:

Interestingly, per Pikipedia, the fan-run Pikmin Wiki, the above image features the following sentences written in the in-universe alphabet first used in Pikmin 3:

The references to dispersion and compression in this context are interesting; compression refers to the turning of raw Sparklium into fuel - probably by a Sparklium Converter, as seen in Olimar's S.S. Dolphin II in HP. Dispersion, however, could refer to the dispersion of radioactive ions, resulting in objects and creatures being influenced by radiation energy. This seems even more likely with the separation of "ion" from the rest of the term in dispersion.

This would explain several things: why Sparklium can be found within objects as well as living things such as plants and animals, why it can be used as an energy source, and, pertinent to the original purpose of the article, why it had the effect it did on the Stuffed Bellbloom. 

A Yellow Wollyhop hoarded items full of Sparklium - or, more blatantly, radiation - which severely irradiated its body and caused its molecular makeup to begin drastically changing from its previous form. 

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the Light World is overtaken by an alien magic known as twilight. Twilight magic, or shadow magic (影の魔力), first appears chronologically in the series when a group of magic wielders appeared in Hyrule, entering the ongoing conflict over the kingdom. 

人々の中に、魔術に長けた者達が現れ強力な魔力によって聖地を治めようとしたしかし、神は我ら光の精霊を遣わしその者達の巨大なる魔力を　封じこませたのだそして、その魔力こそが黒き力・・・影の結晶石である

Among the people, people who were skilled in magic appeared and tried to rule the holy land with their powerful magical power. However, the Gods sent us spirits of light to seal away their enormous magical power. That Magical power is black power...the Crystal Stone of Shadow.

Lanayru (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

We learn that these invaders used a powerful magic known as the Fused Shadow, or, per the Japanese release, the Crystal Stone of Shadows (影の結晶石). In this conflict, they almost emerged the victors, until the Goddesses of Hyrule commanded the Light Spirits to put a stop to their plans. As a punishment for their crimes, these magic wielders were sealed away within the Twilight Realm via the Mirror of Twilight, and the Fused Shadow was sealed within three dungeons across Hyrule. 

However, this doesn’t tell us what exactly twilight magic, or shadow magic, “is,” or how it affects the Light World. Let’s take a closer look at the information we’re given in the game. 

While meeting with the Light Spirit, Faron, he has this to tell us about the Fused Shadow: 

この森の奥にある神殿には、黒き力が眠っていますそれは、古代に我ら光の精霊によって封じ込められた禁断の力本来それは、光の世界の者達が決して触れてはならぬもの・・・しかし、影の王よりこの世界を救うにはその力が必要となるでしょう・・・もし、貴方がその力を望むならこの森の奥にある神殿に向かいなさい

In the temple deep in the forest lies a black power, a forbidden power that was sealed away by us spirits of light in ancient times, a power that those of the world of light must never touch... however, you will need it to save this world from the King of Shadows... If you want that power, go to the temple deep in the forest.

Faron (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

Faron tells us point blank that the Fused Shadow that he and the other Light Spirits sealed away long ago must never be touched by those who reside in the light world. This means little to us now, but his reason for saying this is shown in detail before long. Upon reaching Death Mountain, we learn the plight of the gorons; their patriarch, Darbus, has been corrupted by the Fused Shadow piece that was enshrined deep within the Goron Mines.

精霊様より託されている大事な宝をお護りせねばならねぇからな・・・だが、手に取ろうとダルボスが宝に触れた途端・・・おぞましい異形の姿に化けちまいやがったゴロ！それから奴は見境なく暴れてもうメチャクチャさ・・・噴火も一層　激しくなったゴロ・・・ワシらは必死の力で奴を山の奥深くに封印した

We had to protect the precious treasure entrusted to us by the spirits... But as soon as Darbus touched the treasure to take it in his hand... He transformed into a horrifyingly monstrous shape! Then he went on an uncontrollable rampage... and the eruptions became more and more violent... and we sealed him up deep in the mountain with desperate efforts.

Gor Coron (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

魔人と化したダルボスを封じるにも、ワシら老いぼれでは限界があるゴロ・・・

There's a limit to what we old men can do to stop Darbus, who has turned into a demon...

Gor Amoto (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

As soon as Darbus touched the treasure, he was transformed into a demon. This would naturally lead one to assume that the Fused Shadow, as well as all shadow magic, is thus demonic in nature, similar to the magic utilized by the demons in the series such as Ganondorf. However, this isn’t exactly the case.

Later in the game, Zant uses a different Shadow Crystal to turn Link into a wolf in the light world. This magic isn’t just regular shadow magic, such as that used by Midna or the Fused Shadow, but something else. Zelda and Midna both make note of this. 

これは、今までの影の魔力とは違う何か別の邪悪なる力・・・

This is some kind of evil power, different from the shadow magic we've seen up until now…

Zelda (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

アンタにかけられていた魔力の塊さ

確かに、ワタシ達の持つ影の魔力とは違う・・・

It's the mass of magic that was cast on you. It's certainly different from the shadow magic that we have…

Midna (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

Instead of being regular shadow magic, we learn that it’s actually shadow magic that has been infused with the malevolent powers of Ganondorf, which were given to Zant. Zant then created his own brand of shadow magic using Ganondorf’s demonic powers, and this was the magic he has been using against Link and Midna throughout the game, such as the Shadow Crystal and Black Fog we see at the Palace of Twilight. 

この黒い霧は、ザントが魔力で作り出した光を吸い取る影の結晶・・・精霊の光を奪い、ハイラルをトワイライトに変えていた張本人なんだ

This black mist is a shadowy crystal that Zant created with his magic power to suck out the light… he is the one who was stealing the light of the spirits and turning Hyrule into Twilight.

Midna (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

A running theme that may be apparent by now is that shadow magic commonly appears in the form of crystals - while not necessarily pertinent to explaining exactly how shadow magic works, it is an interesting detail nonetheless. This also heavily suggests that the Shadow Insects that stole the light from the Light Spirits of Hyrule were made of Zant’s shadow crystals - after all, they were designed to absorb light.

Regardless, we can see from the above text regarding Zant’s own brand of shadow magic that it’s altogether reductive to consider shadow magic synonymous with demonic magic. And of course this would be the case, given that the Sols - the “suns” of the Twilight Realm - restore the land back to its original form, before Zant corrupted it, and began turning its population into Shadow Beasts.

ここの皆、まだ完全に影の魔物になった訳じゃない

ザントを見つけ出して、仲間を元に戻してやりたいんだ・・・

ソルは　この世界を照らす太陽みたいなものなんだ

それが失われたから、みんな　あんな姿に・・・

Everyone here hasn't completely turned into a shadow monster yet. I want to find Zant and restore my friends… Sol is like the sun that illuminates this world. Because that was lost, everyone turned into those shapes…

Midna (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

While it’s useful to know that shadow magic isn’t inherently the same as demon magic, why does it have a corruptive effect on those who reside in the world of light, then? Zant, speaking for Ganondorf, and later Midna, potentially gives us a clue as to why:

そして、我が神の望みは一つ 

光と影を一つの闇に！！

And my God wants one thing. Turn both light and shadow into a single darkness!

Zant (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

所詮、光と影は交わっちゃいけないんだ

After all, light and shadow must not mingle.

Midna (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

While shadow magic isn’t evil, it isn’t “good” either. When characters like Darbus or Yeta come into contact with shadow magic, it corrupts them into demons. While it’s not darkness in the same sense as Ganondorf’s magic, it affects the light world in an adverse way that it - effectively - creates a unique type of darkness born from the mixing of light and shadow. The light world’s light also has an adverse effect on the denizens of the Twilight Realm, as demonstrated by Lanayru’s light magic nearly killing Midna, who is only saved by Zelda’s grace. 

光と影は、表裏一体・・・どちらが欠けても

成り立ちはしないもの・・・

Light and shadow are two sides of the same coin.

Neither can exist without the other.

Zelda (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

As Zelda says, the light world and the Twilight Realm rely on each other to exist. However, the blending of the two - the interaction of shadow magic with those who reside in the light - results in catastrophe, and transforms those who are affected by it into demons.

In summary, shadow magic, the magic utilized by the magic wielders who sought to dominate Hyrule, which was passed down to their descendants, the Twili, is not innately demonic, and even has its own equivalent of “light” in the form of the Sols. That being said, it is still innately corruptive to those who reside in the light and turns them into demons and causes demons to gather, effectively creating its own, unique kind of “darkness” in the process.

All that being said, how do these transformations manifest throughout the game? We know characters like Darbus and Yeta were corrupted by shadow magic, but what about, say, other bosses in Twilight Princess? Is it possible they’re also just demonic transformations born from the interaction between the light world and shadow magic? Interestingly, every regular dungeon boss in the game except Stallord features the same term in its title; “Twilit,” or, in the Japanese release, Awoken (覚醒). The fact Stallord doesn’t have this title separates it from these other bosses; this makes sense, given that Stallord is not a creature in possession of the Fused Shadow or a Mirror Shard, unlike the other bosses. Given this connection in the titles of the bosses, it’s likely that the bosses are all intended to have a shared trait or aspect unifying them. Similar to Darbus and Yeta, it’s likely that this unifying trait is that they were creatures of the Light World who were transfigured by shadow magic.

The first boss we face in the game is Diababa. This creature is a massive three-headed plant, clearly resembling a Deku Baba. Given that the Forest Temple is also home to countless Deku Babas and Baba Serpents, it’s incredibly likely that Diababa is a Deku Baba that came into contact with the Fused Shadow piece that was left in the Forest Temple. If we want to be pedantic, it’s possible it’s a Baba Serpent; however, the lack of the forked tongue and the more traditional head shape of the other two heads suggests that it’s probably just a regular Deku Baba.

The third boss we face, Morpheel, is another interesting case of what appears to be a light world being further corrupted by the Fused Shadow. At first glance, it seems completely alien in appearance, with no close resemblance to any creature seen thus far in the game, demon or otherwise. However, a comparison reveals that its “face” is remarkably similar to that of a Bombfish, a fish that is commonly found throughout Lakebed Temple. To further this comparison, it even spits out Bombfish, suggesting that they’re its progeny. Given these facts, it’s likely that Morpheel is a heavily transformed Bombfish that came into contact with the Fused Shadow.

The fifth boss we encounter, Blizzeta, is the corrupted form of Yeta. While it’s never explicitly stated that the Mirror of Twilight is made of shadow magic ala the Fused Shadow, the sages do give us this warning: 

だが、心するがよい

かけらには魔力が宿っていることを・・・

But be warned, there is magic in the pieces.

Sages (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

Furthermore, we already observe the mirror corrupt Yeta into Blizzeta, which Midna notes is due to the mirror’s power, and Yeta even reveals that the mirror has resulted in her falling ill and draws demons to it, similar to the Fused Shadow.

でも、あの鏡が家に来てから病気になったり、魔物が現れたり悪いことばかり・・・

But since that mirror came to my house, I got sick, demons appeared… Bad things happen...

Yeta (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

あんな大人しかったのに・・・これも陰りの鏡の魔力なんだな・・・

She was so quiet… I guess that’s the magic of the Mirror of Shadows…

Midna (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

With this knowledge, we can then reasonably deduce that the next two bosses that are in possession of Mirror Shards have also been corrupted, similar to Yeta.

The next boss is in the Temple of Time, Armogohma. Given its unique appearance even amongst other Gohmas, it’s likely that it was a regular Gohma that came into contact with a Mirror Shard and was corrupted. Notably, while its “true form” is that of a smaller spider, its namesake armor appears organic in nature; it has urticating hairs on its abdomen, a spinneret, pedipalps, and can even lay eggs. Given the laser ability and its strong resemblance to the lasers utilized by other Beamos, it’s possible that the Mirror Shard turned a Gohma into some hybrid between a Gohma and the other technology found lying around the Temple of Time. 

Finally, the fourth Mirror Shard is found within the claws of the Twilit Dragon, Argorok. If the name wasn’t explicit enough that it has ties to Kargoroks, the vulture-like bird enemies found throughout Twilight Princess, they are also an incredibly common enemy to find flying through the City in the Sky. Because of these facts, it’s very likely that the dragon was just an ordinary Kargorok that stumbled onto a Mirror Shard and was corrupted into a fire breathing monstrosity. 

In sum, here is what the transformations caused by the Fused Shadow and Mirror Shards look like: 

Hello! In the Hyrule Historia and Hyrule Encyclopedia, as well as the Zelda Portal website, we're informed that Link was defeated in the final battle with Ganondorf. Per the written text, the following is stated:

At last; Ganondorf found himself in the possession of the Triforce of Wisdom that dwelt within Princess Zelda; and the Triforce of Courage that dwelt in Link. His true power achieved; he transformed into the Demon King. The Seven Sages of Hyrule; led by Princess Zelda; sealed Ganon and the Triforce in the Sacred Realm as a final resort. - Hyrule Historia, pg. 92

Sealing Ganon: The hero fails. Ganondorf steals the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage and transforms into the Dark Beast Ganon. The Seven Sages, including Princess Zelda, seal the unified Triforce and Ganon in the Sacred Realm. - Hyrule Encyclopedia, pg. 11

A story that continues when the Hero of Time is defeated in battle by Ganondorf. - The Legend of Zelda Portal, describing the Downfall Timeline

This suggests that Link was defeated in the first battle with Ganondorf, not the subsequent battle with the demon beast form Ganon took after his castle collapsed. This is further reinforced by the artwork used in the Historia when describing this section being of Link battling Ganondorf.

As far as the Downfall Timeline being a what if, it's treated as a simple split in the timeline stemming from the final battle between Link and Ganondorf.

The life of the time-traveling hero caused the chain of history to branch off in multiple directions. From this point onward, the chronology of Hyrule diverges dramatically. - Hyrule Historia, pg. 91

Now, a few issues immediately pop out: Obviously, the Hero of Time didn't fall during the events of Ocarina of Time. Furthermore, the backstory for Ganon as described in A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds differ greatly from what is described in these other materials. While these extra materials suggest Ganon acquired the rest of the Triforce pieces after defeating Link in combat, in A Link to the Past's backstory, it's established that he had acquired the Triforce after stumbling upon the entrance to the Sacred Realm, and defeating his following of thieves in combat for the relic. For what reason did Hyrule Historia attempt to make these changes to the established canon?

Eiji Aonuma described in 2013 that those who wrote the Hyrule Historia were "fans" of the series, and the implication from here, along with the lack of substantial Zelda Team credits in the book, is that it was effectively a select group of fans' attempts at cobbling together their own timeline theory.

When we were exploring ways to make fans happy, we created the Hyrule Historia. That summarizes all the games and the story so far. I didn't edit it myself, but tons of people who worked on it were fans of the games themselves. - Eiji Aonuma, 2013

So, if you think the Downfall Timeline is confusing and doesn't make too much sense, this is probably the reason why! That being said, if it's something you enjoy within the series, by all means, make it work in your interpretation of the series.

In summary: The Downfall Timeline isn't treated as a what if by the books or the recent websites, and was spurred into action by Link's defeat at the hands of Ganondorf in their first battle. It was conceived by "fans" of the series per Aonuma in an attempt to fit the chronology of the series together.