I love the legend of Zelda, it's a series I have adored since I was a kid and a life time hyperfixation of mine. [Up in the air, could have just adhd could have audhd - I know for sure both parents have adhd, giver of birth may have autism too, so, will get back to that some day].
When I first got into the series, I don't know how old I was, but one of my lines was "Link is my friend" as a kid. So needless to say, this series means a lot to me and always will.
But I have just one issue with the time line that has annoyed me for years;
Wind Waker Link.
It's said that he's by the grandmother on that day:
“Don’t look so disappointed, dear one! Just try them on. Today is a day to celebrate! It is the day that you become the same age as the young hero spoken of in all the legends. You only have to wear them for one day, so don’t look so down. Be proud, child!”
But!
We know in Wind Waker's time line the hero's spirit is GONE. That Link is not chosen by the Goddess and isn't truly a reincarnation. Not to mention - they know the hero was a previous incarnation of Link - something which is generally viewed as not MM as the time loop/repeats erase him as the known hero, but OOT Link was known as the hero.
In canon for MM, there is NO sign the people of Termina knows or remembers Link saved them.
Which means the hero they talk about, in my opinion, must be OOT.
Going off the fact OOT time line you lose the hero's spirit as he was sent back into the past to relive his childhood [false advertisement, I'm so sorry Link, you got robbed of your childhood twice somehow] which is how that was removed from OOT's timeline.
All of this to say:
Wind Waker Link would be an adult. He's not a child, as Link in OOT was an adult when he defeated Ganondorf. Which it's such an annoying little piece of info, because no one else will hear me out and I genuinely love and adore that game so hard.
I've seen some sources say OOT was 9 when he started his adventure which would make him 16 as an adult, which I disagree with - because it's supposed to be adult Link, so the youngest he could have been is 11.
But I'll raise this new point; this is a game from Japan, before 2022 every single game that refers to Link as an adult would have done so using their standard for an adult, which WAS at the time 20 years old. Post 2022 it was dropped to 18 however, so either way, the youngest he could have been would be 18.
Meaning OOT Link would have started at 13, as 20 would have been adult for them. And Wind Waker Link is 20 years old too, because OOT would be the version of Link spoken about and known in their history. Not MM Link.
Anyways.
Thanks for listening to me rambling.
