The Legend of Zelda and its timeline aren't exactly super fleshed out. Sure, at its core, its all about one brave lad stepping up to fight evil. But, from game to game, the connections are weak at best. Breath of the Wild is no exception, honestly, it's probably one of the worst offenders. Sure, the game is a massive change to the formula and one of the most creative open-world experiences in decades, but that almost works to its detriment when it comes to plot-holes. So, just like how Link looks back, we too are going to take a gander to find all those juicy plot-holes.
10 Who Does Link Love? And Why Doesn't Mipha's Spirit Visit Her Dang Dad Already?
There are tons and tons of NPC's in Breath of the Wild, but none as cool as the Four Champions. Each of them is just so hardcore in their own way (save for maybe Revali). We as the player get to see the Champions before they passed a couple of times, thanks to flashbacks in both the main game and DLC. But, one thing that's never concretely answered, is the love between Mipha and Link. Obviously, due to the Zora Armor and her own disposition, it's clear that Mipha loves Link, but the dumb mute can't even nod his head yes or no to respond? Just tell us if Link is smooching a the princess or a fish already!
9 What Even Is Calamity Ganon?
Before the trailer for BoTW 2 came out, people had done the work to figure out most everything in the game. Sure, there we still a few loose threads hanging here or there. But, otherwise, there were at least theories for most of the unanswered questions. Now with the trailer dropping, there are more questions than ever! For example, it seems like the Malice that's all over Hyrule is originating from the body in the basement. But, one of the biggest unanswered questions is that Calamity Ganon might just be the quintessential personification of the Blight and not the man himself. What if the entire first game was about fighting the equivalent of Ocarina of Time's Phantom Ganon?
8 How Can Rito And Zora Both Exist?
So this isn't exactly a plot-hole, as there are perfectly reasonable assumptions the player can make. But, there's really no way to answer definitively without angering some lore-nerd, so they left it unanswered. Basically, in Wind Waker, it was stated that the Zora evolved into the Rito in order to escape the hostile living environment of the ocean. So, if the Rito are a specific evolution of the Zora, how can both of them exist in the same geological area? Again, there are answers. But, the Rito were a solution to a very individual problem that isn't present in Breath of The Wild! So what's the deal?
7 How Was Zelda Fighting Calamity Ganon? In What Form?
This might be the most commonly asked question on Reddit when it comes to Breath of the Wild. And that question is, why is Zelda looking so fancy and spry if she's been fighting Ganon for 100 years? It makes some sense that Link didn't age considering he was essentially cryogenically frozen for a century in order to heal. But did Zelda just become a spirit while she sealed Calamity Ganon away or something? It'd be fine if the game in any way alluded to an answer for this, but it literally says nothing, so we're just left with the same annoying couple of fan theories.
6 What's With The Giant Bones Everywhere?
There are a lot of random bones and skulls everywhere in this post-apocalyptic version of Hyrule. The first one most players see is the one the Bokoblins set up their camps in. Players have justified these skulls by saying they're carved out of stone or rock, but it's never been confirmed. And, even weirder, there are actually three different Leviathan skeletons found throughout the game. For context, the Wind Fish is an example of a Leviathan. Each one has subtle differences in its skeletal build and is found in widely different climates. But, what happened to them? How did multiple Leviathans exist around the same time and evolve in different ways? Just another mystery to throw onto the pile we guess.
5 Who Even Was The Ancient Hero?
So if Calamity Ganon showed up once before, long ago, who was the Link that fought him? Plenty of YouTubers and fan-theorists have tried to prove that it was certain incarnations of a Link from past games like Twilight Princess or Wind Waker, but none of that really matters. Basically, Breath of the Wild tries its darndest not to be part of any of the three timelines in Zelda lore. And, as such, this hero is probably just another Link. But, since the trailer for BotW 2 came out, it's becoming more clear just who's hand is holding down the mummified boy, and why it's reacting so strongly with our Link from the first game. But once again, this is unconfirmed and unanswered as far as Nintendo is concerned.
4 Why Do We Fight Calamity Ganon In A Shiekah Tech Room?
Another thing that has become a little bit more clear since the BoTW 2 trailer has to do with the fight against Calamity Ganon. Basically, once Link either defeats all 4 blights or challenges Ganon after cleansing the Divine Beasts, The Dark King breaks free from his Malice-fueled cacoon early in order to destroy Link. Their battle takes place in a room that can only be entered from above, looks like it was constructed by the Shiekah, and has the four divine beasts carved into the walls. Why does this feel like some sort of cockpit for the castle? And maybe it has something to do with the Castle itself rising in the trailer for the sequel. But alas, no answer from Nintendo.
3 What Is Malice, And Is Calamity Ganon Really Behind It?
Oh and speaking of the Malice in Breath of the Wild, what is it exactly? Why is it so similar to aspects and areas seen in Skyward Sword? We can assume based on how Japanese culture views grudges, hatred, and vengeance as a sort of spiritual energy, that Malice is literally hatred given form. But, based on quotes from Zelda in BoTW and events that happened in Skyward Sword, Demise might ultimately be the one behind the Malice in BoTW. As time passed and Ganondorf plans were repeatedly foiled, his Malice from Demise's Curse eventually concentrated/purified and he reincarnated one last time as Calamity Ganon. It's obvious based on clues from the game, but the LoZ team won't just commit to an answer!
2 Where's The Tri-Force? And Who Has It?
Rarely does an LoZ game go by without mention of the Tri-force, and if it does, it's usually a spin-off or disconnected game. But, even rarer still, is a mainline game that fails to bring up the tree-pieced item of the gods. Well, BoTW seems to be that rare case, because the only times we see the Tri-force in this game is either on tapestries, clothing, or buildings. Scratch that, there is one time where we see all three pieces at once, and it's when Zelda seals Calamity Ganon. Which is...odd, considering she should only have the wisdom piece..unless. Unless something is different this time around? Oh Zelda, what are you hiding?
1 Who Were The Eight Heroines?
And finally, there's a whole other group of heroes that's just casually dropped into Zelda lore in Breath of The Wild, and it's the 8 Heroines. This is a sidequest given in the Gerudo Village that hides another of the million Shrines, but it has a fair bit of lore to it. Basically, these are 7 (actually 8) Heroines from an Ancient time that the Gerudo's worship as deities, since they don't exactly like the Goddess Hylia. But, who were these Heroines? There's absolutely no information in-game about them. Of course, fans have theorized a million things, but there's really nothing to even go off of other than pure speculation.