Nintendo has been able to build dozens of amazing franchises since their debut in the video game industry, but The Legend of Zelda has grown into one of the company’s most integral properties. It’s one of the few series that can actually hold its own against the Super Mario games.

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The Legend of Zelda has changed in some exciting ways over the years, arguably more than most of Nintendo’s properties. Link’s adventures are now much bigger, but there are still core elements that the games don’t abandon. The Master Sword is a symbol that’s practically synonymous with the Zelda franchise, but there’s a lot about the relic that’s questionable or doesn’t make sense.

10 Its Creation

The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword Goddess Hylia Gifts Link Sword

The Legend of Zelda series has been around for so long and grown in monumental ways that it's understandable for their to be some discrepancies when it comes to events. The instruction manual for A Link to the Past says that the Master Sword was created by the people of Hyrule. However, the more dominant theory is that the Master Sword is created by the Ancient Sages. This idea is established in Twilight Princess, but Skyward Sword explicitly explores it with Skyloft and that the involvement of the Goddess Hylia.

9 If It's Still Active

The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword Master Sword Resting

Link’s Master Sword is so magical that it’s the kind of tool that feels like it should disappear after its purpose is served. Curiously, this is more or less stated at the end of A Link to the Past with how the Master Sword is said to "sleep again, forever" once Link returns it to its shrine. However, A Link Between Worlds, the direct sequel to the game, still features Link with the weapon. It's been returned to many of times, so the weapon's fate and purpose appear to be much more ambiguous.

8 If It's Alive Or Not

The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword Fi Living Sword

For all intents and purposes, the Legend of Zelda franchise just treats the Master Sword like a powerful blade for Link. Skyward Sword explores how the weapon was originally known as the Goddess Sword, but that it also contains a living spirit known as Fi.

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It's a creative turn to make Link's partner for the game be his actual sword and help him slowly turn the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword by the end. But the idea that there's always been a living spirit in the weapon raises more questions than it's worth.

7 Its Connection To Ganon's Powers

The Legend Of Zelda Wind Waker Legend Link Zelda Master Sword Ganon Fight

The Master Sword's purpose has varied over the course of the franchise, but A Link to the Past plays with the idea that it's actually Link's removal of the Master Sword from its shrine that breaks the seal on Ganon’s powers and returns his strength to him. Both The Wind Waker and Hyrule Warriors also have stories that revolve around this idea. However, this is not always the case and sometimes the sword doesn't bear a connection to Ganon at all.

6 The Master Sword And The Magical Sword

The Legend Of Zelda Adventure Of Link Magical Sword

The Master Sword is an integral element of the Legend of Zelda series that feels like it’s been there from the start, but it's not introduced until the Super Nintendo's A Link to the Past. The original Legend of the Zelda and The Adventure of Link instead contain a weapon called the Magical Sword. The sword shares similarities with the original Master Sword design and has never appeared alongside the Blade of Evil's Bane– or since. They don't contradict each other, but it's possible the Magical Sword is supposed to be a reforged version of the Master Sword, given A Link to the Past's status as a prequel.

5 Why Was The Master Sword Created?

Powered up Master Sword in Breath of the Wild

The Master Sword is Link's ultimate weapon, but there's also a very important purpose that it serves. Skyward Sword looks specifically at the creation of the Master Sword and explains that it’s meant to help protect the Triforce. This is reinforced with how Hylia, the guardian of the Triforce, wields the prototype version of the weapon.

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However, A Link to the Past's manual infers that the Master Sword was created for the purpose of defeating Ganon specifically. There are also inconsistencies on whether the sword was created before or after the events of Ganon's Imprisoning War.

4 The Master Sword's Resting Place

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild Link Pulls Out Master Sword

It’s exciting when Link first pulls out the Master Sword from its shrine. That said, the location of that shrine seems to differ across titles. Skyward Sword places the sword's resting place within Faron Woods, which is also the case in other titles, like Twilight Princess. However, even more games place the Master Sword's shrine within the Lost Woods. The most recent Zelda, Breath of the Wild, adds in Korok Forest and Ocarina of Time takes the biggest departure with its theatrical placement in the Temple of Time.

3 Who Can Wield It?

The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword Ghirarim Grabs Master Sword

The Legend of Zelda pulls inspiration from the Sword in the Stone. Anyone can find the Master Sword, but only a special individual is actually able to wield it. Skyward Sword gets explicit on the manner and states that the weapon is created specifically for the Chosen Hero. This reinforces Link's connection to the weapon, but there are instances where other Zelda characters are able to wield the sword. Skyward Sword itself has Ghirahim capable of stealing the sword away from Link & using it himself, even if this is just a mini-game boss rush, and Zelda briefly holds it during The Wind Waker's finale.

2 It Exists Simultaneously With The Goddess Sword

The Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword Gate Of Time Shrine

More recent Zelda entries have become fascinated with playing with the series' timeline. Skyward Sword's story shows how Link is actually a vital figure in the creation of the Master Sword as he's the one who forges it from the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword with the help of the Sacred Flames. However, the time travel component featured in Skyward Sword's finale means that the Goddess Sword is present in the Statue of the Goddess while the Master Sword is also housed in the Temple of Hylia at the same time.

1 The Master Sword And The Pendants Of Virtue

The Legend Of Zelda Pendant Of Virtue Link

The Legend of Zelda establishes that only the Chosen Hero is capable of wielding the Master Sword, but some of Link's adventures require him to jump through hoops to invoke his birthright. Both A Link to the Past and 3DS sequel, A Link Between Worlds, utilize three powerful pendants that Link needs to acquire in order to unlock the sword. These pendants take their cues from the tenets of the Triforce, but their importance seems to be inconsistent in the larger scheme of the series.

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