Recommended Free Tools
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Short answer: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the story of Link, a forest-raised boy who grows into Hyrule’s hero, confronts Ganondorf’s attempt to seize the Triforce, and travels between childhood and an altered adult future. At the end, Zelda sends Link back to his childhood. Nintendo’s official chronology presents the aftermath as three outcomes: Hero Defeated, Child Era and Adult Era.
Spoiler warning: The explanation below covers the complete story, the final battle and the timeline split.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | $89.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (w/ Master Quest) | $118.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
LEGO The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle 77093 | Building Sets for Adults,... | $129.95 | Buy on Amazon |
What is Ocarina of Time about?
Link begins as a boy living in the forest among the Kokiri. Unlike the other Kokiri children, he has no fairy companion. That changes when Navi appears and becomes his guide. The Deku Tree, the guardian of the forest, sends Link on his first mission after a curse threatens it.
That opening quest establishes the central idea of the game: Link looks like an outsider, but the danger facing Hyrule draws him into a much larger identity and destiny. After the Deku Tree episode, Link leaves the forest, discovers that he is Hylian rather than Kokiri, and becomes involved in Princess Zelda’s attempt to stop Ganondorf.
#1 Best Overall
- This is the world edition. It has different packaging but is fully authentic and works on US region 3DS systems.
- The Legend of Zelda veterans can look forward to the Master Quest - a second quest with revamped puzzles and redesigned dungeons.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is a masterful improvement on one of the landmark releases in video game history.
- “E10+”, w/Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Ganondorf is pursuing the Triforce, the power of the goddesses kept in the Sacred Realm. Zelda warns Link that Ganondorf intends to use it to dominate the world. Link’s attempt to reach the Sacred Realm triggers the game’s defining time shift, dividing the adventure into childhood and adulthood.
Nintendo’s official synopsis describes Link as “a young boy named Link” living in the forest as a member of the Kokiri tribe, and identifies Ganondorf’s goal as stealing “the Triforce, the power of the goddesses kept in the Sacred Realm.” Those two facts are the foundation of the plot: a child who does not belong where he was raised must stop a political and supernatural power grab.
The story in chronological order
1. Link and Navi begin in Kokiri Forest
Link is the only Kokiri child without a fairy until Navi arrives. Her appearance is not a random tutorial device; it is the signal that the Deku Tree has chosen Link for a mission beyond ordinary Kokiri life.
The Deku Tree is under a curse. Link enters it, breaks the curse and completes the task that sends him out into Hyrule. The quest gives him three pieces of information that matter later:
- Link can act outside the sheltered forest community where he grew up.
- Navi will guide him as the story moves into unfamiliar areas.
- The Deku Tree’s mission is the first step toward a conflict involving Hyrule’s royal family and the Sacred Realm.
The game does not begin with Link already recognized as a legendary hero. His status is earned through the sequence of missions that follows.
2. Princess Zelda explains Ganondorf’s plan
After the Deku Tree quest, Link reaches Hyrule Castle and meets Princess Zelda. She has identified a threat that the wider kingdom has not yet stopped: Ganondorf is seeking access to the Triforce.
Zelda’s warning gives the adventure its immediate objective. Link must reach the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf can obtain the goddesses’ power. The stakes are larger than protecting one village or defeating one monster. If Ganondorf gains the Triforce, he could use it to dominate the world.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteFor a new player, this is the point at which the story changes from a local forest mystery into a race over who controls Hyrule’s ultimate source of power. Zelda is not merely waiting for Link to rescue her; she is the character who recognizes Ganondorf’s plan and asks Link to help prevent it.
3. Reaching the Sacred Realm creates the time shift
Link’s attempt to reach the Sacred Realm sets up the game’s child-and-adult structure. The story then shows the consequences of Link’s absence and Ganondorf’s success in the adult era.
The time shift is important because it is both a plot event and a storytelling device. The child portion shows the warning, the plan and the choices made before the disaster. The adult portion shows what Hyrule looks like after those choices have failed to prevent Ganondorf’s victory.
Rather than treating the two periods as unrelated campaigns, read them as cause and consequence:
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
- Childhood: Link learns about Ganondorf, Zelda and the Sacred Realm.
- The transition: Link’s attempt to reach the Sacred Realm changes when and how he can act.
- Adulthood: Link encounters a Hyrule shaped by his absence and Ganondorf’s triumph.
4. Link gathers the sages in the adult era
The adult era is the recovery phase of the story. Link must gather the sages and prepare for the final confrontation. The game’s structure makes the player feel the cost of the earlier failure: the world is no longer waiting for a first warning, and Link must repair a situation that has already deteriorated.
This is also why Link’s age matters narratively. The same character who began as an inexperienced Kokiri outsider is now responsible for restoring a future he did not get to protect the first time. Navi remains his guide, while the sages provide the support needed to challenge Ganondorf.
5. The final battle and Zelda’s decision
Link ultimately defeats Ganondorf and Ganon. The victory does not simply return the world to its original state. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to childhood.
Rank #3
- Play the original Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
- Or the Master Quest edition with many bonus features
That decision creates the historical divergence that later Zelda games occupy. Link returns to a childhood point, while the adult world is left without the hero who defeated Ganondorf. The child and adult outcomes therefore preserve different consequences of the same adventure:
- Child outcome: Link is sent back to his younger life, with Zelda and Link able to act on what they know.
- Adult outcome: The adult world continues after Link’s departure, producing the later “Hyrule is flooded” history shown by Nintendo.
The ending is not a reset that erases everything. Zelda’s use of the Ocarina of Time is the reason the official chronology can show different eras growing out of one game.
Where Ocarina of Time fits in Nintendo’s official timeline
Nintendo’s official Zelda history places Ocarina of Time after the label “Hyrulean Civil War.” Immediately afterward, Nintendo displays three chronology outcomes: The Hero is defeated, The Hero is Triumphant, followed by the Child Era and Adult Era labels.
Nintendo’s broader overview summarizes the key point this way: “After the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the timeline splinters yet again, this time between the Child and Adult timelines.” For beginners, the safest way to understand the page is to separate the two time-travel outcomes visible in the ending from the additional Hero Defeated branch shown in Nintendo’s published chronology.
The three outcomes at a glance
| Official outcome | What happens to Link | Does Hyrule have the hero? | What Nintendo displays next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero Defeated | The branch label records Link’s defeat; the overview does not present this as the normal winning ending the player sees. | Not stated on the overview page. | Not specified in the supplied history summary. |
| Child Era | Zelda sends Link back to childhood after the final battle. | The child-world outcome lets Zelda and Link act with knowledge of Ganondorf’s plan. | Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess. |
| Adult Era | The adult world continues after Link is returned to childhood. | The adult world is left without its hero. | “Hyrule is flooded,” followed by The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. |
The table’s first row is deliberately limited. Nintendo’s chronology labels the branch, but the official overview used here does not describe a separate playable defeat scene. Do not treat Hero Defeated as an event that occurs after the successful ending; it is an additional branch in the published chronology.
Why are there three Zelda timelines?
The apparent contradiction comes from combining two ideas: time travel inside the story and Nintendo’s later chronology labels.
First, the game itself shows a split created when Zelda sends Link back to childhood. The adult world loses the hero who saved it, while the child world receives a Link who can respond to Ganondorf’s threat with knowledge of what is coming. These are the Child and Adult outcomes.
Rank #4
- GAMER COLLECTIBLE MODEL KIT – Adults ages 18 and up can share their love of video games with the LEGO The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle (77093) fantasy adventure building set, a display model with 5 iconic characters from the game
- LEGO CASTLE RUINS BUILDING SET – This detailed gaming collectible features a ruined castle area, Link, Zelda and Ganondorf minifigures, and 2 more iconic characters
- FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – Recreate the final battle scene with movable rubble, a button to raise Ganondorf from the ruins, the hidden Megaton Hammer in the tower, secret Recovery Hearts and more
- ICONIC NINTENDO CHARACTERS – This nostalgic The Legend of Zelda building set includes a large, brick-built figure of Ganon and a small, transparent build to represent Navi the fairy
- GIFT FOR ADULTS – This building set makes a great gamer gift for fans of The Legend of Zelda series or collectible LEGO models, and makes a fun Nintendo character gift for birthdays or holidays
Second, Nintendo’s official history also displays Hero Defeated. That branch represents another historical possibility in the published chronology, not a scene the player experiences in the standard successful playthrough.
Use this practical rule when reading a timeline chart: say “three outcomes” when referring to Nintendo’s complete presentation, but explain the two time-travel consequences first. They are the branches directly explained by the ending shown in the game.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What each branch means for a new player
Child Era: knowledge carried into childhood
In the Child Era, Link is returned to his younger life. The important consequence is not simply his age; it is that the child-world characters can respond to the warning about Ganondorf before the adult disaster unfolds. Nintendo’s history places Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess on this path.
Adult Era: a future without its hero
In the Adult Era, Link’s return to childhood leaves the adult world without him. Nintendo marks the later history with “Hyrule is flooded,” then lists The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. The flood label is therefore a consequence shown in the official chronology, not a description of the opening situation in Ocarina of Time.
Hero Defeated: a chronology label, not the normal ending
Hero Defeated is easiest to misunderstand because the game’s successful ending does not show Link losing. Treat it as Nintendo’s additional chronology branch. It belongs on a complete timeline chart, but it should not replace the plot the player follows when Link defeats Ganondorf and Ganon.
Do you need to play other Zelda games first?
No. Ocarina of Time is designed to establish its own characters, conflict and rules. The game introduces Link as a Kokiri outsider, Navi as his fairy guide, the Deku Tree’s mission, Zelda’s warning and Ganondorf’s pursuit of the Triforce in sequence.
Prior Zelda games can provide background about recurring ideas such as Hyrule, the Triforce and the struggle involving Link, Zelda and Ganondorf, but they are not prerequisites for following this story. If this is your first Zelda game, pay attention to three transitions: Link’s move from the forest to Hyrule Castle, the attempt to reach the Sacred Realm and Zelda’s final use of the Ocarina of Time.
Key terms in plain language
- Kokiri
- The forest people who raised Link. Link begins as the only Kokiri child without a fairy.
- Hylian
- Link’s heritage, which he learns after leaving the forest. Discovering that he is Hylian explains why his life is connected to Hyrule beyond the Kokiri community.
- Sacred Realm
- The realm where the Triforce, described by Nintendo as the goddesses’ power, is kept.
- Triforce
- The power Ganondorf is attempting to obtain so he can dominate the world.
- Ocarina of Time
- The instrument Zelda uses at the end to return Link to childhood, creating the historical divergence.
- Sages
- The allies Link gathers in the adult era while preparing for the final confrontation.
Release context for new players
Nintendo records The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as a Nintendo 64 release dated November 21, 1998. That release record identifies the original game; it does not by itself establish current retail stock, modern editions or availability on a particular platform.
The original release date also explains why the game’s time-travel structure remains central to how Nintendo presents Zelda history. The game tells one self-contained adventure, while the official chronology uses its ending to organize later eras and branches.
Quick Recap
A simple way to remember the whole plot
- Link, a fairyless Kokiri outsider, receives Navi and carries out the Deku Tree’s mission.
- At Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda warns him that Ganondorf wants the Triforce in the Sacred Realm.
- Link’s attempt to reach the Sacred Realm creates the childhood-to-adulthood structure.
- The adult era shows the consequences of Ganondorf’s victory and Link’s absence.
- Link gathers the sages, defeats Ganondorf and Ganon, and reaches the ending.
- Zelda sends Link back to childhood, producing the Child and Adult outcomes; Nintendo’s full chronology also displays Hero Defeated.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute
