I think the reason people are saying Homecoming messed up the continuity or ruined the epilogue is because the fans have built up this idea that Toothless didn’t recognize Hiccup on the boat because he had gone wild and didn’t remember him (justified but not true) as opposed to him not recognizing him just because his appearance has changed.
In Homecoming, Toothless saved the person wearing the costume without knowing it was Hiccup, which he then found out by sniffing him. And because he didn’t get to see his (bearded) face, he didn’t know it was Hiccup later in the epilogue until he sniffed him. If Toothless had forgotten Hiccup, even his scent wouldn’t have worked.
Another popular argument is why Zephyr wasn’t afraid. I’ve already talked about this, but I love talking about httyd so I will again. Zephyr’s fear is justified when you consider the difference between the two versions of Toothless she saw.
One was a puppy-eyed, smiley Toothless while the others was an angry, threatening Toothless.
Even Hiccup and Astrid, who had known Toothless for years, were afraid.
Considering that this was a major concern of mine before the short was released, I think it was done okay and made sense. Again, everyone’s opinions are valid and there’s no “right” opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts.













