The Downfall Timeline
The timeline split of Ocarina of Time has bothered me for awhile; specifically, the "downfall" split. The split isn't very specific, either, just saying that the hero "is defeated."
He loses to Beast Ganon, which we can tell from the future iterations of Ganon in that timeline. None of them are human, and we never see mention of a Gerudo king past that point, not until Breath of the Wild.
But that's a Game Over, isn't it? There isn't a split for every OTHER possible Game Over, even when it would be significant; there's no split for Twilight Princess, where you die in the Twilight, or Spirit Tracks, where Zelda would be stuck without her body forever.
What's different about this potential death?
I think we've misinterpreted this split.
When the Hero of Time pulled the Master Sword, he was sealed for 7 years. We're told it's because he wasn't ready, wasn't old enough, but...
That hasn't stopped us before.
No matter how old we are
Or our level of experience
Or even our form, the Master Sword has never locked us up like it did the Hero of Time
Zelda tells us that the Master Sword is the key to time itself, along with the Ocarina. Using it in the game allows us to access two parts of the same timeline, back and forth, without consequence.
When we're sealed away for 7 years, we aren't aware of anything going on beyond Ganondorf showing up.
And that's where the split happens.
"The hero is defeated" when he's young, when he's inexperienced. Young Link has never had a problem wielding swords bigger than he is.
He fights all manner of monsters, from Redeads to Stalfos. He could take on the king of evil, even with very little time to prepare
But a small child would be no match for Ganondorf's beast form.
The hero is defeated.
Beginning of the Downfall Timeline.
