#and now I am really set on Vio having ADHD.

[singingvio]

Some Four Swords Headcanons

- Shadow was created as an enemy much earlier than we see in the manga.

There isn’t a lot of evidence, exactly, but if you look at the other games and manga you often see Dark Link created in front of you, and they always are just a mirror image, with little to no personality developed and seemingly no free will. This might be the result of a rush job, creating another being on the spot. Now, let’s take a look at Ravio and Shadow.

Ravio was obviously a child and had a life before we meet him in-game, but is still a version of Dark Link, being the opposite of the hero. He also shows genuine emotion and is not just copying whatever Link does, but has his own desires, beliefs, and dreams, along with fears and dislikes.

And Shadow is much more like Ravio, who definitely had a life before the story starts, than Dark Links created on the spot. He has an actual personality, emotions, and fears, and as proven by the ending scene in the manga, he definitely has free will.

I think that Shadow is from a Dark World like Ravio’s that is an inverse of Hyrule, but in a different way than Lorule. He was simply summoned from the Dark World, triggered by the Four Sword. Not created on the spot. It makes more sense than him being created on the spot, especially since he seems to have developed his own plan of what happens seemingly without orders, very unlike other Dark Links.

- Green is jealous of Blue.

As we already know, Green and Blue fight. A lot. Most of these fights are actually unprompted. Even when they’re training, it’s more actual arguing than just constructive criticism.

The reasons that led me to believe Green is jealous of Blue? Most of their fights come from Blue claiming he’s the real Link, and Green arguing against him. This might lead you guys to believe that Blue’s the one who’s jealous, but I think it’s actually Green.

Green is considered the ‘real Link,’ and it’s because he doesn’t seem different from Link at all unless you look closely. The other Links, on the other hand, all have distinct personalities that are very different from the Link we know at the beginning of the manga. But Blue’s a bit different.

Link is brash, makes decisions on the spot, doesn’t like working together with others because he’s overconfident, gets frustrated easily, but still cares for his friends.

Green is determined and thinks quickly, making decisions on the spot as well, and despite saying he needs to work with the others, he still doesn’t like it. He also gets frustrated often when he can’t easily find a way out, though this is usually shown through him getting close to giving up.

Blue is brash, makes decisions on the spot, doesn’t seem to like working together, gets angered and frustrated easily, and still shows that he cares for the other Links.

Which one sounds more like Link? Blue. But Green is considered to be no different than Link. Blue, however, is treated just like the others, different than Link and obviously different in personality, strengths, and weaknesses. I think that Green is jealous that while Blue and he are the most like Link in almost the same ways, Blue is treated as another individual while Green is not. Sure, Green argues back that he’s the real Link, but I think he means it more in a way saying, ‘I’m the leader, please listen to me,’ than Blue saying, ‘I’m the only real one here, you all don’t deserve to be the real one.’

- Vio gets distracted easily and possibly has ADHD.

Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t seen a lot of people pick up on this yet. Lots of people (including me until I thought about this) portray Vio as being extremely focused (NOT hyperfocused, that’s a very different thing) on whatever he wants to do, not getting distracted easily. But really, he never really shows that in the manga.

When reading the book on Force Gems, he doesn’t seem to really be paying attention to the book, instead choosing to argue with Blue about patience. (patience, not focus. They’re extremely different things). In fact, when he’s reading, he actually looks bored, like he’s done reading and wants something else to do.

I love reading myself, but since I have ADHD, I get distracted after five minutes or so, and then force myself to continue reading while barely paying attention myself. This is one of the reasons I felt extremely connected to Vio as a character.

You might argue Vio’s just getting a bit bored because he’s been reading for a long time, but there really isn’t any proof of that. Green and Blue have obviously been training for a while, sure, and Vio’s reading during that time, but take a look at Red. He was able to cook up an entire meal, for all four of them to eat. Since they don’t appear to be near any particular villages to buy ingredients, he must have caught the fish and gotten spices some other way, right? And he probably couldn’t have done it all by himself and also managed to actually make the meal. 

I think Vio helped him for most of the time, then thought to read up on Force Gems so he got a book he probably bought beforehand and started reading it after helping Red prepare some of the meal. Then he got bored quickly and started arguing with Blue to pass the time.

There are also other instances where Vio gets lost in thought, and his train of thought is a lot like mine. It seems straightforward, but also, he kind of jumps to conclusions. At one part in the beginning, when Arcy starts talking he immediately zeroes in on one phrase that, honestly, doesn’t mean anything, and then just stops talking. He’s extremely perceptive, that I can’t argue against, but also doesn’t focus on one thing for long and sometimes focuses on the wrong thing out of pure curiosity and also disinterest in whatever else is going on.

- Blue would rather rely on others than work himself, despite what he says.

Honestly, Blue’s treatment of the other Links seems too harsh even for him. To me, it seems like he’s trying to keep the others away from him, but why? My guess is it’s because the other Links claim they don’t want to work as a team, and so Blue follows their claims so he’s not the ‘odd Link out.’ I think he’s actually scared of being left out, and he’s more of a people-pleaser than even Red sometimes, no matter how subtle it is.

A lot of situations Blue gets in has him rely on other people instead of himself. In the ice cave, he has to wait for Red to unfreeze him. In the temple of darkness, he needs Red’s help to free him from the Poe. In the other battles, he always acts after the others say or do something that prompts him. (Stone Arrghus he hits on the head only after Vio is able to incapacitate him. He waits for action until after Vio already does something.)

Honestly, I think Blue puts up a facade to hide how much he actually relies on the others, and when he’s alone, he’s almost always defeated, probably because he wants someone to back him up so he’s not feeling helpless. And, when Vio supposedly turns to the side of darkness? Blue gets really upset, and even believes Vio’s an illusion because he doesn’t want his teammate betraying him and the others, it might break him.

And when Green ‘dies,’ Blue is the first to rush to his side, Red following after him, because he can’t lose another teammate. And instead of sitting there like Red, he actually tries to shake Green awake, something I’m pretty sure the Blue that doesn’t like the others that much wouldn’t do.

- Red can somehow sense magical creatures.

I honestly don’t have to say much for this one. Miss Fairy just somehow finding him? Really? I don’t believe that, it seems too random. And how did he get out of the situation with the town trying to probably burn him alive?

He ran into the woods, and as many Zelda gamers know, the woods are absolutely full of fairies, but they’re often hard to find without some sort of trick. These tricks usually require a weapon, and Red only has the Fire Rod, which I don’t think would do any good in a forest.

I think, somehow, Red is able to sense magical creatures, like fairies, an ability unique to him. He probably ran into the woods, scared, and sensed a fairy sanctuary or something to hide in. There, he found Miss Fairy. “When I was in trouble, it showed me the way,” he tells Blue. Miss Fairy agreed to help him and teleported him out of the village, straight to the pyramid to help him find the others.