#hidemaro fujibayashi

[mari3with3]

Lmao even Fujibayashi knows that Rhoam is the worst father Zelda could ever have had

[derrickwildsun]

All Aonuma and the rest of the Zelda dev team need to do in order to make the next game successful is to ignore the fandom.

[kuribo4indahouse]

[hotstreak2k3]

Got some news form the interview with the Tears of the Kingdom developers that the next Zelda game isn't going to be a sequel to Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, it's going to be completely original:

While I am fine on moving forward part, I’m still upset that of the plot holes Aonuma and Fujibayashi left us in the Tears of the Kingdom story.

Read the original source material: https://www.gameinformer.com/interview/2023/12/07/aonuma-and-fujibayashi-talk-tears-of-the-kingdoms-reception-and-their-approach

[xtremeservers]

Hidemaro Fujibayashi, director of The Le... https://www.xtremeservers.com/blog/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-director-spills-on-mia-sheikah-technology/?feed_id=97936&_unique_id=653042b155f82&Legend%20Of%20Zelda%3A%20Tears%20Of%20The%20Kingdom%20Director%20Spills%20On%20MIA%20Sheikah%20Technology

[hashtagloveloses]

obsessed with the fact that ganon is extra hot in tears of the kingdom bc they essentially let the staffer in charge of his character finally loose after YEARS

[pocketseizure]

Zelda’s Secret Well is located in Hateno Village behind Link’s house. Zelda used the small room at the bottom of the well as a quiet study where she could be alone with her thoughts. This is where she left her personal diary, from which we can learn about her life after Link freed her from Calamity Ganon.

It’s unclear how much time has passed since the events of Breath of the Wild. One of the clearest indications, however, is Hudson and Rhondson’s daughter Matisson, who is old enough to travel to Gerudo Town. Perhaps it makes sense to speculate that, while seven years passed in the real world between the release of Breath of the Wild and the release of Tears of the Kingdom, seven years passed in Hyrule as well.  

The diary in Zelda’s Secret Well suggests that, during this time, Zelda lived together with Link in Hateno while establishing a school for the village children. Zelda seems to have attached great significance to her work in Hateno, and her students’ crayon drawings adorn the walls of her underground study. Despite the success of the school, the stacks of books and papers covering the desk and bookcase in the well suggest that Zelda wasn’t quite ready to settle down. The mention of Zelda’s frequent travels in her diary also suggest that she saw Hateno Village as more of a base of operations than a permanent home.

In an interview, Hidemaro Fujibayashi said that Tears of the Kingdom is about Zelda “going through growth, experiencing things, and ultimately figuring out what kind of a person she’s going to be.” It may be inevitable that Zelda will eventually return to Hyrule Castle, especially since her diary reveals that she still thinks of Link as a bodyguard. Nevertheless, the solemnity of Zelda’s journey along the path to becoming a queen is undercut by the “treasure” you find next to her desk: Link’s champion-blue hairband from a hundred years ago, a memento that Zelda always kept close.

[this-is-a-podcast-fanblog]

hozier, "francesca" from unreal unearth / tears of the kingdom dir. hidemaro fujibayashi / anaïs mitchell, "road to hell (reprise)" from hadestown / the last of us part ii, dir. neil druckmann, anthony newman, kurt margenau / better call saul s6e13, dir. peter gould / ethel cain, "famous last words (an ode to eaters) / good omens s2e6 dir. douglas mackinnon writ. neil gaiman / william finn and james lapine, "what would i do" from falsettos / the hunger games catching fire dir. frances lawrence / "on another panel about climate, they ask me to sell the future and all i've got is a love poem" by ayisha siddiqa / "roemo and juliet" by henri pierre picou / sza, "awkward" from ctrl

"doing it again" - art about regret, repetition, and circular stories

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

When director Hidemaro Fujibayashi said that Zelda in TOTK is “going through growth, experiencing things, and ultimately figuring out what kind of a person she’s going to be,” how would you say that is reflected in the game? What kind of person do you think she realizes she wants to be? What scene(s) reflect her overall growth?

Zelda’s growth in this game is all about choosing her role, becoming a leader for a freshly healing Hyrule, and about finding her place in the past. For so many, I think we misinterpret growth and development, as Zelda’s main growth in BoTW was directly tied to her magic and her narrowed outlook on life.

In botw, Zelda disregards the reason she needs a knight, naively travels by herself for research purposes, cannot understand the magic supposedly within her, detests the magic, and ultimately detests herself. She’s constantly bottling up her emotions, to the point that she lashes out and it is even commented by Daruk that she “can’t quite see the ranges” because she was incredibly sheltered and stubborn as a result from the constant pressure to do as she is told, not as she thinks. We do see Zelda working on this, as a result of finally seeing Link for who he is, rather than what she has assumed of him. On top of that personal development, she is pitted against a prophecy that TELLS her what she has to do. And when she finally unlocks her magic, in a moment of pure love and selflessness, she is forced to adhere to the prophecy, to do as the sword’s spirit says, to play her part in this prophecy.

I think so many people think Zelda’s development is shallow or barely there in ToTK because we don’t see that personal development piece we get with Zelda and Link’s relationship. And the reason for that is simple— Zelda is now an adult, she has matured and grown from the development we got to see in botw. She’s at peace with herself and with the fact that her magic is basically gone.

The thing she spent the entirety of her life focusing on— it’s gone. Zelda no longer has that pressure on her shoulders. There’s no prophecy to live up to. There’s no kingdom to protect.

But there is one to rebuild.

*spoilers for totk and the ending*

We see through Princess Sightings side quests how Zelda has truly traveled the world of Hyrule and gotten to know her people. She is beloved by all— she did NOT immediately reclaim a throne abandoned for a century. She did NOT make it a priority to rebuild castle town and the castle. I have seen people actively BASH these things, but it makes so much sense when you consider who Zelda is.

Zelda is this legendary Princess that has been holding back Calamity Ganon for a century— everyone knows of her (which is confirmed by talking to NPC’s, one of the most notable being Manny from Hateno). And from ToTK, we see that she has formed research teams, a Guard, presumably (with the shared opinion of Robbie and Purah) cleared nearly all traces of Sheikah tech from Hyrule, built a school to ensure education is properly taught, and invigorated Hyrule’s kingdom through COMMUNITY and CULTURE. Zelda could not just sweep away the rubble on her throne in the Sanctum and start ordering shit around from the castle.

She integrated herself back into Hyrule, learned the people of NOW and grew to love them. Zelda acted as a symbol for a long time and she finally got to show everyone exactly who she is. A kind, compassionate, incredibly smart girl who lived in a village just like everyone else. She put the focus on healing the kingdom and rebuilding it. Which brings us to the world we see in ToTK.

One question in general helps us pinpoint Zelda’s development in ToTK: What is her purpose of being in the past?

This question is first introduced through Rauru, who posed it as a “why”. Why did Zelda’s magic bring her back to this point in time? Why is she here, at the moment in time where Hyrule is currently under the rule of its first King and Queen. Now let’s take a look at this— Zelda went back in time. A newly developed kingdom. The first King and Queen. So that + that = fuckin parallels PEOPLE!!! PARALLELS!!!! Ooh man do I love parallels.

ANYWAY. This introduces Zelda’s main development in ToTK. Whereas in botw her character constantly expected to act as she is told, do as is prophesied (is that a word? … I have a degree in professional writing but that word looks so incorrect… sorry, carry on), and ultimately accepts that the thing she vied for her entire life has been drained, her character in ToTK is now given the chance to DO as she wants, to find her own role, to make her OWN choice.

It’s foreshadowed with Zelda unlocking her magic in botw by way of her own, deliberate, selfless choice to love and protect Link that grants her a path to save everyone else. Zelda’s entire CHOICE is a key focus in her journey.

Zelda chooses to train her magic, to learn about the Zonai, to befriend the sages, to immerse herself in the culture of a Hyrule long forgotten by time. There was no one telling her what she HAD to do. Instead, she was guided. Zelda is supported by Sonia and Rauru in ways she was never granted as a child.

And in this, she learns that even having EVERYTHING she was deprived of in botw, they will fail. They couldn’t save Sonia. They won’t stop Ganondorf.

Zelda, through all of this, develops as a LEADER. She acts as a Sage and ultimately finds herself confused at Rauru’s steadfast determination. She knows he will die if they face off with Ganondorf. He knows he will too. But.

“Maybe so. But it is my duty to try.”

Rauru is the King of Hyrule. He made the choice best suited for his kingdom, to be the sacrifice in order to let the world continue on in his absence. He did what was best for the kingdom— not what was best for him as a person. He was secure in his role as the King of Hyrule, he knows the type of leader he is and wants to be.

Zelda… has not yet figured that out for herself. She is beloved, known to the people of Hyrule for his compassionate deeds and lovely personality, but she has yet to cement herself as the Queen of Hyrule. Naturally, she was born a Princess and remembered to be, but she is not a Queen. She is the Princess of a newly developing kingdom, one being rebuilt from rubble. But she is not the Queen. She is the only royal family member left.

Zelda’s character in ToTK develops to be a QUEEN.

Her actions and assured choices speak VOLUMES over the ones she took when she was listening to the words of others. Instead, she CHOSE to TRY. She embraced the duty to her kingdom, even if it took EVERYTHING she had to offer. Her sense of self and her life. Gone. She expected to NEVER wake up as she does in the end of totk. She knew precisely WHY she found herself in the past, in that era, and with Sonia, Rauru, and the sages.

Zelda chooses to have faith in Link, to heal the sword, to lose herself… all for her kingdom. The one she was rebuilding. The one she was healing with. Zelda becomes her own, mature leader in ToTK. And this is even FURTHER established at the very end, with the extra cutscene of Zelda, Link, and the new sages. They vow to support ZELDA.

The last vow was the serve the King of Hyrule. Zelda now finds herself in the same position, albeit different circumstances and new people.

Zelda’s development in ToTK is establishing the leader she WANTS to be, the person she matured TO be, and ultimately the Queen she WILL be.

Zelda’s story is so emotional and there are so many layers to dig through that I am so so thankful to have the opportunity to discuss this. She is absolutely PRECIOUS and I am so proud of her and the journey from botw to the end of totk.

[bloobluebloo]

SOURCE: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/features/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-making-of-interview/

“The Sheikah technology just magically disappeared and since weird shit happens in Hyrule all the time nobody questioned it and just moved on” 💀💀💀

[zeldauniverse]

Zelda devs explain the lore behind Rauru's seal in Tears of the Kingdom

Fascinating information has come to light about the story behind Tears of the Kingdom. In a translated Japanese interview with Nintendo Dream in courtesy of Nintendo Everything, Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi revealed valuable insight that explains what Rauru’s colorful seal actually did to Ganondorf and how that impacted the events of Breath of the Wild. They also mentioned significant…

[skyloftian-nutcase]

What did you think of Zelda's story in TOTK? When director Hidemaro Fujibayashi said that Zelda in TOTK is “going through growth, experiencing things, and ultimately figuring out what kind of a person she’s going to be,” how would you say that is reflected in the game? What kind of person do you think she realizes she wants to be? What scene(s) reflect her overall growth?

Whoa, I forgot I held on to this in my drafts, sorry, Anon. I wasn't done playing the game's main story yet so I hid it lol.

Idk, I'm... I guess I can kind of see some growth in Zelda in the game? She's hesitant about using her powers in that scene against the molduga, but she's been learning under Sonia... I remember at the end of botw she says she can't really feel her powers that much anymore, and she was fine with that (granted, she had also been using them for a hundred years), so it could be she was hesitant to tap into them again? Maybe in the interim between botw and totk she abandoned any thought of using her powers and just dove into what she loved, which was science and finding ways to help her people grow?

I will say, the game makes her an expert in like... everything. Like there's nothing she doesn't know, there's no tip to experts she can't give... it's not very realistic and doesn't leave room for growth, and I'm not a huge fan of it. I enjoy a beloved princess, but not a goddess. Zelda is the former, not the latter (at least this one, skyward sword is different lol).

But if that's the angle we're going with, that she abandoned her pursuit of her powers and went back to her default, that's... regression, not growth. However, she definitely has much more faith in herself than she did in botw. But that's growth from botw, not totk. Her sacrifice with the secret stone is huge, and wow what a scene it is (when totk goes hard it goes hard), her faith in her people and Link unshakable, and I love that for her, but that's... not anything new. It's basically botw all over again.

So I wouldn't exactly say Zelda has had much growth, no. And while I find that disappointing, I don't find it surprising.

[derrickwildsun]

The obsession with wanting "consequences" to TOTK's ending are infuriating and shallow. (Massive TOTK Spoilers ahead)

"Why did they have to change Zelda back?"

Because her kingdom NEEDS her. Everyone, not just Link, is fighting together to get her back. NPCs tell you about things she did in between BOTW and TOTK to help them, stressing her importance as a leader. One of the schoolchildren waits outside her house every day in anticipation of her return. Speaking of which, Zelda was able to take her nerdy interests and love of learning and channel that love into bringing improvements to Hyrule via establishing a school and a research team. The kingdom is worse off without her. The title "Tears of the Kingdom" is important because the tears are Zelda's, and she IS the kingdom since she's all that's left of the royal family. It's kind of like the story of the Fisher King: the King is the land, and if the King is sick/ailing, so too is the land.

The main theme of the game is community. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi had this to say about the game's core theme:

Everyone working together to push back the forces of evil and save their homeland. It's emphasized that Link (and many of the characters, especially the sages) can't do the job alone; he needs help. This even extends to the ending. Link's Recall wouldn't have been sufficient to change Zelda back; Rauru and Sonia amplify his power the same way Sonia and Zelda amplified Rauru's light beam in the Gerudo Invasion memory. Likewise, Rauru and Sonia couldn't bring Zelda back because Link had the necessary ingredient: a motive in the form of his love for Zelda. Just like how Zelda found the necessary motive to unlock her powers and save Link in BOTW, so too does Link accomplish the same in TOTK.

Leaving Zelda as a dragon would have contradicted her character development in BOTW, which amounted to her learning to move past her failure and loss from the Calamity. She also, um, can't figure out "what kind of person she's going to be and what she is going to say" if she's a dragon. The end of her arc amounts to her taking up the role of leadership and restoring her kingdom with the help of Link, the sages, et al. Again, the theme of community, connections, and working together to overcome obstacles.

"Why couldn't she come back with dragon features?"

Sonia explains that Recall recalls an object's memory, meaning the only result of the Literal Triforce of Link, Sonia, and Rauru using an amplified Recall on Zeldragon was to return her to the state she was before she ate the stone. This is why her stone is tied around her neck at the end. She couldn't have leftover dragon parts because she was never a dragon to begin with. Also, the greatest loss one could suffer from becoming a dragon is, as emphasized by Mineru, the loss of self, not the body.

"Why does Link get his old arm back?"

The amplified Recall restored it. Also, thematically, it works better for Link to grab hold of Zelda's hand with the hand with which he initially failed to grab her at the start of the game.

"Changing Zelda back nullifies her sacrifice."

No, it doesn't. She fully accepted she would never change back. She wasn't thinking about the possibility of Link saving her because as far as she knew that was impossible; she made her decision out of love for her kingdom and Link. In the end, she succeeded in her mission (as did Link). If she made the sacrifice with the assumption Link would save her, then I could see this argument holding water. But Link was never going to give up on her because he LOVES her. Even she's in disbelief at having changed back (and very thankful because now she's home). In the secret ending, she says, "I never thought I would stand in this place again." We feel the weight of her sacrifice in the final memory, and the ending provides an emotional release because we the player repay her for all she did to help us and because she more than proved her heroism. I liken it to the ending of Pinocchio (1940) wherein the Blue Fairy changes Pinocchio into a real boy as a reward for giving his life to save Geppetto's.

"Her not remembering being a dragon is a copout."

Mineru explains very clearly that becoming a dragon means losing one's self. You lose all your memories and indentity; you cease to be the person you were. So, yes, she wouldn't remember being a dragon flying around for centuries. But you know what she would remember because it happened before she lost all sense of self?

Though not outright stated, it's clear from the character animation that Zelda was in immense pain as the transformation began to take effect. Also, you can tell she was absolutely terrified in that moment. She knew what she was doing was necessary to save her kingdom, but she's thinking, "Shit, these are my last few seconds before I lose myself forever. I'll never see my loved ones again: Link, Purah, Robbie, Riju, Sidon, the schoolchildren in Hateno, etc. And I'm doing this all on a MASSIVE gamble and act of faith that Link will find me, reclaim the Master Sword, and destroy the Demon King." That's not the kind of traumatic event you'd easily forget. She'll probably be contemplating "Wow, if Link hadn't been so determined, I wouldn't be here now and that would have been my last moment alive," for some time. And no, you don't need to see her suffering psychological effects in-game; that's best left up to the viewer's imagination; there's only so much story they can cram into the game before it's overstuffed.

"Why did Rauru and Sonia come back to restore Zelda?"

Because they loved her, and Zelda loved them. From the moment Zelda met them, they promised to find a way to return her home to reunite with Link. They have an emotional (and familial) connection to her. By helping Link restore her, they're extending a final act of love to the princess they adore so much. It's a beautiful sendoff to them, because unlike Zelda's biological parents (Zelda's mother died when she was six, and Rhoam was too busy being a king to actually be a father to her), they were able to provide for and help her on her journey. It would have been a mistake to not bring them back to wrap up that plot point.

I think a lot of nerds suffer from Cinema Sins/TV Tropes brain: only able to deal in the most literal without any room for meaning. "Punishing" Zelda for her sacrifice wouldn't have added anything to her arc, as the whole point of her character isn't to be a stoic symbol for her people to mindlessly obey. The game deals in second chances, not just for Zelda obviously but also for Link. Link gets a second chance at the end to catch Zelda to make up for not catching her at the beginning; that's parallel storytelling with actual deliberate meaning behind it. Otherwise, the story amounts to, "He fucked up and there's nothing he can do about it." Remember that much like Zelda, Link had enormous pressure placed on him from a young age. He was expected to carry his duties out lest the entire kingdom be DOOMED FOREVER. But with TOTK's ending, he can realize that he doesn't have to worry about that pressure since no one's forcing it on him anymore. He can shape his own destiny and bounce back from a mistake; he doesn't have to lose Zelda forever.

I've already explained that the power Link, Sonia, and Rauru use is just an amplified Recall, but technical explanations aside, it's mainly the sort of scene that's driven more by emotions than by "logic." A good example of a scene that relies on the emotions of the story to carry it is the climax of Disney's Dumbo (1941). Animation critic/historian Michael Barrier writes:

If you're the sort of person who questions why Dumbo is able to fly without the "magic feather" or how Dorothy Gale goes home just by clicking her heels and repeating the mantra "There's no place like home," you probably shouldn't be watching movies.

Special thanks to @avalypuff, @blueskittlesart, @thecagedsong, @aquaticpal, and @nolongerapileofashprobably for their posts on the subject; all of you made some excellent insights on the ending and how it ties in with the game's themes. I'll go ahead and link to said posts for further reference:

[seren-knight01]

When director Hidemaro Fujibayashi said that Zelda in TOTK is “going through growth, experiencing things, and ultimately figuring out what kind of a person she’s going to be,” how would you say that is reflected in the game? What kind of person do you think she realizes she wants to be? What scene(s) reflect her overall growth?

Great question.

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF TOTK AND THE DRAGON’S TEARS QUEST

I’d say that Zelda’s growth in TOTK is one from a stagnant character to an active one. In the beginning of the game, she’s recovered from the terrible events of the Calamity: Link saved her, Hyrule is free, and she can pursue her research and rebuild Hyrule to her heart’s content.

But by the end of TOTK, she doesn’t expect to be rescued. In fact, she gives up on ever seeing Link again. In BOTW, she was buying time for Link to heal, holding Calamity Ganon at bay but needing help. She’s not a leader in BOTW, she’s someone who needs the player’s help, a symbol of the fallen kingdom.

In TOTK, Zelda isn’t trying to avenge the past, but rather trying desperately to save her friends, her people. She sacrifices everything in order to save Hyrule—the people who she has grown to care about. Sonia and Rauru inspired her. They risked and sacrificed everything for the safety and prosperity of their people, for hope.

At the beginning of the game, Zelda was terrified to confront Ganondorf, but near the end, she faced him with the other Ancient Sages and King Rauru, and fought until the bitter end. Seeing the horror that Ganondorf unleashed upon the land, and Rauru’s later sacrifice to stop it, changed Zelda. She realized that the only way to prevent the deaths of everyone she loved was to aid Link, no matter the cost. And when Fi brought herself to Zelda, the Princess—nay, the new Queen of Hyrule—realized what she must do in order to save the realm she loved and all people within it. Zelda wasn’t seeking a connection with a goddess in TOTK, but rather learning how to live up to her ancestors, who built all she loves and holds dear. This game is Zelda transforming from Princess to Queen, from damsel to a hero in her own right, who sacrificed herself for the future, for the hope that one day, evil might be vanquished. She’s not just a researcher anymore. She’s not just a princess abandoned by the grace of Hylia. She’s a level-headed commander, the leader of the Sages, a strategist. Someone who hopes and plans and follows through no matter the cost to herself, because she’s realized that the alternative—her friends getting hurt—is something she can never go through again. She has denied death itself, defied fate, and she’s fought so hard to keep the tiniest spark of hope alive.

And she won.

[xtremeservers]

Hidemaro Fujibayashi, director of The Le... https://www.xtremeservers.com/blog/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-director-spills-on-mia-sheikah-technology/?feed_id=96246&_unique_id=6525d8b940c89&Legend%20Of%20Zelda%3A%20Tears%20Of%20The%20Kingdom%20Director%20Spills%20On%20MIA%20Sheikah%20Technology