The final boss ofThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdommay have deeper connections to an often forgottenZeldavillain. It’s not uncommon forZeldagames to reuse big baddies - after all, how many times hasGanon been the final boss? The series timeline tends to loop back in on itself, with much of the plot centered on the constant recurrence, throughout multiple millennia, of its heroes and villains. It’s no more a surprise to see someone like Ganon or Vaati in every subsequentZeldagame than it is to see Impa, Link, or Zelda herself.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the final boss of Echoes of Wisdom.]
Even so,the recurring villain inZeldahistory are relatively few. By all appearances,Echoes of Wisdomhas an original final boss, unused in any otherZeldagame. However, look a bit deeper, and its villain has some serious similarities to another one-hit wonderZeldaboss. The connections are never made explicit, but they’re worth exploring to understand howEchoes of Wisdomties into the wider lore.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom’s Null Sounds A Lot Like Skyward Sword’s Demise
How Echoes Of Wisdom Could Be Connected To Skyward Sword
Echoes of Wisdom’s final boss, Null, shares a lot in common withSkyward Sword’sDemise. PerEchoes of Wisdom’s lore, Null is an ancient being that predates all other creation, existing, as its name implies, in total nothingness prior to any of the events on theZeldatimeline. Null was perfectly happy to remain in peaceful slumber, until the three Golden Goddesses Nayru, Din, and Farore appeared, and gave rise to the universe as it appears in everyZeldagame to date.
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The sudden burst of light and clamor disturbed Null’s sleep, andit began to consume everything the Goddesses had created, hoping to return the universe to a state of total nothingness. The Goddesses, of course, would not stand for this, and sought to seal Null away.Zeldafans likely know the rest: the Goddesses created the Triforce and the Tri Rod, which they used to imprison Null. Shortly before the beginning ofEchoes of Wisdom, however, Null begins to break out of this prison, and consume the universe once again, causing rifts to open and swallow places, things, and people (like Link) whole.
This is strikingly similar to Demise’s backstory, suggesting a connection toSkyward Sword. Just as Null predates the rest of the universe, Demise is said to have conquered time, and perhaps to exist outside of it. His story begins a little later in the timeline, though, after the Golden Goddesses have sealed Null away and left the universe. They granted the Triforce to the goddess Hylia, whom they charged with protecting their creation.
But Demise grew jealous of Hylia’s power, and attempted to steal the Triforce for himself alongside a monster army. With aid from five different tribes, Hylia defeated Demise andsealed him, too, away with the Triforce’s power. Demise is eventually resurrected by Ghirahim, a manifestation of his sword, and subsequently defeated by Link.
As a result of his army, Demise is called the origin of all monsters.
Their lives and deaths sound similar on the surface, which is enough to suggest that Demise is a manifestation of Null, sent by the primordial being to claim the Triforce’s power so it can break free and return the universe to nothingness once again. Butthere may be an evendeeper connection inZeldalorebetween Null, Demise, and all the other majorZeldavillains. In order to understand how truly connected the series' cast of antagonists is, it’s necessary to take a closer look at the history of demons.
Null May Be The Source Of All Demons In The Zelda Series
Demise, Ganon, & More
Two of the major recurringZeldaantagonists - Ganon and Demise - come from a race of gray-skinned, red-haired demons. Demise is generally referred to as the creator of all demons, and Ganon as their king. That means Demise created Ganon as well. In his final words, Demise promises Link that his battle isn’t over; his hatred will live on, and eventually manifest as another powerful demon, who will make an effort to conquer the world and seize the Triforce in his own right.That’s generally understood to be Ganon, who appears as the most commonly recurring antagonist in laterZeldagames.
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So, if Demise is a manifestation of Null, and Ganon is a manifestation of Demise, that meansNull is ultimately responsible for the creation of both major antagonists. That means that Null is effectively (if indirectly) responsible for the events of everyZeldagame that features either Ganon or Demise.
This, however, is surprisingly out of character for Null, whose sole purpose appears to be to return the world to a state of nothingness. This is a goal it can only accomplish through consumption and destruction. However, in order to achieve that goal, Null must participate in increasingly successful acts of creation. Perhaps that’s why it fails so consistently, as it’s going against its very nature to create these demons.
This has led to some speculation aboutwhereEchoes of Wisdomis seton theZeldatimeline. Some place it beforeSkyward Sword, which would make it the earliest-set game in the series. This does make sense, as Null seems to simply be an older and more powerful version of Demise, not to mention its potential creator. However, it could just as easily be set much later in the continuity, along the Fallen Hero branch of the timeline. In this branch, Link fails to defeat Ganon duringOcarina of Time, and the Demon King is able to take over the world.
Link’s Awakeningis also part of the Fallen Hero timeline, which makes sense with this theory since it shares an art style withEchoes of Wisdom.
In the wake of Ganon’s rise to power, it makes all too much thatthe seal keeping Null imprisoned would be weakened, and it could break out and begin to wreak havocthroughout the realm. This kind of timeline ambiguity is pretty common in recentZeldareleases, though, so the ultimate verdict on when the game is set is open to interpretation.
Of course, none of this is explicitly stated in-game; this is only a theory based on some frankly suspicious similarities. TheZeldaseries does occasionally recycle plot points, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if this ended up being nothing more than a coincidence. Even so, it makes for a compelling theory that tiesThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomin with the rest of the franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Strange rifts are tearing Hyrule apart, and with Link missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save the kingdom. Armed with the Tri Rod and aided by a mysterious fairy, she must solve puzzles, create environmental “echoes,” and battle enemies while navigating new regions and uncovering hidden secrets.
