Over the years I’ve been a fan of a great deal of things. While I didn’t know much about fandoms until I was a teenager, since then I have been in and out of more of them than I can count. My fandom encounters have been positive, negative, and sometimes downright strange. Of all of the fandoms I have been a part of, the Legend of Zelda fandom is certainly among my favorites.
The Legend of Zelda fandom is just over 27 years old, and not only is it a positive and friendly environment, it is a breathtakingly creative one! Recently, YouTube has become a cornucopia of content inspired by the Legend of Zelda series. The bulk of this content pertains to the Nintendo 64 titles, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Here are just a few pieces of the incredible music, animation, and fan films the Legend of Zelda fandom has produced in tribute to these 64-bit wonders.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a game that is universally celebrated in the Legend of Zelda fandom. Some even believe that it was superior to its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. When Ocarina of Time 3DS was released, many fans cried out for a Majora’s Mask to get the same 3D treatment. When this “trailer” began to make its rounds, it easily fooled and overjoyed most of the fandom. At first glance it seemed like a Wii U remake was in the works. For a fan made trailer to inspire such excitement is an impressive feat.
This served both as a piece of fan art and as a pitch to Nintendo. Pablo Belmonte wanted to show Nintendo just what a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask could look like. It’s doubtful we’ll ever see this remake, but it doesn’t look like anything can stop the fans of this particular installment in the Legend of Zelda series.
One of the greatest things about the Legend of Zelda fandom is that it never stops being funny. If there is anything that does not make sense in a Legend of Zelda game, it’s guaranteed that the fans will make light of it. In this case, filmmakers Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch cover one of most notoriously exploited features found in the Legend of Zelda series: magically reappearing pots. No matter how many pots you destroy, there’s always a fresh set waiting for you. Many Legend of Zelda players have used reappearing pots to their advantage, but is it really a victim-less crime? Freddie and Brandon say: no.
This video isn’t just funny, it’s also beautifully made. The special effects are fantastic; the pots and rupees are nearly identical to the ones found in a Legend of Zelda title. On top of that, both of the actors are doing a wonderful job of staying in character and being funny. The woman who played Link in this video is also the star of our next video.
Lindsey Stirling is a violinist who is also a Legend of Zelda fan. This video has been watched over 11 million times, and for good reason. Lindsey arranged this medley consisting mostly of Ocarina of Time songs herself. Many of the tunes are instantly recognizable, and the experience is augmented by her performance and the quality of the video. The environments chosen for filming give the video an adventurous and free feeling. From the lush woods to the dark and ominous dungeon, the landscapes are easy to relate to recurring Legend of Zelda locales.
Lindsey’s Legend of Zelda medley has certainly granted her quite a following, but she is not the only musical talent the fandom has to boast.
Many nerdcore musicians have covered at least one Legend of Zelda song. The band Random Encounter has three Legend of Zelda tracks in their arsenal, including one original song. Their original song, “72 Hours”, is inspired by Majora’s Mask. The wonderful thing about this song is that it can be universally enjoyed. The lyrics make it clear to any fan of Majora’s Mask what this song is actually about, but they do not alienate the part of Random Encounter’s audience that may not have played this game. It’s a perfect mixture of musical talent and fandom.
These four videos are just a sample of the Legend of Zelda related content available on YouTube. This fandom is constantly finding new and exciting ways to celebrate not only these titles, but the Legend of Zelda series as a whole. It’s easy to see that Link’s adventures have affected the hearts and minds of a countless number of people with an incredible range of talents. This is a fandom that has a lot to be proud of, and I am proud to be part of it.
