Master Sword
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The Master Sword (マスターソード Masutā Sōdo?) is a fictional longsword from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda video game series. It was first introduced as the Master Sword in the game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in 1992, although some debate exists as to whether the Magical Sword from The Legend of Zelda (1986) is the same sword, even though it is stated on Nintendo's official Zelda website that it is, indeed, the same sword. The sword traditionally rests in sacrosanct locations indigenous to Hyrule, such as the "Temple of Time" or the "Lost Woods". It is known as "The Blade of Evil's Bane". In general, it acts as the ultimate weapon for the chief protagonist, Link. It has a tendency to either decrease in power between games, as in The Wind Waker and the Oracle series and need to be "recharged" in some way, or increase in power during the games beyond its standard level, as in Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past.
The sword also doubles as a key to the Sacred Realm. While it impedes evil's ability to act, its seal is not inviolable. A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and The Wind Waker all begin just as Ganon is finding a way around the sword's power. In the latter two games, drawing the sword from its pedestal releases the seal completely, allowing evil to act. However, it also anoints the hero, and with the sword in hand, he is ultimately able to defeat Ganon.
The Master Sword does not allow just anyone to hold it. Only those pure of heart are able to use the Master Sword. This is because it has the ability to repel evil. To be more precise, evil and those that are such cannot come in contact with it. In every instance, the wielder of the Master Sword is Link, holder of the Triforce of Courage.
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[edit] The Magical Sword
The most powerful sword of The Legend of Zelda was known as the Magical Sword. Nintendo's encyclopedic official Zelda website gives it the same entry as the Master Sword.[1]
The sword Link wielded in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was never referred to by name in the game, although the instruction manual referred to it as a "magical sword".
In Soul Calibur II, the Magic Sword was an unlockable weapon that was different from the Master Sword, but this is generally not considered canon.
[edit] A Link to the Past
- See also: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The sword that was destined to slay Ganon was sealed in a pedestal deep within the Lost Woods. This pedestal would only relinquish the Master Sword to one who had shown true courage (similar in nature to the myth of the Sword in the Stone). After gathering the Pendants of Courage, Wisdom, and Power, Link was able to draw the blade and use it to fight the forces of darkness. When Link's health was full, the sword allowed Link to shoot spiralling waves of magic energy from it in an attack called the Beam Attack. The Dwarven Smithies turned the Master Sword into the Tempered Sword, and the Fat Fairy, upon having the Tempered Sword thrown into her Fairy Fountain, transformed it into the Golden Sword giving it unknown mystical abilities for future heroes to discover. After defeating Ganon at the end of the game, Link returned the sword to its pedestal, where it rested forever, according to the text at the end of the game.
In the Japanese-language version, the Tempered and Golden Swords were simply called "Level 3" and "Level 4" Master Swords.
[edit] Link's Awakening
- See also: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
There is no mention of the Master Sword in this game. However, once the player collects twenty hidden secret seashells, and enters the Seashell Mansion, Link will be granted the Seashell Blade, also noted as the lv-2 sword. Like the Master Sword in A Link to the Past, the Seashell Blade shoots bolts when Link's hearts are all full. It should be noted that in the DX version of the game (for Game Boy Color) the sword is called the Master Sword and has a slightly different sprite. It is otherwise the same.
[edit] Ocarina of Time
- See also: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Spiritual Stones - the Kokiri's Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, and the Zora's Sapphire - along with the Ocarina of Time and Song of Time were the keys to the Door of Time which protects Master Sword. The sword served both as an entryway to the Sacred Realm, and as a controller of the flow of time, allowing Link to travel between the future and the past. Not only that, but it is the key to locking the King of Evil, Ganon, in exile, due to its magical properties.
As in A Link To The Past, the Master Sword has the ability to deflect magical bolts (notably in the battle with Phantom Ganon and Ganondorf). However, it does not fire bolts when Link is at full health.
Only the Biggoron's Sword is stronger, but it must be wielded with both hands, and thus cannot be used with a shield. In addition, in the final battle with Ganon, it does not matter how many times players strike the last boss with Biggoron's Sword, Ganon will not die until the last blow is struck with the Master Sword.
The pedestal before the door of the chamber that holds the sword bears the following inscription:
Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones,
Stand with the Ocarina of Time and play the Song of Time
[edit] Oracle of Ages and Seasons
In a password-linked game, players are able to give their sword new power, and it is renamed from the Noble Sword to the Master Sword. The Noble Sword was originally found broken in two, or hidden deep within the Lost Woods, depending on which game was played first. The Master Sword was the Level 3 Sword of the game, second only to the Biggoron's Sword in attacking power. However, the Biggoron's Sword required two hands to wield, disallowing the use of other items while equipped. The Master Sword was also the only weapon capable of damaging Ganon without charging a spin-attack and the only weapon to either send him back to the Dark World or destroy him, for it is the only sword made for the annihilation of evil.
If Oracle of Ages is played first, the Noble Sword is "sharpened" by Zoran royalty (compare with Princess Ruto) to become the Master Sword, indicating the Noble Sword is a depowered Master Sword, much like its initial appearance in The Wind Waker. However, if Oracle of Seasons is played first, it is simply given to Link by an old man.
[edit] The Wind Waker
- See also: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
After Link has proven his worth, the gods open the way to Hyrule and its castle, Hyrule Castle, now located deep beneath the sea. When he first arrives there, the entire castle is frozen in time, a whole army of enemies locked in one moment during an attack on the castle. The Master Sword is located in a hidden chamber in the basement of the castle and, when removed, this army is unfrozen. However, the sword is unpowered and unable to defeat Ganon. A major part of the quest in The Wind Waker involves restoring the power of the Master Sword by returning sages to the temples in order to pray for the Master Sword and the Hero who wields it. When the two sages have been returned, the Master Sword returns to its full power and enables Link to break the barrier between the castle and the path to Ganon's lair, the final dungeon of the game. At the very end, Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganon's forehead, which turns him to stone. The Master Sword is then seemingly lost in the ocean, still stuck in Ganon's head as he is swallowed by the rising water.
When the Master Sword is first acquired, its hilt guard is locked upwards and the gem in the center is black (also being much smaller than other Master Sword incarnations). Later on in the game, the guards are extended outwards, the gem becomes yellow, and the sword glows when unsheathed.
[edit] Twilight Princess
- See also: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, the Master Sword is found at the Sacred Grove, in the ruins of the Temple of Time. It is used to purge the curse on Link, allowing him to return to his human form after he has been locked in his wolf form by Zant. After that, he has the ability to change between his two forms at will. It is later upgraded in a way that it holds light of a Sol, the equivalent of a sun in the Twilight Realm, which glows with an evil-destroying aura which can break Shadow Crystals. It shines brightest in the Twilight Realm, where it can dissipate the fog that previously required the player to be in wolf form to navigate.
The sword also has a few cosmetic changes done to it in the game similar to the aesthetics in the Temple of Time dungeon. In addition to the fact that the metal comprising the weapon appears completely immune to corrosion, (as per being exposed to the elements for years or even centuries) while the Temple of Time had crumbled into ruins in the Faron Woods, it is also noted that the Master Sword in Twilight Princess appears comparatively longer than the Master Sword wielded by Link in Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker.
[edit] Super Smash Bros. series
- See also: Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, Link's appearance is similar to that of Ocarina of Time, and he is armed with the Master Sword. In Melee, "Young Link" is also available as a playable character and appears as he did in Ocarina of Time, armed with the Kokiri Sword. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Link appears as he does in Twilight Princess with the Master Sword.
In Adventure Mode in Melee, the Underground Maze stage involves the player searching for the Triforce in a labyrinth. There are seven rooms in the labyrinth where the Triforce may be found. Finding the Triforce ends the stage. The location is random; instead of the Triforce, one is more likely to come across the Master Sword set into a small pedestal. It vanishes when approached, at which point Link appears and forces a battle. There are five such swords in this stage, and thus up to five battles with Link (in every possible color, unless the player is playing as Link) that the player may experience.
The description of the Master Sword trophy in the NTSC version erroneously states that the Master Sword first appears in Ocarina of Time, as the game is the earliest in the storyline. The first game released that used the term "Master Sword" is A Link to the Past. This error was corrected in the PAL and NTSC Player's Choice versions.
[edit] Soul Calibur II
- See also: Soul Calibur II
In Soul Calibur II, the Master Sword is Link's basic and most balanced weapon and companion to the Hylian Shield. The magical sword from the original Zelda is also available as a weapon. The Master Sword is also used as the sword when the Mirror Shield is selected.
[edit] Trivia
- Around the release time of Twilight Princess, Target stores sold miniature replicas of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield along with the Twilight Princess soundtrack.
- At E3 2004, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Zelda series, came onstage brandishing a replica Master Sword and Hylian Shield.
- The Master Sword is featured in several Real Life comics although Greg Dean, the author and main character, does not own the sword in reality. He has repeatedly addressed the issue, both in and out of the comic, and it has become somewhat of an in joke throughout the comic[1].
- In the Kirby game Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, Meta Knight's sword is called "Master". In the original Japanese version, however, it was just called "Meta Knight's Sword". The sword was also called "Galaxia" in the Kirby anime.
- The Master Sword appears in Shining Soul II, and it can only be wielded by Warrior and Ninja classes.
- There is a weapon called the 'Master Sword' obtainable by the player in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It makes an appearance as a two-handed sword that "only master swordsmen can wield."
- There is a piece of furniture called the Master Sword in Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube and Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. On the DS game, if the player touches the sword, the trademark Zelda "new item" sound plays.
- In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, there is a character named Linken, a left-handed Gnome who dresses in a green hat and tunic. Through the quest "It's dangerous to go alone" (a tribute to the first Legend of Zelda) it is possible to obtain Linken's Sword of Mastery, a nod by Blizzard Entertainment's developers to Link's Master Sword and the Legend of Zelda series. Players that complete the quest also obtain Linken's Boomerang, a nod to the boomerang Link uses in nearly every game.
- A private citizen named Paul Hantschel placed a custom request to blacksmith Rob Miller of London for a replica Master Sword.[2]
- In the Kirby series of games, the Sword Kirby power features a blue-hilted sword with a golden gem, similar to the Master Sword. Also, Sword Kirby dons a green cap similar to that of Link's.
- There is a weapon called the Master Sword in the Transformers franchise; in such, it is the Japanese name for the weapon wielded by Fortress Maximus. The name parallel is most likely a coincidence. The weapon also appeared in Transformers: Robots in Disguise, where it was wielded by Optimus Prime - in the US version of the show, it was referred to as the "Matrix Blade."
- There is a microgame in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves where the player re-enacts the drawing of the Master Sword in Ocarina of Time. While the scene plays out normally on level 1, on level 2 Link is turned into an old man and level 3 Link is turned into a Cucco.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
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