The Legend of Zelda is a franchise attributed to the memorable symbol of the Triforce, three golden triangles forming one large one. Beyond its emblematic function, the Triforce is a relic of lore in many Zelda iterations, each game providing their unique take on its role as a form of divine power. But how deeply rooted is the role of the Triforce in other aspects of storylines and the broader timeline built around the games? Using the Triforce and the three main characters of the franchise (Link, Zelda, and Ganon) as case studies, the founder of The Lore Research Lab theorizes on the nature of triangulating characters, lore, stakes, and more in this episode covering three Legend of Zelda games. This second part focuses on analyzing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and discussing the Triforce as a relic of lore in the three case studies.

Timestamps:

00:06 - The Fated Trio in Breath of the Wild

16:10 - Discussing the Triforce

> 16:34 - In Skyward Sword

> 28:40 - In Ocarina of Time

> 42:50 - In Breath of the Wild

Links/Resources:

- Link

- Zelda

- Ganon/Demise

- The Triforce

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Please listen to the episode parts in order. All theories discussed in this episode are subject to change. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda is a franchise attributed to the memorable symbol of the Triforce, three golden triangles forming one large one. Beyond its emblematic function, the Triforce is a relic of lore in many Zelda iterations, each game providing their unique take on its role as a form of divine power. But how deeply rooted is the role of the Triforce in other aspects of storylines and the broader timeline built around the games? Using the Triforce and the three main characters of the franchise (Link, Zelda, and Ganon) as case studies, the founder of The Lore Research Lab theorizes on the nature of triangulating characters, lore, stakes, and more in this episode covering three Legend of Zelda games. This first part presents the framework of analysis for the broader arguments being made, starting off with a closer look at The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Timestamps:

00:36 - The Scope of Triangulation

> 07:40 - Focal Points of Analysis

> 10:04 - Defining 'Triangulation'

> 12:30 - Quick Disclaimer

15:24 - The Fated Trio in Skyward Sword

44:46 - The Fated Trio in Ocarina of Time

Links/Resources:

- Link

- Zelda

- Ganon/Demise

- The Triforce

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Please listen to the episode parts in order. All theories discussed in this episode are subject to change. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

A repackaged version of previous information released by The Lab; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is often heralded as saving the franchise, and The Lab’s extremely chaotic duo unite in an effort to describe, in this third part, what life is like in the land of Hyrule, sidequests players can embark on in the game, gameplay, concluding with the lore implications and the role The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has in the franchise.

Timestamps:

00:13 - Life in Hyrule

> 05:33 - Geography

> 10:23 - Other Locations + Miscellaenous

16:40 - Sidequests

31:49 - Core Gameplay + Game Structure

> 32:18 - Controls (Buttons)

> 39:00 - Touch Screen Features

> 41:29 - Menu Screens

45:37 - Items + Gear

> 45:49 - Gear

> 51:27 - Items/Weapons

> 53:36 - Pickup Items

58:58 - Lore Implications of Ocarina of Time + Conclusion

Links/Resources:

- Ocarina of Time Map

> Castle Town Locations

> The Great Fairies + Fairy Fountains

> Trading Quest

- Ocarina of Time: Songs

- Ocarina of Time: Bosses

- Ocarina of Time: Items + Gear

- Ocarina of Time: Enemies

The Lore Research Lab Reference Episodes

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Sorry for any background noises. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; images have been taken from my own game and is solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

A repackaged version of previous information released by The Lab; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is often heralded as saving the franchise, and The Lab’s extremely chaotic duo unite in an effort to describe, in this second part, characters, bosses, temples, enemies, and cultural groups you can encounter in this game.

Timestamps:

00:43 - Principal Characters + Entities

24:34 - Temples, Dungeons, Bosses

36:20 - Enemies & Others

> 36:48 - Mini-Bosses

> 41:14 - Enemies (Common)

> 44:53 - Enemies (Overworld)

> 50:59 - Enemies (Child Timeline)

> 53:00 - Enemies (Adult Timeline)

> 59:55 - Traps

1:02:10 - Meet the Locals!

Links/Resources:

- Ocarina of Time Map

- Ocarina of Time: Songs

- Ocarina of Time: Bosses

- Ocarina of Time: Items + Gear

- Ocarina of Time: Enemies

- Soldier in the Back Alley

The Lore Research Lab Reference Episodes

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Sorry for any background noises. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; images have been taken from my own game and is solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

A repackaged version of previous information released by The Lab; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is often heralded as saving the franchise, and The Lab’s extremely chaotic duo unite in an effort to describe, in this first part, the main story of the game.

Timestamps:

00:37 - Preliminary Information

03:39 - Ocarina of Time's Story (Part 1)

24:12 - Ocarina of Time's Story (Part 2)

Links/Resources:

- Ocarina of Time: Map

- Ocarina of Time: Story

- Ocarina of Time: Songs

- Ocarina of Time: Bosses

- Ocarina of Time: Items + Gear

- Ocarina of Time: Enemies

The Lore Research Lab Reference Episodes

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Sorry for any background noises. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; images have been taken from my own game and is solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

In this episode, The Lore Research Lab’s one and only duo returns to (poorly) explain the plotline of Pokémon Sword & Shield; listen to this episode to see what there is to know about this game's story, characters, and more with a comedic spin!

Timestamps:

00:55 - Re-introducing The Parody Series

04:22 - Explaining Pokémon Sword & Shield's Story

> 04:31 - Part 1: Beginnings

> 18:39 - Part 2: Making my way downtown

> 23:03 - Part 3: Adventuring Around Galar

> 41:08 - Part 4: Nearing the End + Tournament Arc

> 45:22 - Part 5: Solving the Energy Crisis

> 51:50 - Part 6: Stopping the Monarchy?

56:26 - Conclusion

Links/Resources:

- Pokémon Sword & Shield Story

- The Galar Region Pokédex

- Pokémon Sword & Shield Gym Leaders

- Galar Fossil Pokémon 

- Rose Meme

(Creator's Note: Sorry for any background noises and numerous cuts but hopefully this was still entertaining. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from Pokémon Sword; images have been taken from my own game and is solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

With some new footage released on the upcoming game Pokémon Legends: Arceus, The Lore Research Lab provides a summary on characters that have been introduced in the trailers thus far, discusses Pokémon lore in relation to the games of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and other thoughts on this game as we inch closer to the release date!

Links/Resources:

- Pokémon Legends: Arceus Official Website

- New faces from the Hisui Region | Pokémon Legends: Arceus

- Pokémon References: Hisuian Voltorb's Shocking Debut!

> Hisuian Voltorb Animated Short

> Shellos & Gastrodon

- Eterna City

- Celestic Town

(Creator's Note: Please refer to Season 2, Episode 2 discussing Pokémon if further background is needed. Additionally, listen to the other episodes discussing this game for further context (or watch the available trailers). Theories and ideas discussed in this episode are not finalized. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from the "New Faces from the Hisui Region | Pokémon Legends: Arceus" and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

In the vast world of Pokémon, there are some Pokémon considered to be more rare than others, more powerful and vested in lore and mythology. But what are Legendary Pokémon? In the second part of this episode, the founder of The Lore Research Lab discusses the overall ranking of all the Legendary Pokémon previously mentioned in the first part.

Timestamps:

00:06 - Ranking Legendary Pokémon (Overall)

32:03 - Conclusion

Links/Resources:

- Legendary Pokémon

- Arceus Cutscene (Skip to 4:57)

- Lugia and Yveltal Meme

“Pokédex: All 482+8 Pokémon & Post-Story Guide – Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version.” Edited by Lawrence Neves. Prima Games, 2006.

(Creator's Note: This episode was extremely opinionated, I do not intend to offend anyone with the thoughts I expressed in this episode (everything was done in good fun!). I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from Pokémon Shining Pearl; images have been taken from my own game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

In the vast world of Pokémon, there are some Pokémon considered to be more rare than others, more powerful and vested in lore and mythology. But what are Legendary Pokémon? The founder of The Lore Research Lab struggles to form coherent sentences in explaining what Legendary Pokémon, distinctions to be made compared to other rare Pokémon, the subjective criteria constructed for ranking Legendary Pokémon, and ranking the Pokémon within their respective generations.

Timestamps:

00:31 - What are Legendary Pokémon?

07:16 - The Ranking Process

12:49 - Ranking Legendary Pokémon (By Generation)

> 14:14 - Generation I

> 18:16 - Generation II

> 23:21 - Generation III

> 27:58 - Generation IV

> 38:27 - Generation V

> 46:23 - Generation VI

> 56:34 - Generation VII

> 1:08:07 - Generation VIII

Links/Resources:

- Legendary Pokémon 

“Pokédex: All 482+8 Pokémon & Post-Story Guide – Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version.” Edited by Lawrence Neves. Prima Games, 2006.

(Creator's Note: This episode was very opinionated, I do not intend to offend anyone with the thoughts I expressed in this episode (everything was done in good fun!). I also apologize for the number of cuts made during this episode, which was due to audio issues (a trademark from Season 2 returning in Season 3). I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from Pokémon Shining Pearl; images have been taken from my own game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

Welcome back to The Lore Research Lab! This episode marks the beginning of another new season for The Lab, but like the introduction to Season 2, requires some housekeeping. What happens at The Lore Research Lab? What will be discussed here? What will be different from the previous two seasons? It is time to answer those questions!

Reference Episodes:

- Season 2 Ep 2: Explaining Pokémon

- Season 2 Ep 11+14: Explaining Mario

- Season 2 Ep 20: Explaining The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

- Season 2 Episode 23: Explaining Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

- Season 2 Ep 27: The Deal with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

- Season 2 Ep 29: Explaining The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask