Darwin went right out the window...

Survival of the fittest?! No chance in Hyrule I think!

What races do we have in TWW I ask;

The People - more than likely the descendants of Hylians
The Koroks - as I understand it some form of the Kokiri (reborn perhaps or maybe magically transformed?)
The Rito - Zora like in their culture perhaps, but I have a hard time believing these bird people evolved from amphibians!
The Gorons - they're out there in limited numbers.
The Fairies - I suppose you could call them a race, at any rate they're still there!

I think I remembered em all ^^ Right, now then lets recap on the OoT races: Hylians, Kokiri, Gorons, Zora & Fairies. Again that's pretty much all of them right?

Isn't it a little odd that after Hyrule was flooded races such as the Hylians, Kokiri and even the Gorons managed to survive in some form or another. But the Zora - the race most adapted to life in the ocean have apparently vanished into almost nothing?!

Where are they in this new age?! Hiding on the seabed perhaps - that's my only thought. But then why hide on the seabed when they're more likely to flourish than any other society throughout the oceans!

Survival of the fittest apparently doesn't mean much at all in the land of Zelda me thinks!

that is a good point! although as i understand the three gorons are from distant lands? but definately with you on the Zora part, surely they would have become the dominant species?! it would be more likely the Rito evolved from Gorons....but no. strange. the only thing i can think of is that the zoras had to evolve for some reason before the flood? hmmm.....

It was stated, though not directly, in TWW that the Ritos (sounds like Ruto, heheh) evolved from the Zoras. You're right about the Faeries being an own race, though, rizz. But you forgot to mention the Sheikahs, the Gerudos and the Deku Scrubs when you mentioned the OoT races.

i think the gerudos either died out or moved to another land.tetra states that 'a band of pirates we used to compete with lived there' about the forsaken fortress. so they definately survived the flood,but moved on or died afterwards.

That's an interesting theory, jmunkymunk, though whether it's true or not, we cannot know for sure. But, it is obvious that they either died out or moved to another land.

It was stated, though not directly, in TWW that the Ritos (sounds like Ruto, heheh) evolved from the Zoras.

Not true. There is evidence that points towards that idea, but that evidence could just as easily work for other things. It was certainly never stated that Zora's evolved into Rito.

i think people are getting that idea because that rito girl was supposed to be the decsendant of the zora sage who protected the Master swords power?

i think that what you just said fierce deity is pretty solid evidence for them being descended from zoras

Originally posted by lord-of-shadow
Not true. There is evidence that points towards that idea, but that evidence could just as easily work for other things. It was certainly never stated that Zora's evolved into Rito.

Neither was it stated that they didn't.

I am aware of that, William.

think that what you just said fierce deity is pretty solid evidence for them being descended from zoras

It is pretty solid evidence of a number of things, most of which are not nearly as farfetched as having an entire race evolve in a completely and totally different race in very, very short period of time.

Perhaps Laruto's descendants were magically transformed into Rito? Maybe they did some satanic blood ritual which transferred a bloodline form one person to another? I don't know, but thinking that the evolution theory is a solid fact that cannot be contested is idiocy.

Hylians----They are still around, there descendants are all the human-like people on the Great Sea.

Gerudo----They survived the flood, and after that, not too long before TWW takes place they either died off or moved to another land.

Shiekah----Impa was the last during the times of OoT, they are most likely all dead.

Gorons----All of them either died, or the few that survived the flood moved to another land.

Zoras----They either by means of magic or evolution turned into the Rito. The Great Sea was too dangerous for them to live in so they either evolved to live on land and sky or were magically changed by Gods.

Kokiri----They are magical beings, able to take any form they want, after the flood they changed there forms into the Koroks for some unknown reason.

Originally posted by William Zelda4ever
Neither was it stated that they didn't.

What's your point? If something isn't stated in a game, it doesn't mean the opposite is true

I myself doubt that the Zora's evolved into Rito... but only because there is no REAL proof.

Hylians? Some moved away, some stuck around, there's nothing against that in the game.
Zoras? It's a big ocean, they could have gone elsewhere. And since the sea is opaque, we'd never really know. Perhaps some Rito and some Zora did it resulting in Medli decades later. It's farfetched, but not nearly as farfetched as the land becoming flooded, then the fish people becoming bird people. Perhaps close ties could have gotten them the same crest that I've heard about but have yet to see. Besides, I think the Zoras could be like the LOTR dwarves, but for Zelda; they work alone and seek riches, except in this case at the bottom of the sea. But due to a magical illusion they can't see through the bubble into Hyrule, though they can make it their own once it's flooded at the end of WW.
Gorons? Well, they're mountain-travelers, so I don't think they'd have trouble getting to the tops of the mountains before the flood. But they wouldn't like being stranded at sea either(heck, I didn't), so they could've taken a ship to some big land, and only three Gorons remained to make an incredibly crappy living for themselves.
Sheikah? Dead, why not.
Gerudo? Well, they can be desert people, they can be pirates. So it only makes sense that they'd sail to some desert.
Kokiri? Perhaps, again, some moved away, but those who remained stayed isolated until they became Koroks.

And that's my two cents.

Hylians----They are still around, there descendants are all the human-like people on the Great Sea.

Gerudo----They survived the flood, and after that, not too long before TWW takes place they either died off or moved to another land.

Later games have Hyrulians, which is either another race entirely or have mixed Hylian blood.

I believe that they are a product of Gerudo/Hylian breeding... since the Gerudo are the only human-like race to have rounded ears.

A Hylian is a race. A Hyrulian is somebody born in Hyrule. So you can be both a Hylian or Hyrulian. Or a human who is a Hyrulian. The gerudos probably got mixed in with the Hylians resulting in humans. The gerudos must have died out. And the zoras probably aked valoo to turn them into ritos because the sea was too dangerous to swim in. And the Hylians slowly died out over time. There were alot alot in OoT. Infact everybody that lived in the castle or kakriko were Hylians and humans weren't even created. Gorons sink in water cause they are practically stone. So they probably moved to another land while three merchants came to sell things from wherever they live. And you will notice that in every Zelda game thats further in the future has less and less Hylians because they pretty much turned into humans. Link and Zelda's families were the only two families that were still Hylian. So I believe every Link is related cause it says in ALttP that Link was a special hero or something (I kinda forgot what it said.) And if you go along with the KoRL theory of what he said doesn't mean he wasn't the related. He is a boat for crying out loud. The korkiri must have bread with the deku's or evolved to make koroks. And if my theory doesn't make sense to you then too bad. You should re-read it if it doesn't.

Whew that took me awhile to wright.

I think it's logical to believe that the Gerudo adapted to become pirates. Since pirates are thieves of the sea, and Hyrule was buried beneath a great sea, this makes sense, especially since Ganondorf commanded the Gerudo in the past and continued to have a large number of monsters at his disposal in Wind Waker. Of course, for this to make sense, imps and other monsters would have to be incorporated into the female gang, but it's possible after hundreds of years of adaptation.

I also think that the Zoras evolving into Ritos makes more sense than other Rito theories, but nothing's been actually proven yet, so... meh.

hmm i just thuoght of another idea,the fact that ritos are post men.and at the end of MM the postman runs off to some unknown place,so maybe he traveled to hyrule and went to a mountain top where the rito now are (can`t remember the name off the top of my head), but maybe the rito are the result of some breeding between the postman and zoras and some random mutation occurred,and as time progressed they became less zora like very quickly, and started to grow wings instead so they can fly and deliver post etc,cause we all the know the dedication of the postman,lol. and also i think what i said is highly likely,as if this occurred then it`d take less time for the zoras to evolve wings etc. or maybe after these hybrids occurred and lost the power of swimming so easily and ressembled all-but-human forms,valoo granted them wings so they can do their important job.and in the end only a little part of their original zora appearance remains. though i do also believe that ordinary zoras are still out there in the world of hyrule.

Hybrids of Postman and Zora, I like that idea ^^

Personally I don't like the idea of the Zora becoming Rito, I don't have any grounds to stand on really, but I'm fairly certain they didn't evolve into birds over the course of a few hundred years. Otherwise by now why wouldn't the Hylians have evolved into Deku Scrubs, the Gorons into Koroks and the Gerudo into some type of worm?! It'd be a bit odd for one race to evolve and no others - but I wouldn't deny the possibility of some magical intervention perhaps.

Another point would be, why would the Zora leave or go into hiding or evolve to escape the water when Jabun is still about - I'd say it's almost a guarantee he's linked to Jabu Jabu (if not actually Jabu Jabu!). Why would a people abandon their sacred protector or whatever Jabu actually was... What was he again? Just a big fish really, at least Valoo serves a purpose...

And a little point about the Shiekah - were they really a race? I figured they were just Hylian 'ninja' for lack of a better term...

yes i think shiekah were more of a culture.but i think jabun did have a purpose,but as dungeons were removed we didn`t see it.maybe zoras were originally going to be in the game? with a water temple or osmething.

A Hylian is a race. A Hyrulian is somebody born in Hyrule. So you can be both a Hylian or Hyrulian. Or a human who is a Hyrulian. The gerudos probably got mixed in with the Hylians resulting in humans. The gerudos must have died out. And the zoras probably aked valoo to turn them into ritos because the sea was too dangerous to swim in. And the Hylians slowly died out over time. There were alot alot in OoT. Infact everybody that lived in the castle or kakriko were Hylians and humans weren't even created. Gorons sink in water cause they are practically stone. So they probably moved to another land while three merchants came to sell things from wherever they live. And you will notice that in every Zelda game thats further in the future has less and less Hylians because they pretty much turned into humans. Link and Zelda's families were the only two families that were still Hylian. So I believe every Link is related cause it says in ALttP that Link was a special hero or something (I kinda forgot what it said.) And if you go along with the KoRL theory of what he said doesn't mean he wasn't the related. He is a boat for crying out loud. The korkiri must have bread with the deku's or evolved to make koroks. And if my theory doesn't make sense to you then too bad. You should re-read it if it doesn't.

There are two meanings for the word Hyrulian. Anyone who lives sin Hyrule is a Hyrulian. However, Hyrulians is also the name for the species/race of people tht have rounded ears.

A Zora, if it lived in Hyrule, would be a Hyrulian.

A round-eared human person, if they lived in, say, Labrynna, would be a Hyrulian, because that is their species/race/whatever.


Also, Kokiri and Koroks are forest spirits. They changed their forms specifically to survive better in the new world. They didn't breed with Dekus or any similar foolishness.

Hybrids of Postman and Zora, I like that idea ^^

Don't forget the eagle part