Fanon Discontinuity / The Legend of Zelda

• A small handful of fans refuses to acknowledge any game using the Toon Link cel-shading style (Wind Waker, The Minish Cap, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks and Tri Force Heroes) as truly being part of the series. Four Swords Adventures is also often excluded due to the continuity issues, instead viewing it as its own continuity. The depressing implications about fate being unavoidable especially for the Gerudo and Ganondorf is another topic. Essentially Ganondorf is reincarnated, given the name Ganondorf despite having the original having a bad reputation, and turns out exactly the same despite the Gerudo attempting to prevent this by making him a guardian of the tribe instead of their king. Another aspect is that Miyamoto actually re-wrote the plot as a retelling so continuity wouldn't be in mind, hence trying to fit in the timeline at this point seems like a Retcon in itself. Lastly, while Tri Force Heroes is canonically set after The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, fans reject this because Link looks nothing like his previous design and, if anything, they look younger despite years passing; these fans feel that the game could have fit better in other branches (i.e. Adult), while others didn't even see it suitable in the chronology to begin with..
• An equally small handful of fans refuse to acknowledge anything after A Link to the Past, especially Ocarina of Time due to every game seeming like a rehash and even minor issues like the Seven Wise Men are now the Seven Sages.
• There are also fans who reject the official timeline given in Hyrule Historia either because they disagree with the order (the Downfall Timeline especially is a touchy subject) or because they do not want chronology in the first place.
• And then there are those who only consider the 3D games and the DS games canon due to them having obvious and strong ties between them, making their placement in the timeline clear and unambiguous. They feel that the less continuity-minded 2D games feel tacked on (if not outright contradictory) in the timeline.
• Sheik is a persona intended to be perceived as male, though it's generally understood that Zelda still identifies as female and retains a female body. Or rather, it's understood nowadays; there used to be many fans who insisted that Sheik was cis male (admittedly not helped by Sheik's in-game model and official art suggesting a significant change in Zelda's physique).
• Though there are many Ship Teases with him, most games don't have Link with a canonical love interest ^note In the main-series games. The cartoon, comic and many of the mangas pair him with the series titular princess, Zelda, however those are all considered non-canon by both fandom and Word of God. where both he and another character are indisputably confirmed to have romantic feelings for each other. Breath of the Wild did provide Link with a couple of characters who are confirmed to love him romantically, ^note namely Princess Zelda herself, Princess Mipha, and Paya but even then, Link's feelings remain ambiguous. This, however, doesn't stop some pretty vicious Ship-to-Ship Combat to erupt within the fandom, with many fans insisting that their ship is canon and all others are invalid. The only games that could be considered to have Link canonically romantically involved would be the linked ending to the Game Boy Color duology, where Zelda kisses Link on the cheek and he swoons with hearts over his head and Adventure of Link where Link and Zelda kiss in the ending.
• According to the official timeline, the Oracle games are set before Link's Awakening and features the same Link. Many fans ignore this because Zelda has a different design and doesn't recognize Link, as well as Link looking younger than he originally did. Nintendo actually acknowledged this, as later revisions of the timeline would have the Oracle games take place after Link's Awakening and state that it is a different Link.

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