A Real Man of the Sea
A Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Retrospective
It’s no secret that I love The Legend of Zelda series. So, here’s a bit of a love letter to the first game I played in the series. The one that has probably had the most impact on me. Join me as I dive into why this game’s story is so great to me.
We’re all used to seeing the legendary hero of Hyrule ride around on a horse. Or travel from his cozy home in a forest or farm town, to the grand castle town of the hylian kingdom.
Typically, Zelda stories follow a stereotypical formula. A young farm boy gets called into action to do something heroic for someone he’s grown up with and once he does so he sets things in motion that lead him to become a hero for his whole kingdom. A “hero of legend” as he is often referred to.
In Ocarina of Time, he goes from saving the village (deity) to defeating the King of Evil that’s plotting to take over the Kingdom.
In Majora’s Mask, he goes from searching to find his lost fairy friend, to stopping a broken soul from pulling the moon down onto a small town.
In Twilight Princess, he goes from saving a little boy he sees as a nephew from the scary woods, to gaining the power to become a creature of twilight and defeating the Twilight Ursperking AND the Demon King that’s been freed from his prison in another realm.
In Skyward Sword, he goes from searching for his lost best friend (whom he also has a crush on), to defeating the original Demon King—paving the way for all the other demon kings to rise up through his ever-present malice.
In Windwaker, he goes from setting out onto the high seas to rescue his kidnapped sister, to defeating the King of Evil (again) and stopping him from resurrecting a world he can control with absolute power.
My point with these is to show that “usually”, the games focus their plot around Link. He is the protagonist after all. That’s pretty normal for any story. To see and experience the world from the main protagonist's point of view, and to see this “farm boy” become the radiant hero of legend.
But in one of my favorite Zelda games, The Phantom Hourglass, this plot (at least to me) is the side story. I mean it’s there, don’t get me wrong, but really, Link is playing a part in watching someone else’s Heroic Journey unfold.
Let me give you a bit of context first.
[Disclaimer: I’ve taken plot points from both the game and the manga adaptation to use in this retrospective… so there might be some “creative interpretations”.]
The Phantom Hourglass is a sequel to Wind Waker. The Wind Waker ends with Link and Tetra (who is Princess Zelda in a pirate disguise) sailing off to find a new adventure and enjoy life on the ocean. And Phantom Hourglass picks up right there. It starts with the same ship and the same crew that Tetra leads, however they're in search of a mystical Ghost Ship… and boy do they find it. The Ghost Ship appears out of nowhere, attacks them, launches Link overboard and captures Tetra. And just as quickly as the ghost ship appears, it disappears.
Link later wakes up on a beach and is greeted by a fairy who wants to help him named Ciela… and so his adventure to find Tetra begins… But this Link has already gone from “farm boy” to hero. And he’s already defeated the demon king. He’s won. We (as the player) know that he has the courage and capabilities to be this epic, heroic protagonist. So, gameplay aside, what makes the plot of Phantom Hourglass so intriguing? Why do I find it to be the most enticing to think about and replay? Why do I enjoy rereading the Manga adaptation at least once a year?
For me, it’s because of the side character that is by Link’s side for most of the game. Linebeck: “A real man of the sea.” (His words, not mine.)
This story is one of my favorite Zelda stories because of Linebeck, and his own heroic journey, from greedy coward, to courageous captain.
When we—Link and his Fairy Companion Ciela—first meet Linebeck, it’s because we’re in search of a captain so that we can sail a ship across the sea to find and rescue Link’s friend Tetra.
However, as Link begins asking people about Linebeck, it becomes more and more clear that he is not very liked by the people of Mercay Island. Finally, we find Linebeck in the Temple of The Ocean King… trapped. And he proudly introduces himself in a stoic, confident manner.
He asks for help from Link to get him out of the trap and we do so. However, as soon as Link dismantles the trap Linebeck is stuck in, he sprints out of the creepy temple as fast as he can, screaming and yelping for his life. Suddenly, we see who Linebeck really is: a selfish coward.
And yet, he’s the only one with a ship that can take Link out to sea and find his friend. So with some convincing (bribing) Linebeck agrees to help them find Tetra. (It’s because Tetra is actually Princess Zelda in disguise, so he knows that Princesses are rich.)
So as Link and Ciela hop from island to island, Linebeck always stays with the ship… because it needs "guarding." Not simply because he’s too terrified or selfish to explore the monster ridden islands searching for a lost friend.
As the adventure goes on, the crew eventually learns what really happened to Tetra, and why there are monsters, ghosts and all sorts of other dark things happening across the ocean. The Ocean King, noble ruler of the seas tells them through his proxy: A Lovecraftian creature of pure malice and darkness known as Bellum has resurfaced (literally from the depths of the sea) with the goal of taking over and absorbing all life. Not just reigning for control, but literally possessing all life as an extension of itself. Bellum has trapped the Ocean King and as long as the Ocean King is trapped there is nothing to stop Bellum from slowly taking over all life.
With this new expositional knowledge, Link and Ciela want to pivot their adventure to find Tetra—they need to take down Bellum and free the Ocean King too. Linebeck… wants no part in this. It’s not what he signed up for. He wanted to save a princess, so he could get a reward in the form of royal gold… not “save the world from impending darkness and doom.”
However, the Ocean King promises Linebeck that he will grant him any wish if he helps defeat Bellum. And with the potential of more treasure than Linebeck can imagine, he’s hooked to continue the adventure with Link and Ciela.
Their primary lead in finding and defeating Bellum is in the Ghost Ship… the same ship that had destroyed countless other boats, the one that had the reputation of appearing and attacking ships out of nowhere. The same ship that captured Tetra. Linebeck seems especially hesitant to find, let alone board the Ghost Ship. But they do. He in fact knows the specific part of the sea that it tends to sail through. Kinda sus Linebeck.
Link and Ciela try to question Linebeck about why he seems to know so much about the Ghost Ship, but he says nothing, as if all the things he knows are common knowledge shared amongst all sailors.
So they find it. They board it… and Linebeck… leaves his ship. He gets on board the Ghost Ship. For some reason he’s not willing to leave Link and Ciela alone on this ship. And he guides them through it. And we’re now really questioning why he knows so much about this cursed ship.
Of course in typical Zelda style there is a boss fight here, and after defeating the demonic ghosts on the ship the last one calls out to Linebeck by name… and Linebeck is finally forced to spill his secrets to Link and Ciela.
This was once his ship. He sailed on it, with a crew of men. It came under attack by monsters, ghosts and spirits. And Linebeck alone survived. Not because he was good at fighting, but because he was good at running. The ghosts on the ship are his crew. Wandering between life and death waiting for a release. And Linebeck, is truly haunted by this. He knows running was wrong but didn’t have any other choice, so he’s kept running ever since.
Right as Linebeck begins to express his desire to stop running, to face his fears and work to release his old crew mates from their purgatory on the Ghost Ship—he is attacked. Tentacles wrap around him and shove him in a dark suit of armor. And a heavy voice begins echoing from his body.
Bellum has possessed Linebeck.
Bellum takes Linebeck and leaves, setting up a defense from Link and any others who would try to stop it in the deepest part of the Temple of the Ocean King. Where Link and Linebeck met. Where the Ocean King himself is trapped.
So, Link and Ciela know they need to save Linebeck, now having a new found respect for the man and what he went through. It doesn’t change or justify his selfishness, but seeing him want to change, is enough for them to respect him.
But… they don’t have a way to defeat Bellum. So… in typical Zelda fashion, they have to craft a magical sword that’s designed specifically to kill Bellum—to destroy darkness. The Ocean King speaks to them again, advising them to head to a legendary blacksmith, one that can be trusted with such a task.
So they head to Zauz the Blacksmith. There’s a lot of other stuff I’m not going to get into about crafting the sword, and why it can kill Bellum, but… that’s really not important for this right now… so just… play the game or read the manga if you care that much.
We find Zauz on an isolated Island. Alone. He keeps to himself. And seems to try and distance himself from society. Because it’s simpler. It’s more peaceful.
When we tell him about Bellum, and the threat to the Ocean King, Zauz gets to work immediately on the Phantom Sword. Meanwhile he drops this bit of philosophical wisdom on Link and Ciela:
"Humans always think that unless they say something, others won't hear them. Truth is, people talk just as loudly with their hearts... But because people have mouths, they don't pay attention to their hearts."
It’s a little jarring to read this in what feels like a rush to get back to Bellum and save Linebeck.
Maybe he’s referring to Link’s heart for people, and the lengths he goes to keep them safe? Or… maybe he’s hinting at something more? Something about our missing friend. The one who never shuts up? The arrogant captain that likes to hear himself talk more than anything else? The one who at every turn of this journey up until now has had some snarky comment?
Zauz helps show us that Linebeck… has been trying to do the right thing all along.
He knew that somehow the Ghost Ship and the Temple of the Ocean King were linked… that’s why we found him there.
He knew that the only way to right his wrongs was to get back to the Ghost Ship.
He knew that he needed to board that ship to help his old crew.
At every turn of this adventure… all of his arrogance and sarcasm was covering up his pain, his fear, his attempts at building up the courage to get back to his old ship… and finally do what he could to bring his crew relief from the torment of purgatory.
The Phantom Sword is completed and Link rushes to the bottom of the Temple of the Ocean King to confront Bellum and figure out how to save Linebeck. But Bellum is merciless.
Bellum uses Linebeck’s body to attack Link, so not wanting to hurt Linebeck, Link is left to simply defend himself against Bellum’s attacks. And in a moment of selflessness, Linebeck begins to take back control of his body. He fights mentally with Bellum. How? What is it that gives him the strength to fight against a creature of pure darkness? It’s light. It’s the dread of what he might do to Link if he doesn’t fight it. He chooses to be heroic so that Link can live. So that his friend, his first mate, can keep fighting, keep helping people. Keep bringing light and hope to the world, just like he did for him.
“It was great sailing with you. I never had a first mate, but we made a good team.”
“If Bellum made me hurt you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“I can’t teach you much, but listen. When you grow up, don’t become a worthless man like me!”
As Lineback takes back his body he begins to raise Bellum’s sword, pointing it towards himself. Linebeck is prepared to end his own life, to protect Link. As he fights, Bellum tried harder and harder to take back control of Linebeck, and by doing so, it begins exposing dark tendrils. And with that, Link has a target.
Link swings the Phantom Sword, cutting down the various arms of Bellum, weakening it further, and further. Linebeck and Link work together, as Linebeck fights with his will power to expel Bellum from his body, Link capitalizes by attacking the parts of Bellum that get exposed.
Again… there’s some more details and “lore” in this fight, but I just want to focus on how Linebeck plays an active role in helping defeat Bellum. He never gives up, because he knows Link could get hurt if he does. Linebeck isn’t going to run away from another crew.
So, as you can expect, they defeat Bellum, and the Ocean King is freed. Now, it’s revealed the the world of the Ocean King is separate from that of Hyrule, where Link is from. The Ocean King used his power to bring Link and Tetra into his world so that they could help stop Bellum.
But. This means that when Link and Tetra leave, they won’t see anyone from this world again. Linebeck, is going to lose his crew. Despite fighting to save them.
Or is he? The Ocean King still has to grant him that wish… And, it’s never really confirmed what he wished for, but on the final page of the manga, and the final cutscene of the game, we see Link and Tetra on their ship, looking at Linebeck’s ship. And Linebeck calls out to them ready for the next adventure.
Because now, he sees that the greatest treasure he could have wished for, was to have his friends with him.
Yep, this whole thing was leading to the trope of “the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.”
Now… if you’ve read this far you either really like me, or you also love plots and story telling. And you might be thinking… “Really, isn’t that kind of a boring ending? It’s so cheesy and predictable…” And yeah, you’re right. But I like it. It makes me happy. It makes me feel all warm inside. Because really, what greater treasure is there than people. People around us who we care about. Who care about us. Who we live life with. Who we laugh with, cry with, etc.
Linebeck is a real man of the sea. He has flaws, and learns to deal with them. When in the past he hit rough waters, he would run, he would succumb to the storm and lose his ship.Just as he lost his previous crew. But now, he presses on, hoists the sails, and uses the harsh winds of the storm to get his ship, his crew, his friends, through to the other side.
Linebeck is a real man of the sea… because he’s willing to pick up a sword and fight, even if he doesn’t know how to use it well. Because he knows you always have a choice: run from your problems or do your best (even if it doesn’t seem like enough) to fight back and stand up for yourself.
Maybe I simply love this story because it’s a huge part of my childhood, and I’m blinded by nostalgia. Even so, I don’t care. It’s a story that brings me joy. Isn’t that what stories are for?
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13, ESV