With The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask 3D coming out next week I would like to share one of my Zelda Theories, specifically about the whole Link is dead thing first brought up by Game Theory.

In his theory he says that based on the dark themes, the fact that the game centers on the stages of grief and that the Hero's Shade is link turned into a stafos that he is dead in MM.

Though he does bring up some good points I however have to disagree.

Though I agree that the game does centers on the stages of grief and does have something to do with death, I don't believe it's links.

The whole sub plot of the game is about friendship. Link starts the game looking for his friend Navi and ends with the giants forgiving Skull Kid and say that they still want to be his friends.

Because of this I believe that Link is in fact alive and well but mourning the loss of his friend Navi.

This is supported by the quotes from the moon children and the fact that only adults turn into stalfos and link is still a kid in Majora's Mask.

"Your friends... What kind of... people are they? I wonder... Do these people... think of you... as a friend?"
-Child wearing Odolwa's mask

"Your true face... What kind of... face is it? I wonder... The face under the mask... Is that... your true face?"
-Child wearing Twinmold's mask

"The right thing...what is it? I wonder...if you do the right thing...does it make...everybody...happy?"
-Child wearing Gyorg's mask

"What makes you happy? I wonder...what makes you happy...does it make...others happy, too?"
-Child wearing Goht's mask

"You guys... You hadn't forgotten about me? You still thought of me as a friend?"
"Friends are a nice thing to have... Heh, heh. Could you be my friend, too?"
Skull Kid

If Link had died in Majora's Mask the Hero's Shade would have been a Stalchild not a Stalfos, so I agree with you. The Hero's Shade was probably one of his descendants or a soldier who intended to train future heroes.

4035927
It's revealed in the Hyrule Historia that the Hero's Shade is Link from OOT and MM.

4036163 *raises eyebrow* I didn't see that. I can't check though, my Hyrule Historia is under a bunch of heavy books...

4036370
Direct Quote from the Historia: The spirit of Link's ancestor, the Hero of Time, teaches him his secrets. Ever since returning to the Child Era, the swordsman has lamented the fact that he was not remembered as a hero. This is the reason he passes down the proof of his courage and his secret techniques to the Link of this era, addressing him as "son."

4036418 ahh. Thanks.

4035194
I agree.

HH seemingly confirms it, and I personally don't like it when characters turn out to be dead all along. (It cheapens everything for me.)

4037291
Or he could have died in some unrelated future incident, it's not like MM was his only chance of dying ever in the child timeline.

4038904
Now THAT I do whole-heartedly believe.

After all, his undead skeletal form is that of an adult...

4038904 4038971 Exactly I believe he died after Majora's Mask after all at the end of the game we see him continuing on his way through the forest. If he is a healthy young kid during at the end of Majora's Mask but a dead stalfos in Twilight Princess then he would have to have died at some point after Majora's Mask.