Published Jun 28, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.
A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.
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The announcement of this year's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a bit underwhelming. We barely know what the game is going to look like, much less what changes it has made, to gameplay or otherwise. As an Ocarina of Time obsessive, I'm hoping it's a rather faithful remake, especially when it comes to the narrative, but there's one key change it could benefit from if borrowed from an official adaptation of the original game.
Manga author Akira Himekawa – a pen name for a duo of artists – adapted Ocarina of Time in 2000, a couple of years after the game arrived on the Nintendo 64. The manga is split into two volumes, with Link pulling the Master Sword most of the way through the first, and essentially tells the same narrative. There are differences due to the medium, of course, but there's one interesting origin story in the Ocarina of Time manga I wouldn't mind seeing canonized in the remake.
Link Meets Volvagia Long Before The Fire Temple
An extra saga written into the Ocarina of Time manga sees Link purchasing a young dragon from a merchant in Castle Town Market. The two travel together for a while, and grow close, but Link eventually sets the creature free. The vignette is presented as a flashback when Link enters Volvagia's chamber in the Fire Temple seven years later, and it's revealed that his friend has become a thrall of Ganondorf.
In the original game, Volvagia is instead an ancient dragon that once resided in Death Mountain, revived by Ganondorf to terrorize (and eat) the Gorons. This latter part is effectively the same in the manga – Volvagia is the evil beast that must be confronted in the Fire Temple – but the dragon's alternate origin as Link's friend makes it a more tragic boss fight.
An Early Volvagia Scene In The Ocarina Of Time Remake Could Go A Long Way
Giving Link another companion like in the manga doesn't feel like the right way to go for the Ocarina of Time remake. If anything, Link's existing game companion, Navi, could benefit from additional characterization. But taking part of Volvagia's manga origin could give the remake an additional narrative through line. There's real potential to add new side content in the Ocarina of Time remake, and Castle Town Market is especially ripe for new subplots.
A quest to free a baby dragon from a greedy merchant could be a great way to establish Volvagia before they reappear in the Fire Temple. Ocarina of Time already does an incredible job juxtaposing a prosperous Hyrule with the desolation that follows seven years later, but Volvagia emerges out of nowhere as some resurrected ancient beast, and it isn't quite as impactful as other adult-era bosses like Phantom Ganon or Twinrova.
With a new art style and much greater visual fidelity, there's a chance to make Link much more expressive in emotional moments. Volvagia has a great origin story in the official manga, and adopting it for the remake could deliver a really well-executed gut punch. Because of how vaunted The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is, though, I don't really expect Nintendo to be making such overt alterations to the story.
Released 2026
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Number of Players Single-player
English (US) ·