Which Zelda Manga Should You Read After Ocarina of Time?

Read Majora’s Mask after Ocarina of Time. Nintendo places the game directly after Ocarina of Time on its Child Era timeline, and Akira Himekawa’s manga takes young Link into Termina, where a falling moon gives him three days to save a town. The easiest print edition to look for is VIZ’s Majora’s Mask / A Link to the Past Legendary Edition. It includes two separate adventures, so you can read Majora’s Mask first and treat the second story as a change of pace.

If what you loved about Ocarina of Time was the scale of the adventure, Twilight Princess might be the better pick. If it was the pleasure of finding a door you hadn’t noticed before, start with The Minish Cap. The choice comes down to which part of Zelda you want more of.

Still choosing an edition of the first story? See our Ocarina of Time manga guide.

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1. Majora’s Mask is the closest follow-up

Ocarina of Time gives Link years to cross. Majora’s Mask gives him three days. That difference makes this the most interesting back-to-back read. One story uses time to show how much can change while Link is gone. The other makes time feel scarce, even as the people around him try to carry on under a moon that keeps getting closer.

It’s also a good pick if you remember Skull Kid from Ocarina of Time and want to see him at the center of a story. The setting shifts from Hyrule to Termina, so the adventure feels strange even if you’ve just spent a whole book with this Link. Nintendo’s Majora’s Mask game manual

Edition to look for — Majora’s Mask / A Link to the Past Legendary Edition on Amazon.

2. A Link to the Past is the classic Hyrule quest

If you picked up the Majora’s Mask collection, you already have this one. Read it when you want to trade Termina’s countdown for a return to Hyrule, with Zelda in danger and the wizard Agahnim at the center of the trouble.

This is the pick for readers who missed the rhythm of a classic Zelda quest: a threat to the kingdom, a hero pulled into it, and a world with more to it than first appears. The shared cover is a publishing choice. A Link to the Past opens a separate adventure, so you can read it whenever you feel like returning to Hyrule.

Edition to look for — Majora’s Mask / A Link to the Past Legendary Edition on Amazon. One copy gets you both stories.

3. Twilight Princess is the one to settle into

Pick Twilight Princess if you wanted more room for Link and the people around him to develop. In this adaptation, Link has trained as a swordsman and sought a quiet life in a village. When the village is threatened, the prospect of losing that home gives his decision to fight some weight before the story opens up into a struggle involving Midna and the Twilight Realm.

This is a separate, 11-volume series. You can start with Volume 1 right after Ocarina of Time. VIZ rates it Teen, while the Legendary Edition pairings in this guide are rated All Ages.

Editions to look for — Twilight Princess, Volume 1 on Amazon or the Twilight Princess Complete Box Set on Amazon if you want the entire run.

4. The Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass are for readers who love exploring

The Minish Cap makes discovery a matter of scale. Once Link can shrink, an ordinary patch of ground can hide an entire world. That makes it a good choice if your favorite Zelda moments are the small ones, when you realize you’ve been walking past something worth investigating.

Phantom Hourglass offers the opposite kind of discovery. Link heads out to sea after Tetra is taken aboard a ghost ship, and the adventure comes from wondering what lies beyond the next stretch of water. VIZ pairs the two stories in one book. Choose The Minish Cap for hidden corners or Phantom Hourglass for a voyage.

Edition to look for — The Minish Cap / Phantom Hourglass Legendary Edition on Amazon.

5. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages give you two takes on a changing world

Try the Oracle pair if the puzzle that stuck with you in Ocarina of Time was seeing how a familiar place changes across eras. Oracle of Seasons makes the seasons part of the adventure, while Oracle of Ages returns to the idea of crossing time. Reading them together gives you two ways to see what happens when the landscape itself becomes part of the problem.

Start with Oracle of Seasons and then read Oracle of Ages, the order in VIZ’s collected edition.

Edition to look for — Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages Legendary Edition on Amazon.

Is there a Zelda manga reading order?

Start with Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask if you want the most direct story connection. After that, choose the adaptation that interests you. The Legendary Edition pairings sometimes collect separate stories in one volume, while a numbered series like Twilight Princess is meant to be read in order from Volume 1.

If you only want one more book, get Majora’s Mask / A Link to the Past. Reading the two stories side by side lets you see how differently the same creators handle Zelda. In one, a town is running out of time. In the other, there’s a kingdom to save. If the part you most want to revisit is the feeling of stumbling onto a hidden place, see our fantasy books that capture Zelda’s sense of discovery.

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