Honestly, if you played The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as a kid, you’re probably still a little bit traumatized. It’s okay. We all are. While Ocarina of Time was this grand, sweeping heroic fantasy, its sequel felt like a fever dream. It was darker. It was weirder. And mostly, it was obsessed with the masks of Majora’s Mask.
These aren't just collectibles. They aren't just items you tick off a checklist to get a 100% completion rate, though plenty of us spent weeks doing exactly that back in 2000. In Termina, a mask is a literal identity. You put one on, and Link screams. His body contorts. He becomes someone else—usually someone who died under pretty miserable circumstances. It’s heavy stuff for a Nintendo game.
The game gives you 24 masks in total. Some are massive, world-altering transformation tools. Others are just weirdly specific accessories that let you dance with ghosts or march with a bunch of chicks. But every single one of them tells a story about grief, regret, or the strange ways people cope when a giant, terrifying moon is about to crush them into dust in three days.
The Transformation Masks: Living a Dead Man’s Life
The core masks of Majora's Mask are the ones that actually change Link’s DNA. You’ve got the Deku, Goron, and Zora masks. Each one is tied to a soul that Link basically heals through the Song of Healing.
Think about Darmani. He was a hero. He died trying to save his people from a supernatural blizzard, and his ghost is just hanging out in the Snowhead mountains, absolutely crushed by his own failure. When you get the Goron Mask, you aren’t just getting a "power-up" to roll fast or punch rocks. You are literally wearing Darmani’s face. When you walk into Goron Shrine, the NPCs think you are him. They’re relieved. They’re happy. And you have to live that lie while the world ends.
The Zora Mask is even more tragic. Mikau dies on the beach right in front of you. He spends his last breaths singing a song about his lost eggs and his bandmates. Then, pop, he’s a mask. Link puts it on and suddenly he’s a guitar-shredding rockstar with fins. It’s morbid. There’s no other word for it. These masks represent the heavy burden of legacy. You’re inheriting the unfinished business of the dead.
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Why the Non-Transformation Masks Matter
Most people focus on the big three, but the utility masks are where the game’s weird heart truly beats. Take the Kamaro Mask. It’s just the head of a dead dancer. You find him on a mushroom-shaped rock in the middle of the night. He wants his "brilliance" to live on. So, Link wears his face and performs a bizarre, jerky dance for two sisters in Clock Town. It’s funny, sure, but it’s also deeply unsettling.
Then you have the Mask of Truth. This one is a staple of the series, but in Termina, it feels different. You use it to talk to Gossip Stones, but you can also use it to read the minds of dogs at the racetrack. Why? Because you need to know which dog is feeling confident so you can gamble your rupees. It’s a practical, cynical use for a divine artifact.
The Blast Mask is a personal favorite for speedrunners and chaotic players. It’s literally a bomb strapped to your face. You use it, you take damage (unless you hold your shield up, a pro tip most people figured out the hard way), and things explode. It highlights the desperation of the game. Link is willing to blow himself up just to open a secret passage because time is literally running out.
The Couple's Mask and the Three-Day Cycle
If you want to talk about the peak of quest design in the masks of Majora's Mask ecosystem, you have to talk about Anju and Kafei. This quest is a sprawling, multi-day ordeal that requires you to be at specific places at specific seconds. It’s stressful.
Kafei has been turned into a child by Skull Kid and had his wedding mask stolen. He’s hiding in the laundry pool, ashamed. His fiancée, Anju, is a nervous wreck at the inn. You spend the entire three-day cycle acting as a mailman, a spy, and a bodyguard.
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When you finally get the Couple’s Mask at the very end of the third day—literally minutes before the moon hits—you see the two of them reunite. They don't run away. They stay to face the end together. The mask itself? It does almost nothing. It’s a "thank you" for your trouble. It lets you get a Piece of Heart from the Mayor, sure, but its real value is the emotional closure. It represents the only happy ending in a world that’s about to be deleted.
The Giant's Mask: Breaking the Rules
Most of the masks of Majora's Mask follow strict rules. You use them for puzzles, for social interaction, or for movement. But the Giant’s Mask is pure power fantasy. You can only use it in the boss room of Stone Tower Temple against Twinmold.
Link grows to the size of a skyscraper. The scale of the battle shifts. Suddenly, you aren't a kid struggling against fate; you’re a titan. It’s a brief moment of empowerment in a game that usually tries to make you feel small and overwhelmed. Interestingly, in the 3DS remake, they changed how this mask works, making it more of a wrestling match. Purists still argue about which version is better, but the original N64 version felt more like a raw, unfiltered transformation.
The Bunny Hood: The One Mask You Never Take Off
Let’s be real. If you’re playing this game, you are wearing the Bunny Hood 90% of the time. It makes Link run faster. In a game where you are constantly fighting against a literal clock at the top of the screen, speed is everything.
It’s obtained by helping Grog, a guy who looks like a punk-rocker but just wants to see his baby chicks grow up before the world ends. You lead them around with the Bremen Mask (another great one, very John Philip Sousa) until they turn into roosters. Grog’s simple happiness is one of the few pure moments in Termina. He gives you the ears, and suddenly, you’re the fastest kid in the land. It’s the ultimate "quality of life" item.
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The Fierce Deity Mask: The Game-Breaker
Finally, there’s the Fierce Deity Mask. To get it, you have to trade away every single non-transformation mask to the children on the Moon. It’s a test of sacrifice. You give up your tools, your memories, and your trophies for one final weapon.
When Link puts this on, he becomes an adult. He becomes a god. Or a demon. The game isn't entirely clear on what the Fierce Deity actually is. Some fans, like the folks over at Zelda Dungeon or various lore-heavy YouTube channels, theorize it’s the collective memory of all the people Link helped. Others think it’s something much more sinister—a counterpart to Majora itself.
Using it makes the final boss fight a joke. You fire beams of pure energy from a double-helix sword. It’s the ultimate reward for the ultimate completionist. But it leaves you with a question: is Link still Link at that point? Or is he just another vessel for another powerful soul?
How to Actually Get the Most Out of Your Masks
If you’re picking up the game today—whether it's the Switch Online version or the 3DS remake—don't just rush the dungeons. The masks of Majora's Mask are the actual game. The dungeons are just the obstacles in the way of the masks.
- Talk to everyone. People in Clock Town change their dialogue every few hours. Some will only give you a mask if you talk to them while wearing a different mask.
- Check the Bomber's Notebook. It’s your best friend. It tracks the schedules of every NPC. If you see a gap in someone's timeline, there's probably a mask quest hiding there.
- Don't fear the reset. You will lose your consumables (arrows, bombs, rupees) when you play the Song of Time, but you keep your masks. Every cycle you finish with a new mask is a permanent win.
- Go to the Milk Bar at night. You’ll need the Romani Mask to get in, which involves defending a ranch from literal aliens (no, really). Inside, you can get the Circus Leader's Mask, which has its own weird backstory involving Gorman and his brothers.
The beauty of these items is how they weave into the world. They aren't just icons in a menu. They are the faces of the people of Termina. By collecting them, Link isn't just saving the world; he's documenting it. He’s making sure that even if the moon falls, someone remembered who these people were.
Next Steps for Your Journey through Termina:
- Prioritize the Bunny Hood. Head to Romani Ranch on Day 1 or 2. You’ll need to blast the rock blocking the path with a Powder Keg (or wait until Day 3, but that's too late for the quest). Find Grog in the Cucco Shack.
- Deposit your Rupees. Before you reset time, always hit the bank in West Clock Town. Masks stay, but your wallet empties.
- Complete the Anju and Kafei quest last. It is the most complex and rewarding narrative thread in the game. Save it for when you have most other items so you aren't distracted by side puzzles.
- Experiment with the Gibdo Mask. In the Ikana Canyon well, the Gibdos won't attack you if you're wearing it. Instead, they’ll ask you for items. It’s a weird "trading sequence" dungeon that totally changes how you view those enemies.