Original artwork, not a still
It's a secret to everybody.
— The Legend of Zelda ‧ 1986
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke is in the logic: a secret is the opposite of something announced to the whole world, so a cave Moblin shouting it at the player is peak early-Nintendo translation charm. It works as a wink for hidden things in any game, and Zelda's own writers keep passing the phrase between characters as a running in-joke.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Legend of ZeldaShow the scene
In the original The Legend of Zelda on the NES, most Moblins are spear-throwing enemies, but a few hide in secret caves across Hyrule. Walk into the right spot, often by burning a bush or bombing a wall, and a friendly Moblin inside gives Link rupees. The one in the far north-east of the map offers 100 rupees on one condition, that nobody hears about it. His only line is the all-caps text of the game, "It's a secret to everybody." Later Zelda games reused the phrase for characters who ask Link to keep quiet, including Kafei in Majora's Mask and a castle guard in Ocarina of Time.
Sources (2)
- Zelda Wiki: Iconic quotes in The Legend of Zelda series"It's a secret to everybody" sectionReference checked
- Zelda Wiki: MoblinThe Legend of Zelda sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
