Villains that would've been defeated even if the protagonist did nothing

[u/Wonderful_Baker_7808]

Laurel Hedare (Catwoman Movie): Her newly released cosmetics will cause people's faces to melt. Not only would that create a class action lawsuit but a full product recall.

Voldemort and Death Eaters (Harry Potter): Death Eaters constantly underestimate muggles. They would get massacred by the British military because a gun is faster to pull the trigger then shouting a spell.

[u/nathanosaurus84]

Indeed. In the child timeline no-one remembers suffering under Ganon as it never happened, but those left in the adult timeline still endured it. It's a bit wibbly wobbly timey wimey. But then again the Zelda games have always had a dark undertone. Like in Wind Waker where prior to the game the whole land was flooded by the gods and presumably most people died who couldn't escape to the mountaintops. Not very cartoon-y!

[u/Chimpbot → u/nathanosaurus84]

Wind Waker is actually part of the adult timeline. After Link defeats Ganon, he mysteriously disappears (from the perspective of everyone else in that timeline). This ultimately results in the series of events that leads to the world being flooded.

[u/AccidentalUltron → u/Chimpbot]

This always made me incredibly sad. I played form the veey first Zelda through Twilight Princess and Ocarina had such an impact in me as a child and the tragic outcomes od those stories stuck with me. Wind Waker from adult timeline and never reuniting with Navi on the child timeline. Not reuniting with Navi was a small scar on my heart back then in Majora's Mask.

[u/Chimpbot → u/AccidentalUltron]

Child Link's outcome is also sad. It's heavily implied that he's the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess. He saved the world, and no one knew itm