Try saying "Digitigrade" 5 times fast!

Check out Part 2 and 3 of this video where I answer some questions about this Timeline theory that weren't mentioned in this video!
Part 2: https://youtu.be/fgn-c-n43lg
Part 3: https://youtu.be/kRyMZERMXQ0

Regarding the time discrepancy-- in several East Asian languages, 10,000 is used to mean any significantly large number. When referring to a length of time, it's usually more accurate to translate it as "a long time ago" (or "forever ago" in some instances) instead of exactly "10,000 years ago."

I gotta say, I love how the fans are like, "Here is my 57-point power point explaining Zora evolution" when you just know the devs were like, "Throw Ruto's Crown in there because it'll be a cute Easter egg and nothing more."

Something to add to your Ruto and the silver theory is that in BOTW 50% of Zora weapons are made of silver: Silver Bow, Silver Longsword, Silver Shield and Silverscale Trident.

I never realized just how different Komali looked before getting his wings.

I like the idea that the Zora change to fit the appearance of the sea life around them. That, if nothing else, could be used to partially explain why the classic River Zoras look so drastically different... although I don't think it explains why they can breathe fire lol

If there really was some massive incident that caused Hyrule to be destroyed and only refounded after the godlike Zonai descended from the sky, I am shocked the Zora had solid enough historical records to know who Ruto was.

Ruto taking her Zora out could be the inception of the foreign Zora in TotK

You know, on a fundamental level I never really understood why people were so torn about the Zora and the Rito existing in one time... There's always been a very simple rationale for it that's hard to argue against, that the Zora-turned-Rito and the Zora are simply different lines of evolution. I do like your more in depth rationale for it.

Whoa, wait did you say the Gorons just rolled around the great flooded seafloor without issues? That makes sense I guess

This is honestly closer to how evolution works in real life. It's not about one species turning into another, it's about common ancestry. Modern Rito and modern Zora share a common ancestor in the OoT style Zora from before the great flood (or some other event depending on timeline shenanigans) separated at least two populations of Zora, and each group adapted to a different environment. Their adaptations may have been more magical and less "natural selection", which could explain away any time periods that may have been too short for that level of change.

I thought there was an implication that the Rito Sage from Windwaker was also a descendant of Ruto, so she had children that were divided between these two groups.

i think it also helps the fact that in oracle of seasons, there are zoras looking for new lands to create a new domain

Knowing evolutionary history, I'm now imagining there was a dinosaur stage between Zora and Rito

On the subject of Dorephan's monument stating that the Domain was founded 10,000 years ago there might be a possible explanation that, oddly enough, really has nothing to do with anything in the games themselves and more has to do with the translation between Japanese and English.

What I mean is that the number 10,000 can hold a unique meaning in certain aspects of Asian cultures because it has ties to...I forget if it's Buddhism or Shintoism, but it's one of the two.  Basically, it's common in stories told from Asiatic religions to use the number ten thousand as a synonym for "too large to be quantified."  So someone saying "I have fought in ten thousand battles" doesn't mean they've actually fought 10,000 battles but rather means "I have fought in more battles than it is possible to count."  Or someone saying "I am he who knows ten thousand things" doesn't mean they only know 10,000 facts and instead means "I am someone who has more knowledge than it is possible to describe."

That said, it's possible that since the games are made by Japanese developers that their use of the number 10,000 when describing the Zora's Domain's history isn't literally saying it was founded precisely 10,000 years ago but was rather intended in that specific cultural context where it was really meant to convey that it was founded farther back in time than anyone can actually describe.  Then the English translators didn't catch on to that possible other meaning and kept the original number of 10,000 when a more accurate translation would have been to translate it as something more vague like "since before recorded history" or just "ancient."

I never noticed that about Komali. It's not everyday I learn a new piece of lore I didn't know already. Kudos sir.

Queen Ruto and her people arriving in England: 👁️👄👁️

I thought it was similar to this. The BoTW Rito were just an offshoot of the Zora with Raruu's Hyrule being so far into the future that the pervious games were just stories

This was very interesting! A split of the Zora population allowing one to evolve into the Rito and both coexisting definitely seems plausible.

They evolved via magic is an easier cop out and not unusual in rpg games. We think of evolution as taking centuries via darwinism. But we completely forget that magic doesn't require explanation.