The Great Bay Coast looks so serene and peaceful when Link first arrives. At first glance, it seems like there’s nothing wrong in the region. Palm trees sway with the breeze, Leevers lurk underneath the sand and the only hints of civilization are an abandoned beach house and a research lab not far away from the shore. But Tatl, Link’s fairy companion, notices an unusual number of seagulls above the calm waters and asks Link if he can see what has caught their attention.
It looks like there’s something floating on the ocean surface, and it looks too large to be a fish. As Link swims closer, he sees that it’s not a fish at all; it’s a dying Zora.
The Zora is barely conscious but manages to groan out a plea for somebody to take him to the shore. Luckily for him, Link is there and ready to lend a hand. I imagine that it can’t be easy for Link, a child, to swim with a full-grown male Zora in his arms but he does his best and takes him back to the shore. There, the Zora takes a few steps away from the shore with what little energy he has left, but soon falls to his knees and collapses from fatigue. Link runs to his side to speak to him and the Zora finally introduces himself. He is none other than Mikau, guitarist of the very popular Zora band The Indigo-Go’s.
What happens next qualifies as one of the most, if not the most, bizarre scenes to have ever existed in a Zelda game. Mikau asks Link to listen to his words, and in true rock ‘n’ roll fashion, Mikau channels his inner entertainer and stands up to perform one final song. With his Guitar of Waves (which is really just a very large fishbone) in his hands and a rhythmic sway in his legs, Mikau almost headbangs through the song with such energy that it makes you question if he really was dying just a moment ago. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything less than a flawless performance by a member of Termina’s most popular band. The show must go on, no matter what.
Mikau plays an improvised but perfectly executed song and tells Link of the tragic reason why the Indigo-Go’s vocalist, Lulu, lost her voice and how he ended up so badly wounded in the bay. Lulu had recently laid eggs which caused her to lose her voice and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the eggs were also stolen. Mikau bravely set out to find Lulu’s eggs, realized that they were stolen by Gerudo pirates and tried to take them back, but he was beaten down and left to die in the Great Bay. Mikau sings that he doesn’t want to beg for help, but it sure sounds like a plea when he confesses to Link that he won’t die in peace unless something is done to retrieve the eggs. With those final words, the great guitarist Mikau collapses once more to the sand — this time, to never wake up again.
Mikau is the only character in Majora’s Mask we see dying before our own eyes after Link plays the Song of Healing. It’s a bit shocking and I don’t think I’m the only one who thought I’d be able to save him there on the beach. Perhaps it would have been possible if Link could reverse time four days back instead of three.
Before Mikau leaves Link though, we get to see a cutscene with the most important people in Mikau’s life: his band members. Lulu stands out among them, hinting that she means something more to him than just a band member, and together they hold the Guitar of Waves and walk towards the others.
On the beach, Link receives the Zora Mask, which transforms him into a look-alike of Mikau, allows him to inherit Mikau’s guitar skills and lets him explore freely underneath the water’s surface. Mikau’s spirit then appears to ask Link to carve his two farewell songs, “We the Zora” and “Zora Fight Song,” on his grave and to help Lulu. Link does as he’s asked to and leaves Mikau’s guitar by the grave. He bows respectfully before it and then leaves to find Lulu’s eggs. Time is literally ticking and Link knows better than to let it go to waste.
It’s easy to understand why Mikau was so loved when you talk to other Zoras. He’s loved by The Indigo-Go’s fans and respected by his bandmates for his creative mind. Mikau was frequently jamming with his bandmates and seemed to always have a new melody in his mind. He was a true entertainer until the very end and music flowed through his veins. Music was, however, not the only thing in his veins. When you speak to Evan, The Indigo-Go’s leader, he reveals that Mikau had the blood of Zoran heroes in him, making him the best candidate to retrieve Lulu’s eggs from the Gerudo Pirates. Sadly, that turned out to not be enough.
Mikau was undoubtedly a very cool person and courageous too for going alone to get Lulu’s eggs back. Another person might have thought twice if it would really be worth it to face the dangerous Gerudo pirates when their own life might be at stake. To Mikau, it was something he considered worth risking in order to make Lulu smile sweetly once more and hear her sing again.
I’m sure Mikau would’ve been interested in Link’s ocarina and may have even asked him if they could have a jam session together. Who knows, perhaps it would spark some inspiration and lead to the start of a new song? It’s a shame that we didn’t get more time to speak with this legendary guitarist but he certainly left an impression on me. Like a true rock star, Mikau was one of a kind and we can call ourselves lucky for meeting him.
Be sure to check out the rest of our articles from Majora’s Month, our month-long celebration of Majora’s Mask’s 20th anniversary!
