ACADEMIA Letters Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as Archetypal Image of the Trickster Michael Barros, Northcentral University The trickster is a fgure with “a special and permanent appeal and an unusual attraction for mankind from the very beginnings of civilization.” [i] While the trickster has manifested in many ways throughout history, there is a modern manifestation which I believe to be, at least generally, unique. This essay is a case study of the Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as a manifestation of the trickster archetype. The Legend of Zelda is among the most popular and recognizable video game series of all time, but The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask stands out as particularly unique due to its dark themes and unique mechanics. I will argue that the Skull Kid is an archetypal image of the trickster, closely aligning with descriptions ofered by Carl Jung and Jungian analysts. It should be noted that there is much disagreement over characterization and description of the trickster, so I will be relying on the school of thought which I believe most closely aligns with Jung’s original conceptualization. An important distinction ought to be made between archetype and archetypal image in order to avoid accusations of reductionism. According to Carl Jung, the archetype is fun- damentally unknowable. [ii] Because of this, understanding of the archetypes is the result of encounters with their archetypal images, that is, their cross-cultural manifestations in art, lit- erature, and mythology. [iii] There are exceptions, Jung gives the example of the modern indi- vidual who fnds themself having a series of “annoying accidents” and then talks about being jinxed or cursed, but these provide little insight to the naive victim. [iv] Real insight comes from comparison of the archetypal images. [v] Jung’s conceptualization of the trickster was broader than many others, a shadow fgure where the devious and deceptive characteristics of our psyche are deposited. [vi] According to Jung, “the trickster is represented by countertendencies in the unconscious, and in certain cases by a sort of second personality, of a puerile and inferior character”. [vii] The puerile Academia Letters, August 2021 Corresponding Author: Michael Barros, barrostheology@gmail.com Citation: Barros, M. (2021). Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask as Archetypal Image of the Trickster. Academia Letters, Article 3139. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3139. 1 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0