When it comes to video game completionism, most players won’t get absolutely everything in the games they play. Okay, many of them will beat the main story and related quests, and some of them will be insane enough to get all the stars, Pokémon or Korok seeds a title has to offer…

But that’s usually it overall. Things like opening all the treasure chests, maxing out your item counts or reaching the max level in an RPG are typically out of the picture for 99% of the fanbase. They just involve too much work overall, with very little acknowledgement from the game itself.

However, there are exceptions, and that’s where today’s interviewee comes in. Why? Because this time around, we’re talking to the one YouTuber dedicated enough to truly max out their games. The one YouTuber we know who doesn’t finish Zelda games, but leaves no stone untouched in the process.

Yep, this time we’re talking to 100 Percent Zelda. The channel that got 999 of everything in Breath of the Wild

And truly mastered everything the game had to offer in the process:

They’re dedicated to a degree few others will match, and with guides on all kinds of glitches and tricks, one of the most popular channels for the series to boot.

So today, we’re gonna be talking to them about all of it, and seeing what makes it all tick. Are you ready folks? Let’s start the interview!

---

The Interview

With a bit of personal background. Who are you? Who’s behind the 100% Zelda channel?

My name’s Nikko, and I am behind the 100 Percent Zelda YouTube channel. I am a father of two toddlers and a husband to a lovely wife. I teach ballroom dancing when I’m not playing Zelda.

As far as who is behind the channel, I do mostly everything. I do have two editors that help out once in a while with some videos. I also have amazing mods and viewers that help, support, and add value to our live streams =)

And what made you decide that name?

I’ve always found it fun to try and complete games. I wanted the channel to be about Zelda. As I thought about different words, 100% came to mind. I liked it because “100%ing” games is a thing people say. It describes what I like to do, and it clearly describes what the channel is about. As an extra bonus, this places me at the top of alphabetical lists. Also, people normally say “100 percent” regularly in conversations all the time. So I’m sure people think about my channel randomly throughout their day.

How did you get into gaming? What was your first game?

Honestly I think my first game ever was Zelda A Link to The Past, but I don’t exactly remember. I have played video games ever since. I was really into Final Fantasy and Zelda. When the Wii came out, my parents didn’t get me one. That is around the time when I stopped playing Zelda. I had a PS2, so I played lots of Final Fantasy. Eventually, around the time of Final Fantasy 12, I stopped playing video games. Life took over. My wife bought me a Switch for Christmas 2018. Initially I was afraid of it because I knew video games would take over my life. I bought Zelda Breath of Wild… and here we are.

What about the Zelda series? How did you get interested in that?

I have always liked the puzzles, but I really didn’t care too much for the story. In a weird way, I kind of like that it’s a one player game. It feels like it’s my journey, no one else’s. I can play the way I want to play. But again, I really enjoyed the collecting part of the game–I don’t know why.

Were you always a completionist when it comes to playing video games?

Yes. My problem with playing most video games is that I try to do everything possible. Most of the time it doesn’t happen, but there’s something about not missing anything that satisfies me.

It would make me feel like I’ve actually completed the game.

What games are you playing at the moment?

Strictly Zelda. This is just because of life. I only have so many hours, and I want to use them towards helping my channel grow. Every so often, I sometimes turn on a random Nintendo Switch Online game from SNES or N64 just for a bit, but it’s all mostly Zelda. But, every first Wednesday of each month, I play games with viewers on stream. We play Mario Kart or Jackbox. It’s open to everyone to stop by and play.

What’s your favourite Zelda game so far?

I consider my favourite Zelda games to be ones I want to replay. At the moment, it’s A Link to The Past, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, and Breath of The Wild. After finishing Tears of The Kingdom and replaying Breath of The Wild, I sometimes find myself not excited to play Tears of The Kingdom again.

Any games you’re disappointed in?

Not really… I can appreciate almost any game. I may find some games more enjoyable than others, but I never looked at a game to be disappointing. Disappointment comes with expectation. I just appreciate it for what it is. That is how I’m able to enjoy most things in life.

Do you prefer the 2D games or the 3D ones?

I have no preference. I can’t say visuals don’t matter, but the game just has to be visible. It’s the puzzles, the gameplay, etc. that makes games enjoyable to me.

Either way, what made you decide to start a YouTube channel?

After playing Breath of The Wild for some time, I eventually wanted to look things up. While I was able to find some of the things I was looking for, the videos were not so clear. Also, there were things that I wanted to look up, but no videos for them. So I randomly thought “I could make videos like this.” Then the pandemic happened. Because I was not working, the YouTube channel became my pandemic project. I then learned so much about gaming, “YouTube-ing,” streaming, social media, and I just kept going.

Did any other creators inspire you here?

I wouldn’t say any creators necessarily inspire me; however since I do use YouTube regularly, when I watch videos, I now pay more attention. I watch what creators are saying, what they’re doing, how they edit, and things like that. If there are larger creators that I watch, I see them as better than I am. I try to learn from the things they do that make them a bigger channel. With that said, I make sure I do everything I can to be myself and make the content I want to make.

What made you decide to make it a Zelda channel?

As I mentioned earlier, I chose to do YouTube because I thought it would be something I can do. I like to help, but I chose Zelda specifically because I’ve always enjoyed Zelda. Additionally, I feel that Zelda will never stop. I hope I will always have content to make for a very long time

Either way, some of the most popular videos you have involve you trying to truly 100% complete a game, by getting 999 of every item. What’s the process like for doing that?

I never thought it was necessarily possible, but I would try to do this with all games I play. I don’t actually do it all the time, but both the process and the goal makes it fun for me. If there are achievements in games, I try to do them all. If there’s items to collect, I try to collect them all. If there are missable items, I want to find them.

Do you plan to do it for every Zelda game you play?

The dream is to do that, but I don’t believe it’s actually possible. While I do enjoy the process, sometimes I feel like moving on and trying it in another game.

There are also a fair few guides too, like for farming materials. What sort of research goes into making those?

Google, research and experimenting. I’ll watch videos, read some things, and then try it myself. In my videos, I try my best to answer any and all questions and possibilities that may come up. I want to 100% my videos too. If I do a “how to” video, I hope no one comments with “what if…” I hope to have all those things answered and explained in the video. Frankly, I believe I spend too much time on research and experimenting, but I try to make the videos as best as I can.

Do you prefer farming materials ‘legitimately’, or using things like dupe glitches and IST to speed it up?

Both. First playthroughs, I try to do things on my own and see if i can figure them out. After the game is done and I feel like I’ve done many things, I start to play with glitches. Regarding Zelda Breath of the Wild and IST, the glitch was discovered later. I haven’t even learned it myself too well. Doing everything legitimately doesn’t necessarily prove too much since some glitches take an effort in their own way. However, learning the legitimate way is important because I want to help those who want to do it that way.

Either way, glitches are quite a big part of the channel. How do you learn about those? Presumably via the speedrunning communities for the games?

A little bit of everything. YouTube, google and lots of experimenting. I try to experiment a lot, take notes on the difficulties I have trying these things, and explain them. If I find a video on YouTube explaining how to do a glitch, I won’t just copy it. I do the glitches many times, and give my point of view, experiences and try to explain in my own way what helped me do the glitches the best.

Finally, there are also various other guides and tip videos too, like how to beat bosses, find certain items, etc. How do you decide what to cover here?

First, I think about the problems I have in games, and I then assume other people may have those same problems. Second, me being the person who wants to 100% the Zelda Channel, I want to do everything. In order to prioritise what I think should be done, I mention this strategy in my personal channel. I use socials like Facebook groups and see what are the most common questions people ask. I then make videos for those problems. This way, each time someone asks those questions, I link them to the video. It was a great strategy I did during the pandemic. I helped the person asking the question and also, I got some impressions from others who are probably reading through the comments.

What videos are your favourites so far?

Naturally, my favourite ones are the ones that I put the most work into. They don’t necessarily get me the most views, but they were the most fun to make, and I was happy to upload them. Like most content creators, some people won’t recognize the small edits, yet it’s something to be proud of when you see things work out. This is how it is with most of my TRUE 100% checklist videos.

Any you’re not entirely pleased with?

Not necessarily. If the video didn’t do well, either I didn’t do the things I needed to do to make that happen or aren’t popular subjects. Usually I know this before uploading the video. If a video isn’t doing well, it enables me to look at it and try to figure out how I can be a better content creator.

Regardless, your audience is very pleased with them, since you’ve got over 200K subscribers as a result. Are you surprised that so many people like your work?

My work is more education based, than entertainment based. I believe I do my best explaining things, so I believe the content I share is valuable. With that said, I know the audience will be pleased with finding the information they are looking for. What surprises me is the number of people who have subscribed. I didn’t think this many people would enjoy the “collecting” side of these games. However, now that the popularity of Zelda games is dying out, I can see this subject slowing down.

What do you think struck a chord with so many people here?

I believe it’s how I explain what I teach in my videos. I take the time to figure out the right way to explain things, and look into errors that may occur. I read comments from other videos, look up questions, do the research and experiment for myself, and share it.

Is the channel your full-time job?

This channel is not my full-time job. I am still a ballroom dance teacher by day, and a Zelda player by night.

Now that Echoes of Wisdom is on the horizon, what plans do you have for that game? Do you plan to make guides for it, or collect the maximum amount of every item in the game?

That is the plan. I would love to make a full guide on where to find everything. Hopefully, people will be interested in watching my journey as I experience going through the game and trying to 100% it.

What other types of videos are you interested in making?

I really enjoy the collecting part of a game and doing everything the game has to offer. This is why I make these videos. I also have a personal channel where I share some of my content creating experiences to hopefully help others. I also share some personal life things in case people are interested. I always try my best to just make a video that I would like to do rather than what I think people would like to see. This way, I can enjoy the process.

Have you considered making channels for other series, like Mario, Metroid or Pokemon?

It crossed my mind for other games, but because of the amount of hours in a day and my enjoyment, I chose Zelda.

Are there any other creators you want to work with, perhaps on a collaboration video?

I am open to collaborating, but finding time to do so can be difficult. I have collaborated with a few others. Kleric has helped me with one of my videos, and I once did a small interview with multiple Zelda YouTube channels: Mr A Game, The Basement, dannydinosaur, to name a few. We explained our favourite Zelda games and hot takes. That video didn’t do so well, but that might be because my channel isn’t known for that type of video. I’m open for more, but with channels that take “YouTubing” seriously.

Finally, what advice would you give someone wanting to start a YouTube channel and why?

The YouTube advice I would give is to dig deep and find out why you want to do it. Even if it’s for selfish reasons, be honest with yourself about why you want to do it. Next, think about how YouTube can help you get there. You might come to realise YouTube won’t be the answer. If YouTube is the way to go, then find out how to combine what you enjoy with what the audience will enjoy.

If you do what you think only the audience will enjoy, you’ll eventually stop enjoying the process. You won’t want to do it anymore. While it’s great to always do the things you enjoy, you must figure out how to make it transferable to an audience. Sure, “Let’s Play”s are easy to stream, but anyone can do that. Find out how you can make it fun, interactive and enjoyable for you and the viewers. If you’re giving directions, find out how to make it clear and easily understandable.

Finally, always be yourself, but always strive to improve yourself. Being yourself doesn’t mean leaving things as is. Get better at editing, speaking, or anything that involves sending your message to your audience.

Anything worth doing requires work. If you want to have a decently successful YouTube channel, find out the work that’s involved in having one. Learn from other YouTube videos and watch what other creators do. Don’t blame the algorithm or any YouTube rules. It’s YouTube’s game you’re playing, so figure out how to be good at it.

---

Thanks for the advice there! It’s some good stuff, and definitely worth listening to for anyone here looking to get into the whole YouTube game in 2024. So make what you’re passionate about, and put in the work to keep getting better. Otherwise, you’re probably going to hate the process sooner or later, and burn out on the channel thing as a result.

Either way, we’re happy to have got to talk to you about your channel Nikko! It’s been very interesting to hear about the effect the Zelda series has had on your life, and what it’s like running a YouTube channel with so many fans and viewers. Here’s looking forward to your Echoes of Wisdom coverage soon…

And here’s looking forward to other people’s thoughts on the interview too. So what did you think about it? Did you find our interview with Nikko an interesting read here? Did we ask the right sort of questions for an article like this? Or are there a few things we missed out?

Check out 100 Percent Zelda if you haven’t already, then leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!

100% Zelda Social Media Links

• 100 Percent Zelda on YouTube
• Nikko’s Personal YouTube Channel
• The 100 Percent Zelda Discord Server
• 100 Percent Zelda on Twitter
• 100 Percent Zelda on Instagram
• The 100 Percent Zelda Facebook Page