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With the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drawing closer, fans can’t wait to dive into Nintendo’s latest open-air experience. Boasting a new version of Hyrule to explore, the gameplay is bound to shine just as it did in its 2017 predecessor. But what the fans are waiting for the most is the story. The Legend of Zelda franchise is famous for its engaging lore, and Tears of the Kingdom cranks it up a notch.
From the revival of an ancient evil, to the resurrection of a lost group, fans have more questions than answers right now.
One of the most obvious is “Who revived Ganondorf?”. E3 2019 teaser reveals iconic villain alive again. We do not know anything about the reason behind this incident. However, this has not stopped speculations from arising.
Could Ganondorf’s revival be the work of Zonai in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Note: The following is speculation based on current story details and hints.
According to the E3 2019 trailer, protagonist Link and Princess Zelda can be seen exploring Hyrule Castle, apparently in search of someone or something. They find what they are looking for: Ganondorf’s shriveled corpse being revived by a ghostly green hand floating in mid-air. This brings up some questions: Whose hand is that? Why is it reviving the ever dastardly Ganondorf?
It’s hard not to be further confused when players realize that this is identical to the new hand that Link has. For those unaware, Link also covers his right arm in a dark red aura (known as Malice) emanating from Ganondorf.
Thus, the Hand seems to be more of a replacement, as it boasts a few tricks up its sleeve. Perhaps literally so, this time with a variety of new magical abilities at the protagonist’s disposal in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Ether arm has some kind of ridges that go down to the elbow. However, it seems that there is another character with similar traits. As seen on the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom download card from the Japanese retail store, we get our first look at the face behind the masked Zonai from the official trailer 3. The upturned arm appears for the third time on this new zonai. Individual.
As such, all three appear to be related, and perhaps, are closely related. The continuation of the green color in this game may indicate this. It is a dominant color that features prominently throughout the game, from revival magic to various Zonai structures such as enemies and equipment. According to the depiction of the statue, even Link’s arm is likely Zonnai technology.
For those unaware, the Zonai were a mythical tribe that was wiped out before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, it appears to play a major role here. This is seen with the existence of Zonai architecture and technology, especially robots called Constructs. Defeating them can cause them to drop an item known as a Zonai Charge, which confirms the return of the magic-wielding tribe.
But it remains to be seen whether they are directly or indirectly contributing to Ganondorf’s rise. While it’s also unclear how they make their way to the present (or future, from their perspective), we should find out more when the game launches. The Legend of Zelda: Tear of the Kingdom is coming to Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.