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Tears of the Kingdom to Feature Answers to Lore

BY Arvyn Braich September 21, 2022

In the last entry to the Zelda series, Breath of the Wild, we learned about a new race of residents living in Hyrule called the Zonai. However, Nintendo deliberately chose not to reveal much information about this mystery group. Instead, they left the origins of the massive bones as a mystery, along with details about how these creatures lived. However, the sequel game, Tears of the Kingdom, might finally answer some of these burning questions. In the most recent trailer for the game, Nintendo deliberately made a few hints that appear to reference these creatures. As such, we might learn about the Zonai in this sequel game.In Breath of the Wild, we never see the Zonai in the flesh. Like most real-life ancient civilisations, the only reason we know of their past existence is from the things this group of people le behind. For example, you can see scattered remains of animals like owls, dragons, and boars across Hyrule. You might think these are just pieces of scenery – but no. All of these statues came directly from the Zonai civilisation.Looking closely at these structures, it appears that they reference Hyrule’s three shines and elements of the famous Triforce. For example, the dragon references courage, while owls refer to wisdom. Even Ganon gets a shoutout with the boar, representing power.

Additionally, their remains are in the Zonai Ruins. In Breath of the Wild, this is part of the Faron Region, and the Zonai helped to create the Hyrulian labyrinths. They also forged the Barbarian armor. Sadly, we know little else about the Zonai, but Tears of the Kingdom appears to change that.

Are the Zonai in Tears of the Kingdom?

Tears of the Kingdom Image: Zelda Wikia

Naturally, there’s no official confirmation if we’ll see the Zonai in Tears of the Kingdom. However, from the trailer alone, Nintendo has dropped quite a few hints, referencing this mysterious group. For example, in 2019, Nintendo released the first trailer for the then-untitled Breath of the Wild 2. During one of the scenes, we can see the carvings of the Zonai in the background.

In addition, the most recent trailer has more explicit mentions of the Zonai, including carvings. We can see Link go through a door that obviously has Zonai dragons on it. If that wasn’t enough, the very logo for Tears of the Kingdom appears to be made of interlocking Zonai dragons. As such, the Zonai will play an important role in Breath of the Wild 2. But how?

Unfortunately, that’s still unclear. At one point in the recent figure, we see a new person who Nintendo has not named yet. From their silhouette, it’s clear this person is a humanoid and has links (no pun intended) to flight. As such, they may be part of the Zonai group.

Even if this figure isn’t part of the Zonai in Tears of the Kingdom, they have an important role to play. After all, we see them twice in the trailer, with Link flying towards them at some point. They might even be a villain for Link to defeat, but we think that’s rather unlikely.

What is the Zelda Lore?

Tears of the Kingdom Image: Nintendo

With Nintendo dropping all of these hints and references, it would be rather strange for them not to include the Zonai in some form for Tears of the Kingdom. If the Zonai do appear, it would help Nintendo to tell quite the compelling story. After all, the game’s logo symbolises ideas of life, death, and rebirth. Including the Zonai in the game, a group of individuals we thought were long-dead, would help represent their group’s rebirth. Therefore, maybe the return of the Zonai will also include the return of abundant life to Hyrule.

Whatever Nintendo does with the Zonai in Tears of the Kingdom, it’s clear they want to expand the series’ lore – and for a good reason. It’s been a few years since we got Breath of the Wild, so plenty of fans are eager to play the next instalment. Whether or not that includes the Zonai is yet to be seen, but we’re certainly excited for this video game!

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Hi! I'm Arvyn, and I'm an English teacher from the UK. I've been teaching English online for over 4 years to students from all across the world and all ages. Outside of work, I'm a huge fan of reading, video games, and playing with my adorable kitties. See ya!