Just under a month away from the highly anticipated release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a new trailer has shown off more of the game's story than any previous material, including several returning characters from Breath of the Wild. A rare direct sequel in the Zelda series, Tears of the Kingdom continues the story of its predecessor, placing Link back in the same open-world, post-apocalyptic Hyrule, with what looks like a bevvy of major changes to keep the game fresh. First revealed in 2019, Tears of the Kingdom is shaping up to be a massively ambitious game, well worth the wait.
Despite having been teased by Nintendo several times, the story of Tears of the Kingdom has remained mostly a mystery, with most of the game's short teasers, trailers, and gameplay showcases keeping many aspects of TOTK tightly under wraps. Whereas new powers, enemy types, and the game's floating sky islands have all been known features for a while, past trailers have provided only slight hints at the game's plot. With the release fast approaching, however, the final pre-release trailer for Tears of the Kingdom has at long last revealed more, including several popular characters returning from Breath of the Wild.
6 Link
To no surprise, Link returns as the protagonist and main playable character of Tears of the Kingdom, and while his combat and exploration mechanics remain similar to BOTW, TOTK also gives Link plenty of new abilities, seemingly courtesy of his new mechanical arm. Expanding on Link's climbing and gliding, Tears of the Kingdom will give him the ability to fuse objects together to craft new weapons, arrows, shields, and even entire vehicles for traversing through water or air, perfectly suiting the game's floating sky islands and greatly expanding the options for both exploration and combat. Moreover, unlike in BOTW, Link seems to get to keep his memories this time around.
5 Zelda
While mostly sidelined in Breath of the Wild with much of her presence relegated to optional flashbacks, Zelda seems to be taking on a somewhat more active role in the story of Tears of the Kingdom, with the game's most recent trailer featuring her prominently in what seem to be story-related cutscenes. Along with her new look, Zelda's more pronounced role in pre-release material has even sparked some hopes that she might be playable in the game's full release - although this has yet to be confirmed one way or the other.
Interestingly, however, despite indications that Zelda might be reprising her perennial role as a damsel in distress, the final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom seems to suggest otherwise, despite her separation from Link in what appears to be an early part of the game. Cutscenes, presumably from later in TOTK, separately show Zelda interacting with a currently unknown character, holding the Master Sword, and awaiting Link at an unknown location, suggesting that she has a larger role to play in the game's story than in BOTW.
4 Calamity Ganon Returns As Ganondorf
Despite the defeat of Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, the latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom finally confirms that its mysterious villain is in fact Ganondorf. Contrasting the explicitly monstrous and (for most of the game) mostly formless Calamity Ganon of BOTW, TOTK's Ganondorf takes the form of a more humanoid Gerudo, mirroring the villains past appearances in previous Zelda games like Ocarina of Time. Interestingly, promotional art for the game shows TOTK's Ganondorf as taking somewhat of a departure from past Gerudo designs, with an exposed chest, ponytail, and a large katana.
Additionally, in further contrast to the Calamity Ganon of BOTW, which was an evil threat with little to no personality behind it, TOTK's trailers indicate that Ganondorf will be much more of a character than a generic evil to be defeated - in no small part due being fully voiced for the first time in the Zelda series. Much like the first game, Ganondorf is likely what sets the plot of TOTK in motion, with his revival setting the stage for the rest of the game to take place - and, like Calamity Ganon, Ganondorf is likely to be Tears of the Kingdom's final boss (although hopefully less disappointing).
3 Prince Sidon
As one of Breath of the Wild's most popular side characters, it's not surprising to see the return of Prince Sidon. Perhaps more surprising, though, is what seems to be his new role in gameplay, as TOTK's last trailer shows him fighting an enemy alongside Link as a companion character - a major expansion on his relatively minor role helping against the Divine Beast Vah Rutah in BOTW. Keen-eyed viewers may also be able to spot a crown on his head, as well as a mysterious "tear" on the back of his hand, suggesting that he may have a significant role to play in TOTK's story.
2 Riju
Out of the confirmed returning character, Riju gets what might be the flashiest entrance in the new TOTK trailer, as it shows her dual wielding scimitars while lightning crashes down around her. Although not explicitly shown doing so, it's likely that she will be able to fight alongside Link similarly to Sidon, with potentially even the ability to replicate the Urbosa's Fury power from the first game. Along with the mysterious structure shown rising out of the sand in the Gerudo Wasteland near the start of the trailer, it's likely that, along with Sidon and the other Champion descendants, Riju will have a more pronounced story role in TOTK.
1 Tulin
While some fans may not recognize Tulin as a returning character (or at all), his place in the final TOTK trailer places him as something of a stand-in for his father, the more familiar Teba, aiding Link in what seems to be sky-based portion of the game, and even being present for the appearance of a giant new boss monster. Of course, this is a major step up from his BOTW appearance, where many players are likely to not even have encountered him or the archery-based minigame that he provides. With Teba suffering from an injury in BOTW, it's likely Tulin is stepping up in his place.
With less than a month before the release of Tears of the Kingdom, more news on the game's story and characters is a welcome hype booster, especially with much of its pre-release promotional cycle having been especially secretive and vague. While some characters, like Yunobo or Impa, are conspicuous by their absence in the game's final trailer, there's still likely a huge amount of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that will remain a secret until the game's launch.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube
