The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in every sense of the word, including the same map and the reintroduction of familiar companions. However, it wouldn’t be much of a continuation if there weren’t some major differences, and there are certainly enough to differentiate between the two games.
Hyrule has undergone quite the transformation courtesy of the Zonai’s reappearance from the skies, and Ganondorf has finally returned to a mainline Zelda game for the first time in a long while. And even the characters returning from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have undergone some significant changes, whether from growing up or being affected by the ever-changing environment of Hyrule.
10 Princess Zelda
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Legend of Zelda without the titular princess. Zelda looks slightly different in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, having opted for a shorter haircut and a different style at the beginning of the game. However, she soon undertakes an even more drastic change, having fallen into a void and seemingly back in time, becoming one with the Zonai in the early days of Hyrule’s creation.
It’s unclear exactly why Zelda has found herself stuck in a different timeline, but she soon realizes that she’s actually the Sage of Time with the power of Light, as Link discovers in a memory attached to one of the many geoglyphs found throughout Hyrule.
9 Link
Link is back, too, and is now sporting disheveled hair and a new arm courtesy of the spirit of Rararu, the first King of Hyrule. Link and Zelda first happen upon this arm in the depths of Hyrule’s Castle, where a mummified Ganondorf is being held by a magical, floating arm. As Link finds on his quest to find Zelda, Rararu sacrifices himself to save Hyrule during a period known as the Imprisoning War by sealing the darkness as the Sage of Light.
Rararu’s arm provides Link with a myriad of Zonai abilities, all of which help him on his quest as he scours Hyrule for clues of Zelda’s whereabouts.
8 Riju
The Gerudo leader Riju was one of Link’s companions in Tears of the Kingdom, helping Hyrule’s Hero in gaining access to the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. But, as if that threat wasn’t enough, she and her people are now facing another threat in the form of a sand shroud that has decimated Gerudo Town.
As she figures out how to deal with the latest catastrophe, Riju soon learns that she is the Sage of Lightning and must use her power to defeat whatever is causing the Gerudo Desert to become an inhospitable place. As always, her personal bodyguard Buliara is by her side and helps in directing Gerudo’s warriors in defeating the onslaught of threats to the town.
7 Tulin
Son of Teba, the young Rito warrior Tulin, wants to prove himself to his father and the rest of the Rito. He soon has the opportunity to do so when Link appears at the village’s aid as it's wrapped up in a ferocious blizzard. The Rito are struggling to maintain a steady stream of imports as the town has become inaccessible, so it’s up to Link and Tulin to find out what’s causing the sudden drop in temperature.
The duo soon finds the answer in the skies above the Hebra Mountains, and Tulin also discovers that he’s the Sage of Wind. The young Rito’s ancestor gives him a sacred stone which amplifies his ability to produce powerful gusts of wind at will.
6 Sidon
Prince Sidon, the younger brother of the Zora Champion Mipha, quickly became a fan favorite in Breath of the Wild. He’s back once again in Tears of the Kingdom, and the soon-to-be-married royal prince has to deal with an onslaught of sludge falling from the Sky Islands above Zora’s Domain. Sidon’s father, King Dorephan, has been gravely injured by a monster from this sludge from the skies, so it’s up to Sidon and Link to figure out exactly what is going on.
In the process, Sidon realizes he has an even more important role than he thought, as he is the Sage of Water. And much like his sister, Sidon holds the power to manipulate water. While Mipha was able to use it as a healing power, Sidon can create a shield around Link, who can then wield the water as a long-range elemental force.
5 Yunobo
The Goron Yunobo was mysteriously missing in the promotional material for Tears of the Kingdom, primarily due to a drastic change in character. When Link meets Yunobo once again, he’s been taken over by the marbled rock that has plagued the rest of the town. That is, only the adults – the children and elders are spared as they can’t quite crunch down on the extremely hard rock, including Bludo - Yunobo’s old boss.
After a brief battle with Link, Yunobo comes to his senses and heads out with Link to find the source of this plague. Like Link’s other companions, Yunobo becomes the Sage of Fire and helps Link with his ability to smash even the hardest of rocks.
4 Teba
In Breath of the Wild, Teba aided Link in his mission to free the Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Having taken over the mantle of Rito Elder from Kaneli, Teba is a little preoccupied with worrying about his son, Tulin, and his headstrong nature. But after Tulin proves himself in stopping the blizzard plaguing Rito Village, Teba and his wife Saki couldn’t be more proud of their son.
Teba is so proud of Tulin, in fact, that he gifts the young Rito warrior with his cherished bow - one that players will be familiar with from Breath of the Wild.
3 Impa
Having supported her people in Kakariko Village during the events of Breath of the Wild, the century-old Impa is on the move in Tears of the Kingdom after becoming fascinated by the geoglyphs that have popped up all over Hyrule. With the help of her assistant Cado (the Sheikah who adores his Cuccos), Impa leaves the village in the very capable hands of her granddaughter, Paya.
Despite having the new mantle of village chief thrust upon her quite suddenly, Paya has grown into the role with ease. She, too, has an assistant, a man named Tauro, who happens to be the leader of the Zonai Survey Team.
2 Purah
Like her younger sister Impa, Purah has been working for Hyrule’s royal family since Zelda was a child. Her support hasn’t wavered since then, and she’s been helping Zelda in her research of the Zonai people. Purah has resituated herself from Hateno Village to Lookout Landing, situated south of Hyrule Castle.
Fans will remember Purah’s unique, child-like appearance in Breath of the Wild, resulting from haphazard de-aging experiments. In Tears of the Kingdom, Purah is back to her old self - in the sense that she’s not a child anymore. She is back to how she looked in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, 100 years before the Great Calamity took hold.
1 Robbie
Link first came across Robbie at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab in Breath of the Wild, where he conducted his experiments alongside his wife Jerrin, son Granté, and the Ancient Oven Cherry. Like Purah, Robbie has resituated himself at Lookout Landing and helped her invent the Purah Pad for Zelda’s research.
A beloved member of the Sheikah research team, Robbie’s work is invaluable in helping Zelda learn more about the Zonai tribe. Despite doing much of the work on the Purah Pad, he’s a little salty that it’s not named after him instead, though.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.