The Legend of Zelda series is known for its cast of interesting characters who aid Link on his adventure, and the recent trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom seems to show that Link will need the help of allies more than ever. Aside from the return of favorites like Sidon and Riju, it seems that Link will have some new faces fight alongside him as well. Among these new allies is Tulin, the son of the Rito warrior Teba who aided Link in his previous adventure, but Teba's absence in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaves the status of the Rito up in the air.
Things have clearly changed around the land of Hyrule in the time between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom; not only has the landscape changed, but the people who inhabit the world as well. While the timeline for the game is not yet clear, enough time seems to have passed since the previous entry for a shake-up among Hyrule's tribes to occur. While the lack of Teba in the trailers for the game doesn't necessarily indicate his absence from the game entirely, the presence of Tulin over his father could have big implications for the fate of Rito in Tears of the Kingdom.
Tulin Replacing Teba in Tears of the Kingdom Could Spell Trouble for the Rito
The Rito are an avian species that make up one of Breath of the Wild's major tribes, and during the course of the game, Link works with the warrior Teba who acts as the protector of the Rito Village in place of the fallen champion Revali. Teba's son Tulin also makes an appearance in Breath of the Wild but is too young to be training with his father at the time. It's clear that enough time has passed by the time Tears of the Kingdom takes place that Tulin has had a chance to train with his father as he now wields a bow like the warriors of his tribe.
However, while the other allies from Breath of the Wild seem to be back in Tears of the Kingdom, Teba seems to have been replaced by Tulin. This begs the question of the whereabouts of Link's previous compatriot and Tulin's father in Tears of the Kingdom. The logical answer to Teba's location is in the seat of village chief of the Rito after his heroics in the previous entry, but there is also the possibility that Teba met a more sinister fate.
Perhaps the cataclysmic events that prompt Link's journey in Tears of the Kingdom led to the death of Teba, forcing his son to take up arms to avenge his father. While Tulin clearly knows how to wield a bow, he still seems to be too young to use it properly, suggesting a need for him to take on the role of a warrior before he was fully ready to do so. If the Rito's protector Teba has fallen, then perhaps the rest of the Rito clan is also in danger, which could become an important plot point in the upcoming game.
Although it would be a surprise to see a major tribe all but wiped out in a Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom seems to be pushing the envelope in a lot of ways, so it wouldn't be out of the question for it to follow this darker route. Despite Teba's absence in the trailers, he could still be very much a part of the final game since Nintendo has been doing a great job of keeping major plot points for Tears of the Kingdom under wraps. However, given the presence of some of the other champion's descendants from Breath of the Wild and the young age of Tulin, the Rito may be harboring a darker fate than players expect.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
