The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has captured the attention of video game fans not only with its expansive open world and limitless possibilities, but also with its story. Like with any Zelda game, the characters and plot of this adventure continue to flesh out the world of Hyrule, particularly when it comes to the background of certain characters.
Whether these pieces of lore were revealed in previous games, or discoverable through forgotten memories and hidden diaries, they offer a lot of insight into the various characters that Link encounters throughout Tears of the Kingdom. These facts about different characters in this game are some of the most interesting that players have found.
Spoilers ahead!
8 Zelda's Birthright
In both Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, Princess Zelda plays an integral role in the stories despite not being present for most of Link's adventure. In Tears of the Kingdom specifically, Zelda has been whisked away to Hyrule's past, becoming a key player in the uprising of Ganondorf before turning herself into the roaming Light Dragon.
However, players learn more about her past in diary entries from Breath of the Wild. These diaries fill in missing information from the various Forgotten Memories in the game. Zelda was born with sealing powers passed down from her mother, who died when she was seven, but had to learn to control them on her own to prepare for the arrival of Ganon.
7 The Rise Of Ganondorf
As revealed in the Dragon's Tears memories from Tears of the Kingdom, Ganondorf wasn't successful at first with his attacks against the kingdom of Hyrule. As revealed via flashbacks, Ganondorf's invasion with Moldugas was halted by King Rauru and the Seven Sages, resulting in Ganondorf's pledge of fealty, invoking an iconic moment from Ocarina of Time.
However, just like in Ocarina of Time, this ends up being a ruse to get close to the Hylian royal family. Ganondorf ends up betraying King Rauru, claiming one of the Secret Stones and using it to become the Demon King. He was finally defeated and imprisoned by Rauru in a sacrifice, manifesting his hatred into Calamity Ganon thousands of years later.
6 Last Of The Zonai
Although the Zonai are an ancient race that seem to have impacted the land of Hyrule for thousands of years, when Zelda returns to the kingdom's foundation, she discovers that the race haven't been around for even longer. As of those flashbacks, King Rauru and his sister, the brilliant Mineru, are actually the last remaining Zonai in Hyrule.
It is said that the Zonai descended from gods, originally living in Sky Islands before coming down to Hyrule to help establish the kingdom. It's unknown if, after Rauru's sacrifice, any Zonai are left living. But at the very least, they left behind a rich amount of advanced technology, and complex labyrinths, as well as powerful weapons and armor for Link to acquire.
5 Impa And Link Go Way Back
Although the Sheikah elder plays a much more limited role in the story of Tears of the Kingdom, she's a big part of Breath of the Wild. Residing as chief of Kakariko Village, Impa welcomes Link back from his hundred-year slumber to discover that the former knight of Zelda has lost all his memories, leaving her to remind him of his past with Zelda.
However, a much younger Impa appears in the spin-off title Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which takes place one hundred years in the past when Link and Zelda first assembled the Champions. She's actually the one who first gives Link the Sheikah Slate, though her attitude in the past is much more clumsy and precocious than she is in Breath of the Wild.
4 Purah Is Over 100 Years Old
Purah plays a much bigger role in Tears of the Kingdom than she did in Breath of the Wild, as a scientist investigating the mysterious Upheaval. However, this time around she looks much older than she did in the previous game. That's because her appearance in Breath of the Wild is the result of an aging rune experiment; Purah is actually 124 years old.
Due to this, Purah is actually the oldest Sheikah alive, even more than her scientific rival Robbie. In fact, Purah and Robbie working in different labs during Breath of the Wild is a result of their longstanding rivalry that dates back 100 years, as well as the hope that at least one of them would still be alive when Link awoke from his slumber years later.
3 Paya's Hidden Feelings
Paya plays a minor role in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as the granddaughter of Impa. While she mainly plays the role of Impa's caretaker in the former, in the latter she's actually been promoted to Kakariko Village chief. Though she's mostly uninvolved in the goings-on of the story, she shares an interesting connection with Link.
By sneaking into Impa's home at night to read Paya's diary uninterrupted, players can discover that Paya actually has feelings for Link. Through the various entries, she comes to terms with these feelings and ultimately decides it's best not to pursue them. However, she continues to pray for Link's protection and offers him a place to recuperate.
2 Riju Struggles With Leadership
Another returning character from Breath of the Wild is Riju, the Gerudo chief who aided Link in calming the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. Though she's only a teenager, she has incredible resolve and is ultimately a strong leader for her people. However, her diary will also reveal her insecurities about having inherited the throne at such a young age after her mother passed away.
By the time Link re-encounters Riju in Tears of the Kingdom, it seems these insecurities have gone away. Riju has become an incredibly formidable and courageous leader. Link even finds her training to take on Gibdo while the citizens of Gerudo Town safely shelter in a system of tunnels underneath the zombie-infested village.
1 Sidon, The Childhood Troublemaker
It's not very surprising that, out of all the characters who appear in Tears of the Kingdom, Prince Sidon is the one with a bit of a troublemaking past. As the younger brother to Mipha, the former Champion who died fighting Calamity Ganon, Sidon became something of a leader in the wake of his sister's death, eventually making him a respectable Zora king.
As fans of this era of Zelda will discover in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Sidon's youth often got him into some pretty tough situations. Though his bravery as an adult Zora makes him a fierce warrior, it did almost get him killed by a Lynel before Link and his friends rescued him. If only Mipha stayed alive to see the hero her younger brother would become.