Highlights
- The Yiga Clan's return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom suggests Nintendo had bigger plans for them, hinting at potential DLC exploring their origins and history.
- The Yiga Clan has significantly expanded in Tears of the Kingdom , with outposts above and below ground, making them a stronger and more organized threat to Link.
- Tears of the Kingdom DLC could provide insight into the Yiga Clan's beginnings, task players with infiltrating their ranks, and reveal seemingly innocent characters who were secretly Yiga all along.
With a reputation stuck between formidable and comical, the Yiga Clan's return raises new questions in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, suggesting there is more to their story than what players have seen so far. Not only was there the revelation that Master Kohga had survived his Breath of the Wild fate and now leads the Yiga in plundering the Depths for Zonai devices, but the clan members on the surface have been equally busy expanding across Hyrule. But their improved role in Tears of the Kingdom seems to imply that Nintendo had much bigger plans for the Yiga Clan.
Provided that a rumored third Zelda game is just pure speculation and Master Kohga can dodge death a second time, potential DLC for Tears of the Kingdom could explore the Yiga in greater depth. Ranging from the clan's origins and history up until their present-day operations vying for Ganondorf's favor with a fierce hatred of Link, there is evidently much more to the Yiga Clan than just the banana-mad militia first seen in Breath of the Wild. So with Link now being the proud owner of his very own Yiga armor set, a Tears of the Kingdom DLC should let players peek behind the Yiga mask.
How the Yiga Changed Between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
Between their involvement with the Gerudo and random encounters with clan members across Hyrule, the Yiga Clan wasn't a major component of Breath of the Wild. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has significantly expanded the clan with numerous outposts both above and below ground. Master Kohga himself serves as a four-stage boss utilizing the game's new Zonai devices. Ultimately, the implication is that in spite of Calamity Ganon's defeat and their leader presumed gone after Breath of the Wild, the Yiga seems to have rallied regardless and become stronger, more organized, and an even greater threat to Link.
It is noteworthy, however, that despite their origins as rogue Sheikah assassins and thieves, the Yiga have become solely focused on mastering Zonai technology. Given that the Sheikah were responsible for Breath of the Wild's technology, it's possible the Yiga have capitalized on their ancestral technical insight to hijack the Zonai devices with the level of proficiency seen in Tears of the Kingdom. But equally, with the length of time that must have passed between the Yiga's formation and the present day, it's just as likely that their members are little more than common criminals and took advantage of the Depths' abundance of Zonai devices.
Tears of the Kingdom DLC Could Showcase the Yiga in all their Glory
With their presence reaching from the Depths up to multiple areas across Hyrule, Tears of the Kingdom DLC could find a new antagonist for Link after Ganondorf's defeat and bring an end to the Yiga Clan once and for all. While Master Kohga might have been defeated, there still remains an unknown amount of Yiga forces hidden throughout Hyrule, but with Link acquiring his own Yiga disguise a DLC story could task players with infiltrating their ranks to take them down. In doing so, Tears of the Kingdom could provide literal insight into the Yiga's beginnings and the true scale of their operations.
Moreover, with Tears of the Kingdom's spy thriller DLC could deliver a story dramatically revealing that seemingly innocent characters were secretly Yiga all along, further explaining why the clan continued to grow even after Breath of the Wild. In keeping with Master Kohga's boss battle format, the DLC could also introduce mini-bosses of Yiga piloting all-new Zonai constructs each time Link exposes one of them throughout the story. Additionally, as the Yiga haven't yet appeared in Hyrule's skies with their Zonai vehicles, the DLC's ending could even borrow from Ganondorf's final phase and culminate in an aerial dogfight between Link and the Yiga.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.
