Highlights

  • Tears of the Kingdom introduces an active Sheikah settlement in Kakariko Village, unlike previous Zelda games.
  • The Kakariko Village in Tears of the Kingdom has shifted in importance and serves as a starting point for a quest but is not essential to the main storyline.
  • Throughout the Legend of Zelda series, Kakariko Village has always been associated with darkness or shadows in some way, and Tears of the Kingdom continues this theme.

Across the Legend of Zelda series, there have been plenty of iconic locations that crop up repeatedly. Locales like Death Mountain and the Lost Woods have been around since the original NES Zelda, and have persisted until the latest entry, Tears of the Kingdom. Their varied iterations have drawn in many different fans over the years, helping each Zelda title establish its own identity. Even in the wide-open spaces of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, these memorable places still endure with their own strengths built on what came before them.

One of Tears of the Kingdom’s takes on an older Zelda setting is its Sheikah-dominated Kakariko Village. First introduced in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Kakariko Village has long been a place of both refuge and hidden darkness, either literally or metaphorically. As it is in Tears of the Kingdom, Kakariko Village is typically associated with the Sheikah tribe, an ancient clan of ninjas loyal to Hyrule’s royal family. Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko is arguably more out of the way than most, but it has plenty of similarities to past Kakariko Villages as well as qualities that make it unique.

kakariko village represented in breath of the wild
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What Makes Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko Village Stand Out

The Kakariko Village shared between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom has several qualities all to itself. Most notably, there has never been a Kakariko Village shown to be an active Sheikah settlement before Breath of the Wild. Even Ocarina of Time, which takes place after Impa opened her ancestral village to regular Hylians, only shows Impa temporarily staying in Kakariko, and no other Sheikah are seen besides the wandering Sheik. This is reinforced by BotW and TotK's village adopting historical Japanese designs for its buildings, as opposed to the medieval architecture common to not just Tears of the Kingdom's other towns, but every other Kakariko iteration as well.

Differences Between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko Village

Speaking of distinctions, Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko Village has a few compared to its counterpart in Breath of the Wild. With the establishment of Lookout Landing, the “home base” where Tears of the Kingdom players should head first has shifted away from Breath of the Wild's Kakariko and Hateno Villages. Major quest giver Impa and Kakariko's nearby Fairy Fountain have both moved as a result, removing most players' motivations to visit Kakariko.

They are eventually given a reason near the end of the main quest, as Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko uniquely hosts several ruins that are either low in the sky or have fallen outright. Players can use this as a jumping-off point to find the fifth Sage, though it's entirely possible they have done so already, and thus would never need to visit Kakariko. It's an odd reduction of one of Zelda's most common recurring areas, but it does help Tears of the Kingdom's journey through Breath of the Wild's Hyrule chart a different path.

Tarrey Town, Rito Village, and Hateno Village
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Tears of the Kingdom’s Kakariko Village Is Less Important Than Most

Kakariko Village establishing shot with a dew houses and business visible

A Kakariko Village with minimal plot relevance is a far cry from the series’ norm, as it's often not just a mandatory visit, but a mechanical and narrative touchstone. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past establishes Kakariko as the main town, and its Dark World equivalent also hosts one of the game’s dungeons, Thieves' Hideout. A Link Between Worlds operates the same way, though considering the game’s status as a sequel to ALttP, that should be expected. Even after Ocarina of Time introduced Hyrule Castle Town, Kakariko is not only connected to many areas Link needs to visit, but eventually becomes Adult Link’s hub town once Ganondorf conquers the kingdom.

Twilight Princess' Kakariko Village lies on the way to Death Mountain just like it's OoT counterpart, and shares its role as a frequent story stop. Visiting Kakariko isn't necessary in Breath of the Wild, but it's suggested to players after the tutorial, and initiates the true ending-relevant Memory side quest. One more mandatory instance of Kakariko exists in Four Swords Adventures, but it isn't like the rest. Four Swords Adventures is a linear, level-based game, so players will arrive at it eventually, but its biggest similarity to any other Kakariko is being set on fire like Ocarina's take. Otherwise, it embodies Kakariko Village's other common theme far more literally than its peers.

Kakariko Village Always Harbors Some Sort of Darkness

Kakariko Village may not always be tied to the stealthy Sheikah, but it is always associated with shadows of some kind. In Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, that connection is as simple as being inhabited by the Sheikah themselves, albeit ones with downplayed ninja traits. Ocarina of Time makes this more obvious, with Kakariko not only being the series’ first ancestral Sheikah home, but also hiding OoT's entire Shadow Temple beneath its surface. A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds both have prominent dark mirrors to their Kakariko's in the Dark World and Lorule respectively, and the first Twilight-claimed town entered in Twilight Princess is Kakariko Village.

Four Swords Adventures’ Kakariko Makes Tears of the Kingdom's Look Traditional

However, all of that pales in comparison to the Four Swords Adventures’ take, which is situated entirely inside a cursed, perpetually-shaded forest called the Dark World. This Kakariko also has a Shadow Temple nearby, but is itself such a hostile place that Zelda's traditional Kakariko Village music was moved to an earlier village level. Players even need to herd thieves into a pen in a twisted reference to OoT’s Kakariko Cuccos. Tears of the Kingdom's Kakariko Village just has a quest connected to the Spirit Temple in the Depths, but not every version of Kakariko needs to hide a dark secret.