The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a new race, a tribe called the Zonai, and a mysterious new character named Rauru. The introduction of Rauru has larger implications for the lore of the series, connecting to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and marks the inclusion of a new culture for the Zelda franchise.
The Zonai were previously mentioned in breath of the wildbut the tribe (and the Rauru) play a very important role in the tears of the kingdom. Here is what we know about them and their leader.
Who are the Zonai?
The Zonai are an ancient race that Zelda says were once a prosperous society that lived in the sky and possessed godlike powers. Although Link first encountered the ruins of their civilization in breath of the wildwe never saw the Zonai or learned more about them until tears of the kingdom. In one of the sequel’s first cutscenes, Princess Zelda performs ancient glyphs that tell how the Zonai descended from the heavens and helped the Hylians establish the first kingdom of Hyrule.
Who is Rauru in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
In the English dub, according to the credits of the gameRauru is played by voice actor Chris Hackney, who has voiced characters in other popular media franchises like Hunter X Hunter (Ilumi Zoldyck) Fire Emblem Engage (Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddy), and Genshin Impact (Kamisato Ayato). Rauru is a Zonai who guides Link at the start of the game. He looks like a royal anthropomorphized goat.
He is the first Zonai we meet, and we meet him quite abruptly. After a calamitous encounter with a devious being beneath Hyrule Castle who resembles Ganon, Link and Zelda become separated from each other. Link awakens and gains a mysteriously modified arm that allows him to wield powers, similar to the runes of breath of the wild. After exploring islands in the sky, Link attempts to enter a shrine, but the seal rejects him. Link then turns around and encounters the ghost of Rauru, who tells us that Link’s strange arm once belonged to him, and that Link must restore his power to open the door. As we explore, Rauru shows Link the potential of abilities.
Rauru’s name also connects him to previous games. In other Zelda games, the Sage of Light is called Rauru. (Sages have appeared in several Zelda games, and generally speaking they have served the role of sealing away evil and protecting the Triforce.) Ocarina of timea Sage of Light named Rauru takes the form of an owl (his alter ego Kaepora Gaebora) and guides Link through his journey.
[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for the end of the story in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.]
In tears of the kingdom, Zelda accidentally time travels to Hyrule’s distant past. When she arrives, she meets Rauru. It turns out Rauru was the king of Hyrule long ago and served alongside a queen named Sonia. Together, the two identify with Zelda as the founding monarchs of Hyrule, and they help Zelda return to her time. Rauru is one of two Zonai living in Hyrule, and as we see Zelda’s story set in the past, we also see Rauru fight the rise of leader Gerudo Ganondorf.
