The reward for completing all the Zonai Shrines inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomfollows closely in the footsteps ofBreath of the Wild, by gifting players with a new armor piece that holds some impressive lore significance. However, instead of giving a small amount of backstory to this currentincarnation of Link inZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Aspect of the Hero armor set gives fans a look at a mysterious part of Hyrule’s past that hasn’t really been explored yet.
In the process of revealing the Ancient Hero inTears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has also opened the door for a host of other questions about the ancient past and the fate of the Zonai. Some of these questions might point towards another sequel to thisBreath of the Wildseries within theZeldafranchise, or more likely a path for new DLC to take in the most recent title.
RELATED:Where Tears of the Kingdom Lands in the Zelda Timeline Explained
Tears of the Kingdom’s Aspect of the Hero Introduces a Whole New Wrinkle in Hyrule’s Past
The Aspect of the Hero is aunique armor piece inTears of the Kingdom, in that instead of being one part of a set, it automatically covers all three gear slots and transforms Link’s entire model to look like a completely different character. This new character model is also confirmed to be the same hero who held the Master Sword against Calamity Ganon in the story ten thousand years beforeBreath of the Wild’s own Calamity. It’s a look at a new character that had never appeared in the series before and one that those early fan theories had assumed to be some version of Ganondorf thanks to the unique features of his red hair, green skin, and the jewel on his forehead.
While the Aspect of the Hero finally gives a face to history, the actual design of the character appears to raise more questions than it answers, due to how unique he appears to be. Some have begun to assume that this Ancient Hero is a Zonai or one of their descendants, especially considering the fact that he appears to not only be wearing theZonaite Armor set inZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but the helmet that Link can acquire seems to be based on him. However, the origins of the Ancient Hero are unlikely to be that simple, as while he does share some of the animalistic features of the Zonai, his snout, ears, and presence of a tail are completely different from the two Zonai shown inTears of the Kingdom, Rauru and Mineru. Considering that these two are also claimed to be the last of their race, that wouldn’t quite fit the Ancient Heroes lineage.
Exploring Pre-Calamity Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom’s DLC
With the Aspect of the Hero dropping the Ancient Hero’s model intoTears of the Kingdom, it is more than likely that the character will be further explored in the future of the series. While another fullBreath of the Wild-like gamewould certainly be welcome, his presence in this latest game could instead be pointing at future DLC. Similar to howBreath of the Wildfurther explored the Calamity itself through theChampions' BalladDLC, Nintendo could be setting up a view of the past when this Ancient Hero wielded the Master Sword against Calamity Ganon.
This would be a great chance to explore this Ancient Hero character some more, without making an entireLegend of Zeldatitle that doesn’t star Link as the main protagonist. Reliving his memories through a similar context asTears of the Kingdom’s Dragon Tears, players could better understand who this Ancient Hero is and what his ties to the Zonai and even Ganondorf are. It is also the biggest hole in the history of Hyrule at this point, which would make it the perfect time period to explore next.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now for Switch.
MORE:Elden Ring’s Map Lacks The Best Thing About Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
