The promotional material released for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has revealed that the Zonai share a surprising number of similarities with Breath of the Wild’s Sheikah. Little is known for sure about the Zonai, the remnants of whose civilization could be found in BOTW’s Faron region. Now, however, new evidence hints at the nature of the ancient civilization and its potential role in TOTK.
The Zonai tribe presented an intriguing mystery in Breath of the Wild. Apparently long-since extinct, the ruined remains of their architecture can be found in Hyrule’s Faron region. The three Lomei Labyrinths, which each contain an Ancient Sheikah Shrine, also reward Link with a piece of the Barbarian Set for completing them. This garb is apparently Zonai armor, and the tribe is referred to in the item descriptions as “warlike.” Until recently, this was all that was known about the Zonai. Now, however, it has become apparent that the tribe is more than an archeological curiosity, and that the Zonai will be hugely important to TOTK’s plot.
Similarities Are Growing Between Zelda’s Zonai & Sheikah
There are many interesting parallels between what’s currently known about the Zonai and the Sheikah tribe’s role in BOTW. With the Zonai aesthetic clearly visible in TOTK’s various new vehicles, both tribes have clearly created relatively advanced technology in the past, perhaps even as allies if the Lomei Labyrinths are interpreted as collaborative efforts. Likewise, both tribes’ ancient technology simultaneously benefits and opposes Link. For example, it seems that the Sky Islands’ Constructs are Zonai in origin, given their Zonai Charge item drops, and they attack Link much like BOTW’s Sheikah-made Guardians do (although whether the Zonai robots have also gone rogue or are simply protecting the islands is unclear).
Sheikah Comparisons Could Indicate The Zonai’s Role In TOTK
In addition to this, Link’s new arm is also heavily theorized to be Zonai in origin, paralleling his prior use of the Sheikah Slate. Although it is unclear how exactly he comes to be in possession of it, it seems that he is severely injured by Malice at the same time that the Master Sword is broken in TOTK. The new prosthetic remedies this, and combined with the other parallels to the Shiekah, this suggests in turn that the Zonai may actually be allies of Link in some capacity. At the very least, he is evidently somehow able to make extensive use of their technology.
Of course, the Zonai are apparently extinct, which makes any deliberate aiding of Link seem unlikely. However, their technology could have been left behind as a contingency plan, similar to the ancient Sheikah tribe’s own Guardians and Divine Beasts in BOTW. On the other hand, if the unidentified person in the second full trailer is indeed a Zonai, as some theorize, then the Zonai may still exist after all. Although with that being said, the apparent inclusion of time travel in TOTK could also be involved in this Zonai’s appearance, or they could even be a ghost.
The emerging comparisons between the Sheikah and Zonai seem far too numerous to be simple coincidence. Although Sheikah technology endangered Link, it also ultimately allowed him to triumph over Ganon. Moreover, just as the ancient works of the Sheikah drove much of BOTW, now the Zonai seem to be having the same impact on Hyrule for TOTK. This in turn could indicate something about the true nature of the Zonai – although Breath of the Wild describes them as warlike, Tears of the Kingdom seems poised to show the Zonai in a more benevolent light.
Source: Nintendo of America/Youtube
