The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Every Returning Character From BoTW

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom returns to Hyrule in an unfamiliar state. Exploration now takes place on land and through the skies, meaning there are many more opportunities to meet the people and cultures carving out a safe space for themselves against the looming darkness. This guide outlines all the familiar faces in returning characters from Breath of the Wild that you can meet in Link’s latest adventure.

Related: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Reveals the Return of Ganon

Every returning character from Breath of the Wild in Tears of the Kingdom

In this list, we’ve collected every character in Tears of the Kingdom you can meet who previously appeared in Breath of the Wild. Check them out below if you’re excited about playing, have already begun your journey, and want to know who you’ll meet along your travels. Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t played or finished Breath of the Wild.

Most of the information in this list at the time of writing comes from the final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom. The list will be expanded upon once more information becomes available, and we get our hands on the game.

Calamity Ganon

The main antagonist of Breath of the Wild appears to have returned to fill the same role in Tears of the Kingdom. Ganon, also referred to as Ganondorf, is a staple of The Legend of Zelda franchise, and here he looks to be just as powerful as he was in his last encounter with Link. Worryingly, the strength he demonstrates makes him appear to have grown in power, resulting in a much more dangerous foe.

Link

Link, the hero of Hyrule and star of Breath of the Wild is back as the protagonist of Tears of the Kingdom. We don’t believe anyone expected this to change since he’s been the franchise’s protagonist since its inception.

Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is another character that’s appeared in almost every series entry. At the end of Breath of the Wild, she and Link were seen looking out hopefully over the lands of Hyrule. That hopeful period clearly didn’t last long.

Unconfirmed returning characters

The characters in the following list are those we’ve seen in Tears of the Kingdom trailers but don’t have evidence of their names in the game. These characters are only mentioned because of circumstantial evidence the community, or we have picked up on.

Barta

The Gerudo soldier at the back of the group in the image above could be Barta. She guards Gerudo Town and wields a Gerudo Spear in Breath of the Wild, the same weapon we see in this image. Her face covering is also very similar to Barta’s, if not the same.

Krane

Krane is a Goron who stands guard at one of the entrances to Goron City, which is where most Breath of the Wild players will have met him. The character in the image of several characters looks suspiciously similar, donning face armor similar to Krane’s.

Prince Sidon

Prince Sidon is the son of King Dorephan and brother to Mipha, a key Zora character in Breath of the Wild’s story. You can see the Zora in the image above wearing a similar crown to King Dorephan, which may mean this character is the new King of the Zora. If that’s the case, it’s likely this is Prince Sidon, though this hasn’t been confirmed at the time of writing.