The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlearned more than a few lessons from its predecessor.Breath of the Wildtook the series in a brand-new direction, while still respecting many of the elements that giveZeldaits identity.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomfollowed a similar trajectory, and arguably took this design philosophy to its natural conclusion.
Forevery innovationBreath of the Wildmade, it would leave something else in the dust. While the structure of the main quest was ingenious for allowing players ultimate freedom to explore the open world, some felt that the narrative itself left something to be desired.Tears of the Kingdomlargely made up for this with a greater focus on story content in general. Although Zelda had some especially compelling moments for players to follow, the triumphant return of Ganondorf stole the show for just as many fans – and could set the stage for other villain makeovers.
Ganondorf’s Tears of the Kingdom Redesign Should Be Just the Beginning for Zelda Villains
Ganondorf’s Return in Tears of the Kingdom was a Long Time Coming
It’s by no means a stretch to say that Ganondorf is one of the single most iconic villains in gaming history. Ganondorf has served as the main antagonist of the series since its inception, when he was first introduced in his pig form as Ganon. It wasn’t untilOcarina of Timethat the King of Evil took on his humanoid Gerudo form. As with many of the otherelements thatOcarina of Timeintroduced, this redesign had enough staying power to become practically synonymous with the character.
Breath of the Wildis commonly seen as a drastic leap forward for the series, just asOcarina of Timewas in its day. Despite this, Ganondorf would only appear inBreath of the Wildas the newly introduced “Calamity Ganon”, who served little role beyond an intimidating final boss waiting at the end of Link’s journey.Tears of the Kingdombrought back Ganondorfwith a radical redesign, which also happened to be the first appearance of his humanoid form sinceTwilight Princess.
Twilight Princesswas first releasedin 2006, meaning players had to wait more than fifteen years before Ganondorf made his return inTears of the Kingdom. This may seem like an awfully long hiatus for a character of Ganon’s stature, and the wait was no doubt a major reason his redesign received such a warm reception.The Legend of Zeldafeatures plenty of other villains that deserve the same treatment, but there is one in particular who should make it on to everyone’s radar sooner rather than later.
Vaati Deserves to Return to The Legend of Zelda as a Major Villain
Vaati is the main antagonist ofMinish CapandFour Swords, which already makes him the second most recurring main villain inThe Legend of Zeldabehind Ganondorf. At first glance, this fact would only remind one of Ganon’s dominance over the series as a whole. Upon further examination, the subject of Vaati’s absence becomes more and more questionable.
Similar to Ganondorf, Vaati can assume a few different forms, including that of a Demon. However, Vaati’s differences from Ganondorf are much more compelling than his similarities.Ganondorf is the incarnation of evilitself, and will stop at nothing to obtain absolute power. By contrast, Vaati’s pursuit of power is shown to be a little more three-dimensional.
By revealing that Vaati was once the student ofLink’s companion Ezlo,Minish Capportrays Vaati’s story as one of tragic corruption. Unlike most of Ganondorf’s reincarnations, Vaati was not born evil. Players aren’t shown every step of his journey, but this only means that the hidden corners of Vaati’s backstory could be ripe for exploration.
After Ganon and Vaati, most otherLegend of Zeldavillainshave made only one appearance each. Plenty of them could likely headline another game, but the potential lurking in Vaati’s backstory makes him the most deserving candidate by far. After seeing howTears of the Kingdommade Ganondorf feel radically fresh, one can only hope that the series will take the same approach with a character who hasn’t had as much time in the spotlight.
