Does Zelda Die in Tears of the Kingdom? 

It's been a pleasure working together with the master! Thanks for having me on ^^

If she's alive, for the entirety of Tears of the Kingdom she won't be Princess Zelda. She'll be Queen Zelda.

“I am not sure you will be able to stop him” sounds an awful lot like a conversation between the two after ganondorf’s resurrection?

Another interesting point that wasn’t mentioned is that the torch she’s holding on her render can also be seen falling alongside her at the latest trailer (2:01), I doubt it’s just a coincidence

killing botw Zelda would be so cruel…. she’s straight up suffered so much of her life. from feeling worthless because she couldn’t unlock her sealing power, her efforts to defend hyrule backfiring and getting her father and her friends killed, being sealed up with ganon for 100 years, probably aware of how hyrule has deteriorated after the calamity… the girl deserves a break

3 Zeltik videos in 10 days. We eating good

I want it to be like a “split” type of gameplay. As in you play with Link above ground and in the sky, but then also switch every so often to the second quest with Zelda underground. That would be the most ideal thing for me

I usually never watch videos like this that try to theorize about the plot because I feel like most of them are just way too farfetched. When I see a Zeltik video about ANYTHING I just watch it because I know his videos are always interesting, well reasoned and written and cut in an entertaining way. Keep up the good work!

I think it's worth mentioning that the eye on Zelda's Sheikah Slate bears a striking resemblance to the goggles Purah and Robbie wear, and I think Purah mentions having (made?) her own Sheikah Slate. I think that's where Zelda's Sheikah Slate comes from: Purah made it. Dunno what implications that could have, but there you go.

What if Zelda's death is looped? Your first tear lets you turn back time a bit. Another tear lets you turn back a bit more. (Like upgrades in Prince of Persia) you enter the loop repeatedly until you can finally save her and break the loop. Zelda could die but she is always destined to return.

You mentioned the shrine of Resurrection and for some reason I have a feeling that the reason we see Ganondorf's Malice erupting out of the Great Plateau is that he will use the Shrine of Resurrection to restore his body.

I went from hoping Zelda would be playable, to hoping she stuck around to help with the journey and now just hoping she survives. If she dies I will not be ok

I think the shot where Zelda falls into the dark pit and disappears is probably from links nightmare in the beginning of the game and then when Zelda makes link take her to explore underground and when they find ganondorf and when Zelda starts falling link remembers what happened in his nightmare and catches her this time like what we see in the newest trailer. That’s probably why there’s two different shots of the same events in all of the trailers.

The zelda meeting a terrible fate line was the smoothest reference I've seen

@6:32, in that wall carving, that Zelda is not falling, but more like being levitated above the malice. When you're falling, your hair would be facing upwards. Not downwards. It almost looks like Zelda is being sacrificed in this carving. Of course, I could be wrong since we still don't have all the info about this story behind the wall carvings until we play the game.

Having Zelda tag along in Spirit Tracks is why it remains one of my favourites. It's so nicely done and really creates a relationship between them. I think it would be very fitting for this incarnation of the pair to have a similar situation.

In the latest trailer, we also hear Zelda speak after Ganondorf wakes up (saying she is not sure Link will be able to stop him). So if she died right when he woke up that would not really be possible...

New Sheikah Slate has a Lens of Truth-like-camera on it... Could it be that it's used to SEE the spirits hanging out on the right side of the underground "mushroom forest" clip? The closest thing to these spirits, the forms people take in TP when Hyrule is in twilight, required Wolf Link to use his Senses to see and interact with them. If Zelda does have her own side of the story, maybe one use of the new Sheikah Slate is literally as a fancy Lens of Truth, revealing things that you can't normally see - like the true forms of spirits. Plus, if it is Hyrule's underworld, where the dead roam... Zelda would have a lot to overcome, not just against Ganondorf, but against the people that she failed to save from the Calamity 100+ years ago.

Well now that the game came out I can comfortably say that she is basically the meme “well yes, but actually no”

I still can’t get over how well these videos are put together. The quality is just on another level. Great work you two!!

Are you going to make a part 3 to the classic enemies reimagined series? I would love to see more of your concept art. Maybe you could do the Gohma, Dodongo, Taurus, Bemos, Gibdo, Deku Baba, Dead Hand, Bulblin and Bulbo, Aeralfos, or Goriya, or maybe you could do items reimagined, like the hookshot.

Im sorry but if she dies, I'm going to lose my freaking mind. She needs to spend more time with Link especially since he put so much work into saving her in BotW. Just the thought of Link without her hurts :(

It never ceases to amaze me how zeltik can find the most hidden details that show so much

I think when she falls, it’s like when Gandalf falls in Fellowship of the Ring.

you focused a lot on zelda's slate in the newest artwork but you didn't even mention what she is holding in the other hand: a torch while it might just refer to the first trailer, it could also be an important clue to her being stuck underground

Great Video as always, points out a lot of keys elements and story pacing that I haven't thought about. Already saw MM's part of the collab, love you guys:)

13:45 love that you used “Great Underground Rivers” from Elden Ring for this part’s music 🤩

Zeldas new haircut could hint at that she might be playable and customizable too. Short hair makes helmets, hoods and hats "easier" to wear from a game design perspective. No need to animate big flowing hair under a hat for example.

i wouldnt be surprised if she becomes like a spirit that follows link around like spirit tracks, instead of just a text bubble and a blinding light

I really hope she isn't killed off. It would not only sour the ending of the first game but also prove that the creators don't know what to do with the series' namesake. Even if she's not playable, she should have an active role in the story.

I could see Zelda dying but eventually coming back to life with the Tears of the Kingdom. I also see that once Zelda is resurrected she is the one that repairs The Master Sword. Also my last theory is that the Wisps in the cavern is Zelda's body/spirit.

Just another great totk vid! Keep up the good work!

I believe "tears" refers to Sheikah/Zonai. The title of the game has always been a hint to the focus of the game's main mechanic. Through the newest trailer we see a lot of Sheikah/Zonai tech, which could be the main mechanic in the game. As in, you need to build and use Sheika/Zonai tech to progress the game. Sheikah is known to have an eye with a tear as a symbol, and they are known to be close connected to the royal family, which lines perfectly with "Tears of the Kingdom". Zonai then being an ancient version of the Sheikah.

small theory. in your last video from a couple days ago, you mentioned that the area with the weird tower thing would be the starter area, like the great plateau. well i think the shot where link opens the doors in the September 22 trailer is in that building, same how you leave the shrine of resurrection into that opening cutscene in the first game. thanks for this video Zeltik and keep it up!

Nice to see a cooperation of my two favourite Zelda RU-vidrs. Keep up the good work, guys! :D I really hope Zelda plays a significant role in Tears of the Kingdom. She is my favourite incarnation of Zelda by far.

My main worry isn’t for Zelda’s safety, I’m certain she’ll be fine by the end of the story, I’m worried about the possibility it will be like Spirit Tracks, and that Zelda will be resigned to being a spirit companion or something. My biggest wish for TotK is still that Zelda will be playable, without any asterisks attached.

Whenever Redeads are involved, there are usually dark caverns/Labyrinth afoot, so i feel that the cave system is real. What i want to see now is a redesign Gibdo, Floor and Wall Masters and a redesign Dead Hand. Really make us feel fear underground. I wonder if Poes will return and if that creature from the 1st trailer really is a redesign Likelike

Great video, thanks for all the content Zeltik!!

You are one of the best Zelda RU-vidrs, the amount of quality put into these is ridiculous and I hope once Totk comes out you'll still have amazing ideas.

We don't see Zelda after the fall but we do hear her: "Link, i do not think you'll be able to defeat him" It sounds like something she would say after witnessing Ganon's power (aka his awakening), and she also does not sound like a is a disembodied voice like during BotW when she is trapped in the castle. Zelda sounds like she is with Link and she comments on what has happened when Ganondorf broke the seal.

I love how you got a screenshot of zelda freezing in the mod where you play as zelda for the thumbnail

Im hoping the game takes inspiration from castle in the sky and Zelda gently floats to a subsurface realm to begin her own journey. I also hope there is a gorgeous island in the center of that vortex thingy

there was a post on the switch talking about the BOTW sale going out soon. I looked at it and the description of the Scavenge for Survival heading said: Cook meals, find outfits, and forge weapons to survive the wilderness. In BOTW we cooked meals and found outfits. but forged weapons? i don’t remember that. I think this could be some sort of description of TOTK that some how made it way in that description of BOTW. This could support the theory and hopes of forging weapons in TOTK. i really hope so.

It's pretty clear she won't die. We hear her say to Link that Ganondorf might be too powerful to be defeated, so they already encountered him and survived after the incident underground

By the way, them changing Zelda’s hair to short and bunched up would make sense from a programming perspective. Making player character animations for long flowing hair is absurdly hard as demonstrated by the Horizon team.

Very nice touch adding Elden Ring music when talking about TotK’s underground 👌

Great video! Playing BOTW last night, I realised that the Sky islands are referred to in the game, so we’re always planned! When you do a side quest at one of the stables, tying octo baloons to barrels. The child refers to the people that lived in the sky

Amazing video ! Can't wait to know if Zelda will be playable. I was kind of skeptical at first but now I think it could be a very exciting new feature !

Considering that Zelda is the reincarnation of Hylia and her sealing powers didn't fully awaken it could be a good theory, maybe it's something to do with her destiny in some way or another?

4:03 "But with Zelda meeting a terrible fate right at the start..." Very obscure reference, I love it. Clever. (I have no idea if its just a coincidence or not but its still very cool)

My two favourite voices in one video. The world needs more of this. :D

Such an amazing collaboration and video once again! I am curious, though… a lot of people seem to think TOTK will loop back to SS… but then how can the Zelda team explain the origin story (the three golden goddesses, the creation of the planet, the triforce, etc)? I’ve had such a hard time wrapping my head around this, and maybe I’m just missing the answer… but it’s going to drive me NUTS if this is a song of storms situation 😂

So, has anyone else notice with the Master Sword broken and his tunic singed and his arm damaged, that something overpowered the Master Sword, and it exploded in his hand? Causing him to look like that!

Another thing to mention is that time-reversal ability we saw in the E3 2021 trailer. It's golden glow suggests something more like Zelda's sealing power than Link's green Zonai power, which could point to some combination of their powers later down the line when they join back up. If you've played the new God of War games, it made me think of something like Atreus' arrow abilities/Freya's sigils when I remembered it after seeing the newest trailer. So far, its unexplained, and now that we've seen more of Link's arm and what it can do, it seems more out of place than before. I actually made a theory about this exact topic on Reddit, like, seven minutes before this video dropped, so I'm glad to see that I'm not crazy. Great video, as always.

This may be somewhat unrelated, but I am very happy to see that the Zonai will be expanded upon during this game. One of my favorite things post BOTW on RU-vid was all of the theory-crafting videos behind the identity of the Zonai tribe. Glad that Nintendo is going to be emphasizing on their importance in TOTK.

Zeltik uploading with TotK so close is such a serotonin boost keep up the amazing work man!!!

This is very interesting… I might have discovered something, if you look at the trailers for Tears of the Kingdom, some parts of it the sky islands aren’t visible, this makes me think that the whole cave incident is not in the beginning. I think it’s a bit later into the game when Link/you and Zelda find Ganondorf. Many people seem to think that the sky islands appearing has to do with Ganondorf’s supposed resurrection, and I agree. So I think, for a bit at least, you will be with Zelda when you start, possibly continuing to return Hyrule to its “former glory” like in the end of Breath of the Wild. But then something happens and you come across the caves and stuff. Anyways, if Zelda does die, it would be comforting to know you get to spend a bit more time with her, possibly uncover more of her and Link’s story…but hey, I could be wrong, it’s just a theory :)

I don’t think Hylia would let her die like that. Plus she can probably use her power to be ok idk. Not trying to cope but I don’t think they would kill her off like that.

Here from monster mazes vid! Love the collabs

You got me thinking there about the cycle, you also said certain things about the world beneath in the other video that triggered some thoughts. Having in mind that we expect breath of the wild to be at the end of one of the timelines (or the timelines combined). It may be far fetched, but what if the timeline is a cycle. So that means that tears of the kingdom is the last game, but also the game before skyward sword. It lines up with some background story of skyward sword (if you see it as one and the same era). For example the purification process of Zelda, she also chooses her champion/hero, meaning these are the same customs as in skyward sword (which aren't used for ages, actually skyward sword till breath of the wild). Also the only games in which Hylia is that prominently present is in the beginning of the timeline and in the end (even the 3 dragons). The fissure and the demons below the ground happend in the past, but what we have seen from the trailer could also happen in tears of the kingdom/the near future (because of the timeline cycle it would be the same event). Malice is also coming out off the ground like in skyward sword (if that can be called malice too). There are some gaps in this theory. One of them for example the goddess sword (and others obviously). I've been thinking about the goddess sword and had this idea spinning in my head. The master sword really broke this time so it no longer exists and (together with the reawakened Hylia) out of the remains of the master sword the goddess sword is formed. Just some crazy thoughts. What do you guys think? Do you have some arguments to confirm/deconfirm this?

Nobody: Zelda: Fly, you fools.

Watching these theories _after_ the game released, it's fun to see where things are right, where they're wrong, and where we might still not be sure.

Can we all take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the intro graphic of zelink it is very well done

I was thinking that the game could open similarly to how Banjo-Tooie opened, with text on the screen explaining that the exact same amount of time had passed in the game's world as had in between the release of the two games in real life.

I really don’t think they’ll kill off Zelda. I do believe she’ll be playable and maybe we will need to switch to her in certain parts of the game In order for her to solve puzzles etc

You should make a video explaining the whole Zelda timeline cuz that would be way more helpful than me reading timelines online and having no idea what it means

Zelda dying after spending all of BotW "fighting Ganon" (a part they throw in to make her look like less of a damsel in distress than she functionally was in the story) would be infuriating. Let her be her own character, give her some agency. Not only would it make the end of BotW feel pointless but it would feel like Zelda is less of a character than a plot device.

I sure hope she doesn't die, or at least not in the way a character is simply off'd when there is no more need of a character in other shows, and what not. I do hope she's playable. I'm super excited to see what ends up happening. Thanks for the video

This is a very interesting theory and I'm really curious about Zeldas story in TotK. Regarding the survey, I got it as well and it was indeed from Nintendo themselves. Anyways, I like the idea of Zelda having her own journey to reconnect with Hylia and I really hope Nintendo won't just give her a little bit of lore and then show her at the end of the game like in BotW. I would prefer if she had an active role in the story this time around and we get to witness her point of view. Can't wait to play the game and I'm really hyped to know what story we will get.

Wow, I smell some major DLC coming our way. Great video!

Somehow I don't believe that it starts with them already underground. I believe they start in Hyrule castle or went to the Great Plateau and discovered that there is an area hinted in BotW and then venture to the underground. I also think after she falls into the river of malice she becomes corrupted but the power she no longer felt reawakens.

Good news guys. Zelda is not dead, i clearly saw him in the new gameplay as the main character.

My theory is that link has to use his "reverse time" ability to safe Zelda from falling down, which would explain why her hand is soaring up to Links right arm. Yet it wouldn't make sense because this arm hasn't absorbed the green energy yet, but I think they changed this detail of the cutscene since then, just how they changed the Bokoblins horns.

Giving the fact that Zelda had an entire background and progression in BOTW lore, visible in books and memories, I would really be disappointed if she wouldn't play a major role in TOTK. After being stucked with Ganon during 100 years, it would be annoying to have another "inactive" Zelda like we already had in past Zelda games. Furthermore, Nintendo have the occasion to give her even more evolution, so I'll hope she's gonna live something important during the game, playable or not. I'm pretty sure Zelda will not die, it would be too dark for Nintendo, but maybe we'll have some surprises ? But yeah, I also thinked about SS Zelda that had a wonderful journey, and it would be so cool to have that kind of Zelda !

From the eshop screenshots we can see the tower that everyone thinks is a dungeon, and i agree with that theory. But i realized something when i saw the eshop photo where its present. It looks like the boss of the dungeon will take place on the roof, since it looks like there is an arena at the top. You can also see it in your trailer analasys video when covering the new screenshots its around 23 minutes or so.

I feel Zelda will have more of a role than in any previous Zelda game. The picture of her with her own Sheikha slate, it gives me the feeling she will be low-level involved lol. My husband thinks she'll possibly be involved in some puzzle solving with he slate, or something where she's not playable, but she can help you in tasks? But I'd love her to be playable. My daughter would too. But we'll see.

Tears of the Kingdom seems like it has a lot of references to Skyward Sword. I’m getting chills just from watching this video, and I’m sure I’ll cry when the game gets released.😄

I was watching a comparison video between BotW and TotK. During the scene where the malice is firing out of the giant blood moon the section of the plateau is not only a different climate (in BotW it's snowy), the walls are also undamaged! Whether this is restoration, a flashback or even time travel who knows, but figured it was a curious detail you'd be interested in! Personally my guess is that its a recollection of the first time Calamity Ganon attacked, possibly its a cutscene near the beginning of the game to show us the origin of Calamity Ganon, forming from the malice coming from Ganondorf's body? That's speculation but who knows!

oh i really hope we get to play as zelda though i would really like to not be limited to small story only segments, but rather a full choice between link or zelda once reuinited, maybe first you're link for a bit, and then zelda for a bit and then you reuinite and you can choose who to be whenever you desire, maybe you need some shieka tech to solve a puzzle, or zonai tech for it and you gotta swap for said puzzle but mostly the choice is yours overall, that'd be the ideal way i could imagine it.

personally, i don't think zelda is dead, but it would be a great twist in the series that i certainly wouldn't be opposed to. it'd be different, but different isn't always a bad thing! nonetheless, i'm very excited and curious, to find out when totk releases. so many questions and theories waiting to be answered. :)

In retrospective: Kind of

Nice Video. But I find it interesting that in the recent trailer in the ultra short clip clip with the white dressed figure is movement in the background. Some sort of pedestal or fountain and left and right huge beiings or machinery that moves with ornaments resemblings some of the carvings. No one adresses this.

Using the Great Underground River soundtrack from Elden Ring during the "underground/underworld" regions is clever 😁

Gosh, your videos just make me so excited for the future of The Legend of Zelda going forward. No matter how the story unfolds.

I think the reason why they choose to cut Zelda's hair short is because long hair would be difficult to animate as a player character! Can't wait to see

Always go to you for Zelda info. Others get some other theories they just make me think twice

It would be pretty cool to have zelda with sheikah slate powers and link using the new powers (even if some of the sheikah ones would be redundant if they were together especially magnesis) link doesn't appear to have access to sheikah slate powers in the footage I've seen.

Another thing to mention. Zelda dying would certainly be a major story spoiler right? Do you really think Nintendo would outright show it to us in trailers? That'd be like if the BOTW trailers showed Link's death. I think the likelihood of it being a red herring or a temporary death kinda scenario is much more likely

I think "Tears of the kingdom" is referring to the malice dripping from the floating castle "tears of the castle or kingdom referring to the other floating islands.

Fantastic work! Thanks men!!

I said this to a collegue when we were analysign the trailer. Glad i was not the only one with this thought

She won't die. They wouldn't even give us a legit prequel game where Link kindof dies. She is really powerful, and she stayed alive this long. I highly doubt a fall is enough to finish her off. The Tears probably refer to tears of light or something that Link has to fetch to repair the master sword. We've seen Zelda fall from great height before, and she didn't die.

She falls down into Termina. The game is darker than Majora's Mask and more confusing if our protagonist is dead or not.

I think something similar will happen to her as Midna from Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword Zelda. Who knows, she could have her own journey/story, we may even take control of her for that part. We might have to visit the ancient Springs (like SS Zelda) or something close to that. There are a lot of possibilities. All the while we uncover more of Zelda's (back)story during the parts of the game we play as her. That would be nice. Since there's way more focus on Zelda, as shown in BoTW and mainly AoC, we could have an entirely new experience while following her adventure. Building more on the lore of TLoZ, Hylia, the Triforce etc. etc. In the end, the way Midna sacrificed herself, might happen to Zelda as well. Then she returns to her goddess form as Hylia. Hyrule may no longer have it's monarch, which also fits the title's meaning as stated in the video, I suppose. The Legend of Zelda may come full circle (serpent logo) and Demise's curse will be stopped. I wouldn't mind if TLoZ took a completely different route with its plot after TOTK. Since the formula has been changed so much anyway and I think the TLoZ needs to do something new after this. Reasons I'm saying this; after TOTK we have visited the same Hyrule twice (we need either a completely new game further down the timeline or just visit a new kingdom in the world of Zelda with a completely different story, MM vibe?), I feel like we need a new villain after TOTK (Idk but I feel like when we get the next game and Ganon gets resurrected AGAIN, it's just too much. Although I guess if they make him human/hydrated he might be interesting). Those are just two points but yeah, the list can get longer, anway; a new spin on the TLoZ story is welcome

I feel like the beginning of totk has link and zelda trying to restore hyrule to its former glory but while going underneath hyrule castle to fix the mess, they find ganons body still somewhat alive with malice still in the area, showing that their fight isn’t over.

By Hylia She better not.....not after all the trouble.

Personally I think killing her off would just be a lazy excuse by Nintendo to put her out of the picture. And I think it would be a damn shame if they did this, considering botw Zelda is arguably one of the most interesting and empathetic versions of Zelda by far.

The designs of the Woman/Zelda/Hylia's jewelry is, from the top: An owl, a Boar, and a Dragon; each separated by a horizontal line of white beads. The tear drop shapes are the Boar's tusks. The dragon has horns and the whiskers of eastern dragons.

When she falls you can see some yellow particles around her. These look like the same ones that take link to fight dark beast ganon in botw. My theory is she didn’t die but rather was teleported by someone (perhaps a guardian angel of sorts)

The fact that we see her with a switch like sheikah slate in promotional art gives me hope that she will be playable. Somehow she survives the fall and communicates with Link via telepathy.