The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s latest trailer didn’t reveal a ton of concrete details, but the title alone provides grounds for speculation about its plot, including possible connections to pastZeldagames likeSkyward SwordandTwilight Princess. So far, theBreath of the Wildsequel has already presented itself much in the same way as past games likeSkyward Swordthrough its emphasis on sky islands and aerial adventures, butThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommay have more connections at hand than that. The title strongly hearkens back to pastZeldagames with tear-centric imagery, particularlyTwilight PrincessandSkyward Sword.
Shared imagery betweenZeldagames is nothing new. Emblems ofthe Triforcepervade the franchise, even when the Triforce itself isn’t central to the story, and lots ofZeldadungeons put their own spins on dungeon ideas passed down through generations of the franchise. Still,Tears of the Kingdom’s emphasis on tears is a little more niche. Tears have cropped up as important artifacts in a few pastZeldagames before, but now it sounds like they’ll take the forefront in a new way. Link will likely have to collect mysterious tears scattered around Hyrule, and these tears could relate to similar collectibles from Link’s past lives.
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Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess' Tears
Skyward Sword’s use of tears had a decidedly divine quality to it. Over the course ofSkyward Sword, Link had to complete various Sacred Realms created bythe goddess Hyliato acquire artifacts that helped him navigate the world. To complete the Sacred Realms, Link gathered Sacred Tears, each of which was associated with one of Hyrule’s Golden Goddesses. Collecting the Sacred Tears represented Link’s own spiritual growth, but the connection toZelda’s divine forces remains important too. This may not be the last time that Link needs to find the tears of the Goddesses.
Before the Sacred Realms,Twilight Princesshad its own take on divine tears. Whenever this incarnation of Link entered an area shrouded by Twilight, he had to help the local Light Spirit by collecting Tears of Light stolen byZant’s minions. Once Wolf Link and Midna hunted all of these tears down, light could be restored to the land.Twilight Princess' approach to magical tears was certainly less metaphysical thanSkyward Sword’s, but similarities remain, especially since both games contained the tears in similar plant-like vessels.
Tears as holy symbols inZeldadon’t stop there, as the more obscureSpirit Trackshas its own Tears of Light that perform a couple different services. Between all of these titles, there’s a clear pattern to tear symbology in the series, as well as a strong new piece of evidence thatTears of the Kingdomhas something to do withSkyward Sword, Twilight Princess,or both. However, it doesn’t provide an obvious direction in whichTears of the Kingdommight go with the tear concept. Either physical objects or more mystical “tears” could crop up in the nextZeldatitle, although a completely new interpretation is possible too.
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What the Tears of the Kingdom Could Be
Perhaps the most obvious use forTears of the Kingdom’s implied titular artifacts would be something close toTwilight Princess' idea. In theBotWsequel,Calamity Ganon’s Maliceseems as potent as ever, meaning Link and Zelda may need to find new divine relics to banish the threat for good. Much like how collecting Tears of Light banishes Zant’s influence inTwilight Princess,gathering special tears inTears of the Kingdommight drive back the Malice once again and purify Hyrule little by little.
A more spiritual take likeSkyward Swordcould be interesting too. Zelda’s struggle to use her divine powers is a significant subplot inBreath of the Wild,soTears of the Kingdommight feature Zelda redoubling her efforts to draw on the goddess Hylia. In the process, she and Link might need to complete divine challenges similar to the Sacred Realms, this time to prove Zelda is worthy of her divine task as Hyrule’s leader, rather than focusing on Link’s growth.Princess Zelda’s role inTears of the Kingdomremains mysterious, but the murals in the new trailer at least suggest that she might have another grand destiny ahead of her.
Although either of these options are plausible,Tears of the Kingdomcould certainly have surprises in store. The titular tears might not be quite so mystical at all.Breath of the Wildput a huge emphasis onSheikah relics and technology, soTears of the Kingdom’s title might reference some important Sheikah artifacts that Link and Zelda need to find. Alternatively, Link and Zelda might need to create some tear-like relics themselves to protect Hyrule, possibly repeating a historic event depicted inTears of the Kingdom’s murals.
Tears of the Kingdom Inherits Tradition
Whatever Nintendo has in mind this time,Tears of the Kingdominherits a clear tradition of tear symbology in the franchise. The longstanding connection to godly forces makes it seem unlikely that divinity has nothing to do with the game’s title, but the game has lots of routes to choose from. Drawing onSkyward Swordmay ultimately be the most likely possibility, sinceNintendo has hinted at the return of Fiand borrowed other ideas fromSkyward Swordalready. However, the new take on Hyrule in theBreath of the Wildfamily ofZeldagames promises that fans probably won’t just be running through familiar Sacred Realms a second time;Tears of the Kingdomwill likely have its own sense of spirituality.
Although the game’s title likely refers to physical artifacts in the way that titles likeSkyward Sword, Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time,and so on have done, it also sets a tone for the journey to claim these artifacts.Tears of the Kingdomis a remarkably mournful title for aZeldagame, even if it’s meant to be literal. Whatever form the tears take, Link and Zelda might have a grim task ahead of them that leans on tones previously found inMajora’s Mask,which fans have already comparedTears of the Kingdomto for years. IfZelda’s protagonists need to find divine tears like inTwilight PrincessorSkyward Sword,doing so could involve untold new tragedy for the kingdom of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleases June 15, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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