Many different races have been introduced throughout the history ofThe Legend of Zelda, but the immense variety the franchise displays also seems to obscure a much darker truth. The world of Hyrule holds a remarkable level of nuance when it comes to worldbuilding, both in terms of explicit detail and those that are inferred by implication. Arguably one of the most depressing facts of the franchise’s treatment of its various races is one such implication, a looming shadow that seems inescapable for many of Hyrule’s people.
TheNPCs met inZeldagamescan often be undeniably strange people, with both individuals and entire species being characterized mainly by their quirks. However, although manyLegend of Zeldaracesare easily recognizable for their roles in multiple titles, not every fictional species introduced to the franchise enjoys the same level of attention. In fact, plenty ofZeldaraces have not been part of a game’s cast for many years, which has arguably contributed towards a depressing hidden truth for the franchise.
The Legend Of Zelda’s Races Constantly Go Extinct
There Is No Other Way To Account For All The Disappearing Races
There are many races that appear only in one or twoZeldagames, with Hylians themselves arguably being the only true constant throughout the franchise. Although in some cases, later absences can be explained by the races in question being depicted as living away from Hyrule (such as the Tokay and Subrosians met in theOraclegames’ Labrynna and Holodrum), not all species enjoy this glimmer of hope. Instead, it seems thatthe only logical conclusion is that many of these less prolific races have gone extinct, at least within the borders of the kingdom.
Although someZeldaraces have become recurring parts of Hyrule, such as the Gorons and Zora, many more appear only in a single game. Perhaps most prominently,Skyward Swordis the only title to feature races like the Kikwi, Parella, and Mogma. Ultimately, the true fate of these races is uncertain, but it is clear that they no longer exist in Hyrule in any other part ofThe Legend of Zelda’s timeline. Similarly,the Ancient Robots of the Lanayru Desert are shown to be effectively deadthemselves without access to Timeshift Stones.
One striking addition toBreath of the Wild’s version of Hyrule is the existence of three enormous Leviathan skeletons, remains which undeniably prove the extinction of a whale-like species at some point in Hyrule’s past.
Notably,Tears of the Kingdomdirectly shows the final stage of the Zonai’s own undeniable extinction. Long after their ancestors arrived in Hyrule, King Rauru and his sister Mineru (the last two Zonai known to exist) die in the past visited by Zelda. Although both characters do initially linger as spirits, they clearly move on to the afterlife as part of the game’s conclusion. With the Zonai’s own extinction as such a prominent example in the franchise, it becomes much easier to consider how the same fate may have befallen other Hyrulean inhabitants.
No Explanation Is Given For Hyrule’s Missing Races
The Mystery Makes It Easy To Infer The Worst Scenario
When a race vanishes fromThe Legend of Zelda, it is hardly ever noted and the reasons, if any, for their absence are left a mystery. Even the precise reason for the Zonai’s own decline is left unclear, as their numbers were clearly decreasing long before Ganondorf acted on his ambitions. Instead, people observing the way Hyrule changes between titles can only theorize about the impact of environmental changes, as well as the potentially disastrous effect Ganon or other major villains may have on the population.
There is also the possibility that many missing races may have simply left Hyrule, perhaps to escape the recurring threat of Ganon. There are several knownZeldasettings outside of Hyruleitself which could easily prove to be desirable destinations for such an exodus. This could also explain how some races can survive to reappear after long absences, like the Deku Scrubs inEchoes of Wisdom. However, the fact thatTOTKsuggests more than one Hyrule existsin the franchise’s history lends just as much credence to the idea that Hyrule’s long list of disasters proved deadly to many races.
Cutting One Classic Zelda Species Made Echoes Of Wisdom Better
It’s fun seeing classic species from the Zelda series return, but the decision to leave one out of Echoes of Wisdom opened up a better opportunity.
Although it is always possible that any givenZeldarace could make a comebackin future titles, this does not explain where they may have gone in the meantime. Instead, the more the number of species known to have inhabited Hyrule at one point or another grows, the less likely it is for them all vanishing from the kingdom to have purely peaceful explanations. Instead, it seems much more plausible for a much darker fate to have befallen these racesin the unseen spans of history between each title.
Hyrule Is So Old It Forgets Its Own Extinctions
The Kingdom’s Countless Tragedies Are Quickly Lost To Time
Arguably the most tragic part of this likely list of extinctions is the fact that the absence of these races is usually never even referenced by the people of Hyrule. This implies that such events happened so long ago thatthose who remain in the kingdom have forgotten that these other races ever even existed,unless they leave physical traces like the Zonai or Leviathans inBOTW. Of course, the the franchise’s split timeline does complicate matters in this regard, but at the very least the many races introduced inSkyward Swordreceive no later mentions despite their apparent prominence.
It is worth noting thatThe Wind Wakerdoes offer examples of races evolving instead of going extinct. Specifically,the Zora became the Rito, while the Kokiri became the Koroks. However, evolution is not used elsewhere to account for other missing races. Furthermore, althoughEchoes of Wisdom’s placement in the Defeated Hero timeline makes the exclusion of the Rito perhaps less notable given their origin in the Adult Timeline, it also uses Deku Scrubs. Notably, the plant-like beings are not a part ofBreath of the Wild, which is presumably set later in the timeline, again implying extinction.
Echoes Of Wisdom’s Placement In The Legend Of Zelda Timeline Has Exciting Implications For The Future Of The Franchise
Nintendo recently revealed where Echoes Of Wisdom falls on the Zelda timeline, at it hints at an exciting future for the iconic franchise.
On the surface, it can simply be disappointing for a favorite race inThe Legend of Zeldato not make it into a new game, but this constraint of game development carries dark implications for the series’ canon. It is difficult to see so many different races abandoning their home over the years, which leaves the explanation that they did not survive the intervening years between one title and the next. As a result, the history of Hyrule seems to be littered with extinctions, which occur on a timescale so vast that surviving races like Hylians inevitably forget their once-neighbors.
