The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Difference between revisions

** In addition to the Chuchus making a return from the last game, we have the Little Frox, little frog-like rock monsters found in the depths, and curiously the only mobs in the Depths with no Gloom corruption. Unfortunately, it seems the reason they were put there was to foreshadow the appearance of their big brother, who is... not adorable at all.

** Bokoblins. Be honest, it's hard not to love these guys, especially when you gain the Bokoblin Mask and are able to safely get close to them, especially iven how their actions at their strongholds when they don't know Link is watching - like dancing or squabbling with each other over fruit.

* [[Airborne Mook]]: One of the new enemies introduced in this game is the Aerocuda, which the Bokoblins use for transport. Not very formidable, they can be destroyed with one hit from an arrow. They can, however, attack Link when he’s using his glider or a Zonai-built flying machine, making them slightly dangerous there.

* [[Ambiguous Situation]]:

** Thanks to how surprisingly little this game touches upon the events of ''Breath of the Wild'', it's hard to tell what sort of relationship Ganondorf had with Calamity Ganon. Was he directly controlling it, or was it an independent manifestation of his rage and malice? If Ganondorf could see what was going on through Calamity Ganon's eyes, he sure doesn't mention it, and he doesn't recognize Link either (While he does recognize Zelda, {{spoiler|it's because he already met her in the distant past thanks to the game's [[Stable Time Loop]]}}.

** There’s also the issue of [[Ship Tease|the exact nature of Link and Zelda’s relationship]], where the story seems to be letting the players come to their own conclusion. Zelda was obviously using Link's house during the [[Time Skip]], as made clear when Link arrives at his house in Hateno that he could purchase in the previous game, but there is no confirmation that they were living together or if Link gave it to her. On one hand, the table is set for two people, and Link seems to have no problem using the bed (which can be used to restore his health) and Zelda would not have needed the secret study in the cavern underneath if she had the house to herself. On the other hand, none of the townsfolk in Hateno seem familiar with Link, implying that he didn’t spend much time there, and there’s a long sidequest where he seems intent on getting a new house in Tarrey Town, which wouldn’t be necessary had he been living in Hateno.

* [[Amplifier Artifact]]: According to Mineru, this is the purpose of the Sages’ Stones. They amplify existing power, but do not grant it. The new Sages (Tulin, Riju, Sidon, and Yunobo) use them to increase their own power and create spirit avatars of themselves to accompany Link.

* [[Anachronic Order]]: More than likely, the player will uncover the Dragon Tear Memories in the wrong order, making the flashback stories incomprehensible until they can all be viewed as a whole. In fact, it is possible the player can discover exactly what happened to Zelda long before the plotline that involves tracking her down is resolved. Of course, Link will never relate this information to inquiring NPCs until the plotline is resolved, suggesting that he is learning them in the correct order even if the player is not.

* [[And Your Reward Is Clothes]]:

** Literally every Misko quest rewards you with a piece of armor, and in some cases a matching weapon, such as the Fierce Deity Sword.

** Tulin was a hatchling in BotW, and his now an early adolescent, with "hair" tufts that make him resemble his father, larger wings, and larger eyes with noticeable sclera.

** The Blood Moon looks a lot larger in the sky and is far more detailed. Consequently, the normal moon is also larger.

* [[Ascended Glitch]]:

** In ''Breath of the Wild'', it was possible to construct flying machines with some creativity and Loophole Abuse of the physics engine, such as by stacking two minecarts together and then using Magnesis on the bottom one. The Ultrahand ability allows for such vehicles to be built deliberately, the developers going so far as to demonstrate the building of one during the March 2023 Gameplay Demonstration.

** A Frox shares traits of both a Hinox and Talus, it can be stunned by striking it in the eye or throwing an explosive into its maw, and the ore deposit on its back must be then be destroyed.

** Marbled Gohma can only be harmed by striking its huge, single eye; this requires Link to first use Yunobo’s charge attack to destroy two of its legs, which stuns it and makes it vulnerable.

* [[A Twinkle in the Sky]]: {{spoiler|Once Link defeats Master Kohga for the final time, he tries to attack with a barrage of missiles, only for them to backfire and send him rocketing out of the Depths [[Pokémon|Team Rocket-style]].}}

* [[Audience Surrogate]]: {{spoiler|The Yiga Clan seem to have a lot in common with the player regarding their experimentation with Zonai technology. The devices they have built are... unsubtle, but practical, and they tend to give their invention odd names that would not seem out of place among fandom. Also, their bases in the Depths have journals detailing their discoveries, much the same way a dedicated player would take notes on the exploration.}}

*** Downplayed with the Zonai Small Wheels. When used to build a vehicle, the vehicle is very fast, at least over flat ground. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the ground in Hyrule is not flat. The Large Wheels may be slower, but they are safer and more maneuverable.

*** The Zorai Cannon is one of the best Zonai Devices (see below) but while placing it on a sword (creating a magical boomstick) is outright hilarious, it not only eats through the batteries fast, the projectiles are very likely to hit Link if he tries to use it on a moving target. An immobile target is safer, like using it to batter down a breakable wall, but it’s much easier (and safer) to use Yunobo for that.

* [[Awesome Yet Practical]]:

** The Ascend ability. Use this and so long as there is a proper ceiling above Link and a space above it, he will phase through it and emerge above. You can use this to sneak into enemy encampments and get the drop on them before they can react, use it to ascend through caverns and find hidden caves, use them to make a quick escape from a cavern, or even use it at specific points in the Depths to access hidden areas on the surface, like the Underground Lost Woods, which is the only way to get into Korok Forest. Not exactly a flexible ability or one with much variety, but still incredibly useful.

*** The Homing Cart. These are [[Cute Machines]] which, if turned on, slowly wheel themselves towards enemies. On its own, this is useful as a distraction, because monsters will attack the cart, but cannot harm it so long as the battery has power, letting Link launch a surprise attack. Attach a weapon to it - like the Cannon or any of the Emitters - and you have a lethal combat drone to send after them! Of, and it wags its “tail” when there are no enemies for it to home in on. The Construct Head is similar, except it is a stationary rotating platform rather than a Cart.

** The Stal Horses were something of a novelty in the previous game; Link could tame them, but not keep them, as the Stables refused to house undead horses. While the same is true here, they have a useful ability if tamed in the Depths. They are not covered in Gloom the way most enemies in the Depths are and Gloom does not harm them, so Link can ride on them and gallop right over large patches of Gloom without taking any damage.

 

== B ==

* [[Beneath the Earth]] : One of the ways Hyrule was massively expanded was via the addition of the Depths, a subterranean realm roughly equal to Hyrule itself which can be entered via ominous chasms in the overworld. These dark caves have an alien ecosystem with a high monster population, strange trees and plants, giant mushrooms, Zorai ruins, and patches of the dangerous Gloom spawned by Ganondorf’s foul magic.

* [[Benevolent Architecture]]: Whenever you need to use the Ultrahand to construct something, the materials are usually close by. (With a sign saying anyone is welcome to take them.) The hard part, of course, is figuring out how to use them.

* [[Beyond the Impossible]]: {{spoiler|Mineru made it perfectly clear that draconification is an irreversible process, and given how scientifically inclined she is, it's not like she was making wild assumptions. Yet at the end of the game, Link is able to turn the Light Dragon back into Zelda through [[The Power of Friendship]] and [[The Power of Love]]... as well as with a bit of help from Rauru and Sonia.}}

* [[Big Bad]]: Ganondorf takes center stage as the game's main threat, and unlike his previous appearances? He's a flesh-and-blood Gerudo this time instead of a boar monster or an [[Eldritch Abomination]] made of Malice.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: {{spoiler| Downplayed. Ganondorf is dealt a crushing defeat, Zelda is restored to normal, Link's arm is restored, and the Sages swear eternal alliance, suggesting peace in Hyrule has been achieved at last. Sadly, however, Mineru, Rauru, and Sonia leave the mortal world forever - of course, given how long they’ve had to wait to gain their just reward, it seems fitting.}}

* [[Blackout Basement]]: The Depths are pitch-black. Instead of Shrines, they have Lightroots that Link must activate to transverse the eerie darkness.

* [[Blade on a Stick]]: Polearms return as weapons in this game, but Link can go [[Not Hyperbole]] here, using Fuse to attach almost any sharp object (like a Moblin Horn or another weapon) to a weapon to enhance it, creating a literal Blade on a Stick. You can even fuse a polearm with another polearm, creating a Blade on a Stick on a Stick!

* [[Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce]]: In one quest found in Lurelin Village, an NPC - Ralera - wants you to bring her Seafood Curry - made from Goron Spice, Hyrulian Rice, and any variety of Porgy. She’s happy when she gets it, but the spice is so overpowering, she needs Link to use a fan-weapon to cool her off!

* [[Bloodless Carnage]]: {{spoiler|In one of the flashbacks, Ganondorf murders Sonia, attacking her from behind, but no blood is seen for the rest of the scene, even as Zelda tearfully cradles her body. Judging by the sound effect, this was either a censored back-stab, or Ganondorf simply ''punching her hard enough to snap her spine''.}}

* [[Body Armor as Hit Points]]: Link can encounter Mooks wearing stone armor. This gives them a second life bar that Link first must destroy using a blunt weapon before actually lowering their health.

* [[Body Motifs]]: Hands. Symbolic of creativity, ingenuity, and cooperation, they play a major role in several parts of the story:

** Link loses his right arm, and gains a [[Magitek]] prosthetic; hand symbols mark places where Zonai technology is activated by a palm scan. The first skill he uses, Ultrahand, lets him move objects via telekinesis, and he can also learn Earthquake, a Yiga technique that lets him fight with bare fists.

** The opening cutscene ends with Link futilely trying to reach for Zelda with his damaged right hand as she appears to fall to her doom - he fails, and she vanishes into darkness. {{spoiler|At the end of the game, after Ganondorf is vanquished, they fall from Sky Kingdom, he reaches for her with his now-restored arm, succeeding and catching her, and they plummet into a lake below. Which is, in fact, a second Book End, as in the beginning of the game, he leaps off one of the Sky Kingdom’s islands and dives possibly a thousand or so feet into a lake below.}}

**Meta example; the music and odd chanting that plays during the Final Battle is the same as the music played at E3 in 2019 when the game was first announced.

* [[Bullfight Boss]]: {{spoiler|Yunobo}}; defeating him while {{spoiler|he's still under the mask's control}} is pretty simple, you dodge his charge attack, causing him to crash into a wall, which makes him dizzy and vulnerable; then hit him until he recovers, then repeat two more times.

* [[The Bus Came Back]]:

** Players might remember Calyban from ''Breath of the Wild'', a Gerudo who was binging on Hydromelons and carelessly throwing the rinds into the town’s irrigation canals. Here she’s older and looking for a boyfriend - believing she has found one when she meets Link…

** [[One-Scene Wonder|Magda]] the crazy flower lady returns too, and again, she will get upset if Link (or anyone else) steps on her flower bed. She is, however, thankful if Link uses a Zonai Hydrant to water her flowers, but if he tries to do so when it’s raining, she gets upset because he is over-watering them. There's also a picture of her on the wall of Link's house.

 

== C ==

** In one of the memories that shows Zelda receiving the Master Sword via Recall, she hears a female voice, assuring her that Link is still alive and urging her to find a way to fix the sword. It is heavily implied that this is Fi, the personification of the Master Sword, who appeared in ''Skyward Sword''.

* [[Cartoon Cheese]]: A new food ingredient, Hateno Cheese, a typical wedge of cheese with holes. It isn’t exactly the most useful ingredient, but one of the more interesting, as you can use it to make things like pizza and cheesecake.

* [[Catch a Falling Star]]:

** At the start of the game, Link tries to catch Zelda with his wounded arm, but fails. At the end of the game {{spoiler|after defeating Ganondorf, the last playable part has him try again while both are in free-fall. [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|This time, he succeeds.]]}}

** Nearly literal example, you can catch Star Fragments while they are in free-fall when Link is skydiving.

{{quote|"Za-pow!"}}

* [[Cave Behind the Falls]]: Many examples. In fact, you find the Vah Ruta Divine Helm behind a waterfall in a cave that is behind another waterfall!

* [[Cherry Blossoms]]: There is one cherry tree for each region, with an empty bowl at the base. Put any sort of fruit in, and Satori will appear and put large glowing wisps by all of the map region's cave entrances to show where they are.

* [[Chaos Architecture]]: Downplayed. Most of Hyrule does look the same as it did in the previous game, but the Upheaval has caused quite a bit of its geography to change due to the falling debris from the Sky Islands. There is also the matter of the complete absence of the Sheikah Shrines and Towers, an issue that is not addressed in the game.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]:

** When you first use the Purah Pad’s Camera function, there are already three saved photos - the ones Zelda took in the opening cutscene.

** Also, in the opening cutscene, Zelda can be seen dropping her torch when she falls into the abyss. If Link returns to that spot later and para-glides into the Depths, the torch is still there.

* [[Collection Sidequest]]: For starters, the Korok Seeds and Spirit Orb quests return (the latter called Lights of Blessing now, which are pretty much the same) but there is a lot more of both.

** Bubbul Gems, dropped by Bubbulfrogs, and there is one for every cave. Gather them and give them to Koltin to get unique items. Eventually, he will run out of items to give you, and the only reason to collect them is for completion’s sake. Well, that and so he can fulfill his lifelong dream of turning into a Satori for whatever reason. {{spoiler|Naturally, it fails... because he turns into a ''Blupee'' instead.}}

*** The same goes for many of the items they sell, including the Dark and Depths Armor sets.

** Link himself can gain many sinister-looking armor sets, like the Evil Spirit Armor, Dark Armor (makes him look like Dark Link), Phantom Set, Radiant Set, and Depths Set, but he uses them for good purposes.

** Also in the Depths are shadowy entities that give Link a weapon if he interacts with them; their basic shape seems to resemble Hyrulian Soldiers from previous games like ''Ocarina of Time''. {{spoiler|They don’t like the Yiga either, as the clan members can only see the weapon when they look towards them.}}

* [[Dark Reprise]]: The first time you visit any given area, the background music is gloomy and morose to reflect the crisis at hand. When the crisis is resolved, the music returns to the cheerier upbeat score.

** Happens when Hoz first sees Link - it takes him a few moments to realize who it is.

** {{spoiler|Master Kohga does this at least once when Link encounters him attempting to use a piece of Zonai technology. He mistakes Link for a Yiga Footsoldier and tells him to take over - and then it sinks in that it’s his hated enemy watching him.}}

* [[Dramatic Irony]]: When the Zonai ruins appeared among the clouds and started falling from the sky a massive effort was started to study and research them. However, from the point of view of the player, this research becomes obsolete fast, between Link’s ability to use the Zonai devices and the flashbacks from the geoglyphs. They do help a little due to their translations of the steles (which Link cannot read) but Link barely needs that to uncover the mysteries of the Zonai of his own.

* [[Dressing as the Enemy]]: {{spoiler|Once Link obtains the full Yiga set, he can pass as a Yiga and enter their hideout unnoticed, plus he can use it to prevent disguised Yiga attacks and ambushes. In fact, switching to the armor after a random ambush starts causes the attackers to cease and despawn.}}

* [[Disc One Nuke]]: It is possible to get the Champions Leathers armor very early in the game, once you finish the quest that activates the tower to Lookout Landing.{{spoiler| Simply brew a few Stamina Elixirs (easily done by finding a few Crickets) then use the Tower to launch Link into the air, and then use the Glider to fly to the front gate of Hyrule Castle. There are no enemies or traps there (yet), despite its significance to the end game, it’s perfectly safe now. Enter the throne room and light the braziers, and this opens a secret compartment where you will find the Champions Leathers.}}

* [[Dude, Not Funny]]: {{spoiler|Wearing a Yiga Clan uniform and talking to Sheikah NPCs will have them remark how Link's outfit is of incredibly poor taste and strongly recommend that he change into something more respectable. Trying it in Gerudo Town will result in the guards ''arresting'' Link, and refusing to let him out of jail until he takes it off.}}

* [[Dying Race]]: The Zonai are quite likely an extinct race judging by Ganondorf's passive-aggressive statements during one of the memories - {{spoiler|only Rauru and Mineru are still around, and both are spirits.}}

 

== F ==

* [[Fantastic Flora]]: In addition to the fruits and vegetables that Link can harvest and use, there is Sundelions, flowers found in the Sky Kingdom that hold solar power within, and are able to cure the debilitating effect of the Gloom. The Depths are covered with forests of strange twisted trees with fronds resembling peacock feathers, and strange purple grass. They're also gigantic mushrooms and weird fern-like plants.

**[[Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables]]: The stat boosting fruit and mushrooms return from the previous game (except Hearty Durans), with a lot of new ones appearing, such as elemental fruit that can be bonded to weapons in order produce bursts of flame, frost, electricity, water, or flashes of light. There are also muddle buds, whose pollen disorients living creatures, puffshrooms, whose spores create obscuring smoke, and the explosive bomb flowers.

** While it doesn't last, [[Stout Strength|Yunobo]] goes from a [[Cowardly Lion]] and bonafide [[Nice Guy]] to an abrasive, slimy [[Jerkass]] who gladly spreads the highly-addictive [[G-Rated Drug|Marbled Rock Roast]] throughout Goron City {{spoiler|because of Phantom Ganon's brainwashing via cursed mask}}.

* [[Feed It a Bomb]]: Much like Dodongos, you can do some serious damage to Froxes by hurling bombs into their open maws.

* [[Fighting a Shadow]]: The Phantom Ganons are, as Ganondorf himself claims, a puppet created by magic under his control.

* [[Fighting Your Friend]]: At Goron City, Link has to fight Yunobo {{spoiler|to free him from the evil mask that has rendered him brainwashed and crazy}}.

* [[Fling a Light Into the Future]]: A major point of the plot. Ganondorf was far too powerful for the sages to defeat, but they managed to seal him away, which they knew was a temporary solution. Knowing he would eventually break his bonds, they did all they could to leave warnings, instructions, and other aid through their descendants, in hopes Link could succeed where they failed.

* [[Floating Continent]]: The Sky Kingdom above Hyrule, an archipelago of floating islands holding ruins of the Zonai civilization

* [[Flunky Boss]]: Queen Gibdo. Like any queen insect worth her salt, she sics hordes of Gibdo drones on Link and Riju during her boss fights.

* [[Foreshadowing]]:

** The game's logo is an ouroboros symbol composed of two dragons eating each other’s tails. This foreshadows {{spoiler|the [[Stable Time Loop]] that leads to Ganondorf’s initial defeat 10,000 years ago and the conflict between him and Link in the present day, from the time-displaced Zelda’s point of view. It also predicts the [[Final Battle]], with Ganondorf consuming his Stone to become the Dark Demon Dragon and the aerial battle high above Hyrule where Link engages the villain while riding atop Zelda’s similar aspect of the Light Dragon.}}

* [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]]: In the opening cutscene, Link drops the Gloom-ravaged Master Sword in his attempt to catch Zelda as she falls; he doesn't succeed, but fortunately Rauru manages to pick the sword up.

* [[Free-Fall Fight]]: Colgera's boss fight mostly takes place in the sky, where a powerful updraft keeps Link afloat. Bonus points for being able to hurt the colossal monster ''by free-falling through its body!'' {{spoiler|The final battle against Ganondorf's Demon Dragon form also takes place high in the sky and through near-constant free-falling.}}

* [[Fungus Humongous]]: Towering stalks of fungi grow like trees in the Depths. The caps of this giant fungus can be used as platforms for Link to use with Ascend in order to reach high cliffs.

 

== G ==

* [[Gameplay and Story Integration]]:

** The grave injury Link suffers at the beginning of the game is the reason he cannot use the Master Sword, and his Heart Containers are reduced to three. {{spoiler|During the third phase of the final battle, much later, Ganondorf's gloom attacks are more lethal than normal, as they completely destroy Link’s heart containers, rather than render them unusable, meaning this damage cannot be healed at all. Fortunately, those lost Hearts are restored before the 4th phase of the battle.}}

** In ''BotW'', the mechanic where the Master Sword had limited amount of energy and needed time to recharge after losing it was mostly added for the sake of gameplay to keep the player from permanently losing the [[Sword of Plot Advancement]] by using it too much on common enemies. Here, it is formally established that the sword can regenerate damage over time, although the most severe of damage can take years, or even centuries to repair.

** {{spoiler|Master Kohga claims that after he and Link fought in the previous game, he was thrown into the Depths. Sure enough, if you go to the spot where that fight took place, the [[Bottomless Pit]] that was there the last time is now a chasm that leads to the Depths.}}

* [[Gemstone Assault]]: While the gemstones were either used to upgrade certain pieces of gear or sold to merchants for a ton of money in the previous game, in this one, they can be fused to weapons in order to create makeshift Fire/Water/Lightning/Ice Rods. In fact, these Gem-fused weapons replace the elemental rods wielded by the Wizzrobes outright.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]:

** The first Shrine you will deal with (where you gain the Ultrahand ability) has two iron orbs dangling from chains, with no real purpose other than to practice the ability on. Didn’t take long for many fans to notice that when both are attached together they resemble certain male reproductive organs.

** If Link tries to enter the Gerudo Shelter before getting permission from Riju (which requires doing part of the mainline quest) the guards will kick him out like they did in ''BotW'', but if the player decides to truly tempt fate and sneak in after taking off all his armor, they’ll actually throw him in jail until her gets dressd. (The snarky jailer saying, “I know the desert is hot, but it’s not ''that'' hot!") They aren’t the only female NPCs who will notice if Link is only wearing his skivvies.

** Also, items you can pick up from bedside tables in both Gerudo inns - Goat Butter and Oil Jars. Draw your own conclusions.

* [[Ghost Town]]: {{spoiler|This is the state Gerudo Town is in when you first arrive: unrelenting sandstorms and ferocious Gibdo have forced the native Gerudo into an underground shelter, allowing the creepy zombie-bugs to roam freely above ground as they try to think of a way to drive them off for good.}}

* [[Giant Spider]]: Marbled Gohma, who combines this trope with [[Giant Enemy Crab]] in true Gohma fashion.

* [[Glass Cannon]]: Royal Guard weapons once again, but now Gerudo weapons function in this way.

* [[Good Bad Bugs]]: One way to benefit from the Blood Moon is to save all your cooking until it occurs. Anything cooked between 11:30 and midnight on the night of a Blood Moon will be a critical and the results will be maximum efficiency, and it’s possible to see it around 10:30 or so. However, should you need more than 30 minutes to cook everything in your inventory, there’s a useful glitch that can help. When it’s 11:50, teleport to a Shrine and enter the Shrine. This will cancel the actual Blood Moon effect until the next night, giving you an additional 30 minutes to use the cooking effect.

* [[G-Rated Drug]]: Marbled Rock Roast, a suspicious-looking cut of maroon-colored Rock Roast that messes with the minds of Gorons that eat it. They tend to either become lazy and lethargic, or aggressively try to push it onto other people, but the unifying thread is that they can't stop eating the stuff, and end up with red eyes to coincide with their addiction.

* [[Grievous Harm With A Body]]: Hoblins and Boss Bokoblins often attack by throwing things at Link, usually rocks or explosive barrels; they also tend to throw the regular Bokoblins at Link if there’s nothing else to throw.

* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: During the main story, Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju will each accompany you to their respective dungeons and help you fight the monsters inside. While they leave your party once they awaken as Sages {{spoiler|aside from a few moments later in the story}}, they leave aspects of their powers with you that play the same role as they did.

 

== H ==

* [[Handicapped Badass]]: Link, whose arm had to be cut off and replaced with one of Rauru's due to the threat of Ganondorf's corruption infecting his entire body. While he starts off heavily weakned with his stats knocked firmly back to square one, he ends the game a bigger [[Badass]] than he already was in the previous game!

* [[Happy Ending Override]]: ''Breath of the Wild'' ended on a positive note, with Link finally rescuing Zelda and eliminating the threat that is Calamity Ganon once and for all. Peace seemed to have returned to Hyrule at long last, only for an even deadlier type of Malice to start leaking out from underground...

* [[Heavily Armored Mook]]: Two types of enemies come in armored variants, with the added durability you'd expect with the trope. One is [[The Goomba|Armored Bokoblins]]... and the other is [[Oh Crap|Armored]] [[Demonic Spiders|LYNELS.]]

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]:

** {{spoiler|In the backstory, King Raruru did this in order to seal the Demon King. He is still around as a benevolent spirit.}}

** {{spoiler|Non-lethal example, Zelda accepts a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] in the hopes of vanquishing Ganondorf forever. Trapped in the past, she consumes her Dragon Tear (the focus of her power as the Sage of Time), turning herself into the Light Dragon (an act that she had been warned with destroy her humanity) and then implants the destroyed Master Sword in her scales. Over the next several thousand years, the Sword regains its power and then some as she takes [[The Slow Path]] back to Link. Sure, there is a way to restore her to normal, after the final boss is defeated, but she didn't know that.}}

* [[High Altitude Battle]]: Thanks to the newfound emphasis on flying, several climactic battles take place high in the sky: Moragia is meant to be fought with a Zonai flying machine, Colgera is fought high above the Wind Temple/Stormwind Ark (which is itself ridiculously high in the sky), and {{spoiler|the Demon Dragon is fought in the sky as well}}.

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]:

** With his Recall power, Link can cause certain enemies and even bosses to be hit by their own attacks. Marbled Gohma is the most notable example, since launching its boulders right back at it is one of the few ways you can hurt it.

** Once again, this trope ends up being how {{spoiler|Kohga is dealt with at the end of his sidequest chain. His sloppy handling of a whole bunch of Zonai Rockets leads to him [[Pokémon|blasting off again]]. While it's unlikely that he's dead considering that he survived a far more definitive-looking "death", it's still enough to put him out of commission for the rest of the game.}}

** When a Gleeox is reduced to about 25% of its health, it flies ''way'' up high where Link can't reach it, and then unleashes a devestating super attack; Flame Gleeox use giant fireballs, Frost Gleeox drop giant iciciles, Lightning Gleeox conjure up a thunderstorn to call lighting down on Link, and King Gleeox can do any of the three. But each time, this potent attack is the key to bringing it down. Both the fireballs and thunderstorm set the ground on fire, enabling Link to use his glider to ride the backdraft upward, while he can use Recall on the icicles to ride them upward,and in each case, let him have it with an arrow rush.

* [[Hospitality for Heroes]]: Several examples:

** Once Link drives the pirates out of Lurelin Village and then helps rebuild it, there are plenty of benefits provided by the grateful town folk. First of all there are some weapons and food that can be picked up everyday. Also, Link can get a free random meal at the restaurant once per day (also good for cataloging recipes, and you can get it to go), get a free room at the inn once per day (but if you want to use the special spa treatment, you must give The innkeeper five rock salts), and use the casino free once per day to get a random monster part that can be fused with weapons. He will let you do it twice if you give him a cooked Porgy. In addition, if you recover the fish monger’s boat, he will have some merchandise to give Link for free every day.

** Once you complete the "Mattison's Independence" questline (which basically consists of Link acting as babysitter for the 8-year-old Mattison before she has to travel to Gerudo Town) her mother will sell him a plot of land to build a house for the bargain price of 1,500 rupees, which is indeed a bargain, seeing as an acre of land is worth far more than 300 pieces of Hayato Cheese (to give one example), which can be bought for the same.

** After you rescue Chumin from Malpa Point Cave, he'll open up a shop near the Research Lab. While he can't give Link anything for free, he does sell some things that cannot be bought elsewhere, like Razorclaw Crabs.

* [[Horned Humanoid]]: This seems to have been a racial trait for the Zonai, given the presence of horns on Rauru's head. There's also {{spoiler|Ganondorf, who grows a little pair of devil horns after becoming the Demon King.}}

* [[Hot Scientist]]: Purah. Thanks to fine-tuning her anti-aging rune, she's physically around the same age as she was in ''Age of Calamity'' and looks ''stunning'' as a result.

** While he's more of a Hot Archaeologist, Tauro is a [[Walking Shirtless Scene|shirtless]] [[Hunk]] and a huge history geek to boot.

* [[Humanoid Abomination]]: {{spoiler|By stealing and corrupting Sonia's stone}}, Ganondorf went from a powerful Gerudo warrior to something a whole lot worse. By the present day he's less a man and more of am ancient, nearly unkillable demon wearing a man's skin, {{spoiler|and his Demon King form is one giant [[Call Back]] to Demise}}.

* [[Humongous Mecha]]: {{spoiler|Mineru's soul ends up inside one of these once you tackle her questline, and the boss of the Construct Factory is a [[Psycho Prototype]] of her mecha body corrupted by Malice. Likewise, Kohga ends up controlling one of his own during the final battle with him. Compared to his previous boss fights, [[Beware the Silly Ones|he's actually somewhat dangerous.]]}}

 

== I ==

* [[Ignored Epiphany]]: The Evil Statue that was originally in Hateno Village (whom Link could use to swap his Heart Containers for Stamina Vessels and vice versa) has been further punished by the Goddess, buried in an abandoned shrine in Lookout Landing. It admits to Link that it should have learned its lesson, but refuses to, and still cannot resist making its infernal deals.

* [[Imposter Forgot One Detail]]: {{spoiler| There is a subtle hint that the “Zelda” Link is trailing might not truly be her, as the clothing she is wearing is different than what she was wearing when she disappeared, and is not anything she previously wore. She ''is'', however, wearing it in some of the memories, with Queen Sofia wearing the same style of dress - obviously, Sofia leant it to Zelda, and there is no memory where Ganondorf interacts with or even sees Zelda wearing anything other than that dress, so his version of Zelda is the one Ganondorf is familiar with, which is ''not'' familiar to anyone in modern Hyrule. Consequently, this detail is ''not'' missed by the Yiga Clan members who disguise as Zelda, as they have not seen Zelda wearing this style.}}

* [[In the End You Are on Your Own]]: [[Zig-Zagged]] during the game's finale. If you've awakened all the Sages {{spoiler|you'll be horrified to see that they can't follow you into Ganondorf's lair deep beneath Hyrule Castle. However, they manage to get a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment where they come to your aid during the [[Multi-Mook Melee]] near the end of the daunting trek to Ganondorf's lair. While they end up staying behind to fight off the resurrected temple bosses, they catch up just in time to take the pressure off you when Ganondorf summons a few Phantom Ganons to help him out in the final battle.}}

 

== J ==

 

== K ==

* [[Killed Off for Real]]: {{spoiler|Rauru, Sonia, and Mineru don't survive the events of the game. While there was no way they ''would'' thanks to them hailing from Hyrule's distant past, they each had their life cut short by Ganondorf. Ganondorf, likewise, seems to have been definitively killed off... or at least, ''this'' version of the character.}}

* [[Kill It with Fire]]: Dragon head-shaped flamethrowers are among the Zonai devices you can create. Early on you're nudged into combining one with a shield in a cave that's home to a Like-Like, and the result is a ''fire-breathing shield''!

* [[Kill It with Water]]: The same, likewise, can be accomplished with Hydrants attached to constructs and weapons. The Zora's Domain scenario, in fact, revolves around washing away toxic grime and fighting sludge-spewing monsters. It almost feels like you're playing a ''Zelda''-flavored version of ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''.

* [[King Mook]]: There's three among the enemies, overworld bosses, ''and'' temple bosses respectively.

** For the enemies, there are the Boss Bokoblins. Bigger, fatter, stronger, and meaner than your bog-standard Bokoblins, they lead several of their weaker brethren into battle and coordinate group attacks by blowing on special horns.

** For the overworld bosses, there are the Froxes and Obsidian Froxes in the Depths. They prefer to fight you solo though, so don't expect any of the little baby Froxes to jump in and help their big bros out.

** And finally, there's the boss of the Gerudo Desert scenario: Queen Gibdo. She's the [[Hive Queen]] of the new buglike Gibdos, and she'll unleash hordes of them on you during her boss fight.

 

== L ==

* [[Lady Land]]: Gerudo Town once again. However, {{spoiler|because they're facing down a potential [[Zombie Apocalypse|Gibdo Apocalypse]], they have no choice but to welcome Link, a man, into their town so he can help fight back against the hordes of zombie bugs descending upon their home. Once Queen Gibdo has been killed, Riju allows him to come and go as he pleases as the one man allowed into Gerudo Town.}}

* [[Lady of War]]: Riju, who carries herself with queenly grace, dignity, and beauty as she cuts through monsters on the battlefield. Urbosa would be proud.

* [[Level in Boss Clothing]]: This game has some literal examples, with groups of mobs referred to as Monster Forces. All the monsters in one area, often a cave, have a shared life bar and you must defeat them all to win the battle. If Link is killed or falls back and retreats before all of them are slain, you have to start the whole battle over.

** {{spoiler|The Demon King's Army, which Link and his friends have to fight right before the final boss appears, combines this with [[Sequential Boss]], As once the first wave of mobs is defeated a stronger wave appears, and then a third after that. Only after all three are destroyed is the lifebar depleted and the battle ends.}}

* [[Light Is Good]]: While it comes with the territory in a Zelda game, there's a lot of emphasis on the divine restorative power of light combating corrupting, infectious darkness.

** Rauru, the Sage of Light in Hyrule's distant past, is the game's [[Big Good]] and saves Link's life by grafting his own arm onto the hero's body in order to stop Ganondorf's Malice/Gloom from slowly killing him from the inside. Link further dispels the corruption by recieving "Lights of Blessing" from the various Zonai shrines showing up around Hyrule.

** While Gibdos are weak to every element, you're encouraged to take advantage of the beams of light shining down from the Lightning Temple's ceilings and reflect them onto the horrible beasts with MacGuyver'd Mirror Shields.

** While Gloom damage can't be healed normally, sunlight and the lightroots in the Depths will dispel it and let him heal normally once again. Also, gloom damage can be mitigated with Sundelions that have been cooked into meals.

* [[Lily Pad Platform]]: You can find these in all sorts of bodies of water, and swimming towards one and standing on top of it is a good way to restore your stamina and avoid drowning.

* [[Loophole Abuse]]:

** Gloom weapons are very powerful but have the drawback of inflicting gloom damage on Link as long as he wields them. However, fusing these weapons onto other weapons will result in a weapon that inherits the Gloom weapon's damage but not its drawback.

** As fans of ''BotW'' know, a good way to fight a Lionel is to sneak up on him with a powerful weapon, leap on his back, and let him have it; for this reason, a Royal Guard Claymore that has been worn down to a Badly Damaged state is the best to use for this purpose. A weapon with the Royal Guard designation has its power doubled in such a state; the big problem is, when a weapon is in this state it will break after two or three blows. But when Link is mounted (which he technically is in this sort of fight) a weapon will not break when he uses it, and a Royal Guard Claymore has base damage of 32, meaning 62 in Badly Damaged state and even more with an item fused.

** The Labyrinths each consist of three parts, Surface, Sky, and Depths. The Sky section cannot be solved until you solve the Surface, and the Depths must be solved last. However, each Sky section has a Shrine that can be entered and activated without solving the Labyrinth. Doing so not only makes the Sky section easier to return to, but you can skydive from that Shrine to the one in the Surface section if you know where that is, saving a lot of time and avoiding the nasty Gloom Hands that lurk in that section.

* [[Lovable Coward]]: Yunobo, though he gradually overlaps with [[Cowardly Lion]] over the course of the Fire Temple scenario.

* [[Loyal to the Position]]: The Zonai Constructs are still following the commands given to them by the Zonai millennia ago; Maker Constructs are still chopping wood, Culinary Constructs are still cooking (even though they do not eat), Ranger Constructs are hunting for game (supplying to the cooks), Miner Constructs are still excavating the ore, Forge Constructs still smelt it, and all will give Link advice on how to use such skills himself (Just in case the player has not played ''BotW'' or is rusty from that game). King Rauru even claims to be impressed by their loyalty. Unfortunately, this is why the Soldier Constructs still attack Link.

** The Gloom is a dark substance that is usually found in the depths, similar to the malice of the previous game. (Biggest visual difference, malice was black and purple, but Gloom [[Red and Black Keep Back| is black and red]].) Gloom is a poisonous substance that leeches the health from Link he touches it, causing wounds that cannot be healed while in the depths except by special methods.

** One of the memories shows that the Blood Moon not only resurrects Ganondorf's minions, it ''created'' them, being a phenomenon he used to channel his dark magic.

* [[Making a Splash]]: Water is now a type of elemental damage, and you can fuse Opals to weapons in order to create Water Rods, while you can also throw Splash Fruits or attach them to arrows in order to create platforms of hardened rock in lava or clean up sludge. Sidon is also the Sage of Water, and his ability envelops you in a protective bubble that can also be used as a weapon against your foes.

* [[Maniac Monkeys]]: While the rest of this game's Blins are more piglike, the newly-introduced Horriblins take a lot of cues from primates. They move around by clinging to ceilings with their ridiculously long arms, and make hooting noises similar to those of monkeys and baboons. When you knock one flat on his ass, he'll even clasp his hands over his buttcheeks and cry just like Ook, a monkey miniboss from ''[[Twilight Princess]]''.

* [[Minecart Madness]]: Minecarts are no longer exclusive to the Death Mountain region, and with the addition of Zonai devices and Ultrahand, you can build self-propelled carts for fast travel through any place with tracks. The Fire Temple in particular focuses on minecart puzzles.

* [[Mundane Made Awesome]]: Part of the fun in messing with Zonai constructs is taking the elaborate weapons and amazing vehicles that you make, and using them for the most basic menial tasks imaginable. Sure, you ''could'' make a car to transport Koroks to their friends... ''or'' you could launch them to the distant campsite with a catapult. Likewise, why create basic Rock Hammers with rusted weapons when you can mine with style by fusing a rock to the ''Master Sword?'' Or hell, why use a weapon at all when you have {{spoiler|Mineru's robot body}} at your service?

* [[Multi-Mook Melee]]: {{spoiler|Before you take on Ganondorf, you (and potentially the Sages, if you've awakened them) have to cut your way through an army of monsters that he summons once you arrive at his doorstep. It's very similar to the army of Bokoblins you cut down before the final fight with Ghirahim in ''Skyward Sword'', except you've got a much more diverse array of enemies to fight, including the dungeon bosses if you haven't already defeated them beforehand.}}

* [[Mythology Gag]]: ''Loads'' of them:

** The 2021 trailer alone has two of these. The first shot of Link skydiving in the trailer is framed exactly like the skydiving cutscenes in [[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]], complete with the circular clouds creating some sort of tunnel around Link. The trailer also shows Zelda falling in a dark void, much like how in ''Skyward Sword'' Zelda fell to the surface after being dragged by a black tornado summoned by Ghirahim.

** Flux Constructs are block-like Golems, calling to mind the Avalaunch from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, or Eox from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

** Ganondorf's new design is an [[Art Shift]] that combines features of his previous three appearances. He has the rounder ears and the pointier nose from the Era of the Hero of Time, a stouter face like he had in the Era of the Great Sea, and a trimmed beard with gold jewelry like he had in the Era of Twilight. His longer hair is also reminiscent of Demise and his non-canon counterpart from ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity|Hyrule Warriors]]'', and he becomes even more like Demise during the Final Boss fight when he transforms into the Demon King.

** The battle between the original Sages and Ganondorf in the past is referred to as the Imprisoning War, the same name as the war in the backstory of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'' backstory in which the sages of Hyrule banished Ganon to the Dark World.

** Possibly a coincidence, but whenever a fan is activated, it sounds like the protagonist of ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' doing a spin flip.

** Most players know that Link tends to hum whenever he cooks; what most do not know is, he’s humming iconic tunes from the franchise. These include the main theme music, "Zelda’s Lullaby" and "Ballad of the Goddess" from [[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]], "Saria’s Song" and "The Hyrule Field Theme" from [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]], "Ballad of the Windfish" from [[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Link’s Awakening]], "Midna’s Lament from [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]], and "Champion’s Ballad" from [[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild]].

** Zelda is stated to be the heir to the royal line started by Rauru and Sonia, the Sages of Light and Time, respectively, but has only inherited Sonia's sagehood of Time. This seems to refer to how the two elements have long been considered mutually inclusive in the franchise. The Sage of Light in Ocarina of Time (not the same character but also named Rauru) was located in the Temple of Time since a Light Temple was cut from the game, while the Temple of Time from Twilight Princess referenced this further by featuring imagery of the Light Medallion, indicating it was the Temple of Light in its original purpose, or served both purposes at the same time.

** And of course, they certainly could not make a Zelda game without [[Running Gag|a secret room with an NPC who says the room is "a secret to everybody"]]. In this case, the room is accessed by using Ascend while under the great tree and the NPC is a Korok.

** {{spoiler|Ganondorf is ultimately defeated by being impaled through the skull by the Master Sword, just like he was in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|Wind Waker]]''.}}

** Pretty much every game in the franchise has an armor set and/or weapon in this game that references it. You have the [[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|Phantom Set]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Dark Set, Evil Spirit Set]], [[Majora's Mask|Fierce Deity Set]] (with matching Sword), [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Zant's Helmet, Midna's Helmet]], [[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|Hero Set]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Hero of Awakening Set]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Hero of the Sky Set]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Hero of Time Set]], and [[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Hero of the Wilds Set]]. Weapons you can gain include the [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|Sea Breeze Boomerang]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Dusk Claymore]], Biggoron's Sword (reference to many games), [[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|Sword of the Hero]], and the [[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|White Sword of the Sky]]. You can even win [[Majora's Mask]] itself in one of the arenas!

 

== N ==

** The Horse God Inverts this Trope. In the previous game, he could only revive a dead horse. Here, he can also enhance them, increasing its stats in exchange for certain cooked foods.

* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: The trailers and pre-release material put a lot of focus on the sky islands that you can explore, making it seem like sky traversal would be a big part of the game. While the tutorial and a few dungeons ''are'' in the sky, there's a lot less to do up there than there is in The Depths, which had barely any attention drawn to it outside of a few out-of-context video clips that didn't even hint at the fact that there's an entire second world beneath Hyrule's surface.

* [[No Endor Holocaust]]: Miraculously, no one was killed or even injured when the Upheaval and resulting emergence of Zonai ruins changed the landscape of Hyrule. A few unlucky people, however, have had their homes destroyed as a consequence of it.

* [[No-Gear Level]]: The Proving Grounds shrines. Remember Eventide Island back in ''Breath of the Wild?'' The game’s developers seem to think a majority of players loved that part of the game ([[Sarcasm Mode| spoiler alert]], [[Scrappy Level| they ''didn’t'']]) so instead of being having a one-off challenge, there's an entire ''series'' of shrines and one Monster Forces scenario that require you to overcome armies of enemies while naked and armed with whatever you can find laying around.

 

== O ==

* [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]]:

** {{spoiler|Just before you fight Ganondorf, you and the Sages fight your way through a massive horde of monsters that he summons before he brings back the bosses of all five dungeons. The Sages stay behind to hold them off while Link goes after Ganondorf, and they rejoin him shortly afterwards meaning that they each triumphed over the scourges of their respective temples without his help.}}

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: The monster masks return (and with a new Horriblin mask in tow), and despite them still being obvious raggedy-looking disguise, they totally fool the monsters that they mimic. Except the Lynels, who are quick to catch on to your deception.

* [[Permanently Missable Content]]: Once you go to Tarrey Town, you can have Kilton make figurines of monsters replicated from any pictures you've taken from them. This actually includes the pictures of the bosses you fight... with the catch that he won't make models based off of pictures you take for the bestiary. You ''have'' to have a picture of them in your album. While this isn't a problem for the first four dungeon bosses or Ganondorf since you can refight them whenever you want, it ''is'' a problem for bosses that can only be fougth a finite amount of times. If you want models of the Sludge-Like, Moragia, or {{spoiler|Kohga}}, you better have pictures of them saved, or no figurines for you!

* [[Punny Name]]: The Stable Trotters and their hilariously specific, on the nose names. You've got Mastro the maestro, Violynne the violinist, Pyper the flute player (or in other words, a ''piper''), and Beetz the drummer. It's easy to think that Eustus is a case of [[My Friends and Zoidberg]], but even his name is an [[Genius Bonus|obscure reference to a bit of inner-ear anatomy that is shaped like a horn, the instrument that he plays.]]

* [[Putting the Band Back Together]]: The sidequests that unlock the Great Fairy Fountains double as you slowly reuniting the wayward members of the Stable Trotters, who rename themselves the Stable Heroes in honor of the man that bought them back together.

* [[Recurring Boss]]: Along with the returning Hinoxes, Stalnoxes, Taluses, and Moldugas, we've got the newly introduced Gleeoks, Battle Taluses, Froxes, and Flux Constructs as overworld minibosses. {{spoiler|Master Kohga}} is also fought four times over a lengthy sidequest, while {{spoiler|Phantom Ganon}} is a boss encounter in Hyrule Castle and the Lost Woods as well as {{spoiler|a recurring miniboss that pops up every time you kill a Gloom Spawn}}.

* [[Recurring Element]]: Let's see... carrying over from ''Breath of the Wild'' alone, you've got towers that you need to activate in order to fill in your map, shrines to complete in order to upgrade your health and stamina, regional phenomena plaguing the homes of the races that the Champions/Sages belong to, an extensive tutorial set in a place that's initially cut off from the rest of the world, Link waking up after a near-death experience that leaves him heavily weakened, an incarnation of Ganondorf that you can kill as soon as you leave the starting area...

* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: When Ganondorf {{spoiler|murders Sonia}}, [[Casting Gag|Rauru's ready to pull a]] [[Fire Emblem: Three Houses|Dimitri]] and fly into a murderous rage. Zelda, however, talks him down out of hope that he can save {{spoiler|Sonia}}.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: Idle and complacent, Hyrule's rulers are not. Zelda took an active role in restoring Hyrule to its former glory before the Upheaval happened, and Sidon and Riju respectively are doing what they can to combat the problems plaguing their regions before helping Link take down the monsters that are ultimately responsible. In the distant past Rauru was also willing to take to the battlefield himself in order to stop Ganondorf's horde of rampaging Molduga from flattening Hyrule.

 

== S ==

* [[Samus Is a Girl]]: One particular sidequest gives us a [[Gender Flip|Gender Flipped]] version: {{spoiler|remember the "seven" heroines from the previous game, and how there was an eighth heroine? Well it turns out that the "heroine" was a man whose gender was subject to some serious historical revisionism. Despite leading the seven heroines into battle against a monster that threatened the ancient Gerudo, [[Ungrateful Bastard|they turned him away due to their strict laws banning men from Gerudo Town.]]}}

* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: Turns out Ganondorf was sealed far beneath Hyrule Castle years ago. Who would've thought?

* [[Sealed Evil in a Duel]]: To elaborate on the above, the "can" was actually {{spoiler|a duel between himself and Rauru that technically ended as a loss for Rauru, but managed to keep Ganondorf trapped in stasis for over ten thousand years in preparation for Link's arrival far into the future.}}

* [[Secret Shop]]: The secret shop in Gerudo Town that sells male clothing returns, but there are two others as well. {{spoiler|The Bargainer Statues hidden in The Depths will exchange certain weapons and outfits for Poes}}, and giving Koltin Bubbul gems will allow you to buy special outfits and monster parts from his own shop.

* [[The Sociopath]]: Ganondorf, as usual. He's violent, sadistic, power-hungry, and a total egomaniac who cares for no one but himself.

* [[Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome]]: Yunobo seems to be a victim of this once you arrive in Goron City, and see that he's inexplicably become a rude, sneering drug kingpin dressed like an evil luchador. {{spoiler|He's still the same [[Nice Guy]] that he always was, just [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] thanks to Phantom Ganon's machinations}}.

 

== T ==

** There are also many bosses and Elite Mooks (such as Boss Bokoblins and Stone Talos) who throw things at Link, and Recall can be used to send them back at them.

* [[Theme Song Reveal]]: The new version of Zelda's Lullaby heard not just in the title theme, but in trailers several years before the game's release hint {{spoiler|at [[The Reveal]] that Zelda's been turned into a dragon thanks to it being played with the same instrumentation as the Spirit Dragons' theme.}}

* [[Time Skip]]: A decent amount of time has passed between this and the preceding title, and closer inspection of the land of Hyrule and its inhabitants reveals it to be quite a substantial one. While some elements are more obvious than others (Tulin growing from a toddler to an early adolescent and Riju showing a more mature personality), the big one is in that Hudson and Rhondson, who were newly-married at the end of Breath of the Wild, here are shown to have a daughter, Mattison, who is now grade school age. This puts the time skip anywhere from five to six years, lining fairly closely with the time passed in the real world between games.

* [[Took a Level In Badass]]: Tulin, Yunobo, and Riju were non-combatants in ''Breath of the Wild'' (though the latter two ''did'' help Link board the Divine Beasts in their regions) and unlike Sidon, didn't have anything hinting at off-screen combat prowess. Here they take to the battlefield and actively help Link fight monsters.

 

== U ==

* [[Underground Monkey]]: Like in the previous game, several enemies have elemental variants encountered in certain regions. And if you want to get cheeky about it, the newly introduced Horriblins are literal examples of this trope given that they're monkey-like Blins mostly encountered in caves.

* [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]]: Link's bizarre and fantastic powers bestowed to him by Rauru don't attract any sort of reaction from people. The most you get are people being startled if you use Ascend to pop out of the ground right next to them, and even then it's only if you're within spitting distance: they wouldn't care otherwise.

 

** Unique to this game is Addison and his signs. All across Hyrule you can see him struggling to keep signs of President Hudson standing up straight, and you can use your Fuse ability to create structures that will help give them the proper support needed to keep them erect. While his rewards are minimal to outright useless, it feels nice to lighten the guy's load all the same.

** If you aren't a [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|sadistic monster who enjoys tormenting them]], acting as a Taxi service to the backpack-wearing Koroks who need to reach their friends can be this.

* [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]]:

** Related to the above? While it's nice and beneficial to help Koroks trying to reach their friends' campsites, it's even more fun to create elaborate torture devices to torment them with. Crucifying them, spit-roasting them over open flames, drowning them, and wrecklessly swinging them around on deadly carnival rides gives you the same reaction: a pained "Oof!" that really makes the little guys feel like victims of cartoonish slapstick violence.

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom}}