When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched in 2023, fans were immediately captivated by the Dragon Tear memories—an immersive flashback system that revealed Princess Zelda’s journey through Hyrule’s distant past. Much like Breath of the Wild’s Captured Memories, these cinematic vignettes promised a deeper dive into the lore. Three years on, players continue to celebrate the game’s inventive mechanics and epic scope, yet a recurring topic in forums and fan circles is the stories left untold. The Dragon Tears introduced a host of new faces—Yona, the ancient Sages, Rauru, Sonia, and even a different side of Ganondorf—but for many, the flashbacks raised more questions than they answered.
Why, for example, did certain characters appear only briefly when their backgrounds hinted at vast, unexplored histories? And how could a title so ambitious in its worldbuilding sidestep the chance to flesh out its own mythology? With no DLC on the horizon and no official plans to revisit this iteration of Hyrule, these gaps remain a talking point in 2026. Let’s revisit the most talked-about elements that the Dragon Tears didn’t fully unravel.
Yona and the Enigma of a Second Zora’s Domain
One of the most intriguing additions to Tears of the Kingdom is Yona, a Zora noble who arrives to support Sidon during the regional crisis. The game’s compendium describes her as hailing from "another domain," but that domain’s location—and its connection to the Zora we know—is never specified. Yona is also a childhood friend of Sidon, having once rescued him from drowning, yet she disappears from the narrative once the Zora segment concludes. Shouldn’t such a significant figure in the prince’s life have more presence?
What makes Yona truly stand out is her design. She and the elder Muzu are the only Zora with manta ray features, while the rest of the species resemble whale-like creatures (with the exception of Sidon’s hammerhead shark motif). This visual distinction suggests biological or cultural differences that could point to a separate Zora society. Was this second domain established by a splinter group long ago? Did it evolve in isolation? The Dragon Tears flashbacks, which delve into the past of the other sages’ ancestors, offer no clues. A brief cutscene of Yona and Sidon in their youth would have done wonders for their relationship’s depth. As it stands, Yona’s origin remains a tantalizing loose thread—perhaps one that a future Zelda title might pull.
The Zonai Technology Revolution That Never Got Its Backstory
One of Tears of the Kingdom’s greatest triumphs is its physics sandbox, enabled by Zonai Devices that let Link construct everything from flamethrower shields to flying machines. From a gameplay perspective, Zonai tech feels like a seamless replacement for the Sheikah technology of Breath of the Wild. But from a storytelling angle, the Dragon Tears barely scratch the surface of how this civilization reached such heights.
We learn that Mineru, Rauru’s older sister, was a creator of Zonai constructs—the Seized Construct in the Spirit Temple is a prototype of the body she later inhabits. Yet for a character as curious about the past as Zelda, there is no scene exploring the workshops where these devices were forged or the principles behind the energy that powers them. How were the secret stones connected to Zonai innovation? Why did the tribe ultimately vanish? Players are left to imagine a backstory that the game only hints at. In a 2026 retrospective, it’s fair to ask whether the decision to prioritize gameplay over these narrative details was a missed opportunity to deepen the world’s history.
Ganondorf’s Lost Complexity and the Ghosts of Twinrova
When Ganondorf first appeared in the Tears of the Kingdom teaser trailers, speculation ran wild. Some fans believed this incarnation would be a tragic figure—perhaps a victim of Hyrule’s power politics, whose hatred eventually spawned the Calamity Ganon. The final game, however, presents a Ganondorf with straightforward ambitions: conquer Hyrule and seize the Zonai secret stones. There is no nuanced motive, no philosophical justification. While not every Ganondorf needs the melancholy of The Wind Waker’s villain, this one’s one-dimensional portrayal feels at odds with the rich narrative potential of an era that predates the Calamity.
Equally puzzling are the Gerudo warriors serving him in the flashbacks. Unlike their modern counterparts, these figures have ashen-gray skin, and two of them bear the distinctive color schemes of Koume and Kotake—the Twinrova sisters who raised Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time. Instead of exploring these characters as individuals, the game reduces them to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter egg. How did this version of the Gerudo society produce such a different Ganondorf? What role did these witches play in his upbringing? In 2026, fans still debate whether the omission was intentional ambiguity or a sign of content cut late in development.
The Faceless Sages and Their Recycled Echoes
After Link clears each regional temple, the ancient Sages of Wind, Fire, Water, and Lightning appear alongside their modern descendants. Their faces remain hidden behind Zonai-style helms, their names are never revealed, and every single cutscene with them is essentially the same dialogue loop. Players recognize them as the ancestors of Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju—and, by extension, three of the four Champions from Breath of the Wild (the Wind Sage amusingly has no connection to Revali). But that’s all they are: ancestors, not characters.
The Lightning Sage, a Gerudo woman, arguably lost the most from this narrative minimalism. As a member of Ganondorf’s own race, she could have offered a unique perspective on his betrayal and the internal conflict within the Gerudo. Did she know him before his fall? What did it cost her to stand with Rauru? The Dragon Tears provide only glimpses—the Sages gathered in a final confrontation, then sealed away. For many players, this stands as the game’s most frustrating example of lore left on the table. Given that the Sages share voice actors with the Champions, the expectations were high, and the payoff felt like a missed beat.
Rauru and Sonia: Royal Mystique That Endures
As the founders of Hyrule, Rauru and Sonia are at the heart of the Dragon Tear story. Their love, their trust in Zelda, and their sacrifice form the emotional core of the ancient narrative. Yet for all the screen time they receive, fundamental questions about their lives remain unanswered. How did Rauru—a member of the sky-dwelling Zonai—meet and marry the Hylian Sonia? What was daily governance like in the nascent kingdom? How deeply did the other races integrate with the Zonai before the war?
Fans had clung to the possibility of DLC that would explore the royal couple’s youth, or perhaps a side story focusing on their first encounter. Without such an expansion, the founders retain a majestic but distant aura. It’s possible that this mystique is intentional, leaving room for player imagination. In 2026, however, the consensus is that a little more detail would have only strengthened the emotional weight of their ultimate fate.
The Ancient Hero’s Aspect and a Connection Through Time
If Link completes every Shrine of Light, he receives the Ancient Hero’s Aspect, a full-body armor set that transforms his appearance into that of a Zonai warrior. This reward immediately sparked connections to the tapestry from Breath of the Wild, which depicted a hero wielding the Master Sword against Calamity Ganon 10,000 years earlier. Many had assumed that figure was simply an ancient Hylian, but the Zonai features suggest something more: perhaps Link has Zonai heritage, or the hero of that era was a different being altogether.
The flashbacks never touch on this thread at all. The Ancient Hero’s Aspect serves as an endgame cosmetic bonus, not a narrative revelation. Yet for players piecing together the timeline, it raises provocative possibilities. Was the previous Link a result of intermingling between Hylians and Zonai survivors? Or, like The Wind Waker’s hero, is the Link we know spiritually unrelated to the hero of the past? Without further context, the armor remains a tantalizing puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit the image the game presents.
Looking Ahead: A Tapestry Still Unfinished
Even in 2026, the conversations around Tears of the Kingdom’s untapped lore are not purely critical—they reflect a deep affection for a world that players want to understand more fully. The Dragon Tears succeeded in delivering a poignant Zelda-centric arc, but they left the supporting cast in the shadows. Whether through a future Zelda game set in this same Hyrule, a spinoff, or even an animated adaptation, Nintendo has plenty of threads to pick up. For now, these mysteries fuel fan theories, art, and the hope that one day, the Sages will finally have names, Yona’s domain will be charted, and Ganondorf’s rage will carry a little more weight.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom remains available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch family of systems.
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