Summary
WhenThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomdropped into the franchise’s canon, it brought with it two new and influential characters who quickly became fan favorites. Sonia and Rauru, the ruling couple from ancient Hyrule. ThoughRauru was mentioned in previousZeldagames, this was the first installment that gave a voice and story to the ancient founder. Despite much of their story being unveiled in flashbacks (and only directly in relation to Zelda’s story), they are charactersfans have wanted to see more of since.
Thankfully, Reddit userConfidentOffice410shared cosplays of the ancient couple, featuring their friend @flip.wizardry on Instagram. Each outfit is intricately detailed,nailing the precise patterns that adorn both of the characters' garments,and the Rauru look includes his signature ears and appears to feature an impressive amount of blue body paint. Before premiering this look at Katsucon, OP said in the caption it took them four and a half hours to put everything together.
According to the caption,most of the components in the cosplay were hand-crafted by the individual cosplayers, though they didn’t share just how long it took for them to construct these masterful looks. In@flip.wizardry’sInstagram post, they confirmed that the ears were custom-ordered for the cosplay. Though players see so little of the couple up close in the game (beyond the flashbacks), the cosplays easily transport fans back to ancient Hyrule, given the special attention to detail each costume has.
There Was Probably Another Hyrule Before The Zonai’s In Zelda: TOTK
It seems that the Zonai’s Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may not have been the first kingdom of that name to exist.
Tears Of The Kingdom’s King Rauru Is Different Than In Ocarina Of Time
How To Tell The Two Characters Apart
The name “Rauru” wasn’t new to theZeldafranchise whenTears of the Kingdomreleased, though players would be forgiven for not associating the two characters. Rauru, the Sage of Time,first appeared in theOcarina of Time.Though his human form had an appearance in the 1998 title,Rauru has been in subsequent games asKaepora Gaebora,the owl who helps Link throughout his journey. Rauru is also the creator of the Temple of Time, which plays a key role in the beginning ofTears of the Kingdom.
But anyone who’s played throughOcarina of Timewill know that the man claiming to be Rauru looks nothing like the creature who gives Link a hand (literally) inTears of the Kingdom.The iteration in the early game featuresa white, balding man with a mustache and a stern demeanor wearing bright orange robes. This is very different from the goat-like figure whose spirit greets Link in the newest franchise installment.
The Rauru players meet inTheLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis actually only one of the incarnations of the Sage of Time. Originally, Rauru was a Zonai who worked with the five other sages to seal Ganandorf away, and in his earliest form, he was also the founder of the Kingdom of Hyrule.The Legend of Zeldatimeline is often quite messy, so it’s possible players will get a better depiction of Rauru’s tale in a future game (or not).
