The Legend of Zeldaseries is known for its cast of interesting characters who aid Link on his adventure, and the recent trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomseems to show that Link will need the help of allies more than ever. Aside from the return of favorites like Sidon and Riju, it seems that Link will have some new faces fight alongside him as well. Among these new allies is Tulin, the son of the Rito warrior Teba who aided Link in his previous adventure, but Teba’s absence inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomleaves the status of the Rito up in the air.
Things have clearly changed around the land of Hyrule in the time betweenBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom; not only has the landscape changed, but the people who inhabit the world as well. While the timeline for the game is not yet clear, enough time seems to have passed since the previous entry for a shake-up among Hyrule’s tribes to occur. While the lack of Teba in the trailers for the game doesn’t necessarily indicate his absence from the game entirely, the presence of Tulin over his father could have big implications for the fate ofRito inTears of the Kingdom.
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Tulin Replacing Teba in Tears of the Kingdom Could Spell Trouble for the Rito
The Rito are an avian species that make up one ofBreath of the Wild’s major tribes, and during the course of the game, Link works with the warrior Teba who acts as the protector of theRito Villagein place of the fallen champion Revali. Teba’s son Tulin also makes an appearance inBreath of the Wildbut is too young to be training with his father at the time. It’s clear that enough time has passed by the timeTears of the Kingdomtakes place that Tulin has had a chance to train with his father as he now wields a bow like the warriors of his tribe.
However, while the otherallies fromBreath of the Wildseem to be back inTears of the Kingdom, Teba seems to have been replaced by Tulin. This begs the question of the whereabouts of Link’s previous compatriot and Tulin’s father inTears of the Kingdom. The logical answer to Teba’s location is in the seat of village chief of the Rito after his heroics in the previous entry, but there is also the possibility that Teba met a more sinister fate.
Perhaps the cataclysmic events that promptLink’s journey inTears of the Kingdomled to the death of Teba, forcing his son to take up arms to avenge his father. While Tulin clearly knows how to wield a bow, he still seems to be too young to use it properly, suggesting a need for him to take on the role of a warrior before he was fully ready to do so. If the Rito’s protector Teba has fallen, then perhaps the rest of the Rito clan is also in danger, which could become an important plot point in the upcoming game.
Although it would be a surprise to see a major tribe all but wiped out in aZeldagame,Tears of the Kingdomseems to be pushing the envelope in a lot of ways, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for it to follow this darker route. Despite Teba’s absence in the trailers, he could still be very much a part of the final game since Nintendo has been doing a great job of keeping major plot points forTears of the Kingdomunder wraps. However, given the presence of some of the otherchampion’s descendants fromBreath of the Wildand the young age of Tulin, the Rito may be harboring a darker fate than players expect.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleases July 15, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
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