Summary
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn't mark the end of the entire franchise, as the Zelda series has a history of showing Link's triumphs, failures, and timeline splits.
- Tears of the Kingdom didn't create a time loop or bring the timeline back to Skyward Sword, contrary to speculation. Instead, it introduced time travel and created a cyclical story for BOTW and TOTK specifically.
- Despite the finality of Tears of the Kingdom's ending, the success of the Zelda series and the game itself makes it highly unlikely that it will be the end of the franchise. Expectations for future games and a new console release suggest that the Zelda series will continue beyond TOTK.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdom advances the story of Breath of the Wild, and while it was speculated the game may be the last in the current timeline, it doesn't necessarily spell the end of the entire franchise. The Zelda series' progression is based on the continuity established in Skyward Sword, in which Demise curses future generations (specifically those who fill Link and Zelda's archetypal roles) to face his evil. The Link and Zelda of TOTK are believed to be, chronologically, the youngest generation in the series, as both BOTW and TOTK seemingly take place long after previous games. Even so, their connection to the past and their placement in the series' timeline point toward a possible end to Link, Zelda, and Demise's intergenerational conflict.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
An end of the Zelda series will not simply happen because of Link's triumph or failure in Tears of the Kingdom's story. The Zelda team has not been afraid of showing Link defeat Demise like in Skyward Sword or of Link killing Ganondorf like in Twilight Princess. But the games also haven't shied from showing Link fall like in certain Ocarina of Time continuities. In fact, in response to Link's failure in Ocarina of Time, the Zelda team created a three-way timeline split that saw the Hero's adventure branch into different paths. For TOTK to end the series, then, it would need to somehow cease the timeline and prevent further timeline splits, a nearly impossible feat that ultimately didn't happen.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Didn't End The Series By Creating A Time Loop
Tears of the Kingdom didn't end Zelda's timeline by shaping it into a circle, as was speculated ahead of the game's May 2023 release. In other words, TOTK didn't bring Link and Zelda back to where they were in Skyward Sword in a time loop that is destined to repeat. Such a major revision to the Zelda timeline - let alone an upsetting end to the series - might sound too outlandish and bold a move for TOTK to make. However, the symbology, lore, and design in TOTK - particularly with the Zonai and Zelda's time-traveling - showed that not only was such a time loop possible, but it may also be the direction of the series moving forward.
The argument for Tears of the Kingdom being the final Zelda game was centered around the lore of its titular character, Zelda. In Skyward Sword, the goddess Hylia sacrifices herself to save the people of Hyrule before reincarnating as Zelda. This had led many fans, including YouTuber The Legend of Zelda timeline back to where it was in Skyward Sword.
Ultimately, this didn't pan out. Instead, Zelda is sent into Hyrule's past in Tears of the Kingdom, and she fights Ganondorf alongside the other Sages. With the Master Sword broken, she makes the sacrifice of turning into a white dragon in the hope that one day, in the future, Link will be able to get the Master Sword again and use it to defeat the resurrected Ganondorf. Ironically, this means Tears Of The Kingdom did create a cyclical story because of time travel - but it was simply for BOTW and TOTK, rather than the entire Zelda series.
Ahead of the game's launch, symbols shown in the ruins hinted at ancient people that could've been the denizens of Skyloft from Skyward Sword. In that game, Hylia saves the surface world from Demise by rising parts of Hyrule into the heavens; in Tears of the Kingdom, the reawakening of Ganondorf causes large pieces of Hyrule to shoot into the sky. Many of the structures on TOTK's floating islands feature similar stone etchings, suggesting they could be related to Skyward Sword's Skyloft. Such a parallel between Skyward Sword and TOTK paves the way for the latter game's narrative to feature Zelda becoming Hylia again.
And while this also didn't happen exactly, the Zonai and references to Skyward Sword feel more than just surface-level. The Zelda series is known to repeat themes, designs, and story beats - but the connections here feel stronger. Since Skyward Sword is the first entry in the timeline, it's still possible these sky islands are from Skyloft's denizens, even if TOTK never explictly states it as fact.
Where Will Zelda & Link Go After Tears of the Kingdom?
That Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild seemingly made the end of Zelda all the more likely. BOTW merged the split timelines that follow Ocarina of Time and also set up an identity conflict for Zelda that is finally resolved in Tears of the Kingdom. A century before BOTW, Zelda wrote in her journal that Hylia appeared to her in a dream one night; shortly afterward, she was able to use the power of the Triforce when defending Link. Hylia's presence in Zelda's dreams could be a hint toward their shared identity. Additionally, Zelda was only able to use the Triforce when sacrificing herself to protect others in the same way Hylia did in Skyward Sword. In TOTK, Zelda can only reach her full potential by emulating Hylia - although, instead of becoming the goddess, she becomes the white dragon.
This still leaves the question of where the series can go now. Zelda is one of Nintendo's most profitable franchises, and with TOTK selling over 18 million copies within two months, there's no way TOTK will be the final entry. The bigger question is where the series will go after this. An open-world Zelda game seems most likely still, but in of story and timeline placement, just about anything is possible. However, the ending to Tears of the Kingdom is pretty final, meaning that another direct sequel seems highly unlikely.
Zelda Is Just Too Successful To End Now
The Zelda series is just too successful to end now. TOTK's predecessor, Breath of the Wild, was the best-selling game in the entire series. According to Nintendo, BOTW has sold 29 million copies on Switch (not counting its sales on Wii U) - more than three times as much as second best-selling Twilight Princess. This puts it among the best-selling video games of all time. And TOTK may - and most likely will - end up outselling it. To end the series after such a high point is a very unlikely decision for Nintendo to make.
Tears of the Kingdom is probably the last Zelda game related to BOTW, and it's likely the final one to release solely on the Nintendo Switch. With a Switch successor expected in 2024, the next mainline Zelda game will likely be either a dual relse or exclusive to the new console. However, in of the series as a whole, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom won't be the end of the Zelda series.
Source: Zeltik/YouTube
