Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild introduced the four Champions, friends of Link who died tragically in battle after the return of Ganon - but how did they die? Although the Champions are long dead by the time Breath of the Wild begins, their stories are told through the Recovered Memories Link finds as he journeys across the ruins of Hyrule. The deaths of the four Champions are never shown on-screen, but rough ideas of how each of them died can be pieced together from in-game clues.
The four Champions included Daruk, a boisterous but friendly Goron warrior; Urbosa, a playful Gerduo chief; Mipha, a kind-hearted Zora Princess and healer who is in love with Link; and Revali, a boastful Rito archer. Each of the Champions was tasked with piloting one of the four Divine Beasts, massive mechanical animals built to stop Calamity Ganon. After the Champions’ deaths, these Divine Beasts fell into Ganon’s hands. Reclaiming the Divine Beasts comprises most of Breath of the Wild’s main story.
The last time, chronologically, the Champions are seen alive is in Breath of the Wild’s fifteenth memory, “Return of Calamity Ganon.” Upon seeing Ganon’s return, the four Champions rush to their Divine Beasts to save Hyrule. Unfortunately, the Divine Beasts ultimately served as the Champions’ tombs.
The Champions Could Have Been Caught By Surprise
The game's fifteenth memory takes place at the base of Breath of the Wild’s Mount Lanyru. Assuming that the Divine Beasts were located where they are found a century later, this means that the Champions were forced to rush a large distance to get to their Beasts. Revali and Urbosa in particular would have had to cross the entire country in a hurry. These long journeys across Breath of the Wild's massive map likely wore down the Champions and depleted their supply of items. As they entered their Divine Beasts, places they believed to be safe, they could then have been ambushed by Ganon’s Blights. Unprepared and already worn down, it's easy to see why each of the Champions perished.
BOTW's The Champions’ Ballad DLC also gives clues on how the fight with the Blights went. In this DLC, Link is tasked with fighting tougher battles against the four Blights to unlock lost memories from the Champions. During these fights, Link is forced to use a limited arsenal, implied to be identical or at least similar to the arsenal the BOTW Champions wielded. From these fights, we can see just how unprepared the heroes were. In each of these fights, Link is given only a handful of food and a limited number of arrows. The player is encouraged to stockpile as many weird cooked dishes, specialized arrows, and powerful weaponry as possible for their fights with the Blights, something the Champions were unable to do.
When Link returns to the Divine Beasts during the events of Breath of the Wild, he is greeted by the spirits of his long-dead friends. By killing each Blight and retaking a Divine Beast, Link is able to put his allies’ souls to rest. Whether or not the Divine Beasts will return for BOTW 2 is unclear. Ultimately, the four Champions are seen controlling the Divine Beasts in the final battle against Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, reclaiming the purpose that was stolen from them.