When Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, sequel to the hit Breath of the Wild, releases, it can have some classic enemies that have appeared in past games' bestiaries. So far, trailers and teaser videos have confirmed that some of BOTW's enemies will return in Zelda: TOTK and that new enemies will also be coming, and there's likely more that still haven't been shown yet. Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12 of next year, leaving some time before players will see which enemies, if any, will come from classic games.

Across the Legend of Zelda series, Link has battled against numerous types of enemies and bosses. Many of them make frequent appearances across the different games while others only feature in a few. They're rarely the same from game to game, but they're called by the same names and share physical attributes across their incarnations. Some of these recurring foes are in Breath of the Wild, such as Bokoblins, Lizalfos, and Wizzrobes. Others, on the other hand, are absent, including some of the best bosses from Zelda's water dungeons since there's no underwater exploration in BOTW. However, there is still the possibility for them to appear in Tears of the Kingdom.

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There are many enemies from Zelda's past that could come to TOTK. Some of them could fit in very well and should make an appearance, while others might be better off excluded. Tears of the Kingdom's darker themes compared to Breath of the Wild might be a sign that the creepier and macabre enemies of Zelda will come. The floating islands also could mean that more flying enemies will come to BOTW, both new ones and those from past games. It's even possible that recurring enemies will come that are completely unexpected. In addition, any returning enemies may have some significant changes, and could be completely unrecognizable from their previous versions.

Legend of Zelda's ReDead Could Take The Place Of BOTW's Stal In TOTK

Ocarina Zelda ReDead

The ReDead are frightening enemies that are hard to forget about, Legend of Zelda enemies first introduced in Ocarina of Time. They typically take the form of a tall, emaciated zombie with a mask, and paralyze Link with their gaze before moving in to attack. They're slow-moving enemies that are weak to fire and sunlight, and live in underground areas.

If the ReDead were to appear in Tears of the Kingdom, they could be quite different from how they are in most games. They might take the form of skeletons instead of zombies, and either join the ranks of BOTW's Stal or completely replace them. Malice animating the skeletons of dead Hylians and turning them against Link during the night sounds like a good story for them, and makes sense with the large amounts of Malice infecting Hyrule as shown in the trailers available so far. Their paralyzing ability could be more obnoxious than it was in past games, however, especially if they're alongside BOTW's other powerful enemies and bosses, given the game's ragdoll physics and the various elemental effects enemies can use.

Legend Of Zelda's Skulltulas Could Be A Terrifying Enemy In Tears Of The Kingdom

A Gold Skulltula spider hangs from the ceiling in Ocarina of Time.

Skulltulas are a spider-like enemy that debuted in Ocarina of Time. They have hard shells on their backs that have the appearance of skulls. Skulltulas typically ambush Link by hiding in the shadows and making sneak attacks, and in OoT and Majora's Mask, some were even invisible. Besides the standard variety, there are three other versions: the Big Skulltula, a larger version only found in OoT, the Gold Skulltula that drops tokens Link can trade for items in OoT and Majora's Mask, and the Walltula, a smaller variety that hangs on vines.

Related: BOTW: Everything You Still Need To Finish Before Zelda: TOTK Comes Out

If Skulltulas were to come to TOTK, they hopefully wouldn't ambush Link as they do in other games. Having a spider with a skull on its back jump out from the shadows is terrifying, and may leave players regretting their decision to explore BOTW 2's cave areas. A good way to make Skulltulas more bearable could be for TOTK to take away their protective shell and have them act like Keese in that they can hide but reveal themselves before attacking - though hopefully they wouldn't also swarm like Keese can - and that they'd both be one-hit enemies that pose little threat. Given the floating islands, it's even possible that they would ride on Keese or be carried by them if they took this form.

Legend Of Zelda's Dinolfos Should Come To Tears Of The Kingdom

Legend of Zelda BOTW Hyrule Field and Dinalfos

Dinolfos are lizard-like enemies similar to Lizalfos, but much larger and stronger and with spikes across their bodies. They wield weapons such as axes and swords, and some iterations have metallic armor. Unlike Lizalfos, they typically fight Link alone rather than in groups. Some varieties breathe fire, and others have protective arm guards to block Link's attacks.

Dinolfos are a very good classic Zelda game enemy to appear in BOTW's sequel. They look cool and tough, and could make a great overworld enemy that Link would encounter in most all areas. Since they wield weapons, they can have equally cool ones unique to them like other enemies do, and the fire-breathing varieties mean that they can come in different elemental forms like Lizalfos. In addition, they drop Dinolfos Fangs and Dinolfos Arm Guards when defeated in Hyrule Warriors, so they already have some drops for Tears of the Kingdom to use. Since they're also a stronger counterpart of Lizalfos as Moblins are to Bokoblins, the best way to use them could be for them to help lead them and fight alongside them just like Moblins and Bokoblins do.

Legend Of Zelda's Darknuts Could Become Minibosses In Tears Of The Kingdom

A Darknut from The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Darknut is an enemy that first appeared in the original Legend of Zelda game, where players had to attack them from behind to damage them. They take the form of large, dark suits of armor, and what's beneath it varies from game to game. They are extremely strong enemies that possess powerful armor and shields as well as strong weapons, and were especially formidable in Twilight Princess, where they had two phases, armored and unarmored. There are different colors, with the most common being black, red, and blue, though one in Twilight Princess is gold.

If the Darknut comes to Tears of the Kingdom, it has the potential to be a miniboss on the level of Talus or Hinox, or perhaps even the Lynel. Their strong armor can make them unique enemies that would require careful planning and preparation to defeat, especially if they had phases in Zelda: TOTK that connect them to their Twilight Princess iteration. They may drop very cool-looking weapons, shields, and possibly even bows, but like Wizzrobes, they might not drop other items. There could even be an armor set designed to mimic them, which would be just as cool as the weapons and fun to match with them. It would be great to see this enemy make its way into Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom alongside Dinolfos and some other classic enemies, but until more is revealed, fans can only guess at which favorites will return.

Next: Where Will Zelda: TOTK's Kakariko Village Actually Be?