With a new trailer revealing the name for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - the sequel to the hit Breath of the Wild - comes the possibility that the events of the game will see Link catapulted into the past, possibly as far back as 10,000 years. Though it's nothing more than a theory for now, there are some interesting new elements that may point to its veracity when taken together. Tears of the Kingdom's newly-revealed release date of May 12, 2023 leaves plenty of time for more hints or even a full-blown reveal for this theory, along with further details about other aspects that have already been revealed such as a broken Master Sword in BOTW 2.
In Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link awakens from a 100-year slumber to find that Hyrule is in danger from Calamity Ganon. He sets out upon a quest to free the four Divine Beasts and rescue Princess Zelda, who has been keeping Ganon sealed for the last century. In the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, he will go on a new adventure, and while most of it is still unknown, various trailers have revealed that it involves a withered mummy kept sealed deep underground, which is freed after Link and Zelda stumble upon it. Afterwards, pieces of Hyrule rise up into the air, including Hyrule Castle itself, and Link is apparently left with the same arm that kept the mummy sealed, either replacing or covering his own. There are many weird theories about Link's new arm in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it's been stealthily shown to have mysterious powers similar to the Sheikah Slate from BOTW.
The new Tears of the Kingdom trailer came with other things besides hints of time travel; a mechanical mount that Link will fly through the air, a mysterious glowing mural on a mountaintop, and smaller details like strange capsules on his belt and footage of him climbing roots. All of it is far from confirmation of time travel, but it does pose interesting questions. The idea of traveling back to Hyrule 10,000 years ago is an exciting one, and could make Breath of the Wild's sequel even more fun than it already appeared to be. If the theory is true, then hopefully the time travel aspects are implemented well and don't overly complicate the story so that BOTW 2's gameplay and improved exploration aspects can shine just like they did in the original Breath of the Wild.
Why Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Could Involve Time Travel
There are a few primary pieces of evidence for time travel in Tears of the Kingdom's new trailer. One of them is the two different outfits that Link wears, both of which have appeared in past trailers. In the beginning of the new trailer, Link appears to have an improved version of the Champion's Tunic from BOTW, and is carrying a sword on his back. Later, when he's shown climbing some roots, he wears a green, one-sleeved outfit, and is carrying a much more primitive-looking wooden cudgel. While different outfits aren't really hard evidence, they seem to be portrayed with a sense of duality that may indicate that Link wears them in two different time periods.
In the new trailer (above) and past ones, such as Nintendo's E3 2021 teaser, Hyrule appears to be much closer to BOTW's familiar open world in scenes where Link is wearing the upgraded Champion's Tunic. In comparison, scenes where he wears the green outfit have a much more mysterious and wild atmosphere to them. They show less familiar scenery, and seem more focused on new aspects and the floating islands. In addition, Link uses the advanced flying mount when he wears the Champion's Tunic, which is very telling. It's entirely possible that the Champion's Tunic outfit is being used for scenes meant to take place after the events of Breath of the Wild, whereas the ones where Link is wearing his green outfit are in a distant past.
Other Ways Tears of the Kingdom Could Travel Through Time
Time and time travel are prominent aspects in Zelda games, even putting aside The Legend of Zelda series' split timelines, so it's far from outside the realm of possibility for it to show up in Tears of the Kingdom. Age of Calamity especially brings the possibility of time travel that much closer with its story of an alternate Great Calamity and a time-traveling robot. However, it's not certain that Link will travel to the past and stay there. There are other possibilities, such as short quests where Link is temporarily transported to the past, or ones where he experiences it as a flashback similar to the memories in BOTW.
Depending on how deeply time travel is intertwined with Tears of the Kingdom's story, it's also possible that Link will be traveling back and forth through time. There could be two concurrent stories with their own plot threads in Zelda BOTW 2, one that takes place in the past and another in the present. Being transported as each story progresses and needing to complete quests to go back and forth doesn't seem likely given the open-world format focused on player freedom, and neither does a sudden shift halfway through akin to Ocarina of Time, but it's possible that players will be able to travel between the past and present at will instead. However, two separate maps - each one a fair bit larger than BOTW's Hyrule due to the floating islands - feels like far too much to be within reason, and small self-contained areas of the past or present akin to BOTW's Shrines don't seem likely either based on what's been shown so far. There are certainly other ways this concept could be utilized in BOTW's sequel without ruining its story or gameplay, however, and they may become more apparent as additional information becomes available.
What Does Time Travel Mean For Tears of the Kingdom?
If time travel is present in Tears of the Kingdom in some form, it carries a few implications. The first is that its version of Hyrule would be very different from BOTW. That much was already known, but if Link is getting sent back to the past, and especially if it's as far back as the first rise of Calamity Ganon, then it could be practically unrecognizable, and have an all-new cast of characters either unrelated to those in BOTW or with only distant relations. It could also mean that players will see Ganon's intitial rise first-hand, in addition to other events such as the construction of the Guardians and Divine Beasts, which BOTW's sequel could use in unexpected ways if so.
Another possibility is that Tears of the Kingdom will bring BOTW's story full circle with its time travel. 10,000 years ago, Ganon was defeated by an unnamed hero and princess, and while they were never identified in-game, it's a safe assumption that they were iterations of Link and Zelda based on their descriptions and the pair's intertwined destiny with Ganon. However, it's possible that the Link from BOTW and the one from 10,000 years ago are one and the same if time travel is indeed prevalent in TOTK. It's even possible that BOTW's Zelda is the princess and that she and Link get sent back in time together, in which case Zelda could be a playable character in TOTK.
In addition, since the hero in Breath of the Wild's mural telling the story of that battle 10,000 years ago resembles Ganon, it's possible that he isn't the threat that emerged then and therefore not the main villain of Tears of the Kingdom if it does take place in that time. Instead, the damaged state of the Master Sword may point to the real antagonist: Demise, the villain of Skyward Sword, who was sealed within the sword, and whose hatred is the source of Ganon's Malice. In this case, Link, Zelda, and Ganon could all work together to bring down Demise, and Ganon may ultimately become corrupted by his Malice and go on to become Calamity Ganon. Like almost everything else about Breath of the Wild's sequel, it may be pure speculation for now, but Demise returning in Tears of the Kingdom could be a great plot twist - one that can bring not only BOTW but the entire Zelda series full circle - and a way to show Ganon as something other than a villain.
Sources: Nintendo/YouTube (Tears of the Kingdom trailer, Breath of the Wild sequel E3 2021 trailer)