Who is Rauru in Tears of the Kingdom?

If you’re wondering ‘who is Rauru in Tears of the Kingdom’, rest assured you’re not the only one. He’s first mentioned by Ganondorf in TotK’s opening, before we meet the man himself (or rather his spirit) when we awake on the Great Sky Island.

Being the first new addition to the Tears of the Kingdom characters we saw in the trailers, fans are excited to find out more about him, as they begin their journey on the Tears of the Kingdom Sky Islands. Beware of spoilers ahead.

Who is Rauru?

Rauru is a Zonai character in Tears of the Kingdom who we first meet on the Great Sky Island. Upon waking up on the Great Sky Island, Rauru tells us that Link was badly injured, and his arm needed to be replaced. Link’s new arm originally belonged to Rauru, and comes with a set of new Tears of the Kingdom abilities, which Link must acquire on the Great Sky Island.

Later on in the game, we learn that Rauru is far from your average character, and is in fact the founder of the Kingdom of Hyrule, becoming its first king. After Link acquires all the abilities and partially regains his strength, Rauru bids Link farewell and disappears. Whether he’ll make a return later on in TotK, we’ll have to wait and see.

Now, if you’re new to the Zelda franchise, the name Rauru probably won’t mean anything to you. But longtime fans of the series will know how important Rauru is in the Zelda universe.

Rauru in the Zelda timeline

Near the beginning of the Zelda timeline, years after the events of the game Skyward Sword, Rauru founded the Kingdom of Hyrule. During this time, known as the Era of Chaos, Rauru built the Temple of Time, in order to seal off the entrance to the Sacred Realm, so as to protect the Triforce – the most powerful item in the Zelda canon. Rauru sealed himself and the Triforce within the Sacred Realm, becoming the Sage of Light.

He features heavily in Ocarina of Time. In OoT, he guides Link on his adventure, as well as telling him to awaken the other Sages. At the end of the game, once Ganondorf is defeated, he and the other Sages seal Ganondorf away in the Dark Realm. This is how Ganondorf knows who Rauru is, hence him saying to Link “Rauru placed his faith in you… and that was all you could do?” in the prologue of TotK. He also sometimes leaves the Sacred Realm in the form of the owl Kaepora Gaebora to give Link advice.

That’s all you need to know about Rauru. Whether you’re a veteran Zelda player or a complete newbie, Rauru is certainly an important character to know about. If you want some help with the first shrine on the Great Sky Island, our Tears of the Kingdom Ukuoh Shrine guide will help. And if you’re wanting to do some cooking on the go, our Tears of the Kingdom Portable Pot guide will have you doing just that.