Nintendo is responsible for some of the most celebrated video game characters and franchises of all time. The Legend of Zelda has grown into one of their most popular series. It’s been incredible to see how Nintendo has experimented more with Zelda titles over time and Hyrule Warriors is one of the most prominent examples.
The change of pace was a huge hit and Nintendo hopes to recapture that magic with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a prequel to Breath of the Wild. The original Hyrule Warriors features an unbelievable roster of playable characters, so it’s understandable that fans are hoping that Age of Calamity follows suit. There are some very interesting options for them to consider.
10 In Age Of Calamity: Paya
Paya is the granddaughter of Impa and she’s a reassuring presence when Link’s in Kakariko Village. Paya primarily plays the role of caretaker and her reputation in Breath of the Wild has turned the character into more of a meme than a powerful warrior. However, the original Hyrule Warriors featured such an eclectic roster of unexpected characters, so there’s still a lot that the game could do with Paya. Paya could have a moveset that reflects crafting and healing or perhaps even call on Impa for special attacks. She has the potential to be an unconventional character type.
9 In DLC: Hinox
Breath of the Wild has such an interesting bestiary of monsters that even creatures that aren’t official bosses still manage to resonate with audiences. The Hinox are ogre-like Cyclops that frequently act as obstacles for Link. The first Hyrule Warriors proved that strange characters or more run of the mill enemies could still result in entertaining characters. The Hinox are compelling because of their large size, their propensity to use bombs for weapons, and how various different types of the species are featured in the game. Hinox don’t feel like mandatory characters to include, but they’d be a fun bonus.
8 In Age Of Calamity: Riju
One of the most impressive things about Breath of the Wild is how it’s able to take older locations from the Zelda series and reinterpret them. Gerudo Valley has been an important pit stop for Link since Ocarina of Time and its inclusion in Breath of the Wild introduces Riju, the Chief of the Gerudo.
Granted, Riju may seem derivative of Urbosa, who’s already been confirmed, but Riju has been training since childhood and has such a distinct personality. Riju’s lovable pet sand seal, Patricia, or her bodyguard, Buliara, would also be great details to incorporate into her attacks.
7 In DLC: Great Fairy
The Zelda series has changed in many ways over the years, but the existence of Great Fairies has been a unifying factor for most of the games. Breath of the Wild gives these magical characters an appreciated facelift and turns them into serious behemoths. Hyrule Warriors found a creative and fun way to incorporate Great Fairies, so it’d be even better to see this newer version of them get even more attention. Breath of the Wild’s Cotera, Mija, Kaysa, and Tera could work together as interchangeable characters that reflect the wider rang of abilities that these supernatural characters can accomplish.
6 In Age Of Calamity: Teba
Teba is part of the avian-like Rito race, which is a newer addition to the Zelda series. Teba can take to the skies and produce a very different style of combat. Fellow Rito member, Revali, is going to be in Breath of the Wild, but Teba still feels like his own character. Teba may not receive the same level of attention that Revali does in Breath of the Wild, but the focus on his wife, Saki, and his warrior son, Tulin, make him feel like a fully realized character who deserves more opportunities to highlight what he can really do.
5 In DLC: Master Kohga
Link faces a lot of difficult bosses within Breath of the Wild, but Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan is one of the more intimidating and unpredictable characters. Kohga is such a threat because he's the leader of the Yiga Clan, whose soul mission is to execute Link.
Teleportation and the conjuring of gigantic boulders are some of Kohga’s favorite tricks in Breath of the Wild, but he also has far greater skills that he doesn't get to demonstrate. If nothing else, it would be incredible to see Kohga's obsessive love for bananas get translated over into Age of Calamity.
4 In Age Of Calamity: Prince Sidon
There are a lot of supporting characters that get explored in Breath of the Wild, but when it comes to the adept Zora race, it's the royal family that's put under the most scrutiny. Zora Champion Mipha will be playable in Age of Calamity, but her entire family is full of complex individuals, especially his younger brother Prince Sidon. Prince Sidon’s pure enthusiasm for adventure and combat is what makes him stand out so much. Sidon’s attacks could focus on water even more than Mipha, considering Sidon is the best swimmer of the Zora race and a showoff.
3 In DLC: Monk Maz Koshia
Breath of the Wild engaged in some very satisfying DLC material for those that wanted to dig deeper into the world. The dangerous Monk Maz Koshia is the central antagonist of the game's "Champions' Ballad" DLC, so it seems appropriate that Maz Koshia would also be featured in Age of Calamity via DLC. Monk Maz Koshia feels so different and powerful that it'd be incredible to play as the character and experience that magic. The character could even incorporate the Master Cycle Zero, since he's the one who's responsible for getting it to Link.
2 In Age Of Calamity: Ganon
The Legend of Zelda series hasn't always had Ganon come in as the final battle, but he's usually the source of trouble for Link and Breath of the Wild features the most terrifying version of the tyrant yet. Ganon takes on several unbelievable forms in the game, but it's his core self that would be the best version of the character to translate into the game. It's possible that alternate forms like Fireblight or Thunderblight Ganon could be represented through different moves, rather than separate characters, which would give Ganon a unique play style and not make him vastly overpowered.
1 In DLC: Wolf Link And Midna
Twilight Princess’ Wolf Link really ignited the Zelda fanbase and the character, along with the helpful Midna, were an appreciated inclusion of the first Hyrule Warriors. Wolf Link isn’t a necessary component of Breath of the Wild, but the character is able to appear via the use of an Amiibo. Since Amiibo have also been confirmed for Age of Calamity, it’s not unreasonable to anticipate more Wolf Link. It’s unclear if Age of Calamity will span the entire Zelda series in the same way that the first game did, but Wolf Link is good middle ground.