There are few enemies in The Legend of Zelda franchise as bone-chilling as ReDeads. They first appear in Ocarina of Time, but despite their unambiguously zombie-inspired appearance and behavior, conflicting lore on the ReDead suggests fans may never be certain about the origins of these most mysterious creatures in the Legend of Zelda games.
The February 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer for Tears of the Kingdom shows ReDeads are returning after a long hiatus. For fans of the series, this doesn't just mean that Tears of the Kingdom will ratchet up the scare factor compared to Breath of the Wild, but it also means another chance to demystify the origins of an iconic creature.
The Origins of The ReDead Are Unclear
When they first appeared in Ocarina of Time, the origins of the ReDead were fairly clear-cut. Their slow, plodding movement and lurching attacks created inevitable parallels to classic zombies, but there was also evidence that the ReDead were reanimated villagers from Hyrule Castle Town.
When Link revisits Hyrule Castle after being awoken in the Temple of Time, the market is destroyed and populated by ReDead rather than the villagers that players found previously. The first appearance of the ReDead is one of the most disturbing moments in the Legend of Zelda franchise, but also seems to close the door to any discussion about the creature's origins.
However, Super Smash Bros. Melee threw a twist into the origins of the ReDead. When players unlocked the Super Smash Bros. trophy for the ReDead, the inspection text explicitly states they were not the evacuated villagers from Hyrule Castle Town, but rather magically-formed creatures in a humanoid shape. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doubled down on this origin, adding that ReDeads are made of clay.
Tears of the Kingdom Can Add to the Origins of ReDeads
In the Nintendo Player's Guide for Ocarina of Time, the ReDead are described as "skeletal creatures." This seems to corroborate the suggestion that the ReDead are not truly zombies, but instead creatures conjured by magical means. If that's true, it leaves fans with further questions as to exactly who created them in the first place. Since their appearance is normally associated with Ganondorf, that may be the first place that fans look for answers, but the ReDead appear in at least one major game that does not feature Ganon: Majora's Mask.
However, the association between Ganon and the ReDead cannot be explained away so easily. During the events of Majora's Mask, Ganon is not dead, but merely defeated and sealed away. It could be Ganon's very existence that causes terrible creatures like ReDeads to pop up around Hyrule, Termina, and other locations. If Ganon is not the one responsible for the ReDead, it's likely they are merely pre-existing magical creatures throughout Hyrule, but then it's harder to explain their absence from young Link's timeline.
There's one other important factor at play. If the ReDead are only associated with or created by Ganon, the latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom laid its cards on the table and may have confirmed Ganon will appear in the game. Otherwise, Tears of the Kingdom may finally pull back the curtain and explain the lore behind one of The Legend of Zelda's most terrifying creatures.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to release on May 12, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.