When the sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was announced at E3 2019, the trailer that Nintendo released seemed to hold many secrets, especially concerning the mummified corpse that appeared in the latter half of it. It was immediately assumed that it was Ganon’s corpse when fans first saw it, but after a few deeper looks into the trailer, some fans are convinced that Zant from Twilight Princess will also be making an unconventional return in the sequel. 

The trailer itself creates more questions than answers regarding the setting of the sequel to Breath of the Wild. The only things that are immediately clear from the trailer is that the game will take place in the same world as its predecessor, which Nintendo confirmed, and that Link and Zelda will be adventuring together in some capacity this time around.

The trailer certainly confirmed that there is a main villain but everything else, from the strange smoke that takes everything over to the shining arm that grabs the corpse, is still a mystery. However, the arm and the mummified corpse could provide clues as to how many villains will be in BotW 2.

RELATED: 5 Legend of Zelda Items That Should Return for Breath of the Wild 2

Ganondorf

The main villain of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was Ganon and his four blight minions,

and after defeating them, Link and Zelda have to defeat Dark Beast Ganon out in the fields. Ganondorf, however, never makes an appearance in the game. Ganondorf is the humanoid manifestation of Ganon and sometimes appears in previous games in the series, such as Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker.

Although he never appears in Breath of the Wild, there are still some minor references to the human form of Ganon found in the game. Gerudo town has a permanently active ban on all men (except for Goron men) which Link has to circumvent by dressing more like a Hylian girl. This ban is partly due to the Gerudo’s fear that Ganon will resurrect itself as a Gerudo male, which Ganondorf is. If the idea of Ganondorf is canon in Breath of the Wild, then his appearance in BotW 2 as a vengeful villain is all the more likely.

The decayed corpse in the trailer does have the proportions of a man, as opposed to the beast Ganon. It also has the forehead gem that Ganondorf is known to wear and the red hair that the Gerudo are known for. Ganondorf wasn’t ever designed with long red hair before but he wouldn’t be the only slightly redesigned character in Breath of the Wild. The shiny arm is a different story though.

Zant

zelda breath of the wild 2 may be hinting at zant's return

The theory behind Zant’s comeback for Breath of the Wild 2 comes from Reddit user ReroFunk. They suggest that the music in the trailer, when played backwards, is not only reminiscent of the original Legend of Zelda, but also has hints of Zant’s theme music in Twilight Princess. They also suggest that the corpse’s particular pose at the end, and the color theme of the arm and environment, point to similarities to Zant’s motifs as well.

Although anything’s possible, there isn’t really from Breath of the Wild that would suggest the return of a character from another game like that (excluding Zant’s helmet which was DLC). If that arm grabbing the corpse was Zant though, that would at least explain another possibility regarding the villain in Breath of the Wild 2.

Zombie Ganondorf

zelda breath of the wild ganon

There are a few parallels between Breath of the Wild to its sequel and Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. For one, the latter games have darker elements to them. The BotW 2 trailer and Majora’s Mask both appear to be spookier versions than their predecessors. Second, the upcoming sequel is likely to come out much sooner in comparison to the traditional gap between mainline Zelda games, just like Majora’s Mask. It wouldn’t be surprising if BotW 2 took the villain dynamic of Majora’s Mask and applied it to the two entities that Link and Zelda discover in the trailer.

In Majora’s Mask, Skull Kid is seen as the primary villain for the majority of the game. It’s revealed at the end that Skull Kid was under the control of Majora the entire time and Link goes on to defeat it. In the trailer for Breath of the Wild 2, the shining arm appears to resurrect the corpse that it grabs, with its empty eye sockets filling up with demon-like eyes toward the end, indicating that a puppet master is the villain this time around. Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma has even described the game as being darker than Majora's Mask because of these themes.

If the corpse is ultimately Link’s archrival, even though a new rumor suggests that it isn’t Ganondorf, then Link might have to deal with another puppet enemy, just like in Majora’s Mask. In Breath of the Wild 2 though, the villain could very well be zombie Ganondorf.

The sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is in development for the Nintendo Switch.

MORE: How Red Dead Redemption 2 Can Influence Zelda Breath of the Wild 2