I still remember the first time I booted up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and watched Link and Zelda descend beneath Hyrule Castle. The air felt wrong. The silence felt heavy. Then Ganondorf broke free of what had chained him, and everything changed. Link woke up with a strange new arm, a broken Master Sword, and no princess beside him. That opening hooked me immediately, but the mystery that stayed with me longest was not the Demon King. It was the name Rauru.

The arm, I learned, once belonged to King Rauru, a Zonai king who married the Hylian Sonia and helped establish the Kingdom of Hyrule. He and Sonia appear throughout Tears of the Kingdom in the Dragon's Tears memories, and those memories slowly turn a simple revenge story into a tragedy about founding, sacrifice, and legacy. I found myself replaying those scenes more than once, because every detail seemed to matter.

If the name Rauru felt familiar, it is because The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also has a Rauru. That Rauru is the Sage of Light, a figure who reaches out to Link and asks for his help. He is tied to the sealing of Ganondorf, and he is known for building the Temple of Time. That temple was inspired by the story of Link's time travel adventures in Skyward Sword. There is even a Rauru Town in The Adventure of Link, which makes the name feel less like a one-off and more like a thread running through Hyrulian history.

I do not think this is a coincidence. King Rauru wears a medallion that resembles the face of Ocarina of Time's Rauru. When that medallion is flipped upside down, it resembles the owl form of Kaepora Gaebora, another figure connected to the Sage of Light. That tiny visual trick made me pause. It feels like Nintendo leaving a breadcrumb for players who remember the older games.

Detail	Tears of the Kingdom Rauru	Ocarina of Time Rauru
Role	Zonai king and co-founder of Hyrule	Sage of Light and Temple of Time builder
Ganondorf connection	Sacrificed himself to seal Ganondorf under Hyrule Castle	Helped seal Ganondorf with the Sages
Visual clue	Medallion resembling OOT Rauru; upside down resembles Kaepora Gaebora	Associated with Kaepora Gaebora's owl form
Timeline feel	Likely earliest Hyrule founding era	Later era during Ocarina of Time

As a player, I lean toward the idea of reincarnation or a spiritual echo. Since King Rauru and Queen Sonia are the beginning of the Kingdom of Hyrule, it seems likely that the Zonai Rauru came before the more humanoid Rauru who built the Temple of Time. King Rauru sacrificed himself to seal Ganondorf beneath Hyrule Castle, but his spirit clearly lives on beyond that heroic act. His spirit speaks to Link after Link awakens with his arm attached. Could that same spirit have reincarnated into the Sage of Light seen in Ocarina of Time? The ruins of the Temple of Time can be found in Breath of the Wild's Hyrule, which leaves plenty of room for that theory.

Of course, I have to be honest: Nintendo has not made the exact connection clear. The placement of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in the official timeline is still debated, and as of 2026, the Wild Era remains a fascinating puzzle for theorists. That uncertainty is part of the fun for me. I can build my own interpretation, compare it with other fans, and still enjoy the games as standalone adventures.

What I appreciate most is that the name Rauru rewards long-time players without punishing newcomers. If you started with Tears of the Kingdom, Rauru is a noble Zonai king who gave Link a second chance. If you grew up with Ocarina of Time, Rauru is also the Sage of Light who helped seal Ganondorf and built the Temple of Time. Both versions matter. Both feel intentional. 🦉

In 2026, Tears of the Kingdom remains available on Nintendo Switch, and its legacy still fuels timeline conversations. I do not need Nintendo to confirm every link between the two Raurus. I just enjoy knowing that the series can still make me look at an old name, an old medallion, and an old owl, and wonder what really happened first. 🎮