Even as the release date forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomrapidly approaches, Nintendo has been tight-lipped about much of the content in thisBreath of the Wildsequel. With nothing more than a few trailers revealed during Nintendo Directs and E3 presentations, players have a lot of room for speculation about what the game will look and feel like. With only Link and Zelda prominently appearing in trailers, fans are left to wonder who else will reappear inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Breath of the Wildwas a massive game in both scale and critical success, featuringover 200 unique, named NPCs. While many of these characters are villagers or travelers, there are a number of NPCs who serve a larger role in aiding Link along his quest. Among these integral characters are Purah and Robbie, two Sheikah researchers who have extensive history with Zelda and continue to aid Link after he awakens inBreath of the Wild. These two genius researchers played small roles in the first game, but they have the potential to contribute much more to the story inTears of the Kingdom.
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Purah in Zelda: Breath of the Wild
InBreath of the Wild, Link meets Purah in theHateno Ancient Tech Lab just north of Hateno Village. She appears as a young girl with white hair, large round glasses, and a pair of goggles on top of her head. Purah’s playful nature is quickly revealed as she plays a trick on Link by telling him that Symin, a young man inside the lab with her, is the director of the ancient tech lab. In truth, Purah is the director who knows Link already, affectionately calling him “Linky” and expressing that he hasn’t changed much.
Purah is actually 124 years old,making her the oldest living Sheikah in Hyrule, and is the older sister of Kakariko Village elder Impa. She explains that she was the one who initially brought Link to the Shrine of Resurrection, and expresses fondness toward Zelda when players ask questions about the camera function on the Sheikah Slate.
Before players leave the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Purah mentions Robbie as a research companion (though she sees him as a subordinate) who she hasn’t seen in 100 years. They intentionally placed their labs in separate locations so that in the case that one of them died, the other would still be safe and able to help Link when he woke up.
Robbie in Breath of the Wild
Founder of the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, Robbie is close in age to Purah and actually appears this way. A Hylian woman, Jerrin, is Robbie’s wife and research assistant who lives alongside him in the lab, and the pair have a son named Grante who Link can encounter inTarrey Town after completing specific side quests.
When players first encounter Robbie, he asks Link to take his clothes off to ensure he is really the same hero from 100 years ago judging by scars on Link’s torso. Before the Great Calamity,Robbie researched Guardians at the Royal Ancient Lab, aiding Purah and Princess Zelda in excavating Sheikah technology. In the past, Robbie was responsible for restoring mobility to the Guardians, and thus he had no trouble figuring out how to defeat them following the Calamity using Ancient Arrows.
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Purah and Robbie are Vital NPCs
InBreath of the Wild, it’s clear just how important Purah and Robbie are to Princess Zelda’s eventual rescue. Even before the Great Calamity, the two were instrumental in the initial recovery of theSheikah Slate and other ancient Sheikah technology. When Link was mortally wounded, Purah and Robbie brought Link to the Shrine of Resurrection, demonstrating just how deeply Princess Zelda trusts them as friends and allies.
Even 100 years later, the two continue working diligently to aid Link and Zelda. Purah is responsible forrestoring Runes to Link’s Sheikah Slateand helps him understand the technology that he has forgotten. As Link progresses on his quests, Purah will upgrade the Sheikah Sensor, Remote Bombs, and Stasis Runes free of charge, only asking that Link provide the necessary Ancient Materials.
Purah and Robbie’s Potential for Tears of the Kingdom
If Purah and Robbie reappear inTears of the Kingdom, they could aid Link in new ways - possibly even in battle, as their appearance inHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitydemonstrates their combat proficiency. However, the duo character fromAge of Calamity’s Guardian of Remembrance DLC features Purah and Robbie as young adults, so Purah would need to de-age Robbie as she’s done to herself in order to bring back their spry, combat-ready forms.
Beyond expanding on the services they provided Link inBreath of the Wild,it’s possible thatTears of the Kingdommay feature companion characters. Companions have appeared in several previousLegend of Zeldagames, and in this universe’s canon both Purah and Robbie have extensive experience doing fieldwork with Zelda. Purah as a companion character might be able to aid Link incompleting the Hyrule Compendiumand using the Sheikah Slate Runes in innovative ways, while Robbie would have a keen eye for Ancient Materials. It would also be helpful for players to be able to speak to Purah or Robbie in the field and get quick upgrades to Runes or their combat gear.
Little has been confirmed aboutTears of the Kingdom, but given the Hyrule found in this sequel is the same players explored inBreath of the Wild,Purah, Robbie, and many other fan-favorite NPCswill likely appear in new capacities. Link and Zelda have another treacherous journey ahead of them, but luckily they also have valuable allies located all around Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release on June 04, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
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