Zelda fans are curious about one character’s whereabouts in Tears of the Kingdom

One old friend hasn’t been as present as others

It’s been almost a week since the final The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer before launch landed. There has been, of course, rampant speculation, as fans have pored every frame of the video. And it’s led at least a few to be curious about one character’s relative absence, compared to the rest.

I’ll be digging into fan theories and such from here on out, so if you want to avoid general speculation or stay scot-free on potential twists, be warned we’re diving in here.

Where is Yunobo?

Both the trailer for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the recent social media updates have shown off three of Hyrule’s champions. Sidon and Riju both appear, as does Tulin, the son of Teba.

We see all three of them in the trailer, in various circumstances. And Nintendo social accounts have shared multiple images of those three as well. Absent from all of this, however, is Yunobo, a descendent of Daruk and presumable Goron champion.

Did you spot these familiar faces who fought alongside Link in the latest trailer for The Legend of #Zelda: #TearsOfTheKingdom? pic.twitter.com/gyomLuk3Cu

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 15, 2023

It’s worth noting that Yunobo’s presence could still be hinted at. In a specific section of the trailer, where we see the champions charging forward together, we can the tip of a weapon that looks like Daruk’s Boulder Breaker. This would indicate that Yunobo, or a Goron warrior, is present alongside Riju, Sidon, and Tulin. However, we never even see their face.

This is leading some fans to question, simply, where’s Yunobo? Even though the indication seems to be that he will be present, at least for part of the game, his absence compared to the other three champions is conspicuous.

What’s happening on Death Mountain?

Another factor that’s lending some credence to the idea that the Gorons may be in trouble is the state of Death Mountain, as seen in the trailers. While Death Mountain has always been an exploding font of ash and lava, so a bit more dangerous than the average cave.

But in trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Death Mountain appears to be dealing with some other kind of goopy weirdness, possibly malice. Whatever this means, it doesn’t bode well for anyone who calls the mountain home.

While we don’t have any proof that something bad has happened to Yunobo and the Gorons, we don’t have solid proof they’re fine either. While we do see one Goron alongside Link, in his merry band of warriors, we also see what looks like another Goron spinball-attacking Link in the trailer. Things may not be alright on the mountain, and the conspicuous absence of our pal Yunobo isn’t too reassuring.

We’ll probably get all the answers and more to these questions soon, though, as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on May 12, 2023.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter