Yesterday was the release of
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch, bringing together the best of both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game. It's certainly a must-have, but I won't be getting and playing it anytime soon, because I don't have a Switch yet. But once I do, it should keep me busy, until there's a sequel.
And there certainly will be a sequel.
Hyrule Warriors is one of Koei Tecmo's most successful Musou games, if not the most successful, where development on a sequel probably has started already. I wouldn't expect to learn about the game before 2020, but I would expect a sequel on the Nintendo Switch. Some might be skeptical, whether such a sequel would have any potential for new characters left, but I'm here to take away your doubts by presenting a list of 29 more characters that could be featured in the game - the same number as currently present in the
Definitive Edition. Plus, there will also be a couple of new weapons for existing characters.
The game will certainly focus on
Breath of the Wild after the game's massive success and build a lot around it. They might even go into the open world direction of
Dynasty Warriors 9, where they could take the Hyrule of
Breath of the Wild and use the Gate of Souls to fuse in the battlefields from past games like the Bridge of Eldin from
Twilight Princess or Death Mountain from
Ocarina of Time. Imagine a gigantic Hyrule that's made out of different pieces from many different Zelda games, where you could go from Clocktown to the Forsaken Fortress...
There's a lot of potential in the worlds alone, but also when it comes to character additions and overhauls
Breath of the Wild will probably be at the center of it as well. Lana and Cia for example could infuse technology into their magic, where their Summoning Gates already looked quite technological. Link and Zelda could be more similar to their
Breath of the Wild counterparts, if those aren't even used as the main Link and Zelda this time around.
But let's start with the character and weapon additions for
Breath of the Wild and then take a look at various past Zelda games. I won't go much into detail for movesets, so this article will be more about listing ideas. I haven't included any characters from Capcom / Flagship Zelda titles, like Din, Nayru or Vaati, where it's still uncertain whether Koei Tecmo will ever dive into those games. But even without those there is plenty of material left to be used.
Spoiler warning ahead for some details about characters, which aren't know upfront!
Breath of the Wild
- Sheikah Slate (Link or Zelda)
- Old Man - Paraglider
- Mipha - Zora Spear / Trident
- Daruk - Goron Smasher
- Revali - Rito Bow
- Urbosa - Gerudo Scimitar
- Hestu - Maracas
- Maz Koshia - Ancient Blade
Let's start simple here, where the Sheikah Slate with its different Runes could provide another moveset for either Link or Zelda, potentially even both. The Old Man then could be used to feature the Paraglider item and to take a similar role to the King of Red Lions from the previous game.
The biggest addition, however, will certainly be the four Champions, where we finally would be able to play as them. They most likely will be introduced in the sequel all at once and their artworks always looked like they were made for
Hyrule Warriors to begin with, with every character holding their signature weapon:
While Urbosa would be the first female Gerudo character in the game, this would add a second Goron, a second Zora and second Rito to the roster. But with their weapons and Champions abilities there is enough moveset potential to let them stand out, so Mipha certainly wouldn't just become a Ruto clone and so on. And naturally there shouldn't be any limits to how many characters of a certain race or tribe are included, especially not if we already got three/four different Links in the game, who all have distinct movesets.
Some of the Champion "descendants" might also be fan favorites, who could make it into the game, where mainly Sidon and Riju come to mind. With Teba and Yunobo it seems like they are simply inferior versions of Revali and Daruk, not offering anything new on the table. And even Sidon doesn't really showcase anything that could turn him into a fighter, where he wouldn't even have a weapon. Riju is probably the only one, who stands out more, where she could utilize Sand Seals and the Thunder Helm. But then again, Urbosa could probably incorporate these things as well, which is why she didn't make the list.
While the Champions perfectly represent four of the different tribes in
Breath of the Wild, there are still two races missing, where Hestu would be the perfect candidate for the Koroks. With the Maracas as his weapon type, he would dance and dance and dance, until all foes are gone.
If the last name on the list doesn't ring a bell, it's probably a DLC spoiler for you, so read the following at your own risk...
Ocarina of Time
- Dampé - Shovel
- Saria - Deku Stick (shared with Lana)
- Nabooru - Battle Axe
- Twinrova - Magic Broomsticks
The real star here is with all certainty Dampé. He's a recurring character, who originated in
Ocarina of Time and also appeared in
Majora's Mask,
Four Swords Adventures,
The Minish Cap and recently
A Link Between Worlds. He would also feature a classic tool from the series, which has appeared in many 2D Zelda games, as his weapon type for what's to become a hilarious moveset. This addition is an absolute must.
The same can't really be said about the others. It's possible that Koei Tecmo might want to complete the Six Sages by adding Saria, Rauru and Nabooru, but the potential here isn't the greatest. At least Saria got her moveset already finished with the Spear (= badly translated Deku Stick) weapon from Lana. That's all Kokiri goodness in there and they only would need Saria's character model for it. This doesn't mean that Lana would lose this weapon, since it could potentially be shared between the two characters, but more about that later.
Rauru seems like the most ambiguous addition, which is why he's actually not featured on the list and only serves as an honorable mention to complete the Six Sages. He could turn into an owl and use light magic, but that's probably it. It's unclear what his weapon type could be. It could be the "Medallion", but the Light Medallion doesn't really allow tiers or anything.
Nabooru isn't also in the best spot anymore, now that Urbosa does the whole female Gerudo warrior best, including the classic scimitar weapon, but she still made the list. We never really saw Nabooru fighting outside of her Iron Knuckle form, but this form could be used to differentiate her, where she could wield the Silver Gauntlets to swing that gigantic Iron Axe herself and potentially even turn into an Iron Knuckle for her Special or Focus Spirit.
Nabooru would even be featured alongside her arch nemesis - Twinrova. She would be a larger character, similar to the Great Fairy, where you play as her in her fused form. She still could split into Koume and Kotake for her Special Move or finishers, however.
Majora's Mask
- Happy Mask Salesman - Bag of Masks
- Deku Link or Deku Princess - Deku Pipes
- Goron Link or Darmani - Bongos
- Zora Link or Mikau - Guitar
Majora's Mask still has many main characters left to offer, where the Happy Mask Salesman takes the front rank. For his combos he could utilize different masks for different abilities, e.g. using the Blast Mask to create explosions. He could even put on the Bunny Hood, while he's running, where this could turn into a fun character.
Hyrule Warriors already features Young Link and with him Fierce Deity Link, but there are still three transformed versions of Link left, which could make it into the game and which would use their musical instruments as the weapon type.
Alternatively they could go for the original characters these Links were based on or in case of Deku Link for the Deku Princess, who could do the spinning and piping probably as good as Link. We don't have a Deku character yet in the game, so either one would be nice to have. Honorable mention goes to the Deku Butler, who could use his umbrella for some flying maneuvers, but who ultimately wasn't as interesting.
Again, there might be some concerns about having even more Zora and Goron characters, but both Mikau and Darmani would be different enough from Ruto, Mipha, Darunia and Daruk thanks to their musical instruments and them using their bodies to fight. Darmani would primarily use his fists and Mikau would perform martial arts, much like in
Majora's Mask.
The Wind Waker & Four Swords Adventures
- Beedle - Bug Net
- Makar - Violin
- Grappling Hook (Toon Link)
- Four Sword (Toon Link)
Beedle is another recurring character in the series, who sold you stuff in many Zelda games - six to be exact. Here it's likely that he will get a special
Hyrule Warriors incarnation, instead of being based on a specific game, but he originated in
the Wind Waker, which is why he's part of this list. His weapon type would be the Bug Net, which he sells in
Skyward Sword, where in his moveset he could try to catch some rare beetles, accidentally hitting enemies on his way. His Masked Beedle form could be used for Focus Spirit, while the bike from
Skyward Sword or the big beetle bag from
Breath of the Wild could be used for specials and finishers. Fun, fun.
The Wind Waker itself was already heavily featured in
Hyrule Warriors: Legends with four different characters and two new stages. So, there isn't really much left here other than Makar, who would be another potential Korok and certainly a lot closer to the typical Korok than Hestu. But he has about the same importance as Medli, who's already in the game, and the violin along with his ability to fly and plant trees could make him interesting enough.
Other than that we have some new tools for Toon Link with the Grappling Hook and the Four Sword, which is probably the one big thing that we can expect from the Capcom Zelda games, since it was also at the center of Nintendo's own game,
Four Swords Adventures. But a moveset, where Toon Link fights alongside three of his copies could certainly be interesting.
Twilight Princess
- Hero's Spirit - Rusty Sword
- Yeto - Fish
- Fishing Rod (Link)
- Poe Lantern (Wizzro)
With
Twilight Princess we have a similar scenario to
the Wind Waker. Koei Tecmo already butchered the game, featuring Imp Midna, Twili Midna, Zant and Agitha, the Spinner, the Ball & Chain, the Dominion Rod, as well as costumes for Link, Zelda and Ganondorf. Skull Kid still could get a
Twilight Princess skin, supposedly, but otherwise there isn't much left here.
An interesting addition would be the Lantern, specifically the Poe Lantern, where Wizzro would be the perfect candidate to wield it for a second moveset. This would turn him more into a playable Poe, where he also could summon various types of Poes into the battle.
Otherwise we have a very special form of Link left in the game with the Hero's Spirit, who is basically a friendly Stalfos character and who would utilize the various Hidden Skills for his moveset. He could also even turn into a golden wolf as part of the whole thing.
As for the real Link himself, this is the game where he fishes more than ever and where the Fishing Rod could be turned into another joke weapon, which works similar to a whip, but would look more ridiculous.
The fishes themselves then go to Yeto as another fun character, who would bash his enemies with a dead fish, where various larger fish from the series could be utilized, like the Reekfish and the Hylian Loach. In addition he could nudge you to death, burn you with hot soup and surf around on frozen leaves.
Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks
- Linebeck - Telescope
- Oshus - Cane
- Byrne / Staven - Clawshot
- Cole - Hats
While the Nintendo DS Zelda games got their own DLC Pack for
Hyrule Warriors: Legends, it skipped all of their main characters in favor of Link and Zelda. Linebeck is certainly the guy that everyone expected at the time and he should certainly join the roster in a sequel. He could wield and swing a telescope (where Link even used one as a weapon while wearing the Linebeck outfit in
Tri Force Heroes), but he's still a coward, so an important part of his moveset would be summoning his boat and driving over enemies, similar to Toon Link's Sand Wand.
Oshus is another important character in
Phantom Hourglass, who would use his cane as his weapon type, which could even feature abilities of canes from the 2D Zelda games like the Cane of Somaria, the Cane of Byrna or the Cane of Pacci. In addition he could control the three spirits, Ciela, Neef and Neri, and even turn into the Ocean King for his specials or finishers.
Spirit Tracks on the other hand has two bad guys to offer, where Cole could fly around, use his crazy guns to shoot things, summon the "Gannon Train" and potentially even transform into Malladus himself for the Special Attack. He could also spawn ghost rats and control enemies like puppets.
Byrne is a cool guy, who certainly would give Volga some competition in being the most badass fighter. His signature claw, which functions like a Clawshot, would also make for a good weapon type. And he would be a representative of the Lokomo, though not the most typical one. But better him than Anjean.
Skyward Sword
- Demise - Dark Master Sword
- Groose - Bombs / Loftwing
- Batreaux - Scythe(s)
- Ancient Robot (Fi)
- Whip (Linkle)
Unlike
The Wind Waker and
Twilight Princess,
Skyward Sword was a bigger Zelda game that left fans craving for more characters in
Hyrule Warriors, where Groose took most of the spotlight. His absence was really felt on the Sealed Grounds scenario, where his Groosenator came into action, but Groose himself was missing. It's not entirely clear, how his moveset could look like, but he would shoot Bomb Flowers in some form (possibly even with some kind of self-made Mortar) and he probably would also call his Loftwing into action.
While some of Demise's characteristics made it into the
Hyrule Warriors incarnation of Ganondorf, Demise himself still could become a character on his own. But it's kind of weird, how he is the main bad guy of a Zelda game, but doesn't seem like the likeliest candidate here thanks to Ganondorf. But in a new story, where Ganondorf might not be the main antagonist, Ghirahim's old master could return into action.
Batreaux on the other hand is a pure side character of similar "importance" to Agitha. But much like Agitha there is a lot of charm and uniqueness to this character, where he looks like a scary demon, but really is your friendly neighbor. The scythes on the wall of his house could serves as weapons, which is a weapon type that we haven't seen yet, but his moveset naturally should also star the Remlits and Gratitude Crystals in some form.
Basically another character addition would be the Ancient Robot. But this would serve as another weapon type for Fi, where similar to the Great Fairy you're actually playing as the robot and Fi is dancing around you, giving commands. The tiers of the Ancient Robot could be Scrapper (as the default robot), Skipper (the robot captain) and maybe even a miniature version of Gohdan, who is quite similar to the Lanayru Mining Robots in design.
With the Ancient Robots in place, you might also want to include the Kikwi and the Mogma, but they don't really have any outstanding and memorable characters, where you immediately would say that they should make it onto the roster for sure. It's still a possibility, however...
Anyway, there's also the Whip left, which would be a good weapon for Linkle, as whips are often used by female characters. The Whip was also featured in Spirit Tracks as a weapon for Toon Link, but both Link and Toon Link could potentially receive their own whip-like weapons with the Fishing Rod and the Grappling Hook, so this one could go to Linkle as her third weapon.
A Link Between Worlds & Tri Force Heroes
- Tornado Rod (Ravio)
- Hilda - Triforce Scepter
- Irene - Bell / Flying Broomstick
- Lady Maud - Umbrella
Hilda is the last of the Lorule trio and she really should have been part of the
A Link Between Worlds DLC, where Ravio and Yuga got added to the roster. She could have been the 30th character, but sadly it wasn't meant to be at the time. In the sequel she needs to be added for sure, no question about that.
Otherwise
A Link Between Worlds has his own version of the Sages, but here only Irene really stands out with the flying Broomstick and the Bell as her items. She's also special, because she's basically Nintendo's own version of one of the recurring characters from the Capcom Zelda games - Maple, the witch apprentice, who collides with you often in the Oracle and who also got added to the GameBoy Advance version of
A Link to the Past. Irene could even use a flying saucer and vacuum cleaner in some form to reference that character.
As for weaponry, Ravio still has some tools left in his shed, where "only" the Ice Rod, Bombs, Boomerang and Bow accompanied his Hammer moveset. Out of the items that weren't used, the Tornado Rod feels like the most interesting candidate, but of course he could combine this with other tools again, like the Fire Rod or the Hookshot.
Last and probably least, we have still
Tri Force Heroes left. That game should primarily be featured in the form of many new costumes for Toon Link based on all the excellent and hilarious outfits from the game. But we also have the antagonist, the "Lady", who would use her umbrella to fight enemies much like in the game. Her boss fights are also full of moveset potential, which could be utilized for all sorts of crazy things. So, Lady Maud really seems like a safe bet.
Princess Styla would also be a lovely addition, but she doesn't really seem as likely. Still, Koei Tecmo could make her work, if they wanted to, where her dress could even become the weapon type...
Weapon Sharing
This has been mentioned during this article a couple of times. While most weapons in
Hyrule Warriors were designed for a specific character - some characters are even the weapon themselves, like Fi - other weapons seem like they could be shared between multiple characters. Nothing in the system speaks against this and this would even be an advantage, if you had multiple characters to chose from to build the same weapon. Unlocking skills with one character would also count for the other.
This should be introduced to get Saria into the game without taking away the Deku Stick weapon from Lana. Both could simply share it. In addition, Lana and Cia could share the Summoning Gate. It even feels more like a weapon that Cia would use, summoning monsters and all that. Also, the Dominion Rod could be used by Twili Midna, possibly even by Hilda.
Summary
Hyrule Warriors 2 seems like a no-brainer, even at this point. Koei Tecmo could effectively double the roster in the sequel, while introducing many of the main characters and some interesting side characters that are still left in the different Zelda games made by Nintendo. There is still so much material to draw on, it would be a waste not to start developing a sequel right away.
