Daily Debate: Which Non-Zelda Story Do You Think Shares The Most Similarities With Tears of the Kingdom?
Posted on July 22 2023 by Sean Gadus
Spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom and Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Tears of the Kingdom has been a massive commercial and critical success. While the game has been extremely popular, some of the new lore has divided longtime fans of the Zelda series. Tears of the Kingdom’s lore diverges from a lot of the lore and storytelling ideas found in previous Zelda games. Whether it is the absence of the Triforce in the game’s story, the heavy emphasis on ancient technology (which started in Breath of the Wild), or the new lore surrounding dragons, Tears of the Kingdom feels like a departure of much of the Zelda series’ established lore.
With this in mind, which non-Zelda story (in any medium) do you think shares the most similarities with the story or world of Tears of the Kingdom?
Overall, the story that I felt shares the most similarities with Tears of the Kingdom is Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While the story in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is much more complex and nuanced in comparison to the Tears of the Kingdom‘s story, the two games have a lot of background lore that feels similar. The Zonai in Tears of the Kingdom share some key similarities with the Nabateans in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Both races are powerful ancient groups that are assisted by or descended from divine beings. The Zonai were said to receive their secret stones from the gods, while the Nabateans are descended from the progenitor god Sothis. Additionally, draconification is a key part of the lore in Tears of the Kingdom, and the Nabateans in Three Houses are also able to transform into dragons. Additionally, both the Zonai and the Nabateans are largely absent during or in hiding during the present day stories of both games.
What do you think? Which non-Zelda story do you think shares the most similarities with Tears of the Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below?
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
