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"That pride will be your downfall, Ganondorf!"

It was my hubris that set us on this path. I must atone for my error in judgement. And above all else… I remain the king of Hyrule. As with any leader, it is my duty to safeguard and protect my people. Even if I must risk my life.
~ Rauru vowing to defeat Ganondorf and protect his people.

Beware of spoilers, for I have the latest candidate from The Legend of Zelda franchise. You have been warned. Now then, let’s begin.

What’s the Work?[]

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a 2023 action-adventure game and the twentieth main entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise. It's also my new favorite game of all time, but that's neither here nor there.

Picking up several years after Breath of the Wild, the game follows Link as he journeys from the kingdom of Hyrule to the skies above in search of the missing Princess Zelda to defeat their reawakened nemesis, the Demon King Ganondorf.

Who Is He/What Has He Done?[]

King Rauru, not to be confused with the other one, is the founder of the latest iteration of Hyrule.

Backstory[]

One of the last remaining members of the Zonai, Rauru descended from the Sky alongside his older sister, Mineru, to share their knowledge and technology to the people of the Surface. Rauru met a Hylian named Sonia and fell in love. The two got married and founded the kingdom of Hyrule, ruling it side-by-side as king and queen, with Rauru refusing to be worshipped as a god like his ancestors were.

Not everything was peaceful, however. Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo and a famed hero of the desert, soon set his sights on Hyrule, believing that the land should be claimed as his own. This sparked a war between the Hylians and Gerudo, with Rauru offering a Ganondorf a treaty multiple times, only to be turned down.

One day, while Rauru and Sonia are on a walk together, when a girl appears out of nowhere in front of them. The girl introduces herself as Zelda, the ruler of Hyrule in the future who was just sent back in time by an unknown force (heavily implied to be Fi). Confused, but sensing that Zelda is their descendant, Rauru and Sonia offer to help her hone her magical powers and return to her time. To that end, they seek guidance from Mineru and teach Zelda how to use Recall, a time-warping ability that allows the user to turn back the clock on certain objects. They also counsel her on her fears, insecurities, and feelings for Link, with Rauru hoping to meet Link one day.

Ganondorf and the Gerudo summon an army of Moldugas to invade Central Hyrule. Rauru, Sonia, and Zelda combine their powers to swiftly defeat the Molduga horde. Soon after, Ganondorf pledges fealty to Hyrule to end the war, while also expressing disappointment that Rauru would give up the god-like powers of the Zonai to live among the Hylians. After Ganondorf departs, Zelda warns Rauru that she senses evil in the man’s heart, even subtly noting how his name sounds similar to a certain Great Calamity that ravaged her land. Rauru calms her down, saying that he’s aware the Ganondorf is evil (I mean, just look at the dude) and that he offered the treaty as a way to keep a closer eye on him. Rauru and Sonia tell her that everything is fine.

Everything is NOT fine.

The Imprisoning War[]

One night, Ganondorf creates a phantom clone of Zelda to lure Sonia into a trap. Anticipating this, Zelda and Sonia use recall to deflect the Phantom’s attack and inform Ganondorf that he’s just exposed himself as a traitor… only for Ganondorf to sneak up behind Sonia and perform what appears to be a Warlock Punch, killing her instantly. Ganondorf takes Sonia’s Secret Stone and laughs maniacally as Zelda grieves over her body, before planting the Stone in his forehead and gaining ultimate power, becoming the dreaded Demon King.

Rauru rushes in to find his wife dead and Ganondorf at full power. Ganondorf mocks Rauru, saying that the latter’s hubris is what led to this and that Sonia’s death is his fault. As Rauru prepares to fight the Demon King, Zelda begs him to retreat, as he doesn’t stand a chance and his people need him. Rauru acquiesces and teleports them away.

Ganondorf raises an army of monsters and proceeds to ravage every corner of Hyrule, from the peaceful Gorons, to the pacifistic Zora and Rito, to his own people, the Gerudo. Thus begins the Imprisoning War (no, not that one). In response, Rauru gathers powerful warriors from each tribe and forms the Seven Sages (well, technically Six Sages, but Rauru basically is one himself), gifting them each a Secret Stone to amplify their powers.

Rauru leads the Sages into a final standoff against Ganondorf. The Demon King’s powers prove to be too much for them to handle, and they all gradually get worn down from battle scars and the effects of Gloom. As they all throw their weapons at him and Zelda uses Recall to fire them back, Ganondorf looks to finish off Rauru… only for Rauru appear directly beneath him and slam his hand into Ganondorf’s chest. Rauru then casts a spell that sacrifices his life to hold Ganondorf in place and seal him away. Ganondorf swears that he will eventually break free, only for Rauru to retort that, though that may be true, he’ll be able to hold the Demon King long enough for Hyrule’s legendary swordsman, Link, to challenge him thousands of years in the future. Ganondorf, amused by the possibility of a new challenge, says that he can’t wait to meet this “Link”.

With that, Rauru’s right hand spends over 10,000 years holding Ganondorf in place underneath Hyrule Castle. Zelda, upon discovering the decayed Master Sword, swallows her Secret Stone and turns herself into a mindless Light Dragon to allow the Master Sword to heal within her.

Tears of the Kingdom[]

After the end of the Great Calamity, a mysterious substance called “Gloom” starts infecting Hyrule, with Hyrule Castle seeming to be the source. Link and Zelda go down to a series of tunnels beneath the castle, only to stumble onto Ganondorf’s mummified corpse being held in place by Rauru’s detached hand. Then the hand falls off. All hell breaks loose as Ganondorf attacks the duo, shatters the Master Sword, and raises the castle into the sky, causing Link and Zelda to fall into a chasm below. Zelda is transported back in time and Link is teleported to the Great Sky Island.

On the Great Sky Island, the ghost of Rauru amputates Link’s arm, as it ‘s been rendered unusable by Ganondorf’s Gloom, and replaces it with his own. Rauru gives Link the abilities of Fuse, Ultrahand, and Ascend to assist him on his journey, while also providing Shrines to test his powers. After Link completes all the Shrines, Rauru wishes him luck on his quest and vanishes.

At the end of the game, after defeating Ganondorf’s final form as the Demon Dragon, Rauru and Sonia’s ghosts appear to Link. They proceed to use Recall to both return Zelda to normal and restore Link’s arm as their final gift of thanks.

Mitigating Factors[]

Well, he’s willing to kill Ganondorf, but he only does so to protect the kingdom after offering him a truce multiple times. He also almost attacks Ganondorf upon his transformation into the Demon King, but… how would you react if you saw your wife dead and the man who killed her summoning an army of monsters to massacre your people? I think that’s a pretty reasonable response, and Zelda is able to quickly talk him out of it for the greater good.

At the beginning of his arc, Rauru is slightly arrogant. And when I say slightly, I do mean slightly. It’s hard to pick up on because he’s an extremely nice guy, but after Ganondorf’s betrayal, it becomes clear that Rauru has both overestimated his power as a Zonai and a king, and underestimated the abilities of those around him, particularly Ganondorf.

However, after Sonia’s death, Rauru immediately realizes his mistake and thoroughly humbles himself, even recruiting other races to fight alongside because he recognizes that his power isn’t enough. He’s also perfectly willing to sacrifice his own life just to postpone Ganondorf’s plan for tens of thousands of years, as he views Hyrule as his responsibility, regardless of the time period.

So yeah, his own corrupting factor gets subverted, and he’s otherwise a very polite and friendly guy.

Admirable Standard[]

The Legend of Zelda has a high admirable standard, mainly due to the fact that Link, in all of his incarnations, is an absolute powerhouse capable of saving dimensions and slaying malevolent gods with nothing but a sword and sheer willpower. With that being said… Rauru passes the standard with flying colors.

The man literally sacrifices his life to hold Ganondorf in place for millennia just to keep his kingdom safe. While Calamity Ganon manages to seep out, it’s made clear that Ganondorf himself is even more destructive and dangerous as a person than he is as a giant pig demon, so Rauru managed to avert 10,000+ years of utter destruction and devastation that would’ve occurred if he hadn’t acted.

When the seal on Ganondorf inevitably breaks, he also mentors Link on his new abilities and hands out Lights of Blessings (Spirit Orbs) to dispel the effects of Gloom on his body to give him a fighting chance. He also tries his best to help Zelda return to her time and ends the game by helping to restore both Link and Zelda to their former states out of nothing but pure kindness.

So yeah, despite not being the Goddess’ Chosen Hero, Rauru is as helpful as he can possibly be, and throws his life away to keep his kingdom safe from the Demon King for over 10,000 years, with not even death being able to stop him.

Verdict[]

I believe he’s an easy yes, but what do y’all think?