The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a brand-new entry inThe Legend of Zeldafranchise, finally featuring Princess Zelda in her first mainline adventure. Announced at this month’s Nintendo Direct,theEchoes of Wisdomannouncement trailergave fans their first glimpse at the title’s returning elements. The trailer featured a wide variety of series races, including Hylians, Sheikah, Gerudo, Deku, and Zora. However, the Zora race stands out as the trailer’s most significant, featuring two classic variations of the Zora present in multiple scenes. While theEchoes of Wisdomis not the first time the two have appeared in a single adventure, the title’s trailer alludes to a surprising series first. Should this be true, the Zora’s overall role inZelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a head-scratcher.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwill see Princess Zelda set off to find and eliminate the origin of mysterious rifts which have enveloped the land and stolen its inhabitants. With Link among those missing, Zelda teams up with a strange fairy, Tri, who can create imitations of things from her environment. These imitations, called echoes, are manifested through the use of the Tri Rod, which Zelda can use to create imitations of anything from furniture to enemies. WhileEchoes of Wisdom’sTri Rod opens the door for a variety of solutions to every challenge, one scene in the title’s trailer introduces a challenge that may require quite a bit more.
Echoes of Wisdom Sees The River Zora and Sea Zora Meet for the First Time
The trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomfeatures many memorable moments, including a brief scene in which figures from both varieties of Zora join Zelda at the same time. WhileRiver Zora and Sea Zorahave each played major roles in pastZeldaentries, none have seen the two meet face-to-face, marking this as a monumental series first. Within the scene, Zelda is joined by a duo from both the River Zora and Sea Zora, with two figures clearly depicted as the rulers of their respective races. Given the layout of the scene, it appears that Zelda may be mediating a disagreement or first contact between the two leaders.
The fish-like River Zora debuted in1986’sThe Legend of Zelda, where they served as recurring enemies. These Zora have appeared throughout the series, plaguing Link with their surprise attacks from the water. 1998’sThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeintroduced the friendly Sea Zora, later becoming the primary depiction of the race through 2023’sTears of the Kingdom. While the two races have never met face-to-face, they have appeared in the same title, technically, twice before. InThe Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Link encounters both River and Sea Zora in separate areas of the game, marking their only official shared appearance. Iif players start a Linked Game ofOracle of Seasonsafter completingAges, a single Sea Zora is added to the title, which can be found in Hero’s Cave.
The Zora’s Role in Echoes of Wisdom Remains a Mystery
WithEchoes of Wisdombringing the River Zora and Sea Zora together for the first time, the two likely play a major role in the title’s narrative. Should the two be in conflict, Zelda’s mediation could seek to end a feud, allowing them to amicably part ways. However, if the two Zora leaders seek peace from the outset, Zelda’s efforts could see the two vastly opposed factions united once and for all. Regardless,Echoes of Wisdommay mark a significant turning pointfor the Zora’s depiction moving forward.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s announcement trailer already introduces several series firsts. However, much is still unknown about PrincessZelda’s first solo adventure. The role that the Zora will play in the overall narrative is one of the many mysteries that fans look forward to solving, once they get their hands on the game. Luckily, they do not have long to wait before these answers and more are revealed, asThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis set to launch on June 20, 2025.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
WHERE TO PLAY
Save Hyrule—this time with the wisdom of Princess Zelda!The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts—and with a certain swordsman among the missing, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in the latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda™ series!Team up with the ethereal creature Tri and use the Tri Rod to create “echoes,” which are imitations of things you find in the environment—then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes like water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes, or find your own combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even make echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat!
