Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildfeatures many races from across Hyrule, including franchise staples, the aquatic Zora. Throughout the series, Zora characters who interact with and help Link on his journeys have been blue, while enemy Zora are generally green. One eagle-eyed fan has spotted a potential reason why this might be, and what this means for the green Zora in the latestZeldagames.
Reddit’sBadtimer2004shares a theory on why the Zora elder fromBOTWis green: “Ever wonder why Muzu is green? [Well,] in the lore of Hyrule, when the [Zora] became bitter and hostile to Hylians, their scales turned green. And Muzu and most of the other Zora who are bitter [toward Hylians and, most notably, Link,] their scales are green.” This theory offers an explanation for Muzu’s unique color, tying it directly to his vocal disapproval of Link and Hylians generally, whom he believed were responsible for the Second Great Calamity.
Badtimer2004 cites theHyrule Encyclopediaas their source (mistakenly believing it’s from theHyrule Historiain the comments). In the encyclopedia, the Zora are said to have changed colors from blue to green by the end ofA Link to the Past,and to have “become increasingly aggressive toward outsiders.” Over time, the Zoras' hatred for Hylians turned these now-green water dwellers into “outright monsters.”
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There’s one fatal flaw in this theory, which other Redditors are quick to point out: in the encyclopedia, there seems to be no direct connection made between the Zora becoming hostile toward Hylians, and the changing of their color.BOTW’ssequel,Tears of the Kingdom,pokes further holes in this theory thanks to Yona. The new Zora character is quite green but has never shown anything other thankindness and positivity toward Link.
All this doesn’t necessarily mean that Badtimer2004 is entirely wrong to look into Hyrule’s history to understand the Zora. A refined theory has emerged from the Reddit thread that still connects the characters to their past, summarized by userBlazing_Howl: “If anything, green coloration in Zora is an effect due to their water conditions & habitat.” The new theory states thatYona is a stranger to the land, hailing from outside Hyrule. Considering the distinct shape of Muzu’s head and his green color, it’s possible that he also comes fromsomewhere outside Hyrule, as well. The Zora Ledo also backs this idea up, due to his green coloration and unusual head shape.
The different colors and types of Zora inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmight simply show that the race has evolved from their blue is good/green is bad past. Future games will continue to expand on the nature of these beloved staples of theZeldafranchise, taking them far from their monstrous history.
