Hyrule Army

The allied tribes and their sage commanders who stood against the Demon King's rise.

During the founding of Hyrule and the sealing of Ganondorf depicted in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a specific military force rallied under King Rauru and Queen Sonia to defend the nascent kingdom. This army was not merely a collection of soldiers but a coalition forged by the leaders of allied tribes: Teba, the Rito sage and father of Tulin, an unnamed Zora ancestor of Sidon, an unnamed Goron ancestor of Yunobo, and the Gerudo, who followed Ganondorf until his betrayal. The sages—Zelda, Mineru, and the four tribal leaders—were chosen by Rauru and entrusted with secret stones before Ganondorf's betrayal and Sonia's death.

Lore & Background

The conflict began when Ganondorf led the Gerudo to attack Hyrule Castle, a move thwarted by Rauru. After falsely conceding, Ganondorf betrayed his own people, framing them for the assault before he killed Queen Sonia and transformed into the Demon King. In response, Rauru's forces rallied the tribal leaders against this new threat. The sages were chosen and given secret stones before Ganondorf's betrayal and Sonia's death, not after the attack on the castle. Following the battle, Rauru and his sages launched a full-scale attack that ended in the Depths beneath Hyrule Castle, where Rauru used his light powers to imprison Ganondorf, sacrificing his life in the process—not at the castle itself.

Reader's Guide

The strategy involved rallying the Rito, Zora, Goron, and Gerudo leaders under the Royal Family's banner. Key tactical elements included the use of secret stones granted to the sages and the deployment of the Knight Construct to counter specific threats like the Forbidden Constructs. The army's survival depended on splitting forces: while the main body lured Ganondorf into the Depths for a sealing ritual, the Knight Construct and Calamo held the line on the surface. Unlike standard garrisons, this army relied heavily on unique allies; the Knight Construct acted as an instinctive battle machine traveling the land to fight monsters, while Ardi's leadership stabilized the Gerudo faction after their betrayal.

Did You Know?

The Knight Construct was not powered by a shard of the broken Master Sword; the Master Sword's shards are not used to power any constructs in the game.
Records of the Knight Construct were deliberately destroyed by Mineru to prevent its technology from being misused.