I wish the Yiga clan weren’t such stupid geese in Tears of the Kingdom

I love a good villain. Heroes save the day, but often it’s the antagonists who drive the plot forward. As Link and Zelda react to Ganon’s plans, he can let off steam and unleash things like Cataclysm and Upheaval. But having the same big bad gets a little boring, and Ganondorf really is the most prolific boss in any Zelda game, only occasionally dominating a secondary antagonist like Zant.

It’s a shame, because I like a little variety in my villains. There is an excellent untapped resource for boss fights The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild And Tears of the Kingdombut they never really shine.

[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.]

The Yiga clan appears for the first time breath of the wildposing as ordinary travelers on the road only to reveal themselves in assassination attempts. They are constantly displayed in the background OTW

, attempts to assassinate Link and Zelda and take advantage of an informant in Kakariko Village. Link later infiltrates their headquarters and defeats Master Kohga, their leader, causing him to fall into a pit in a foreboding cutscene. Kohga isn’t exactly a worthy opponent; You just interrupt his Sheikah Slate throws and bang him on his silly little noggin.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After Kohga is dispatched, Yiga agents will appear randomly in the overworld to exact revenge, but otherwise we don’t learn much about them. So when I found my first Yiga Outpost Tears of the Kingdom, I was beyond excited. The idea of ​​a sheikh splinter ideology that contrasts with our heroes but uses the same powerful tools is intriguing. There’s a lot to discover there.

At first, it looked like the Yiga clan could live up to my sky-high expectations. I found their settlements in the depths below, guarded by Ultrahand machines. I found notes that suggested Kohga had somehow survived and went in search of him. The Depths add a special meaning to what is happening, and I was excited to see the new Kohga, shaped by his defeat and the darkness around him.

There are certainly more Yiga clan members in this game and it’s cool to see how they have built up their defenses. But as I hunted down Kohga, I finally found out that he worked for Ganondorf the whole time and he’s also still a big chump. There’s more setup for the boss fight, but I once again use his Ultrahand tools against him, then hurl him out of the depths with all the grace of a Team Rocket Brawler.

For what it’s worth, I’m enjoying the Yiga content we have. I like this clan and their focus on stealth over strength. Exactly like in breath of the wildYiga assassins show up constantly for revenge, and I often use their weapons and cosmetics.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

But I also can’t stop thinking of a hypothetical Yiga clan that could have been, one that isn’t a series of mini-boss encounters and slapstick comedy bits. Under what circumstances did she originally separate from the Sheikh? How do you feel about Hyrule’s use of this technology? What do you get from a partnership with Ganondorf?

Oddly enough, the side game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity addresses this with the character of Sooga, Kohga’s right-hand man. We see that Sooga was rescued as a child and is therefore deeply loyal to Kohga. He’s a tough guy himself and even ends up making the list of playable characters. But Age of Misfortune isn’t canon, and so Sooga is just a tantalizing possibility of what could have been.

Don’t get me wrong – Ganondorf is a good villain, and I’m not saying he needs to be kicked out or anything. But the Zelda franchise could use some new antagonists to shake things up and bring some variety to the franchise. Hyrule has changed dramatically in between breath of the wild And Tears of the Kingdom, and I wish the Yiga clan had changed more. Maybe in the next game they’ll finally make me feel real scared. I at least hope that I don’t have to get involved with Master Kohga so quickly.