The Kingdom of Hyrule and Ganon
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Story and Ending Explained
For those new to the series, Hyrule is the recurring kingdom where the games’ lead protagonists, Zelda and Link, are from. Depending on the game you’re playing, it exists in different forms. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it had become the pinnacle of technology and civilization, ushering in an era of power and peace. Yet, as always, there was a curse that would bring Ganon, the very entity of evil and malice, to the kingdom. Likewise, the prophecy also ensured that two heroes would be present each and every time, incarnations of both Zelda and Link.
Thanks to the technological advancements made by the kingdom, though, the kingdom was able to to create four Divine Beasts, which are mechanical behemoths forged for the sole purpose of stopping evil. The Hylians also created thousands of Guardians, the tentacled automatons you can see in trailers and throughout the game’s world. 10,000 years prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, these machines were used to quickly defeat Ganon, sending the malicious spirit back to where it came until the next time it was due to invade the kingdom.
The kingdom was so astonished by how effective their technology was that they changed nothing for the next encounter. It worked perfectly the first time, so they figured why fix what ain’t broke. Their contentment would be their downfall. Ganon remembered the embarrassing defeat and devised a plan to counter the Guardians along with the Divine Beasts. As soon as the spirit manifested itself in the world, overtaking Hyrule Castle, it fired off its corruption into every machine, killing hundreds and trapping the souls of deceased champions within the beasts they controlled. Ganon used Hyrule’s own power against it, bringing about the ending of the kingdom and kicking off the events of Breath of the Wild’s story.
