The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2may be an enigma in a lot of ways, but it’s already clear that it’s majorly different from the first game. For one thing, the unnamed sequel seems like it could be a lot scarier than the first game, thanks to the undead foe at its heart and a new surging tide of Malice. For another, it puts the Master Sword at the heart of the game’s plot, whereasThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmade the Master Sword peripheral to the main story. The sequel’s sky island are another major difference with lots of potential.
Of course, sky islands are nothing new inThe Legend of Zelda; on the contrary,BotW2’s new sky featuresmake it seem very similar toSkyward Sword,especially considering the skydiving elements that Nintendo has already teased and the focus on the Master Sword. If theBotWsequel really is some kind of spiritual successor toSkyward Sword,then Nintendo should double down on that angle by including Groose as a major character.Skyward Sword’s Groose went on a unique journey that was gratifying to watch, and he deserves a new incarnation with a similar arc in the nextZeldagame.
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Remembering Groose’s Role in Skyward Sword
Link has had his fair share of rivals before.Breath of the Wildeven featured such a character; flashbacks showed how theChampion Revalisaw himself as greater than Link and constantly egged Link on to compete with him. When it comes to Link’s rivals, however, Groose is perhaps the most memorable. At the outset ofSkyward Sword, Groose is presented as an airheaded, self-centered bully who clearly sees himself as an enemy to Link, due to his crush on Zelda and his jealousy over Link’s relationship with her. In the first several hours of the game, he harasses Link in a variety of ways, but once Groose reaches the surface, everything changes.
Groose gets a major reality check when he’s told that his destiny isn’t to save Zelda, as well as when he sees Link defeat the Imprisoned. Although sulkily, Groose accepts his relative inferiority to Link, rather than trying to frame himself as an adversary. After this, however, he transforms. While Link travels the surface world, Groose builds the Groosenator, which proves to be absolutely crucial in defeating the Imprisoned and shows much more cleverness and skill than his introduction suggested he had. He becomes much more humble and sensitive once he sheds his jealousy, he finds the courage to stand in theDemon Lord Ghirahim’s way, and he even rescues Zelda from a lethal fall after Demise awakens.
All in all, Groose manages to become a hero ofSkyward Swordin ways that he seemingly never would’ve expected from himself. NoteveryZeldagamefeatures impactful, detailed character arcs, so Groose’s journey throughSkyward Sworddefinitely stands out as of the strongest arcs that Nintendo’s action-adventure franchise has presented. Fans remain fond of him, so it’s a little surprising that Nintendo hasn’t tried another take at Groose just yet.Breath of the Wild’s sequel could be the perfect time to revive him.
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How Groose Could Appear in Breath of the Wild 2
Reviving characters in new generations of games is a time-honored tradition inZelda.The eccentric map merchant Tingle has appeared in a variety ofZeldagames, as hasBeedle, who sells Link items inBreath of the Wild.Groose may admittedly be more difficult to port over into anotherZeldagame, considering how important he was toSkyward Sword’s plot and his thematic roots in that game, but his charm as an overly confident but well-meaning foil to the quiet, capable Link make him more than worthy of revisiting.
Breath of the Wild’s sequel could reintroduce him in a variety of ways. For instance, rather than being Link’s classmate, Groose might be part of a newly reformed Royal Guard for Hyrule who desperately wants to prove himself to Link and Princess Zelda. His overeagerness could land him in the thick ofGanondorf’s schemesnow and again, but eventually, his heroic side could shine through as he strikes a major blow againstBotW2’s antagonist after learning to work with Link and Zelda, rather than doing their jobs for them.
Alternatively,Breath of the Wild 2could present Groose as a persistent if bumbling adversary, not unlike howSkyward Sworduses him at first. Groose could be a member of the hostile Yiga Clan, for instance, pursuing Link around Hyrule but consistently failing to defeat him. Over the course of the game, Groose might get treated with unexpected kindness byLink and Zeldawhile learning more about the world beyond the Yiga Clan, eventually leading him to join the Sheikah instead and become an ally to Link and Zelda for the rest of the game.
Breath of the Wild 2 and Skyward Sword are Already Linked
There’s no denying the similarities between the upcomingBotWsequel and the high-flyingSkyward Sword.Link will seemingly be on a quest to empower the Master Sword once again, and to do so, he’ll have to navigate islands in the sky. There is already quite a bit of evidence thatFi will be inBreath of the Wild 2, thanks to certain dialogue from Zelda and a familiar sound effect in aBotWDLC expansion. If Fi does return after all these years, then it may make sense to invite otherSkyward Sword-exclusive characters like Groose back so that she’s not alone.
Fan theories state that Demise may rise again in the sequel, so it would be great to see Groose help Link face his ancient adversary again. Seeing lots of familiar faces fromSkyward Swordreturn would also drive home just how far the franchise has come sinceSkyward Sworddebuted in 2011. Overall, though, Groose earns a place inBreath of the Wild 2on his own merit. He remains one of the franchise’s most well-rounded and thoroughly developed characters, and thanks to that special position, he ought to reappear. There’s no better place for that to happen than a game that already takes so much inspiration fromSkyward Sword.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in spring 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
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