Hudson is a humble, stoic, yet friendly construction worker in Breath of the Wild who builds the quaint, island-based village called Tarrey Town from the ground up, with his own two hands and many sons. Well, not his “sons” as in children, but rather a diverse group of workers who all bear a name ending in the suffix “-son.” He’s a man who has a vision, who is dedicated, who is progressive. And best of all, he gets an amazing happy ending once the town is completed, which is symbolic of unity and a bright future for Hyrule.
Link first meets Hudson in Hateno Village, working for Bolson Construction together with the man who is presumably the founder: Bolson. He is a man of few words but one with great construction skills, helping Bolson pioneer a range of modern homes, which are uniquely cube-shaped, stacked in different layouts, and aesthetically appealing due to their colorful design. He and his coworkers have begun the process of demolishing an empty house, which eventually becomes Link’s home once you convince Bolson that you’ll buy it.
Once you do, Hudson moves onto a new, ambitious project to expand the business: building an entire town in Akkala. It’s a difficult, lonely job, very far away from Hateno Village and which initially involves him landscaping the area day after day by himself. But he doesn’t seem phased — he works hard without complaint. He knows that it’ll take time and effort, and is humble enough to know that he needs a bit of help, so he recruits Link to support him with gathering resources — both in terms of material and people-power.
As time goes on, the town’s construction and population progress smoothly, thanks to Hudson’s hard work and clear vision. Well, that and Link’s help in traversing the world for more “sons” to join the town and lend their skills. Despite the restrictive nature of the Bolson Construction rule, Hudson happily accepts and in fact prompts the diverse range of recruits that Link finds throughout the world. He recognizes and values the diverse capabilities of each race.
When asking Link for help with recruiting people, he states that Gorons are great for their brute strength to help with landscaping; the Gerudo are great for their tailoring and craftsmanship; the Rito have the advantage of flight which lends to transporting goods; and the Zora are a people who are devout enough to have a priest who can officiate his wedding.
That’s what I love about Tarrey Town and Hudson. His bold project and solitary determination brought together a beautiful blend of races — ones that usually keep to themselves in their own towns. Gorons, Gerudos, Zoras, Rito, Hylians — they all work and live together in Hudson’s town. It may be small, but it’s a pocket of Hyrule that shows what the future can look like: a place where all races have combined their capabilities and live together in harmony.
And the cherry on the top that perfectly encapsulates this is Hudson’s marriage to Rhondson: a Gerudo.
The Gerudo are traditionally a race who take pride in their independence and female-dominated society; they don’t usually marry, and often meet men solely for the purpose of having children and continuing the Gerudo race. I absolutely love their culture. Because they’re such a small, intimate town, they really cherish it and don’t take outsider intrusion lightly. But seeing Rhondson get engaged and marry a Hylian man is incredibly symbolic of how their race, and all the races of Hyrule, really can come together despite traditions and create a society that is new and unique. And it takes nothing away from her Gerudo origins.
Plus, I just love seeing a Gerudo in a wedding outfit, something quite traditionally effeminate that you may think the Gerudo wouldn’t sway towards. It doesn’t lessen her values as a strong Gerudo woman; rather, it sends a positive message that you don’t have to be one way or the other to be confident and powerful. Seeing all of Hudson and Rhondson’s friends and coworkers at the wedding from all different races, genders, and ages really reinforces this diverse unity.
And let’s not forget it was Hudson, a humble construction worker, who orchestrated all of this. He brought everything beautiful about Tarrey Town to fruition through hard work, coordination, and teamwork. Seeing how he went from building some modest model homes and taking on a demolition project in Hateno Village, to successfully building an entire town in a distant region of Hyrule, it makes you wonder what incredible undertaking is next on his horizon.
