Prediction: Fi and Demise will return in the Breath of the Wild sequel

It’s been a long while since anyone in Hyrule has seen Fi or Demise. Both characters seemed to disappear for good by the end of Skyward Sword, with Demise being vanquished by Link, and Fi entering a state of eternal rest within the Master Sword. No matter how many eons passed, or how many adventures played out, neither the Demon King nor the benevolent Sword Spirit who assisted Link reappeared following the events of Skyward Sword.

But that all is about to change. Remember where you were when you read this. Take a screenshot if you must. Whatever you do, mark these words — Fi and Demise are going to return in the upcoming Breath of the Wild sequel.

The Spirit of the Sword Still Lingers

There has been a trail of breadcrumbs leading to this ever since we got our first opportunity to explore Breath of the Wild’s take on Hyrule. There are a peculiar number of references to Skyward Sword in the Era of the Wilds, enough to make it feel like Nintendo was trying to do much more than simply appeal to recent memory. It’s never a given that the latest 3D entry has heavy ties to the game that preceded it. Twilight Princess wasn’t loaded with nods to The Wind Waker, nor Skyward Sword filled with nods to Twilight Princess. No two games in the series are further from one another chronologically than Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, so any narrative connections between them immediately raise questions.

Breath of the Wild makes many allusions to past Legend of Zelda games, but the ties to Skyward Sword aren’t merely amusing Easter eggs or homages. Callbacks to Skyward Sword are rooted in the very lore and worldbuilding of Breath of the Wild.

Despite being at the opposite end of the series timeline, the Era of the Wilds eschews divine entities from other games in favor of the Goddess Hylia, first introduced and made prominent by Skyward Sword. She is mentioned with reverence by her followers, and statues depicting her angelic figure can be found in numerous locations across Hyrule.

Some of these locations come straight off of Skyward Sword’s map. The Spring of Courage and the Spring of Power are almost exact recreations of the Earth Spring and Skyview Spring, respectively. Not only do they share similar layouts, but they also share a similar narrative purpose, as well. Two incarnations of Zelda — each from one end of Hyrule’s long history — visit the springs to purify themselves in the waters and attempt to commune with the Goddess Hylia.

Then there’s Fi, herself, who may not make a direct appearance in Breath of the Wild, but whose presence is felt on more than one occasion. Zelda mentions there being a “voice” inside the Master Sword during multiple Hidden Memory cutscenes, even hearing a message from it during the Final Memory. Fi’s unmistakable chime and blue shimmer emanate from the battered blade, telling Zelda that Link can still be saved despite the injuries he sustained while defending her from the corrupted Guardians. Players who completed the Trial of the Sword got to witness that familiar chime and shimmer one more time when Link awakened the Master Sword’s full power in the DLC challenge.

Anybody who played Skyward Sword recognized those callbacks right away, but they became only a fraction of Breath of the Wild’s audience as time went on. Skyward Sword sold just under four million copies on the Wii, and Breath of the Wild eclipsed that number after only a few months. Within a few years, Breath of the Wild’s sales had ballooned to a franchise-high of well over 20 million. To help get the uninitiated up to speed, Nintendo was ready with an HD upgrade of Skyward Sword for the Switch, releasing it just after we learned that the Breath of the Wild sequel would send Link back to the skies.

The aforementioned trail of breadcrumbs brings us to the highly anticipated sequel, where it sure seems like we’re about to hear another message from the voice inside the Master Sword. As seen in the brief footage that accompanied the game’s recent delay announcement, the legendary blade is somehow damaged unlike it’s ever been before. The thing looks like it was dipped in the molten core of Death Mountain or had a Molduga take a bite out of it.

Nevertheless, the blade still glows with a pale blue light and commands Link’s attention while it rests in the scabbard over his back. For untold centuries and countless battles between good and evil, Fi slept within the blade, not even awakening when the Master Sword lost its power to repel evil during the events of The Wind Waker. It was only when the blade was outright damaged that she made her presence known. With the Master Sword nearly ruined in the upcoming sequel, you can bet that Fi will, at the very least, speak once again. But with the blade being in that bad of a state, it may very well draw more than just her voice back into the world.

The Demon King Will Rise Again

Where does that leave Demise in this? It all ties back to an oft-forgotten detail from the conclusion of Skyward Sword. Every Legend of Zelda fan remembers that Fi fades away within the Master Sword — what they may not remember is that Demise does the very same. Upon his defeat, the Demon King’s body disintegrates, and his shadowy essence is drawn into the Master Sword. Fi explains his residual consciousness is absorbed into the legendary blade and sealed away. Later, Impa notes that the last remnants of Demise are slowly decaying within the Master Sword. She purposefully stays behind in the past to watch over the sacred weapon and make sure that Demise’s spirit never reawakens.

Were the eons between Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild enough time for Demise’s essence to completely disappear? Maybe. But maybe not. If the latter is true, that means it’s entirely possible for Demise’s spirit to be freed. What better way for that to happen than the Master Sword itself being broken?

There is also the matter of that mysterious figure Link and Zelda will encounter beneath Hyrule Castle in the sequel. Affectionately named “Zombiedorf” by fans, their true identity remains unknown. It’s no guarantee that this undead fellow actually is Ganondorf, especially since Demise’s hatred and malice seemed to abandon the humanoid form many centuries before, instead opting to appear as Ganon, Calamity Ganon, and lastly Dark Beast Ganon.

Even if it does turn out to be Ganondorf, the Gerudo man, what happens if by some chance he isn’t evil? What if he’s just a normal man who got swept up in an epochal event ages earlier, and he’s a person of noble character like the rest of the Gerudo tribe in the Era of the Wilds? That would leave a giant void to be filled in Demise’s curse, that an incarnation of his hatred will follow those with the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Hero throughout time.

This and all other speculation will be answered when the Breath of the Wild sequel finally releases in 2023, but until then, it sure feels like Nintendo is trying to bring the series full circle by tying Skyward Sword and the Era of the Wilds together. Way back during Skyward Sword’s bittersweet finale, Fi expressed hope that she would meet with Link in another life. As Demise cursed Link’s and Zelda’s descendants to contend with his evil in future struggles, he claimed that he would rise again.

If the Breath of the Wild sequel ends up fulfilling their words, remember that you heard it here first.