I wish the Yiga Clan weren’t such silly geese in Tears of the Kingdom

The villain in a story is always my favourite. The heroes are the ones that save the day. But the antagonists often drive the plot. While Link and Zelda are reacting to Ganon’s plots, he gets to go wild unleashing things like the Calamity and the Upheaval. It can get a bit boring to have the same bad guy. Ganondorf, for example, is the biggest antagonist in the Zelda series, with only Zant as a minor villain.

This is unfortunate, as I prefer a variety of villains. There’s an excellent, untapped source of boss fights in The Legend of Zelda Breath of the WildThe following are some examples of how to get started: Tears of KingdomBut they don’t get the chance to really shine.

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

The Yiga Clan appeared in Breath of WildThey pose as regular travelers, but then reveal themselves during assassination efforts. These people are always in the background. BotWLink later infiltrates the HQ of their leader, Master Kohga. This cutscene is full of foreshadowing. Link then infiltrates Master Kohga’s HQ, defeating him and sending him into a deep pit. This cutscene is full of foreshadowing. Kohga isn’t exactly a dignified foe; you simply interrupt his Sheikah Slate casts and bonk him on his silly li’l noggin.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After dispatching Kohga, Yiga agents will show up randomly in the overworld to try and get some revenge, but we don’t learn too much about them otherwise. When I first found my Yiga outpost, it was in Tears of KingdomI was beyond excited. I find it fascinating that a Sheikah faction could exist, which would be opposed to heroes, yet use the same tools. There’s a lot to explore there.

Initially, I thought the Yiga Clan would be able to meet my high expectations. The settlements of the Yiga Clan were in the Depths and guarded Ultrahand machines. After finding notes that suggested Kohga survived in some way, I started hunting for him. The Depths give the story a sense of gravity, and I wanted to know what Kohga would look like after his defeat.

There’s certainly more Yiga Clan members in this game, and it’s cool to see how they’ve built up their defenses. But upon chasing down Kohga, I ultimately learned… he was working for Ganondorf the whole time, and on top of that, he’s still a big goofy goose. There’s more of a lead-up to the boss fight, but I once again use his Ultrahand tools against him and then launch him out of the Depths with all of the grace of a Team Rocket goon.

For what it’s worth, I do enjoy the Yiga content we have. This clan is great because they focus more on stealth than strength. I like this clan because they are focused on stealth over strength. Breath of WildAssasins from Yiga are always trying to retaliate, so I often use their cosmetics and weapons.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

But I also can’t stop thinking about a hypothetical Yiga Clan that could have been, one where they’re not a series of miniboss encounters and slapstick comedy bits. What happened when they split up with Sheikah originally? How do they feel about Hyrule’s use of this technology? What are the benefits of their partnership with Ganondorf for them?

It is strange that the side game has a name.Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity addresses this with the character of Sooga, Kohga’s right-hand man. We see that Sooga was saved as a child, so he’s deeply loyal to Kohga. He’s a badass in his own right, and he eventually even joins the roster of playable characters. But Age of CalamitySooga, however tantalizing it may be, is not canon.

Don’t get me wrong — Ganondorf is a good villain, and I’m not saying he needs to get thrown out or anything. Zelda could do with some new enemies to spice things up. Hyrule is a world that has evolved dramatically since the original Zelda game. Breath of WildThe following are some examples of how to get started: Tears of KingdomI wish that the Yiga Clan would have changed in turn. Perhaps in the next game, they’ll finally strike a genuine sense of fear in me. I hope, at the very least, I won’t have to dunk on Master Kohga anytime soon.