The worlds ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandPokemonhaven been united in an electrifying piece of fan art featuring Riju and a Zonai version of Zapdos. As two of Nintendo’s biggest gaming franchises,ZeldaandPokemonhave often been comparedto one another.
Makeela Riju first appeared as a young ruler of the Gerudo inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildbefore becoming one of Link’s Sage allies inTears of the Kingdom. Like her ancestor Urbosa before her, Riju can conjure the power of lighting, something that Link helps her learn how to harness duringher designated quest inTears of the Kingdom. Her abilities could easily draw comparisons to Zapdos, one of the three Legendary Birds in the originalPokemon Red and Bluethat represents the Electric Pokemon type.
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Fittingly enough, a Reddit user and fan artist by the handle of vinsear recently paired Riju and a Zonai-fied version of Zapdos in their latest piece, which they shared on r/pokemon. In this drawing, Riju stands proudly before her new ally, who combines the pointy yellow feathers of Zapdos withthe ancient Zonai devicesand stone monuments the legendary people were said to have built inThe Legend of Zeldauniverse.
This isn’t the first time that vinsear has blended the worlds ofPokemonandZelda, as they have previously shared Hyrule-inspired renditions ofclassic Pokemon like Rayquazaand Machamp. Responses in the comments section have been mostly positive, with some fans even suggesting Pokemon partners for Riju’s fellowTears of the KingdomSages like Yunobo, Sidon, and Tulin.
Since each Sage inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomembodies a particular element, each one being paired off with their own Pokemon is an interesting and fitting concept. In Riju’s case, there would be few candidates as appropriate as the legendary Zapdos, and vinsear’s Zonai-inspired take on the avian avatar of lightning looks both ancient and powerful while standing beside her. It will almost certainly never happen, but perhaps Nintendo could build off this concept with aLegend of Zelda/Pokemoncrossover game in the future, with characters like Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf each getting their own partner creatures to do battle against each other for the fate of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available for the Nintendo Switch.
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