Rauru is a major character in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom but longtime fans of the franchise may recognize that name from a previous game.
During the Tears of the Kingdom prologue, Link will hear his first mention of Rauru in the game’s introductory cutscene where Zelda and her sworn knight encounter the Demon King.
After beginning the second main story quest, The Closed Door, Link will encounter an incarnation of Rauru in person. And it is there that he learns that Rauru is a member of the Zonai people, and the original owner of Link’s new right arm.
Who Is Rauru in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Rauru was the founder of the Hyrulian Kingdom, a member of the Zonai people who ruled Hyrule as its first king.
Together with five other sages, Rauru sealed away the Demon King Ganondorf. Now that Ganondorf is free once more, Link must use the power of Rauru’s right arm to help seal him away for good.
Rauru will initially appear in various locations around the prologue missions, guiding Link around The Great Sky Island.
Who Is Rauru’s Voice Actor in Tears of the Kingdom?
Rauru appears to be voiced by voice actor Chris Hackney in the English dub of The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
Although the role is yet to appear on Hackney’s wiki or IMDB page, the actor does appear in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom credits.
Those that are a fan of the VA’s past work immediately recognized him as Rauru – though the actor is yet to confirm it himself.
Chris Hackney Games:
Gaming fans will recognize Chris Hackney as having lent his voice to the following video games:
- Fire Emblem Three Houses: Dimitri
- Detective Pikachu – Keith Norman
- Octopath Traveler – Barham, Ogen, Simeon
- Rune Factory 5 – Reinhard
- Scarlet Nexus – Yuito Sumeragi
- Shin Megami Tensei V – Fionn mac Cumhaill
- Soul Hackers 2 – Kaburagi
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – Juro Kurabe
He has also had minor roles in the FF7 Remake, Lost Ark, World of Warcraft, Horizon: Forbidden West and many more titles.
Outside of gaming, Hackney has worked as an anime voice actor, where he is perhaps best known for the role of Illumi Zoldyck in Hunter x Hunter, Stinger in One Punch Man, or Khun Agnes in Tower of God.
Rauru in The Legend of Zelda Lore
In previous games, Rauru is the Sage of Light who first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and would later be referenced in The Wind Waker too.
Instead of being a Zonai, Rauru has previously appeared in a human form, as a bald, mustachioed man in an orange priest robe.
He has also appeared in another form, Kaepora Gaebora, the owl who watches over a young Link and aids him in his quests.
In this form, Rauru has appeared in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Four Swords Adventure.
It is currently unclear as to whether Rauru in TOTK simply shares a name with this character or whether they’re the same person.
However it’s worth noting that Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t share a timeline with most prior Zelda games. Therefore, even if they’re the same character, their backstory can be entirely different.
