Hyrule in the post-Upheaval era is home to six major races, the Hylians, Gerudo, Gorons, Zora, Rito, and Sheikah. Each of these different societies has at least one permanent settlement in Hyrule, as well as specific cultural artefacts and customs. There are many other creatures in Hyrule, but none have the same level of infrastructure and cooperation as these six.

When you make your first character for The Sinking Lure, you're required to use one of the six major races. This is to ensure the maximum amount of possible interaction with other characters and participation in board events. What you do with the character within those boundaries is up to you.

Once your first character has been created, you have a bit more freedom with any further characters you decide to make. If you want every character to be a member of one of the main six races, then you're good to go forever. But if you can justify it with an interesting story or character idea, you could theoretically play a character of any race that appears in Tears of the Kingdom. The reason this is only available to characters that come after your first is due to the added difficulty in building and playing a character without a pre-designed support network.

Further descriptions of the races can be found below!

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Hylians are a long-eared, elfin people that live all throughout Hyrule. They are among the shorter races in Hyrule (matched by the Sheikah, and only taller than Koroks), but their skin tone, eye colour, and hair colour can vary wildly. Before the Calamity, they were ruled by King Rhoam in Hyrule Castle, but are now mostly concentrated in Hateno Village, Lookout Landing, and Lurelin Village. Their once-sizeable military was wiped out in Castle Town, Akkala Citadel, and Fort Hateno during the Calamity.

Though Hylians aren't as specialised as any other race, their strength comes in their adaptability to a variety of situations, interest in cooperation, and affinity for magic. When the Upheaval occurred, Hylian builders, explorers, and researchers helped to establish Lookout Landing, and began exploring the depths. They can also be found working in multi-cultural militias to push back monster forces that encroach on pre-existing settlements.

Their pointed ears are said to be a gift from Hylia, who also granted them the ability to work magic. An old myth further claims that the more pointed a Hylian's ears, the more the goddesses favour them. Competing legend claims that the Hylians used to be much different- and in fact had bigger ears- but have changed after merging bloodlines Hyrule's first rulers, the ancient Zonai. These legends state that Hylians were taught magic by the Zonai, and inherited the kingdom from them once the ancient race died out.

Queen Zelda is the current Hylian monarch, but as the castle is still uninhabitable after the Calamity and Upheaval, she lives in Hateno Village.




The Gerudo are an all-female ("vai" in their language) race hailing from the aptly-named Gerudo Province. They are very tall, rivalling the average Zora in height. Most Gerudo have red hair and either amber or green eyes, though other eye colours have been noted. Though they often take non-Gerudo partners, all children born to a Gerudo parent are themselves Gerudo. These children are raised by both parents (if they are together) but are taken back to Gerudo Town as children to be educated and trained by their own people.

Their main settlement, Gerudo Town, has historically barred male-identifying people ("voe" in their language) from entering, instead allowing them to trade and socialise at the nearby Kara Kara Bazaar. Vai of all races, and even those who exhibit non-standard or no gender identity, such as many Gorons, were allowed in. Gerudo Town was extremely damaged during the events of the Upheaval, and all races of Hyrule assisted in the rebuilding. In response, the Gerudo leader Riju has opened the city to all people to visit, though non-Gerudo are still restricted from living in the city.

Each Gerudo is trained from childhood to be a warrior, learning how to fight with swords, spears, and bows. They take pride in their environment, learning to survive in both the scorching desert and the frozen highlands of their province. They've also domesticated the sand seal, using it to pull them through the desert in a sport known as sand-surfing. Adult Gerudo who have completed their training can often be found wandering Hyrule, exploring or living in any part of the map.

The Gerudo are ruled by Riju, who can be found in Gerudo Town.



Gorons are tall, bulky creatures that live on Death Mountain, primarily in Goron City. They're made of rocks, live among rocks, mine rocks, and eat rocks. Gorons have very low variance in appearance, all following very similar life stages. They come in various shades of brown, and though most prefer to be hairless, they can grow hair on their face and the top of their head. As they get older, Gorons seem to develop rocky growths on their backs and joints, causing them to bend over. As the rest of their bodies get bulkier with time, the older Gorons seem to rest their weight on their hands as much as their feet.

Though they are big and somewhat slow to move, Gorons are able to roll their bodies up into balls and roll down hills, reaching massive speeds and causing mayhem if unable to stop themselves. They're also immune to extreme heat, cannot catch fire, and can walk through magma without issue.

Gorons are master miners and craftsmen, their steel and gem-works being sought all across Hyrule. Before the Calamity, Goron smithing created all of the weapons used by the Hylian armies. Death Mountain is also easily-traversable due to the interconnected mine cart tracks. If they aren't mining or selling wares, Gorons can often be found relaxing in Eldin's many hot springs, eating rock roasts, or sumo wrestling, all beloved pass-times in Eldin.

The Goron boss is Bludo, who can be found in Goron City.



The Zora are a tall, amphibious race that take on the appearance of a variety of sea creatures, making them by far the most diverse race in Hyrule. The height of Zora range wildly, with their shortest adults being the same height as the Hylians and Sheikah, while the tallest Zora (such as the former King Dorephan) can be twice the height of a Hinox. Zora require water to live, and therefore are usually confined to the Lanayru Wetlands between Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia. It isn't uncommon to find them in other rain-prone areas, including many cities, but most Zora would have a very difficult time surviving in the desert or on Death Mountain.

Zora craftsmanship and architecture is notable for being majestic and appearing almost delicate. Zora's Domain takes from the water that surrounds it and utilises it within its own architecture. Water enters the king's chamber through natural spring formations, and filters through the rest of the Domain from there. Zora sleep in communal pools, the water passing through to the lake below, where it is cleansed before passing on to the rest of Hyrule.

The Zora are excellent around all things water. Their magic is usually centred around water and healing- one of the major duties of the Zora royal family is to purify water coming from Wellspring Island so that all life downstream can thrive. The area around Zora's Domain is entirely dedicated to maintaining Hyrule's water supply, with multiple dams and reservoirs all throughout Lanayru.

The Zora are ruled by King Sidon, who can be found in Zora's Domain.



The Rito are an avian race from Hebra's Rito Village, though they can be found in any other settlement throughout Hyrule as well. Their plumage comes in a variety of colours and designs, reminiscent of most types of birds. Though they have wings instead of hands, they are still able to perform most day-to-day tasks. And though they have beaks instead of mouths, they are able to talk to other races without issue.

Being the only race capable of flight, the Rito have been placed in charge of exploring the islands floating in the skies above Hyrule. With the help of Rito capable of wind magic, the explorers have even succeeded in carrying Hylian, Sheikah, and Gerudo researchers to the islands.

Rito culture centres around self-sufficiency in difficult terrain. Their village circles a stone spire in Hebra, a snowy and desolate province. The Rito are trained to hunt from an early age, and are among the best archers in all of Hyrule. They're capable of using bows with their feet while flying. They're renowned for bravery that sometimes borders on arrogance, and are often the first to pledge themselves to help others.

The Rito are ruled by Teba, who can be found in Rito Village.




The Sheikah are another long-eared, elfin race living primarily in Central Hyrule and Necluda Province. They share most physical attributes with the Hylians, but are a separate race, likely splitting off from Hylians long ago through the use of forgotten types of magic. Sheikah are universally born with white hair, and their eyes are usually either grey or red (these can be masked or changed through magic or dyes.) They are also able to live much longer than Hylians, well past 100 years. If a Hylian and Sheikah have a child together, that child will have aspects of both races, usually Sheikah abilities and the Hylian parent's hair and eye colour.

Sheikah culture centres around service to the Hylian royal family. This has been true for all of recorded history, and legend claims that it comes from a Sheikah-led betrayal millennia ago. A branching sect of Sheikah utilised powerful shadow magic in an attempt to breach the Sacred Realm, but were expelled to another realm. The Yiga, led by Master Kohga, also splintered off from the Sheikah over a century ago, though they were driven into hiding during the Upheaval.

Notable for their scientific and engineering prowess, Sheikah research labs can be found in Lookout Landing, Hateno Village, and Upper Akkala. All of these locations are staffed by researchers and builders, focused on creating things to help all of Hyrule. Sheikah are also naturally stealthy, moving silently and blending into the shadows well. Those not employed by the royal family mostly live in Kakariko Village, though they can be found in most settlements.

The Sheikah are overseen by their Chief, Paya, who wears a large hat.