Every Kakariko Village In The Legend of Zelda Series (& How They Change)

The land of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda series is a sprawling fantasy land filled with unique places and interesting characters. The series does a great job of reinventing the world with each game, adding new villages or changing ones from previous titles. The differences in the land, from new buildings to dilapidation, help players piece together where they are in the The Legend of Zelda’s timeline. One notable location that’s seen some of the most change over the course of the Zelda series is Kakariko Village. The village acts as a central location for many key plot points throughout the series and has gone from small village to bustling town over the years.

Kakariko first appeared in A Link to the Past and is the largest settlement in the game. The village is filled with villagers living in huts and several merchants, as well as the Dwarven Swordsmith, a fortune teller, a tavern, an inn, and a weathercock in the middle of the village. Link arrives in Kakariko searching for the village elder, Sahasrahla, but is promptly blamed for the abduction of Princess Zelda and driven out of the town by knights. Kakariko also has a Dark World counterpart, The Village of Outcasts, which is where Link finds the boss of the Dark World’s fourth dungeon, Blind the Thief. In A Link Between Worlds, Kakariko Village looks nearly identical to A Link to the Past, with the exception being a few buildings in different locations.

Ocarina of Time explains the origins of Kakariko village and how it was found by the Sheikah. In this game, players can see the process of Kakariko Village being built. Link first arrives in Kakariko as a child to learn more about the Goron Ruby, under the instructions of Impa, the Village’s leader. Kakariko is still under construction at the time of the player’s first visit, so there isn’t much there yet. When Link arrives as an adult, the village is fully put together and filled with villagers. There are also some key locations for items in Kakariko like the potion shop, a shooting gallery, a bazaar, and the House of Skulltula. Ocarina of Time‘s Kakariko Village is located right next to Hyrule Castle Town, and is the entrance to key locations like the Shadow Temple, the bottom of the well, the graveyard, and Death Mountain Trail, making it arguably the most important location in the game.

Kakariko Has Gone Through Major Change In Recent Zelda Games

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Kakariko Village has fallen to shambles and become derelict. This is the result of the villagers all being turned into Shadow Beasts due to the Shadow Invasion. When Link first arrives, there are almost no villagers, except for a few taking refuge inside Renado’s sanctuary. While Kakariko isn’t as bustling as it is in other Zelda titles, it still has several homes, a bomb shop, an inn, a sanctuary, and a hot spring. There is also a graveyard located behind the sanctuary, which holds the resting place of King Zora. It is revealed that Kakariko Village is considered a sacred place to the Zora people, as it is where they make their eternal resting place.

Breath of the Wild shows what Kakariko Village looks like in a Hyrule of the distant future. The village looks much different from any of the previous Zelda games. Normally, the villages architecture seems medieval in appearance, but it Breath of the Wild it takes on the aesthetic of a rustic Japanese settlement. The village survived the attack of Calamity Ganon from 100 years in the past and is now home to several Sheikah. Kakariko is Link’s first destination after leaving the Great Plateau, in order to meet with the village elder Impa. While there aren’t as many shops in Kakariko as in previous games, there are still several key spots nearby like a Fairy Fountain and a Goddess statue in the middle of the village.

Kakariko Village is ingrained into the lore of The Legend of Zelda. It is one of the most important location in the Zelda universe and will likely continue to be such in future titles. Players can only wonder what kind of changes might be coming to the village in Breath of the Wild 2.

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