Rito

The Rito, also known as the Bird-people, are a recurring race in the Legend of Zelda series. They are a race of bird-like humanoids who first appear in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

In The Wind Waker, the Rito are revealed to be evolved forms of the Zora race, due to the occurrence of the Great Flood. However in Breath of the Wild, both the Rito and Zora exist as separate races from one another, with little indication of any connection between the two species.

Inspiration
The Rito race are inspired by the Watarara race in the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga (generally considered not to be canon), as revealed in a joined interview of Eiji Aonuma and the manga artist at the end of the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga.

Eiji Aonuma states that the design team for The Wind Waker were directly inspired by the Watarara to create the Rito, as he really liked the short story and needed characters who could carry information to Link swiftly across the Great Sea. The Watarara were more like bird-like than the Rito, but had a similar gaining of wings past a certain age and the same chieftain leadership structure.

The Rito people resemble condors, or possibly hawks, with a slight resemblance to Native American culture as well, the most suggestible being Andean culture: males have dark skin and the main theme of the Dragon Roost Island contains some Andean instruments such as zampoña (or pan pipes) and charango.

Biology
In the Wind Waker, the Rito are a race of bird-like humans. They have a mix of human and animal biological characteristics, with very distinctive traits. The Rito appear to be covered by dark shaded skin with white hair, yet the only seen female Rito, Medli, has pale skin and brown hair. Most Rito have red colored eyes, although the Rito Chieftain has yellow eyes. They, like many other races in the series, have pointed ears. The Rito have bird-like feet as well, though oddly without talons. Rito also have some sort of beak where a human's nose would be found, though the shape and size of this beak varies through different Rito. Unlike normal birds this beak appears to be only used for smelling, and cannot be used as a mouth; the Rito have a more human-like mouth below this beak. Another biological factor may be the Rito's feet; It is unknown if the bird feet-like pattern on their legs is their true feet, or a tribal piece of clothing such as a cloth wrapped around their leg to symbolize a bird's legs.

Throughout a young Rito's childhood, he or she is called a Fledgling and is flightless without any wings. The difference seems to be noticeable due to certain physical characteristics, such as Prince Komali's hair color which is initially a dark gray-ish white with a brown tip, and seems to become totally pure white later in the game. After a child reaches a certain age they can only receive their wings after they retrieve a scale from the dragon, Valoo. Their wings are unique in that they protrude from their forearms, similar to where a Zora's fins would be. These have an appearance similar to the sleeves of a cloak when a Rito is grounded on the surface. While not in use, the wings of a Rito are mostly white with black colored plumage located along the end. When in flight the top of a Rito's wings are colored brown with black along the edges, while the bottom of the wings contain white colored plumage along the wing's interior. However, Medli has pure white colored wings, possibly suggesting that female Rito have white wings or that her wings have not fully grown yet.

Most Rito are able to fly over a great distance and can hover in place, but some, like Medli, have trouble flying for long periods of time. This is likely due to her inexperience at flying in comparison to mature Rito. Like humans, Rito's heads are covered by hair that are of different colors and lengths for each person. Most males, however, seem to have white colored hair, even at a young age.

The Rito in Breath of the Wild are no longer humanoid and are now depicted as having a more anthropomorphic bird-like appearance. They are also shown to have wings naturally which are depicted a being prehensile and hand-like allowing them to grab and hold things. Most Rito resemble falcons and eagles, while the Elder Kaneli resembles an owl, though it is unknown if this is simply a variation or the result of old age. Yet Kass is shown to be parrot-like, indicating it is more likely just variation in appearance, much like the Zora who are known to have variations in appearance between members.

Fledglings are shown to have wings and implied to be capable of flying at a much younger age than Komali. It is also implied that the Rito race as a whole can fly naturally, as their is no indication that they require the aid of a deity or dragon such as Dinraal (who is known to fly through the Tabantha region near Rito Village) to do so.

Due to flying at high altitudes and living near the cold Hebra Mountains, the Rito have apparently developed insulating feathers that allow them to endure cold temperatures they would encounter while flying at high altitudes and living near cold regions. Rito feathers occasionally molt which Rito artisans use to make Snowquill Tunics and Snowquill Trousers. Rito feathers are also used to make Rito-down Beds which, according to Cecili, are implied to be even softer than soft stable beds, though this may simply be a marketing tactic.

Evolution
According to Legend of Zelda director Eiji Aonuma, the Rito are the evolved form of the Zora that appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Evidence of this can be found in the game, such as how it is revealed that Medli shares the bloodline of the Zora Earth Sage, Laruto, similar to how Makar, who is a Korok, is a descendant of the Kokiri Wind Sage, Fado. Also, the symbol of the Zora's Sapphire, which is used as the Zora's royal family symbol, can be seen in multiple places on the Ritos' home of Dragon Roost Island. It is even on the clothes worn by some Ritos. Also, in their general physiology Zoras and Ritos have many similarities, like the fact that the Rito have wings that hang down at their elbows, and the Zoras have fins at the same place.

It is unknown why this change would have occurred since the Zoras in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages have been shown to be able to live in the sea off the coast of the island of Labrynna. However, unlike the Great Sea, the Zoras seemed to be living in a controlled environment without interruption from other sea dwellers. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the Zora have trouble living in murky water or in water that is not at optimal temperature, thus suggesting that the change in water conditions might have forced them to evolve. This assumes however that Terminian Zora and Hyrulean Zora share the same characteristics. Also, as the Great Sea is quoted as being mainly devoid of fish to catch, it is possible that the Zora's main food source dried up, forcing them to become land creatures. As the Great Sea is filled with numerous monsters and other dangerous sea life, the Zora might have had to evolve to avoid being eaten or constantly attacked. This would explain why they now had to fly over the water rather than swim through it. A small rumor states that the goddesses did not want anyone to find Hyrule hidden beneath the Great Sea, and as Zoras would have found the land quite quickly, the goddesses evolved the Zora on their own. Though because of the appearance of Fishmen, who are also sentient beings that live in water, this appears to be untrue.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with the Zora race existing alongside them, the Ritos' design was overhauled to further resemble the Watarara of the Ocarina of Time manga as bird-like humanoids. Depending on the timeline that Breath of the Wild takes place, the Rito may have either evolved further becoming more distinct and distant from the Zora race or evolved differently due to their history differing from the Rito of The Wind Waker. Another possibility is that they have no connection with the Zora in the timeline in which Breath of the Wild occurs and have far different origins than the Rito from The Wind Waker.

What appears to be the Rito Emblem in Breath of the Wild appears on the page on Revali's Journal during Champion's Ballad DLC. This emblem does not resemble those of Zora's, and appears to be unique to Rito race.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Rito race first appear in the franchise as the evolved form of the Zora race after the Great Flood. They are viewed upon by outsiders somewhat dubiously, with some having an inexplicable bigotry directed towards them, perhaps out of jealousy. Still, Rito are widely accepted as mail carriers, as only they can traverse the seas without cumbersome ships. Rito are capable of flying quickly, and full-grown Rito can carry humans for a short time. Their main habitat is on Dragon Roost Island, an island on the Great Sea. They have a tribal elder, with numerous followers and elaborately dressed guards. No Rito is born with wings, and instead, must visit the tribes' guardian, the great Sky Spirit, Valoo, to receive one of his scales which enables them to grow wings. It is a coming of age ceremony of the Rito to journey to the great Valoo to receive their scale.

The first Rito that appears in this game is Quill, a Rito postman who is delivering letters to Outset Island when the Helmaroc King is shot out of the sky by pirates trying to rescue Tetra. Shortly after Aryll's kidnapping by the Helmaroc King, Quill convinces Tetra and her pirates to transport Link to the Forsaken Fortress, so he can save her.

Later in the game Link again runs into Quill on Dragon Roost Island while searching for Din's Pearl. Quill invites him to come into the island and meet the chieftain of the Rito tribe to see what they can do to help Link. After the two meet the Rito Chieftain states the he wants to help Link, but he cannot due to a crisis the Rito are currently in. The Rito's guardian deity, Valoo, had begun acting with hostility and nobody can approach him. Because young Rito can no longer acquire the scale needed to grow their wings, the Rito's very way of life has become threatened.

Therefore, the Rito Chieftain says he needs to attend to the issue before he can help Link. He does, however, ask Link to try and help his son Prince Komali who has come under a stint of depression after his Grandmother had passed away. As he can not personally attend to his son at the time the Rito Chieftain asks Link to deliver a letter he wrote to his son which is being held by Valoo's current attendant Medli. Medli introduces herself to Link, and gives him the letter from the Chieftain to his son, but asks him to meet her again near the entrance to Dragon Roost Cavern.

As Link delivers the letter he notices that Prince Komali is in possession of Din's Pearl. Although Link gives Komali his father's letter it fails to calm him down and instead he acts hostile towards Link. Komali refuses to give Link Din's Pearl, but Link states that he can calm Valoo down. Although Komali believes that Link is lying he says that he will give him anything he wants if he can calm Valoo.

Later Link meets with Medli outside of Dragon Roost Cavern. Medli says that she wants to venture up Dragon Roost Mountain in order to try and find out what is wrong with Valoo. However the bridge connecting the Rito settlement to the cavern has been broken and the spring that once flowed there has been blocked by a volcanic rock. Link helps Medli enter Dragon Roost Cavern by throwing her against the far side of the bridge, allowing her to ride the wind. She gives Link a Bottle and ventures up to the summit of Dragon Roost Mountain.

As Link enters back into the Rito's settlement he learns from Quill that Medli has become captured by monsters on her journey up Dragon Roost. Using the bottle Medli gave him Link uses water to restore a Bomb Flower, which he in turn uses to crush the volcanic boulder, allowing him to swim across to the now-full pond and enter Dragon Roost. After fighting his way through the dungeon Link encounters Medli at the top of Dragon Roost Island where she has been imprisoned by Bokoblins. Link rescues her, and she tells him about the entire situation with Valoo.

Medli concludes that something is harassing the great dragon. In fact, he is being tortured by the tremendous monster, Gohma, hidden within the mountain, beneath Valoo's high peak. As Medli heads down the mountain to tell the other Rito what's happening, she gives Link a Grappling Hook. Link then uses the Grappling Hook to venture into Gohma's layer and slay the monster, finally calming down Valoo from his torment. As Link returns to the base of the island he meets with Medli and Prince Komali.

Komali apologizes for mistrusting Link, stating his desire to be like him. He gives Link his treasured Din's Pearl as a reward and also out of friendship. As Link goes to leave the island Valoo shouts down to him to use the wind gods wind. Medli doesn't understand what Valoo means by this but concludes it must have something to do with the wind shrine on the other side of the island. As Link sets off Komali regains his confidence and ascends to the top of Dragon Roost Mountain to get his scale from the Great Valoo and become a true Rito.

After acquiring the second of the Pearls of the Goddesses Link ventures to Greatfish Isle to get the last pearl from the Water Spirit, Jabun. Upon reaching the island however he discovers that it had been destroyed by Ganondorf's magic. On the Greatfish Isle Quill appears and supplies Link with information about the location of Jabun, but only after accidentally telling Tetra's Pirates about his location: a secret cavern behind Outset Island. Quill states that the island has become cursed and recommends Link not to stay longer than he has to.

Later in the game Quill, along with Prince Komali and Valoo, helps rescue Link and Tetra from Ganondorf at the Forsaken Fortress. Link learns that the Master Sword had lost its power and needs to reawaken the Sages of the Master Sword in order to defeat Ganondorf. After learning from the spirit of the last Sage of Earth, Laruto that Medli is next in her bloodline to become a sage Link travels back to Dragon Roost Island. He then plays the "Earth God's Lyric", a song he learned from Laruto, to Medli. She briefly loses consciousness, sees Laruto in a vision, and awakens as the Sage of Earth.

Medli then comes with Link to the Earth Temple so that they can restore the Master Sword. If Link plays the "Command Melody" while in the Earth Temple near Medli, Link will be able to control her. Link can cause Medli to take flight, or use the harp that she carries to reflect and store strong beams of light. Using their combined abilities to work their way through the dungeon Link defeats the temple's boss, Jalhalla, and Medli restores the edge of the Master Sword.

After the defeat of Ganondorf, Prince Komali, as well as Medli can be seen on Tetra's Pirate Ship, celebrating Link's victory.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Rito appear as one of several races of Breath of the Wild. They originate from Rito Village in the Tabantha Frontier region of the Hebra province of Hyrule. The village is headed by the Elder Kaneli. Rito are depicted as having a far more bird-like in appearance compared to the Rito of The Wind Waker. Revali, the Rito Champion and a skilled aerial fighter living in the skies of Hyrule, is the first Rito shown in the game. One hundred years before the events of the game, this warrior was selected by King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Medoh as a member of the Champions.

During his quest, Link occasionally encounters the traveling Rito minstrel Kass who provides hints leading to Shrines via old legends that he sings. Kass also tells Link an old legend revealing how the Divine Beasts and Guardians where created to help the "Goddess-blood Princess" and a heroic knight defeat and seal Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago. Kass was the student of Royal Family of Hyrule's court poet a Sheikah who assisted Zelda in a survey of the Shrines and kept a printed Camera Rune photo called the Picture of the Champions which was taken by Purah during the Champions' inauguration ceremony as a treasured memento. Kass reveals his teacher was infatuated with Zelda though apparently she did not share his feelings and Kass' teacher believed she only had eyes for her personal knight though it is unclear if this was true or the teacher simply believed Zelda had feelings for Link. However Kass' teacher respected Link as the Hero and went to his deathbed confident Link would return indicating he was aware of Link's Slumber of Restoration. However Kass' teacher died before Link awoke though he entrusted Kass with the task of learning old songs that revealed the locations of hidden Shrines so he might guide Link to them. Kass' teacher left behind one unfinished work a song called The Champions' Ballad which honored the fallen Champions and was intended to lead Link to the Final Trial overseen by Sheikah Monk Maz Koshia. After aiding Kass in completing his master's unfinished work, Kass rewards Link with his mentor's keepsake the Picture of the Champions recognizing Link as the hero his master believed would return knowing Link would cherish it due to being the Hylian Champion.

During the main quest to free "Divine Beast Vah Medoh", Link receives assistance from the Rito warrior Teba, who flies him up to Vah Medoh and draws its fire while Link secures entry by taking out its cannons.

In Breath of the Wild, the Rito primarily wield light-weight weapons, bows such as the Swallow Bow or Falcon Bow, and shields designed to be used in both ground and aerial combat. They are also known to have crafted Feathered Edges, Feathered Spears and Kite Shields. Revali originally wielded the Great Eagle Bow, which Link can obtain after freeing Vah Medoh, which can be reforged by Rito bowmaker Harth in Rito Village when it breaks making it the only reforgeable bow. The tailor Huck uses the softest and thickest baby Rito feathers to craft the Snowquill Headdress, Tunic and Trousers which grants cold resistance and are sold at the Brazen Beak to tourists and travelers. Rito are naturally resistant to cold temperatures and cold at high altitudes thanks to their insulating feathers. However as shown by the Rito Guy this insulation can work against Rito in the desert forcing them to rely on Chilly Elixirs, Frozen Food, and "Chilly" food dishes to keep cool. However some Rito are more capable of dealing with the heat such as Frita a female Rito who flew all the way to Gerudo Town though she notes she is the only Rito to make the trip (Guy was denied entry as with most males) indicating the heat and harsh desert weather cause most Rito to avoid the desert. However they can still survive there unlike the Zora who would have trouble due to its dryness and climate shifts between night and day. This mean Rito have evolved to survive conditions most Zora could not. It is unknown if Rito are shock resistant enough to wield Shock Arrows though Zora Prince Sidon never attempts to recruit one despite archery being popular among the Rito though Rito Village's distance from Zora's Domain and the Rito's own issues with Vah Medoh likely prevented the Rito from assisting the Zora were they able to wield Shock Arrows.

They are shown to exist in Hyrule along with the Zora who live on the other side of Hyrule in the Lanayru Great Spring region. There is in Breath of the Wild. This is averse to how Rito people are depicted as in The Wind Waker, as it is shown that the reason for the Zora's absence is the Rito evolved from them, for example the ancestor sage to Medli is a Zora. However it is implied that the Rito and Zora have coexisted in Hyrule for over 10,000 years as both races are implied to have been entrusted with Divine Beasts by the Sheikah 10,000 years before the events of Breath of the Wild indicating the possibly that they may have split off from the Zora so long ago that the connection between the two races has been forgotten or that they have evolved further becoming more distant over time, which would explain the Rito's more bird-like appearance. It is also implied that Rito possess wings naturally and no longer need to grow them with the help of a deity like Valoo. It is also implied that Zora's Domain was founded 10,000 years ago, which may have some connection to the split between the Rito and Zora.

Rito Warriors
In Breath of the Wild, Rito have a proud warrior culture as exemplified by Revali and Teba. Rito warriors are masters of aerial combat particularly aerial archery as they can snipe enemies from and in the air. Additionally they wield lightweight Kite Shields, Feathered Edge swords, and Feathered Spears so as not to be weighed down. Rito Bows are designed with aerial combat in mind and Rito like Harth specialize in bowmaking indicating many Rito warriors specialize in or prefer archery. Revali even won an archery competition in the past as mentioned in The Diary of Revali requesting a private training ground as a reward. This lead to the construction of the Flight Range near Dronoc's Pass in Hebra Mountains. At first the range was exclusively for Revali's private use where he developed and perfected Revali's Gale and his aerial archery skills. After becoming Champion however, Revali allowed aspiring Rito warriors to train there as well. After Revali's death, Revali's Landing was named in his honor and use of the Flight Range for training became a tradition among Rito warriors such as Teba. The Great Eagle Bow became a treasured legendary bow among the Rito which was kept safe by the Rito Elder passed down to Kaneli. Thus Revali had a strong influence on Rito warrior culture and served as an example Rito warriors aspire to be or in Teba's case surpass. However Revali's pride was his greatest weakness as it made him resent the Hylian Champion and Chosen Hero Link whom Revali disliked playing second fiddle to and was angry that he was relegated to a support role. Link's trademark silence and prodigal skill didn't help matters as Revali worked hard to become the warrior he was though Revali respected Princess Zelda due to her dedication to her training to awaken her powers and strong will as well as sharing her initial resentment towards Link. However Revali was dedicated to fighting Calamity Ganon and aspired to be the hero instead of Link. However after his death and Link slaying his killer Thunderblight Ganon, Revali begrudgingly accepted Link as the Hero though maintained his arrogant attitude towards him out of pride. Teba also possessed a similar prideful personality but was more accepting of Link's assistance once he proved himself and was capable of open humility a trait which Revali lacked as he refused to show his newfound respect for Link openly. However it is implied Teba's disastrous confrontation with Vah Medoh humbled him. Before Link's arrival, Teba and Harth ignored Kaneli's warnings and approached Vah Medoh leading to an aerial confrontation which left Harth injured leaving Teba who survived uninjured to retreat to the Flight Range to train and gather supplies to confront Vah Medoh alone until Link showed up and joined him in confronting Vah Medoh though while distracting the beast to draw its cannon fire Teba was injured though his heroic efforts allowed Link to take out the cannons and enter Vah Medoh. Teba eventually recovers from his wounds and returns to the Flight Range where he runs the Flight Range mini-game with his son Tulin who idolizes his father and hopes to become a warrior greater than Revali much like him.

However unlike the Zora, Rito warriors are predominantly male and female Rito Laissa wishes she had been a trained soldier implying female Rito are discouraged or barred from becoming warriors, which is in sharp contrast to the Zora as there are several female Zora Knights and even a female Champion Mipha who accepted the position with her father King Dorephan's blessing and approval (however he did regret his support in light of her death).

Culture
In The Wind Waker, all known Rito reside on Dragon Roost Island, a large and mountainous island in the northeast portion of the Great Sea. Here, the Rito's main settlement is built within Dragon Roost Mountain overlooking a small spring in the center of the island. Perched on the peak of the island is the great Sky Spirit, Valoo. Valoo is a spirit in the shape of a large dragon and serves as the guardian deity of the Rito. He is held to the highest of respect by the Rito who have a long line of attendants and caretakers to look after him.

The average Rito wear a dark red tunic with a belt around the waist. The tunic is usually rather plain in color, but often has a more colorful lining around the sleeves and collar. Also it is common to see Rito wearing delivery bags as they cannot carry things while using their wings. Some Rito wear more elaborate clothing, such as the Police Force who customarily wear white tunics with a blue stripe around the waist. Still others, like Medli and the Rito Chieftain, can be seen in unique clothing, likely due to the special jobs that they have on the island.

The Rito were stated to be the tribe that invented Grappling Hooks, which were used before they had obtained wings. Grappling Hooks are still used by Fledglings until they grow wings of their own. Although it is unknown if the Rito also created the Postman Statues or not, said statues clearly depict their race. According to Zunari, the purpose of these statues are to bring Ritos to Windfall Island.

Government and economy
The Rito appear to be ruled some kind of monarchy style chiefdom. The ruler of the Rito is always a chieftain who oversees everything happening on the island. His son holds the title of prince, and will eventually become the chieftain of the tribe (although since Prince Komali is the current Rito Chieftain's only child in the Wind Waker, it remains to be seen if there could be a female chieftain, or who the chieftain would be if there were multiple children). The chieftain`s rule is also assisted by several guards and other assistants who live on the island to help him and his people.

Given their ability to quickly and safely travel between islands, the Rito have become the foremost postmen throughout the Great Sea. Most Rito appear to be employed as mail carriers or other jobs related to the postal service. Even though most of them appear to be employed this way, there still appear to be a shortage of staff at the Mail Center, which sometimes requires temporary help from a non-Rito, such as Link or Baito.

Once every year the Rito will take a break from their jobs and go to the nearby Flight Control Platform for the annual Bird-Man Contest, which is designed to test who can fly the farthest. Hylians may participate as well, as long as they have something with which to fly.

Like most races, they accept the Rupee as their form of currency.

Hyrule Warriors series
As part of the Master Wind Waker DLC, Rito Sage Medli from The Wind Waker appears as a DLC character in Hyrule Warriors & Hyrule Warriors Legends. Medli weapon moveset is the Rito Harp. Additionally, there is a Fairy Clothing option called the Rito Mask which is a Mask for Companion Fairies in the design of a Rito's beak-like nose.

References in the series
In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, at the very top of the Observation Deck in Castle Town, where a Goron sells arrows, there is a mural that depicts two Rito flanking a woman. This is the only reference to the race in the game.

Etymology
In the Japanese language, the race is known as the "Ri-To", and the Japanese word "tori" means bird. 'Rito' could also be a play on the name of Ruto, the Princess of the Zoras, the race from which the Rito evolved.