Old Man's Identity in Breath of the Wild Revealed!

Ever since we got our first proper look at the opening sequence of Breath of the Wild speculation has been rife as to the identity of the Old Man that Link bumps into when he exits the Shrine of Resurrection. Some think he bears a striking resemblance to King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule — known to his friends as the King of Red Lions — from The Wind Waker. Some reckon it could be a little Easter egg; a reference to the old man Link meets at the beginning of the original Legend of Zelda who hands our hero a sword. Others think he could just be some random old bloke who’s been watching Link sleep for the past 100 years.

But we needn’t ponder anymore! The identity of the old man has been revealed! Well, sort of. In an interview with French publication Le Monde, series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that it was he who wrote the lines for the Old Man in order to be the first person who speaks to the player in the game. Previously Aonuma has written messages to his son via the game’s text, however this wasn’t a factor this time.

“I insisted that I should write the dialogue for the old man that you encounter at the beginning of the adventure,” Aonuma explained, “because it is the first person you talk to in the game, and I wanted to be the first to speak to the player. Even if this time, it is not meant for my son.

Of course Aonuma also wrote the lines for the King of Red Lions, so maybe in writing the lines for this Old Man Aonuma is reprising his role as old Daphnes after all. However he might want to check the game again if he wants to be the first to speak to the player, as I’m pretty sure whoever it is that tells Link to open his eyes has beaten him to the punch.

You can check out the translated interview in which Aonuma also discusses Breath of the Wild‘s dungeons and Skyrim’s influence on the game, among other things, here. And don’t forget to mark off another day on your Breath of the Wild countdown. March 3 is just around the corner!