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Fiery Serpents of Zelda: a Chronology

Throughout the Legend of Zelda series, our hero has faced adversity, or assistance, from fiery serpentine dragons. Visibly a mix of Eastern and Western influences, these ancient wyrms test the grit and the courage of our brave hero through his adventures: and it seems Breath of the Wild is no different in this regard! The latest official Facebook page for the franchise, as well as a snippet of the Japanese national Breath of the Wild advertisement broadcast, reveals a striking fresh take on this classic reoccurrence.

In other titles, we faced バルバジア (Barubajia), or Barba: the boss of the Three-Eye Rock Palace in Zelda II: the Adventure of Link. This lava-loving serpent rose up from the depths to face Link and test his resolve; beating him gave the young hero access to that palace’s inner sanctum, where he could place a crystal — one of six — to dissolve the barrier placed upon his ultimate goal: The Great Palace, where the Triforce of Courage awaits.

By the time we see this dragon again, in Ocarina of Time, they’ve taken on a much grander title: 灼熱穴居竜ヴァルバジア (Shakunetsu Kekkyo Ryū Varubajia), or Scorching Hot Cave-dwelling Dragon: Volvagia. The root of the name is identical to its predecessor, minus the change from バ (Ba) to ァ (Va); seeing as even the second occurrence of this same syllable is changed to a “V” in localizations, this tells us the name is identical: they’re meant to represent the very same beast in form, function, and address.

Whereas Barba was a test to the hero, this incarnation was a revival of an ancient dragon who once ravaged the countryside, feasting upon the mountain folk until it was put to rest by the legendary Goron hero wielding the Megaton Hammer; Ganondorf revived Volvagia as a threat, and it acted as the final boss of the Fire Temple.

There’s another dragon who appears in the quest of the Hero reborn, upon the Great Sea: they’re named ヴァルー (Varū), or Valoo; the Sky Spirit. This dragon is not an enemy nor a test to the hero, however: he is a great ally, and the patron deity of the Sky folk — the Rito. Hyrule Historia canonically dictates that Valoo is a living descendant of the once-mighty Volvagia.

We also have アイスヴァルバジア (Aisu Varubajia) or “Ice Volvagia”, known in the West as Blizzaga: the final boss of the Ice Temple in Tri-Force Heroes’ Drablands. This cryonic form of the traditionally fire-wielding serpent shares the same name, but with a prefix for “ice”; it is defeated by the heroes’ three through the use of the Fire Gloves and the Hammer.

In addtion to the fiery dragons named on the other page, the series also has a selection of uniquely named Dragons, tasked by the Goddess to protect the lands of the Surface (what would later be known as “Hyrule”). These Dragons are:

ラネール (Lanayru), Thunder Dragon of the aptly named Lanayru region, who required the aide of the time-manipulating Hero to prevent his death from a terrible illness. フィローネ (Firōne), Faron, the proud Water Dragon of the lush wooded realm of Faron. And last but not least, オルディン (Orudin), Eldin the hearty Fire Dragon, who keeps watch of the violent & raw earth in the land of Eldin. This trio is also joined by one last spirit, the Sky spirit 空の大精霊ナリシャ (Sora no Dai-Seirei Narisha), the Great Spirit of the Sky: Narisha, known in English only as “Levias”. These four beings were each given jurisdiction of their respective provinces by the Goddess Hylia, but whether this was before her battle with the Demon King or after, we have yet to know…

Barring these, and other dragon-like beasts (such as Aquamentus, アクオメンタス (Akuomentasu) of the original Legend of Zelda series’ instalment), the most notable dragons are known for their prowess of fire, their terrible jaws, lithe snake-like bodies, and great horns. And these are all called by the same name: Varubagia.

We cannot know for certain quite yet, but based on these evidences from titles’ past, this dragon resembles the ancient dragon of yore who once tested and faced-off against the spirit of the hero, and will likely continue to fill that role in the latest release, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.