Rito



The Rito are the race of anthropomorphic birds that inhabit Dragon Roost Island, the volcanic island located in the Great Sea in The Wind Waker. They have yet to make an appearance in another game. The Rito serve the role of mailmen, as they, because of their ability to fly, are most suited for that job. A big part of their island is used as Post Office.

The Rito are said to not always have been creatures of the sky. The Grappling Hook is a remnant of those days. The Rito (still) aren't arboreal by birth. They need to get their wings from the Sky Spirit, Valoo, by visiting him and receiving a scale from him. this also seems to serve as a sort of coming of age-ritual.

The name Rito seems to be a play on the Japanese word "tori" which means "bird". They also might be inspired by the Watarara, a much more birdlike race that appeared in the manga of Ocarina of Time.

The Rito-Zora Evolution Theory
Every new Zelda game causes new discussions about the storyline to arise. The most prominent debate The Wind Waker caused is the one about the Zora-Rito relation. In the game, Link meets the spirit of the former Sage of Earth, Laruto, who is a Zora. She asks Link to find to find "the one who carries on her bloodline", as that person is destined to become the new Sage. This person surprisingly did not turn out to be another Zora, but rather a Rito girl, Medli. This, along with the absence of the Zora in The Wind Waker, the absence of the Rito in other games, the fact that the Rito were confirmed to in the past not have been creatures of the sky, the appearance of the Zora emblem on Medli and Prince Komali's outfits, has led to the theory that the Rito evolved/transformed from the Zora.

Others don't believe this is the case though. Their main arguments are that the Sages presented in A Link to the Past and Four Swords Adventures are (supposedly, see Ganon Conflicts: The Imprisoning War) the descendants of the Sages in Ocarina of Time. In their case, it is not very likely that the Gorons, Sea Zoras and Kokiri evolved/transformed into Hylians. More likely is that interbreeding (be it by nature, be it by magic) between the species is possible. Furthermore, many races have been absent in games that did display their in other games confirmed habitats. This is an "inconsistency" from the developers to make the story and development not overly complicated. Finally, people have put question marks on this theory, because it would be quite odd that an aquatic race, of which two out of three confirmed populations lived in the sea, would change into a birdlike race when the whole world is flooded. Even if this was a change enforced by the Gods to ensure Hyrule would be left a secret, it would be odd that the Fishmen are allowed to stay the way they are. Finally, the Zora symbol on the two Rito children's clothes can be explained by Medli's heritage. If at any time a Rito and Zora (or via another race, see Koboli) decided to live together and get children, it is likely that the Zora would bring some of their belongings with them, explaining how the dress and necklace could have found their way in Rito possession.