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 Zora-Rito 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 descendant turned out to be a young Rito, Medli. This, along with the absence of the Sea Zora in The Wind Waker; a setting in which they should be plentiful, the absence of the Rito in other games, the in-game statement that the Rito have not always been aerial creatures, and the appearance of the Zora emblem on Medli and Prince Komali's outfits, has led to the theory that the Rito evolved or were transformed from the Sea Zora.

There are arguments against this theory. One of the major arguments is that this is not the first time the race of a certain "Sageline" changed. The Sages presented in A Link to the Past and Four Swords Adventures are, supposedly, the descendants of the Sages in Ocarina of Time. Despite them all being Hylians, among their (supposed) ancestors were a Kokiri, a Sea Zora and a Goron. Furthermore, many races have been absent in games that did display their, in other games, confirmed habitats. This is claimed to be an "inconsistency" used by the developers to make the story and development less complicated. Thirdly, people have questioned the idea that an aquatic race, which has previously been shown to prefer to live 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, who are confirmed to have some knowledge of Hyrule, 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 Sea Zora 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.