Riju

Makeela is a recurring character in.

Lady Riju is the Chief of the Gerudo. She is a young Gerudo child who inherited the throne after her mother passed away. Riju was her mother's only child, causing the duties of leading the Gerudo to fall to her. The people of Gerudo Town are worried about being ruled by a child, making Riju question if she will ever be as great as her mother was. Riju also feels that the Thunder Helm was stolen because she is not ready to be Chief. After Link calms the BotW:, Riju feels that the Hero helped her overcome her doubts about being able to lead. Riju hopes to one day compete with Link in a Sand Seal race. Riju can be found in the palace in Gerudo Town, sitting upon the BotW: beside the captain of the guard, Buliara.

Link meets Riju at the start of the "Divine Beast Vah Naboris" Main Quest when he first enters the Gerudo Town palace, disguised as a woman. When Link approaches Riju, she comments that he is yet another traveler and asks how he got in the palace. Riju also mentions that Link is carrying something interesting, referring to his Sheikah Slate. Buliara will then stop Link and demand him to explain his business there. Riju will quickly tell Buliara to hold on, noticing that Link is more than a common traveler and asks for his name. Link tells Riju his name and that he can calm the Divine Beast Vah Naboris, which has been recently threatening the people in Gerudo with its lightning. Riju questions if Link is powerful enough to subdue a Divine Beast. She soon notices the Sheikah Slate on Link's hip, pointing out that the Sheikah would not give something so valuable to just anybody. Buliara mentions that she does not recall hearing of a Hylian woman among the Champions before quickly realizing that Link is actually a man. Riju states that it is a great crime for a man to enter Gerudo Town, but Riju dismisses this with the Sheikah Slate being enough proof for her that Link is a Champion. She tells Link that they would never mistreat a friend of Lady Urbosa and that they are allies if he is here to help subdue Naboris.

Riju informs Link that they have yet to find a way to appease Naboris. She reasons that if Link truly is a Champion, then he may be able to enter Naboris and calm its anger. Buliara urges Riju not to trust a stranger with such an important task, suggesting that he prove himself worthy by recovering the stolen Thunder Helm. Riju agrees with this suggestion and proceeds to explain that the Thunder Helm is the only thing in Hyrule that can withstand the lightning from Naboris. Buliara tells Link that Captain Teake in the barracks nearby can tell him about the thieves who stole the Thunder Helm. Before he leaves for the barracks, Riju says that Link's arrival must be a sign that Lady Urbosa is looking out for them. If Link speaks to Riju again, she says that she cannot believe the Thunder Helm was stolen and that it is likely the most discouraging event in Gerudo Town's history. Riju believes that Urbosa and other ancestors are looking down on them with shame and wonders if her people can tell how powerless she is. Buliara intervenes, telling Riju not to take it personally and that the soldiers and herself are to blame, commenting that she should have been more vigilant. Riju then tells Buliara that she does not need to beat herself up about it.

Once Link returns to Riju from the Yiga Clan Hideout with the Thunder Helm, she will tell him to meet her at the Lookout Post south of town to prepare for the attack on Naboris. Before leaving, she mentions that the only way to get close to Naboris is by riding a BotW:. When Link arrives to the outpost, Riju will be there waiting for him, equipped with the Thunder Helm, and begins telling Link the plan to take down Naboris. She tells Link that Naboris draws energy from the ground, so they must damage its feet. She also instructs Link to stay close to her to avoid getting shocked by Naboris and gives him some Bomb Arrows. Before they begin, Riju holds her arms skyward and declares that she will calm Naboris. She then gathers power by asking her ancestors to aid her and specifically asks Lady Urbosa for her protection. Link and Riju then ride Sand Seals into the sandstorm toward Naboris. Link must ride his Sand Seal close to Riju so that Riju's Thunder Helm absorbs the lightning and leaves Link unharmed. With the help of Riju, Link manages to enter the Divine Beast. Later on, Riju tells Link that she heard Urbosa call her name while taking down the Divine Beast.

After completing the Divine Beast, Link visits Riju again in the palace. As thanks for Link's help, Riju offers Link priceless pieces of equipment that were once worn by Urbosa. Before Riju is done speaking, she mentions that it is right for Link to have them because he and Urbosa were once friends. The Thunder Helm also now rests on a small pedestal beside Riju. When Link interacts with the Thunder Helm, Riju will offer to lend it to Link. However, she then says that Link must earn it by gaining the trust of her people. Riju agrees to lend Link the Thunder Helm in exchange for resolving the Gerudo Town people's problems. This begins the Side Quest, "The Thunder Helm". Once Link finishes the Side Quest and returns to Riju, she tells Link that she has heard of his actions in delivering happiness to her people. Riju thanks Link, stating that he will always be a true friend of the Gerudo. As a reward, Riju keeps her promise and lends Link the Thunder Helm. Riju assures Link that he will be able to use the Thunder Helm to its fullest potential and unlock the power of Urbosa that lies within.

In the Air and Lightning Scenario, Urbosa struggles against Thunderblight Ganon and is soon fatigued to the point where she could not defend herself anymore. As Thunderblight goes in for the kill, Riju and Patricia are summoned by Terrako and they slam into the monster before it could reach Urbosa. With the older Gerudo Chief baffled by her sudden presence, Riju insists that they should focus on the fight first and foremost. As Thunderblight Ganon starts to get the upper hand again with its high speed, Riju regrets her own carelessness for thinking she was strong enough to defend Urbosa Urbosa assures her that the least she did was buy enough time for help to arrive. After Thunderblight Ganon was vanquished, Urbosa takes a moment to thank Link and Princess Zelda for backing them up, and also gives credit to Riju for saving her life. while Riju reminds them that they worked together. When Teba saw how abrasive Revali was to Link, he almost makes a comment on it before Urbosa cuts him off and asks Zelda what became of Hyrule Castle

In the Guardian of Remembrance DLC EX Liberate the Ancient Lab, Riju and Urbosa assist the Science Academy and the Sheikah by keeping the monsters and the Yiga Clan led by Master Kohga. After the dust clears, Urbosa compliments how well Riju handled the Thunder Helm. Riju was about to make a reply on her duties as the future Chief of the Gerudo before Kohga suddenly yanks it from her hands and places it on his top knot and dares Urbosa to use her lightning attack against him, claiming that it wouldn't work on him, but Urbosa knew that he doesn't know how to use it and manages to shock him anyway, allowing Riju to retrieve it. Master Kohga is flabbergasted that Urbosa actually struck him so easily despite having it while Urbosa shoots back that it would take him a hundred years for him to figure it out, and Kohga pitches a fit and claims that he will have it even if it took him that long before vanishing, allowing both Gerudo Chiefs to catch a break.

In the Each Step Like Thunder Scenario, after Akkala Citadel was successfully defended by Vah Ruta and Vah Rudania, Riju joins Urbosa and is disheartened by the nightmarish scene, though Urbosa tells her that she shouldn't need to have a defeatist attitude, but Riju still isn't convinced by this. Urbosa then reminds her that she would not likely have lived if she had not come and Naboris still has its pilot. Riju is only slightly relaxed about this as Urbosa asks for her hand, which Riju accepts as they go into battle. When enemy reinforcements consisting of monsters and corrupted Guardians arrive, Urbosa herself becomes frustrated by this, before Riju, having Urbosa's earlier words rubbed off on her, gives her a quick pep talk. which puts Urbosa in a better mood. Thankfully, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali arrive with their Divine Beasts as they blasted large quantities of the army, much to Urbosa's relief. Several events occur as Zelda finally awakened her power to protect Link from the revived Blight Ganons that Astor summoned, Purah activates a failsafe that disables a huge number of Guardians to give Hyrule a huge edge, Master Kohga and the Yiga Clan have defected to the Hyrulean side, and King Rhoam is revealed to have just barely survived an encounter with the Guardians.

In the All Hyrule United Scenario, Purah has not only restored the power to the Sheikah Towers, but she also supercharged them to summon the armies of all races, including the Champions and their Divine Beasts. Riju is notably more optimistic on how well things have gotten as Urbosa awaited orders from the princess. With her father's blessing, Princess Zelda takes command of the army and gives them a pep speech before attacking the outposts and slaying the monsters that maintain the barrier so that the Champion Pilots can open fire with their Divine Beasts. Despite the Blood Moon reviving the fallen monsters and giving the Hyruleans a hard time, they managed to break through to Hyrule Castle.

In The Future of Hyrule, As the ground and air forces storm towards the castle to confront the villains, Harbinger Ganon and Astor, who have put up much of a fight, but they are defeated. Astor's composure finally breaks as he orders the harbinger to consume the heroes, but he himself was consumed and some of the Malice takes control of Terrako and unwillingly turns on Link and Zelda. With Terrako badly damaged, Riju and the warriors take a moment of silence for its sake as Zelda vows to ensure that Calamity Ganon falls as they charge upstairs to deal with the beast waiting for them. At first, Ganon was too powerful for them due to reincarnating successfully to the point where Zelda attempted to use her power to seal it. It did, however, bring Terrako back up and rushes upstairs to sacrifice itself to destroy Ganon's defense, allowing the heroes to beat it down. Link uses the Master Sword to critically weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to finally destroy him forever. With Hyrule at peace once more, Terrako's blessed screw uses its power to send Riju, Teba, Yunobo, and Sidon back to the future. Urbosa and Riju exchange good-byes, with the former assuring the latter will do well to lead her people in the right direction, with Riju replying that it was an honor to fight alongside her. She vanishes with the other three as the princess wishes them a better future.

In the secret DLC ending, Riju and Urbosa are surfing in the sands of Gerudo Desert on their sand-seals and enjoying every moment of it. Later Riju is seen interacting with the other Champions, present and future, as Terrako joins in amusing them.

Trivia

 * At 12 years old, Riju is still very young, despite the heavy responsibility of being chief foisted upon her shoulders. This is indicated by the stuffed animals in BotW: and the seal designs on her bed. Her young stature is also made indicated by the booster cushions on her throne, and when she wears the Thunder Helm it does not fit properly on her head often sliding forward.
 * Riju can be seen doing a hop of excitement and asking her stuffed animals what they should play in her Bedroom. When spoken to afterwards, she will try to take attention away from the stuffed animals and state they should be ignored. She will then state it's rude to wander into someone's Bedroom at such a late hour of the night.
 * Riju greatly values Patricia, her Sand Seal, as the only gift from her late mother.