In the trailers for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, currently referred to as Breath of the Wild 2, Link has a new arm, and there are some weird theories about what it is and what it means for the game. Although not much is known about the arm for now, carefully watching the teasers released thus far may reveal some secrets. One showed it pinning down a desiccated mummy - theorized to be Ganon - with Malice leaking from around its hand.
From what's been revealed of BOTW 2 so far, it looks to be even bigger than the original. Trailers have shown Bokoblins making their base on a living Talus, along with Link using fantastical new powers. One of the most surprising BOTW 2 reveals was Link's new arm, which came fairly early on and has been a subject of fascination ever since. The arm has been a prominent presence in reveals and trailers alongside details like a half-destroyed Master Sword and new exploration options allowing players to roam floating islands that call back to those in Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Other new features such as flamethrower weapons and a new ability that will let Link through solid matter have also been revealed, and hopefully, more are soon to come.
There is a multitude of theories surrounding Link's new arm, but there can only be one true explanation for why he obtains it and what exactly it really is. The first trailer video shows Link and Zelda exploring a cave somewhere in Hyrule, where they come across the arm pinned to a mummy that's presumably Ganon before he became Calamity Ganon, his twisted form in the first game. However, BOTW 2 has multiple possible villains besides Ganon, and this is far from a certainty. The arm appears to save Link from falling into a chasm after the cave floor collapses, but releases the mummy in the process. This seems to be the very beginning of the game, and the event that kicks off the main story.
Link's BOTW 2 Arm Could Have Been Made By The Sheikah
In BOTW, the Sheikah were an ancient people that built a number of devices that can be found scattered across Hyrule, including the Sheikah Slate that helps Link navigate and the Sheikah Towers that serve as waypoints. They also built the Divine Beasts and Terrako, the miniature robot featured in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, along with the Guardians that failed against Ganon's corruption in BOTW and became his minions. With all of the other automatons the Sheikah built, it's possible that they also constructed Link's new arm, perhaps not with the intention of him using it, but instead as part of an android that they created in order to fight Ganon in their time.
The arm that's kept Ganon pinned and later transferred to Link certainly looks like it could be of Sheikah design. It almost appears to be a cruder version of one of the arms from the Guardian Armor, which is composed of many Sheikah-made materials and items. Its glowing skin and the multitude of odd pieces attached to it don't look natural and are no more so when it's shown to be gray after attaching itself to Link. Since the Sheikah created BOTW's Guardians, massive mechanical beings with seemingly-infinite power supplies and the ability to act independent of outside control, it's not outside the realm of possibility that they could also make a Link-esque robot to fight against Ganon, one who would keep him constrained deep underground given no other options.
Link's Arm Could Replace The Sheikah Slate In BOTW 2
Although it may relate more to gameplay and features instead of lore, and not explain what the arm is or why it's grafted itself onto Link, another theory is that it will replace the Sheikah Slate in BOTW 2. In one of the trailers, Link is shown using the arm to perform an ability that sends a spiked ball back where it came from at his enemies, one that looks rather like the Stasis power from the original BOTW, which allowed for impressive attack combinations and served as a very useful tool. The fact that he isn't shown using the Sheikah Slate in any of the reveals so far is also very telling and could indicate that his own body will serve the same purpose that it once had.
Princess Zelda is the original owner of the Sheikah Slate that Link uses in his journey to stop Calamity Ganon in BOTW, and after the end of the game when she's been freed from Hyrule Castle, she's shown to have taken it back from him. Zelda is confirmed to be in BOTW 2 in some form, but she doesn't make many appearances beyond her falling into the chasm when she and Link first find the arm, which could indicate that she and the Sheikah Slate are out of reach. It's also possible that Zelda is playable in BOTW 2, which could mean that she uses the Sheikah Slate instead of Link as she did in Age of Calamity. Regardless, if Link's arm takes the place of the Sheikah Slate, then it gives weight to the theory that it was made by the Sheikah, and could explain the new abilities he has.
Link's Arm Could Have Evil Sealed Away Within It In BOTW 2
In one of the BOTW 2 trailers, Ganon's Malice energy is shown engulfing Link's right arm, the same one that gains a new form. That Malice may still reside within Link's arm, and the new one that kept Ganon pinned could have grafted itself to him in order to keep it contained. Its motivation for doing so is tough to say for certain, but since it's also shown grasping Link's hand and keeping him from falling into a chasm, it would appear that it has some kind of interest in his safety. Zelda: BOTW keeps many secrets, among them the true nature of Ganon's Malice; since it's so shrouded in mystery, it's entirely possible that it could latch on to Link and end up being sealed by the very thing that kept Ganon - or whoever the mummy truly is - contained for so long.
The Malice also appears to have damaged the Master Sword, as it bears a mangled form in the latest trailer. In Skyward Sword, Demise - the original source of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf's endless reincarnation - is sealed within the Master Sword after his death. If Ganon's Malice is truly sealed away within Link's arm, the spirit of Demise may respond to it, as well as any vestiges of Malice within the sword when it damaged it. If so, then BOTW 2's villain could be Demise, not Ganon; Skyward Sword is the first game in Legend of Zelda's timeline, and BOTW is the last, which means that this may bring the series full circle. Like all theories for Link's arm in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel, it is just speculation for now, but it does have very interesting implications.
