The Yiga clan makes an aggressive return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, taking over the buildings (and cave) of Hyrule. Unlike their Breath of the Wild counterparts, the Yiga Clan have become more adept with their disguises in Tears of the Realm, and this time they are determined to defeat Link.
That’s not to say the skins are good; in some cases they’re ridiculously bad, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Some of their skins are disturbingly good, though, and you might be surprised to learn that they’re part of the Yiga clan.
7 Inconspicuous explorers
While it’s likely that the explorers would be in the depths, especially after completing the Camera Works in the Depths quest, Yig’s explorers are just a little suspicious. They seem to wander the depths alone and in the pitch black.
Instead of working with the crew to explore, they are spread out all over the place and tend to be somewhat close to the various Yiga settlements or along the path that Master Kohga is running on. Still, if you’ve been wandering the depths for a while, longing to see another Hylian’s face, you might overlook these logical fallacies in favor of a quick head-first conversation. Unfortunately, you too will be thrown headlong into the fray.
6 Totally good travelers
Unlike Deep Explorers, travelers can be found throughout Hyrule. Interestingly, if you pay close attention to these travelers, you may end up noticing that they are almost exact 1:1 copies of genuine, good NPCs from various parts of Hyrule.
Having stolen their images and taking advantage of their good reputation with Link, these Yiga Clan members easily slip under the radar, or at least momentarily. Once you start talking to them, it quickly becomes apparent that they are part of the Yiga clan. Something about their disdain for Link only makes their game worse.
5 Free Mighty Bananas
This is probably the funniest of all the Yiga Clan disguises, in part because it’s not so much a “disguise” as it is pure bait. If you find a random bunch of Mighty Bananas on the ground with nothing around it that might be a member of the Yiga Clan, you may have just stumbled upon one of their traps.
Admittedly, the bait isn’t good, as the Yige are notoriously in love with their mighty bananas (one might even say they’re obsessed), but the sheer compulsion to pick up consumables can send you hurtling regardless. Even funnier is that one of these decoy traps is placed right next to a sign warning about picking up random things on the ground.
Might as well pick it up while you’re there, right? After all, you wouldn’t want anyone else to fall into the trap. In addition, you can use them in various recipes that you will eat when you fight the Yiga clan later.
4 An inviting woman
At first, this quest seems completely innocent, and there’s no way Yiga is involved; they may even be the most distant thing. Of course, you could assume that the woman the Beckoning Woman is referring to is Zelda, but there is nothing honestly that said, the woman in trouble would be Zelda (at least not right away).
But as you are slowly pushed into various challenges, your anxiety will gradually fade and be replaced by annoyance. The temptress’s acting skills are certainly some of the best as far as Yiga Clan skins go, but as you make your way through each challenge, you’re almost happy to beat them.
3 The Missing Princess Zelda
Depending on how far into the game you are, this skin can be quite convincing… well, unless you’re working with Penn on the Dueling Peaks Potential Princess Sightings side quest. Then you might not be so sure, but if you happen to come across Zelda in the wild and wonder who she is and what’s going on, then there’s a chance you’ll be hooked.
Of course, as soon as you talk to her, she shatters the illusion and any trust you may have had with her to try and kill you. And to make matters worse, they will make fun of you for falling for it again (even though you were well aware that they were members of the Yiga clan). Still, it’s impressive that they’ve managed to emulate Zelda so perfectly in the visuals department, although their acting skills will need to be a bit better before they’re truly believable. You also have to commend the sheer audacity of impersonating a princess to kill Link.
2 Clairvoyant Cucco
It’s a skin that might catch quite a few of you off guard, and admittedly, it’s bizarre enough that it sounds like it could probably happen in Hyrule. After all, everything seems to be a mess with Upheaval, so why not have the All-Clucking Cucco cast spells for you?
Of course, just like the Beckoning Woman quest, you have to go through some stupid attempt to prove you’re Link, and when it’s all said and done, Yiga mercilessly mocks you for falling for their Clairvoyant Cucco scheme. It kind of says that they thought it was stupid and wouldn’t really work, but the truth is that it’s such a ridiculously weird and bad idea that it ended up working as intended… well, except that Link doesn’t die (although that part of the plan never works).
1 Forever means… Just kidding
There is a slight misconception that the Evermeans are actually part of the Yiga clan. This is thanks to a member of the Yiga clan who revealed that they now disguise themselves as trees to try and catch Link off guard. If you want this information, put on the Yiga armor set and head to the main hideout.
To be clear, Evermeans and Yiga-Tree are two different things, but if you want to prove it yourself, stop by the bridge that leads to Kakariko Village at the Dueling Peaks Stable. Just across the bridge you will see three leafless trees and the ever infamous mighty bananas resting in front of them.
If the mighty bananas weren’t placed there, you wouldn’t think twice about approaching or passing them, but the bananas mark them as our local, not-so-friendly Yig soldiers. When in doubt, look up the Mighty Banana Bunch! If you don’t see any, it probably isit is probable not a member of the Yiga clan. Whether or not the trees are dead, this is the best disguise the Yiga Clan has managed to make.