Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Ultrahand Gets Its Name From Nintendo's Past
"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" continues the series' proud tradition of giving Link an impressive arsenal to use in battle and exploration. In addition to the usual swords and bombs, Link has also demonstrated an ability in the newest gameplay teasers called Ultrahand. This ability allows him to lift materials and attach them to whatever he's Fusing together, meaning Link can create all kinds of new vehicles and weapons from disparate parts. Thanks to early gameplay previews, players have gotten to see Link magically moving boulders, logs, and more, attaching them to cool new vehicles like he's in a dark fantasy version of "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts."
Gamers are already excited about the possibilities of Link's new powers, but some may find themselves wondering why the term "Ultrahand" sounds so familiar. As it turns out, the name of this new skill has some pretty deep ties to Nintendo's history as a toy-making company — and it couldn't have been named after a more appropriate gadget.
Nintendo's original Ultra Hand wasn't so different
As pointed out by Tristan Cooper from The Verge, as well as many other fans on social media, Link's Ultrahand ability appears to be named in honor of the Ultra Hand, a toy manufactured by Nintendo back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Want to take a second to appreciate one of Link's new abilities is named "Ultrahand," presumably after the real-life toy Nintendo made in the 70s pic.twitter.com/Oap4CxUdUx
— Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) March 28, 2023
Nintendo's original Ultra Hand was built to let kids pick up items that were slightly further away, squeezing its handles to nab things with its suction-cupped tongs. The toy was packaged with colorful balls that could be picked up with the device, though kids no doubt tried to use it to pick up other toys and objects — after all, the toy's actual box art depicts two kids using it to steal a joey from a distressed kangaroo (in Australia, at least). The reference makes perfect sense here, as Link can apparently use this power to lift all kinds of things without breaking a sweat.
In the years since its release, Nintendo has made a number of sly references to the Ultra Hand, including giving it to Wario as a gadget in multiple games. This isn't even the toy's first shout-out in a "Zelda" game, as the original Ultra Hand can be seen in a shop in "Majora's Mask 3D."