The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildstill hides a heartbreaking Easter egg you may never have found. There’s a lot involved in obtaining100% completion ofBreath of the Wild: hundreds of Shrines to find and finish, even more Korok seeds to be collected, and a wealth of secrets and sidequests to be discovered. But even beyond that, there are a ton of things you may never have even realized existed inBOTW, even if they were right in front of your face.
That includes a subtle, rare Easter egg that pays tribute to an important figure in Nintendo history. He’s always been there, but since he’s not involved in any quests, you may have merely passed him by without even thinking to interact with him. But despite his relative irrelevance to the overall game and his mostly default dialogue,this NPC might be the most emotionally powerful one inBOTW.
Botrick Is An NPC In BOTW That Looks Like Iwata
The Spitting Image
Botrick is aBOTWNPC thought to be modeled after Nintendo’s former president and CEO, Satoru Iwata. Whether intentional or not, the resemblance is undeniable. Like Iwata, Botrick wears his dark hair fairly long, hanging over his forehead in a set of curtain bangs. He also sports thick, rectangular glasses and strong dimples, much like Iwata.
Besides his appearance, though, Botrick has at least one more connection to Iwata: he’s situated near, and his default dialogue will oftenmake mention of Satori Mountain, the site where you may ride the spectral horse Lord of the Mountain after satisfying very specific conditions.Satori Mountain is thought to be named after Iwata, changing only the last letter of his given name.
It would certainly be a fitting tribute.
Whilethis has never been confirmed by Nintendo, it’s a popular fan theory, and given the beacon of stunning green light that often erupts from Satori Mountain’s peak and the portrayal of the Lord of the Mountain as a friendly, guiding spirit, it would certainly be a fitting tribute.
Botrick Is A Wholesome But Heartbreaking Homage
Iwata Leaves A Powerful Legacy
Satoru Iwata was a game developer through and through, having used his electronic calculator to create and share simple games with his high school classmates. After graduating from college, he was hired by HAL Laboratory, participating in the development of genre-defining game series likeEarthboundandKirby. In 2000, he was hired by Nintendo as the head of corporate planning, and was eventually promoted to president after his predecessor, Hiroshi Yamauchi, stepped down.
Iwata is often acknowledged as one of the driving forces behind Nintendo’s successin the early 2000s, pushing for casual games with wide appeal. He worked onMario,Pokémon,Animal Crossing, andZeldain various capacities throughout his career, and also played a major rolein developing its hardware- particularly the DS and the Wii. He largely defined Nintendo’s approach to game development during his tenure at the company, and his influence is still apparent today.
Iwata passed away on June 12, 2025 - two years beforeBreath of the Wildwas released, but almost certainly during its development cycle. His passing left a mark on Nintendo: he’s credited as an executive producer onBOTW, and may even make a cameo in the game as Botrick. It’s not totally clear whether this was intentional, but if it is, it’s easily the most heartbreaking detail inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
