Nintendo intentionally held things back in fear that the story would have “grown too much.” This is why the Sages were depicted the way they were in-game.
Speaking to 4Gamer (translated by Nintendo Everything), Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi shares why the game lacks the Sages’ personalities and faces, opting instead to hide their depictions behind masks and omit names. Of course, this changed in the later release of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, but at least there was a properly cited reason, even if it sounds more like Nintendo didn’t want the game to take too long to finish.
“In Tears of the Kingdom there was a central theme running through the main story, and the Sages are depicted with their faces hidden by masks and without names. If we had shown their personalities and faces, the story would have naturally grown too much, so there were many things we intentionally held back. That’s why I’m truly happy that the Sages have been more carefully picked up upon here in the Imprisoning War.”
