Ganon,^{(TLoZ | ALttP | OoT | OoS | OoA | TWW | FSA | TP | ALBW | BotW | EoW | TCT)[22][23]} also known as the Prince of Darkness, Demon King, Great King of Evil, or by his human form Ganondorf,^{(OoT | TWW | FSA | TP | TotK)[24][5]} is the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Ganon is a nickname for Ganondorf and the name given to him when he transforms into his true form, a powerful and massive boar-like demon.^[25] He made his debut appearance in the very first game, The Legend of Zelda, and has since been present or referred to in most subsequent titles. As Ganon is always the bearer of the Triforce of Power, he is the archnemesis of Link and Princess Zelda, and the Final Boss in many (but not all) games of the franchise in various forms, usually as his Ganondorf alter-ego since the release of Ocarina of Time.

Biography[]

Introduced in The Legend of Zelda as the monstrous Prince of Darkness and primary villain of the franchise, Ganon has seen much development throughout the long-running series, from being a simple monster to a powerful warlock with deeper motives to his actions.^[26] He is one of the three most important characters of the series, alongside Link and Princess Zelda. As the incarnation of the Demon King Demise's hatred for those with the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the hero (or, according to the Hyrule Historia, the reincarnation of Demise himself),^[27] Ganon is destined to eternally reincarnate to pursue world domination, meaning he is immortal, unlike Link and Zelda.^[28][29][30] In most cases though, he makes a return after being resurrected or breaking a seal. Four Swords Adventures is a notable exception, featuring a reincarnated Ganondorf.^[31] The original Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time appears in most of the later games since, making him stand out from other antagonists as the same character from game-to-game.

With his sheer lust for ruling the world with an iron fist, Ganon is always the possessor of the Triforce of Power, imbued with the essence of the Goddess Din. This divine relic makes Ganon unimaginably strong and grants him boundless mystical power, making him a grave threat to the land of Hyrule and the world. Additionally, Ganon is the source of darkness.^[32] As stated in prophecy, the only one capable of defeating Ganon is the Hero who is chosen by the Goddesses, Link, the possessor of the Triforce of Courage, though occasionally, as seen in some games, he does need the assistance of Zelda, the princess of Hyrule and the possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom, due to Ganon's great strength and durability.

Ganon is first given a backstory in A Link to the Past. It was revealed that Ganon was not always the massive boar-like monster introduced in The Legend of Zelda. As explained by some among the seven Maidens, he was shown to actually once have been a human by the name of Ganondorf Dragmire and leader of a group of thieves. With the help of his followers, he became the first to enter the Sacred Realm in ages. He claimed the Triforce, turning the Sacred Realm into the Dark World and himself into a vastly powerful being.^[33] However, he was often trapped within the Sacred Realm by the combined efforts of the Knights of Hyrule and the Seven Wise Men (Sages).^[34]

In Ocarina of Time, it is stated that the first incarnation of Ganondorf was born a powerful Gerudo sorcerer.^[35] The Gerudo twin witches Koume and Kotake were his surrogate mothers.^[36][37] The Gerudo are a race of all-female warriors and thieves, to whom only one male is born every century. Ganondorf is that male. Because of this, the male is by birthright the King of the Gerudo. Nabooru, the second-in-command, mentions to the young Hero of Time in the Spirit Temple that she is never following Ganondorf because he stole from women and children and even murdered people.^[38] Ganondorf uses his political position to betray the King of Hyrule, as well as his cunning, manipulative skills, and mystical powers to gain entrance to the Sacred Realm, the abode of the Triforce. However, due to his unbalanced heart, he does not obtain the full Triforce; he is left with only the Triforce of Power, which he uses to great effect in his conquest of Hyrule. Nevertheless, the Evil King stops at nothing to retrieve the other pieces hidden within two certain individuals chosen by destiny to truly become invincible, who happen to be Princess Zelda and Link, the bearers of the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Courage, respectively.

In The Wind Waker, Ganondorf's character is given greater depth and a clearer motive for his villainy. He states that his desire to conquer Hyrule stems from the arduous life he and his people were subjected to living in the harsh Gerudo Desert, a wasteland plagued by sandstorms and an unstable climate, which he compares unfavorably to the verdant landscape of Hyrule Field and the amenable life lived by the Hylians.^[26]

Ganon is reborn in Four Swords Adventures, where, although he is still a Gerudo, he is not the king. He begins his transformation into the King of Darkness by violating the Gerudo taboo on the Pyramid and seeking out the Trident.^[39][40][41]

In Skyward Sword, Ganon is ultimately revealed to be the incarnation of the everlasting hatred of the Demon King Demise for those with the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Legendary Hero. Thus, he is destined to eternally reincarnate, becoming the source of various conflicts in the history of Hyrule, which involve many various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link.^[28]

In Tears of the Kingdom, a new incarnation of Ganondorf was present during one of Hyrule’s foundings. It remains unclear which iteration of Hyrule the founding depicts, it is possible that the founding he appears in may have been preceded by a destroyed Hyrule.^[42]

Characteristics[]

Personality[]

Being a villain as well as Demise's reincarnation, Ganon is a ruthless and very destructive being. Conquest and destruction seem to be one and the same to him,^[43] and examples of his rule have shown him willingly turning his dominion into a wicked place of terror and chaos and harming others with little care. Alongside being known to murder people in A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, his Tears of the Kingdom incarnation even went as far as to unleash his new demon hordes against his own followers.

He resents defiance from anybody, but as seen from a few games, he seems to grudgingly respect the Hero of Time's willingness to stand up to him in Ocarina of Time,^[44] as well as the Hero of Winds' tenacity to brave the Forsaken Fortress and reach him in The Wind Waker, due to Link being a fellow brave swordsman and a worthy opponent to Ganon.^[45]

As seen in many games of his appearances, Ganon usually resorts to let his army of minions do his dirty work, but the King of Evil himself will fight ones whom he deems worthy enough to challenge him, such as Link and, rarely, Princess Zelda.

Ganondorf was also implied to hold mental instability in two instances. The first was shortly after King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule wished for Hyrule and Ganon to be flooded completely where he proceeded to engage in hysterical laughter as the land was being flooded permanently during the Adult Timeline in The Wind Waker, and the other time was when he proceeded to engage in similar hysterical laughter when witnessing Zelda try to scramble to aid Queen Sonia shortly after he mortally wounded the latter just before becoming the Demon King in Tears of the Kingdom.

Abilities[]

Even before gaining the Triforce of Power, as his human form, Ganondorf was already arguably one of the most powerful men in the entire land of Hyrule, largely due to his political position as the King of the Gerudo. And as seen in a few games and other media, Ganon is capable of powerful dark magic whether he has the Triforce or not.

Ganondorf was also an immensely powerful sorcerer with vast mystical resources. Additionally, Ganondorf has proven himself to be a skilled swordsman, as seen in the final battles between him and Link in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. He is also very physically strong enough to wield a two-handed axe sword with one grip or the massive Trident himself as Ganon used in some games such as A Link to the Past, explained by his extremely tall height and muscular body.

Regardless of his humanoid pig monster or Gerudo forms, once Ganon gained the Triforce of Power, both his physical and mystical abilities were augmented by the essence of the Goddess Din to god-like proportions - his power unrivaled by any mortal, for he himself ceased to be mortal upon obtaining the mystical relic. Becoming a monstrously powerful demon king, Ganon became utterly unstoppable, conquering Hyrule with ease. He also strongly implies that the Triforce of Power was sufficient enough to allow him to weaken any seals placed on him over time.^[46] As seen in the events of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Power also grants Ganondorf near-invulnerability; using its power, he is capable of enduring mortal wounds (such as having his chest pierced by a holy sword during his attempted execution), and only the likes of the most powerful sacred weapons (such as the Master Sword or Silver Arrows) appear to be able to kill him, though occasionally he can still survive, as seen in the former game. He was also capable of superhuman strength after gaining the Triforce of Power that few can match, with his blows being capable of demolishing portions of the floor that weren't directly connected to the floor below as seen in Ocarina of Time, shaking the ground when he stomps as Ganon in A Link to the Past and the linked Oracle battle, as well as breaking chains restraining him with minimum effort in Twilight Princess. Likewise, he was also capable of destroying even disembodied spirits with his bare hands, such as his murder of the Sage of Water after his failed execution. Even without access to his full capabilities in The Wind Waker, Ganondorf was able to cast a curse to keep the Great Sea in an endless stormy night. As seen in Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Power grants Ganondorf many more powers such as size manipulation and terrain alteration: while Ganondorf is not personally shown using many of these powers, he temporarily gifts the Usurper King Zant with some of them.^[47] Like his surrogate mothers Koume and Kotake, also known as Twinrova, Ganondorf also has an unnaturally long lifespan due to his black magic, having lived through ages of Hyrulean chronology. With all this in mind, normally throughout the franchise, alongside using holy weaponry, it is necessary for Princess Zelda and Link to have their own Triforce pieces, the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Courage, respectively, with their strength and abilities greatly enhanced by the blessings of Din's sisters Nayru and Farore, in order to be powerful enough to challenge and defeat him.

Ganondorf's dark magic, and possibly his position as the Demon King, grant him the power to create his armies of monsters and beasts.

His power, with or without the Triforce, appears to grow over time. The sages in Arbiter's Grounds, when discussing his evil power, mention it being pure malice and hatred.^[48] As the incomplete Calamity Ganon, his very essence is known as Malice, possibly meaning that his demonic magic and power is fueled as much by his own hatred as the Triforce, and his capacity for hatred is the only true limit on how powerful he can grow.^[49]

The reincarnated Ganon, during the events of Four Swords Adventures, was largely similar to the original, although it is implied that this incarnation was weaker, to the extent that he lacked the ability to cover Hyrule in darkness by the time he had been defeated by the four Links and sealed in the Four Sword.^[50]

In Breath of the Wild, Ganon is portrayed in a particularly dark way, even by his usual standards. The death and utter destruction he brought to Hyrule long before the events of the game were such that for the first time in the whole The Legend of Zelda series, he was known as the Calamity. His particularly dark essence notably took over the very Guardians of the kingdom, and turned them against their creators, bringing forth the fall of Hyrule and the near death of Link himself. His spirit imprisoned by Princess Zelda within Hyrule Castle, Ganon patiently tried to regenerate in a corporeal form that was supposed to be shaped after Ganondorf's physical appearance. Because of Zelda's seal upon him, he was forced to pick up pieces and weapons of Guardians here and there that he tried to amalgamate with his malice. As a result, Calamity Ganon, though not highly powerful, is arguably the most terrifying monster ever seen in the series yet in appearance; Looking like a giant scorpion with spider legs and having a disproportionate head, his combat abilities are somehow hampered by his grotesque and incomplete body, built in spite of common sense. Completely devoid of any magical powers, this artificial creation had no choice but to rely on what the Guardians have to offer. At the final battle, he becomes a gigantic boar but is still incomplete.

In Tears of the Kingdom, Ganon's human form Ganondorf is depicted at his most dangerous so far, even compared to his previous appearances in The Legend of Zelda series, specifically Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Long before the events of the game, his power has immensely increased beyond limits after he gained one of the Secret Stones, as demonstrated when he summoned his hordes of demons to take over Hyrule. With his minions, Ganondorf successfully submitted the free peoples one after the other, until King Rauru and all the Sages finally faced him beneath Hyrule Castle. Even so, their combined strength was no match for the Demon King, and only Rauru's sacrifice ultimately saved his peers and Hyrule from complete destruction.

When Ganondorf finally broke free from the seal 10,000 years later, his power was so great that he effortlessly shattered the Master Sword and nearly killed Link himself by severely damaging his right arm. Although still weakened by his millennial imprisonment, the Demon King proved to be a nuisance for Hyrule as he triggered several cataclysms that affected every major region of the kingdom. He was also omniscient, as demonstrated when he summoned a puppet with the appearance of Princess Zelda to trick Link and the inhabitants of the kingdom. This nasty surprise also indirectly caused the death of Queen Sonia, and proved decisive in allowing Ganondorf to gain a virtually unlimited power.

Last but not least, it is no secret that Ganondorf is an accomplished swordsman as seen in past games. But in Tears of the Kingdom, he proves to be even more redoubtable when using a spear, a club and even a bow. Summoning his weapons from the gloom and constantly switching from one to another, his surprisingly swift attacks deal massive damage, with gloom-based projectiles literally taking away Link's maximum health permanently from of the sheer evil fueling his weapons. He also has many attacks Link himself can perform, such as a perfect dodge, and is even capable of blocking Arrow shots (by swiping his arm on impact if the arrows are fired towards his head twice in a row, when Link isn't airborne) - these feats unseen prior in the whole series.

Names[]

Since the release of the original game for the NES in 1986, Ganon has had several different names. During the development of The Legend of Zelda, he was referred to as 牛魔王 八戒 (Gyūmaō Hakkai), which is said to be derived from the Journey to the West characters Chohakkai and Gyūmaō.^[51][52] Before the game's release, the name was changed to ガノン (Ganon), an accurate katakana representation of different roman spellings. Both the Japanese and English language versions of The Legend of Zelda spell the character's name as "Gannon".^[53] The game's English instruction manual instead opted for the spelling "Ganon".^[54] This disparity gave rise to the notion that "Gannon" was a misspelling introduced during the translation of the first installment's in-game text, inspiring the site and phrase "Gannon-Banned". The misspelling theory is contradicted by the Japanese versions of The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past, whose in-game texts kept the spelling of "Gannon".^[55][56] Ever since the English release of The Adventure of Link in 1988, official Nintendo translations have consistently used the spelling "Ganon". However, it was not until 1992 that the translators completely settled on the "Ganon" spelling: while A Link to the Past was in development, the English draft script still referred to the character as "Gannondorf" and "Gannon", implying that the localization team comprised of Daniel Owsen and Hiroyuki Yamada deliberated a long time about which spelling to use.^[57] The first instance of the "Ganon" spelling also being used by the Japanese developers is in the source code of Ocarina of Time.^[58] With the Japanese release of Super Smash Bros. Melee in 2001, the games finally adopted the official English spelling for the Japanese audience. Although the etymology of Link and Princess Zelda's names are commonly known, the original inspiration behind the name Ganon or Ganondorf has yet to be revealed by the Nintendo developers since the franchise's debut.

When A Link to the Past was released, Ganon's human form, Ganondorf, was introduced, although only in name, as Ocarina of Time fully reveals him afterwards.^[59][60] In the Western manual of A Link to the Past for the Super NES, Ganondorf was referred to by the full name "Ganondorf Dragmire".^[61] Similarly, Ganon was also referred to in the manual by an alias, "Mandrag Ganon", which means "Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves".^[61] These names do not appear in A Link to the Past itself, in any of its re-releases/remakes, or in later games, although the name "Ganondorf Dragmire" is used in Ganondorf's character profile on the official Zelda website in 2017.^[62] According to the Hyrule Historia, the name "Ganondorf" refers to his human form, while the name "Ganon" is both a nickname and the name given to him when he transforms into the mighty pig-like beast, his actual form.^[63][64][65] There have been several cases in The Legend of Zelda series in which characters, such as the King of Red Lions^[66] or Zant, refer to Ganondorf as "Ganon".^[67] In Breath of the Wild, Ganon is known as Calamity Ganon.^[68]

Mainline appearances[]

The Legend of Zelda[]

In the original The Legend of Zelda, Ganon leads an invasion in the kingdom of Hyrule and manages to steal the Triforce of Power. Before he can do the same with the Triforce of Wisdom to gain complete power, Princess Zelda is able to break it into eight pieces and scatters it throughout Hyrule, then sends her attendant Impa away to search for help. Ganon captures Zelda and holds her hostage in his lair, deep in Level-9 (Death Mountain) under Spectacle Rock, and sends his minions after Impa. Link, having outwitted his underlings and learned of the perils that the land was under, takes up a sword and goes alone to assemble the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. Using it, he enters Level-9 and shines it upon the King of Evil's hiding place, causing the monster to cover his face from the Triforce's light. Ganon fights ruthlessly with his seemingly invincible Technique of Darkness, but Link is able to vanquish him with his blade and by using the Silver Arrows to deliver the final blow, ultimately reducing Ganon to dust and revealing the Triforce of Power. Following the villain's death, Link takes the Triforce of Power for himself to help Zelda, with the restored Triforce of Wisdom to bring peace to Hyrule.

The Adventure of Link[]

Many years prior to both The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link, an offshoot/follower of Ganon only known as the "Magician" attempted to gain the location of the Triforce of Courage by manipulating the Prince of Hyrule, the Magician dies casting a spell on Princess Zelda to make her fall asleep for eternity in revenge for her not revealing the Triforce of Courage's location.

Years later, in the events of The Adventure of Link, although Ganon himself was already killed in The Legend of Zelda, the evil power left behind by his vile heart was causing chaos and ruin in Hyrule. The remnants of Ganon's army make an attempt to revive their master by sprinkling Link's blood onto Ganon's ashes, but this method ultimately fails. In this game, Ganon is not the Final Boss (the first for the series), as Link must battle his evil shadow - Dark Link, instead.

In the ending scenario where Link is killed during his journey, Ganon's minions are able to collect his blood and sprinkle it onto Ganon's ashes, reviving him. As such, Ganon only physically appears on the "Game Over" screen, laughing (only in the international release, as the original Japanese version has instead a roar being heard off-screen).^{[note 1]}

A Link to the Past[]

A Link to the Past marks the first time in the series where the name Ganondorf is heard, once in the game, but this form of Ganon would not be seen in person until Ocarina of Time. The Super NES game is also the first where the Prince of Darkness has a puppet doing his dirty work before ultimately revealing himself. Ganon's actions in A Link to the Past is an altered version of the events of Ocarina of Time according to Hyrule Historia. When Ganondorf discovered the lost knowledge of how to enter the Golden Land where the Triforce lay,^[70] he killed his own minions in order to be the only one able to claim the complete Triforce.^[71] When he laid his hands upon it and wished to rule over this place, the Sacred Realm changed into the Dark World and he was transformed into the giant boar-like demon, Ganon.^[33][72] Ganon then waged war against Hyrule, and in a fierce battle the Knights of Hyrule engaged Ganon while the Seven Wise Men (Sages) sealed the entrance to the Dark World, casting Ganon into it.^[73]

Many years later, Ganon uses the evil wizard Agahnim to break free from the Dark World.^[74][75] Agahnim manages to win the trust of the King of Hyrule and eventually takes control of Hyrule himself after eliminating the king.^[76][77] He attempts to break the seal on Ganon by sending the seven Maidens, descendants of the Seven Wise Men, into the Dark World.^[78] However, although he already send six of them, he is temporarily stopped when Link helps the final maiden, Princess Zelda herself, to escape. While Link is trying to acquire the Master Sword in order to defeat Agahnim with the advice of Zelda and Sahasrahla, the evil wizard soon finds Princess Zelda and ultimately sends her to the Dark World, completing his mission. This weakens the seal and allows Ganon's influence to slowly spread across the Light World as well. After suffering a defeat by Link, Agahnim uses his powers to transport the Hero of Legend into the Dark World himself.

After eventually rescuing all of the Maidens from their imprisonment in the Dark World, Link faces Agahnim again in the Dark World, inside Ganon's Tower, where the young hero successfully destroys him. After the second battle with Agahnim, as the wizard falls dead, the shadow of Ganon rises from his body, turns into a bat, and flies to the Pyramid of Power. There, Link faces the Demon King himself (he reveals the Agahnim was his alter-ego) and even though Ganon is quite powerful, is armed with his Trident, and performs the Technique of Darkness, Link manages to ultimately destroy him with the Master Sword and the Silver Arrows before taking the Triforce for himself and restore peace to Hyrule.

Link's Awakening[]

Ganon did not directly appear in Link's Awakening but during the final battle, the Final Boss takes on a form known as the Shadow of Ganon. During the final battle, the Shadow Nightmares take on the form of various monsters from Link's past from games released prior. One of these is the form of Agahnim, Ganon's alter-ego, while the fourth is of Ganon himself. While not the actual Ganon, this is a memory of Link's battle with Ganon in A Link to the Past, and as such attacks in a similar manner, using his trident and attacking with Blazing Bats. Unlike the real Ganon, however, neither the Silver Arrows, nor even Master Sword, are needed for Link to defeat this foe, but he will have to use Spin Attacks or the Pegasus Boots to cause damage. Unlike the other Shadows up to this point, once defeated, the Shadow of Ganon will make the cry normally used for when a regular boss has been completely destroyed. Despite this, the battle will continue as the shadows take on another form.

Ocarina of Time[]

Ocarina of Time marks the debut of Ganondorf, Ganon's human form, in The Legend of Zelda series, in which he appears as such throughout the vast majority of the game's story; Ganondorf manages to enter the Sacred Realm with the unwitting assistance of Link and Princess Zelda during their childhood, touched the Triforce (where it split and gains only the Triforce of Power while Zelda and Link respectively acquired the Wisdom and Courage pieces), transforming it into the Evil Realm and he reigned over Hyrule as its new king for 7 years, meaning the villain was almost completely successful at conquering the entire world. Ganon's first 3D appearance in the Nintendo 64 title compared to his original depiction from the earlier 2D games, while still massive, he has a considerably skinnier body shape with minor features of a Dynalfos such as green skin and a tail, without a cape, but is more demonic with large goat-like horns on his head, glowing eyes, and has red hair and some bits of Gerudo clothing like that of his human counterpart. The monster himself is fought at the very end of the game, during the second phase of the Final Boss battle that began as Ganondorf, in which Link, the Hero of Time, nearly kills him in a one-on-one duel. Following this, Ganon's Castle collapses after Ganondorf attempts to make his foes die under its rubble, which Link and Princess Zelda manage to escape safely. Soon after, Ganondorf furiously rises from the ruins of his castle. Determined to destroy Link and likely Princess Zelda once and for all, showing his mark of the Triforce, he activates the Triforce of Power to its maximum ability and becomes Ganon - his actual form, who is armed with two large and powerful golden swords rather than his usual Trident seen in previous games. Immediately after the transformation, Ganon knocks away Link's Master Sword, which is sent flying out of the fire barrier and the blade landing squarely on the ground near Princess Zelda (who is also trapped behind) in which the climactic battle takes place. Consequently, Link must use the Megaton Hammer (or Biggoron's Sword if obtained) to gain a fighting chance against his archenemy. Although Ganon's body is nearly invulnerable due to the Triforce of Power, Light Arrows can temporarily stun him, and his tail is the only unprotected area. If Link is struck by Ganon's swords, he takes four Hearts of damage and knocked back some distance (especially if wearing the Hover Boots), much like that of Iron Knuckles, while Princess Zelda screams in horror.

With the power of the Triforce of Courage, after several strikes, Ganon collapses about partway through the battle, and the ring of fire disappears momentarily, allowing Link to regain the Master Sword before the fight resumes, in which the deadly beast will move faster and using the sacred sword is required. After taking yet more hits on his tail, Ganon collapses again, and is immobilized from Zelda using her powers and telling the hero to finish him off, but she quickly runs out of energy. From here, Link must ultimately land the final blow to Ganon's head and mouth (forehead in the 3DS remake) using the Master Sword (attempting to use the Biggoron's Sword will simply miss), defeating him entirely. Although the brutal finishing attack on the Demon King by the Hero of Time appears lethal, Ganon still survives (likely from the Triforce of Power preventing death), and then gets up roaring and flailing about in agony. Following his ultimate defeat and reverted to his human form again, Ganondorf is sealed away to the Evil Realm by the Seven Sages, before angrily declaring he will bring revenge to Link and Zelda's descendants (foreshadowing The Wind Waker) as long he still holds the Triforce of Power.

Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages[]

In the linked ending of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, it is revealed that the events of the two games were started by Twinrova in an attempt to resurrect Ganon via the Dark Rites. The ritual required that three flames were lit: the Flame of Destruction, the Flame of Sorrow, and the Flame of Despair. The Flame of Destruction is lit when General Onox throws the seasons of Holodrum into chaos,^[79] while the Flame of Sorrow is lit when Veran caused great misfortune to the people of Labrynna by using the powers of Nayru the oracle.^[80] With two flames lit, the Twinrova sisters capture Princess Zelda, causing the despair of the people to light the third flame, the Flame of Despair.^[81] Twinrova intended to sacrifice Zelda for Ganon's rebirth, but Link managed to slay them before the ritual finished, and thus the Twinrova sisters were forced to sacrifice themselves to awaken Ganon.^[82] Because of this, the ritual was incomplete and Ganon became a mindless beast,^[83] although he did demonstrate limited thought just as he was defeated by Link.^[84]Due to the fact that Ganon was not fully revived in this game, unlike The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past, he is completely vulnerable to Sword attacks, and does not need Silver Arrows or the Master Sword (despite the strongest sword in-game has its name) to destroy him.

The Wind Waker[]

Long before the events in The Wind Waker but well after Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf managed to escape from his seal and wreak havoc in Hyrule once more. Climbing from the Earth in his beast form Ganon, he attacked the Kingdom of Hyrule and easily took control of it.^[85] No hero appeared this time and the King of Hyrule cannot defeat him with his power and the gods were forced to flood Hyrule in order to stop Ganon.^[86][87][88]

However, Ganon breaks free again, rising up from his ocean prison, and subsequently begins to rebuild his army.^{[89][90][91][92]} Still wanting to obtain the Triforce like he did before, he sends one of his minions and pet bird monster, the Helmaroc King, on a search for "young girls with pointy ears" hoping to find Princess Zelda, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.^[93] He sends two more of his minions, Jalhalla and Molgera to kill the current Sages of Earth and Wind, Laruto and Fado, so the Master Sword doesn't have the power to repel evil. Among the girls kidnapped is Link's younger sister, Aryll, and thus Link sets off on his adventure to rescue her. WIth the aid of Tetra and her pirates, Link finds Ganondorf's hideout, the Forsaken Fortress, where Ganondorf himself had Link thrown far away into the ocean after being caught by the Helmaroc King.^[94] Later, it is revealed that Ganondorf has limited magic strength, for his powers were sealed away by the gods with the aid of the Master Sword, which by that time had already been weakened by the deaths of the Sages of Earth and Wind. However, without this knowledge, Link himself takes the Master Sword, and thus removes the only barrier restraining Ganondorf's power.^[95][96]

Soon afterwards atop the Forsaken Fortress the second time, Link attempts to slash Ganondorf down with the Master Sword as revenge for kidnapping his sister but proved ineffective due to its holy power being lost. After punching him back, the villain reveals to the young hero that the sacred blade is dull; its power to banish evil is gone, having planned for that outcome.^{[97][98][99][100]} Link and the pirate captain, Tetra, narrowly escape safely with the help of the Sky Spirit Valoo and two Rito named Quill and Prince Komali before Ganondorf can seize Tetra, who he finds is actually Princess Zelda and the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom through her necklace revealing to be half of a part of this piece of the Triforce.^[101] After this, Zelda is hidden inside the underwater castle in Hyrule and Link begins his quest to reawaken the Master Sword, whose power had vanished since Ganondorf had murdered the Sages in charge of keeping the power within the sacred blade.^[102] Once Link finally achieves his goals of finding and restoring the Triforce of Courage formerly belonging to the Hero of Time and restoring the Master Sword to its former glory to become the Hero of the Winds, Ganondorf locates their haven and consequently captures Zelda, whom he takes to his underwater Tower.^[103][104] Link finds Zelda unharmed, lying in a bed, sleeping, in a gigantic room, with Ganondorf watching over her and her dreams.^[105] However, before Link has any chance to approach, Ganondorf unleashes a bewitched, giant puppet of his beast form, which Link defeats.^[106] Ganondorf finally reappears to challenge Link, not before telling him he is the Hero of Time reborn, and with Zelda in his arm, he rises to the rooftop of the Tower.

Soon after Link reaches the rooftop, Ganondorf indirectly speaks to him about his reasons for desperately searching for the three Triforce pieces, revealing a little of his origins from the harsh Gerudo Desert and his desire to take over the peaceful green landscapes of Hyrule, referencing the events of Ocarina of Time. When he declares that he already has in his possession the Triforce of Wisdom, Ganondorf suddenly rushes against Link and easily delivers swift, hard punches to the face that leave the young hero half-conscious and knocking the Master Sword out of his hand (and the blade almost landing on Zelda's head), similar to in the final battle of Ocarina of Time, but mercifully tells the Hero of Winds that he will not kill him. Ganondorf then summons the two missing Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda alongside his Triforce of Power and reforms the full Triforce.^[107] Nevertheless, right before Ganondorf is able to touch the Triforce and make his wish at last come true of conquering Hyrule, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last King of Hyrule, suddenly appears and touches the complete Triforce first, and then makes the wish of permanently washing away the ancient land of Hyrule as well as giving Link and Zelda a future (therefore ensuring their survival and victory in the final battle).^[108][109] The Triforce disappears and water from the Great Sea above starts violently pouring through the protective barrier into the land of Hyrule as Ganondorf laughs madly and calling the king's wish foolish. Link wakes up at that point and Princess Zelda approaches him holding the Master Sword to give the sacred blade to him as the two engage Ganondorf in one last battle, with the villain saying he will show them their "future" from his perspective as he pulls out his two swords.

Oddly, he did not bother to transform into Ganon whatsoever during the Final Boss battle of The Wind Waker (presumably due to his power being not quite as great as he was in Ocarina of Time as well as being considerably older and the Triforce of Power ultimately extracted from his body), making this game the first of The Legend of Zelda series to do so. Ultimately, with Zelda's aid using Light Arrows, Ganondorf is defeated when the Hero of Winds deals the final blow by plunging the Master Sword straight into Ganondorf's forehead with a mighty Down Thrust via Parry Attack, turning him into stone^[110] and killing him.^[111] Upon delivering this blow, Link finally avenges his sister for her kidnapping by Ganondorf. Immediately before his death, however, Ganondorf, with slight satisfaction, referenced the brutal winds that had long plagued the Gerudo.^[112] His body remains atop the Tower under the Great Sea with the Master Sword in his head, and the ocean finally drowns Hyrule and King Daphnes under the Great Sea while Link and Princess Zelda rises back to the surface via air bubbles. With his death, Ganondorf was freed of his obsessive desire for the Triforce.^[113]

An image of Ganon can be seen in the stained glass in Hyrule Castle's basement based on his appearance in Ocarina of Time and briefly when the portal door opens after completing the main bosses' (except Gohdan) rematch in Ganon's Tower at the first floor. The latter's version can also be seen at the top of the room (alongside the aforementioned bosses) within the Tower where Link must ride the King of Red Lions to return back to Forsaken Fortress via a portal.

Four Swords Adventures[]

Hundreds of years later, in Four Swords Adventures, Ganon is reincarnated following his death in Twilight Princess.^[31] In this game, Ganondorf is referred to as a desert nomad, recently expelled from the Gerudo Tribe by breaking their taboo and exploring the Desert Pyramid as part of his plan to usurp the powers of others and coat Hyrule in darkness.^[39] He steals the Trident from the Pyramid and the Dark Mirror (which he uses to summon Shadow Link and his kin) from the forest. He uses him to trick Link into releasing Vaati from the Four Sword to serve as a distraction. Ganondorf then utilized the power of the Trident to hunt down and defeat the knights of Hyrule and transform them into demons, turning the Royal Jewels into gateways to the Dark World. Ganon also absorbs the power of the imprisoned Shrine Maidens.

As a twist, Ganon appears as the Final Boss. He is fought in the Dark World underneath the Tower of Winds, where he is defeated after Link fires a Light Arrow into Zelda's ball of light that pierces him. He is then sealed away in the Four Sword as its new prisoner.

Aside from the reincarnated Ganon, the original Ganon's hatred and malice transcending time and space was responsible for the creation of the various Shadow Links via the Dark Mirror, with the intention of getting Link to break the seal on Vaati.^[114]

Twilight Princess[]

Prior to the events of Twilight Princess, directly after the conclusion of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf's true intentions were exposed by the Hero of Time warning Princess Zelda about his conspiracy to conquer the Sacred Realm, and he was eventually captured, put on trial, and sentenced to death by the Sages.^[115] While they managed to severely wound him by impaling him with the Sword of the Six Sages during his execution, the Triforce of Power suddenly activated at that moment and thus they could not kill him, therefore the villain's execution became botched.^[116] Using the power granted by his trademark Triforce piece, he manages to free himself from his chains, and kills the Sage of Water as well. Knowing no better solution, the remaining Sages open the gate to the Twilight Realm and send Ganondorf through it to banish the King of Evil. There, he promptly revitalized himself using the lingering anguish and hatred from among the Twili that managed to bleed through the Twilight Realm's dimensional fabric.^[117] He influences Zant, who had been denied the throne of the Twilight Realm, to seize control and access Hyrule again. Ganondorf grants Zant a fraction of his power in return for the opportunity to escape the Twilight Realm.^[118][119]

After Link, the descendant of the Hero of Time (who is now a ghostly Stalfos/wolf called Hero's Spirit and teaches him the Hidden Skills) defeats Zant, Ganondorf and the young hero meet atop Hyrule Castle, where he is found sitting on Princess Zelda's throne as Zelda's body lies in a niche in the same room. During the final battle, Ganondorf possesses Zelda by turning into Twilight. Using Zelda as a puppet, he attacks Link relentlessly, until the Hero of Twilight forces his spirit out of the princess' body. Ganondorf then takes on his true form, Ganon, becoming an immensely powerful and gigantic boar, and is known as Dark Beast Ganon. Unlike his prior appearances, Ganon in Twilight Princess is depicted on all fours like that of a real-life boar rather than standing on two legs and is not the Final Boss battle of the game; The infamous beast is fought as a regular boss - the penultimate, instead (ironically in reverse order from Ocarina of Time). In addition, Ganondorf's transformation costs him his sanity, as he turns into a mindless monster. Taking advantage of Ganon's blind rage, Link outwits him with the aid of Midna and his wolf form, and defeats the beast by striking the wound left by the Sages with the Master Sword. He then reverts back to his human form.

Ganondorf then takes on the form of an immense veil of fire in the shape of his disembodied head. Midna valiantly resolves to fight Ganondorf herself using the Twilight magic housed within the Fused Shadow, teleporting Link and Zelda to the safety of Hyrule Field. Midna, transforming into an enormous Twilit arachnoid, attacks Ganondorf, with the ensuing battle destroying the castle. However, Midna was no match for the villain, and was promptly defeated by the Gerudo King. Ganondorf emerges from the ruins of Hyrule Castle on horseback, triumphantly holding aloft the Fused Shadow fragment that Midna wore, and after crushing it in his hand, he charges towards Link and Princess Zelda.

Zelda entreats the Light Spirits of the realm to lend her their power in the form of the Arrows of Light.^[120] Mounting Epona, Link and Zelda pursue, assailing Ganondorf with a hail of arrows on horseback. Ganondorf is momentarily staggered, falling from his steed, but he recovers surprisingly quickly, and confines himself and Link in a makeshift arena where Zelda is unable to interfere and the two engage in a sword duel to decide the fate of Hyrule.

At the final battle, after besting him in a sword-to-sword struggle, Link ultimately plunges the Master Sword directly into Ganondorf's open wound by an Ending Blow attack taught by the Hero's Spirit, which proved lethal. He does not die immediately, but only when the Triforce of Power fades completely from his hand, he finally succumbs. Ganondorf sees a vision of Zant breaking his own neck, then his eyes gloss over and he ultimately dies. Immediately before his death, however, Ganondorf, implies that future battles between his reincarnation and his foes' descendants will occur and warns Link and Princess Zelda that the history of light and shadow will be "written in blood".^[121]

Phantom Hourglass[]

Ganon is not encountered or fought in Phantom Hourglass due to his defeat in Hyrule (now washed away beneath the Great Sea) at the end of The Wind Waker and the main antagonist is Bellum, but Link's duel with an "evil king" is mentioned in the intro.^[122]

Skyward Sword[]

Although Ganon himself is not seen in Skyward Sword, his origins are revealed. He is actually the incarnation of Demise's hatred, and is thus destined to eternally reincarnate to pursue world domination, as well as those with the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero.^[28]

A Link Between Worlds[]

Ganon appears to Link in a nightmare, ominously hinting that he would soon return. Later, after capturing each of the Seven Sages in portraits, the evil wizard Yuga uses their power in order to resurrect Ganon from the darkness where he was sealed after his own previous defeat.^[123] After resurrecting him, Yuga joins with Ganon, taking on a form which combines attributes of both of the evil sorcerers, which results in Yuga taking the Triforce of Power due to him having complete control of Ganon's body. However, before Yuga Ganon can destroy Link, he is stopped by Princess Hilda, who sends Link on a quest to reawaken the Seven Sages and gain the Triforce of Courage.^[124]

Once the Triforce of Courage is obtained, Impa reveals that Ganon is returning and that Link must stop him, she then tells him that he must head to Lorule Castle and confront the Demon King to stop him once and for all.^[125][126]

When Link returns and discovers that Hilda has lied to him, she summons Yuga Ganon to fight Link and obtain the Triforce of Courage from him, but Yuga Ganon is defeated. Hilda asks him for the Triforce of Power, but he reveals his plan to use the Triforce to become a god, and turns her into a painting. He then bolsters his power by taking the Triforce of Wisdom from Hilda (whom had stolen it from Princess Zelda), making himself quite powerful, but in the end, he is ultimately destroyed by Link. Yuga is wiped out but Ganon's soul still survives.

Breath of the Wild[]

Now known as the Calamity, Ganon makes a return in Breath of the Wild. Calamity Ganon is the very embodiment of Ganondorf's psyche, so powerful and intense that it can actually materialize into a vessel. Unbeknownst to the protagonists, Ganondorf has been sealed beneath Hyrule Castle 10,000 years prior to the events of the game, and has remained there ever since. He was seemingly trapped there forever but even so, the evil within his body was such that it emanated from him in the form of the Malice. Not only that, his evil spirit has now been contained as well by Princess Zelda since the last one hundred years, though she didn't prove to be strong enough to actually defeat Ganon for good. With Ganondorf sealed deep beneath the royal domain and his demonic spirit checked by Zelda within the Sanctum, Calamity Ganon was forcefully bound to Hyrule Castle, though its essence could still be sensed and seen in the area.

At the founding of Hyrule's Breath of the Wild iteration, which possibly may have followed after the destruction of a previous Hyrule,^[42] an incarnation of Ganondorf was born into the Gerudo tribe as leader. He was also considered a hero among his people. He attempted to conquer Hyrule by sheer force via a Molduga stampede, but his plans were thwarted by the Secret Stones in possession of the Royal Family. Upon witnessing their incredible power, the Gerudo changed his strategy and understood that he would have to fool his enemies. He went to Hyrule Castle with a Gerudo delegation to pledge allegiance to King Rauru, a necessary humiliation in an attempt to gain his trust and become closer to the Royal Family. During the meeting, Ganondorf humbly expressed his regrets about all the peace offers that had been rejected or ignored by his people, and complimented Rauru's union with the Queen. The King praised Ganondorf for his change of heart before letting him go at the end of the audience. While the King of Hyrule effectively secured peace in the ongoing war between the Gerudo and the Hylians, Ganondorf had other plans. Unbeknownst to the Royal Family, he realized that Queen Sonia was also in possession of a Secret Stone, and concocted a plan to steal it from her.

It wasn't long before the King of the Gerudo put his plan into effect, creating a doppelgänger of the time-displaced Princes Zelda to lure Sonia to a secluded area, wishing to discuss a private matter. When the fake Zelda made her intentions clear and attempted to assassinate the Queen, Sonia reveals she had anticipated Ganondorf would try such a plan, and countered with the real Zelda, who used her Recall ability return the thrown knife to the fake. Despite this, Ganondorf appeared suddenly, capitalized on the distraction and mortally wounded Sonia. Claiming Sonia's Secret Stone for his own, Ganondorf dramatically enhanced his own powers, transforming into the wicked Demon King in the process, summoning monsters in the form of Bokoblins, Aerocudas, Boss Bokoblins, Blue Hinoxes, Lizalfos, Moblins, Gibdos, Blue-Maned Lynels, White-Maned Lynels, and Silver Lynels from a fountain of Gloom. Rauru arrives in horror, and is taunted by the Demon King, who claimed Rauru "took for granted the godlike power" he had in his hands, goading the Zonai King to attack. Clearly outmatched by the raw power of the Demon King, Rauru heeded Zelda's advice to retreat, and the two teleported to safety with the dying Queen in Zelda's arms. Ganondorf laughed, since Hyrule was now at his mercy and summoned more and more monsters, while riding his horse, commanding them to destroy the kingdom to make a new one.^[127] By the time Rauru met with the leaders of Gerudo, Rito, Zora, and Goron tribes, his army overwhelmed the kingdom, with the last village in Gerudo Desert having fallen to his minions.^[128]

The surviving sages led by King Rauru, the founder King of Hyrule, cornered him, but he proved too powerful to be defeated easily. Rauru was ultimately forced to sacrifice himself by using his Zonai Arm to pin Ganondorf in place, with Zelda aiding at a critical moment by deflecting weapons towards Ganondorf earlier in a similar manner to the earlier encounter with her doppelgänger, distracting the Demon King long enough for Rauru to close in on him. Having impaled the Demon King with his magic arm, he proceeded to absorb Ganondorf's powers and forcefully bound the Evil to himself. King Rauru used his last breath to promise Ganondorf that one day, a young swordsman would come to finish what he had started. Ganondorf sarcastically retaliated that he looked forward to meeting him, before falling into a millennial sleep, which put an end to what would become known as the Imprisoning War. He would remain in this tomb for countless ages, his threat progressively forgotten by the future generations.

10,000 years prior to Breath of the Wild, Ganondorf's hatred manifested as Calamity Ganon and attacked Hyrule. Few details are known about this cataclysm, but the kingdom had prepared itself for this moment and was able to sustain the Calamity and the swarms of demons that accompanied their master. Ganon did not expect to face not only the hero and the princess of that time, but also a whole army of Guardians and above all, the Divine Beasts created by the Sheikah. Obviously, these machines did not have the power to take down Ganon himself, but they proved decisive in containing his demons, thus preventing them from taking over Hyrule. The Calamity was ultimately vanquished and contained once more, but it was not going down that easily. More importantly, Ganon was cunning and now wary of this formidable armada he failed to destroy. Thousands of years would pass in the blink of an eye, and his return would bring forth the complete destruction of Hyrule.

100 years prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, a prophecy warned of the return of Calamity Ganon.^[129][130] Hoping to prepare in the same fashion as their ancestors, the people of Hyrule began working to locate and excavate the Divine Beasts and Guardians.^[131] Four Champions from each of Hyrule's races were chosen to pilot the Divine Beast of their people^[132] and the restoration of the mechanical army seemed to be a phenomenal success.^[133] Indeed, according to the legend, the Sheikah built a massive army of mechanical protectors called Guardians to aid the hero and the Princess.^[134] Four massive mobile fortresses known as Divine Beasts served as the centerpieces of this army. Meanwhile, Princess Zelda worked to awaken her sealing powers alongside a young knight, Link, who had been appointed as her protector.^[135] Zelda was determined to awaken her power and prayed at the three springs of the goddesses in Hyrule, but her efforts were met with failure.^[136]

Minutes after she had finished praying at the Spring of Wisdom, the Calamity broke his seal and rose up around the castle, triggering the Second Calamity and setting into motion the events of Breath of the Wild. In a move that surprised everyone, he managed to corrupt the entire Guardian army with its Malice and turned them against Hyrule.^[137] Even the Divine Beasts, with their pilots slain, fell under the control of incarnations of Ganon's Malice.^[138][139] With their strongest weapons turned against them, Hyrule was laid to ruin and Link grievously wounded, requiring him to sleep in a Sheikah healing chamber for 100 years.^{[140][141][142]} Princess Zelda went to confront the Calamity Ganon on her own and managed to seal him once more, though this required her to also become his prisoner to maintain the seal.^[68]

Throughout Link's journey during the events of Breath of the Wild, the Calamity's spirit can be seen swarming around Hyrule Castle,^[143] where Zelda is using her power to keep him tethered there.^[144] When Link finally arrives at the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle, Ganon is found hibernating within a cocoon, and appears as a manifestation of various Guardian parts and Malice grotesquely fused together.

When Calamity Ganon is defeated, Ganon's demonic spirit escapes to Hyrule Field and manifests into Dark Beast Ganon, the Incarnation of Malice and Hatred. He takes the form of a gigantic boar standing on fours similar to how he appears in in Twilight Princess, but is consumed by Malice.^[145] Princess Zelda reveals that at this point, Ganon had refused to give up on resurrecting and intends to release the full force of his wrath onto the world.^[146] After Zelda bequeaths Link with the Bow of Light and guides him to several of Ganon's weak points, Ganon returns to his ethereal form and attempts to launch one last desperate attack before being sealed away by Zelda. However, Zelda later admitted that the seal was ultimately temporary,^[147] with it being confirmed later that Calamity Ganon's actions for the past hundred years also proceeded to weaken the seal on Hyrule Castle to the extent of rapidly decomposing King Rauru's body, making the return of Ganondorf himself inevitable.^[148]

Tears of the Kingdom[]

For the first time in years since the release of Twilight Princess, Ganon's human form Ganondorf finally returns in Tears of the Kingdom.

At the start of the game's story, picking where Breath of the Wild left off; Link and Princess Zelda are investigating a strange phenomena known as "Gloom", which was seeping from the bowels below Hyrule Castle & causing people to fall ill along with their weapons being decayed. Intent on investigating the rumors: the two discovered long-forgotten ruins deep below the castle. Upon reaching the end of the ruins, the duo discover a petrified body being the source of the Gloom: and a strange, glowing hand holding it down, subdued. The hand's energy is eventually spent, and the petrified figure opens his eyes, and Zelda is immediately attacked by an enormous blast of Gloom that Link intercepts, causing his body to be filled with Gloom & his power subsequently depleted. On top of this, the Master Sword is instantly decayed and Link's arm is destroyed. A broken shard of the Master Sword manages to cut the petrified Ganondorf's cheek, but it visibly takes less than a few seconds for the cut to be healed, with Ganondorf mockingly referring to the Master Sword as "fragile".^[149]The mysterious being then taunted the "Sword that Seals the Darkness" for being unable to do more, while also referring to Link and Zelda by name, expressing familiarity with them. Assuring both that they would be unable to contend with his power, the man initiates an event known as the Upheaval which causes Hyrule Castle to rise from the ground and into the sky. There, in his lair known as the Gloom's Origin, the Gerudo awaited the arrival of Link. During this time, he operated via proxy with both Gloom as well as various Phantom Ganons, one of which posed as Zelda to cover for her disappearance. He then telepathically contacted Link as well as the four sages, Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju, at Hyrule Castle after his unit of Phantom Ganons were defeated and unveiled his true identity as Ganondorf and briefly supplied them a vision showing a taste of what he ultimately had in store for Hyrule.^[150] As he was still recovering his powers, however, he disengaged them after this. When the Hero of Hyrule finally faced the mummy once more, Ganondorf briefly exposed his views of what Hyrule would look like under his dark rule. Using the ancestral power of the Secret Stone he stole from Queen Sonia long ago, he finally regained his original appearance.

The Demon King now stood proudly in front of Link. Dressed in a superb kimono embellished with Gerudo patterns, a katana on his left hand, he was less of the king he pretended to be and more of a warrior priest. The two enemies then began a duel of fates, and Ganondorf displayed his mastery of the sword, fighting with swift and surgical precision. It should be noted that his sword charges are reminiscent of the final fight in Twilight Princess. Ganondorf proves to be a versatile opponent, as he occasionally summons a giant mace, known as the Gloom Club, to try and crush Link, in a style strangely reminiscent of Ghirahim's final fight in Skyward Sword, as well as a bow, demonstrating adeptness with various weapon types. Despite his enormous physique, the Demon King displays a surprising agility, being able to perfect dodge many of Link's attacks with well-executed backflips and side hops (If link performs a Jump Slash). However, he was still holding back his true power and after having sustained a substantial amount of damage, Ganondorf used the power of the Secret Stone once more to reveal his ultimate self before the real showdown with his archenemy, although not before reveling in the challenge Link was supplying him even before going all out.

Now more of a demon than a human, Ganondorf strangely looked like Demise himself, with a fiery red mane and towering stature. Despite his bestial appearance, he fully retained his intelligence and ability to taunt Link. To display the extent of his new power, he seized the opportunity to extend his health bar far beyond the standard limit (twice the length), potentially catching even the player off-guard. Then, Ganondorf summoned four Phantoms to assist him and overwhelm Link, stacking him against overwhelming odds. Sarcastically promising his opponent that this time, he would lose more than just an arm, he proceeded to engage Link in combat. As his Phantoms were advancing towards Link as well, they were soon all engaged in battle by Link's companions, leaving Ganondorf on his own. This time, the Demon King had more than a trick up his sleeve, as he easily dodged Link's Flurry Rushes, making the duel much more technical and complicated for the latter. Once his health has been reduced by half, Ganondorf proceeds into the next phase. He sucked the very essence of his four Phantoms, gathered their dark power within himself and brutally unleashed a powerful shockwave that knocked out of commission the companions of Link. He then summoned his katana and gratified Link with a satisfied smile, daring him to attack (beckoning gesture). His attacks in this phase are as fast and unpredictable as ever (even going as far as dodging Link's Flurry Rush, requiring it to be performed twice, and that shooting an arrow to his head no longer stuns him), as demonstrated by his mastery of the bow.

After a grueling battle, Ganondorf was ultimately bested by Link. Furious that a mere mortal like Link would beat him, he declared defiantly that his rule has yet to come and Link won't be able to stand in his way. Resorting to drastic measures to defeat Link and subject Hyrule to an Endless Night, he removed Sonia's Secret Stone from his forehead and committed the forbidden act of draconification, fully acknowledging this will mean sacrificing everything, including his mind and body. He then laughed as a stream of Malice engulfed the whole area. Unleashing his full potential, Ganondorf grabbed Link in his maw before leaving the pit and ascending to the surface. The power granted to him by the Secret Stone seemed to have no limits. As the evil spirit finally emerged from beneath Hyrule Castle and started swarming around it, the Malice progressively materialized into a full body, revealing a gigantic black dragon. With Link still stuck in his maw, it seemed that the Demon Dragon was about to prevail. But the Light Dragon (actually Princess Zelda, who earlier committed draconification in a sacrificial effort to ensure the Master Sword was returned to Link in the future) then rushed at the Demon Dragon, with Link taking the opportunity to escape his jaws. Link and the Light Dragon then had a climactic aerial battle above Hyrule against the Demon Dragon, with the latter ultimately being vanquished, taking the Demon King with him and freeing the world from his biggest threat.

Echoes of Wisdom[]

In Echoes of Wisdom, Ganon, in his classic appearance from the 2D-based games, managed to somehow abduct Princess Zelda, trap her in a crystal, and then place her in his lair. He was ultimately confronted by Link, with their entering a duel and even having Ganon use Dead Man's Volley against Link. However, he was ultimately bested and disappeared, only leaving his trident behind. However, Ganon's defeat wasn't without a cost, as the discarded Trident caused a rift to open that consumed Link (forcing the latter to use his bow and arrow to ensure Zelda was freed from her prison before fully being immersed), which ultimately forced Zelda to flee the rapidly consumed dungeon and try to save Hyrule herself. He was later revealed to be capturing the Tris, spirits who were tasked with preventing rifts to the Still World from forming within Hyrule.

Later, Zelda and Tri confront Ganon when he seemingly reappeared. However, it would eventually transpire that "Ganon" was actually a dark echo created by Null, a primordial evil whose existence acted as the reason why the Golden Goddesses created Hyrule in the first place in order to contain it. They defeat the echo, causing it to disappear.

Strategy[]

Other appearances[]

Ganon is also featured in other media, including comics based on the games, animated shows, and the Super Smash Bros. series (as Ganondorf's Final Smash). Although his appearance varies from the main series, Ganon is still the wielder of the Triforce of Power who seeks to rule Hyrule by using the power of the sacred relic, fighting against Princess Zelda and Link to reach his goal. Ganon also appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf as a cameo. He can be summoned through Wisp by using the Ganondorf, Bokoblin, or 8-Bit Link amiibo.

Ganon's Swords[]

See also: Sword of the Six Sages

Although they go unnamed throughout The Legend of Zelda series, the main antagonist of the franchise has several bladed weapons that he often uses for combat in addition to the Trident of Ganon seen in early games, Echoes of Wisdom as well as Hyrule Warriors, meant for countering Link's swordfighting abilities. They are inscribed with various pictures or writings depending on the game. The Sword of Ganon was featured for the first time in Ocarina of Time. In the final battle of the N64 game, Ganon wields two large golden blades called the Gladius Swords of Ganon. Ganondorf is seen wielding a pair of different blades again in The Wind Waker during the final battle, called the Dual Swords of Ganon, which are razor sharp with guillotine-like tips and he uses them as his offensive strategy. They are engraved with the names "Kotake" and "Koume.", his surrogate mothers from Ocarina of Time.^[151] Later on, in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf wields the Sword of the Six Sages, a weapon that the Sages tried to use against him in an attempt to kill him. The Sword of the Six Sages serves as Ganondorf's weapon in the final battle against Link. As Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, he wields a number of energy blades similar to Guardian Scouts and his elemental avatars. In Tears of the Kingdom, Ganondorf wields an ornate katana with a dark blade, called the Gloom Sword, a weapon he uses in his final battle against Link.

Non-canon appearances of a sword-wielding Ganon include one of his human form's victory poses and Smash Attacks in the Super Smash Bros. series and the SpaceWorld 2000 demo, which included a brief sword duel between Link and Ganondorf. This new Sword-Axe of Ganon was shown to be much bulkier than the swords he uses in the main series, and had a rounded tip. Ganondorf also uses a Sword in his battle with the Hero of Time in the Ocarina of Time manga. This sword is capable of having Ganondorf's evil magic channeled through it. He also wields two Great Swords in Hyrule Warriors, the Swords of Despair. They can be upgraded to the Swords of Darkness and Swords of Demise.

Trivia[]

• As one of the first and most iconic villains in video game history, Ganon is often considered by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest main antagonists in gaming.
• Topaz is Ganon's favorite gemstone. In Ocarina of Time, he decorates his armor and weapons with them.^[152][153]
• In Tears of the Kingdom, the traditional gemstone adorning Ganondorf's forehead is replaced by a Secret Stone, which became the source of his unlimited power.
• After Twilight Princess, released in 2006, Ganondorf would not appear again in a Zelda mainline game until 17 years later, with Tears of the Kingdom, in 2023.
• In the international NES version of The Adventure of Link, Ganon could be heard laughing in the Game Over screen. The laugh sound effect itself was reused from Bald Bull, Soda Popinski, and Mr. Sandman from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. In the Japanese FDS version, however, a roar was heard in a black screen instead.
• Due to a glitch, it is possible to defeat Ganon in A Link to the Past with the Master Sword instead of Silver Arrows. During the final phase, when Ganon is about to teleport, Link must time his sword attack so that Ganon could be hit when he does teleport. Using a Spin Attack increases the chance of the attack connecting. Even with the Golden Sword it will take several successful attempts, but it can be done.
• Although the English version of Hyrule Historia clearly states that Ganon is Demise's reincarnation, the Japanese version only suggests a connection between the two while leaving it ambiguous as to their precise ties to each other.
• In The Wind Waker, according to the original Japanese text, the Master Sword was only sealing Ganondorf's minions and not actually his magic, as can be observed in-game.^[95][154]
• The shape of Ganondorf's ears have varied throughout the series. His initial appearance in Ocarina of Time's child timeline depicts him with rounded ears. After the time gap in which he was able to obtain the Triforce of Power, his ears become more pointed, similar to those of Hylians (this detail was removed in the 3DS remake). Ganondorf retains his pointed ears in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

  

• Contrary to popular belief among the fanbase of The Legend of Zelda series and despite being suggested in most games, the Master Sword and Light Arrows are not the most effective weapons to defeat Ganon or his human form, as these, although commonly used by Link and Princess Zelda respectively to bring the villain or his incarnations such as Demise down, they simply stun or wound him. Silver Arrows, on the other hand, are the only weapon in the franchise designed to completely destroy Ganon, as seen in The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past. In the former, Ganon was killed instantly by a single Silver Arrow for the final blow.
• The laugh of the Poes/Poe Sisters seen in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, as well as the Garo Master for the latter, are a sped up version of Ganondorf's laugh.
• In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf plays his own theme on a pipe organ inside his castle. In Twilight Princess, a similar effect occurs when Link progresses through Hyrule Castle, as the background music shifts from the Hyrule Castle theme to Ganon's theme. This makes Ganondorf one of a handful of characters in the series to generate their own theme music; the others being Princess Zelda, Midna, Ghirahim and Yuga, all of whom hum their themes. The first occurrence of this, however, was with Agahnim in A Link to the Past, which plays Ganon's theme.
• Although in most cases within the franchise Ganon only communicates by roaring, a few games have the Demon King laughing or even speaking much like as in his human form, as seen The Adventure of Link (international version only), A Link to the Past, BS The Legend of Zelda, the linked Oracle game, Four Swords Adventures, and Hyrule Warriors.
  • In other media such as The Legend of Zelda 1980s cartoon and Akira Himekawa mangas, Ganon is also shown talking.
• Early artwork for Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages shows a design for Ganondorf, implying he was originally planned to appear in the games. According to the notes for the artwork, the image was meant to depict Ganondorf's phantom.

  

• Ganondorf is one of the tallest humanoid characters in The Legend of Zelda series in height. According to the Hyrule Historia, he is a whopping 230 cm tall (7'6¾'') in Ocarina of Time.^[155] On the other hand, his 1/4 scale model from First 4 Figures, who used in game data to faithfully recreate his appearance in Twilight Princess, stands at 23 inches tall, which indicates that he stands at 7'8" in that game.^[156] However, his in-game model seen in Ocarina of Time as well as Tears of the Kingdom seemingly depicts Ganondorf at over 8 feet tall when standing fully upright, and he is large enough to be taller than Link even when kneeling.
  • Fierce Deity Link in Majora's Mask appears to be about the same height as Ganondorf.
  • His beast form unsurprisingly stands even taller. Concept art of A Link to the Past, shows Ganon in scale with several mainline characters from both The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario franchises, including Agahnim. His overall size appears to be similar to that of Bowser, the main antagonist of the latter Nintendo series, due to his very large stature. This can easily be observed in Ocarina of Time.
  • His original incarnation Demise is on-par with Ganondorf in size but has a considerably more muscular physique.
• The iconic final battle of Ocarina of Time was originally planned to have Ganon at a gigantic scale, and Link must climb onto the monster and attack him on various parts of his body. However, during development, due to the hardware limitations of the Nintendo 64, it resulted in the framerate being reduced severely and the player would not be able to see Ganon himself if Link were to be on top of him, rendering it unplayable. Ultimately, the developers scrapped this idea and reworked the entire Final Boss battle to become how it is in the final release. Nintendo would, however, successfully reuse this concept in Super Mario Galaxy for the boss Megaleg in the Super Mario franchise.
• Prior to the battle with Dark Beast Ganon in Breath of the Wild, Princess Zelda states that Ganon has given up on reincarnation to fight in his "pure, enraged form."^[146] However, the dialogue in the Japanese version appears to contradict this, as Zelda says that the form was born from his obsessive refusal to give up on revival.^[157]
  • In order for both passages to be consistent, it can be assumed that Ganon has an obsessive refusal to give up on revival, but has given up on reincarnating into a more sane, sapient form, and instead continues to revive himself in the form of a "purely enraged being".
• Interestingly, in Ocarina of Time, while Link and Princess Zelda have an obvious change in appearance between the seven-year time periods, Ganondorf himself is more subtle. When he becomes the Evil King upon obtaining the Triforce of Power, aside from having his long red royal cape, his eyes become bloodshot, has earrings, his ears are more pointy, and now has slightly longer hair as well.
• According to Hyrule Historia, if the Hero of Time, the Link from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask, were to be ultimately killed by Ganondorf or Ganon in the final battle and the player consequently receives a Game Over, the Downfall Timeline would occur story-wise, making himself the only villain in the entire franchise to have canonically won.
• When compared to his original incarnation Demise, Ganon appears to be less inherently evil, as Demise's goal in Skyward Sword was to wipe out all life, while the franchise's main antagonist simply wants to conquer Hyrule in most games (with the only possible exception being in Tears of the Kingdom where he was shown planning omnicide as part of his plans to reshape the kingdom), even though Ganon himself is no stranger to murdering individuals or his own minions. For similar reasons, he may have also been less inherently evil compared to Majora in Majora's Mask and Null in Echoes of Wisdom, whose antagonists sought to reduce all of existence for fun or into the primordial void, respectively.
• Originally, Ganondorf when defeated in Twilight Princess gave a speech where he indicated Princess Zelda and Link, and any who bore the marks of the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage, respectively, are inevitably going to enter conflict with anyone with Ganondorf's bloodline due to it being pre-ordained by the gods.^[158] This was largely excised in the final version with Ganondorf instead merely assuring them that their conflict won't end then and there as "the history of light and shadow will be written in blood", although the Hyrule Historia nonetheless made clear that a reincarnation of Ganondorf did indeed reappear. Demise's curse at the end of Skyward Sword resembled this cut speech.
• Due to Ganon's appearance in Ocarina of Time and its remake, there is a well-known strategy to quickly reach his weak point, his tail, by simply forward rolling under his legs in order for Link to easily strike him with certain weapons he is vulnerable to, including Deku Nuts. This trick has been discouraged by some fans as they view it as a rather cheap method to defeat the main antagonist and it often takes away the challenge of the Final Boss battle.
• Ganon is a parallel to Bowser from the Super Mario franchise in that both main antagonists have a very similar goal of taking over a kingdom that is constantly thwarted by a hero alongside a princess normally as a damsel-in-distress (Link/Mario and Princess Zelda/Peach, respectively). The two foes have met in the Super Smash Bros. series since Melee, and although there are cases of Mario teaming up with Bowser to face a greater enemy, this had never occurred for Link with Ganon or Ganondorf in the mainline Zelda games (although they can join Hyrule Warriors, and the story mode for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and to a lesser extent Ultimate had Ganondorf working alongside Zelda and Link to take out a greater threat.).
• There is a wide misconception among fans that Ganon in A Link to the Past wields and fully possesses the power of the complete Triforce during the final battle (and therefore considering the Hero of Legend to be the ultimate Link in the series). Contrary to popular belief, Ganon, although powerful, does not have any fragment of the Triforce within him during this encounter, including his usual piece the Triforce of Power, as the villain himself, although he did indeed wished to rule the Golden Land prior to the game's events and plans to do it again for the Light World (Hyrule), he was sealed in the Dark World by the Seven Wise Men and cannot escape with his own power, and consequently requires Agahnim to weaken his seal with the seven Maidens, explained in-game, the instruction manual, and even the official strategy guide. The erroneous belief is likely based on the fact that the full Triforce does appear following Ganon's ultimate defeat. However, the golden relic is seen as its component parts from its own pedestal and not absorbed by anyone before Link makes his peaceful wish with it. This would technically be similar to what was seen later in the Wind Waker when Ganondorf separates the pieces from their respective hosts to reform the Triforce in order to make a wish but fails to do so.
• Ganon's roars in the final battle of Ocarina of Time were reused from Queen Gohma and Volvagia, played in lower pitches in comparison.
• Although Ganon/Ganondorf's defeats in the majority of the games of The Legend of Zelda series has himself merely wounded and/or sealed away, some titles had the main antagonist outright killed, as seen in Tears of the Kingdom, Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, the linked Oracle game, A Link to the Past, and the original The Legend of Zelda. In the latter two of the games, as Ganon, he was eliminated by the Silver Arrows which simply reduced him into ashes, and in the Oracle finale battle, as he was not fully revived, the villain was vanquished upon his defeat by Link's Sword. In the case of The Wind Waker, the Master Sword did a fatal blow by Link performing a powerful Down Thrust via Parry Attack directly onto Ganondorf's head for his final attack, causing him to turn into stone. In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf was impaled on his chest via a Ending Blow and struggled to get up before ultimately succumbing while standing upright, with it being heavily implied that a major contributing factor in his death being the loss of the Triforce of Power as well as Zant refusing revival. In Tears of the Kingdom, he was slayed in his Demon Dragon form by hitting a weak spot on his forehead with the sacred sword, resulting in him exploding. The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Tears of the Kingdom are the only instances so far where the King of Evil dies by the Blade of Evil's Bane, despite not being Ganon in those final battles.
• Ganon inflicts an extreme amount of damage to Link in A Link to the Past if the young hero were to fight him in the final battle without any defensive upgrades; If Link were to make contact with the Demon King while only in his standard green mail, he will take a staggering eight Hearts of damage, making it almost impossible to survive even if he has the maximum 20 Heart Containers.
• In an interview made during the time Ocarina of Time was undergoing development, script director Toru Osawa indicated that Ganondorf had some redeemable traits despite being pure evil, similar to the character Raoh from the anime and manga Fist of the North Star.^[159]

  

• In the initial v1.0 and v1.1 NTSC builds of the original N64 version of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf can be seen coughing red blood when defeated, as well as during when Link slashes his face then stabbed him in the mouth for the finishing blow in his beast form (stained blood can also be seen in the Bottom of the Well and the Shadow Temple). In the later v.1.2 build, PAL releases, and subsequent ports, due to controversy of the rather brutal level of violence by Nintendo's own standards for the series, it was quickly changed to green (except in aforementioned dungeons as they remain red), and in the 3DS remake, the Master Sword now hits Ganon in the forehead, to tone down the cutscenes and Nintendo specifically wanting to avoid the risk of the original game being re-rated to "T" (Teen), as it was in fact "E" (Everyone) at the N64 release. The remake, however, has Ocarina of Time 3D under the "E10+" (Everyone 10+) ESRB rating.
• The Iron Knuckle enemies seen in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, including the one with Nabooru as such in the former, share Ganondorf's voice, though they are supposed to be Gerudos inside the armor. Ironically, Ganondorf himself is a Gerudo - a male, as the king of their race.
• Ganondorf's English voice actor in Tears of the Kingdom, Matthew Mercer, previously portrayed the character in the fan film There Will Be Brawl.
• In the Super Smash Bros. series starting in Brawl, Ganondorf's Final Smash has himself transform into Ganon based on Twilight Princess where he stuns opponents in front of him before charging forward for a mighty attack. In Ultimate, Ganon based on Ocarina of Time appears as a boss.
• Ganon's boar-like appearance was based on Zhu Bajie, one of the characters from the Chinese novel Journey to the West. In fact, during development of The Legend of Zelda, Ganon was originally going to be named "Hakkai", the Japanese transliteration of Zhu Bajie.^[160]
• Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess are the only games in the series where both of Ganon's beast and human forms are fought by Link, while the former is also the only title so far where they're used for the Final Boss battle altogether. Although The Wind Waker has Puppet Ganon and this particular boss is possibly a form of Ganondorf, it is not actually Ganon himself.
• The act of Ganon's minions using Link's blood to sprinkle into his ashes to revive the villain during the Game Over sequence in The Adventure of Link is a reference to the Dracula franchise, where the main antagonist, Dracula himself, was often resurrected by blood dripping into his remains. This makes sense, as Ganon is a powerful demon like Dracula.
• Ganon's final battle in Breath of the Wild as Dark Beast Ganon has been criticized as one of the most anticlimactic and straightforward Final Boss fights in the entire series among fans, as the monster's very slow movement and the glowing targets by Zelda leaves him extremely open to Link's retaliation, and his attack via a large energy beam often doesn't aim for him. Because of this, the more difficult duel with Calamity Ganon is believed to be the true final battle of the game, while Dark Beast Ganon is more of a cinematic ending fight.
  • On the other hand, the final battles in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Tears of the Kingdom are widely considered among the most climactic defeats of Ganon/Ganondorf in the franchise.
• There are only two games so far in the longtime series where Ganondorf does not transform into his true form, Ganon, during the final battle, those being The Wind Waker and Tears of the Kingdom. In the latter game, he instead transforms into a different monstrous form called the Demon Dragon.
  • Ironically, the designs of both Ganondorf incarnations are similar.
  • In addition, there are only three games where Ganondorf expresses no known interest in the Triforce whatsoever, those being Four Swords Adventures, Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages, and Tears of the Kingdom.
• In Tears of the Kingdom, the secret stone of Ganondorf is etched with "闇（暗)" which means "Darkness" in Chinese after he transforms into the Demon King.
  • In the Japanese version for the game, Ganondorf's motivations for his actions, including the theft of Sonia's secret stone, were to set the clock back to before Rauru brought all the tribes together to form peace, with it being implied he hated the Zonai due to "ruining courage" (implied to be referring to the usage of Zonai devices during battle). This was not made apparent in the English localization.
• During early development of Ocarina of Time, according to an interview of Shigeru Miyamoto, Ganondorf was originally going to change into Ganon slowly as the story progresses, gradually becoming more grotesque, but was scrapped when in the final release he remained as Ganondorf until the final battle where he transforms into his true form using the Triforce of Power.
• Aside from his Demon King form's obvious resemblance to Demise, it also bears a slight resemblance to an Oni, a Japanese mythological creature that is often used as a villain in various Japanese stories including Momotarou. In particular, the similarity extends to Ganondorf's horns in this form, and to a lesser extent his hairstyle. The similarity is further reinforced with his usage of the Gloom Club, which was modeled after a Kanabō, a spiked club weapon often used by Oni.
  • Ironically, Link's infamous Fierce Deity form is often called "Oni Link" due to a mistranslation.

Nomenclature[]

Names in other regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	ガノン (Ganon) (TLoZ | TAoL | ALttP | OoT | FSA | CoH)[161][162][163][164] ガノンドロフ (Ganondorofu) (ALttP | OoT)[165][166] 邪悪の王 (Jaaku no Ō) (ALttP)[167] 魔盗族ガノン (Ma Tōzoku Ganon) (ALttP)[168] ガノンドロフ (Ganondorofu) (ALttP | OoT)[169][170] 大魔王 (Daimaō) (OoT)[171] 闇の王 (Yami no Ō) (FSA) ガノン様 (Ganon-sama) (FSA)	Gannon/Ganon Gannondorf/Ganondorf King of Evil Gannon/Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves Gannondorf/Ganondorf King of Darkness / Demon King King of Darkness Revered Ganon
	ChineseSI	盖侬 (Gàinóng) (CoH)
	ChineseTR	加儂 (Jiānóng) (CoH)
	Dutch	Ganon (TLoZ | TAoL)[172][173]
	FrenchCA	Ganon (CoH | HWAoC)[174]
	FrenchEU	Ganon (TLoZ | CoH)[175] Ganondorf (OoT)[176]
	German	Ganon (TLoZ | CoH)[177]
	Italian	Ganon (TLoZ | TAoL | CoH)[178][179]
	Korean	가논 (Ganon) (CoH)
	SpanishEU	Ganon (TLoZ | CoH)[180]
	SpanishLA	Ganon (CoH)
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

See Also[]

• Calamity Ganon
• Dark Beast Ganon
• Demise
• Yuga Ganon

Notes

References

v · d · eCharacters in The Legend of Zelda Major Protagonists Link · Princess Zelda · Ciela · Epona · Ezlo · Fi · King of Red Lions · Linebeck · Midna · Navi · Tatl · Tetra Minor Protagonists Anjean · Daruk  · Darunia  · Din · Farore  · Great Deku Tree · Groose · Impa · King Rauru  · Maku Tree · Marin · Medli · Makar · Mineru  · Mipha  · Nabooru  · Nayru  · Queen Sonia  · Ralph · Rauru · Ravio · Revali  · Riju  · Ruto · Saria · Sidon  · Tingle  · Tulin  · Urbosa  · Yunobo Major Antagonists Bellum · Demise · Ganon · Ghirahim · Lady Maud · Majora's Mask · Malladus · General Onox · Shadow Nightmares · Twinrova · Vaati · Veran · Yuga Minor Antagonists Agahnim  · Byrne · Chancellor Cole · Dark Link · King Bulblin · Master Kohga · Princess Hilda · Shadow Link · Skull Kid · Vire · Zant Characters by Game