Who is ganondorf

This powerful, bestial form is Ganon. This fight between Link and Ganon is where the Zelda timeline splits. According to the updated version of events in the Hyrule Historia, Ganon never becomes human again in the Fallen Hero timeline. Link's defeat in Ocarina of Time allows the raw power of the bestial Ganon to go unchecked and never be reverted.

As this timeline progresses, the beast Ganon loses any trace of the human he once was. If the Hero of Time is triumphant, events alter dramatically.

The potency of the Sages' seal and Ganon's relatively weakened state reverts him back to the humanoid Ganondorf. This action leads to the Ganondorf in Wind Waker. Link warns Zelda and the King of Hyrule of Ganondorf's true intentions, and Ganondorf is imprisoned before any of the events of Ocarina of Time can take place. Ganondorf obtains the Triforce of Power regardless in the de-facto sequel Twilight Princess , but he is properly killed by Link before he can turn into Ganon.

After a battle with the malice-altered, spider-like Calamity Ganon, Link and Zelda then team up to fight a beast of pure evil, a swirling everlasting hatred in the form of Dark Beast Ganon. After victory, the lands of Hyrule seemed safe once and for all…. It can be taken as given now that the mummified body that was seen in the trailer is Ganondorf, the humanoid containment for Demise's curse that has lived and reincarnated througout the ages.

So was Calamity Ganon defeated? We can theorise that Link was indeed successful. However, Calamity Ganon may have just been a manifestation of the Malice that had tormented the land. As Link entered Hyrule castle we saw Calamity Ganon hatch from a cocoon that was swirling with Malice and infused with the trapped Guardian that was residing above it. Wearing the face of the Gerudo King Ganondorf himself, this monstrosity took the form of its creator - the evil King of Thieves.

Mere puppets created out of an ancient curse, Demise's curse, reliving and recreating itself. Without theorising too much on the overarching timeline of The Legend of Zelda franchise, it is easy to assume that Breath of the Wild fits in towards the end of all the timelines.

In fact it slips in most easily at the end of the fallen hero timeline, not only because of a few lines of dialogue from Princess Zelda, but because Castle Town and Hyrule Castle are extremely similar to the ones seen in Twilight Princess.

The slumped over corpse of Ganondorf is also very reminiscent of the incarnation seen in that game; from long, flowing red hair worn over an intricate golden piece of head jewellery centred with an impressive gem, flowing black robes embroidered with the symbolism of the Gerudo tribe, right down to the wound inflicted by the sages who tried to execute Ganondorf before banishing him to the Twilight realm. His artificial phantom Phantom Ganon has a armor set based on his Ocarina of Time incarnation and the Phantom Ganon Armor and Phantom Ganon Greaves are identical to the clothing Ganondorf himself wore in Ocarina of Time which is not surprising as Phantom Ganon's clothing is essentially a replica of his master's and Ganondorf himself is referenced by his title the Great King of Evil in the set's description.

The title Great King of Evil is also referenced in Calamity Ganon's Hyrule Compendium description as one of the many titles Ganon has been known by over the centuries. In Urbosa's Diary , Urbosa shows awareness of Ganon's Gerudo origins and as a result holds Calamity Ganon with utter hatred and contempt considering the Gerudo's kinship with an evil that has brought so much suffering and calamity to Hyrule as a stain on Gerudo honor even feeling it as her duty as Gerudo Chieftain to oppose him as Gerudo Champion despite her own people being against her fighting Calamity Ganon rightly fearing for her safety.

Urbosa also seems to hold Nabooru in high regard for opposing Ganondorf's rule with the Gerudo people having since long given up thievery and engaging in trade with other races though laws prohibiting males in Gerudo Town are strictly enforced though females of all races are welcome with both the Queen and Princess of Hyrule having often visited their before the Great Calamity showing that the Royal Family of Hyrule has built strong diplomatic ties with the Gerudo showing that Ganondorf's actions against the Royal Family of Hyrule has not caused them to discriminate against the Gerudo people though this may have been helped by Ganon's relation to the Gerudo being largely forgotten.

Urbosa seems to be the only Gerudo aware of the ancient Gerudo King and his connection to the infinite evil that is Calamity Ganon. Princess Zelda possesses awareness of Ganondorf and Ganon's origins as well though it is unclear if this is common knowledge among the Royal Family of Hyrule or if she acquired it through her friendship with Urbosa.

Rhondson notes currently no Gerudo "Voe" men like Ganondorf himself exist thus it is unclear if they still become King or if Ganondorf's actions have caused the Gerudo to put a end to that tradition however the law forbidding men from Gerudo Town is stated to apply to all Voe which would include Gerudo voe whom presumably would be forced to live in Kara Kara Bazaar or with Hylian relatives. It is also confirmed that without Gerudo males, Gerudo females reproduce with Hylian men indicating Ganondorf's father was likely a Hylian as he was the first male born to the tribe in a century according to Ocarina of Time.

This along with him being destined to become King due to being male could have also have influenced Ganondorf's coveting of the fertile homeland of his Hylian father as Ganondorf despite being a special individual worshipped like a god among his tribe was relegated to living with them in the harsh desert land of Hyrule.

In the E3 teaser for the game, Zelda and Link discover a mummified Gerudo corpse with an ethereal green arm touching his chest, with Malice being attracted to it. The corpse then revives itself and turns to Zelda as beastly eyes emerge from its sockets. It is heavily implied that this corpse was the remains of Ganondorf. Ganondorf himself could also be seen in a bas relief briefly, depicting him as a violent warlord.

Subseries warning : This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon. Ganondorf appears as a playable character in the spinoff game Hyrule Warriors. His appearances from Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess are available as alternate costumes via downloadable content.

His primary appearance in the game is a mixture between his appearance in Twilight Princess and Demise, and he shares Demise's title, "The Demon King"; Ganondorf's 3rd-level weapons are the Swords of Demise , further displaying the connection. Ganondorf wields a pair of massive Great Swords in conjunction with his dark magic. In Hyrule Warriors , Ganondorf is revealed to be the one responsible for Cia 's corruption, and thus acts as the true main antagonist of the game.

In the backstory, his soul had been split into four fragments and sealed across time and space by a previous incarnation of the legendary hero. By corrupting Cia and removing the light from her heart, Ganondorf influences Cia to collect the Triforce and open the Gate of Souls , linking it to the dimensions where three of his soul fragments are sealed.

This releases the soul fragments from their prisons, restoring the Demon King's physical body. Ganondorf also appears in Hyrule Warriors Legends. In addition to his Great Swords, he gains a Trident as his new alternative weapon moveset. The game also features a new alternate costume based on the clothes he wore in The Wind Waker , which is fitting, given the appearance of various The Wind Waker characters Tetra , Toon Link , Medli , and Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule appearing as playable characters in Hyrule Warriors Legends.

In addition, though he himself does not appear in the new The Wind Waker storyline due to his defeat beforehand, his phantom from The Wind Waker era acts as the central antagonist for the storyline. Subseries warning : Subseries information ends here.

Non-canon warning : This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.

Ganondorf's role was overall the same as in the game. However, his first appearance had him eavesdropping on Link and Zelda in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard, as well as, while he apologized for his eavesdropping, it implied that he may have sent the Gerudo after Zelda while the latter was disguised in Hyrule Castle Town. Ganondorf later appeared after Link got the Zora's Sapphire, where he attempted to corner Zelda and Impa at the burning castle while stating that Zelda "will experience eternal sleep with her father" in it, which implied that he had, by that point, murdered her father.

He also ended up stealing Link's Fairy Ocarina, under the mistaken impression that it was the Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf did not realize that mistake until seven years had passed, upon which he crushed the ocarina in his hand. Ganondorf also had Sheik serve him.

When Ingo failed to ensure that Epona was supplied to him, Ganondorf initially intended to have him executed for his failure, although he relented after Koume and Kotake instead suggested that they brainwash him. Ganondorf eventually imprisoned Zelda inside a Crystal , and took her to his castle.

During the inevitable fight with Link, Ganondorf used a sword with magical powers to overpower him, and sought to finish him off with his ultimate spell. Link was able to use the Spin Attack to deflect the spell back at Ganondorf, which stunned him long enough for Link to cut him down. A wounded Ganondorf then attempted to bring the castle down on Link and Zelda.

When that failed, Ganondorf turned into Ganon. Ganon was able to knock the Master Sword out of Link's hand, but Zelda was able to throw it back to the hero. Link promptly cut off Ganon's Tail while declaring that he is Ganon's opponent with determination, brought him down to his knees with a vertical slash, and thrust his sword into the beast's face.

Invoking the power of the Sages, Zelda was able to seal Ganondorf away. Ganondorf was one of the candidates for the best villain in the Nintendo franchises, and won the category. In a letter to Nintendo Power about the choice, the editors jokingly stated that the other Nintendo villains are planning to arrange a "going away party" for him involving "cement shoes and a really deep lake.

Ganondorf largely has the same role as in the game, although his being banished into the Twilight Realm by the Ancient Sages is depicted in a significantly more graphic manner, where it shows his skin and flesh being violently ripped off his bones as he is sealed away.

His influence on Zant was also indirectly alluded to in the prologue. For unknown reasons, an unfinished model of Ganondorf exists in the game's coding, along with unfinished models of Impa and Sheik. The name of the files indicates that they may have been planned to appear in the Swamp Fishing Hole and Ocean Fishing Hole , but were scrapped.

It is possible that he would have been a Terminan counterpart of Ganondorf. Concept Art included in Hyrule Historia contained Concept Artwork of Ganondorf in the section for Oracle of Ages and Seasons , which implied that Ganon was originally intended to appear in his human form for part of the game. No mention of Ganondorf as a human remained in the final version of the game. Ganondorf's design was largely similar to his appearance in Ocarina of Time , only he instead wore black-and-red robes with a raised collar, a belt depicting a fanged skull, as well as wearing a vest similar to his outfit from Ocarina of Time, as well as pointed shoes.

It was possible that he was intended to be the main villain for the cancelled The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage , which was intended to be a sequel to both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Ganondorf was a playable character for the first time in Super Smash Bros. To unlock him, the player must beat Event Match 29 or play VS.

Mode matches. His moves are almost exactly the same as Captain Falcon's, but he is slower and more powerful. His Fair and Up Tilt are some of the few moves that are different. His physical appearance is based on the design used in the Space World Demo , and wields the same sword used in the demo in one of his victory poses, even though he does not use it in battle.

Ganondorf also has a brief appearance in the opening for the game, where his hand is seen alongside Link and Zelda's hands, with their respective Triforce marks. Ganondorf is based off of his appearance in Twilight Princess. His moves remained largely the same as in Melee , though some are visually different.

However, his Gerudo Dragon side-B has been replaced by the Flame Choke, which knocks enemies downward instead of upward. His final smash is a horizontal charge as Beast Ganon. In the storyline, Ganondorf uses the Ancient Minister to drop Subspace bombs on the world, " erasing " it and transporting it into Subspace.

Series, is Ganondorf's right-hand man. Eventually, the Ancient Minister later revealed to be a ROB unit turns on Ganondorf, refusing to fight the heroes when confronted by them on the "Isle of the Ancients" stage.

However, Ganondorf takes control of all the R. Ganondorf and Bowser pilot a titanic gunship into the real world via this hole, using it against the alliance of heroes arriving to take the villains down.

The gunship is destroyed when Kirby flies the Dragoon through the hull. Retreating back into Subspace, Ganondorf betrays Bowser, turning him into a trophy. Ganondorf soon learns that Master Hand, whom he was apparently going to betray for more power though this is difficult to determine since the only lines of dialogue in the entire story are spoken by Solid Snake, Ike, and Captain Falcon , is only a puppet being controlled by a higher being, Tabuu. Ganondorf attempts to attack Tabuu alone, but is easily subdued with a single hit and turned into a trophy though his attack does succeed in inadvertently freeing Master Hand from Tabuu's control.

Later on, the trophy of Ganondorf is attacked by a revived Bowser in retaliation for his earlier betrayal before being revived himself by, ironically, none other than his arch-enemies Link and Zelda, who convince him to help them and the rest of the playable fighters in the final battle against Tabuu. Before joining them, he also was seen charging an attack against them, but ultimately relents, implying that even he realized that siding with them was ultimately in his best interests.

Ganondorf does not use the sword he had in Twilight Princess , even though his appearance is based off of his Twilight Princess design. However, the sword is seen in one of Ganondorf's taunts, where he takes it out of its sheath just to inspect it, and possibly show it off, then immediately returns it.

In his regular form, Ganondorf does not have the chest wound that he had in Twilight Princess , though it is present when he turns into Ganon. Strangely, it is more purple in color than in Twilight Princess. In the codec conversations, Snake is shown to utterly fear Ganondorf, mention that being near him "makes [Snake's] skin crawl" due to having a murderous vibe. Although Otacon implies that Snake has a shot against Ganondorf due to having firepower instead of simply using hand-to-hand combat or blades, this is technically incorrect due to it being implied in The Subspace Emissary that Ganondorf was capable of utilizing technology due to his using a remote to force the ROBs to obey his commands, his use of the trophy gun, and communicating with Master Hand aboard the Subspace cannon.

Ganondorf appears on two stickers. Ganondorf is the only one who can use these stickers. Ganondorf makes his third appearance in the Super Smash Bros. He retains his Twilight Princess design he had in Brawl , and his chest wound where he was struck with the Sword of the Six Sages is now present. His move set remains mostly the same, including his final smash.

Interestingly during one of Pit's special conversions which occur by preforming Pit's down taunt on the Palutena's Temple stage while fighting Ganondorf , the goddesses Palutena and Viridi both claim that like Link and Zelda, there are multiple incarnations of Ganondorf , however given the non-canon nature of the Super Smash Bros. Ganondorf is an unlockable fighter for the Nintendo Switch iteration of the series.

This game replaces his Twilight Princess design in favor of his Ocarina of Time appearance. Owing to this, his Final Smash takes cues from his Ganon form from the aforementioned game. To differentiate Ganondorf's move set from Captain Falcon's, he uses his sword for all his Smash attacks, which marks a first for the Super Smash Bros.

Like all of the other characters in Ultimate , Ganondorf is depicted on the Everybody is Here! He, alongside Young Link and Zelda, are required to be fought and recruited to advance in the World of Light game mode, as defeating them has their respective Triforce pieces unveil Ganon's castle, and thus acts as a requirement to fight him.

In addition, Ganondorf briefly appears in the pre-battle cinematic, where he transforms into Ganon during the latter battle. Although Ganondorf never appears in the game itself indirect mentions and Calamity Ganon nonwithstanding , concept art unveiled during the Game Development Conference in showing two versions of what would ultimately become Breath of the Wild in particular, the The Legend of Zelda: Invasion scenario depicts an image of Ganondorf speaking while wearing a shirt prominently displaying the logo for the rock band Metallica.

The design for Ganondorf that was shown largely resembled his depiction in Ocarina of Time , although he possessed a beard mirroring that of both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess , and overall had a slightly slimmer, yet still muscular build than even in Ocarina of Time.

It roughly corresponds to his appearance in Twilight Princess. Non-canon warning : Non-canonical information ends here. Spoiler warning : Spoilers end here. Ganondorf is commonly portrayed as the incarnation of pure evil, greed, and power. He is ruthless, cold, unscrupulous, manipulative, and calculating. He is also shown to have an ego, believing that only he is worthy to rule the kingdom and showing an arrogant sense of entitlement.

It was also shown that Ganon does not possess a balanced amount of power, wisdom, and courage as evidenced when the Triforce split in three pieces when he tried to wield it. It is heavily implied in Skyward Sword that Ganondorf's evil nature stemmed from being a reincarnation of the Demon King Demise's Hatred as well as being a product of his curse.

In Four Swords Adventures , Ganondorf's arrogance is such that he even refers to the Links as "worms" and "maggots", and also refers to the then-recently defeated Vaati as a "useless cur. However he is capable of learning from his mistakes as he relies on his sword skills and physical strength when fighting Tetra and the Hero of Winds instead of his magic and Ganon form like he did during his battle with the Hero of Time.

He also eliminated the Sages of the Master Sword to remove the power to repel evil from the Master Sword and kept the Light Arrows stored inside a maze guarded by Phantom Ganon in his Tower as both weapons led to his previous defeat. Ganondorf is also a skilled strategist, as he is implied to have manipulated Link and Zelda into opening the Door of Time for him, and he also deliberately allows Link to purify the temples he has captured knowing that this will draw Zelda out into the open.

This knack for strategy was similarly demonstrated in Wind Waker , where he murdered the original Sages of Wind and Earth specifically to ensure the Master Sword lost its true power, as well as using the opportunity presented by Link trying to restore the Master Sword to abduct Zelda from Hyrule Castle. The best demonstration of his strategic skills, however, came about during his final fight against Link and Zelda in the same game, where he managed to quickly disable Zelda upon realizing the threat she posed with the Light Arrows, and when she regained consciousness, proceeded to evade her shots as well as parry Link's blows.

It has been hinted that the Ganondorf originally seen in Ocarina of Time sought to conquer Hyrule out of jealousy, as he apparently lived a life full of suffering due to living in the desert though his evil nature and dark power without the Triforce of Power may have been influenced by him being the reincarnation of the Demon King's Hatred thus may have been destined to seek out the Triforce as Demise had done in the past.

In Ocarina of Time , when he manages to conquer the kingdom of Hyrule, he never attempts to aid his own people, despite them living in the same conditions as he once did. He even resorts to mind controlling certain Gerudos to ensure absolute loyalty, reinforcing the notion that his desire for Hyrule was born out of jealousy and not a desire to help his people.

However, once Link initially defeats Ganondorf, Zelda briefly expresses pity and speculates that his death was caused in part due to failing to control the Triforce due to an imbalanced heart. He also seems to have some pride in his Gerudo heritage and their fighting prowess, at least in Hyrule Warriors , as evidenced by his declaring "Behold the power of a Gerudo warrior!

Interestingly, Ganondorf seems to follow a code of honor; in Ocarina of Time , he is amused and almost impressed when a young, helpless Link drew his weapons at him. Effortlessly knocking Link away, Ganondorf let the boy live despite his defiance, acknowledging some respect for his courage.

When he knocks Link down, he will wait for Link to get up before continuing a fight. In The Wind Waker , when Ganondorf realizes that Zelda keeps attacking him with the Light Arrows while he fights Link, he swiftly approaches Zelda, puts away his sword and backhands her, instead of outright killing her. He also claims at one point that he will not kill Link, and merely seeks to claim the Triforce of Courage from him. In Ocarina of Time , he is confident, wise-cracking and sarcastic, calling Link "kid" even after seven years, calling Link's weapons "toys", and making remarks such as "I like you, kid" before blasting him with magic, but is ultimately serious when he needs to be.

Ganondorf always cracks a smile, even in the most dire of circumstances, showcasing a pleasure in destruction and a confidence that never dies, even when the odds are against him.

Ganondorf entering a hysterical fit of laughter since his quest and life are at an end. In The Wind Waker , Ganondorf seems to have matured with age. He is portrayed somewhat as a tragic villain , being altogether more solemn and less prone to wisecracks. He also expressed some grudging respect for Link's courage after the latter managed to not only infiltrate the Forsaken Fortress again, but also dispose of the Helmaroc King.

Despite this, he still longs to cover the entire world in darkness, even after his actions led to the destruction of Hyrule, and places a curse upon the Great Sea to keep it in a perpetual state of terror. It is also implied that Ganondorf is emotionally unstable throughout the events of The Wind Waker , spending the early course of the game kidnapping young girls in a desperate attempt to find the Triforce of Wisdom, lacking the overtly evil nature of his previous appearance, and laughing maniacally when Hyrule is about to be flooded.

Knowing that his plans that have taken centuries of trial and error have finally come to a dramatic end at the climax of The Wind Waker , Ganondorf shows a more tragic side that seems to contrast his attitude in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess.

Having dedicated his life to controlling a kingdom that was now destined to disappear alongside his body, in his final moments, Ganondorf still smiled, and even chuckles briefly when sensing the wind from Gerudo Desert blowing. This may imply that he had come to terms with his defeat, and was actually content with how things had ended.

In Twilight Princess , Ganondorf's personality is more closely linked to his Ocarina of Time persona, as Ganondorf has, in this timeline, faced less hardships and overall appears to be younger and more emotionally stable, even possessing some of his cockiness from Ocarina of Time. The Sages also mention that Ganondorf, due to being blinded by rage and his own might, ended up caught, subdued, and promptly executed, implying that he was extremely reckless in his own actions and planning, though this may have been due to the time travelling Hero of Time exposing Ganondorf's plans due to his knowledge of Ganondorf's rise to power in the Adult timeline thus Ganondorf in the Child Timeline could not rely on deception and manipulation thus resorted to more open and aggressive tactics but his arrogance once again proved to be his undoing.

Ganondorf being blinded by rage may also been influenced by the idea he is the reincarnation of Demise's Hatred. While arrogant, Ganondorf is able to recognize others when they prove themselves, and will show some respect towards such individuals.