Ganon

Ganon(dorf)
Legend of Zelda series character
File:Ganon.jpg Ganon, King of Evil
First game	The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Ganon (also known as Ganondorf and misspelled as Gannon in the original NES Legend of Zelda and the CD-i Zelda titles) is the final boss and primary antagonist of several games in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Although he made numerous appearances in the series, he was first given a backstory in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. He was also given a backstory for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures in 2004.

Character background

Within Ocarina of Time, Ganon was a member of the Gerudo tribe and was their king, at which time he was named Ganondorf - the sole male of his kind, as only one male is born to the Gerudo every century. Koume and Kotake are described as his surrogate mothers, raising him in an environment where death is an almost-daily event. Ganondorf coveted the Triforce and the lush green lands where Hyrule stood. The hero Link had been used by Ganondorf and unwittingly helped him gain access to the Triforce when Link acquired the Master Sword, unlocking the entrance to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce resided. However, once Ganondorf touched the Triforce itself, it split into its three components that embedded themselves in the three people destined to receive them - Ganondorf received the Triforce of Power, Link the Triforce of Courage, and Princess Zelda the Triforce of Wisdom.

With the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf was able to conquer the land of Hyrule and rule unopposed for seven years, obtaining the title of King of Evil/King of Darkness (Dark Lord or Devil King in the Japanese version). At that point, Link, who had been held in stasis for those seven years, was awakened by Rauru, the Sage of Light. Rauru encouraged him to awaken the other six Sages (whose power had been dormant in the leaders of Hyrule) to oppose and defeat Ganondorf's rule. Now a young adult, Link had succeeded in awakening the Sages and attacked Ganondorf's stronghold for a final showdown. After his initial defeat, Ganondorf's piece of the Triforce, combined with his evil and lust for power, could not contain the evil within his heart. Ganondorf was transformed into an immensely powerful, porcine monster of terrifying evil. After his transformation Ganondorf was to be known as Ganon. After an intense battle, Link and Zelda (whom Ganon needed for the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage) were able to fight and finally subdued the demonic Ganon long enough for the Seven Sages to combine their powers and seal him away as Ganon screamed that he would return and destroy Link and Zelda's descendants, as seen in The Wind Waker.

In other Legend of Zelda games, Ganon does not usually have a backstory, but usually serves a similar role as a general antagonist. Template:Endspoiler

Game Appearances

The Legend of Zelda

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The final battle with Ganon, seen here in The Legend of Zelda.

Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game for the Famicom in 1986; the following year, the game was brought over to the American NES. Ganon attacks the land of Hyrule and steals the Triforce of power which he uses to overrun the kingdom with monsters. He later kidnaps Zelda and locks her in his lair on Death Mountain. In this game, Ganon first appeared sort of like a monstrous blue pig. During Link's actual fight with him, however, he turns invisible and randomly warps around the room throwing fireballs at the hero. Only a sword can cause him damage, and after being struck by it enough times he will turn red (and visible) and stop warping. At that point, Link must quickly use a Silver Arrow to finish him off once and for all. This technique for defeating him also works in the remake, BS Zelda. This sword/silver arrow pattern is typically used to dispatch him in future Zelda games also.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Ganon only makes a brief cameo in The Adventure of Link, as a shadowy figure in the Game Over screen, although the plot of the game partially involves an attempt by Ganon's followers to revive him using Link's blood.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Ancient Stone Tablets

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Ganon, seen here in A Link to the Past.

In A Link to the Past, Ganon was still sealed in the Sacred Realm (often referred to as the Dark World in this game). However, he was somehow able to take the form of the evil wizard Agahnim to fulfill his agenda in the Light World (Hyrule). In this form, he uses deception to gain a position within the Castle. When the time was right, he murdered the King and seized control of the castle and knights with his magic. He captures Zelda and has the knights search for the other six descendants of the sages. They eventually find them all and imprison them in the castle dungeon. One by one, they were taken to the tower where Agahnim would cast magical experiments on them that would send them into the Dark World. Once they are sent there, Ganon takes control of their power and uses it to break the seal that prevents him from leaving the realm and conquering the world. Link had to venture into the Dark World to stop Ganon from breaking free of the seal previously imposed on him. Link had to use the combination of Master Sword and Silver Arrows to defeat him. Ganon's abilities in this fight included the teleportation he used in the first game, although he remained visible for the most part and primarily attacked using his trident. This is the first appearance of his now traditional piece of weaponry. He would use it to form many flaming bats (Fire Keese) to attack Link. He also began to use powerful jumps that could break away the floor around the edges of the arena. Finally, he would use his 'Technique of Darkness', the same skill he used in The Legend of Zelda, except this time he would be invulnerable while performing it. It does have one weakness however; light. His tactics in BS The Legend of Zelda: Stone Tablets of Antiquity were similar.

Ocarina of Time

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Ganondorf, seen here in Ocarina of Time.

In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was known as the King of the Gerudo. Although the race is primarily composed of females, legend has it that one sole male Gerudo is born every hundred years, thereby giving Ganondorf the respective title.

Although it remains unexplained in the game, Ganondorf somehow learns the legend of the Triforce and its god-like power. It is widely believed that his surrogate mothers, Twinrova, are responsible for exposing him to this dangerous knowledge. In order to expand his influence and shift his authority from just the Gerudo tribe to the entire world, Ganondorf leaves his home to seek the sacred triangle. While pledging allegiance to the King of Hyrule, he secretly attacks other areas: Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain, and Zora's Domain, in an attempt to force the three races that inhabit the areas (the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras) to give up their respective spiritual stones in order to open the Door of Time, and ultimately infiltrate the Sacred Realm. He is responsible for the deaths of the composer brothers of Kakariko Village. The two were bestowed the task to study the power of the royal family. They discovered a song that can control time by the use of ocarinas. Ganondorf apparently thought that the song was the Song of Time that was needed to gain entry into the Sacred Realm. He attempted to steal their results but they stopped him. They refused to hand over their research over to him and Ganondorf responded by murdering them. He next went to Death Mountain, resurrected the ancient dodongos, and blocked the entrance to the lair with a huge boulder. The Gorons needed entry to the lair as it contained special rocks that they ate and kept them alive. Ganondorf promised the Gorons he would unblock it if they handed him the Spiritual Stone of Fire. He then went to Zora's domain and put a sickness curse on Lord Jabu-Jabu, the guardian deity of the domain. When the guardian ate Princess Ruto, Ganondorf planned to let the Zoras fail at rescuing her and then turn to him for help, hoping they would award him with the Spiritual Stone of Water. He last went to Kokiri Forest and asked for the Spiritual Stone of the Forest directly from the great Deku Tree. He refused and Ganon placed a death curse on the tree that sapped his power and eventually killed him. Although the tribes never gave him the keys to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf is inadvertently aided by Link, and steps through the Door of Time that he opened using the various items and knowledge Ganondorf failed to acquire. He touches the Triforce, but due to his evil and imbalanced heart, the relic splits into three pieces, with only the Triforce of Power remaining in his hand. The Triforce of Wisdom is entrusted to Zelda, while the Triforce of Courage, unknown to anyone but Zelda and possibly the sages, is given to Link. Ganon took control of the Triforce of Power and the Sacred Realm became a corrupt realm that reflected the evil one's heart.

Even without the full might of the Triforce, Ganondorf takes over Hyrule, and becomes the King of Evil. He and his army attacked Hyrule Castle and the town nearby, killing all who stood in his fury including the knights of Hyrule. The market was completely destroyed and Hyrule Castle was rendered defenseless. Ganon destroyed Hyrule Castle along with the Royal Family and in place of Hyrule Castle, he constructed a dark fortress that floated over a pool of lava. Hyrule was overun with monsters and darkness as Ganondorf secured his tyranny with brutal violence. His plans greatly influenced other races horribly. The Gorons were captured and imprisoned in the depths of Death Mountain while Ganondorf revives an ancient dragon named Volvagia to eat the gorons. This would serve as a warning to those who oppose him and will also set free the fire breathing dragon to do his bidding. The Zoras and their domain were frozen in thick ice while Lake Hylia was drained of water. Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods was overruned with monsters and Moblins, keeping the Kokiri children in their homes with fear. Other evils were released into the already corrupt land, one being Bongo Bongo from his seal in the well of Kakoriko Village. This creature took control of the Shadow Temple and cursed it. Wheather Ganon had any invloment in this event is very probable but has never been directly stated. The Gerudos still looked up to Ganon and worshipped him, except Nabooru, who was later captured and brainwashed to serve the King of Evil. The Spirit Temple she was destined to guard was used as a hideout to keep treasure and conduct experiments that dealed with brainwashing. The rest of Hyrule had monsters destroying everything keeping the kingdom in a grip in which hope was dying. His influence radiates from the five temples, causing monsters to appear and prevent the Sages from hearing their awakening call. Ganon has cursed each temple and filled it with traps and monsters to prevent the sages from sealing up his army. He was not satisfied with simply ruling the land of Hyrule and sought to obtain the last two Triforce pieces to assume complete control over the entire world. He began a frantic search for the people that were destined to hold the other sacred triangles. As Link awakens the Sages manually, Ganondorf does nothing to stop him, since he knows that if he lets Link go his way, Zelda would eventually appear. She does so in the Temple of Time, where Ganondorf seizes the opportunity and imprisons her in a crystal-like magical cage and takes her to his castle. He later admits that though this was how he got Zelda to reveal herself, it also cost him much as Link had destroyed much of his main monsters and armies thus hindering his plans. He tells Link that in order to save her, he has to come to the castle.

In combat, Ganondorf shoots balls of magic from his hand, which are then supposed to be deflected by Link using his sword. Ganondorf will often deflect the attack back at Link, continuing the cycle until either Link or Ganondorf is unable to deflect it (this method of fighting is similar to how the player defeats Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple, as well as the method used to defeat the wizard Agahnim in A Link to the Past). When Ganondorf is hit, Link must shoot him with a Light Arrow, causing Ganondorf to fall to a platform in the middle of the room so that Link can attack using his sword. Ganondorf also summons dark energy to power up for a severe attack. Link can bring down Ganondorf with a Light Arrow when Ganondorf is powering up as well, or he can charge up a spin attack and reflect all the Magic back at Ganondorf to stun him - then fire a Light arrow to bring him to his knees.

After Ganondorf is finally defeated, he uses his last remaining strength to bring down his castle with Link and Zelda still in it. They escape, but when it seems that they have finally won, Ganondorf bursts out from under the rubble, the energy of the Triforce of Power overtaking him and transforming him into the great boar demon of terrifying evil and power named Ganon. When fighting Link, Ganon creates a wall of fire around the arena and will attempt to hurt Link using the two large blades. He can be stunned by firing a Light Arrow into his face, and can be damaged by hitting him in the tail with just about any weapon in Link's arsenal (minus the Master Sword, which is flung out of Link's hands at the beginning of the fight). Link can also roll through Ganon's legs and hit the tail that way. After damaging Ganon enough, the wall of fire around the arena will fade for a short time, allowing Link a chance to grab the Master Sword. If Link misses this chance, the first round is repeated. During the second round, Ganon can only be damaged by hitting him in the tail with the Master Sword. After being damaged enough, Ganon is stunned by Zelda, allowing Link to inflict the final blow using the now glowing Master Sword. The Seven Sages then imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm as he vows to return and "exterminate your descendants!" (He attempts to carry out the threat in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Ganon was the hidden final boss of Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. He appears in either game only after both games have been completed via the password system. It is irrelevant what order the games are played in, but he always appears as the final boss of the second. He was revived by the Twinrova sisters, but as the sorceresses were unable to sacrifice Zelda, the ritual was incomplete and Ganon became nothing more than a 'mindless' beast, bent on nothing but destruction. His speech appeared slow and simplistic. Ganon would attack in a similar manner to his appearance in A Link to the Past, using his trident very aggressively and teleporting around the arena. His most powerful attack is a gigantic variation of the bolts of magic he uses throughout the series. At certain points in the battle Ganon would warp the battlefield, and player's directional controls were reversed. Without the Master Sword, he can only be beaten with Spin Attacks.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

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An elderly Ganondorf, seen here in The Wind Waker.

By the time of The Wind Waker, it is told in legend that the Hero of Time, Link, had given up his Triforce of Courage when he left Hyrule probably during the events of Majora's Mask when he went to the land of Termina; however it is not certain because Link could have left Hyrule at any point of time. During this time, the seal keeping Ganon held in the Sacred Realm was somehow weakened or broken, allowing Ganon to return to Hyrule. Ganon was easily able to bring chaos to Hyrule while Link was away (probabaly in Termina). The land was faced with unrelenting evil as Ganon waged war against the kingdom, murdering and slaughtering anyone that stood in his way. He constructed another Tower to serve as a base of operations and devised a way to counteract the Master Sword in case another hero arose. He sent his army to attack two temples that were constrcuted to keep the power of the sword sustained. There is a sage for each temple that prays to the gods that the power to repel evil will always be with the sword. Ganon and his army however, kill both sages thus rendering the Master Sword useless against this great evil. Ganon sought to obtain the last two Triforce pieces and attacked the Castle. In response, the goddesses sank Hyrule below a large ocean, known as the Great Sea in an effort to keep him silenced. The goddesses had the most promising Hylians retreat to the mountaintops, where the sea did not reach. How he managed to regain his human form and escape from the lost kingdom of Hyrule is unknown. At the beginning of the game, most of Ganondorf's magic is sealed by the Master Sword, until Link draws the blade from its pedestal from the sunken Hyrule castle.

Ganon remained sealed in time under the Great Sea along with land he had attempted to claim. Hundreds of years passed and the seal was finally weakened enough for Ganon to escape. Ganon created a portal that transported him to the surface of the Great Sea. The Forsaken Fortress was most likely the area the portal transported him to as Link arrives here upon his own use of the portal. Ganon takes control of the fortress and quicky turns it into a new base of operations for his plans. He builds up a powerful army and sends them to take the islands of the sea. He resurrected many monsters one being Queen Gohma. He sends his army to attack the sea and take control of the islands. Some of the islands were attempted to be taken through elaborate methods such on Dragon Roast Island. Here, Ganon sends Gohma to go under the island and trap the the islands guardian dragon, Lord Valoor, by encasing his tail in hardened lava. The dragon was perched at the pinnacle of the island and his tail hung in the room below in which Gohma entered and trapped his tail. He is tortured and this caused him to react in anger and cause the island to be in disarray. He also ransacks Great Fish Ilse in an attempt to capture Lord Jabun, a fish deity of the sea, and control the sea, but Lord Jabun was able to escape to Outset Island before-hand. Other islands were entirely destroyed and many were invested with mosters. However, Ganon not only wanted control on this land but also the ancient kingdom below. To accomplish this he once again began looking for holders of the two other Triforce pieces. He creats a monsterous bird, The Helmaroc King, to find a young girl with blond hair and pointy ears and bring her to him. He was attempting to find Zelda and obtain the piece of power she possesses.

Link's first encounter with Ganon, if it can be called that, was very brief when Link is caught by Ganon's bird. The monsterous being takes Link to Ganon who then orders him to be thrown to the legions of the sea. Ganon next appears once Link has obtained the powerful master sword and is confident that he can destroy the King of Evil once and full all. Ganon simply smiles and states that he has assumed complete control of his powers when Link claimed the sword. The master sword was revealed to be a key that kept a seal on Ganon's magic. Link slashes at Ganon and to his shock the sword had no effect. Ganon backhanded the hero and was prepared to kill him when Tetra interfered. Ganon learns that Tetra is Zelda but they are able to escape the tyrant's grib. Ganon is eventually able to kidnap Zelda in order to lure Link to his tower (similiar to the plotline in Ocarina).

File:Zww-phantom-ganon.jpg

Phantom Ganon

Ganondorf is depicted as a somewhat more introspective character, almost melancholic at times, yet still hungry for the ancient kingdom. He now appears as an elderly man, still frustrated by his failure to claim the Triforce in Ocarina of Time. Unlike other games, Ganondorf does not wish to kill Link or Zelda at first, but rather to simply use them as pawns in order to get his hands on the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage. Before Wind Waker, Ganon had always been shown as pure evil, but here he is almost sympathetic, having become older and wiser. Also in Wind Waker, there are a couple of doppelgangers of Ganondorf, namely as Puppet Ganon and another appearance by Phantom Ganon.

Before the final battle, Ganondorf lets loose the reason for him wanting to take over Hyrule to Link atop his tower. Wind only brought destruction in Gerudo Valley. During the day, the wind delivered sandstorms. At night, a cold wind pierced the land. However, in Hyrule, the wind was a calm, life-giving thing. In his words, "I...coveted that wind, I suppose." After delivering a few blows to Link, Ganondorf was able to obtain the Triforce and was about to wish for the sunken kingdom of Hyrule to be exposed to the sun once more. However, the King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, (whose spirit inhabited Link's boat throughout the game) managed to reach the Triforce first and wished for Hyrule to remain beneath the sea forever, and for "hope" and "a future" for Link and Zelda. Ganon went into insane laughter and rage. He couldn't help it. He was so close, the power that he hunted for hundreds of years was finally literally in front of him. When he was about to get what he longed for his whole existance, he loses it and is left with less than what he started with. In an act of revenge, Ganondorf decided to kill the children who had tried to stop him: "Allow me to show you... your future. Yes... Allow me to show you... just what hope you have. See how much your precious Triforce is worth!" The final fight involves Link, using the Master Sword, and Zelda, using Link's bow and the Light Arrows, clashing with Ganondorf atop Ganon's Tower, who uses twin blades and an almost magical agility to both defend himself and attack Link. Near the end of the battle, after Zelda wakes up from being knocked out, Ganondorf fights with more deadly precision, where none of Link's attacks can penetrate his defenses (Ganondorf's two swords meet wherever Link strikes). Link must reflect Zelda's light arrows off of his shield, and at Ganondorf, then parry attack. At the end of the game, Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganondorf's head, turning him to stone. Before he turns to stone, though, Ganondorf laughs quietly as he whispers to Link, "The wind...it is blowing." It is believed by some that he was referencing the aforementioned wind of Gerudo Valley that brings only death.

The King of Hyrule floods Ganon's Tower and the Hyrule beneath the sea, leaving himself and the petrified Ganon beneath the waves, where he perishes. This is strongly implied at the end of the game, where Link's boat, the King of Red Lions, is shown with lifeless, glazed eyes, as opposed to the lively, yellow eyes he had throughout the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

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Ganon in Four Swords Adventures

Ganondorf is given an entirely new backstory in this game. Ganon, in his pig form, is the final boss in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. In this game, he steals a powerful trident that gives him control of incredible powers and becomes the King of Darkness. Princess Zelda refers to him seizing the Trident and becoming an "ancient demon reborn". This has led to speculation that the trident possessed the demon of the original Ganon while his human form was a reincarnation of himself. With this weapon, he begins to seize control parts of Hyrule and builds up an army to take control of the kingdom. He transforms the Forest Temple into darkness and steals the Dark Mirror which is a wepaon that holds the ability to release the darkness in people's selfs. With it, he creates a replica of Link, Dark Link. He takes control of the Realm of the Heavens and contructs a shrine around the Dark Mirror that increases its' power and creates dozens of Dark Links. With this, he steals the four jewels from the Four Sword Santuary that keeps the santuary and the surrounding landscape stabalized. He and his army destroy all the knights of the kingdom and trap them in the Dark World through the use of the mirror and transform them into beings of darkness. The knights that were guarding the jewels were turned into Stafos and the jewels were turned into portals to the Dark World. Lastly, he sends Dark Link to kidnap the shrine maidans and has him trick Link in withdrawing the Four Swords and releasing Vaati. After defeating Vaati, Link finds out that the mastermind behind all the havoc that has been caused to Hyrule, is Ganon. By teaming up with Princess Zelda, the four Links are finally able to seal him within the Four Sword and put an end to his evil schemes.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Currently, Ganon's role in Twilight Princess is unclear. While no details about his appearance are known at this moment, it was announced in Nintendo Power (vol. 193) that Ganon will be in Twilight Princess, and that Nintendo is "preparing more than you could possibly ever, ever, ever expect".

The CD-i Zeldas

Ganon appears in his "pig" form in all three of the CD-i Zelda titles, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Link: The Faces of Evil, and Zelda's Adventure.

Missing in action

In other Zelda games, Ganon is hardly touched upon, if at all. He does not appear in Majora's Mask or The Minish Cap. A nightmare shadow of him called Ganon's Shadow is his only presence in Link's Awakening.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ganondorf is also an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and is similar in appearance as in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (thus consistent with Link/Young Link and Zelda/Sheik appearances). In Melee, he is referred to by his full name, Ganondorf and is a slower, heavier, and more powerful clone of Captain Falcon, performing mostly the same attacks and moves (his regular A attack and others are different). His moves are much stronger than Captain Falcon's and he is slightly taller. Different artwork is used, however: the flame trails Falcon produces when he executes certain movements are orange or red, while Ganondorf's are black and purple, a color combination often associated with darkness in the Zelda series (see The Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time). Also, whereas Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch has a flame in a shape of a falcon, Ganon's Warlock Punch has no particular shape. Notably, Ganondorf sometimes celebrates whilst holding a huge sword. It also appears when it says Warning! Challenger Approaching, it is a black figure of Ganon and he's holding the huge sword again and it is seen in his All-Star Trophy. The sword is not used by Ganondorf during battle at all, unless a certain Action Replay code is activated and that code only allows Ganondorf to hold the sword during play. He cannot actually use it to attack. The code makes the sword just for show.

Zelda's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee notes that Ganondorf is likely the only one who knows more about the Triforce other than Zelda.

His attacks include Warlock Punch (similar to Falcon Punch), Gerudo Dragon (similar to Raptor Boost), Dark Dive (similar to Falcon Dive) and Wizard's Foot (similar to Falcon Kick).

It is currently unknown if he will return in Super Smash Bros Brawl.

In this appearance, Ganondorf was voiced by Takashi Nagasako.

Animated Series Appearances

Legend of Zelda Series

Ganon was also the main villain of 1989's Legend of Zelda cartoon, which was shown as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show in syndication that year. In the cartoon, Ganon was peach-skinned, a pig and apparently a wizard. He was in possession of the Triforce of Power, and, despite seemingly endless abilities and magics at his finger tips, bungled away each and every chance he had to nab the Triforce of Wisdom. He spent most of his time living in his subterranean lair, referred to as his "castle." He was voiced by the late Len Carlson, who would later go on to voice Klump in Donkey Kong Country. For all his power and skill, Ganon wasted it mostly on teleporting needlessly across short distances and preventing Link from getting a kiss from Zelda.

Captain N: The Game Master

Ganon (just like Link and Zelda) also appeared in Captain N: The Game Master, as a secondary villain in the episode "Quest For the Potion of Power". This was something of a continuum of Ganon's appearance in the Zelda Cartoon. The episode seems to take place after the happenings of the original Zelda game (and maybe even Zelda II), during which Ganon is weakened. Through the course of the episode he becomes revived, double-crosses Mother Brain, and is then killed again by the Reflect magic on Link's shield. Template:Endspoilers