Zant

Zant
The Legend of Zelda series character
File:Tloztp twilightking.jpg Zant, the king of Twilight, merges the Twilight Realm with Hyrule.
First game	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Zant (ザント, Zanto) is a fictional antagonist in the Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Zant is a member of the Twili race.

Zant has also been referred to as the Twilight King and Usurper King in the game.

Story

Template:Spoiler As one of the Twili, Zant is the descendant of a power hungry tribe that was banished by the goddesses of Hyrule to the Twilight Realm.

Zant despised the royal family of the Twilight Realm. He blamed them for not taking any action to rid the Twili of their miserable existence. Zant lived in the royal household for a long time, always believing that he would be the next in line to become King of the Twilight. However, he was not accepted as the Twili's ruler, and Midna became their princess instead. While fuming with boundless hatred against his own kind he gave himself up to despair, Zant encountered Ganondorf. Posing as a god to Zant, Ganondorf promised him infinite power for the price of being released from the sages' grasp. With his newly acquired powers Zant freed Ganondorf from the confines of the Twilight Realm and set him loose to roam free once more upon the lands of Hyrule. Transforming Midna into a small imp-like figure that represents what is in her heart, in much the same way as Link transforms into a wolf in the Twilight Realm, Zant forcefully robs Princess Midna of her rightful place as the Twilight Princess. He then uses his powers to transform the remaining Twili into twisted mockeries of what they once were: Dark shadow creatures that follow blindly the orders of their new lord, Zant.

Assuming the throne as Usurper King, Zant continued to serve Ganondorf and aided him in his conquest of the lands of Hyrule. Ganondorf, sharing a lesser portion of his sorcerous powers with Zant, forms a bond which ties each others continued existence together. When one dies the other still lives, even if one loses his physical body. Zant, commanding his newfound army of Shadow Twili, sends them forth to the four light spirits of Hyrule, which serve as protectors of their respective provinces. Upon their destruction the light is stolen from the land and the Twilight expands into Hyrule, trapping its citizens as spirits within the clouds of the Twilight, succesfully conquering the land for both Ganondorf and Zant.

Link eventually meets Midna who aids him in returning light to the world and attaining the Fused Shadows, ancient artifacts of the Twili that hold tremendous power. After the Fused Shadows are successfully reassembled, Zant steals them from Midna. Then, she and Link found the sacred blade of evil's bane, the Master Sword. It is later on infused with the sources of light of the Twilight realm, called Sols.

Wielding the Master Sword, Link confronts Zant in the Palace of Twilight, leading into the penultimate boss battle of the game. It is here that Zant tells Link his story and shows his true nature, that of an insane psychopath, corrupted by power. During the battle, he shouts out in a shrill voice and acts more childish than tactical. However, he still possesses great power. Zant explains how he came to meet Ganondorf and was granted his immense powers. Link proceeds to battle Zant in a series of battles where Zant mimics the scenery and fighting tactics of past bosses and mini-bosses.

After the battle, Midna retrieves the Fused Shadows and used a glimpse of their power to destroy Zant's physical form. Before his end, however, Zant assures Link that he would soon be revived as long as Ganondorf remained alive. Utilizing the Fused Shadows, Midna was able to destroy the barrier erected over Hyrule Castle and remove Ganon's taint from Princess Zelda. After Ganondorf is impaled by the Master Sword during the final battle with Link, a vision appears displaying Zant, whose neck promptly snaps. It is speculated that Zant's demise symbolizes the death of Ganondorf, as Zant was unable to permanently die as long as his master lived. With Zant's death, the end of Ganondorf is finalized.

Trivia

• Zant's helmet bears some similarities to the helmet of another Legend of Zelda antagonist, Onox, and also bears a resemblance to the head of a chameleon.