Phantom Ganon

Phantom Ganon is Ganondorf's mysterious avatar, and appears in three games: Ocarina of Time, Four Swords Adventures and The Wind Waker.

Ocarina of Time
Evil Spirit from Beyond: Phantom Ganon was created by Ganondorf in his image to guard the Forest Temple in order to prevent Saria from hearing her awakening call as the Sage of Forest.

In the room where you fight him, there are many paintings of the same thing on the wall; Phantom Ganon will jump into one of them with his horse. Quickly pull out your bow and watch the paintings; it will appear as if he is galloping towards you in one - possibly two - of them. The painting with the purple ripple is the one he will jump out of. When he's coming out(when he turns white), shoot at him with your bow; he will return and the whole routine starts again, until he takes sufficient damage and is knocked off his horse. However, if you pick the wrong painting, get out of your aiming mode and rush to the edge of the room; Phantom Ganon will throw down a ball of electricity which shouldn't hurt you if you're on the edge. (If you are standing on one of the paintings of the triforce then most of the time it will not hit you).

When he's off his horse, he will shoot a ball of electricity at you. Hit it back with the Master Sword or a Bottle. He might hit it back several times, but when he gets hit and goes down, rush at him and attack with your sword. (jump attacks or rapid Spin Attacks will do fine). Then he'll start flying again... you know what to do. If you've depleted about half of his health, he will sometimes do another attack: He will twirl his staff a few times, letting of small magic sparks to show he's about to attack. Then he will charge at you, doing three hearts of damage. Once he is defeated, Ganondorf will praise your fighting skills, and then cast Phantom Ganon into the gap between dimensions. You will gain a Heart Container and the Forest Medallion from Saria.

The Wind Waker
You have encountered Phantom Ganon before in the Forsaken Fortress, but now he is stronger and more agile than before. If he emits a singular blue orb at you, bounce it back and fourth with your Master Sword until it collides with him and causes him to fall. At this time, run up and give him a final blow to destroy him. When he sends a giant red orb that splits up, do a spin attack to send it back to him. But beware, if he makes shadow appearances of himself slash them all quickly to reveal the true Phantom. The last time you encounter this foe, you must use your Light Arrows to finish him once and for all. In Ganon's tower, you face him in almost every room and after you defeat him, his sword's handle will land in the direction of the door you should go through.

Notably, the text on Phantom Ganon's Sword in this game reads "zuboragabora" in Hylian. Zubora and Gabora are the two Mountain Smithies in the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Note: A fun trick is to use your bottle to deflect the energy balls back at him. This seems to be an ongoing Zelda trick or Easter Egg.

Four Swords Adventures
Because of Four Swords Cel-shaded apperence, Phantom Ganon appears identical to that in the Wind Waker game.

First Time
One of Ganon's most feared minions is back, and he is as strong as ever, though he hasn't got any new tricks up his sleeve this time. The only "secret" to beating him is to patiently wait for him to fire his energy-balls at you, and then play a little ball with him, knocking it back and forward between you, with you using your sword. Once he is stunned, run up to him and slash away all you can before he gets his act together again. Repeat until he's down.

Second Time
He is back again, and this time he is really starting to get on our nerves as he even brought his clones! Defeating him isn't much of a trick this time around either, as you will only need to use the same tactic as you did on your first encounter with him. Focus your main attention on the green orbs, as the balls from his clones will simply break once they hit your sword. Using the Horizontal Line-Up might be a good idea, as it will help improve your aim drastically.