Ghirahim

Ghirahim (Pronounced, ) is one of two primary antagonists featured in Skyward Sword. He is a figure of authority in the land below Skyloft, and he thinks quite highly of himself, preferring to be called Lord Ghirahim.

Ghirahim Reveals Himself
At the beginning of the game, he summons a tornado in Skyloft that sucks up Link and Zelda. However, he fails to capture his target, Zelda, due to Impa's intervention. Ghirahim's main interest lies in capturing her and to use her power as a goddess to revive his lord Demise.

Continuing the Pursuit
Ghirahim constantly pursues Zelda and nearly captures her on several occasions. First, Zelda is captured by Bokoblin forces, and when Ghirahim gets the news he rushes to retrieve her. Upon his arrival, however, he discovers that Impa has rescued her. After venting about the situation to Link, he summons Scaldera to take his frustration out on him and leaves. Later, he nearly reaches her at the Temple of Time at the edge of Lanayru Desert, but Impa covers her escape. When Ghirahim breaks through Impa's defense, he is thwarted again, this time by Link, who gives Impa enough time to escort Zelda through the Gate of Time and destroy it, preventing Ghirahim from following. At this, he swears to make Link pay the next time they meet and leaves in a hurry in order to search for another way to reach Zelda. At the Ancient Cistern, Ghirahim infuses a statue with dark energy, causing it to attack Link. Later, Ghirahim appears to Link again at the Fire Sanctuary, where he brags about having learned of a second Gate of Time, and demands that Link tell him where it is. The two face off again, with Ghirahim using more of his power than before, and Link again emerges victorious.

Demise's Resurrection
Ghirahim is unsuccessful in reaching Zelda before Link can destroy Demise in their time; however, the sense of security brought on by Demise's destruction causes Zelda to awaken from her slumber. At this moment, Ghirahim strikes and finally abducts Zelda; he takes her back to the past where Demise is still sealed, but alive, and sacrifices her to his master. Link rushes to stop the ritual, but Ghirahim summons hordes of enemies to slow him. When this is not enough, Ghirahim fights Link himself, this time with all his might. He takes on a nearly invulnerable form similar to Fi's, and although he is significantly more powerful in this form, Link still triumphs. Ghirahim, however, declares that the ritual continued during the fight, and Zelda's soul is consumed by Demise, who appears in humanoid form and promptly takes his sword back. Ghirahim laughs as he transforms back into his true form: a sword in Demise's hand. When Demise suffers a fatal blow at Link's hand, the Ghirahim-sword disappears shortly before Demise dies and restores Zelda's soul. What this means for Ghirahim's ultimate fate is unknown.

Battle
Ghirahim acts as the first boss of Skyward Sword, at the end of the Skyview Temple. After drawing his sword at Ghirahim's back during a pre-battle conversation, Ghirahim decides to attest to Link's skill in battle. Though initially unarmed, The Demon Lord is capable of easily dodging and stopping Link's sword strikes with just two fingers. If Link does not struggle and remove the sword from his grasp, he will take it from Link's hands and attack him with it. After being hit enough times, Ghirahim will draw a sabre-like sword of his own. Throughout the fight, he can vanish at will and transport to another part of the room. He can also summon red diamond-like objects which he can throw at the young hero to damage him. While Ghirahim is wielding his sword, he will briefly stop and charge at Link and unleash a powerful strike at him.

At the end of the fight, Ghirahim is surprised at Link's skills but reminds him that Link's sword is the only reason the young hero is still alive. He also tells him that the presence of Zelda has faded from where they are. Before leaving, Ghirahim warns Link that if he meets him again, he will die.

He also appears as the boss of Fire Sanctuary, where he becomes more formidable. He starts off the fight by shielding himself with the red-diamonds. Like the first battle, he will grab your sword if you attack too quickly, but it is possible to get around this. When he is dealt enough damage, he will draw out two of his sabre-like swords. Like this, he will attempt to block your attacks, and then follow up with a counter-attack. he will also rush at you with both swords ready, giving you a attack chance, but he will also jump up and teleport. If you don't run when he does this, he will hit you with a falling attack, but if you dodge, he'll get stuck, leaving him open.

After he is defeated, he will become enraged, and will angrily rant about 'how he can't beat you, even though he's a demon'. After he finishes, he will leave again.

Trivia

 * His right ear is pointed, while his left ear is round.
 * His earring is a blue variant of the Crystal Switch and is the same shape.
 * Ghirahim bears some resemblance to Vaati in his humanoid form. When asked to Nintendo, they replied that it was a coincidence and a simple design choice by the developers. Note that some of the staff from The Minish Cap returned in Skyward Sword.
 * Ghirahim acts as the counterpart of Fi, as they are both the humanoid forms of swords.
 * Ghirahims true form seems to be a dark version of the Master Sword.