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. His main objective lies in continuously hunting for Zelda to use her spirit as a goddess for his plan to resurrect Demise, his master. Although at first Ghirahim thinks little of Link and his presence, the Demon Lord grows frustrated and erratic as he realizes the young hero is a strong inconvenience to his plans.

Personality
Ghirahim is portrayed as a flamboyant, seemingly calm, overconfident opponent whose only goal is to capture Zelda and use her to revive Demise, his master. His mannerisms are exaggerated and theatrical, speaking in an eloquent, flashy style when directing himself to others. Ghirahim is also conceited and vain when it comes to flaunting his own appearance, which he regards as "stunning," "exquisite," and "pure". He acts formally and polite towards Link, at first claiming to be "uncivil" since he had not yet properly introduced himself to the young hero when they first met. Despite this, he is not above insulting others and calling them juvenile names, mocking them at any chance he gets. Since he considers himself to be superior to humans and a benevolent fighter, he at first chooses not to murder Link immediately as it would be unfair for the young hero. Nonetheless, Ghirahim enjoys toying with others and making them suffer until he has been satisfied enough.

However, when things do not go the way he plans, the Demon Lord loses his composure and becomes an erratic, violent fiend who seeks to take out his anger on someone else while satisfying his "strong appetite for bloodshed". In reality, Ghirahim shows himself to be a merciless, uncontrollable lunatic who merely hungers for battle and the brutal massacre of his enemies. This is demonstrated several times throughout the game; he first claims that he will beat Link to "within an inch of [his] life", then promises to deafen his ears with the "shrill sound of [his] own screams", and lastly says that he will beat Link senseless to deliver a final blow, thus "snuffing out the flame of [his] life." Despite all his disturbing and ruthless threats, Ghirahim can never best Link and becomes incredibly frustrated, outraged, and aggravated at the fact that a mere human could defeat him.

Ghirahim Reveals Himself
After Link wins the Wing Ceremony, Ghirahim summons a tornado near Skyloft that sucks up Zelda in an attempt to capture the Spirit Maiden. However, those plans fail to come to fruition due to Impa's intervention. He and Link, both pursuing Zelda, initially meet in the Skyview Temple, where the young hero finds the Demon Lord attempting to open the door leading to the Skyview Spring. Angered by the turn of events, he vents his irritation by engaging Link in combat, promising to not murder the young hero as it would be unfair, and instead decides to beat Link "within an inch of [his] life". Despite the threats, Link defeats Ghirahim, who is surprised at Link's skills but reminds him that the Goddess Sword is the only reason he is still alive. With Zelda's presence already faded, Ghirahim leaves but not before warning Link that he would kill him if their paths crossed again.

Continuing the Pursuit
Ghirahim constantly pursues Zelda and nearly captures her on several occasions. In one instance, Zelda is captured by Bokoblin forces, but upon Ghirahim's 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, Ghirahim nearly reaches her at the Temple of Time at the edge of Lanayru Desert, where he interrupts Link and Zelda's reunion by making his way in through the debris. Creating a barrier to prevent Link from interfering, he goes after Zelda but is stopped by a protective barrier created by Impa. Ghirahim, however, is eventually able to break through Impa's defense and readies to deliver the final blow when Link, with Ghirahim's barrier fully vanished, intercedes by attacking the Demon Lord from behind. This gives enough time for Impa and Zelda to escape through the Gate of Time, with the former fully obliterating the gate to impede Ghirahim from following them. Blaming himself for not having reprimanded Link in their last encounter, Ghirahim vows to severely crush Link senseless next time they meet.

At the Ancient Cistern, Ghirahim is waiting for Link, once again expressing his frustration due to Link's constant interference. Before disappearing, he infuses a statue with dark energy, causing it to attack Link. Later, Ghirahim appears to Link again at the Fire Sanctuary, where he claims their frequent encounters are due to the "thread of fate" to which they are bound. The Demon Lord then explains his joy and relief at his discovery of a second Gate of Time and, although he had promised to violently punish Link, he decides to spare the young hero's life should he reveal the location of said gate. When Link refuses, Ghirahim reveals his second form and admires himself before the two engage in battle again, claiming that he will have no mercy on the young hero. However, Link emerges victorious in the end, irritating and humiliating Ghirahim since he, a Demon Lord, was unable to defeat him and keeps on being bested by a human child. Before retreating, he reminds Link that he is still nothing and will drag him into "an eternity of torment" at all costs.

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 and magic barriers to slow him down and buy Ghirahim time. Defeating the horde, Link eventually reaches the Demon Lord, who, having grown tired of Link's persistent interventions, decides to finally finish the young hero off in a "humiliating death". Ghirahim reveals his true form as Demise's sword and calls himself a fool for having shown mercy to Link in the first place. Although he is significantly more powerful in this form, Link still triumphs, much to Ghirahim's despair. 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 hysterically 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.

Skyview Temple
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 measure Link's skill in battle. Though initially unarmed, the Demon Lord will walk towards Link with his right hand raised while it glows red. During this portion of the battle, he is capable of easily dodging and stopping Link's sword strikes with just two fingers if he attacks prematurely or in a predictable manner since Ghirahim will follow the direction in which Link's sword moves. If Link does not struggle and remove the sword from his grasp, Ghirahim will take it from Link's hands and attack him with it. Link can only retrieve it back if Ghirahim throws it, however the Demon Lord may try to pick it up again if Link is not fast enough. Alternatively, Link can Shield Bash as Ghirahim attempts to strike him to make the sword drop.

To be able to attack Ghirahim during this phase, Link must swing his sword in the opposite direction where the Demon Lord's hand is currently positioned. Holding the Goddess Sword to the right to lead Ghirahim's hand in that same direction then quickly swinging from the left will guarantee a hit if done correctly.

After sustaining enough damage, Ghirahim will draw a saber-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 several red, glowing diamond-like blades, which he can throw at Link to damage him; these can be deflected if hit with the sword in the same direction that they are traveling, or by simply using a Shield Bash. While Ghirahim is wielding his sword, he will sometimes briefly stop, lower himself, and charge at Link, unleashing a powerful strike at him. A few well timed sword strikes can stop the charge and deal damage. Alternatively, Link could use a Shield Bash to throw Ghirahim off-balance, giving the young hero a chance to strike. Another attack consists of transporting behind Link and holding his saber in a specific direction. Link must quickly strike Ghirahim in that same direction before the Demon Lord attacks him. Once Ghirahim has been hit enough times, he will promptly retreat as he can no longer sense Zelda's presence.

Fire Sanctuary
Ghirahim appears again as the boss of Fire Sanctuary, where he becomes more formidable. He starts off the fight by shielding himself with two red, glowing diamonds, which act as both a defense and offense to Ghirahim. The diamonds will block Link's sword strikes before disappearing if the young hero slashes in the direction that they are positioned. Like the first battle, if Link attacks predictably, Ghirahim will grab Link's sword and will also fire the projectiles at the young hero. Should Link be far away from the Demon Lord, the red diamonds will be thrown at Link as well.

To deal damage to the Demon Lord in the first phase, Link must once again lead Ghirahim's hand in one direction but quickly striking from the opposite direction, while at the same time being careful not to hit the floating diamonds. If the diamonds are at the top and bottom, Link can make horizontal strikes at Ghirahim. Alternatively, the young hero can first get rid of the protective projectiles carefully and then strike at Ghirahim from any angle. Eventually, however, the Demon Lord will summon four diamonds instead of two to form a square and thus increase his defense. After landing a hit on Ghirahim, he will throw the red diamonds, if any are left, at Link, which can easily be dodged or deflected.

When he is dealt enough damage, Ghirahim will draw out two slender sabers. Using these, he will attempt to block Link's attacks in a manner similar to the Stalfos, and then follow up with a counterattack if Link does not strike in the correct direction. Here, Link must slash his sword in the unprotected regions, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, which will leave him open to more attacks. Other techniques he employs include rushing at Link with both swords ready, leaving a small window of vulnerability. Right afterwards, he will slash away at Link; however, these attacks can be blocked with a timely Shield Bash, which will leave him open to more attacks. Another technique involves him jumping up and teleporting, followed by a down thrust of sorts. If Link manages to evade the falling attack, Ghirahim's swords will be temporarily stuck, making him vulnerable.

The last variation of Ghirahim's attacks in the second phase includes the red diamonds. He will summon them in three different ways: a circle engulfing Link horizontally, vertically, or by firing them at Link in groups of five. The first two can be deflected with a horizontal or vertical Spin Attack, while the last method involves Link slashing at them in the correct direction.

After he is defeated, he will become enraged, and will angrily rant about how he cannot defeat Link, even though Ghirahim is a demon. After he finishes, he will retreat.

Sealed Grounds
Ghirahim appears for the final time when he captures Zelda and begins to start the ritual to revive the Demon King, Demise. To slow Link from reaching him, Ghirahim summons a horde of monsters including virtually all types of Bokoblins, Moblins, and Stalfos. When Link manages to defeat the onslaught, Ghirahim faces him in battle again in his final form.

He summons platforms upon which he and Link do battle, high above the center of the Sealed Grounds. Although his body is invulnerable to attack, he can be beaten back by sword strikes and pushed off the edge. When this happens, Ghirahim will assemble a lower platform and land on his back, at which point he can be damaged with a Fatal Blow. Ghirahim will counterattack during this phase by attempting to kick Link or, if he's near the edge, grab the young hero and switch places with him so as to prevent from falling. After being hit several times, the Demon Lord will occasionally hold out his hands filled with electricity to block Link's attacks. Like before, Link must slash with his sword in the unprotected regions until he drops his hands.

After three strikes, Ghirahim will face Link on the ground and draw a slender rapier. He fights with familiar techniques, but can only be damaged by using a thrust attack on the vulnerable jewel on his chest. Ghirahim is capable of summoning a dark, slow-moving version of the Skyward Strike, which can be reflected back at him by hitting it in the same direction it is moving. If Link fails to strike it in the same direction, the fiery disc will go out of its trajectory. Eventually, Ghirahim will fail to deflect it back and become stunned, vulnerable to Link's sword thrusts. Should Link approach Ghirahim, the Demon Lord will strike the young hero, although this attack can be deflected with a Shield Bash to leave him momentarily open to attack.

After receiving enough damage, Ghirahim will draw a massive broadsword. Although at first Ghirahim will attempt to strike at Link, he will eventually raise the sword vertically or horizontally. Link can chisel away at the sword by striking it in the opposite direction it is being held. If the young hero does not deliver enough blows consecutively, Ghirahim will repair the broadsword. Breaking the sword leaves the enemy vulnerable for a time to more sword thrusts. After Ghirahim has sustained enough damage, the battle will end and Demise will be freed.

Trivia

 * In his first two forms, his right ear is pointed, while his left ear is round.
 * In his first form, Ghirahim often refers to himself in the plural, however, this may refer to his demon army.
 * In his second form, Ghirahim wears an earring that appears to be a blue variant of the Crystal Switch. It also resembles Fi's brooch.
 * Despite the fact that the Master Sword cannot be touched by evil beings, Ghirahim is able to wield the Goddess Sword in the first and second battles. However, this is most likely due to  the Goddess Sword's incomplete form. Ghirahim is also capable of  touching the True Master Sword during a Lightning Round battle. However, this is only a recreation of previous encounters and therefore not the real thing.
 * 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. Ghirahim's weapon form resembles a dark version of the Master Sword. In addition, Fi is generally regarded as calculating and emotionless,  while Ghirahim is very open and dramatic about his emotions.
 * When seen beginning the ritual to revive his master, Ghirahim can be heard humming his own theme music, similarly to a scene early on in Twilight Princess, when Midna hums a little of her own theme music.
 * Before his true name was revealed, some sections of the Zelda fan community nicknamed Ghirahim 'Debbie'.