Ganon

Ganon (pronounced, ), also known as Ganondorf (pronounced , ), is the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. He has been present since the first game, The Legend of Zelda, and has been present or referred to in most.

Introduced in The Legend of Zelda simply as a monstrous Prince of Darkness, Ganon's character has seen much development throughout the series, from being a simple monster to a powerful warlock with deeper motives to his actions. As the manifestation of the Demon King Demise's hatred for the Goddess and her Chosen Hero, Ganon is destined to eternally reincarnate to pursue world domination. As such, through the series, he has seen several deaths and resurrections.

Ganon is the possessor of the Triforce of Power, imbued with the essence of the Goddess Din. This divine relic makes Ganon unimaginably strong and grants him boundless mystical power, making him a grave threat to the land of Hyrule and the world. As stated in prophecy, the only one capable of defeating Ganon is the Hero who is chosen by the Goddesses.

Backstory
Ganon was first given a back story in A Link to the Past. It was revealed that Ganon had not always been the boar-like demon introduced in The Legend of Zelda. He was revealed to once have been a human by the name of Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorofu) and leader of a group of thieves. With the help of his followers, he became the first to enter the Sacred Realm in ages. He claimed the Triforce, turning the Sacred Realm into the Dark World and himself into a vastly powerful being. However, he was trapped within the Sacred Realm by the combined efforts of the Knights of Hyrule and the Sages. This story has been expanded on in Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf was born a Gerudo, one of the human races of the realm of Hyrule. The Gerudo are a race of mostly female warriors and thieves, to whom only one male is born every century. The male is by birthright the King of the Gerudo.

Ganondorf used his position, the trust of the King of Hyrule, as well as a great deal of cunning, manipulation, and mystical power to gain entrance to the Sacred Realm, the abode of the Triforce. However, he did not obtain the full Triforce but was left with only the Triforce of Power, which he used to great effect in his conquest of Hyrule. In The Wind Waker, Ganondorf's character was given greater depth; a timeline was established, and Ganon was given a clearer background and motive for his villainy. It is made clear that his desire to conquer Hyrule stems from the arduous life he and his people are subjected to living in the harsh Gerudo Desert, a wasteland plagued by sandstorms and an unstable climate, which he compares to the verdant landscape of Hyrule Field, and the amenable life lived by the Hylians.

He is reborn in Four Swords Adventures. In this game, Ganondorf is still a Gerudo, but he is not the king. He begins his transformation into the King of Darkness by violating the Gerudo taboo on the Dark Pyramid and seeking out the Trident of Power.

In Skyward Sword, Ganon is revealed to be a manifestation of Demise's hatred with which he cursed Link, Zelda, and their reincarnations. This curse is eternal, so like Link and Zelda, Ganon is destined to reincarnate when he dies.

Characteristics
Ganondorf is an extremely powerful Gerudo warlock who opposes Link and Zelda within the series; as such, he is a villain of pure evil, and is a cruel and ruthless warlord whose goal is to usurp the Kingdom of Hyrule. Ganon's only ambition in life is to obtain the Triforce and dominate the world using the abilities imbued by them. He has many characteristics of a person with megalomania. Despite his undeniable lust for power, Ganon is a mastermind; he is an adept tactician and a master of manipulation and deceit. It is not unusual for Ganon to manipulate the events of a story behind the scenes (as he did in A Link to the Past, Four Swords Adventures, and Twilight Princess), only to be revealed as the orchestrator in a plot twist. Ganon usually presents himself within the facade of a cynical, yet calm and civil man, although he is known to very quickly become enraged, ensuing in a murderous rampage. Ganon has no sense of morality or honor. In his conquest of the Sacred Realm, once he reached the Temple of the Triforce, he single-handedly killed all of his followers who had aided him in his expedition, so that he could claim the Triforce uncontested. He is also culturally inclined, playing the organ with great skill, as seen in Ocarina of Time where he plays his own theme throughout Link's attack on his tower. Ganon also possesses an arrogant sense of entitlement; he believes himself to be the only one worthy of ruling the kingdom. His pride is also shown when fighting enemies: Despite being more than capable of defeating most enemies in combat, Ganon instead relies on his minions to defeat them. Apparently, he chooses to fight only opponents he deems worthy, such as Link.

Even before gaining the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf was arguably one of the most powerful men in the entire land of Hyrule. He was an immensely powerful sorcerer with vast mystical resources, and as the King of the Gerudo, he also possessed political power. Once Ganondorf gained the Triforce of Power, however, his abilities, both physical and mystical, were augmented to god-like proportions, his power unrivaled by any mortal. Ganondorf became utterly unstoppable, conquering Hyrule with ease. As seen in the events of Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Power also grants Ganondorf invulnerability. Using its power, he has endured mortal wounds (such as having his chest pierced by a sword), only to remain alive and unrelenting. In addition to his incredible strength, invulnerability, and magical abilities, Ganondorf has proven himself to be a very talented swordsman, as seen in the final battles between Ganondorf and Link in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Ganondorf also has an unnaturally long lifespan, if not indefinite; he has lived through ages of Hyrulean chronology.

Names
Since the release of the original game, Ganon has had different names. Hyrule Historia established that Ganondorf refers to the human form, while Ganon is a nickname and also the name given to him when he transforms into a boar-like beast.

In the first game, the antagonist's in-game name was Gannon. However, the manual retranslated several things such as items and equipment, which resulted in the more accurate spelling "Ganon". The original Japanese releases of the first three games in the series and some early promotional media used the initial translation, but the international cartridge release of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link consistently changed it to the newer spelling outside of Japan. Gannon is believed to be a simple misspelling, which inspired the site/term Gannon-Banned. Later, when A Link to the Past was released, Ganon's human form Ganondorf was introduced. However, because Nintendo of America decided to give their own twist to the story in the translation, "Ganondorf" ended up with a last name: Ganondorf Dragmire. This name has only been used in the Western manuals of A Link to the Past for the SNES. Similarly, "Ganon" was given the name Mandrag Ganon, which supposedly means "Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves". These names do not appear in later games or re-releases of A Link to the Past.

There have been several cases, even in more recent games, in which characters, such as the King of Red Lions or Zant, refer to the form more commonly known as Ganon or Ganondorf with what has been more firmly established as the other form's name.

Skyward Sword
Although Ganondorf is not in Skyward Sword, his origins are revealed. He is the manifestation of Demise's hatred for Link and Zelda, the product of a curse that Demise placed upon them just before being sealed away within the Master Sword.

Ocarina of Time
During the events of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was striving to conquer the lands of Hyrule and obtain the Triforce. In order to access the Triforce within the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf sought the three Spiritual Stones from the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras. When they refused to hand them over, he placed a death-curse upon the Great Deku Tree and Lord Jabu-Jabu, and blocked off Dodongo's Cavern with a gigantic boulder. At the same time, he pledged false allegiance to the King of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda sensed the evil within Ganondorf and, along with Link, strove to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce. Ganondorf betrayed the King and assaulted Hyrule Castle while Link gathered the three Spiritual Stones. Link returned in time to see Zelda and Impa flee, pursued by Ganondorf on his horse. Ganondorf demanded Link tell him in which direction the two had fled, but he refused. When Link, shortly thereafter, opened the entrance to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf followed him and seized the opportunity to obtain the Triforce, with partial success. As he touched the Triforce, it split into three pieces, leaving Ganondorf with only the Triforce of Power.

During the seven years Link was asleep, Ganondorf conquered the Kingdom of Hyrule. He transformed the feudal-style Hyrule Castle into Ganon's Castle, a tiered near-cylindrical skyscraper resting on a floating island that hovered above a large lake of lava. He had the Castle Town totally decimated, left in ruins, and populated by the ReDead, causing many Hylians to flee to Kakariko Village.

As Hyrule's new king, Ganondorf gained even more knowledge regarding the Triforce. Because his heart was not in balance, he was only bestowed one third of the element: the Triforce of Power. With all the luxury and power of the subdued kingdom at his disposal, the Evil King was able to wait for the moment when the two remaining Triforce keepers would reveal themselves. Eventually, he found them in the Temple of Time where he kidnapped Princess Zelda, who had evaded his pursuit for seven years, and challenged Link to come rescue her. The three Triforce possessors met again in Ganon's Tower where the final battle ensues. Link reaches the top of the Tower and discovers that the music heard radiating from throughout was Ganondorf playing on a massive organ, adorned with grotesque statuary, while Zelda was confined in a pink crystalline enclosure floating above it. When Link arrives, Ganondorf taunts him and engages him in battle. Link is able to defeat the tyrant with Light Arrows and the Master Sword. Ganondorf, in his corporeal human form, is defeated and weakened. After Link rescues Zelda from the Tower, the revived and enraged Ganondorf uses the essence of the Triforce of Power to transform into a bestial monstrosity called Ganon. Despite his behemoth height and clever tactics, Link manages to defeat him using the Master Sword and assistance from the power of the Seven Sages. Ganon was sealed into the void of the Evil Realm where he could not harm Hyrule or lay his hands on the remaining pieces of the Triforce. As he is sealed in the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf claims that when he breaks the seal, he will kill Link's descendants. This appears to come true in other games such as The Wind Waker.

Downfall Timeline
The Downfall Timeline is the timeline in which Link, the Hero of Time, despite his best efforts, was defeated by Ganondorf in the final battle. This allowed the Evil King to obtain the full Triforce, but he was subsequently sealed within the Dark World by Princess Zelda and the other awakened sages, taking the Triforce with him.

A Link to the Past
Prior to this game, Ganondorf was the first to enter the Sacred Realm in a long time. There, he killed his minions in order to be the only one able to claim the Triforce. When he laid his hands upon it, the Sacred Realm changed into the Dark World and he changed into a boar-like demon, Ganon. However, he was not able to enjoy his new powers for very long as the Knights of Hyrule and the Sages locked him up in the Dark World. Many years later, Ganon used the (guise of the) wizard Agahnim to break free from the Dark World. Agahnim managed to win the trust of the King of Hyrule and eventually managed to take control of Hyrule himself. He tried to break the seal by sending the Maidens, descendants of the Seven Sages, into the Dark World. He was temporarily stopped when Link helped the final maiden, Princess Zelda, to escape. However, Agahnim managed to find her while Link was trying to acquire the Master Sword and immediately send her to the Dark World. This broke the seal and allowed Ganon's influence to spread across the Light World too. After suffering a defeat by Link, Agahnim draws him into the Dark World.

Link had to face Agahnim again in the Dark World, where he destroyed him. After the battle with Agahnim, a shadow of Ganon arose from his body, turned into a bat, and flew to the Pyramid of Power. There, Link finally was able to face him. Even though Ganon wielded the might of the united Triforce and the Trident, Link managed to destroy him with the Master Sword and the Silver Arrows.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
In the linked ending of the Oracle subseries of Zelda games, it is revealed that the events of the two games were started by Twinrova in an attempt to resurrect Ganon. The ritual required that three flames were lit: the Flame of Destruction, the Flame of Sorrow, and the Flame of Despair. The Flame of Destruction was lit when Link defeated General Onox. The Flame of Sorrow was lit when Link defeated Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows. With two flames lit, the Twinrova sisters capture Princess Zelda and intend to sacrifice her to light the final flame. Because Link managed to save her, the Twinrova sisters are forced to sacrifice themselves to awaken Ganon. Because of this, the ritual was incomplete and Ganon became a mindless beast, although he did demonstrate limited thought just as he was defeated (or banished) by Link.

Link's Awakening
Ganon did not appear in Link's Awakening but during the final battle, the final boss takes on a form known as the Shadow of Ganon. During the final battle, the Shadow Nightmares take on the form of various monsters from Link's past. One of these is the form of Agahnim, Ganon's alterego, while the fourth is of Ganon himself. While not the true Ganon, this is a memory of Link's battle with Ganon in A Link to the Past, and as such attacks in a similar manner, using his trident and attacking with Blazing Bats. Unlike the real Ganon, the Silver Arrows are not needed for Link to defeat it, but he will have to use Spin Attacks or the Pegasus Boots to cause damage. Unlike the other Shadows up to this point, once defeated, the Shadow of Ganon will make the cry normally used for when a boss has been completely destroyed. Despite this, the battle will continue as the shadows take on another form.

Inishie no Sekiban
Six years after the events of A Link to the Past, Ganon returns in BS The Legend of Zelda: Inishie no Sekiban. After monsters attack Hyrule and a mysterious Hero of Light appears from the sky, a quest to obtain eight ancient Hylian stone tablets eventually reveals that Ganon, the Demon King had managed to keep his lingering spirit alive despite his body's destruction at the hands of Link. His evil power had slowly been growing in a rebuilt Ganon's Tower, with his ultimate aim to obtain the power of the Hero of Light so he could be fully reborn. Ganon himself had drawn the Hero of Light into Hyrule, but he met his hubris when he was destroyed again due to a combination of the Golden Sword and the Silver Arrows, both wielded by the Hero of Light.

The Legend of Zelda
Despite his destruction in A Link to the Past, Ganon returns to life some time prior to The Legend of Zelda. He led an invasion on the small kingdom of Hyrule and managed to obtain the Triforce of Power. Before he could obtain the Triforce of Wisdom, Princess Zelda was able to break it into eight pieces and scatter it throughout Hyrule, and sent her attendant Impa away to search for help. Ganon captured Zelda and held her hostage in his lair, deep in Death Mountain under Spectacle Rock, and sent his minions after Impa. Link, having outwitted his underlings and learnt of the perils that the land was under took up a sword and went alone to assemble the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. Using it, he entered Death Mountain and shone it upon the King of Evil's hiding place. Ganon fought ruthlessly with his seemingly invincible Technique of Darkness, but Link was able to vanquish him with his blade and by using the Silver Arrows to deliver the final blow.

BS The Legend of Zelda
In BS Zelda (a remake of the first Legend of Zelda title, re-released for the BS-X broadcasting system addition for the Super Famicom), Ganon uses a variation of his A Link to the Past look. He wears a red coat, skull necklace, and wields the Trident, although appears with grey skin, rather than blue. He laughs when he first appears, and fights using the same method that he used in the original version of the game.

The Adventure of Link
Years later, in The Adventure of Link, Ganon's army made an attempt to revive him by spilling Link's blood onto Ganon's ashes but failed. As such, Ganon only appeared on the "Game Over"-screen.

Child Timeline
The Child Timeline is the timeline that follows Link after being sent back to his original time following the defeat of Ganondorf by the Hero of Time in the final battle. He warns Princess Zelda and the current King of Hyrule of the tragic future that awaited the kingdom involving Ganondorf if nothing was to be done.

Twilight Princess
Prior the events of Twilight Princess, Ganondorf was captured, put on trial, and sentenced to execution by the Sages. While they managed to severely wound him by impaling him with a light sword, the Triforce of Power activated at that moment and thus they could not kill him. Using the power granted by his Triforce piece, he managed to free himself from his chains, and kill the Sage of Water as well. Knowing no better solution, the Sages opened the gate to the Twilight Realm and sent Ganondorf through it. There, he influenced Zant, who had been denied the throne of the Twilight Realm, to seize control and access Hyrule again. Ganondorf granted Zant a fraction of his power in return for the opportunity to escape the Twilight Realm.

After Link defeats Zant, Ganondorf and the young hero meet atop Hyrule Castle, where he is found sitting on Princess Zelda's throne as Zelda's body lies in a niche in the same room. During the final battle, Ganondorf possesses Zelda by turning into Twilight. Using Zelda as a puppet, he attacks Link relentlessly, until Link forces his spirit out of Zelda's body. Ganondorf then takes his bestial form, Ganon, becoming an immensely powerful boar. Taking advantage of Ganon's blind rage, Link outwits him, and defeats Ganon by striking the wound left by the Sages with the Master Sword.

Ganondorf then takes on the form of an immense veil of fire in the shape of his disembodied head. Midna valiantly resolves to fight Ganondorf using the Twilight magic housed within the Fused Shadow, teleporting Link and Zelda to the safety of Hyrule Field. Midna, transforming into an enormous Twilit arachnoid, attacks Ganondorf, with the ensuing battle destroying the castle. However, Midna was no match for Ganondorf, who is promptly defeated by the Gerudo King. Ganondorf emerges from the ruins of Hyrule Castle on horseback, triumphantly holding aloft the Fused Shadow fragment that Midna wore, and after crushing it in his hand, he charges towards Link and Zelda.

Zelda entreats the Light Spirits of the realm to lend her their power in the form of the Arrows of Light. Mounting Epona, Link and Zelda pursue, assailing Ganondorf with a hail of arrows. Ganondorf is momentarily staggered, falling from his steed, but he recovers surprisingly quickly and confines himself and Link in a makeshift arena where the two engage in a sword duel.

After besting him in a sword to sword struggle, Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganondorf's open wound. He survives the death blow for a few moments, and only when the Triforce of Power fades completely from his hand, does he succumb. Now dying, Ganondorf sees a vision of Zant. Zant's neck breaks, and immediately Ganondorf's eyes gloss over and dies.

Four Swords Adventures
Hundreds of years later, in Four Swords Adventures, Ganon was reincarnated following his death in Twilight Princess. In this game, Ganon is referred to as a desert nomad, recently expelled from the Gerudo Tribe by breaking their taboo and exploring the Desert Pyramid. He stole the Trident and the Dark Mirror which he used to summon Dark Link. He used him to trick Link into releasing Vaati from the Four Sword. While Vaati distracted Link and imprisoned the Shrine Maidens, Ganon absorbed the power of the Maidens. At the end of the game, Ganon appears as the final boss as a twist ending, fought in the Dark World underneath the Tower of Winds, where he is defeated after Link fires a Light Arrow into Zelda's ball of light that pierces him. He is then sealed away in the Four Sword.

Adult Timeline
The Adult Timeline is the timeline that follows the events after Link is being sent back to his original time, following the Hero of Time's defeat of Ganondorf in the final battle. Ganondorf is sealed within the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages but, with Link sent back in time, the world is left without a Hero.

The Wind Waker
"My name is Ganondorf... And I am the master of Forsaken Fortress."

- Ganondorf

Long before the events in The Wind Waker, Ganon managed to escape and wreak havoc in Hyrule once more. No hero appeared this time and the Gods were forced to flood Hyrule in order to stop Ganon.

However, he managed to free himself and subsequently rebuild his army. Still wanting to obtain the Triforce, he sent one of his minions, the Helmaroc King, on a search for "young girls with pointy ears" hoping to find Princess Zelda, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Among the girls kidnapped is Link's sister, Aryll, and this sets Link off on his adventure to rescue her. Link finds Ganondorf's hideout, the Forsaken Fortress, where Ganondorf had Link thrown far away into the ocean after being caught by the Helmaroc King. Later, it is revealed that Ganondorf has limited magic strength, for his powers were sealed away by the gods with the aid of the Master Sword. However, without this knowledge, Link himself takes the Master Sword, and thus removed the only barrier restraining Ganondorf's power.

Soon afterwards atop the Forsaken Fortress, Ganondorf reveals that the Master Sword is dull; its power to banish evil gone. Link and the pirate captain Tetra narrowly escape safely with the help of the Sky Spirit Valoo and the Rito before Ganondorf can seize Tetra, who he finds is actually Princess Zelda and the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom. After this, Zelda is hidden inside the underwater castle in Hyrule and Link begins his quest to reawaken the Master Sword. Once Link achieves his goals of finding the Triforce of Courage and restoring the Master Sword, Ganondorf locates their haven and consequently captures Zelda, whom he takes to his underwater tower. Link finds Zelda unharmed, lying in a bed, sleeping, with Ganondorf watching over her and her dreams. However, before Link has any chance to approach, Ganondorf unleashes a bewitched, giant puppet, which Link defeats. Ganondorf finally reappears to challenge Link, and with Zelda in his arm, he rises to the rooftop of the tower.

Soon after Link reaches the rooftop, Ganondorf speaks to him about his reasons for desperately searching for the Triforce pieces, revealing a little of his origins from the harsh Gerudo Desert and his desire to take over the green landscapes of Hyrule. When he declares that he already has in his possession the Triforce of Wisdom, Ganondorf suddenly rushes against Link and delivers swift, hard blows that leave Link half-conscious and the Master Sword out of reach. Ganondorf, using his Triforce of Power, summons the two missing Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda and reforms the Triforce. Nevertheless, right before Ganondorf is able to touch the Triforce and make his wish come true, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last King of Hyrule, appears to touch the Triforce first and makes the wish of washing away the ancient land of Hyrule. The Triforce disappears and water starts pouring through the protective barrier into the land of Hyrule as Ganondorf laughs scornfully. Link wakes up at that point and Zelda approaches him holding the Master Sword for Link to engage Ganondorf in a last battle. Ultimately with Zelda's aid, Ganondorf is defeated when Link deals the final blow by plunging the Master Sword straight into Ganondorf's forehead, turning him into stone and killing him. His body remains atop the tower under the Great Sea with the Master Sword in his head, and the ocean finally drowns Hyrule under the Great Sea.



Phantom Hourglass
Ganon is not encountered or fought in Phantom Hourglass due to his defeat in Hyrule (now beneath the Great Sea) at the end of The Wind Waker, but Link's duel with an "evil king" is mentioned in the intro.

Other Appearances
Ganon is also featured in other media, including comics based on the games, animated shows, and the Super Smash Bros. series. Although his appearance varies from the main series, Ganon is still the wielder of the Triforce of Power who seeks to rule Hyrule by using the power of the sacred relic, fighting against Princess Zelda and Link to reach his goal.

Ganon's Swords

 * See also: Sword of the Sages

Although they go unnamed throughout The Legend of Zelda series, Ganondorf has several swords that he uses often. They are inscribed with various pictures or writing, depending on the game. Ganondorf is first canonically seen wielding a sword in The Wind Waker during the final battle, which is what he uses as his offensive strategy. Later on in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf wields the Sword of the Sages, a weapon that the Sages tried to use against him in an attempt to kill him. The Sword of the Sages serves as Ganondorf's weapon in the final battle against Link.

Non-canon appearances of a sword-wielding Ganondorf include several of Ganondorf's victory poses in Super Smash Bros. Melee and the SpaceWorld 2000 demo which included a sword fight between Link and Ganon. This sword was much bulkier than the swords he uses in the main series, and had a rounded tip.

Trivia

 * According to Hyrule Historia, Ganondorf is 230 tall (76) in Ocarina of Time. His 1/4 scale model from First4Figures, who used in game data to faithfully recreate his appearance in Twilight Princess, stands at 23 inches tall, which indicates that he stands at 7ft 6 in that game as well.
 * In the original Legend of Zelda, Ganon was misspelled "Gannon". In rereleases this error was corrected. It is unknown if this was a mistranslation or just that Nintendo later decided to drop one of the N's in the name.
 * In Ocarina of Time, Ganon plays his own leitmotif on a pipe organ. The sound becomes louder as Link ascends Ganon's Tower. In Twilight Princess a similar effect occurs where as the player progresses through Hyrule Castle the background music shifts from the theme of Hyrule Castle to Ganon's theme.
 * In Ocarina of Time, it is stated that Twinrova played the role of Ganon's surrogate mother.
 * His pose in the Ocarina of Time 3D artwork looks similar to his appearance in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl artwork.
 * Early artwork for the Oracle series shows designs for Ganondorf, implying he was intended to appear in the game.
 * In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf has rounded ears while in Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker they are pointed.