Ganon

Ganon (ガノン), better known as Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorofu) in his human form, or (Non-canonically) Ganondorf Dragmire (or misspelled Gannon due to a bad translation ), is the primary antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Classically, Ganondorf is a central component of the Legendarium; his importance rivaled only by Link and Princess Zelda themselves. He has served as the main adversary in eight of thirteen Zelda titles. Chronologically, Ganondorf's first appearance was in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he has appeared to contest Link in many games since, including the non-Zelda videogame Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ganon also starred in the Legend of Zelda cartoon series. Game-wise, Ganon first appeared as the final boss in the very first Legend of Zelda game for the NES.

Ganondorf has made an apperance in every Zelda title except for Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass.

Backstory
Ganondorf's backstory has been established in the dialogues of Ocarina of Time, Four Swords Adventures & Twilight Princess.

Ganondorf is one of the legendary Gerudo males who are born only once every hundred years. By birthright, he rose to lead the Gerudo and assumed the title "King of Thieves". Many details of Ganondorf's life are unknown - including his age and his lineage - though it is known that the sorceress sisters Koume and Kotake acted as his surrogate mothers (and it is widely believed that he came to know about the Triforce through these witches).

He left the desert in order to seek out the keys to the Door of Time, in order to acquire the Triforce and absolute power. When the guardians of three of the keys refused his requests, Ganondorf cursed them - infesting the Great Deku Tree with a parasite, resurrecting the dodongos in Dodongo's Cavern; blocking the Gorons from their food source, and by plaguing the Zora's deity and guardian, Jabu-Jabu with a sickness that makes him "not himself". In order to find the final of the keys, the Ocarina of Time, he ingratiated himself with the royal family of Hyrule.

Appearances (in pseudo-chronological order)
Ganondorf has two forms: his Gerudo form and the form of a goat-hoofed, boar-headed monster. He is generally called Ganondorf in his Gerudo form and Ganon in his "pig" form. Depending on the game, he may appear in either or both of these forms. He also made the appearance as a spirit, or a "god", in Twilight Princess.

Ocarina of Time
By the time of 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. He cursed the Great Deku Tree and Lord Jabu Jabu, and after unsuccessfully approaching Darunia for the Goron's Ruby, he blocked off Dodongo's Cavern. At the same time, he pledged false allegiance to the King of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda, blessed with the gift of visions, intuitively sensed the evil within Ganondorf and, along with Link, strove to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce. Ganondorf betrayed and assaulted Hyrule Castle while Link searched for and gathered the three Spiritual Stones. Zelda had fled with her Sheikah guardian Impa on a white horse followed by Ganondorf, the same event which occured in Link's dream. When Link opened the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf followed him and seized the opportunity to obtain the Triforce with partial success.

Link was forced by the Master Sword to age seven years, sealed in the Sacred Realm before he was deemed capable of wielding the Master Sword and defeating Ganondorf. During this time, Ganondorf conquered Hyrule, creating a world of darkness, chaos, and despair. Link sought to awaken the power of the Sages in order to face Ganondorf and repair the damage he had unwittingly caused.

Ganon possessed the Triforce of Power, but the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage lay within Princess Zelda and Link respectively. Ganondorf captured the Princess and used her as bait to lure Link to his castle, resulting in a climatic face-off in which Ganondorf shed his original identity - naming himself "Ganon" and transforming into a giant pig-like monster. Using the Master Sword and the power of the Sages, Link was able to seal Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm and restore peace to Hyrule.

Twilight Princess
In essence, Ganondorf is the master manipulator for the events of Twilight Princess. A few years after Link saved Hyrule and returned to his childhood, the Gerudo is captured and brought to trial for his atrocities.

The King of Thieves was ritually chained to a giant rock and impaled by a blade of light, as an act of execution. The Triforce of Power, however, allows him to survive this execution and he break free from the chains. He kills the Water Sage, and threatens to destroy the others as well. As a last resort, the Sages activate the Twilight Mirror, which sends him into the Twilight Realm.



Posing as a god, Ganondorf gives Zant, an attendant to the Twilight Princess and hopeful (but denied) heir, immense power in exchange for freedom from the Twilight Realm. Zant uses his newfound power to usurp the throne of the Twili and become King of the Twilight Realm. With the aid of Zant, Ganondorf manages to escape the Twilight Realm.

Ganondorf is finally encountered in the throne room of Hyrule Castle. After Zelda (whose spirit had been in Midna's body,) apparates, Ganondorf seizes her, and takes possession of her body. Using Zelda as a puppet, he attacks Link relentlessly, until Link forces his spirit out of Zelda's body. Ganon then takes his bestial form, becoming an immensly powerful mystical boar. Taking advantage of Ganon's blind rage, Link outwits him, and defeats Ganon, by striking his glowing wound with the evil purging Master Sword.

Ganondorf then takes on the form 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 Shadows, teleporting Link and Zelda to the safety of Hyrule Field. Midna transforms into an enormous Twilit arachnoid, and attacks Ganon. The ensuing battle destroys Hyrule Castle. Ultimately, Midna is no match for the Triforce of Power, and Ganondorf makes short work of her. He emerges from the ruins of Hyrule Castle on horseback, holding a fragment of the Fused Shadow that Midna wore, then riding off into the darkness.

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 sacred arrows. Ganondorf is momentarily staggered, falling from his steed. Link dismounts Epona to examine further, but Ganondorf recovers surprisingly quickly, and confines himself, and Link, in a makeshift arena. Ganondorf challenges Link to a climatic sword duel to the death.

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 moments, and attempts to call upon the Triforce of Power. Only when the Triforce of Power fades completely from his hand, does he succumb. Now dying, Ganondorf sees a vision of Zant. Zant's appears to snap his own neck, and immediately Ganondorf's eyes gloss over which presumably signifies the death of Ganondorf.

Although it is shown that Ganondorf presumably dies, it is not shown clearly as such. The Triforce fades, his wound stops glowing, and his eyes glaze over, but he remains standing and swaying gently in the wind. He is never seen falling down, providing an obvious opportunity for him to return.

The Wind Waker
After escaping his prison in the Sacred Realm and attempting once again to conquer Hyrule, Ganondorf is once again sealed by the gods by request of the King of Hyrule and the Earth and Wind Sages, at the cost of sealing the whole world as well under a grand flood. Ganondorf makes his appearance fairly early in the story. By Ganondorf's orders, a giant bird, the Helmaroc King, is kidnapping young girls with pointy ears, that is, Hylians' descendants. This is with the hope in finding the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. The bird captures and takes away Link's sister, Aryll, and this sets Link off on his adventure to rescue her. This leads Link to Ganondorf's hideout, the Forsaken Fortress, where Ganondorf had Link thrown far away into the ocean after being caught by the Helmaroc King. Link is rescued by The King of Red Lions, who told him a bit about Ganondorf's past and the threat he represents now that he's free again. Without wasting time, Link embarks on a journey to save the kidnapped girls, his sister, and defeat Ganondorf. 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 lock to Ganondorf's powers.

Soon afterwards atop the Forsaken Fortress, Ganondorf reveals that the Master Sword is dull; its power to bane 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 races towards Ganon's Tower and reaches the last floor, where he finds Zelda unharmed. However, before Link has any chance to approach Zelda, 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 reached 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, Ganon suddenly rushes against Link and delivers swift, hard blows that leave Link half-concious and the Master Sword out of reach. Ganon, 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, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the long lost King of Hyrule which served Link as the small boat called the King of Red Lions, appears to touch the Triforce first and makes the wish of washing away the ancient land of Hyrule. 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. He 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. This time Ganondorf is depicted as actually dead. The Triforce of Power has evidently left him, so he no longer has anything to keep himself alive. This is the only game where Ganondorf actually recogizes Link and Zelda for the threats they really are. Before they proceed to kill him. It is suspected that The Windwaker chronologically marks the end of the Zelda series (with the exception of Phantom Hourglass).

The Legend of Zelda
''A long, long time ago the World was in an age of Chaos. In the middle of this chaos, in a little kingdom in the land of Hyrule, a legend was being handed down from generation to generation, the legend of the 'Triforce'; golden triangles possessing mystical powers.''

''One day, an evil army attacked this peaceful little kingdom and stole the Triforce of Power. This army was led by Ganon, the powerful Prince of Darkness who sought to plunge the World into fear and darkness under his rule. Fearing his wicked rule, Zelda, the princess of this kingdom, split up the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments and hid them throughout the realm to save the last remaining Triforce from the clutches of the evil Ganon. At the same time, she commanded her most trustworthy nursemaid, Impa, to secretly escape into the land and go find a man with enough courage to destroy the evil Gannon. Upon hearing this, Ganon grew angry, imprisoned the princess, and sent out a party in search of Impa.''

So begins the first tale of Ganon's quest to conquer Hyrule (linked to the events of Ocarina of Time). In this tale, he possesses the Triforce of Power, and seeks the Triforce of Wisdom as well. Imprisoning Zelda, he has made his stronghold in Death Mountain, and awaits Link to come and bring him the Triforce of Wisdom.

The Adventure of Link
While never truly appearing as himself, Ganon does eventually appear. It has been prophesied that, were Link to be sacrificed and his blood sprinkled upon the ashes of Ganon, Ganon would return to life.

A Link to the Past
In this game, Ganondorf is the leader of a group of thieves that somehow reach the Golden Land. There, he kills all of his men and touches the Triforce with hands covered in blood, becoming Ganon. The Golden Land is turned into the Dark World, and Ganon can't return to the Light World. From that moment, his minions start the Imprisoning War and try to open a portal for him. Knowing that danger, the king reunites Seven Wise Men (Sages), who seal Ganon into the Dark World and forge the Master Sword, so that, if he escapes, a hero can use the blade to destroy him. Taking control of Agahnim, he slowly ingratiated himself into a position of power within the court of Hyrule, before staging a coup d'etat against the Royal Family. He eliminated the good King of Hyrule, and captured the descendants of the Seven Wise Men. Those were maidens under the protection of the Royal Family. He used his magical powers to send the maidens into the Dark World. After sending six of the maidens into the Dark World, he sought the last descendant, Princess Zelda. Zelda had actually escaped from him, with the aid of Link. Zelda went into hiding in the Sanctuary and remained there until Link retrieved the Pendants and acquired the Master Sword. At that point, Agahnim discovered Zelda's hiding place and captured her, taking her to Hyrule Castle to perform the ritual. Link raced to save her, but arrived only in time to see her sent into the Dark World. This broke the seal and allowed Ganon's influence to spread across the Light World as well as the Dark World. After suffering a defeat by Link, Agahnim draws him into the Dark World. From there, Link embarks on his real quest: Save the maidens, rescue Zelda, and destroy Ganon completely. Eventually, after having picked off his minions, rescued the maidens, and killed his alter-ego, Link comes face to face with the King of Evil in his Pyramid of Power, now wielding the united might of the whole Triforce. In the end, after a fierce and difficult battle, Ganon is destroyed by the power of the Silver Arrows and the Master Sword, and loses the completed Triforce to Link. Link restores the land of Hyrule to it's rightful conditions, and revives the King of Hyrule and his Uncle.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Ganon, in pig form, makes an appearance only in the linked game. Complete Ages/Seasons, then transfer your data to the other, and he becomes the true Final Boss.

The witches Kotake and Koume (known as Twinrova) create a plot to resurrect Ganon and bring him back from his eternal imprisonment so he may once again rule Hyrule, and eventually the world. The process for resurrecting Ganon required that they light three flames, the flame of destruction, the flame of sorrow, and the flame of despair.

In Oracle of seasons, the main 'chief' who seems to be behind the cause of fluctuating seasons in Holodrum is a new face joining the ranks of evil. He is known as Onox, general of darkness. When Link defeats him, the land returns to normal and the seasons come in their appropriate order and time. However, the destruction that Onox had caused was enough to light the flame of destruction.

In Oracle of ages, another new villain known as Veran, sorceress of shadows, brings chaos to the land of Labrynna by causing mischief in the past, thus hurting or affecting people of the present time. Link also manages to defeat Veran, but not before the emotional trauma her actions bring to Labrynna light the flame of sorrow.

When only the flame of despair remains unlit, the Twinrova sisters capture princess Zelda, causing the people to lose hope, and lighting the final flame.

And it is here where Ganon finally comes in. Despite all the flames being lit, Link shortens the time the Twinrova sisters had to completely sacrifice Zelda for the summoning ritual. They are forced to use themselves as a sacrifice to awaken Ganon. Fortunately, sacrificing themselves instead of Zelda only brought forth a mindless, raging Ganon, who Link is able to defeat and return proper peace and order to the land.

Four Swords Adventures
Ganon appears as the final boss in Four Swords Adventures. He fights in the same way as he did in A Link to the Past, despite the fact that he is much larger, as is his trident. The four Link's unite their strength to do away with the evil king just as they did with Vaati, only this time they also required the assistance of princess Zelda to deal the final blow to Ganon, imprisoning him in the Four Sword. This game has a side story that explains how Ganon obtained his trident, dubbed the Trident of Power.

Phillips CD-i Games
Some claim these games were a mistake, or a "flop," and will not be covered here. All that can be said is that he was a pig that died with nothing less than one blow.

Super Smash Bros
Ganondorf is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is a heavy and slow moving character with very powerful attacks. He moves and has attacks very similar to those of Captain Falcon. He will return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Ocarina of Time
The battle against Ganondorf is not that difficult though he might cause some damage if you're not careful. Navi won't assist you this time so there won't be any Z/L-Targeting on Ganondorf. Just as the battle begins Ganondorf will start his attack by hovering over the middle of the room, and hitting the floor with a shock wave, causing not only some blocks to fall (creating a "pit" around the main pillar that serves as the battlefield center) but hurting you as well if you're not quick enough to move further away. If you get hit by it and/or fall by accident into the pit, don't panic. You'll end up again in a floor previous to the stairs that led you to Ganon's room which has some jars that may contain magic jars, arrows or hearts. Supply yourself if the need arises and use the "steps" on the central pillar to get back to the fight (it's best to use the Longshot on the top "steps" to get back quicker, since Ganondorf will do another shock wave once you're on the top that will surely throw you back down again if you're not fast enough to avoid it).

Ganondorf will attack you with his shockwave if you get near and two magic attacks if you're far. Also he will protect himself with his cape if you try to hit him with any type of arrow. The way to defeat Ganondorf, however, is pretty much the same as it was with Phantom Ganondorf. Once after the first attack he'll assault you by throwing a magic ball that you just have to be quick to reflect at him until it hits him then shoot him with a light arrow to leave him numb on the floor, then get near him and use the Master Sword on him (this is the only time where you get the chance to Z/L-Target him). After some blows, Ganondorf will execute his second magic attack, which consists in gathering magic into one big sphere and then releasing it into several magic balls that you can only counter by doing a spin attack (fully charged). Otherwise, you can use a Light Arrow to numb him and leave him open for another attack. Repeat it until you defeat him (a way to know how near are you from defeating him is to watch his cape, the more it looks torn the less life he has).

After you beat Ganondorf, the castle will start to crumble and Zelda will prompt you to escape with her. After getting out of the castle, the tower will finally crash down. Zelda will speak a little, then a deep, strong noise will sound. Approach the pile of rocks at the center of what's left of the tower, fire will surround the new arena and Ganondorf will violently arise from beneath and, using the last of his godly power, transform into Ganon: a horned, hoofed monster with two massive short-swords. Before the battle starts, Ganon will hit the Master Sword away. He may look scarier, but he's actually quite a lot easier to beat, and there are two ways to do it. The first way is to use a Light Arrow on its head and going around him to hit his tail with almost any weapon (the Biggoron's Sword is preferable but you can do it as well with the Megaton Hammer or the Longshot). This way is slower but gives you more time to hit him. The second way is to run towards him and the moment Ganon raises his weapon, roll through his legs. This will give you a couple of seconds to hit his tail, otherwise he'll do a quick turn and hit you immediately.

After enough beating, Ganon will kneel down and the fire will disappear for a short time. Quickly head towards where's Zelda to retrieve the Master Sword, then approach Ganon again to continue the fight. Repeat the strategy like in the previous phase but this time you'll have to hit Ganon's tail with the Master Sword only, or else you won't be able to defeat him. If you lack in hearts, magic, or arrows, just lure Ganon into destroying the remaining rocks around the place. Once Ganon kneels down once again, Zelda will intervene so that you can deliver the final blow.

The Wind Waker
Just when the battle begins Zelda will talk to you, telling you she will take care of the Arrows of Light to cover you. You will see Ganondorf approaching you with his two blades. Target him, dodge or shield his blows and wait for the Parry attack (you can't Parry if you're using the shield) to numb him so you can slash him. You can also get away from him at a safe distance, making him follow you until Zelda shoots an arrow to numb him and freely strike him with the Master Sword. After some blows from the Light Arrows, a cinema display will be shown where Ganondorf will knock down Zelda, leaving her unconscious for some time. Meanwhile attack Ganondorf with the Parry strategy. The more life you take away from Ganon, the more difficult will be to Parry, until it will be just impossible to. When that happens, Zelda will wake up. Get near her, use the shield and get away from Ganondorf while targeting him and being aligned with Zelda until she fires an arrow. Ganondorf will dodge it but if you were using the shield, the magic will be reflected unto Ganondorf. Otherwise, Zelda will hit you, taking away life from you. If you're not aligned with Zelda, the arrow will be lost. Once Ganondorf's hit, quickly get near him until you can Parry him for the last blow. Thus, the game will come to an end.

Twilight Princess
Because Ganondorf takes over Zelda's body, you must fight her first. He attacks similarly to Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time. His first attack will likely be the electricity ball. When he throws it at you with his sword, try to hit it back at him. If he does reflect it, you'll go into a volley. As soon Zelda gets hit by the energy ball, he'll try a new attack, but if any Ocarina of Time fans remember Phantom Ganondorf it will not be new. He'll try to fly into you with his sword, though, this time it's much more precise. If you survive the previous attack, you'll find an attack that's completely new. He'll make a glowing Triforce under your feet. You will have to run out of that glowing Triforce quickly! Now repeat this process a few times, and Ganondorf will turn into Ganon.

This fight is a little more difficult. Ganon has only one attack; he will ram into you and stomp on you. It does a lot of damage, but he is easy to get away from. As soon as Ganon teleports, wait for him to reappear, and hit him with an arrow. He'll slide on the floor, and you'll get a chance to attack. His weak spot is that glowing thing on his chest. Now, when you try to hit him with an arrow he'll disappear. So, you'll have to turn into wolf Link, and stop him with Midna's huge hand. When he's tipped over, attack as quickly as you can. Repeat this three times, and victory is yours.

After the cut-scene, you'll see that you're fighting Ganondorf on horseback. When Ganondorf is hit by a Light Arrow, go up and attack him, but don't stay up there for too long, or else he'll slash you off of your horse! Also be sure to avoid the henchmen he summons. Repeat this four times.

This is the most difficult part of the battle. Now you are face to face with the Dark Lord himself. Although his attacks aren't as strong as Ganon's, it's much harder to avoid them. His first often used attack is a stab. Once again, this can not be avoided with your sword. The best way to avoid this attack is to do a back flip. His second most used attack is a slash. This attack has the same amount of strength as the previous one, but it has a larger range. His strongest attack is one that is taken from his favorite arch-rival, Link! He'll bash you, and then he'll do a spin attack, if you get hit by the bash, the spin attack is almost impossible to avoid. But, he'll delay the spin attack if he hits you into the electricity wall with the bash. You should always keep in mind that Ganondorf is a better swordsman than Link, and will block nearly of all your attacks.

Most of Link's attacks will have no effect on Ganondorf (with the exception of the Back Slice, which gives you an opening after the ending sword-strike), either because he'll avoid them with his sword, or his armor will protect him. You'll have a chance to hit him when he finishes an attack, and you're behind him. Hit him with a jump attack, and then attack the glowing crack on his chest. Of course, if Ganondorf misses you with his attack, he can jump behind you and try again.

Eventually, Ganondorf will jump away from all of your attacks, so you must have perfect timing. Or, as an alternative, you can pull out your fishing rod. Ganondorf will follow the hook with his eyes, thereby dropping his guard, and allowing you to attack. When you knock him down after numerous hits, you'll have to stab him.

Another easier and more preferable way to defeat him is back away, and when he charges at you, it will say "chance" at the bottom of the screen. Pressing A will cause you to lock swords with him, and he can be stunned by rapidly tapping A. When stunned, he can be attacked with the Master Sword until he falls to the ground. Perform the Ending Blow to stab him after he collapses to finally put an end to the Dark Lord.

The Legend of Zelda
Ganon will attack you in an invisible form, so be careful. Avoid his fireballs and swing the Magical Sword to hit him. After you hit him some times, he'll be paralyzed. When he becomes red, shoot him with a Silver Arrow to defeat him.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Be careful about his flying trident and his fire bats. When you have a chance, hit him with your sword. After some time, the borders of the floor will disappear, and if you fall, you will have to start the fight again. When the lights go out, lit the torches with the Fire Rod and strike Ganon with the sword. When he becomes blue, shoot him with a Silver Arrow. After four arrows, he will sucumb.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Ganondorf is a playable character on Super Smash Bros. Melee, if you can beat an event called "Triforce Gathering." He is basically a more powerful, yet slower version of Captain Falcon.