Demise: Difference between revisions

{{Reorg}}

{{Infobox Boss

|title= {{List|[[The Imprisoned]]{{Fact}}, Demon King<ref>{{Cite Book|quote= |book= E |publisher= |page= 10}}</ref>}}

|game= SS

|other= HW, SSBfWU, SSBU

|era= {{List|[[Era of the Goddess Hylia]], [[Sky Era]]}}

|strategy=  

|voice actor = {{wp|Tsuguo Mogami}}<ref>{{Cite Web|quote= Demise in "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" (VG) (Japanese)|retrieved= July 19, 2021|url= https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=31698|title=Tsuguo MOGAMI |site= Anime News Network}}</ref>{{Note|This voice credit is disputed. Some sources list {{wp|Takashi Nagasako}} in an uncredited role.}}

{{Term/Store|Demise||Series, SS, SSHD, HW}} is the overarching antagonist of {{TLoZ|Series}} and the central antagonist and final {{Term|SS|Boss|link}} of {{SS}}.<ref>{{Cite Book|quote= |book= E |page= 174 {{Exp Game|SS}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|{{Color|SSHD Red|Demise}}|Game Screen|SSHD}}</ref><ref name="HW Prima 267">{{Cite Guide|quote= |game= HW |guide= Prima |page= 267}}</ref>{{Name Ref|HWL, SSBfWU, SSBU}} {{Term|Series|Demise}} goes unnamed in {{HWDE}}.

Long ago, he and his horde of [[demon]]s broke through a fissure in the earth and sought out the [[Triforce]]. However, he was defeated and sealed away by the Goddess [[Hylia]] and, after the events of {{SS|-}}, by [[Link]] through the use of the [[Master Sword]]. Upon his defeat, Demise makes a claim that his hatred will not end, but will be reborn in the coming ages. The form of this evil is thought to be [[Ganon]]. {{HH}} specifically mentions that his flaming red hair is to signify a connection to him.<ref>{{Cite Book|quote= To give him some resemblance to Ganondorf, we didn't just make his hair red, we set it on fire.|book=HH|page= 17}}</ref>

Demise was an eternal entity who had conquered time itself.<ref name="eternal></ref> When the [[Golden Goddesses]] departed from the world, they trusted their ultimate power, the [[Triforce]], in the hands of [[Hylia]] to protect it.<ref>{{Cite|Handed down by the gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess.|N/A|SS}}</ref> However, Demise, wanting the Triforce to make the world his own, gathered an army of monsters and together launched an attack against the people of [[The Surface]], murdering them and causing misfortunes to get their hands on the power guarded by Hylia.<ref>{{Cite|One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair... They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation. They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess.|N/A|SS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|In his thirst to make the world his own, Demise readied a massive army of monsters for war. He sought to take the Triforce for himself by force.|Zelda|SS}}</ref>

To prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Hylia and the five tribes who lived on the Surface joined forces and fought back against the Demon King and his forces in a war, which would end with Demise sealed away and peace restored to the land.<ref>{{Cite|With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away. At last, peace was restored to the surface.|N/A|SS}}</ref> Due to the seal placed upon him, he assumes the monstrous form as [[The Imprisoned]] for the majority of the plot.<ref>{{Cite|Stripped of his true physical form by the seal that binds him, he takes the shape of an abomination. But even in his hideous state, he's more than capable of devouring this land if we allow him to do what he desires.|Zelda|SS}}</ref>

[[Ghirahim]], who is actually the spirit of [[Demise's Sword]], pursues [[Princess Zelda|Zelda]] to steal her soul and thus resurrect Demise, who is his Master.<ref>{{Cite|My master may have perished in this age, but in the past he lives yet! I'm taking the girl back through that gate to help me revive the demon king!|Ghirahim|SS}}</ref> Meanwhile, Demise attempts to break free of his seal by his own means in the form of The Imprisoned, but he is constantly repelled and re-sealed beneath the [[Sealed Grounds]] through the efforts of [[Link]] and [[Groose]]. When Link finally obtains the Triforce, he manages to kill Demise by driving the [[Statue of the Goddess]] from [[Skyloft]] into the Sealed Grounds as The Imprisoned awakens for the fourth time. However, Ghirahim kidnaps Zelda and takes her to the past through the [[Gate of Time]] in the [[Sealed Temple]], where he begins a ritual to revive his master.

While Link manages to defeat Ghirahim, he is too late to stop the resurrection of Demise. The Imprisoned begins to absorb Zelda's soul and eventually transforms into the Demon King himself. Ghirahim welcomes back his master,<ref>{{Cite|Welcome back to us, Master.|Ghirahim|SS}}</ref> but Demise pulls a dark Sword out of Ghirahim and seals his entity within the weapon. Demise continues to absorb the soul of Zelda to gain unstoppable power; he is impressed with Link's determination to protect the goddess and invites him to do battle.<ref>{{Cite|Hmm... So you and that other human would stand before obliteration to aid the goddess, would you? How curious... The humans I've known are weak things. Hardly more than insects, shivering under rocks and ready to flee at the mere glimpse of me.|Demise|SS}}</ref><ref name= "Ise"/><ref>{{Cite|You grow more fascinating by the second, human. I never imagined I'd meet one of your kind who wished to stand against me in battle. Very well, then. I shall prepare a place for us where we will not be bothered by distractions. If you still have the courage to face me, seek me there.|Demise|SS}}</ref> To Demise's shock, Link manages to defeat him, but in his dying throes, he warns Link that it is not over, and that an [[Ganon|incarnation of his hatred]] will be reborn as a being to pursue domination of the world, as well as those with the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the Hero, in a cycle of rebirth.<ref name="Curse">{{Cite|Though this is not the end. My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!|Demise|SS}}</ref> Demise is sealed away within the [[Master Sword]], where his remains begin to decay.<ref>{{Cite|The last remnants of Demise are decaying slowly within the sword.|Impa|SS}}</ref>

|quote1= <p>Target lock: {{Color|SS Blue|Demise}}</p><p>This eternal being has conquered time itself. It is the source of all monsters.</p><p>According to tales passed down through generations, it appears differently in each epoch and to each person who lays eyes on it.</p>

|quote2= <p>It is clear that {{Color|SS Red|Skyward Strikes}} cannot be called down to your sword because this place is under the magical influence of Demise.</p><p>Attacks using {{Color|SS Red|Skyward Strike energy}} will not be possible here.</p>

|quote3= It is highly probable that the only weapon capable of wounding Demise is the {{Color|SS Gold|Master Sword}} itself. No other weapon can affect it.

|quote4= <p>The probability that a single, standard attack of yours will injure Demise, Master, is exactly 0%.</p><p>A series of attacks that can overwhelm Demise's guard is required, such as {{Color|SS Red|repeated slashing from various angles}}.</p>

|quote5= <p>Results from my analysis confirm that the time to strike Demise is when he holds his sword aloft.</p><p>However, vigilance is required. Any attack falling near Demise's sword has a 100% chance of being blocked.</p>

|quote6= <p>I need more time to complete my analysis of Demise. In a few moments, use {{Icon|SS Z}} to lock on to Demise and then call me with {{Icon|SS D-Pad Down}}. I will report my findings then.</p>

|context7= During second phase

|quote7= <p>I can confirm it is possible for Demise to store the electrical energy of a lightning strike in his sword and use it to his advantage.</p><p>Master, should your sword come into contact with Demise's sword once it has electrified, you will receive a painful shock.</p><p>It is essential that you time your attacks carefully. Very carefully.</p>

|quote8= Master, I see no reason why you cannot make use of the lightning strikes the same way Demise does.

|quote9= <p>It is possible to store lightning in the {{Color|SS Red|Master Sword}} by raising your sword in the air as if you were readying a {{Color|SS Red|Skyward Strike}}.</p><p>When lightning strikes in the distance and the sky lights up, quickly raise your sword skyward to call down the lightning.</p><p>However, be aware that while you are attempting to be struck by lightning, you will be leaving yourself open to Demise's attacks.</p>

}}

Demise carries a cocky and overbearing temperament,<ref>{{Cite|The only question left is how long you will remain standing before I take your life. Try to keep it interesting for me, would you?|Demise|SS}}</ref> and will stop at nothing to prove his power to any who defy him.<ref name= "Ise">{{Cite|When I last walked this world, they did little more than scream and cling to their goddess, mewling and praying... Counting on her to protect them.|Demise|SS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|How amusing to think those cowards begot someone like you.|Demise|SS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|You can spend what little time your world has left cowering and crying, as befits your kind.|Demise|SS}}</ref> [[Fi]] describes Demise as "the source of all monsters," and states that he "has conquered time itself."<ref name="eternal">{{Cite|This eternal being has conquered time itself. It is the source of all monsters.|Fi|SS}}</ref> Demise bears a strong resemblance to [[Ganondorf]]: large stature, fiery red hair, dark skin, and even his facial features are similar, and in the cutscene before the final battle with him, a variation of Ganon's leitmotif plays.

*It is commonly thought that, despite elsewhere referring to {{Term|SS|Demise}} as male, {{Term|SS|Fi|link}} exclusively calls {{Term|SS|Demise}} an "it" while describing him to {{Term|SS|Link|link}}.<ref>{{Cite|This eternal being has conquered time itself. It is the source of all monsters. According to tales passed down through generations, it appears differently in each epoch and to each person who lays eyes on it.|Fi|SS}}</ref> However, she uses this pronoun only when describing him as an abomination that takes different forms in each age, accentuating the fluidity of his true nature. For each subsequent analysis, she consistently addresses him with male pronouns.

*{{Term|SS|Demise}} will stare at the {{Term|SS|Bug Net|link}} if it is brought out, similar to the uses of the {{Term|Series|Bug Net|link}}, {{Term|Series|Empty Bottle|link}}, and {{Term|Series|Fishing Rod|link}} in previous games. As with {{Term|Series|Agahnim|link}}'s attacks, {{Term|SS|Demise}}'s {{Term|SS|Skyward Strike|link}} can be reflected by the {{Term|SS|Bug Net}}.

*{{Term|SS|Demise}} bears a glowing, X-shaped scar on his forehead, which may be a result of the {{Term|SS|Sealing Spike|link}}. It is located in the same area that his reincarnation, {{Term|Series|Ganondorf}}, wears a forehead jewel, and in {{TP}}, both {{Term|TPHD|Ganon}} and {{Term|TPHD|Ganondorf}} have similar scars which serve as weak points.

*{{Term|SS|Demise}} shares the title of "Demon King" with {{Term|Series|Malladus|link}} and {{Term|Series|Ganon|link}}.<ref>{{Cite|Oh, Demon King Malladus... I am the one who has freed you from your prison! Grant me the power I have dreamed of!|Byrne|ST}}</ref>

*Two of {{Term|HWDE|Ganondorf|link}}'s {{Plural|HWDE|Weapon|link}} in {{HW}}, the {{Term|HWDE|Swords of Demise|link}} and the {{Term|HWDE|Trident of Demise|link}}, are named after and designed around {{Term|Series|Demise}}. On a similar note, {{Term|HWDE|Ganondorf}}'s design in the same game takes cues from {{Term|Series|Demise}}, such as the lengthy mane of hair and the waistcoat.

*The monologue {{Term|SSHD|Demise}} gives about how his hatred is forever renewed and that the descendants of {{Term|SSHD|Link}} and {{Term|SSHD|Princess Zelda}} will be forced to confront the embodiment of his hatred for eternity<ref name="Curse"/> resembles the speech that {{Term|TPHD|Ganondorf}} was originally supposed to give before his death in the ending of {{TP}}.<ref>{{Cite Web|retrieved= April 6, 2022|url= https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Twilight_Princess/Unused_Text#Ganondorf|title= The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess/Unused Text|site= The Cutting Room Floor}}</ref> The difference between the two speeches is that {{Term|SSHD|Demise}} specifically bestows the curse himself, while {{Term|TPHD|Ganondorf}} implies that their being locked in eternal conflict has been preordained by the {{Plural|TPHD|Golden Goddess|link}}.

File:SS Demise's Sword Concept Artwork.png|Concept artwork of {{Term|SS|Demise}}'s sword from {{SS|-}}

File:HW Trident of Demise Icon.png|The Trident of Demise from {{HW|-}}

  |Demons, Humanoid Enemies, Kings, Swordsmen

  |bosses= SS, SSHD

  |characters= SS, SSHD, HW, HWL, HWDE