Zant (pronounced /zænt/zant)[10] is one of two main antagonists in Twilight Princess.[11] He is the self-proclaimed King of Twilight,[4] although Midna claims he is the King of Shadows.[7] He is an enemy of the Twili who usurps the throne of the Twilight Realm from Princess Midna before the events of Twilight Princess. He regularly appears wearing a helmet that conceals his face but removes it before his battle with Link. He is a powerful sorcerer and minion of Ganondorf.
Zant is a Twili and the self-proclaimed ruler of the Twilight that engulfs much of Hyrule during Twilight Princess. He serves as the main antagonist for the majority of Twilight Princess and possesses powers beyond Link's comprehension. There are multiple ways of defeating Zant, the first suspected way being the Fused Shadow. When Zant steals them away from Midna and banishes her to the Light World, the only option left to reach and defeat him is with the Mirror of Twilight which will grant access to the Twilight Realm.
Zant served in the royal household of the Twilight Realm, believing that he would be the next to rule. However the Twili were wary of Zant, fearing his ambition and desire for conquest would lead to a repeat of their ancestors'folly.[12] As a result, Midna was chosen to rule instead.[13] This led Zant to lose trust in the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm. Due to her being chosen to rule over himself, he had an ardent hatred for Midna in particular. This loss of trust, as well as the fact Zant hated that the Twili were trapped in the Twilight Realm like "insects in a cage," made him seek his own path.[14]
Ganondorf, who was cast into the Twilight Realm by the Sages after his failed execution, appeared to Zant as a fiery apparition. Posing as a god, Ganondorf offered to impart Zant with his power.[15][16] Using his newfound power, Zant overthrew Midna and turned her into an imp, depriving her of the magic she was granted as leader of the Twili and stealing her powers.[17][18][19] He transformed the rest of the Twili into Shadow Beasts soon afterwards and proclaimed himself the "King of Twilight," with the ultimate goal of spreading Twilight across Hyrule so the Twili could return to the Light World Zant believed was theirs.[24]
Zant invaded Hyrule Castle and gave Princess Zelda the ultimatum of surrendering or facing the annihilation of Hyrule's inhabitants.[25] Princess Zelda yielded to Zant's demands, dropping her sword as a symbol of submission.
Zant seated upon the throne within the Palace of Twilight
Soon after, Zant engulfed most of Hyrule in Twilight,[26] a process that was soon reversed by Link. He confronts Link and Midna in Lanayru after they collect the final Fused Shadow fragment. Zant takes the three Fused Shadow pieces from Midna, scolding her for her betrayal.[27] Despite his hatred of her, he nonetheless attempts to recruit her to his side as part of his and Ganondorf's agenda to subjugate Hyrule.[24] He tries to convince Midna to give him the power she retained as the Twilight Princess.[24] When Midna refuses, Zant exposes her to the full light of Lanayru.[28]. This almost kills her. He also puts a Shadow Crystal in Link's forehead, keeping him in his wolf form indefinitely. The duo escape Zant with the help of Lanayru, but their paths cross again at Arbiter's Grounds. Zant is surprised to see Link alive, yet he believes that it will be the last time they meet.[29] Zant then plunges a Scimitar of Twilight through Stallord's skull before departing, which reanimates the giant fossil. After defeating Stallord, Link and Midna discover that Zant had attempted to destroy the Mirror of Twilight, but lacking the true power to do so, he could only shatter it into four shards and scatter the pieces across Hyrule.
When Link and Midna confront Zant again in the Twilight Realm, he undergoes a change in behavior that drastically contrasts the character he displayed previously. After Zant is defeated, he proclaims that he will be resurrected infinitely by his god, who is in reality the Demon King, Ganondorf, and that the curse placed on Midna cannot be removed while Ganondorf is still alive.[30] Enraged, Midna destroys him with a mere fraction of the power of the Fused Shadow.
Following his battle with Link, Ganondorf sees a vision of Zant, who stares at Ganondorf before snapping his own neck. Ganondorf then dies immediately after.
Characteristics
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Zant is a tall and thin Twili. He wears dark, baggy robes with long tasseled sleeves. He wears a ceremonial apron on his chest with symbols and patterns that resemble Gerudo iconography. His shoulder guards are decorated with serpents, and his shoes resemble dragon heads, similar to Midna's Twili regalia. Like other Twili, Zant's arms are abnormally long. His hands go unseen for most of the game, but they are briefly visible when he reanimates Stallord, where they are dark gray with long pointer and pinky fingers.
Most of the time, Zant dons a segmented metal helmet that resembles a face. There are additional designs resembling faces on the back of each segment of Zant's Helmet. The helmet's mouth guard can retract, along with the rest of the helmet. Upon removing the helmet, Zant is shown to have pale blue skin, pupilless orange eyes, a large flat nose, and slits at the corners of his mouth. He has a blue Twili-style symbol on his forehead and nose. He also has red hair, although only some small bangs are visible. He wears a balaclava under his helmet that covers the rest of his head and neck.
Personality
Zant posing
Whereas most Twili were content with life in the Twilight Realm, Zant held a vengeful belief that they had the right to rule the World of Light. He often refers to himself as the King of Twilight and shows full confidence in his abilities. Zant disdains the light dwellers, blaming them for the Twili being sealed away during the Interloper War.[citation needed] For most of the game, Zant presents himself as calm and collected, always moving deliberately and speaking in a cold, sinister voice. However, during his final confrontation with Link and Midna, it becomes clear that this earlier persona is a facade, and that Zant's true nature is far more unpredictable and unstable. He often monologues and contorts his body in unusual ways. Before he met Ganondorf, Zant vented his frustrations outside the Palace of Twilight by weeping and hitting the ground in a manner akin to a tantrum. He implies in one of his rants that his madness is because he is one of the few Twili not content with their situation, and that emotions like anger and desire were suppressed by decree by the Twili royal family.[31]
Despite this, Zant is calculating and ruthless while working under Ganondorf. He commits several atrocities to achieve his goals, such as turning his own people into Shadow Beasts against their will, ordering the execution of Rutela in front of the Zoras for resisting his rule, forcing Zelda to surrender under the threat of harming her people, and nearly killing Midna when she refused to side with him, all with no visible remorse.[32] Zant also shows himself to be a decent tactician, having nearly conquered all of Hyrule save for Ordon Province, which was only thwarted because Link was there when a Shadow Beast attempted to steal Ordona's light.
Zant snapping his neck from Twilight Princess HD
Zant shows a near fanatical devotion to Ganondorf, following the Demon King's every command and believing that Ganondorf would revive him without cease. However, once Link defeats Ganondorf, Zant's apparition appears to snap his own neck, killing his master.
Abilities
Zant summoning the Scimitar of Twilight
Upon meeting Ganondorf, Zant gains access to a vast array of magical abilities. Unlike most Twili, Zant becomes capable of traveling between the Hyrule and the Twilight Realm without use of the Mirror of Twilight. Zant holds power over Twilight and can covers parts of the Light World with it. He can also create objects out of Twilight matter, such as when he creates a Scimitar of Twilight to reanimate Stallord. Like Midna, he is capable of summoning Twilight Portals. Zant also possesses powerful telekinetic abilities, able to defeat the Light Spirit Lanaryu and humiliate Midna and Link without lifting a finger. He can summon Shadow Beasts, control sentient automaton hands from a remote location, and create holograms of himself to combat enemies. He can also conjure giant versions of his helmet floating throughout the Palace of Twilight, alter his size at will, and replicate previous Boss arenas. It is heavily implied, but not confirmed, that these abilities came from his pact with Ganondorf. His Twilight magic is black and red instead of black and teal. This is likely another effect of Ganondorf's influence.
In battle, Zant levitates in mid-air and can teleport to avoid attacks. His main form of attack comes in the form of dark energy blasts which he fires rapidly. Zant also shows immense strength during the second round of his Boss fight, where he repeatedly pounds the platform in an attempt to throw Link into the lava. Zant can also swim underwater. In the final phase of his Boss fight, Zant wields twin Scimitars and attacks by flailing and slashing his swords. He also sometimes spins around rapidly with them. Zant can combine his sword skills with his teleportation ability, making him a very unpredictable opponent in battle.
You can't let Zant's crazy movements confuse you...
As long as you use the light of the Twilight Realm to your advantage, you'll be fine, LinkAppears in-game as the player's chosen name..
The light in your blade can drive back Zant's magic power!
Zant in the Forest Temple
Zant is the main Boss of the Palace of Twilight. The battle takes place in six different arenas resembling places Link has already fought against a Boss or Mini-Boss. The attacks Zant uses depend on the area, as well as Link's strategy based on his previous battles. During the first phase of the battle, the area will resemble the Boss room in the Forest Temple, where Link defeated Diababa. Zant will float around the room, above the poisoned water, and fire a barrage of magical attacks at Link before teleporting to a new spot and repeating the process. His attacks can be blocked with the Shield. During his brief moments of visibility, Link can use the Gale Boomerang to knock him out of the air, causing him to hop across the surface of the water and onto dry land. After taking sufficient damage, Zant will alter the appearance of the room, leading to the next phase of the battle.
Zant's second phase takes place in the arena where Link fought Dangoro in the Goron Mines. He will cause the magnetic plate to pitch violently by jumping furiously up and down, before attacking Link with the same magical projectiles used in his first phase. Link can use the Iron Boots, although not required, to offset the platform's movement and either block or evade Zant's attack. Due to his frantic jumps, Zant will be momentarily out of breath, leaving him vulnerable to attacks. After a few hits, he will once again switch to a new arena.
Zant in the Lakebed Temple
In Zant's third phase, he will recreate Morpheel's chamber in the Lakebed Temple. He will first summon a massive replica of his helmet from the sand, before appearing inside its mouth, shooting projectiles at Link. In order to attack him, Link must equip the Zora Armor and Iron Boots. When getting close enough, he can use the Clawshot to pull Zant out of the helmet and attack him. After he first sustains damage, Zant then creates four more helmets and the center ground on which Link stands will cave in. The four helmets will hover around Link, with the mouth piece closed; Zant will attack from only one helmet at random. Therefore, Link must position himself accordingly in order to pull him out once more with the Clawshot the moment he revealed himself, thus bringing the third phase to an end.
The fourth phase takes place again inside the Forest Temple, this time in the room where the mini-boss, Ook, was fought. Similar to Ook, Zant will hop between the various pillars, teleporting frequently and occasionally stopping to attack Link from above. Once he stops, it is possible to attack him by rolling twice into the pillar Zant is standing on. Doing so will cause him to fall, rendering him vulnerable to sword attacks. Rolling into the pillar once will only briefly throw Zant off-balance.
Giant Zant in Snowpeak Ruins
The fifth phase is fought in the bedroom of the Snowpeak Ruins where Blizzeta was defeated. Zant will grow to a monumental size and attack Link by slamming down onto the ground and stomping around the room. His reflection can be seen in the floor as he is about to land; therefore, as he crashes down, he can be struck in his foot with the Ball and Chain, which causes Zant to shrink and hop around the room in pain. Link can then catch up to him and strike him with the Master Sword. Afterwards, he will grow back in size and repeat the attack. Repeating this strategy once more brings an end to the fifth phase.
The sixth and final phase takes place on Hyrule Field in full view of Hyrule Castle still encased in the golden barrier. The battle is confined inside a wall of Twilight, similar to when fighting Shadow Beasts. Zant will perform various attacks with two Scimitars: he will slash at Link with erratic movements, or otherwise spin rapidly towards him. This spinning attack can be blocked with the shield until he becomes tired or countered with Link's own Spin Attack. When Link strikes him, he will teleport away before reappearing to attack again. After sustaining enough damage, Zant will finally succumb and fall to the ground in a rage, defeated. The arena will then turn back into the throne room of the Palace of Twilight.
The self-proclaimed king of twilight. Zant is the ringleader scheming to cover Hyrule in twilight. Zant long served under the royal family of the Twilight Realm. Ganondorf grants great power to Zant in exchange for his allegiance, and Zant makes it his ultimate goal to become the supreme leader of both light and dark.
RandomCan be obtained via Coin Launcher, in certain rounds of All-Star Mode, or during Subspace Emissary mode
A strange voice, creepy movements, and eccentric attacks-everything about Zant is unnerving and odd! The self-proclaimed king of the Twilight Realm, he seeks to unite both light and dark into one world for him to rule. Now if only he could deal with that pesky Link fellow...
RandomCan be obtained in Classic Mode, in All-Star Mode, in Trophy Rush, in Smash Tour, in Crazy Orders or purchased from the Trophy Shop
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Zant in Hyrule Warriors
In Hyrule Warriors, Zant appears as an antagonist, serving as the boss of the Palace of Twilight and also as a playable character. He attacks with manic strikes of his dual Scimitars and also wields magic powers, many of which originate from his boss battle in Twilight Princess. These include summoning giant versions of his helmet, throwing down totem poles, generating balls of Twilight energy, and controlling a Zant Hand. His Focus Skill is growing to an immense size to stomp his enemies. He has a unique heat gauge that fills as he uses combo attacks. Should he over exert his finishers, Zant will end up fumbling and leaving himself open to attack. Thus, Zant must vent the gauge every so often by using the strong attack button. In this state Zant, can go into a spinning frenzy or release balls of twilight energy. Zant forms an alliance with Cia and is tasked with guarding the Gate of Souls within the palace. He summons Argorok to stall Link and his followers upon their arrival.
Following the defeat of Cia, Zant and Ghirahim are later summoned by Ganondorf to aid him in his quest to obtain the Triforce. Zant and Ghirahim are left in charge of commanding Ganondorf's forces within the Gerudo Desert, but they are defeated once again.
Many of his attacks are in reference to his animations from Twilight Princess. His second combo attack summons a pillar from his Ook phase, including the way he falls off when he overheats, landing backwards on his head. His fifth combo attack, where he grows giant, references his Blizzeta phase. When he overheats, he clutches his foot while hopping and shrinking, just as when hit with the Ball and Chain. Nearly all of his basic attacks reference his attacks with the Scimitars from the final phase of his fight. His Focus Spirit Attack creates the same glyph behind him that he creates when changing the battlefield in his boss fight. He can also summon his hands and a giant version of his helmet in various attacks.
During his boss fight, the music changes slightly to match the arenas Zant warps to. The music includes fragments of the themes from the original boss battles of the respective arenas.
According to commentary for Twilight Princess, the reason for Zant's change in characterization immediately before the battle against him was to make him more rounded, as well as to add a more humorous aspect to the boss fight against him.[34]
↑The blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight. — Ordona (Twilight Princess HD)
↑ 4.04.1This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you WILL respect it! — Zant (Twilight Princess HD)
↑Zant. That's the name of theKing of Darknesswho cast this pall of shadows over your world. — Midna (Twilight Princess HD)
↑The helm of the self-proclaimed King of Shadows is in the swamp of the valley of dead trees, south of Dueling Peaks. — Misko's EX Journal 2 (Breath of the Wild)
↑ 7.07.17.2Now, don't resent me for all I've put you through. I NEED this thing! Besides, we have to do something aboutZant, the one who thinks he isthe king of shadows... — Midna (Twilight Princess HD)
↑"Additionally, even the boss character Zant from Twilight Princess is playable in this game." — Hyrule Warriors Direct , YouTube, published August 4, 2014.
↑Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 276(TPTwilight Princess)
↑Traitors, ha! You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils... Did you think we'd forget our ancestors lost their king to such greed? — Midna (Twilight Princess)
↑You speak of magic? Still your tongue for a moment, whelp, and I will tell you of both magic and the oppression of ages...The people of our tribe...a tribe that mastered the arts of magic...were locked away in this world like insects in a cage. In the shadows we regressed, so much so that we soon knew neither anger nor hatred...nor even the faintest bloom of desire. And all of it was the fault of a useless, do-nothing royal family that had resigned itself to this miserable half-existence! I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess. And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why! But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler. It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god. — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑I shall house my power in you... If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it, too. — Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)
↑My god had only one wish... To merge shadow and light...and make darkness! — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑Midna: Princess of the Twilight Realm. A curse placed upon her by Zant causes her to physically transform and lose her magical abilities. In the Light World, she appears as a shadow. (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 114)
↑But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler. — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑My Midna... Did you forget? That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. — Zant (Twilight Princess HD)
↑No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind! But if we can make their world ours, Midna...light and darkness will meet at last. — Zant (Twilight Princess HD)
↑Our tribe will take back their realm...and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! — Zant (Twilight Princess HD)
↑And that, Midna, is why... I need you. Not just for me, but for all of our people... Lend me your power. — Zant (Twilight Princess HD)
↑It is time for you to choose: surrender or die. Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule... Life? Or death?! — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me? You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king? — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑You still live... How astonishing. No wonder some call you "hero". But this is truly a bittersweet reunion... Truly! For I fear this is the last time I will see you alive! — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑Midna... Foolish Twilight Princess... The curse on you cannot be broken... It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return! Already he has descended and been reborn in this world... As long as my master, Ganon, survives, he will resurrect me without cease! — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑In the shadows we regressed, so much so that we soon knew neither anger nor hatred...nor even the faintest bloom of desire. And it was all the fault of a useless, do-nothing royal family that had resigned itself to this miserable half-existence! — Zant (Twilight Princess)
↑"【トワプリHD】…マロだ。○面ライ○ーのようなコイツの名前は…「タケノコ型決戦兵器ザント1号」…違うか…。いかにも悪キャラだな…にしてもタケノコって…ダサイな…[TP HD] ...It’s Malo. The name of this guy who looks like a **men Ri**r (censored Kamen Rider) is... “Bamboo Shoot-type Final Battle Weapon Zant No.1″... ah it’s wrong isn’t it... anyway, he’s an evil character indeed... and on top of that [he’s based on] a bamboo shoot... That’s uncool..." — @ZeldaOfficialJP on Twitter, January 28, 2016 (Archive)
