Phantom Ganon

The Evil Spirit from Beyond: Phantom Ganon is a recurring boss in the Legend of Zelda series. Phantom Ganon is an entity of pure evil, created by Ganondorf to be a perfect servant and, if need be, killing machine, who asks no questions and does what his master commands.

He appears prominently in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, although all these may be different enemies with the same name. What may be Phantom Ganon also appears in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
His first appearance is in Ocarina of Time, as the boss of the Forest Temple. He approaches Link in a hall decorated with paintings. He is at first disguised as the Evil King, startling Link, before revealing his true nature, perhaps as a means to confuse his enemy.

Strategy
His fighting style consists of the use of a lance, in conjunction with magic attacks and a replica of his master's steed. He starts off by riding from within a painting towards Link, confusing him by appearing in two paintings at once. However, the darker image will turn back from the surface of the painting at the last moment, indicating that the other is the true Phantom, and Link must shoot him with his bow as he rides out. If he is not hit, he will fire an energy blast at Link, depleting two of his hearts.

Eventually the horse will be destroyed, and Phantom Ganon will resort to hovering over the field of battle, using his staff to fire energy balls at Link, which Link must deflect without being hit himself in a game of Dead Man's Volley. If he is hit, he loses one heart container. Once he successfully deflects the energy ball, Link can then move in and engage the Phantom in close quarters until the Phantom rises. Nearing the end, Phantom Ganon will also mount his staff and charge at Link, hoping to impale him. This particular attack is the most powerful attack that appears in the game (until the player faces Bongo Bongo) and will instantly defeat anyone attempting to complete the game without obtaining any extra Heart Containers. All Link has to do is dodge this attack, wait for the Phantom to fire another energy ball, then revive his strategy.

After Link slashes him roughly a dozen times, the Phantom falls defeated; and the real Ganondorf's voice is heard in the hall, possibly through the phantom itself, or the case may be that he speaks directly into Link's mind, taunting him that the real King of Evil will not be as easily vanquished; he then banishes the writhing Phantom to the "gap between dimensions".

Video
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Phantom Ganon does appear in this game, but it is possible that he are not the same Phantom Ganon as the one from Ocarina of Time. Whereas the one in Ocarina of Time assumed the appearance of Ganondorf's body with a skull head and glowing yellow eyes, this Phantom is a pure shadow. His fighting style, however, remains almost the same. Link duels with this being twice: one in the Forsaken Fortress, a second time in Ganon's Tower.

Battle
In the first duel, Phantom Ganon is easily beaten by deflecting his energy balls at him, then attacking, in a game of Dead Man's Volley. In the second duel in Phantom Ganon's Maze, it is revealed that, unlike is predecessor, this Phantom will regenerate every time after being bested. In this duel, the Phantom's fighting style is very reminiscent of that of Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time, even up to the multiple energy-missiles which are deflected with the spin attack. He also has the ability to replicate himself, surround Link and swing five swords at him. Link must defeat the beast many times here before, in the end, Link discovers the secret to destroying the Phantom forever with the Light Arrow, which dispels the darkness which is Phantom Ganon. (After Link discovers the Light Arrow, nothing else can harm Phantom Ganon, whatsoever.) Link then takes the beast's sword and uses it to smash open the next barrier.



The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Ganon appears as the boss of Whereabouts of the Wind, the first level in the game, located at the top of Hyrule Castle.

He reappears as the boss of Level 5, The Dark World, in the Temple of Darkness. This time around, he fires differently colored energy balls, which the corresponding Link must hit, in a more complex version of Dead Man's Volley.