Ghirahim


 * This page is about the character. For the boss battles, see Ghirahim (boss).

Ghirahim (ギラヒム) is one of the two main antagonists of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He is a white-haired humanoid being with a long tongue, and wears flamboyant clothing covered in diamond patterns. He is the lord of the demons who begin to plague The Surface during the events of the game. He is actively hunting Zelda, and is able to detect her presence. At first, he cares little for whether Link lives or dies, though he becomes increasingly frustrated by Link's interference with his plans.

Biography
Near the beginning of the game, Ghirahim summons a huge, black tornado up to the sky, which knocks Link and Zelda off their airborne Loftwings.

The first time Link encounters Ghirahim, at the Skyview Temple, Ghirahim is trying to break through the door to the sacred chamber, where he says he can sense Zelda. He claims he would have captured her already if the servant of the goddess had not interfered. Angered by his circumstances, he decides to take his frustration out on Link. During the battle, he criticizes Link for being a novice who telegraphs his moves. By the time Link defeats the Demon Lord, Ghirahim can no longer sense Zelda's presence, and decides to stop toying with Link and leave, but threatens him with death if their paths ever cross again.

The two later meet inside the Earth Temple, where Zelda was held captive. Furious to learn that she escaped his lackeys a second time, Ghirahim vents his frustration to Link and calls on Scaldera to kill him, in hopes of relieving his anger and stress.

After Link travels through the Lanayru Mining Facility, he finally meets up with Zelda and Impa at the Temple of Time. But the reunion is cut short when Ghirahim appears, creating a barrier to impede Link. He then goes after Zelda, but is stopped by Impa's own barrier. During the confusion, Zelda tosses Link the Goddess's Harp. Ghirahim manages to pierce Impa's barrier, but is unable to finish her, as Link interferes, buying Impa and Zelda enough time to cross the Gate of Time. Just as they do, Impa destroys it so Ghirahim cannot follow them into the past. Greatly incensed by Link's interference, Ghirahim retreats, vowing that, when next they meet, he will make Link suffer so badly that the boy will deafen himself with the sound of his own screams.

Later on in Link's quest, Ghirahim awaits the hero in the boss room of the Ancient Cistern, regally perched atop the giant statue, Koloktos. After expressing his annoyance regarding the fact that Link is still interfering with his plans, Ghirahim brings the inanimate Koloktos to life with a snap of his fingers.

The two then cross paths yet again at the Fire Sanctuary, where a rather upbeat Ghirahim claims he and Link are bound by a "thread of fate", then shows him a series of old drawings that confirm the existence of a second Gate of Time. Since Ghirahim doesn't yet know the location of the second gate, he offers to spare Link's life if he reveals the location of the Gate of Time. Link refuses, leading to another fight between the pair. At the start of the battle, Ghirahim reveals a portion of his true form: as a cracked pattern of black lines crawls up one side of his body, his arms blacken. Despite this, Link manages to defeat Ghirahim again, forcing the enraged demon to retreat.

After using the Triforce to wish for the destruction of Demise, Link reunites with Zelda just as she wakes up from her long slumber. The reunion is interrupted when Ghirahim appears and captures Zelda, then declares that he will go to the past and revive Demise there. Groose tries to stop him, but Ghirahim kicks him aside.

Ghirahim begins the ritual to free Demise as Link arrives to stop him. Ghirahim attempts to slow him down by erecting a magic barrier and summoning a horde of Bokoblins, but Link manages to fight his way through the horde and confronts Ghirahim. Having had enough of the youth's constant meddling, Ghirahim decides to put an end to Link in his strongest form: a dark-skinned, white-haired humanoid creature with metallic skin, much like Fi. He also reveals his true nature as a Demise's sword. This leads to their final showdown. Though he loses, Ghirahim reveals the ritual was continuing all throughout their fight. Zelda's soul is ripped from her body, and Demise regains his original form.

Soon after Demise's revival, Ghirahim is changed by his master back into his true form as Demise's sword, to Ghirahim's apparent delight. After Link defeats Demise, the sword that is Ghirahim shatters, putting an end to his existence.

Abilities
Despite his delicate appearance, Ghirahim proves to be a powerful opponent for Link. He possesses great physical strength and agility, as well as mastery with swords. He is also able to catch Link's sword in his hand and take it from him without sustaining any injury. During his last battle with Link, Ghirahim also utilizes a fiery version of the Skyward Strike. Upon taking his most powerful form, Ghirahim's skin hardens to where it is invulnerable to sword strikes.

Ghirahim also possesses considerable magical talent. Many of Ghirahim's spells are embellished with diamonds, and are activated by a snap of his fingers. He can materialize objects out of thin air, including barriers, weapons, his minions, and himself. The knives he creates in this manner can be left levitating near himself or his opponent, and can be propelled forward as projectiles. He can also give life to certain inanimate objects or transform them into monsters, fire beams of light from the sky, and generate electricity from his hands.

Personality
At first glance, Ghirahim appears to be calm, confident, and collected, although very flamboyant. He often acts gentlemanly, speaking eloquently and formally introducing himself to Link. He even shows a slight sense of sportsmanship at the beginning, promising not to murder Link, as it would be unfair. He also exhibits traits of narcissism, which are especially evident in his second fight with Link. He has little concept of personal space, as he seems to relish invading Link's. He also has a flair for the dramatic, and enjoys using broad gestures.

However, beneath his calm exterior is a violent and sadistic psychopath. As the story progresses, his composure progressively shatters, and his mannerisms and speech become more melodramatic, colorful, and violent. At his core, Ghirahim is merciless, and enjoys bloodshed. This shows quite graphically in the way he frequently licks his lips during a fight, and even licks the blade of his sword after landing a hit on Link during their second battle. Ghirahim frequently loses himself to uncontrollable rage, easily finding excuses to take his anger out on Link. He also enjoys intimidating and toying with his victims, frequently teleporting behind Link during battle, and making colorful threats, such as promising not to kill him but rather beat him within an inch of his life.

Ghirahim