Demise


 * This page is about the character. For the boss battle, see Demise (boss).

Demise (終焉の者) is one of the two main antagonists of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The sword he wields resembles a corrupted version of the Master Sword, its hilt being the same general shape, but with a different design to the "wings" that make up the handguard, the Triforce engraving being inverted, the blade being significantly larger with a flamberge-esque edge, and being an overall darker color. His voice clips were done by Takashi Nagasako, who previously did voice clips for Ganondorf and Ganon.

Appearance
He is a demonic entity with a humanoid appearance. His skin is made of what looks like dark scales, and in some parts bare with pale-gray. He is apparently very muscular, with thick arms, and a part of his back arching over his head. He wears a long, brown cape around his waist, embroidered with gold in a triangle pattern and held by a belt. His head is covered in flames in place of hair, and has a white, glowing scar on his forehead from what could be the spike embedded in his head while being The Imprisoned. It is worth noting, however, that according to Fi, Demise appears differently to everyone who sees him.

Biography
Prior to the events of the game, emerging from underground, Demise led a campaign to obtain the Triforce, having his minions destroy everyone and everything in their path to get it. However, Hylia sacrifices her divine form to that of a mortal to seal away Demise, turning him into The Imprisoned and sealing him away within the Sealed Grounds.

During the events of the game, Ghirahim, Demise's sword, attempts to resurrect him, using Zelda's spirit as she is an incarnation of the goddess herself.

Even without Ghirahim's help, however, Demise (as The Imprisoned) is able to break the seal on its own on a near regular basis. Shortly after Link returns from the Temple of Time, he fights The Imprisoned a first time; after obtaining the third Sacred Flame, Din's Flame, he fights The Imprisoned once again, with the help of Groose. Link then journeys into the past Temple of Hylia, where Zelda informs him that she is the reincarnated form of the Goddess, Hylia. She also tells him that the Mark of the Hero on his right hand is a sign that he can hold the Triforce; Link is informed that he must obtain the Triforce in order to defeat Demise. Zelda then seals herself into a large crystal and enters a deep slumber to keep Demise at bay.

Link returns to the present and learns from the Sky Spirit, Levias, that he must complete an ancient song known as the "Song of the Hero" that is broken into four parts in order to obtain the Triforce. On his journey to recover the pieces of the song from the Three Dragons, he battles The Imprisoned with Groose once more before obtaining Faron's portion of the song. Eventually, Link completes the "Song of the Hero" and returns to Skyloft, where he enters a final Silent Realm to prove his worth to the Goddess. Upon its completion, he is rewarded with the Stone of Trials, which he inserts into a statue and unlocks the entrance to the Sky Keep, the location of the Triforce.

Link navigates the Sky Keep and finally obtains the three pieces of the Triforce. Upon doing so, Fi informs him that he should wish for Demise's destruction; Link does so, and as he does, the Isle of the Goddess floats down to the ground and rests in the large gap in the Sealed Grounds. Fi confirms that Demise has been destroyed, and Zelda awakens.

Link, Groose, and Zelda have a short reunion before Ghirahim reveals his presence within the Sealed Temple. He quickly kidnaps Zelda, telling Link that he will simply use the Gate of Time and resurrect Demise in the past. He brings Zelda to the past and Link quickly follows. In the Sealed Grounds, Ghirahim begins performing a ritual on Zelda, and blocks off the cliffsides, forcing Link to battle with his Horde of Bokoblins in order to reach him. When Link finally arrives, Ghirahim, provoked, begins battling Link a final time.

Link defeats Ghirahim, but he is too late; Ghirahim's ritual is complete, and Demise absorbs Zelda's soul, returning to his full form. Demise forces Ghirahim back into the true form of his blade while amazed to meet a living creature who shows the courage to face him. Impressed, Demise challenges Link to a battle, in which Link manages to defeat the malevolent being and restore Zelda's soul to her body.

In his final breaths, Demise vows that an incarnation of his hatred will be reborn in a cycle without end, cursing those with the blood of the goddess or the spirit of the hero. After Demise's body dissolves, his residual consciousness is absorbed into the Master Sword before the weapon is sealed away so the fiend can completely dissolve over time.

Demise's prophecy of the incarnation of hatred seems to signify the reasons for Ganon's existence and the tribulations that he causes for Link and Zelda's various descendants and future incarnations. This idea is supported by Demise's similar appearance to Ganondorf, Ganon's frequent appearances throughout the series, and Eiji Aonuma's statement that Ganondorf's appearance in Ocarina of Time would be hinted at in Skyward Sword. Demise's curse could also be connected to other beings of hatred throughout the series, such as Majora's Mask, Bellum, and Malladus. However, this is likely not the case with beings who appear to arise in other worlds or lands before Link and Zelda's successors come there.

Etymology
"Demise" is a word that refers to the the end of something, usually a life.