Agahnim (A Link to the Past)

Agahnim is the primary antagonist for the majority of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Agahnim is a mysterious wizard (a priest in the Japanese original) who gained favor with the King of Hyrule, betrayed him and took over the throne of Hyrule.

Due to the fact that Agahnim's skin colour and complexion are similar to that of the possessed Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it is believed that Agahnim was once some kind of wizard or sage that was possessed in order for Ganon to perform his evil deeds for him in the Light World, as he has been sealed inside the Dark World. This is also furthermore compounded by the fact that Ganon rises from Agahnim's corpse when he is defeated for the second time.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
In the land of Hyrule, without warning, a series of sudden disasters occurred. The Kingdom of Hyrule despaired. However, a powerful wizard named Agahnim appeared and stopped the horrific events. In honor of his achievements he was made the King's royal advisor. After having gained the trust of the King of Hyrule, he betrayed him and took control over all the Royal Guards. Using the armed forces of Hyrule, he pursued and captured the Seven Maidens, descendants of the Seven Wise Men who originally sealed the Evil King Ganon away to the Dark World. Princess Zelda of Hyrule was revealed to be one of the Seven Maidens. He planned to sacrifice them and send them to the Dark World to break the seal. Fearing that the prophesied Hero of Hylian descent would appear and stop him, he also took the three Pendants of Virtue and sent them away to his three dungeons in Hyrule, preventing the Hero to gather all three and remove the Master Sword from its pedestal. However, on the eve of her sacrifice, Princess Zelda contacts a young boy named Link, via telepathy from the depths of the castle dungeons. The courageous youth finds a way into Hyrule Castle and rescues her from her imprisonment. They escape through a hidden passage, leading to the nearby Sanctuary. Enraged, Agahnim tells the people of Hyrule that Link has kidnapped Zelda, ordering civilians and military alike to keep an eye out for him. Evading capture, Link is told of the Master Sword, the only weapon with the power to defeat the evil wizard. He braves the three dungeons, retrieves the Pendants of Courage, Power and Wisdom and pulls the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. However, Princess Zelda's hiding place is discovered, and she is taken away by Agahnim's soldiers. Link breaks the seal on Hyrule Castle with the Master Sword and ascends Hyrule Castle Tower to stop him from sacrificing her, but he is too late &mdash; she is sent to the Dark World. Link battles Agahnim, and after a hard-fought battle, Agahnim appears to be defeated. However, he manages to retreat to the Dark World, taking Link with him.

In the Dark World, Link learns of the imprisoned Seven Maidens and one by one, rescues them. After rescuing the seventh Maiden, Zelda, Link and the Maidens use their power to break the seal on Ganon's Tower. After braving the dangerous tower, Link confronts Agahnim once more. After this ultimate defeat, Ganon abandons his disguise and flees to the Pyramid of Power. After a final showdown with Link, Ganon is defeated, and Link uses the power of the Triforce to undo the evil deeds of Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga
In the manga based on A Link to the Past, it is revealed that Agahnim was a friend of Link's father. Agahnim studied magic and learned how to break the Seal of the Sages, being recruited to Ganon's services. When confronted by his friend, Agahnim killed him and his wife. But after being defeated by Link, Ganon killed Agahnim as he outlived his usefulness. The games, however, make it apparent that Agahnim was a vessel for Ganon.

In battle
The boss Agahnim can only be defeated if Link has the Master Sword. He is encountered twice; first in the Hyrule Castle Tower and for the second and last time in Ganon's Tower.

He attacks Link with balls of energy and occasionally, bolts of lightning. He warps around the room every time after he has attacked.

Strategy
In order to defeat him, Link must deflect his energy balls back at him with the Master Sword. Strangely, this can also be done with the Bug-Catching Net. In order to do this easier, stay exactly in front of him at all times. Sometimes, he will send an energy ball that will disperse after it hits Link's sword, so keep your eyes peeled at all times and move out of the way when this happens. After his energy balls are deflected back at him a couple of times, he will be defeated. He always faces the door when he attacks with lightning.

The second battle is not much harder. However, here, he creates two slightly transparent "copies" of himself. The identity of the real Agahnim can easily be disclosed by checking which one is the least transparent Agahnim. Strangely, in this final battle, he does not use his lightning bolt attack.