Ganon


 * This article contains information about the recurring boss of The Legend of Zelda series. For the biography of the character, see Ganondorf.

Ganon is the alternate form of Ganondorf, the King of Evil. At the moment of the Great Cataclysm, Ganondorf's body became a reflection of his inner self. Ganon remains this way while inside the Dark World, and can change into this form at will while in the Light World.

The Legend of Zelda
Gannon, the Prince of Darkness, invades Hyrule with his evil army, seizes the Triforce of Power and attempts to gather the scattered pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. He imprisons Princess Zelda and keeps her in his lair at Death Mountain. He is killed by Link after getting hit by a Silver Arrow, turning to dust.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Ganon is dead after Link's last encounter with him. His minions try to resurrect him by killing Link and mixing his blood with their master's ashes. If Link dies, his blood is used to resurrect Ganon. In non-Japanese versions of the game, he appears as a shadow on the Game Over screen.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Ganondorf, the Prince of Thieves, was one of many adventurers who traveled from the Light World to the Golden Land to claim the Triforce. Obtaining the power of the Triforce, he made a wish to control the Golden Land and thereby transformed the realm into the Dark World and himself into a pig/boar-form, both of which reflected his corrupt, wicked heart and his greedy nature.

Styling himself as Ganon, King of Evil, he sought to conquer the Light World, as well. Ganon attacked Hyrule with his monstrous armies, but was defeated by the Knights of Hyrule and sealed in the Dark World by the Seven Sages. Years later, Ganon projected his spirit into the Light World through an alternate form, Agahnim, with which he betrayed the King of Hyrule and took over the country. This 'Agahnim' form then tried to break the seal on the Golden Land to allow Ganon to escape it. Link confronted Agahnim in Hyrule Castle and defeated him, but Agahnim managed to send Link into the Dark World before he was beaten.

In the Dark World, Link stormed Ganon's Tower and defeated Agahnim once again. After the battle with Agahnim, he battled Ganon in the Pyramid of Power, where he was bested by a silver arrow. With this ultimate defeat, the Dark World returned to its former beauty as the Sacred Realm and the Triforce was reunited, with Link as its new master.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Ganon himself does not actually appear in Link's Awakening, but he is briefly mentioned in the instruction booklet concerning the backstory of earlier installments, implying a timeline placement after that of The Legend of Zelda. Namely, the people of Hyrule worried other evils may materialize themselves from his ashes. Also, the final Nightmare takes on a Ganon form whose attack pattern and appearance is similar to the Ganon fought in A Link to the Past.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Ganon first appears in his human form Ganondorf. He is represented as a Gerudo male known as 'The King of Thieves'. Unbeknownst to the King of Hyrule, Ganondorf is trying to obtain power; Princess Zelda suspected his plan, thanks to a vision she had in a dream and decides to try and thwart him with the help of Link.

Later on, in the first phase of the final battle, Ganondorf tried to tear down his own castle on Link and Princess Zelda before seemingly being defeated by Link. Zelda and Link manage to escape the castle seconds before it finally collapses, and then they hear a noise in the ruins. When Link investigates the sounds, Ganondorf appears, showing the Triforce of Power's glow and transforming into Ganon, which is the second phase of "the final battle" in the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Twinrova attempt to revive the deceased Ganon by lighting the Flame of Destruction and the Flame of Sorrow by causing havoc in Holodrum and Labrynna. By sacrificing Zelda, the ritual would be complete with the lighting of the Flame of Despair and Ganon would be revived. However, after Link arrives, they are forced to sacrifice themselves instead of Zelda, resurrecting Ganon, but only a lesser form of him.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Ganon briefly appears in the prologue of the game, revealing he had escaped from the Dark World and conquered Hyrule. A hero never rose to vanquish him, so the gods destroyed Ganon's gains by flooding the land and turning it into the Great Sea, using the Master Sword as a seal on his magic. Powerless, Ganon returns to his Ganondorf form and quietly escapes into the overworld.

Ganon itself does not appear in the main game; however, Ganondorf takes on the form of Puppet Ganon, a giant, wooden, puppet-like version of Ganon. He is held onto the ceiling by ropes and takes on the form of a boar, spider, and Moldorm. Like Ganon from Ocarina of Time, his tail is a weak spot.

Another depiction of the Ganon form can be seen on the stained glass windows in the Hyrule Castle basement where Link finds the Master Sword. The center window shows the Sages sealing Ganon away at the end of the climactic battle in Ocarina of Time.

Even though Ganondorf does not appear in the game in his Ganon form, Ganondorf is often referred to by the name "Ganon."

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Ganondorf is not apparently the enemy at first; however, when Link arrives at the Lost Woods, the Deku there are under his control. More is revealed about him in the next area, the Desert of Doubt. The Gerudo there know him, but they dislike him because he entered the Pyramid which is sacred to them. He took the Trident and transformed into Ganon.

After Link defeats Vaati in the Palace of Winds, the Tower of Winds starts to crumble, and Link and Zelda travel down the tower back to Hyrule. However, they are stopped by Ganon, who faces Link in battle. After he is defeated, he is locked within the Four Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Having been defeated by Link while possessing Princess Zelda, Ganondorf appears to be defeated, and Zelda's soul is returned to her body. After a brief reunion, Ganondorf suddenly transforms into his beast form Ganon. He erects a magical barrier to prevent Zelda from intervening and attacks Link, who utilizes his own beast form to defeat Ganon. Ganon appears more reckless in this appearance, quickly destroying most of the Throne Room where the battle is fought. His most prominent ability in this appearance is his high control of Twilight Portals.

The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage
Ganon was set to appear in the unreleased game Mystical Seed of Courage. In the game he would kidnap Princess Zelda and split the Triforce of Power into eight parts. It is also possible he would be responsible for sending the the Rod of Seasons along with its hiding place in Hyrule Castle to another dimension.

The Legend of Zelda animated series
Ganon is the main villain of the series. He is depicted as a powerful magical pig-being who holds the Triforce of Power. Ganon constantly plots to steal the Triforce of Wisdom from Hyrule, but his attempts are always thwarted by Link and Princess Zelda. Ganon's lair lies outside of Hyrule, inside of which is the Evil Jar, a magic jar used to transport enemies back to his lair just before they are killed; this also applies to Ganon, who is saved by the jar a number of times himself.

The Legend of Zelda comics
Ganon is the antagonist of the Legend of Zelda comics by Valiant.

Link: The Faces of Evil
Ganon is the main antagonist of this game. He takes over the far-off island of Koridai and kidnaps Princess Zelda when Link leaves Hyrule. During his travels Link discovers a mystical object known as the Book of Koridai which seemingly has the power to imprison Ganon. Link finally reaches Ganon, who attempts to recruit Link with the promise of great power and the threat of murder, but Link turns down his offer by imprisoning him in the Book of Koridai.

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
Ganon once again serves as the main antagonist of this game. He allies himself with Duke Onkled, the cousin of King Harkinian. He then imprisons both King Harkinian and Link when they investigate the land of Gamelon leaving Princess Zelda and Impa the only people able to stop him. Zelda eventually defeats him using the Wand of Gamelon and the Magic Lantern.

Zelda's Adventure
In this game Ganon kidnaps Link, and unleashed his rule over the land of Tolemac. Princess Zelda sets out to save the young adventurer, and learns from the astronomer Gaspra that she must first collect the seven celestial signs before she can conquer the dark king and bring Tolemac to an Age of Lightness.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ganon is playable as the final smash of Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He stamps the ground, stunning all in line and lunges at the players in front of him.

The Legend of Neil
Gannon appears in this web series meant to parody The Legend of Zelda. Neil, an average man from Trenton, New Jersey, gets sucked into the game while playing it drunk, and find he is on a quest to slay Gannon and rescue Princess Zelda from her prison in Level 9. Gannon is a very powerful, yet overly proud being, who refuses to listen to others' advice. When his aid, Wizrobe, offers suggestions, such as not leaving items around for Neil to collect, he is often slapped for stating his beliefs. When Gannon finally does take Wizrobe's advice on hiring a Darknut to defeat Neil, the plan works, and Neil is taken hostage. In the season finale of Season 2, Gannon kills Neil right in front of Princess Zelda's eyes, and Neil awakens in his apartment, finding he can choose to continue or quit the game. The season finale of Season 2 is the first time Gannon's face is seen.

The Legend of Zelda: The Abridged Series
Ganon makes a short appearence at the end of this popular YouTube series based on Ocarina of Time. After having his castle fall on his head, Ganondorf transforms into Ganon and knocks away the Master Sword before battling Link. However, Link had taken the time to get the Biggoron Sword, and thus is able to wear Ganon down, retrieve the Master Sword, and save the day.

Gallery
Ganon