Ganondorf

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ), known as the Great King of Evil or the Dark Lord, is the primary antagonist of a majority of the games in the Legend of Zelda series. Ganondorf was born a member of the Gerudo; as the only male member to be born in a hundred years, Ganondorf was given the title of King of the Gerudo. Gifted with powerful magic, Ganondorf often seeks the omniscient Triforce to grant his wish of conquering the entire world. After attaining the Triforce of Power, he staged several coups against the Royal Family of Hyrule to take the Hyrulean Throne by force. In the English-localized game manual of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, his full name is stated to be Ganondorf Dragmire, and his alias before his incursion into the Sacred Realm is stated to have been Mandrag Ganon, meaning "Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves."

The Triforce of Power that Ganondorf often holds grants him near-immortality; the only weapons that can truly defeat him are the Master Sword, Silver Arrows, and Light Arrows. In addition to granting him power, the Triforce of Power allows Ganondorf to transform into his more powerful beast form, Ganon, reminiscent of a pig or hog. During events of the ending of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the timeline of The Legend of Zelda series is severed into two separate timelines. Thus the Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time has two different future incarnations, each eventually meeting their end at the hands of different Links, leaving uncertain futures for both Ganondorf's. In addition to the character from Ocarina of Time and his two paralell future selves, Ganondorf or his monstrous Ganon form appear several more times throughout the series. It is not confirmed which if any of these incarnations are connected to the previous being, leading to the idea that there may be multiple Ganondorfs, much like many other characters in the Legend of Zelda series who have multiple incarnations.

Personality
Ganondorf is commonly portrayed as the incarnation of pure evil, greed, and power. He is ruthless, cold, and calculating, seeing all others as either tools to be used or enemies to be destroyed. He is just as likely to reward a servant for a job well done as he is likely to kill them for speaking out of line. He is also shown to have an ego, believing that only he is worthy to rule the kingdom and showing an arrogant sense of entitlement. As it is heavily implied he is the reincarnation of Demise's hatred his evil and greed make sense, as Demise's goal was to conqure the land using the Trifoce.

One of Ganondorf’s most defining traits is his unquenchable lust for power. Many of his actions are driven by his unending hunger to increase his dominion over the world. Born as the King of the Gerudo, the already powerful Ganondorf immediately sought dominion of all of Hyrule. Despite succeeding in sacking Hyrule Castle and proclaiming himself King of Hyrule, it soon became clear political power was not enough for him. His desire for the Triforce has led to his possession of the Triforce of Power, granting him god-like influence. Yet even this power did not satisfy him, only spurring him instead to gain all the Triforce pieces. Should Ganondorf ever fulfill his ambition of being the sole Triforce wielder, it is unlikely even this will satisfy him forever.

Despite his negative qualities, it has been hinted that his primary reason for wanting to conquer Hyrule, at least initially, was to make life better for his people, the Gerudo, as they lived a life full of suffering due to living in the desert. Interestingly, he seems to follow a code of honor; in Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is amused and almost impressed when a young, helpless Link drew his weapons at him. Effortlessly knocking Link away, Ganondorf let the boy live despite his defiance, acknowledging some respect for his courage. When he knocks Link down, he will wait for Link to get up before continuing a fight. In addition, when he realizes that Zelda keeps on attacking him with the Light Arrows whenever he fights Link, he swiftly approaches Zelda, and when he could easily just cut her down, he instead puts away his sword and backhands her instead.

Like that of Link, Ganondorf's personality undergoes subtle changes throughout the games. In Ocarina of Time he is wise-cracking and sarcastic (e.g. calling Link "kid" even when he reached adulthood, calling Link's weapons "toys", saying to him "I like you, kid" before blasting him with magic, etc. although it should be noted that the rest of the Gerudo, including Nabooru, refer to Link as "kid" a few times as well.) but is ultimately serious when need be. In The Wind Waker, he seems to have matured somewhat with age. He was portrayed as somewhat of a tragic villain, being altogether more solemn and less prone to wisecracks. In Twilight Princess he was similar to his persona to his portrayal in The Wind Waker (albeit regaining some of his usual cockiness). It is also implied that Ganondorf is emotionally unstable, as evidenced when he laughs maniacally as Hyrule is about to be flooded nearing the end of The Wind Waker.

Powers and abilities
Ganondorf is one of the most powerful characters in the series, mostly due to his frequent possession of the Triforce of Power. Even without it, his magical powers are still extremely potent. In Ocarina of Time he possessed some magical abilities before obtaining the Triforce, shown when he blasts Link with dark magic and plagues the Great Deku Tree, Dodongo's Cavern, and Lord Jabu-Jabu with monsters, as well as sealing the Dodongo's Cavern with a boulder. After acquiring the Triforce of power, he was also able to create countless monsters, break the seal on Kakariko Well releasing Bongo Bongo, resurrect the feared dragon Volvagia, freezing several Zoras in Red Ice, fly, imprison and warp away Princess Zelda, open up a portal to another dimension, and conquer Hyrule. He also has the power to transform into a boar demon known as Ganon as well as create a copy of himself called Phantom Ganon. In addition, he has enough strength to cause an entire portion of his throne room's floor to collapse with a single punch, should it not be connected to the room below.

In The Wind Waker, Ganondorf was shown to be powerful enough to take a blast from Valoo and survive after his full power had returned to him. In addition, even without his full power backing him when it was sealed within the Master Sword, he was still shown as being capable of generating an eternal night and generating an immense storm. He is also capable of projecting illusions from afar, as evidenced by his use of an illusion of Princess Zelda to lure Link back into the Master Sword chamber below Hyrule Castle as a trap.

In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf's power is enhanced when he draws strength from the hatred of the banished Twili people. He is also implied to wield the Triforce of Power, and may gain some abilities from his connection to Zant. The powers he displays are never definitively attributed to any one of these sources, though he gains many abilities which have the same visual effect seen from beings with Twilight-based powers. These include the use of Twilight Portals, turning into Twilight in order to possess another person, and existing as a fiery entity in the shape of his own face. He is also able to survive an attack from Midna while she is using the Fused Shadow, and even destroys the powerful artifact afterward. He was also capable of destroying an Ancient Sage, who were implied to be disembodied spirits, with his bare hands shortly after he survived his execution, and breaking the chains binding him to the pillar.

Ganondorf can survive attacks that would kill another being, such as his 'execution' at the hands of the Sages before the events of Twilight Princess, and his defeat at the end of some games in which he is not actually slain. The exact limits of his powers are unknown. He is also very skilled with swords, as shown in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Ganondorf is mentioned in the back story of the game and by one of the Seven Maidens. He was depicted as a king of thieves who managed to break into the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce. The power of the Triforce changed him into a beast and from that point on he became known as Ganon, who then was imprisoned in the Dark World by the Seven Sages after the Imprisoning War.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ganondorf is the primary antagonist; an evil Gerudo mystic seeking the omnipotent Triforce, Ganondorf attempts to obtain the Spiritual Stones of Forest, Fire, and Water, which serve as keys to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce rests. Using his unspoken magical powers and hordes of evil minions, Ganondorf attempts to wrest control over the Spiritual Stones from the leaders of the Kokiri, Goron, and Zora races. After the Great Deku Tree, leader of the Kokiri, refuses to give Ganondorf the stone, the evil Gerudo places a death curse on the wise tree. To blackmail Darunia, leader of the Gorons into giving up the Goron's Ruby, he fills Dodongo's Cavern with evil creatures and seals the entrance with a boulder, his plan being that the Gorons will eventually give him the stone in order to prevent death from starvation. Finally, to obtain the Zora's Sapphire, Ganondorf sends parasites that infect Lord Jabu-Jabu, the Zora's guardian deity, in hopes of stealing the stone from Princess Ruto, who frequently visits Jabu-Jabu.

Link, a Hylian youth who lives among the Kokiri, has increasingly troubled dreams as Ganondorf comes closer to achieving his goal. One day, a fairy by the name of Navi awakens Link and brings a request from the Great Deku Tree that he go see him. The Great Deku Tree explains to Link about the curse placed on him, as well as the evil Ganondorf. He asks Link to venture inside him and defeat the originator of the wicked curse, Queen Gohma. Link successfully does so, but the tree reveals that he had been doomed to die before Link had even begun his quest. After explaining the creation of Hyrule and the Triforce, the wise tree then asks Link to meet Zelda, princess of Hyrule in Hyrule Castle. Link is also given the Spiritual Stone of Forest, not fully understanding its true purpose yet, and the Great Deku Tree withers. Link travels to Hyrule Castle and meets with the prophetic Princess Zelda, who had foreseen their meeting in her dreams. She explains to Link that along with the Spiritual Stones, the Ocarina of Time as well as the "Song of Time" are needed in order to enter the Sacred Realm. Zelda is convinced that together, they can manage to get to the Triforce before Ganondorf and stop his evil plans.

Link collects the two remaining Spiritual Stones, but as he returns to the castle, he sees Zelda riding away from the castle together with her nursemaid Impa. Before they disappear out of sight, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time into Hyrule Castle Town's moat. Suddenly, Ganondorf appears before Link, their encounter being a fulfillment of Link's nightmares. Link attempts to confront Ganondorf, but is easily defeated by a blast of magic from Ganondorf, who then continues to chase after Zelda. Link dives into the moat to recover the Ocarina of Time, and as he touches it, Princess Zelda appears before him in a vision and teaches him the "Song of Time". With all the required keys to the Sacred Realm, Link ventures within the Temple of Time and finds the chamber where the legendary Master Sword rests. As he touches the sword, he fulfills an ancient prophecy regarding the Hero of Time, destined to battle great evil. However, since he is too young to be the hero, he is taken away and sealed within the Temple of Light for seven years. The path to the Triforce is left open, and Ganondorf sees his chance to take the Triforce and personally thanks Link for opening the Door of Time for him; however, as he touches it, the Triforce shatters into three pieces; Power, Wisdom and Courage. As Ganondorf's inner balance of power, wisdom and courage is not fully balanced, the Triforce he values most is left in his hand. The pieces of Wisdom and Courage are secretly given to Zelda and Link, respectively. While not being able to obtain the full power of the Triforce, Ganondorf usurps the throne of Hyrule and transforms the once peaceful land into a wasteland of fear and horror. During this time, he revives an evil dragon named Volvagia and plans to commit genocide against the Gorons by feeding them to it, with the intention of cowing the other races to his rule, and also intended to use Volvagia to spark an eruption of Death Mountain to wipe out Kakariko Village. He also trapped the Zoras under a thick sheet of ice in Zora's Domain (and presumably froze King Zora XVI in Red Ice), as well as drained Lake Hylia with a water demon named Morpha, and he spread his evil influence to the Forest Temple.

Seven years later, Link awakens within the Chamber of the Sages, the events that occurred explained to him by Rauru, the Sage of Light. To defeat Ganondorf, Link must awaken the Six Sages who hold the power to seal Ganondorf away. Link completes the dungeon of the ruined future Hyrule and awakens all the sages, many of whom he already knew. After the awakening of the final sage, Link is summoned to the Temple of Time. Here Sheik, a mysterious Sheikah who had aided him throughout his quest to awaken the sages, reveals her true identity to be that of Princess Zelda. Zelda presents Link with Ganondorf's weakness, the Light Arrow. However, the two are discovered by Ganondorf, who takes Zelda away to his castle. Ganondorf also implies that he suspected that Zelda would aid Link in some fashion, and that he allowed Link to restore the temples knowing that Zelda would reveal herself afterwards. Link breaks the seal on Ganon's Tower and confronts Ganondorf at the top of the tower. Ganondorf commands Link to give him the Triforce of Courage. After a fierce battle, Ganondorf appears to have been defeated, but with his last ounce of strength, attempts to bring down his castle onto Zelda and Link, who narrowly escape before the castle collapses. As they believe to have won, however, a noise is heard from the rubble, revealing itself to be Ganondorf, who uses the power of the Triforce of Power to transform into Ganon. Ganon knocked the master sword out of Link's hands, forcing Link to weaken him with his other weapons until he can retrieve the Master Sword. Afterwards, Link weakens a rejuvenated Ganon with the Master Sword until Zelda manages to use her power to hold him, allowing Link to deal the killing blow. The Seven Sages then work together to seal Ganondorf away. However, Ganondorf claims that he will return, as long as the Triforce of Power is in his hand. This was the first game where he appeared as a human figure.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Ganondorf is the primary antagonist of the game. A long time prior to the events of the game, Ganondorf somehow managed to break the seal placed on him and, once more, attempted to establish dominion over the land of Hyrule. To this end, he seeks to recover the two other Triforce pieces and to make a wish to the Triforce that Hyrule be given to him. To find the descendant of Princess Zelda, who held the Triforce of Wisdom, he sends his loyal minion, the Helmaroc King, to kidnap all young, pointy-eared girls living on the islands of the Great Sea. After being captured, the young girls are imprisoned within Ganondorf's new lair, the Forsaken Fortress. In addition to this, Ganondorf sends monsters to islands all around the Great Sea to prevent the descendant of the hero who had sealed him away from ever foiling his plans. To further secure himself against the coming of the hero's descendant, he orders two of his minions, Jalhalla and Molgera, to kill the sages of the Wind Temple and the Earth Temple, whose prayers give the power to repel evil to the Master Sword.

Eventually, the Helmaroc King comes to Outset Island, where lives the young boy Link, who has come of the age when young boys are given green garments. The Helmaroc King has kidnapped the young pirate leader Tetra, and Link travels into the forest to save her, and successfully does so. However, as they leave the forest, Link's sister Aryll is taken by the Helmaroc King in Tetra's place. Link travels with Tetra and her pirates to the Forsaken Fortress. Link manages to sneak his way into the dungeon cells, but is discovered. He catches a brief glimpse of Ganondorf, just before he is thrown far away from the island by the Helmaroc King. Floating and unconscious, Link is discovered by the King of Red Lions, a talking boat who becomes his ally and companion.

The King of Red Lions and Link work together to obtain the three Pearls of the Goddesses, which when gathered raise the fabled Tower of the Gods from the depths of the sea. After Link collects the pearls of Din and Farore, Ganondorf uses his evil magic to destroy Greatfish Isle, where the spirit Jabun, holder of Nayru's Pearl, resides. Jabun escapes to a cave on Outset Island, which is eventually discovered by Link and the King of Red Lions. After obtaining the final pearl, Link proves himself to truly be of the legendary hero's lineage by braving the many perils within the Tower of the Gods. After the defeat of Gohdan, a portal appears before the tower. Using the portal to safely travel to the very bottom of the Great Sea, Link finds himself in a grand castle where time has stopped. Beneath the castle, he finds the chamber in which the legendary Master Sword rests. Taking the sword, Link travels once more to the Forsaken Fortress; however, Ganondorf's safeguards prove useful when it is revealed that the sword holds no power over Ganondorf without the prayers of the Wind and Earth Sages. Tetra arrives to aid Link, distracting Ganondorf, but is herself taken. As Ganondorf prepares to squeeze the life out of her, his Triforce of Power resonates, revealing her true identity to be that of Zelda's descendant and holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Before Ganondorf has the chance to take the Triforce, Link, Zelda and the kidnapped girls are rescued by Valoo, a great dragon whom Link befriended earlier. Valoo sets Ganondorf's lair on fire, but Ganondorf escapes, retreating into his tower in the sunken land of Hyrule. Link leaves Zelda safe in the chamber beneath Hyrule Castle, and awakens the descendants of the sages, restoring the Master Sword. To make his way back into sunken Hyrule, Link gathers the shards of the Triforce of Courage. However, Zelda is taken away by Ganondorf to his domain. Link destroys the barrier Ganondorf had placed around the entrance to Hyrule Castle to prevent Link from reaching the temples by way of Hyrule. Inside Ganon's Tower, Link battles Ganondorf's minions once more. Inside the tower, Ganondorf reveals part of his motives for conquering Hyrule. Ganondorf's conquest of Hyrule would have succeeded, as the legendary hero who had defeated him did not appear. Praying for the aid from the gods, the gods answered the people's prayers by flooding the land, creating the Great Sea. After the destruction of Ganondorf's puppet form, he retreats to the top of the tower. When Link confronts him again on the roof, Ganondorf finally explains the reasons for his ambition to conquer Hyrule: his homeland, the Gerudo Desert, had been a harsh, barren place, but he coveted the friendlier winds that blew across Hyrule. His personal quest had been born of a desire to bring his people to lush Hyrule.

Ganondorf forcibly reassembles the Triforce, however, as he is about to make his wish, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the former King of Hyrule who had taken residence within the King of Red Lions, touches the Triforce before him, wishing that Hyrule be flooded, preventing Ganondorf from ever attaining his true wish as well as bringing a future to Zelda and Link instead of clinging onto the past. After a fit of hysterical laughter at his failure, Ganondorf attacks Link and Zelda as water begins to cover Hyrule. Zelda attempts to use the Light Arrow to attack Ganondorf, but is knocked out. Link defends himself against Ganondorf's attack until Zelda reawakens; working as a team, they use the Master Sword and Light Arrow to weaken the Dark Lord. At his weakest, Link plunges the Master Sword deep into the forehead of Ganondorf, which turns him into stone and kills him. Link and Zelda escape to the surface while, Ganondorf and Hyrule are flooded once and for all.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Ganondorf is eventually revealed to be the primary antagonist. When Link arrives at the Forest of Darkness, the Deku there have become his followers. More is revealed about him in the next area, the Desert of Doubt. The Gerudo there tell Link that as the sole male born to the tribe every hundred years, Ganondorf was to be the guardian of the Gerudo and the desert. However, his heart grew twisted with each passing year, and he became obsessed with obtaining power at any cost. The Gerudo now shun him because he disobeyed their laws and fled to the sacred Pyramid. There, he took the Trident and was transformed into Ganon by its dark magic.

After Link defeats Vaati in his palace, the Tower of Winds starts to crumble, and Link and Zelda travel down the tower back to Hyrule. However, they are attacked by Ganon. After he is defeated he is sealed within the Four Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Ganondorf is eventually revealed to be the primary antagonist. It is strongly implied that he holds the Triforce of Power. As punishment for his crimes, he was to be executed by the Ancient Sages of the Mirror of Twilight at Arbiter's Grounds. The Water Sage attempts to carry the execution out, stabbing Ganondorf with the Execution Sword, leaving a glowing, open wound on his chest. However, Ganondorf remained alive, presumably through a combination of the Triforce of Power and the anguish and the hatred of the Twili bleeding through the void of the Twilight realm, escaped, and killed the Water Sage with his bare hands. With their execution a failure, the Sages sealed Ganondorf away in the Twilight Realm, the Execution Sword going with him. Inside the Twilight Realm, he eventually gained a servant through Zant, a member of the Twili race who had been refused the throne of the Twilight Realm. Posing as a god, Ganondorf pretended to offer his powers to Zant, without specifically mentioning any requests. Zant takes him up on his offer and through him, Ganondorf is able to escape to Hyrule when Zant launches a military campaign to cover all the land in Twilight.

Seeking to defeat Zant, Link and Midna eventually make their way to the top of the Arbiter's Grounds, where the Ancient Sages explain what happened to Ganondorf. They reassemble the Mirror of Twilight and travel into the Twilight Realm, wherein they manage to defeat Zant. Zant reveals the truth about how he came to meet his "god" before Midna slays him. Link and Midna travel to Hyrule Castle, where Midna uses the restored Fused Shadow to remove the Twilight barrier placed around the castle. Inside the castle's Throne Room, Link and Ganondorf meet. He possesses Princess Zelda's lifeless body and attacks Link, but Midna manages to purge Ganondorf's soul from Zelda's body, restoring her to life as well. Ganondorf then transforms into Ganon, but is defeated by Link in his wolf form. As Ganon is wounded, Midna attempts to battle him herself, while teleporting Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field.

A short while later, a huge explosion is heard in direction of the castle, and Ganondorf reappears, holding Midna's Fused Shadow helmet and crushing it in his hand. Ganondorf summons his mount and sends ghost riders after Link to stop him. He is eventually defeated by Zelda's Light Arrows and Link's sword. His steed defeated, Ganondorf confronts Link in a one-on-one duel, wielding the very sword meant for his execution. Seeing an opening in Ganondorf's defence, Link impales him with the Master Sword; as Ganondorf bellows a blood-curdling moan, and vows that regardless of his loss, it won't end, as the history of light and shadow "will be written in blood", the Triforce symbol on his hand fades away. As this happens, a small scene occurs in which Zant's neck cracks, fading back to Ganondorf with his eyes rolling back into his head.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Ganondorf is mentioned by Niko in the game's synopsis of The Wind Waker. He is depicted in a picture kidnapping Tetra and again battling Link. His theme also plays while Niko describes him.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Eiji Aonuma has stated that while Ganondorf does not appear in Skyward Sword, the game still touches on why he is present in Ocarina of Time. After Link defeats Demise and seals him within the Master Sword, Demise states that his hatred will reincarnate itself and attack in a cycle with no end, hinting that Ganondorf, and by extension, Ganon is the reincarnation of Demise's hatred.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Ganondorf is a playable character for the first time in Super Smash Bros. Melee. To unlock him, the player must beat Event Match #29 or play 600 VS. Mode matches. His moves are almost exactly the same as Captain Falcon's, but he is slower and more powerful. His physical appearance is based on the design used in the Space World 2000 Demo, and wields the same sword used in the demo in one of his victory poses, even though he doesn't use it in battle.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ganondorf is based off of his appearance in Twilight Princess. His moves remained largely the same, though visually different. His Smash-B move, rather than a dashing uppercut, is a magically enhanced chokeslam. His final smash is a running charge at a player as Ganon.

In the storyline, Ganondorf uses the Ancient Minister to drop Subspace bombs on the world, "erasing" it and transporting it into Subspace. He serves under Master Hand, and Bowser, the main antagonist of the Super Mario Bros. series, is Ganondorf's right hand man. Eventually, the Ancient Minister (later revealed to be a ROB unit) turns on Ganondorf, refusing to fight the heroes when confronted by them on the "Isle of the Ancients" stage. However, Ganondorf takes control of all the R.O.B.s, forcing them to attack the Ancient Minister and then proceeding to have them detonate multiple Subspace bombs at once, generating an explosion so great and tearing a hole so large that the entire island is permanently consumed. Ganondorf and Bowser pilot a titanic gunship into the real world via this hole, using it against the alliance of heroes arriving to take the villains down. The gunship is destroyed when Kirby flies the Dragoon through the hull. Retreating back into Subspace, Ganondorf betrays Bowser, turning him into a trophy. Ganondorf soon learns that Master Hand, whom he was apparently going to betray for more power (though this is difficult to determine since the only lines of dialogue in the entire story are spoken by Solid Snake, Ike, and Captain Falcon), is only a puppet being controlled by a higher being, Tabuu. Ganondorf attempts to attack Tabuu alone, but is easily subdued with a single hit and turned into a trophy (though his attack does succeed in inadvertently freeing Master Hand from Tabuu's control). Later on, the trophy of Ganondorf is attacked by a revived Bowser in retaliation for his earlier betrayal before being revived himself by, ironically, none other than his arch-enemies Link and Zelda, who convince him to help them and the rest of the playable fighters in the final battle against Tabuu.

In Brawl Ganondorf does not use the sword he had in Twilight Princess, even though his appearance is based off of his Twilight Princess design. However, the sword is seen in one of Ganondorf's taunts, where he takes it out of its sheath just to inspect it, and possibly show it off, then immediately returns it. In his regular form, Ganondorf does not have the chest wound that he had in Twilight Princess, though it is present when he turns into Ganon. Strangely, it is more purple in color than in Twilight Princess.

Ganondorf appears on two stickers. One depicts his artwork from Ocarina of Time and gives a +29 bonus to darkness attacks, and the other depicts his artwork from The Wind Waker and gives a +33 bonus to darkness attacks. Ganondorf is the only one who can use these stickers.

Gallery
Ganondorf ガノンドロフ