Ganon

Ganon (also known as Ganondorf) is the final boss and primary antagonist of several games in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Although he made numerous appearances in the series, his complete backstory was not revealed until Ocarina of Time was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998.

Character background

According to Ocarina of Time, Ganon was a member of the Gerudo tribe and was their king, at which time he was named Ganondorf - the sole male of his kind, as only one male is born to the Gerudo every century. Koume and Kotake are described as his surrogate mothers, raising him in an environment where death is an almost-daily event. Ganondorf coveted the Triforce and the lush green lands where Hyrule stood. The hero Link had been used by Ganondorf and unwittingly helped him gain access to the Triforce when Link acquired the Master Sword, unlocking the entrance to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce resided. However, once Ganondorf touched the Triforce itself, it split into its three components that embedded themselves in the three people destined to receive them - Ganondorf received the Triforce of Power, Link the Triforce of Courage, and Princess Zelda the Triforce of Wisdom.

With the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf was able to conquer the land of Hyrule and rule unopposed for seven years, obtaining the title of King of Evil/King of Darkness (Dark Lord or Devil King in the Japanese version). At that point, Link, who had been held in stasis for those seven years, was awakened by Rauru, the Sage of Light. Rauru encouraged him to awaken the other six Sages (whose power had been dormant in the leaders of Hyrule) to oppose and defeat Ganondorf's rule. Now a young adult, Link had succeeded in awakening the Sages and attacked Ganondorf's stronghold for a final showdown. After his initial defeat, Ganondorf's piece of the Triforce, combined with his evil and lust for power, could not contain the evil within his heart. Ganondorf was transformed into an immensely powerful, porcine monster of terrifying evil. After his transformation Ganondorf was to be known as Ganon. After an intense battle, Link and Zelda (whom Ganon needed for the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage) were able to fight and finally subdued the demonic Ganon long enough for the Seven Sages to combine their powers and seal him away as Ganon screamed that he would return and destroy Link and Zelda's descendants.

Game Appearances

The Legend of Zelda

Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game for the Famicom in 1986; the following year, the game was brought over to the American NES. In that game, Ganon first appeared sort of like a monstrous blue pig. During Link's actual fight with him, however, he turns invisible and randomly warps around the room throwing fireballs at the hero. Only a sword can cause him damage, and after being struck by it enough times he will turn red (and visible) and stop warping. At that point, Link must quickly use a Silver Arrow to finish him off once and for all. This technique for defeating him also works in the remake, BS Zelda. This sword/silver arrow pattern is typically used to dispatch him in future Zelda games also.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Ganon only makes a brief cameo in The Adventure of Link, as a shadowy figure in the Game Over screen, although the plot of the game partially involves an attempt by Ganon's followers to revive him using Link's blood.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Stone Tablets of Antiquity

In A Link to the Past, Ganon was still sealed in the Sacred Realm (often referred to as the Dark World in this game). However, he was somehow able to manipulate the evil wizard Agahnim to fulfill his agenda in the Light World (Hyrule). Link had to venture into the Dark World to stop Ganon from breaking free of the seal previously imposed on him. Link had to use the combination of Master Sword and Silver Arrows to defeat him. Ganon's abilities in this fight included the teleportation he used in the first game, although he remained visible for the most part and primarily attacked using his trident. This is the first appearance of his now traditional piece of weaponry. He would use it to form many flaming bats to attack Link. He also began to use powerful jumps that could break away the floor around the edges of the arena. Finally, he would use his 'Technique of Darkness', the same skill he used in The Legend of Zelda, except this time he would be invulnerable while performing it. It does have one weakness however; light. His tactics in Stone Tablets of Antiquity were similar.

Ocarina of Time

In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was known as the King of the Gerudo. Although the race is primarily composed of females, legend has it that one sole male Gerudo is born every hundred years, thereby giving Ganondorf the respective title.

Although it remains unexplained in the game, Ganondorf somehow learns the legend of the Triforce and its god-like power. It is widely believed that his surrogate mothers, Twinrova, are responsible for exposing him to this dangerous knowledge. In order to expand his influence and shift his authority from just the Gerudo tribe to the entire world, Ganondorf leaves his home to seek the sacred triangle. While pledging allegiance to the King of Hyrule, he secretly attacks other areas: Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain, and Zora's Domain, in an attempt to force the three races that inhabit the areas (the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras) to give up their respective spiritual stones in order to open the Door of Time, and ultimately infiltrate the Sacred Realm. Although the tribes refuse to cooperate, Ganondorf is inadvertently aided by Link, and steps through the Door of Time that he opened using the various items and knowledge Ganondorf failed to acquire. He touches the Triforce, but due to his evil and imbalanced heart, the relic splits into three pieces, with only the Triforce of Power remaining in his hand. The Triforce of Wisdom is entrusted to Zelda, while the Triforce of Courage, unknown to him, is given to Link.

Even without the full might of the Triforce, Ganondorf takes over Hyrule, and becomes the King of Evil. His influence radiates from the five temples, causing monsters to appear and prevent the Sages from hearing their awakening call. As Link awakens the Sages manually, Ganondorf does nothing to stop him, since he knows that if he lets Link go his way, Zelda would eventually appear. She does so in the Temple of Time, where Ganondorf seizes the opportunity and imprisons her in a crystal-like magical cage and takes her to his castle. He tells Link that in order to save her, he has to come to the castle.

In combat, Ganondorf shoots balls of magic from his hand, which are then supposed to be deflected by Link using his sword. Ganondorf will often deflect the attack back at Link, continuing the cycle until either Link or Ganondorf is unable to deflect it (this method of fighting is similar to how the player defeats Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple, as well as the method used to defeat the wizard Agahnim in A Link to the Past). When Ganondorf is hit, Link must shoot him with a Light Arrow, causing Ganondorf to fall to the ground so that Link can attack using his sword. Ganondorf also summons dark energy to power up for a severe attack. Link can bring down Ganondorf with a Light Arrow when Ganondorf is powering up as well, or he can charge up a spin attack and reflect all the Magic back at Ganondorf to stun him - then fire a Light arrow to bring him to his knees.

After Ganondorf is finally defeated, he uses his last remaining strength to bring down his castle with Link and Zelda still in it. They escape, but when it seems that they have finally won, Ganondorf bursts out from under the rubble, the energy of the Triforce of Power overtaking him and transforming him (likely for the first time) into the great boar demon Ganon. When fighting Link, Ganon creates a wall of fire around the arena and will attempt to hurt Link using the two large weapons he is holding. The weapons noticeably resemble the ninja weapon sai, or shortened tridents, although Ganon wields two. He can be stunned by firing a Light Arrow into his face, and can be damaged by hitting him in the tail with just about any weapon in Link's arsenal (minus the Master Sword, which is flung out of Link's hands at the beginning of the fight). Link can also roll through Ganon's legs and hit the tail that way. After damaging Ganon enough, the wall of fire around the arena will fade, allowing Link to grab the Master Sword. During the second round, Ganon can only be damaged by hitting him in the tail with the Master Sword. After being damaged enough, Ganon is stunned by Zelda, allowing Link to inflict the final blow using the now glowing Master Sword. The Seven Sages then imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm as he vows to return and "exterminate your descendants!"

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Ganon was the hidden final boss of Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. He appears in either game only after both games have been completed via the password system. It is irrelevant what order the games are played in, but he always appears as the final boss of the second. He was revived by the Twinrova sisters, but as the sorceresses were unable to sacrifice Zelda, the ritual was incomplete and Ganon became nothing more than a 'mindless' beast, bent on nothing but destruction. His speech appeared slow and simplistic. Ganon would attack in a similar manner to his appearance in A Link to the Past, using his trident very aggressively and teleporting around the arena. His most powerful attack is a gigantic variation of the bolts of magic he uses throughout the series. At certain points in the battle Ganon would warp the battlefield, and player's directional controls were reversed. Without the Master Sword, he can only be beaten with Spin Attacks.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

By the time of The Wind Waker, it is told in legend that the Hero of Time, Link, had given up his Triforce of Courage when he went back in time after defeating Ganon. During this time, the seal keeping Ganon held in the Sacred Realm is somehow weakened or broken, allowing Ganon to return to Hyrule. In response, the Gods sank Hyrule below a large ocean, known as the Great Sea. However, knowing this would only fulfill Ganon's desire of destruction, the gods had the most promising Hylians retreat to the mountaintops, where the sea did not reach. Ganon also appeared above the waves of a now sunken Hyrule, which the goddesses sunk many centuries ago in an effort to keep Ganon silenced. How he managed to regain his human form and escape from the Sacred Realm is unknown(Is believed that maybe he can change from Pig to Human). At the beginning of the game, Ganon's magic is sealed by the Master Sword, until Link draws the blade from its pedestal.

Ganon is depicted as a somewhat more introspective character, almost melancholy at times, yet still hungry for the ancient kingdom. He now appears as an elderly man, still frustrated by his failure to claim the Triforce in Ocarina of Time. Unlike other games, Ganondorf does not wish to kill Link or Zelda at first, but rather to simply use them as pawns in order to get his hands on the crests of Wisdom and Courage. Before Wind Waker, Ganon had always been shown as pure evil, but here he is almost sympathetic, having become older and wiser. Also in Wind Waker, there are a couple of doppelgangers of Ganondorf, namely as Puppet Ganon and another appearance by Phantom Ganon.

Before the final battle, Ganondorf lets loose the reason for him wanting to take over Hyrule to Link atop his tower. Wind only brought destruction in Gerudo Valley. Only burning wind and fierce sandstorms were common there. However, in Hyrule, the wind was a calm, life-giving thing. He coveted that wind. After delivering a few blows to Link, Ganon was able to obtain the Triforce and was about to wish for the sunken kingdom of Hyrule to be exposed to the sun once more. However, the King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, (whose spirit inhabited Link's boat throughout the game) managed to reach the Triforce first and wished for Hyrule to remain beneath the sea forever, and for "hope" and "a future" for Link and Zelda. In an act of revenge, Ganon decided to kill the children who had tried to stop him: "Allow me to show you your future. Allow me to show you just what hope you have." The final fight involves Link, using the Master Sword, and Zelda, using Link's bow and the Light Arrows, clashing with Ganondorf atop Ganon's Tower, who uses twin blades and an almost magical agility to both defend himself and attack Link. Near the end of the battle, after Zelda wakes up from being knocked out, Ganondorf fights with more deadly precision, where none of Link's attacks can penetrate his defenses (Ganondorf's two swords meet wherever Link strikes). Link must reflect Zelda's light arrows off of his shield, and at Ganondorf, then parry attack. At the end of the game, Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganon's head, turning him to stone.

The King of Hyrule floods Ganon's Tower and the Hyrule beneath the sea, leaving himself and the petrified Ganon beneath the sea.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Ganon, in his pig form, is the final boss in Four Swords Adventures. After defeating Vaati, Link finds out that the mastermind behind all the havoc that has been caused to Hyrule, is Ganon. By teaming up with princess Zelda, the four Links are finally able to put an end to his evil schemes.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Currently, Ganon's role in Twilight Princess is unclear. While no details about his appearence are known at this moment, it was announced in Nintendo Power (vol. 193) that Ganon will be in Twilight Princess, and that Nintendo is "preparing more than you could possibly ever, ever, ever expect".

The CD-i Zeldas

Ganon appears in his "pig" form in all three of the CD-i Zelda titles, The Wand of Gamelon, The Faces of Evil, and Zelda's Adventure.

Missing in action

In other Zelda games, Ganon is hardly touched upon, if at all. He does not appear in Majora's Mask or The Minish Cap. A nightmare shadow of him called Ganon's Shadow is his only presence in Link's Awakening. It is not likely Ganondorf will return in Phantom Hourglass. However, before his defeat in The Wind Waker, his evil influence spread across the Great Sea. So, he may possibly be in Phantom Hourglass. Ganon is also not in a physical, living form in the Legend of Zelda 2: Link's Adventure. Happening presumably after the original Legend of Zelda, his defeated minions are trying to revive him throughout the game. If the player is defeated, he comes back to life, laughing as it says "Game Over".

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ganondorf is also an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and is similar in appearance as in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (thus consistent with Link/Young Link and Zelda/Sheik appearances). In Melee, he is referred to by his full name, Ganondorf and is a slower, heavier, and more powerful clone of Captain Falcon, performing mostly the same attacks and moves (his regular A attack and others are different). His moves are much stronger than Captain Falcon's and he is slightly taller. Different artwork is used, however: the flame trails Falcon produces when he executes certain movements are orange or red, while Ganondorf's are black and purple, a color combination often associated with darkness in the Zelda series (see The Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time). Also, whereas Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch has a flame in a shape of a falcon, Ganon's has no particular shape. Notably, Ganondorf sometimes celebrates whilst holding a huge sword. The sword is not used by Ganondorf during battle at all, unless a certain Action Replay code is activated. Also, this is the only game yet where Ganondorf is a playable character.

Zelda's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee notes that Ganondorf is likely the only one who knows more about the Triforce than Zelda.

His attacks include Warlock Punch (similar to Falcon Punch), Gerudo Dragon (similar to Raptor Boost), Dark Dive (similar to Falcon Dive) and Wizard's Foot (similar to Falcon Kick).

In this appearance, Ganondorf was voiced by Takashi Nagasako.

Animated Series Appearances

Legend of Zelda Series

Ganon was also the main villain of 1989's Legend of Zelda cartoon, which was shown as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show in syndication that year. In the cartoon, Ganon was peach-skinned, a pig and apparently a wizard. He was in possession of the Triforce of Power, and, despite seemingly endless abilities and magics at his finger tips, bungled away each and every chance he had to nab the Triforce of Wisdom. He spent most of his time living in his subterranean lair, referred to as his "castle." He was voiced by the late Len Carlson, who would later go on to voice Klump in Donkey Kong Country.

Captain N: The Game Master

Ganon (just like Link and Zelda) also appeared in The Game Master, as a secondary villain in the episode "Quest For the Potion of Power". This was something of a continuum of Ganon's appearance in the Zelda Cartoon. The episode seems to take place after the happenings of the original Zelda game (and maybe even The Adventure of Link), during which Ganon is weakened. Through the course of the episode he becomes revived, double-crosses Mother Brain, and is then killed again by the Reflect magic on Link's shield.

Name confusion

A number of conflicting sources have led to confusion regarding Ganon's correct name. Ganon and Ganondorf are commonly believed to be interchangeable names for the same being; according to Japanese texts, Ganon is a nickname for Ganondorf. This is backed up by the English in-game text of A Link to the Past where one of the maidens (the one that Blind impersonated and trapped in his hideout) tells Link "You are the only one who can destroy Ganondorf, the thief — no, Ganon, the evil King Of Darkness!". In the retranslated GBA port, this line is delivered by the second Maiden in the Swamp Palace.

On the other hand, this statement has also been interpreted as describing Ganondorf's metamorphosis from Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, to Ganon, the King of Evil. This is supported by the on-screen boss names in Ocarina of Time, although this is possibly added for dramatic effect as well as a reference to the older games, as Ocarina of Time takes place long before those games and serves as a backstory for Ganon.

In addition, "Gannon" has shown up from time to time. After A Link to the Past was released, but before Collector's Edition for GameCube was, many thought that "Gannon" was the correct spelling for his pig form, while his thief name is Ganondorf and nickname is Ganon. Collector's Edition did away with the Prince of Darkness "Gannon" and went to Prince of Darkness, "Ganon". The games that the infamous spelling has appeared in include in-game text of The Legend of Zelda, the Japanese version of The Adventure of Link, and the CD-i game Zelda's Adventure.

Similarly, the names "Ganondorf Dragmire" and "Mandrag Ganon" are apparently mistranslations as well. These names appear only in the English A Link to the Past manual. They do not appear in the original Japanese version at all, or in the American in-game text. The Japanese manual just says that "the man's name was Ganondorf, and his common name was Ganon of the race of evil thieves."

Unlike Link and Zelda, who are reborn countless times, Ganon seems to be only one being, and is never reborn, yet always returning. But in Four Swords Adventures Zelda refers to him as an 'Ancient evil reborn'. It is unclear what this means, how old he is, and if he is immortal due to the Triforce of Power.

Notes

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