Ganon: Difference between revisions

| name    = Ganon

| image    = [[File:Dark Beast Ganon.png|200px]]

| game    = ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]''<br/>''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons|Oracle of Seasons]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages|Oracle of Ages]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''<br/>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild]]''<br/>''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]''

| location = [[Level 9: Death Mountain]]<br/>[[Pyramid of Power]]<br/>[[Ganon's Castle]]<br/>[[Room of Rites]]<br/>[[Forsaken Fortress]]<br/>[[Tower of Winds (Four Swords Adventures)|Tower of Winds]]<br/>[[Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)]]<br/>[[Hyrule Castle (Breath of the Wild)]]

{{Quote|{{Dump|OoT|1980}} {{Dump|OoT|1981}}{{Ref|OoT|1980-1981|Ganondorf}}|Ganondorf, in ''Ocarina of Time''}}

==Backstory==

Ganondorf has gone from a cold, heartless individual to a sad individual and back again. In older games, he seems to be bent only on controlling Hyrule, but in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]'', players saw a different side of Ganondorf, where he was yearning for Hyrule back. Mostly, though, he seems only bent on evil things.

{{main|Ganon (The Legend of Zelda)}}

[[File:Ganon.png|left|100px]]

Once Link has obtained all eight pieces, he can travel to [[Level 9: Death Mountain|Death Mountain]] and confront Ganon. This battle is quite difficult, as for the most part, Ganon will be invisible while shooting fireballs at Link. Ganon can only be hurt if Link strikes his invisible form with his sword. Once Ganon has been hit, he will be visible for a moment, and then disappear again. Once Ganon has been hit enough times with the sword, he will turn a brownish color, which shows he is vulnerable. This is Link's opportunity to finish him off with a shot from the [[Bow]] using a [[Silver Arrow]]. This will defeat Ganon, leaving behind his ashes and the Triforce of Power. Link can now proceed into the door directly above and save Princess Zelda. If Link does not shoot him with the Silver Arrow in time, Ganon will flash before turning invisible again, returning to full strength.

[[File:AOL Game Over.png|left]]

Ganon does not appear in ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]'', still dead after his defeat at the hands of Link in ''The Legend of Zelda.'' Despite his physical absence, many of his minions remain and his corrupting influence over Hyrule is still very potent.{{Ref|pg. 3-4|The power that vile heart of Ganon had left behind was causing chaos and disorder in Hyrule. What's more, even after the fall of Ganon, some of his underlings remained, waiting for Ganon's return.|''The Adventure of Link Game Manual''}} Should his followers succeed in defeating Link and sprinkle his blood over the ashes of their master, Ganon will be revived.{{Ref|pg. 4|The key to Ganon's return was the blood of Link - the valiant lad who overthrew the King of Evil. Ganon would be revived by sacrificing Link and sprinkling his blood on the ashes of Ganon.|''The Adventure of Link Game Manual''}} Ganon's menacing silhouette only appears if Link perishes, and presumably completes his conquest and destruction of Hyrule.

{{Clear|left}}

{{main|Ganon (A Link to the Past)}}

[[File:Ganon-ALTTP-Sprite.png|right]]Prior to the start of the game's events, Ganondorf Dragmire enters the Sacred Realm, obtaining the [[Triforce]]. Desiring its full benefits for himself, he murders his accomplices. Upon touching the Triforce, he is transformed into a boar-like demon dubbed Ganon. The [[Sacred Realm]] also assumes the guise of the [[Dark World]]. Endeavoring to preserve the balance of peace, the [[Knights of Hyrule]] and the [[Seven Wise Men]] lock Ganon in the Dark World.

{{clear|left}}

{{Main|Shadow Nightmares|section=Shadow of Ganon}}

The Shadow of Ganon is one of the forms the Shadow Nightmares take in the final boss battle of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Link's Awakening]]''.

It can summon bats, like the true Ganon in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'', and must be dashed into numerous times to defeat. Spin attacks are also effective methods of harming the Shadow of Ganon.

{{main|Ganondorf (Ocarina of Time)}}

[[File:Ganondorf-Ocarina.png|200px|right]]As the single male Gerudo born to the Gerudo Tribe every hundred years, Ganondorf was born the king of his people. He is a power-hungry thief and sorcerer seeking to find the omnipotent Triforce and use its power to take over Hyrule. Ganondorf is willing to use any means to achieve his goals, including treachery towards the King of Hyrule and manipulation of his own people.  

After Link awakens from his slumber, he sets out to undo the evil Ganondorf has inflicted over the land and awaken the five Sages. After doing so, Princess Zelda comes out of disguise and presents Link with Ganondorf's weakness, the [[Light Arrow]]s. With Zelda's disguise removed, Ganondorf is able to find her and capture her, using her to lure Link up into his castle. He hopes to take the pieces of the Triforce from Link and Zelda and engages Link in battle. At first, Link seems to win and the castle collapses, but Ganondorf revives in his beast form, Ganon, and engages Link in battle again. In the end, Link comes out victorious, but as Ganondorf still holds the Triforce of Power he cannot be killed. The Sages are forced to seal Ganondorf away, though he claims that as long as he holds the Triforce of Power, he will return and take his revenge.

{{main|Ganon (Oracle Series)}}

[[File:Ganon-Oracle.png|200px|left]]

Through a linked game, Link can go to a secret altar where they will fight Ganon. For the battle, Ganon will constantly be disappearing and reappearing. Sometimes he will appear and slash at you with his trident. He also has several variations on an orb attack: sometimes he will shoot three larger orbs, one large orb, or many smaller orbs. All his attacks including his trident slash can be avoided by jumping with the [[Roc's Cape|Roc's cape]]. Sometimes he also charges up for a jump which will stun you for a moment. Again, you can avoid this by jumping before he lands. To fight him, you must charge up a [[Spin Attack|spin attack]] when he is not on the screen. When he appears, move next to him and hit him with the spin attack. When he begins to become low on health, he will change the room briefly to a strange blue room and back again. When the blue room is in effect, controls are reversed (if you press left, you will go right, etc.) so you have to be careful. After many spin attacks, Ganon will be defeated and you will have completed the game.

[[File:Ganondorf WWHD.png|200px|right]]

{{Main|Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)}}<br/>

As mentioned above in his characteristics, Ganon has a slightly different personality in ''The Wind Waker''. He first appears near the beginning of the game where he orders the [[Helmaroc King]] to throw Link into the [[Great Sea]]. He is not truly seen, as his face is not visible to the camera. However, the [[King of Red Lions]] reveals to Link very soon after that the man was Ganondorf. He then appears again near the middle of the game, where Link thinks he can defeat Ganondorf with the Master Sword, only to be nearly defeated himself if it were not for [[Valoo]]. He does not appear in person again until the end of the game when Link and he have a sword duel in drowning Hyrule, ending with him being turned to stone.

{{main|Ganon (Four Swords Adventures)}}

In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]'' Ganon is originally a desert nomad named Ganondorf. Prior to the events of the game, Ganon breaks the taboo of the [[Gerudo Tribe|Gerudo]] and explores the [[Desert Pyramid]], eventually stealing the [[Trident]] and the [[Dark Mirror]]. He uses the Trident's power to transform into Ganon, along with using the power of the Dark Mirror to create [[Shadow Link]]. Ganon uses [[Vaati]] to distract Link while he slowly gains power from the [[Shrine Maidens]] captured by Shadow Link. At the end of the game, Ganon appears as the final boss fought beneath the [[Tower of Winds (Four Swords Adventures)|Tower of Winds]]. He is defeated when shot with a ball of light and a [[Light Arrow]], allowing the Maidens to imprison him within the [[Four Sword]].  

{{main|Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)}}

[[File:Ganontp.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Ganondorf being banished to the Twilight Realm]]

After Link completes the four and final phase of the battle by stabbing Ganon in the middle of his chest with the [[Master Sword]], Ganon states his final words. He says to Link to not think that this is the end.{{Ref|TP|1819|Ganon}} He explains that the history of light and shadow will be written in blood.{{Ref|TP|1820|Ganon}} The scenes continue by showing the Triforce of Power leave Ganon, at which point Zant will appear, in more of an image rather than physically. He leans his head to the right, with a crack. This seemingly ends Ganon, as his eyes roll to the back of his head, and he seizes movement, yet still standing. This is the end of Ganon in ''Twilight Princess'', but it is unconfirmed if he died or not.

Although Ganondorf does not make an appearance, he is mentioned in the prologue, which is a summary of ''The Wind Waker's'' events.

Ganon is not mentioned directly in this game, but is implied of his coming by [[Demise]] right before his death. Demise states that hatred for the Gods and Goddesses like his is so strong that it can never be vanquished for good, and a reincarnation of himself will be born into the world again someday.

{{see also|Calamity Ganon (Boss)|Dark Beast Ganon (Breath of the Wild)}}

{{Quote|Calamity Ganon's physical body is sealed away inside of Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda's weakening powers and the hero's awakening have served as a catalyst for Ganon's revival. When Calamity Ganon finally breaks Zelda's seal, its form is incomplete. It resembles an enormous spider equipped with a variety of weapons. It has absorbed the ancient Sheikah relics used to attack it one hundred years ago, and utilizes a beam attack that is not unlike a Guardians laser.|[[Creating a Champion]], page 76}}

While Ganon seemingly disappears after its defeat, Princess Zelda indicates that Ganon is only 'gone for now'. Though Ganon can no longer take a physical form, it is still able to return in the future.

[[File:Calamity Ganon - HWAoC.png|200px|right]]

[[File:Harbinger Ganon Terrako.png|left]]

{{Non-Canon|section}}

In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest]]'', Ganon serves as the final boss in the main quest, located within the 9th level, ''[[Raid on Ganon's Castle]]''. Ganon later appears in the 12th level, which is also the 3rd secret level, [[Death Mountain Path]]. In this level, Ganon takes a more armored visual look and can withstand more damage. Also, Ganon makes two appearances in the 15th and final level of ''Battle Quest'', [[Ganon's Last Stand]].

{{Monita}}

[[File:Ganondorf_Brawl.png|thumb|upright=1.1|Ganondorf as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]

Ganondorf also appears in [[Super Smash Bros. Melee]] and [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]. He is a secret character in both games. In order to unlock him in Super Smash Bros Melee, Link will have to clear Match Event #29. There are three ways to unlock Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros Brawl:  

In [[Zelda's Adventure]], Ganon has kidnapped Link and stolen the seven celestial signs taking over the kingdom of Tolemac. Zelda goes on a quest to collect the signs and rescue Link. In this game, Ganon bears no resemblance to any previous design and appears as a large demon with bull horns and wearing a dark cape with a red interior but still wields a trident as seen from other games. He teleports around the room firing several magical balls of energy downward. After several hits, he transforms into a small dark whirlwind and flies apart.

{{see also|Ganon (Hyrule Warriors)}}

{{quote|The personification of evil becomes the personification of awesomeness when Ganondorf takes the field with a really big sword.|Ganondorf's ''[[Hyrule Warriors]]'' [https://www.zelda.com/hyrule-warriors/character-detail/#!Ganondorf Official Website description]}}

Ganon appears in the [[Nintendo Wii U]] game ''[[Hyrule Warriors]]''. Ganondorf is the primary antagonist of the game, manipulating [[Cia]] to try and revive himself. He is also playable after Cia is defeated in [[Shining Beacon]].{{clear|left}}

[[File:CartoonGanon.jpg|200px|right]]

Ganon made an appearance as the primary antagonist of the 1989 Zelda Animated series from DIC Entertainment voiced by Len Carlson. In this series, he was loosely based on his design from the original The Legend of Zelda as an anthropomorphized boar in a purple robe. His portrayal is much more comical than any of the game appearances. He is often quick to anger and yells at the bumbling of his minions or waves his fist after losing to the heroes.