Zant

From Zelda Dungeon Wiki
Revision as of 15:40, May 1, 2013 by Justac00lguy (talk | contribs) (Adding Trivia)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Want an adless experience? Log in or Create an account.
Spoiler Alert! This article describes a subject that is sensitive to plot development.
Zant
Zant.png

Title

Usurper King

Race

Gender

Male

Games

Location

Zant is the secondary antagonist of Twilight Princess, although for most of the game he in fact appears to be the main villain. Zant is a part of the Twili race, a race that were banished to the Twilight Realm as a result of their ancestors attempting to seek domain over the Sacred Realm. Zant claims himself to be the King of Twilight but his power is a false power, as Midna is the true leader. Zant during the start of the game seems to be a steady figure, barely showing any emotion nor weakness. However, during the boss fight he unravels, showing his true personality.

Origins

Dark Interlopers

Zant is a descendent of a group of sorcerers named the Dark Interlopers. This tribe excelled in shadow magic and intended to use the power of the Fused Shadow to seek domain over the Sacred Realm.[1][2] However, the Light Spirits intervened and took the Fused Shadows and broke them into four separate piece's.[3] With the power of the Fused Shadows gone from their grasp, the tribe were left powerless, thus they were banished to the realm of darkness. Over time due to the appearance of the Sols the Dark Interlopers eventually evolved of what become to be known as the Twili.

The Twili race where known to be very peaceful and a monarchy was established in order to lead the Twili. Zant had been a loyal servant to the monarchy of the Palace for many years. Zant was meant to be next in line to ascend to the throne. However, it was Midna who was chosen as the true leader, she was known as the Twilight Princess. Zant, distraught by this news, looked to the heavens for an answer. He was gifted a mysterious foreign power by his supposed God.

This power was gifted to Zant by Ganondorf. Ganondorf had previously escaped his imprisonment in Arbiter's Grounds. Due to his failed execution, the remaining sages decided the only option now was to seal Ganondorf into the banished Twilight Relam. Ganondorf housed his power into Zant at one request, that he merge light with shadow, therefore creating complete darkness. Zant took this power and falsely usurped the throne of the Twilight Realm. With this false power, Zant turned its habitants into mindless Shadow Beasts and Midna into an imp. Zant invaded Hyrule Castle and forced Princess Zelda to give up the throne of Hyrule. Zant sent out Shadow Beasts to steal the light from the provinces across Hyrule, thus suspending Hyrule in Twilight.

Story

Link got caught up in Zant's evil plot during the end of the prologue. King Bulblin and his army of Bulblins invaded the safety of the Ordona Province and attack Link and its inhabitants. Link woke up after being left unconscious and he realized that both Colin and Ilia have been taken. Link then came up against a wall of Twilight, a Shadow Beast then dragged him into the Twilight Realm, thus starting the events of the main plot.

Zant invading Hyrule Castle

Link first heard about the whereabouts of Zant when escaping his imprisonment in Hyrule Castle. Midna assisted him in reaching the tower where Princess Zelda resided. She tells Link about how Zant, and how the King of Twilight invaded the Castle where she was forced to give up the throne. Zelda also explains to Link how Hyrule is covered in perpetual Twilight, and all of its inhabitants have turned into spirits, who know only fear.[4][5][6] Later on in the game, after restoring the light to Faron Province, the Light Spirit, Faron, tells Link about a dark power that lies in the Forest Temple.[7][8] This is a piece of the Fused Shadows, and Faron tells Link that he must use this power to defeat the King of the Shadows, Zant.[9][10]

Link first encounters Zant after collecting the third and final piece of the Fused Shadows, from the Lakebed Temple.[11] Zant will halt Link and Midna as they exit. The Light Spirit, Lanayru, will try to intervene, but Zant once again steals the light, thus restoring Twilight to the province. Zant also takes the Fused Shadows from Midna, calling them an old and withered power. He then proclaims that his power is new and was granted to him by his God. Wolf Link tries to attack Zant. However, in the process, Zant uses his dark powers to curse Link, meaning he is now suspended in beast form. Zant then goes onto tell Midna of his desires, and that darkness and light will meet at last. He then asks Midna to aid him. After Midna refuses to aid Zant, he manipulates Lanayru to return Midna to the Light World, leaving Midna to a near inch of death.

Later on in the plot Link and Midna find the whereabouts of the Mirror of Twilight, hidden within Arbiter's Grounds. This is the only connection to the Twilight Realm, but Link has to pass through the grounds to reach the Mirror Chamber. Upon navigating through the dungeon, Link finds the remains of of a skeletal being covered in sand. Zant appears and pulls out the Twilight Sword and thrusts it into the skull of the remains. This brings the seemingly dead being to life and this is the fourth boss of the game, Stallord. Upon defeating Stallord, Link makes is way up to the Mirror Chamber, he then finds the mirror is broken. The Sages tell Link this was the work of Zant and that it was their fault that Zant was allowed to gain power. The Sages also tell Link that they sealed Ganondorf in the Twilight Realm and that this could be the source of Zant's power.

Palace of Twilight

After collecting the three Mirror Shards, the Mirror of Twilight is now restored. Link and Midna now are able to access the Twilight Realm and confront Zant. Upon entering the realm, Link has to restore the two Sols to the plaza. Each Sol is found on the opposing ends of the Palace. Once the Sols have been returned to their original position it powers up Link's Master Sword. The Master Sword now becomes the Light Sword and it allows Link to clear up the shadows that block the entrance to Zant's Palace. Link now advances to the Palace to confront Zant. Upon entering the throne room, Zant explains his hatred for the Light World, saying they trapped us like insects in a cage and the Twili new desire or hate. He also explain his frustrations with not becoming king and how he was gifted power by his god, Ganondorf, who ultimately was using Zant.

After Link has defeated Zant, he explains that the curse set up on Midna cannot be broken. It was put on her by his god Ganondorf and now he is reborn in the Light World, Zant proclaims that as long as he lives, that Ganondorf shall resurrect him. It is at this point that Midna uses her restored Fused Shadows to ultimately kill Zant by ripping out his soul. However, after the defeat of Ganondorf, Zant can be seen snapping his neck upon Ganondorf's death. This could be seen as symbolism of the betrayal.

Boss

Zant boss fight

Zant is one of the longer boss fights in Twilight Princess and the battle itself is composed of six stages. Each stage of the fight takes place at a different previous boss battle location, including the Forest Temple, Goron Mines, Lakebed Temple, and more.[12]

First Stage

The first stage will take place in the Boss room from The Forest Temple. This battle is very similar to the Diababa boss battle from earlier on in the game. Zant hovers around the boss room firing dark energy blasts at Link. Link has to block these attacks using his Shield and then he can equip the Gale Boomerang and target Zant. This brings Zant down to the surface, leaving Zant prone to attack. After a limited time Zant will warp away, thus Link repeating the original process.

Second Stage

The second stage will take place in the Goron Mines Mini-Boss room and will be very similar to the Dangoro boss fight. Zant repeatedly stomps the surface which wobbles the platform. Link equips the Iron Boots in order to stay grounded, this leads Zant to attack with dark energy blasts. Link simply blocks these with his shield, once Zant gets tired, Link unequips the boots and attacks Zant.

Third Stage

The next stage, Zant will replicate the Morpheel boss battle from the Lakebed Temple. In this area Link equips both the Iron Boots and the Zora Armor, so he can stay grounded underwater. Zant first appears in a giant version of his helmet, once appearing, he again uses his blast attack. Link equips the Clawshot to grab Zant and the attack him when he is close. The next phase Zant appears in several giant masks, once tageted Link uses the clawshot and attack Zant.

Forth Stage

The next stage takes place once again within the Forest Temple, however, this time its Ook's stage. Much similar to Ook, Zant leaps from platform to platform and he then once again powers up his blast attack. Link then avoids the attack and rolls into the bottom of the platform to knock Zant down. Zant is now prone to attack, Link has to repeat this process.

Fifth Stage

The fith stage takes place in the boss room of Blizzeta, seen in Snowpeak Ruins. This time Zant increases in size to replicate a giant version of himself. Link has to use the same tactic that he used against Blizzeta, by looking at the reflection on the ice. Once dodging Zant, Link equips the Ball and Chain and hits Zant. This causes Zant to repeatedly decrease in size, Link carefully navigates the slippery surface in order to attack the injured Zant.

Final Stage

The final stage differs from the others as this time Zant won't replicate a previous boss and the fight itself takes place in the courtyard south of Castle Town. Zant this time draws out two blades from under his arms and attack the young hero. Zant has two distinct attacks, the first attack includes Zant running at Link. Link has to dodge Zant and attack him from behind. Another one of Zant's attacks is his spin attack, Link uses his shield repeatedly to block Zant's attack. After a while Zant gets tired from spinning, leaving him prone to attack. Zant also warps many times in the duration of this battle, making it harder for Link to attack and evade his attacks. After dealing enough damage, Zant falls to his knees, ending this boss battle.

Non-Canon Appearances

This section describes a subject that is or may be outside the core Zelda canon.
Zant Trophy SSBB.png

In Nintendo's flagship fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In this game Zant can be unlocked randomly in the form of a trophy, along with a brief description on the villain himself; "The self-proclaimed king of twilight. Zant is the ringleader scheming to cover Hyrule in twilight. Zant long served under the royal family of the Twilight Realm. Ganondorf grants great power to Zant in exchange for his allegiance, and Zant makes it his ultimate goal to become the supreme leader of both light and dark."

Zant can also be obtained in the form of a sticker, which in the Subspace Emissary can give any given Legend of Zelda character a plus seven increase in weapon attacks.

Trivia

  • Zant plays a similar role to Agahnim from A Link to the Past and Ghirahim from Skyward Sword, as he plays the role of a puppet to the main antagonist.
  • Within the boss battle, each stage replicates that previous boss, using similar items and strategies.
  • During the death of Ganondorf, Zant appears before his death and snaps his neck. This could be interpreted as a break in the bond of power that the two shared or a symbolism of revenge.
  • Zant is is one of the only notable villains to actually gift Link with a Heart Container after his defeat.
  • Zant is one of the taller members in the Twili which could indicate that he is one of the more dominant members of the tribe.

Gallery

References

  1. "Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared." — Lanayru, Twilight Princess.
  2. "Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm." — Lanayru, Twilight Princess.
  3. "It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene." — Lanayru, Twilight Princess.
  4. "Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits." — Princess Zelda, Twilight Princess.
  5. "Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms..." — Princess Zelda, Twilight Princess.
  6. "All the people know now is fear... Fear of a nameless evil..." — Princess Zelda, Twilight Princess.
  7. "A dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods." — Faron, Twilight Princess.
  8. "It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away." — Faron, Twilight Princess.
  9. "Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light." — Faron, Twilight Princess.
  10. "But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice... You must match the power of the king of shadows." — Faron, Twilight Princess.
  11. "The dark power that you seek is within the sleeping Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia..." — Princess Zelda, Twilight Princess.
  12. "Zant transports Link to the Forest Temple, Goron Mines, Lakebed Temple, and other locations of previous battles against bosses." — Card Description, Zant Twilight Princess Trading Card