Ganon
Ganon (also known as Ganondorf) is the final boss and primary antagonist of several games in Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. Although he made numerous appearances in the series, his complete backstory was not revealed until The Legend of Zelda: 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 almost an every day event. Ganondorf coveted the Triforce and the lush green lands where Hyrule stood. The hero Link had been used by Ganondorf, unwittingly helping 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, Ganon's piece of the Triforce, combined with his hatred 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, and throughout the rest of the series, Ganondorf was to be known as Ganon. After an intense battle, Link and Zelda (whom Ganon needed for the Triforce of Wisdom) were able to subdue Ganon long enough for the Seven Sages to combine their powers and seal him away. Ganon found himself imprisoned in the Sacred Realm, a dimension parallel to Hyrule itself, where the Triforce had once resided.
Game Appearances
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.
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.
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 Kodai no Sekiban were similar.
In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was known as the King of the Gerudo, a tribe of female humans that reside in a desert fortress. It is said that every 100 years, a male Gerudo is born who is destined to become their king. Ganondorf is portrayed having several human characteristics such as musical abilities (playing the organ), horseback riding as well as occult ones (i.e. magic). At first he claims allegiance to the King of Hyrule but later betrays him in his pursuit of the Triforce.
As a child, Link had a prophetic nightmare of Ganondorf pursuing Princess Zelda in a horse chase, though having met neither. Soon after, when he meets Princess Zelda, she tells him of her own prophetic dream where dark clouds cover Hyrule that are then dispersed by light coming from the forest, the light then transforms into a being carrying the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and being followed by a fairy. She believes that the light represented Link and the dark clouds in her dream represented Ganondorf. When Link retrieves the Spiritual Stone of Fire and the Stone of Water and returns to the castle, the dream he had earlier happens in reality. Link defies Ganondorf at this point and seeing him as little more than a nuisance, Ganondorf casts ball of lightning on Link.
Later in his quest, Link pulls the Master Sword out from the Pedestal of Time, and unknowingly allows Ganondorf access to the Triforce in the Sacred Realm. His effort was in vain, as the Triforce split into three pieces when he tried to make his wish upon it, leaving him only with the Triforce of Power. Ganondorf took over Hyrule Castle and filled the land of Hyrule with monsters. He then began searching for the remaining two pieces of the Triforce, Link, and Zelda had received on the back of their hands, after Ganondorf made his wish; Link received Courage and Zelda recieved Wisdom. After being defeated by Link at the end of the game, Ganondorf metamorphoses into the bestial Ganon using his part of the Triforce. In the Ocarina of Time we are also introduced to another kind of Ganondorf entitled Phantom Ganon who was the main boss of the forest temple. When Link defeats him he finds out that Ganondorf created Phantom Ganon specifically to destroy him. Phantom Ganon also appeared in other games, two being Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventures.
When fighting Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, he shoots balls of magic from his hand that is then supposed to be deflected by Link using his sword. Ganondorf will often reflect the attack back at Link continuing the cycle until either Link or Ganondorf is unable to reflect it (this method of fighting is similar to how the player defeats Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple where the player had to keep deflecting Phantom Ganon's magic balls back at him until he fell to the ground and could be attacked using a sword. This is also how players defeat the wizard Agahnim in Link to the Past). When Ganondorf is hit, Link must shoot him with a Light Arrow, which then causes 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 was finally defeated, he used his last remaining strength to bring down his castle with Link and Zelda still in it. They escaped, but when it seemed that they had finally won, Ganondorf burst 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 him, Ganon creates a wall of fire around the arena and will attempt to slash Link using the two large weapons he is holding to hurt Link. 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 be damaged by hitting him in the tail with the 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. Then after damaging Ganon enough, the firewall around the arena will fade allowing Link to grab the Master Sword again. During the second round, Ganon can only be damaged by hitting him in the tail with either the Megaton Hammer, the Biggoron's Sword or the Master Sword. After being damaged enough, Ganon will be stunned by Zelda, allowing Link to inflict the final blow using the now glowing Master Sword. The Seven Sages then imprison Ganon in the Sacred Realm, who vows to return.
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.
In The Wind Waker, it is told in legend that the Hero of Time, Link, had given up his Triforce of Courage when he set off for Termina (The land of The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask). 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 to 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 escape from the Sacred Realm is unknown. He is also in his human form, while he does appear human in the sacred realm at the end of Ocarina of Time, if the other games occured between Majora's Mask and Windwaker, he should be in his pig form. However at the beginning of the game, Ganon's magic is sealed by the Master Sword, until Link obtains it later in the game.
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 (who's 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. 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.
Ganon was also the final boss of Four Swords Adventures.
In Four Swords Adventures, Ganon is the main villain that works behind the scenes. He was the one who stole the Dark Mirror from the Temple of Darkness and used it to conjure Shadow Link in order to trick Link into taking the Four Sword and breaking the seal over Vaati.
He is many times larger than any of his other appearances, and towers above Link. He keeps his teleporting ability from previous games, as well as the ability to throw balls of magic.
More significant is his trident; many of his attacks utilize this weapon - he can set it alight and throw it in a similar fashion to this move in A Link to the Past, the only distinct difference being that the flames are blue. This game's story also tells the origin of the trident, explaining that Ganondorf took it from the Pyramid in The Desert of Doubt during the game. Chronologically, this would place Four Swords Adventures before any other games in which Ganon wields this weapon.
This is coupled with another ability - he is able to cast lightning from the trident. Any of the four Links who are hit by this lightning are banished into the Dark World, where they must fight some enemies before they can return to battle.
After a while, Princess Zelda appears and he will try to swallow her whole. Link must attack Ganon, while at the same time protecting Zelda.
After many stages, and many different types of attacks, he can eventually be defeated.
Ganon's Tower has more detail about this boss fight.
The CD-i Zeldas
Ganon appears in his "pig" form in all three of the CD-i Zelda titles, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Link: 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. Currently, his role in Twilight Princess is unclear. While it is not sure what he will look like, 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, expect".[1]
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, more powerful clone of Captain Falcon, performing mostly the same attacks and moves (his regular A attack and others are different). Different artwork is used, however: the flame trails Falcon produces when he executes certain movements are orange or red, while Ganondorf's are purple, purple being a color that is often associated with Ganon in the Zelda series (see The Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time).
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 rather than his usual blue, and fought only with his magical powers and minions. 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 (the same as most of the games, the Triforce of Power is not featured in this). He spent most of his time living in his subterranean lair, referred to as his "castle."
Captain N: The Game Master
Ganon (just like Link and Zelda) also appeared in Captain N: 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 Zelda II), 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 The Legend of Zelda: 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 The Legend of Zelda: 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 The Legend of Zelda: 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 erroneous Prince Darkness "Gannon" and went to the correct Prince of Darkness, "Ganon". The games that the infamous misspelling has appeared in include in-game text of The Legend of Zelda, the Japanese version of Zelda II: 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."
Notes
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-02-19). "Twilight Princess: Ganon's Return". ign.com.
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