Ganon/Other Appearances
This page details all appearances of Ganon outside the canon, main series games.
Ambiguously Canon Appearances
The Legend of Zelda comic
In the Legend of Zelda comic published by Valiant Comics, Ganon is usually depicted as a man in a heavy dark blue hooded cloak with no visible face for several issues, although later on he would be sometimes portrayed as the familiar pig-faced monster. Since this comic takes place after the events of The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link, it is told that Ganon led his minions to attack Hyrule and thus allow him to steal the Triforce of Power.[1] Ganon dwells in the Underworld, with his lair being in Death Mountain, just like in the original The Legend of Zelda. Using the might of the Triforce, Ganon strives to destroy Link and Zelda, steal the Triforce of Wisdom, and take over the kingdom of Hyrule.[2] Ganon goes to great lengths to accomplish his goals, such as manipulating the citizens of the Water Town of Saria into going against Link and Zelda,[3] and disguising himself as Impa to defeat the young hero once and for all.[4] Although his minions follow his every order and are loyal to him,[5] Darknut Prime reveals that they hate their "pig-nosed master even more" than Zelda and Link do.[6]
In The Power, Link manages to steal the Triforce of Power from Ganon[7] and uses it to severely damage the Prince of Darkness with it.[8] Knowing that he is powerless against the might of the Triforce,[9] Ganon barely manages to escape back into the Underworld.[10] However, after Link catches up with him, the young hero traps Ganon inside a cage hanging over a bottomless pit.[11] Ganon then begs Link to let him have the Triforce of Power back so that the two of them can defeat Zelda together,[12] but Link ignores him and says that the Triforce of Power is his forever.[13] Once Link realizes what he has become and decides to throw away the Triforce of Power to keep his soul intact, the cage that was holding Ganon disappears and sends him tumbling down after the Triforce.[14]
Non-canon Appearances
Animated series
In the Zelda animated series, Ganon's design is loosely based upon his appearance from the first game, making him similar to a humanoid pig in a purple robe; however, when needed, he can raise a hood over his head to disguise himself, which he often does when in the surface. Len Carlson serves as the voice actor for Ganon.
Ganon makes his den in the Underworld and maintains an Evil Jar which allows him to summon his minions to attack at his command. He also keeps the Triforce of Power in his lair,[15] giving him an endless supply of magic to aid him in his attempts to overthrow the kingdom of Hyrule by either capturing Princess Zelda,[16] King Harkinian,[17] Link,[18] or stealing the Triforce of Wisdom from North Castle.[19] However, his plans are often flawed by the ineptitude of his servants or by Link and Zelda,[20] which sometimes results in Ganon being zapped into the Evil Jar instead.[21]
Ganon is capable of teleporting to any location in the Underworld, an ability that he often uses to immediately find Link and Zelda whenever they are traveling around the Underworld.[22] However, since his magic is limited in the Overworld,[23] he is unable to use his powers outside the Underworld, which forces him to rely on his minions to perform tasks for him: as means of transportation while in the surface, Ganon often rides a Lowder or is carried by Stalfos to help him reach his destination.[24]
This version of Ganon is more comical and bumbling than his appearance in the games, and he is seen to be short-tempered and intolerant of his servants' clumsiness.[25][26][20] As such, he is often seen treating them harshly,[20][26] which at one point they grow tired of and overthrow Ganon as their leader, as seen in "The Moblins are Revolting."[27] Other than using his minions to execute his plans, Ganon is also known to invent various items that will help him achieve his goal of stealing the Triforce of Wisdom, such as a mirror that creates an evil clone of Zelda, a Wand of Power, and a Capture Staff.
Captain N: The Game Master
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Ganon appears in the "Quest for the Potion of Power" episode of the Captain N: The Game Master show. Len Carlson reprises his role as the voice actor for Ganon.
After finding out about a potion that can revive Ganon,[28] King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard find it in the Maze Island Palace and go to Death Mountain to make Ganon drink it. Before the evil wizard takes the potion, he is depicted as a small, innocent and defenseless pig. However, right after he swallows its contents, he transforms into a bigger, stronger and more grotesque-looking pig, slightly resembling his Zelda cartoon appearance. With Ganon now resurrected, he plans to take over Videoland,[29] much to the dismay of Mother Brain, who Ganon is supposed to be working for.[30] The Evil Wizard, however, exclaims that he works for no one, and sends out a shockwave that knocks Mother Brain on her side. Kevin tries to stop Ganon, but he increases his size and becomes a monster of epic proportions. Ganon then tries to defeat Link and Kevin by sending a fire geam in their direction, but Link's Magical Shield reflects it back to the giant wizard, instantly defeating him.[31]
Nintendo Adventure Books
In the Nintendo Adventure Books, Ganon appears again as the main antagonist of both The Crystal Trap and The Shadow Prince. However, in these books, Ganon is described as a skeletal figure with "burning, white eyes" and "skull-like mask" for a face.[32] Some of the magic used by Ganon in the book includes shooting fireballs from his hand and firing a bolt of light from his fingertips.[33][34]
The Crystal Trap
In The Crystal Trap, Link and Princess Zelda are running inside the Midoro Palace trying to escape from Ganon's grap. However, the evil wizard finds them and eventually encases Link in a Crystal. Ganon explains that since he cannot obtain the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom from Link and Zelda respectively, he used a Magic Scroll which cast a spell to encase both pieces of the Triforce, including the Triforce of Courage encased in Link's heart.[35] Although the evil wizard had planned to kill Princess Zelda, he confesses that he prefers seeing her suffer over Link, and mocks her that she will be unable to obtain all three items necessary to save the young hero before he gets trapped in the crystal forever in 24 hours.[36]
Eventually, however, Princess Zelda finds the three items as dictated by the Fairy's Scroll and frees the young hero. After the duo find the Spear, which is the only weapon that can destroy Ganon, the two are confronted by the evil wizard. Although Ganon tries to fight back, Zelda fires an arrow and pins his robe to a tree trunk, giving Link a chance to hurl the Spear. It pierces through Ganon's hand, injuring him gravely, but warns the young heroes that he will come back before disappearing into nothingness.[37]
The Shadow Prince
In The Shadow Prince, Ganon disguises himself as a knight from the land of Moria known as Charles, who has come to visit the kingdom of Hyrule to do good deeds and thus become the king of Moria.[38] He meets Link and Zelda when they are about to be killed by a gang of Moblins, but Charles arrives and easily scares them off.[39] Although Princess Zelda is impressed by his bravery after single-handedly defeating a Darknut, Link distrusts the Morian knight from the moment he meets him.
The King of Hyrule is also quick to trust Charles and shows him the Triforce of Wisdom, dubbing him a knight of the Triforce in the process. Later on in the book, the King of Hyrule, fearing the safety of the Triforce of Wisdom, decides to relocate the Triforce to the Fifth Castle of Ancient Hyrule and chooses Charles to do the task instead of Link.[40][41] The young hero, furious at the king's decision and saying that Charles cannot be trusted, uses the Mirror of Truth to reveal the knight's true identity.[42] However, Charles quickly takes the Triforce of Wisdom and escapes into the woods with it, where Link defeats him by slashing his necklace, the true source of Ganon's power.[43]
A Link to the Past comic
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In the A Link to the Past comic, Agahnim and Ganon are explicitly shown to be different beings, communicating between worlds in chapter 5. In this scene, Ganon, who appears as a mere shadow, warns the wizard that a "being with intense emotional energy", Link, is approaching Hyrule Castle,[44] much to Agahnim's surprise.[45]
Ganon himself does not appear until Link, Princess Zelda, and Roam arrive at Ganon's Tower, where he rises from the defeated body of an Agahnim specter. Link attacks Ganon but he is easily thrown back by Ganon's trident. Zelda takes up Roam's crossbow as Link is trapped in between the trident. While Ganon mocks Zelda,[46] Link uses the opportunity to slash the evil thief's trident in half and, as he is falling down, the young hero slashes over Ganon's chest, leaving him paralyzed.[47] Zelda begins to ask for the aid of the maidens and fires an ordinary arrow from the crossbow, but as it approaches Ganon, the power of the maidens, Zelda, Link, and Roam, turn the arrow into the Silver Arrow,[48] destroying Ganon. The Triforce rises from his body, and the Essence of the Triforce tells Link that the Triforce is waiting for a new master now that Ganon has been defeated, asking that the young hero touch it with a wish in his heart.[49]
A Link to the Past manga
Like the A Link to the Past comic, in Akira Himekawa's manga both Agahnim and Ganon are again shown as seperate beings with alternate backstories. Sahasrahla tells Link the creation of Hyrule and the story of the Imprisoning War when he meets him at the Eastern Palace, describing Ganondorf as a member of a group of bandits who accidentally found the entrance to the Sacred Realm.[50] It is said that they fought to the death over the Triforce, with only one man left standing, Ganondorf, also known as the evil bandit Ganon.[51] Ganon is seen later in the manga speaking to Agahnim in the form of a giant horned silhouette that bears similarity to his demonic form in Ocarina of Time, appearing from a great flame in Hyrule Castle Tower and asking that he break the seventh lock and "open the glorious door of evil". Link arrives in time to attempt to rescue Princess Zelda from Agahnim, but is frozen on the spot by Agahnim's magic while the seal is broken, and drawn into the Dark World.
Later, once Link and his two companions reach Ganon's Tower, it is revealed that Agahnim made a pact with Ganon to break the seal in exchange for great power.[52] He had originally intended to use this power to help Hyrule, before he was consumed by his obsession over the Triforce. Desperate and defeated, Agahnim appears before Ganon's shadow once more and begs for more power, but Ganon refuses, striking him down on the spot, stating he has no need for a mortal.[53] Ganon finally reveals himself as a gigantic boar-like monster weilding a trident, and immediately attacks Link. Link manages to parry his first blow and strikes at his arm, causing blood to spray on the ground. Ganon's blood is like acid, and melts Agahnim's body to nothing. Weakened slightly, Ganon reaches out towards the Pyramid of Power as his sizzling body reforms, with the words "Give me more... Give me more power!". In shock at this horrific form, Link questions if this is what happens to people who get the Triforce. Zelda states he is a monster of ever growing greed, and they must stop him before he connects light and dark.[54] Despite being injured, Link summons the strength to unleash one final blow on the monster, striking him in the head and stunning him. Ghanti, another descendant of the Knights of Hyrule and the wielder of the Silver Arrow, fires her bow, charged with Zelda's magic, and strikes Ganon. Ganon is finally destroyed, and his vast evil form melts away to nothing, desperately desiring "More... More... I wanted more..." to the very end.
Majora's Mask Manga
Ganon appears only in Link's memories of the events of Ocarina of Time. After his visit to Osun's academy, Link remembers his last battle with Ganondorf in the future and his return to the past.
Philips CD-i Games
In the Zelda Philips CD-i Games, Ganon bears a greater resemblance to a bulldog than a pig, although he retains some aspects of his design from the cartoon series, such as the long, flowing robe and helmet.
In Link: The Faces of Evil, Ganon has ordered his minions to seize the Island of Koridai, and soon after Link is dispatched to defeat him. At one point, he appears in spirit form to capture Zelda, and when Link arrives to fight him, he offers him the Hobson's Choice of an alliance or death. However, Link imprisons him within the Book of Koridai.
In Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Ganon has conquered Gamelon and also blackmails Duke Onkled to betray his cousin, King Harkinian, with threats of destroying Gamelon. He also sends Gibdo, Omfak, Hectan, and other various monsters to defeat anyone who stands in his way. When Zelda confronts him, he blows her away with magic after she exposes him to light. Zelda uses the Wand of Gamelon to mystically summon chains to bind him, and he is inexplicably trapped in what appears to be the Book of Koridai, claiming that they have not seen the last of him.
In Zelda's Adventure, Ganon kidnaps Link and conquers Tolemac, prompting Zelda to go on a quest to defeat him and rescue Link. In this game, Ganon appears nothing like he did in any previous game, resembling a demonic creature more than a porcine sorceror. He has stolen the celestial signs and captured Link, prompting Zelda to defeat him. During the fight, he wields a large trident similar to the one in Four Swords Adventures. His castle, much like canonical ones, has the bosses that were fought earlier in it, to be fought again. Once defeated, his body is encased in a tornado, which then flies apart, destroying him.
Super Smash Bros. Series
- See SmashWiki's article on Ganondorf for more information.
- For trophy information, see Trophy (Super Smash Bros.)
Ganondorf is an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is unlocked after an event match called "Triforce Gathering" or through playing enough multiplayer matches. After any of those have been achieved, he will have to be fought in Final Destination. If beaten, he will be unlocked for use in the game. His moves and animations (with the exception of his taunt and victory animations) are almost identical to those of Captain Falcon save for a difference in speed, power, and effect, which has led many to call him merely a clone and a fill-in character. Ganondorf is slow moving but overall the most powerful character in the game; it is also worth mentioning that his lack of speed can be compensated with "L-Canceling" which allows Ganondorf to be played with both power and relative speed, making him a mid-tier. A fully charged attack from him could defeat almost any opponent with ease.
Oddly in his art for the game, Ganondorf wields a sword, but it only appears in the actual game in one of Ganondorf's victory animations. Ganondorf's design, the sword included, is based on the Spaceworld 2000 GameCube tech demo.
Ganondorf appears again as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In an interview with Eiji Aonuma, Aonuma discussed both Sheik and Ganondorf being fit into Brawl.[55]
Ganondorf is an unlockable character and is obtained by playing through Classic Mode as Link or Zelda on Hard difficulty, playing 200 matches in Brawl mode, or playing through the Subspace Emissary until he joins the party.[56] Though many hoped he would have a new moveset, it was largely unchanged. However, many of the animations have been changed from the ones he used to share with Captain Falcon, showing that the developers attempted to make do with the mistake they'd made of having him be a clone in Melee without changing him too much. His appearance is based on his Twilight Princess incarnation, like Link and Zelda. He does not use his sword to battle, but draws it out in one of his taunts. His moveset still features some of the dark purple magic he is seen using in Melee. His movement speed has been lowered since Melee, and though most of his attacks can kill at low percentages, he is considered to be a low-tier character and is currently ranked as the worst character in the game.[57]
The Subspace Emissary also marks the first time (though outside of canon) Ganondorf has teamed up with Link and Zelda to fight a common enemy. In this new story mode, Ganondorf reprises his villainous role and helps the Subspace Army as a servant of Master Hand along with Bowser, who he later betrays and turns into a trophy with a Dark Cannon. It turns out that Master Hand was (literally) being puppeteered by the main antagonist: a villainous entity known as Tabuu. When Ganondorf sees this, he is enraged and charges at him, but Tabuu easily sends him flying backwards and turns him into a trophy. He is knocked into Master Hand, and in the process, severs the strings controlling him. Later, on the way to Tabuu, Bowser discovers the trophy of Ganondorf and begins to brutalize it as an act of revenge for his betrayal. Shortly afterward, he is discovered by Link and Zelda, who agree on resurrecting him. Initially responding with anger and a headache, Ganondorf joins them to help out in the final fight against Tabuu.
Ganondorf's Final Smash is Dark Beast Ganon. For a brief time, Ganondorf will transform into his boar form, Ganon, and lunge forward, trying to ram his opponents off of the stage.
Tekken Series
In a trailer for the game Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition a costume based on Ganondorf's Twilight Princess appearance is available for character customization.[58]
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