| Ganon / Ganondorf | |
|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda character | |
 Ganondorf as he first appears in artwork forThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Voiced by | Various
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Ganondorf Dragmire[3] |
| Race | Demon Gerudo(as Ganondorf) |
| Origin | Hyrule |
Ganon[a] is a character and the mainantagonist ofNintendo'sThe Legend of Zelda video game series and franchise, as well as the finalboss in manyZelda titles. In hishumanoidGerudo form, he is known asGanondorf.[b] A massive and malevolent porcine creature, Ganon first appeared in the originalThe Legend of Zelda game in 1986, while his alter ego, Ganondorf, was introduced inOcarina of Time. He has since appeared in the majority of the games in the series in various forms. He is thearchenemy of the protagonistLink andPrincess Zelda ofHyrule and originally the leader of the Gerudo, a race of humanoid desert nomads before becoming the ruler of his demon army.
His specific motives vary from game to game, but most often involve capturing Princess Zelda and planning to conquer Hyrule and the world at large. To this end, he seeks theTriforce, anomnipotent artifact that grants any wish its bearer desires, and usually manipulates several other villains to realize his ambitions. In most games, he possesses the Triforce of Power, which gives him godlike strength, boundless mystical power, and invulnerability to all but the most powerful sacred weapons, such as theMaster Sword.
As the main villain of the series, Ganon has also appeared in a variety of media, including ananimated television series andmanga. He appears in various spin-off games, such asHyrule Warriors andAge of Calamity, and also appears in theSuper Smash Bros. series. The character has been well received by critics and is one of the most recognizable villains in gaming. He has been praised for providing some of the most memorable boss battles and has been named as one of the greatest video game villains of all time.
Ganon was conceived as the antagonist ofThe Legend of Zelda video game byShigeru Miyamoto working alongsideTakashi Tezuka.[4]
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Ganon has two basic forms that appear throughout the series: one is a gigantic porcine form and the other is his humanoid Gerudo form. In the originalThe Legend of Zelda,A Link to the Past,Oracle of Seasons andOracle of Ages,Four Swords Adventures,A Link Between Worlds, andEchoes of Wisdom he is depicted as a blue, bipedalpig wielding either a large sword or a trident.[5]Ocarina of Time marks the first appearance of his humanoid form named Ganondorf, the physically imposing and armor-clad king of the Gerudo.[6]
For the development ofOcarina of Time, Ganon was designed by character designer Satoru Takizawa. He imagined Ganon as a "crooked and complex thief, who was basically an all-around abominable human being". However, script director Toru Osawa thought that Ganondorf should have "parts where he is rather good", comparing him to the character ofRaoh inFist of the North Star. With this idea in mind, Takizawa created a tentative model of Ganondorf based on actorChristopher Lambert, but the resulting designs were very different. Since Ganon had appeared earlier as a boar-like creature, Takizawa decided that Ganondorf should transform into such at the end of the game and wanted to consult Shigeru Miyamoto on this, but realised that he had no opinion on the matter. He decided on making Ganon a beast "with the feeling of a pig" to referenceA Link to the Past.[7]
Following the release ofTears of the Kingdom, the game's directorHidemaro Fujibayashi said that he had approached Ganondorf as a main character due to his long history in the series. He added that he considered Ganondorf to be the perfect opposing character to Princess Zelda due to being a king of the Gerudo with his own motivations. Series producerEiji Aonuma said that although Ganondorf had been portrayed throughout the series as an evil character,Tears of the Kingdom was the first game to firmly establish him as overwhelmingly evil by including a violent scene where he kills another character.[8]
Ganon was originally known as "Hakkai" during development of the originalThe Legend of Zelda, in reference to a humanoid pig character known asZhu Bajie (Cho Hakkai in Japanese) from the 16th century Chinese novelJourney to the West.[9] The character was given the name "Ganondorf Dragmire" in the English version of theA Link to the Past instruction manual while his monster form's name was "Mandrag Ganon".[3] In 2017, Nintendo reconfirmed that "Dragmire" is the character's surname on its official Zelda website.[10]
Ganon was sometimes spelled inconsistently in earlier games. In the Japanese versions of the first three games, his name is anglicized as "Gannon".[11][12][13] This spelling appears in two Western releases: the originalThe Legend of Zelda, and the non-canonicalZelda's Adventure.[5][14]
Like all Gerudo, Ganondorf possesses olive dark skin, amber eyes, and red hair. Ganondorf is around 230 centimetres (7 ft 7 in) and was first drawn with a "sharp, birdlike nose" that is characteristic of the Gerudo and "strong, supple muscles".[15] Ganondorf's clothing inOcarina of Time was designed in the style of a 1980svisual kei band, with producer Toru Osawa suggesting that his design incorporate a color scheme of red, black, and gold.[16]
InThe Wind Waker, Ganondorf was designed as an older version of hisOcarina of Time incarnation. The artists depicted him as middle-aged and created drawings of him "with an Eastern flavor". His robe was decorated with patterns that were designed to be a twist on the mark of the Gerudo seen previously.[17] Ganondorf's reappearance inTwilight Princess returned him to a similar age to his original appearance inOcarina of Time. His design was created to look like a warrior, dressed in armour. He also transforms into Demonic Beast Ganon and this concept art was created with the caption "Pig Ganon".[18]
Ganon evolved into other monstrous forms for his appearance inBreath of the Wild. He is presented as a primal evil force that is visible as a serpentine cloud circling around Hyrule Castle.[19] His physical form Calamity Ganon is a grotesque monster that resembles a spider equipped with various weapons. His final form is Dark Beast Ganon, a giant boar similar to previous iterations. Artist Yuki Hamada explained that his enormous size was due to the team wanting the game to end in the vast open plain of Hyrule Field. In addition, the Blight Ganons that Link encounters in the Divine Beasts were designed with similar design features, such as his red hair, as the artist Takafumi Kiuchi wanted players to feel Ganon's presence at all times.[20]
For the return of Ganondorf inTears of the Kingdom the character's design was reassigned to Takizawa. Fujibayashi said that he had given him the task of making him a "very cool, very awesome demon king" due to him being a crucial character within the series.[21] He said that the designer intended to give Ganondorf an evil appearance but also wanted him to appear good so that anyone could fall in love with him. The team spent time designing his facial expressions to give him brutality but also a sense of humanity. Ganondorf's appearance was designed with the flavour of a Japanese warlord. Every aspect of his design was carefully considered to give the impression of strength, elegance and intelligence and to portray a character with fine tastes who takes care of his appearance.[8]
Ganon has been voiced by several voice actors. In the 1989The Legend of Zelda animated television series andCaptain N: The Game Master, he was voiced byLen Carlson.[22] In theZelda series and other spin-off games, the character has been voiced by several Japanese voice actors, includingTakashi Nagasako inOcarina of Time,The Wind Waker,Super Smash Bros. Melee andUltimate;Hironori Miyata inTwilight Princess,Super Smash Bros. Brawl andSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U;Taiten Kusunoki inHyrule Warriors; and Kōsuke Takaguchi inTears of the Kingdom.[23] In the English dub ofTears of the Kingdom, he is voiced byMatthew Mercer, who unofficially portrayed the character in thelive action web seriesThere Will Be Brawl.[2]
Ganon is the main antagonist inThe Legend of Zelda series. He usually appears as the final boss at the end of each game. A recurring storyline in the series centres around the protagonist Link fighting to save Princess Zelda after she is captured by Ganon. Over the course of the series, Ganon has been depicted in various physical forms. His humanoid form known as Ganondorf is the king and only male member of the Gerudo, a race predominantly consisting of female warriors.[5] His monstrous bestial form, Ganon, resembles a giant boar. In some games, either Ganon or Ganondorf appear as the final boss, whereas in others, he transforms between the two.[24]
Throughout the series, Ganon has been characterised as the embodiment of evil and is placed in direct opposition to the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda across multiple generations in the fictional timeline.[19] InSkyward Sword, he is implied to be the manifestation of the antagonistDemon King Demise's hatred following the character's defeat.[25] The game was presented as the start ofThe Legend of Zelda fictional timeline and the origin of his endless battle with Link and Zelda.[26] InBreath of the Wild, his Dark Beast Ganon form is described as "Hatred and Malice Incarnate".[19]
The character's motivations typically centre around destroying Hyrule or placing himself in a position of power as ruler. His destructive influence is illustrated inOcarina of Time, when Link awakens from a seven-year sleep to discover Hyrule transformed from a peaceful kingdom to a place of fear shrouded in darkness following Ganondorf's rise to power.[27] InBreath of the Wild, his destructive power is so great, that he almost wipes out the entire civilisation of Hyrule in a cataclysm known as the Great Calamity.[19]
In the fictional lore of the series, Ganon is the bearer of the Triforce of Power, one of three components that form a core symbol of the series, a divine relic called theTriforce. The three pieces of the Triforce represent the qualities of the three characters, with Ganon being the bearer of the Triforce of Power and Link and Zelda bearing the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom respectively.[28] A recurring plot element in the series is Ganon's desire to obtain the completed Triforce, which offers limitless power to its bearer. This struggle for control of the Triforce has been a central aspect of several games, such asOcarina of Time, and binds the three main characters in an eternal battle across the fictionalZelda timeline.[29]
Ganon/Ganondorf is presented as a dangerous foe who is difficult to defeat. He is a formidable warrior andsorcerer, capable ofdual-wielding large blades, such asgreat swords.[30] He is typically only defeated by Link with the use of a legendary weapon like theMaster Sword or Light Arrows.[31] Due to his near-immortality and indestructible power, he often needs to be sealed away in another realm by magic to prevent him from causing more destruction. Like Link and Zelda, he is repeatedlyreincarnated in subsequent games.[32]
In addition to his combat skills, he also demonstrates various magical powers that originate in his use ofdark magic. He can use various defensive measures in combat, such as creating magical barriers.[33] In the originalThe Legend of Zelda game andA Link to the Past he is able to turn himself invisible.[34] Ganondorf also has the ability of teleportation, giving him the advantage of sneaking behind his opponent in combat, a skill that he displays inTwilight Princess. InOcarina of Time he has the ability tolevitate. He has also demonstrated that he can pass between dimensions, such as the Dark World and the Twilight Realm.[30]
In several games, he is able to create a mini boss in his own likeness named Phantom Ganon. InOcarina of Time, Phantom Ganon is the boss of the Forest Temple and appears as a ghostly rider that can jump in and out of paintings.[35] InThe Wind Waker, he creates Puppet Ganon, amarionette that takes three forms, each requiring a different strategy to defeat.[36] InTears of the Kingdom, Phantom Ganon is a powerful foe that deals additional damage with an expanding pool of gloom.[37] He also has the power to possess and control other characters. InTwilight Princess he possesses Princess Zelda and uses her body like a puppet to fight Link. He can also manipulate other characters for his own benefit, such asZant inTwilight Princess.[30] InBreath of the Wild, Calamity Ganon is able to corrupt creatures with the spread of a substance called Malice.[38] He reinstates his influence over the land of Hyrule inBreath of the Wild andTears of the Kingdom by conjuring a Blood Moon, which resurrects fallen monsters.[39][40]
Ganon made his first appearance in the originalNES video gameThe Legend of Zelda in 1986 in the form of a blue monstrous pig. The game established the character's desire for power, which was reiterated in subsequent games. The storyline involves the character invading Hyrule with his army and stealing the Triforce of Power. To prevent him from obtaining the Triforce of Wisdom, Princess Zelda scatters the eight pieces across the kingdom. Link is then sent on a quest to retrieve the eight fragments and finally defeats Gannon using a silver arrow.[31] The second entry in theZelda series, which is titledZelda II: The Adventure of Link, does not feature the physical presence of Ganon, but his image appears in the finalgame over screen, signifying his return.[41]
He was reintroduced in theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System gameA Link to the Past. It expands on Ganon's backstory by revealing that he used to be a man named Ganondorf, the leader of a group of thieves, who enters the Sacred Realm and steals the Triforce, which plunges the Sacred Realm into darkness.[5] After he is sealed in the Dark World, Link and Zelda are sent there by the wizard Agahnim, who is an avatar used to contain Ganon's spirit. Once Link defeats Agahnim in the Dark World, Ganon rises from his body and turns into a bat. He is finally defeated by Link at the Pyramid of Power.[42] InLink's Awakening, the fourth Shadow Nightmare that Link faces in the final boss battle is based on Ganon fromA Link to the Past.[43]
Ocarina of Time, which was released for theNintendo 64, introduced the character in his humanoid form as Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo thieves, expanding upon the backstory inA Link to the Past. Ganondorf schemes to take the Triforce from the Sacred Realm in order to conquer Hyrule and, after a young Link is put in a seven-year sleep, Link wakes as an adult to discover that Ganondorf is now ruling over Hyrule. After stealing the Triforce, Ganondorf's evil heart breaks it into three pieces, with Ganondorf keeping the Triforce of Power. In the final boss fight, Link and Ganondorf battle at Ganon's Castle, but before the fight is over, he transforms into his beast form, Ganon. He is finally defeated by Link before being sealed away in the Dark Realm.[31]
In 2001, two games titledOracle of Seasons andOracle of Ages were released for theGame Boy Color handheld console. They feature their own antagonists, but upon completing either game, the player receives a password that provides access to a linked game in the opposite title. The linked game reveals Ganon as the secret final boss, who was resurrected by two witches namedTwinrova.[34]
Ganondorf resumes his plans to obtain the Triforce and conquer Hyrule inThe Wind Waker. Although he is not initially presented as the main villain, he is revealed to be the master of the Helmaroc King. He kidnaps multiple young girls with pointed ears in order to find Zelda so he can complete the Triforce and take over Hyrule, including Link's sister Aryll.[44] In the final boss battle, Link defeats him by thrusting the Master Sword into his forehead, turning him to stone.[45]
InFour Swords Adventures, the antagonists are initially shown to be Shadow Link and Vaati. However, Ganon is revealed to be the true villain who stole a powerful magical trident and Dark Mirror to create the evil version of Link. Ganon uses Shadow Link to kidnap the shrine maidens of Hyrule and murders the Knights of Hyrule, trapping them in the World of Darkness. Link and his clones free the shrine maidens and seal Ganon inside the Four Sword to return peace to Hyrule.[42]
InTwilight Princess, Ganondorf manipulates the sorcerer Zant to usurp the throne of the Twilight Realm.[46] In the game's backstory, the Sages banish Ganon with the Mirror of Twilight for trying to steal the Triforce. After Link and his companion Midna defeat Zant, they face Ganondorf for the final battle at Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf battles Link by possessing Zelda and using her like a puppet and afterwards transforms into his beast form. After Link slays Ganon, Midna safely transports Link and Zelda to Hyrule field, but Link is forced to again face Ganondorf in his humanoid form. Ganondorf is defeated with the help of Zelda's Light Arrows when Link finally plunges the Master Sword into Ganondorf's chest.[42]
Ganon was replaced by two new antagonists namedGhirahim andDemon King Demise inSkyward Sword. Speaking toNintendo Power,Eiji Aonuma explained that he wanted a different kind of villain and that Ghirahim was created to contrast with Ganon's "very masculine, powerful, evil" image.[47] Despite his absence, the game suggests that Ganon is the manifestation of the game's demonic god named Demise when Link's companionFi says that Demise is "the source of all monsters". Demise's final curse also establishes that Ganon, Link and Zelda are placed in an eternal cycle of conflict.[5] Ganon appears in the final boss battle ofA Link Between Worlds. The antagonist Yuga summons him from his seal with the power of the Seven Sages and fuses with Ganon to become a massive creature called Yuga Ganon.[48]
InBreath of the Wild, Ganon gives into malice and hatred to become the malevolent force called Calamity Ganon.[49] In the backstory, he returns from an earlier defeat to take control of an army of Guardian robots, which he uses against the Hyruleans with the aim of destroying Hyrule. Using his Blight Ganondoppelgängers he murders the four Champions who pilot an ancient technology known as the Divine Beasts. He is confined in Hyrule Castle by Zelda's powers until a hundred years later, when Link awakens to prevent his complete destruction of Hyrule.[50]
Ganondorf returns in his humanoid form for the first time sinceTwilight Princess inTears of the Kingdom.[51] The game's cutscenes reveal that he is present thousands of years in the past when the first king Rauru founded Hyrule. Rauru sacrifices himself to seal Ganondorf beneath Hyrule Castle where his corpse rots for thousands of years.[52] He is reawakened in the present when Link and Zelda investigate the depths of Hyrule Castle and, in the confrontation, his power breaks the Master Sword.[53] In the final boss fight, which takes place deep in the chasm beneath Hyrule Castle, he regenerates into his Demon King form. After the initial fight, he uses his Secret Stone to transform into a dragon, pulling Link into the sky, and is destroyed with the help of the Light Dragon.[54]
Echoes of Wisdom, the first mainlineZelda game to feature Zelda rather than Link as the player character,[55] begins with a sequence in which Link saves Zelda from an Echo of Ganon but is sucked through a rift into the still world, and Ganon vanishes.[56] An Echo of Ganon also appears as the boss of Hyrule Castle dungeon halfway through the game.[57]
Ganon makes an appearance inZelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce forBarcode Battler II. The game was released byEpoch Co. and involves scanning barcodes to battle enemies on cards with a story based onA Link to the Past.[58] He also appears in his "demon boar" form in theCD-iZelda titles:Link: The Faces of Evil andZelda: The Wand of Gamelon. The games center on Ganon attacking the worlds of Koridai and Gamelon.[59] InZelda's Adventure, he takes over the kingdom of Tolemac and captures Link.[60]
Ganondorf made his first appearance in theSuper Smash Bros. series in hisOcarina of Time design as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. He reappears in all subsequent installments, includingBrawl,Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andWii U andUltimate. InMelee, Ganondorf's moveset is a version ofCaptain Falcon's and his Warlock Punch was based on the Falcon Punch.[61] ForBrawl, his design was based on his appearance inTwilight Princess.[62] He also appears in the single-playerThe Subspace Emissary story mode.[63] InUltimate, his design resembles hisOcarina of Time appearance. He transforms into his beast form for his final smash.[64] As one of the bosses ofUltimate, he takes the form of Demon King Ganon, wielding two swords and combining his attacks with dark magic.[65]
Ganondorf appears as a playable character in theZelda spin-off titleHyrule Warriors.[66] He can also be customised with several outfits, including his Demon King costume set.[67] Calamity Ganon appears in the next entry,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. In addition to being the main antagonist of the game, he can also be unlocked as a playable character at the end of the game after the player completes all of the challenges.[68]
Ganon can be summoned into a player's village inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf by scanning a compatibleamiibo that was released for the 30th anniversary ofThe Legend of Zelda series.[69] Ganondorf is available as an unlockable "Mystery Mushroom" costume inSuper Mario Maker. He is also playable in theNintendo Switch version ofDiablo III: Eternal Collection, with the Switch version of the game exclusively offering amiibo support and additional content based onThe Legend of Zelda series.[70] Ganon also makes a cameo appearance alongside Link inScribblenauts Unlimited.[71]
In therhythm gameCadence of Hyrule Ganon is the final boss. The storyline involves Link, Zelda and Cadence searching for four magic instruments to defeat him.[72]
Ganon appears as the main villain ofThe Legend of Zelda cartoon, which was shown as part ofThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in 1989. Ganon is a brown-skinnedanthropomorphic boar and wizard with a squeally voice. He is in possession of the Triforce of Power and spends each episode plotting to steal the Triforce of Wisdom and take over Hyrule. His plan is usually thwarted by Link and Zelda by the end of the episode.[73] He was voiced byLen Carlson.[22]
He also appears inCaptain N: The Game Master, in which he is defeated by Link using a mirror shield.[74]
In theSouth Park episode "Imaginationland Episode III", Ganondorf makes an appearance in hisOcarina of Time incarnation as one of many evil characters battling the good characters.[75]
Alongside Zelda and Link, Ganon appears in aChoose Your Own Adventure style of manga titledThe Legend of Zelda: The Mirage Castle, which was published just after the first game in 1986 and includes some scrapped concepts such as Ganon's younger brother named Demon General Gaia.[76]The Legend of Zelda comic series published in the 1990s byValiant Comics was based onThe Legend of Zelda games and featured Ganon as an antagonist in the stories and bonus stories.[77] Ganon appears inThe Legend of Zelda manga. In theOcarina of Time manga, which was originally published in two volumes and written byAkira Himekawa, the storyline provides additional details to the game's plot in which Link defeats Ganondorf and restores peace to Hyrule.[78]
Ganondorf was recreated as a figure that was bundled with a limited edition of physical copies ofThe Wind Waker HD in 2013.[79] In September 2015, Nintendo released anamiibo of Ganondorf, which was primarily associated withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andWii U.[80] Following the release ofTears of the Kingdom, a compatible Ganondorf amiibo was released in November 2023.[81] His image has also appeared on other official merchandise, including a "Power" t-shirt that was released for a Triforce-themed Splatfest held inSplatoon 3 in May 2023.[82]
Ganon was one of the first villains in video game history and has been described by critics, includingGuinness World Records 2013 Gamer's Edition[83] as one of the greatest video game villains.[84][85][86][87] Aaron Greenbaum, writing forDen of Geek, remarked that throughout the series there have been confusing shifts between the characterisation of Ganon and his humanoid counterpart. He noted that in the original game and again inOcarina of Time, Ganon appears as a mute monster with no dialogue or personality and only exists for the purposes of the gameplay, while in other games his portrayal shifts around. This contrasts with Ganondorf's intelligence and egomaniacal nature, which is emphasised each time the player interacts with him.[84] Jay Castello, writing forPolygon, considered Ganondorf's depiction as an evil character who originates from the desert to have racist undertones that have underpinned his backstory throughout the series.[88] Ollie Reynolds ofNintendo Life considered Ganondorf's introduction inOcarina of Time to be one of the best in gaming and said that, despite being on screen for just a few seconds, his entrance is so well crafted it immediately creates trepidation.[89]
Following a demo at Space World 2000,IGN responded to Ganondorf's character model, highlighting his battle-worn sword and noting that his face was an improvement on the N64 model and represented "the pure evil within". The demo was cancelled by Nintendo and replaced byThe Wind Waker demo at Space World 2001.[90] Jose Oteru ofIGN praised Ganondorf'sWind Waker design, noting its samurai-esque and Eastern influences and describing it as a "visual foil to all of the pirates and sea-driven art direction". He opined that these small design details help to give the character personality.[91] Oli Welsh, writing forEurogamer, said that the dialogue in the final scenes ofThe Wind Waker expresses Ganondorf's motivations and results in a more human villain to which players can more easily relate.[92]GameSpot's Rob Crossley appreciated the imaginative characterisation of Ganondorf's sidekick Zant inTwilight Princess. While he thought that Nintendo was engaging in "fan service" when they had Ganondorf replace Zant, the final battle between Link and Ganondorf was "symbolic and epic".[46] In a review ofBreath of the Wild, Kyle Hilliard, writing forGame Informer, considered that Calamity Ganon's threatening presence, seen from any vantage point in the game's world, creates a tangible goal that makes the final effort to defeat him seem like "the culmination of a lifetime of preparation" and makes the finale more rewarding.[93]
Anticipation grew for the return of Ganondorf with the release of the third trailer forTears of the Kingdom in April 2023, due to him being absent for almost 17 years sinceTwilight Princess.[94][95] This incarnation of Ganondorf received widespread praise for his sex appeal,[96][95] with Jenni Lada ofSiliconera commenting that this added more mystery to the character by making him appear "charismatic and charming" rather than just an evil villain.[97] Carolyn Petit ofKotaku considered Ganondorf's characterisation inTears of the Kingdom to be disappointing, describing him as a "one-note character...without any real character or moral texture". She opined that this results in the game squandering the sense of loss that resonates at its beginning and is in contrast to his more compelling appearance inThe Wind Waker.[98] Jim Norman ofNintendo Life thought that Nintendo needs to do more with Ganondorf's character depth, as his appearances throughout the series follow a common narrative structure where he is largely absent until the final battle.[99]
The boss fights between Link and Ganon have received a mixed reception. Mark Langshaw ofDigital Spy consideredOcarina of Time to be one of the most memorable boss battles in gaming, commenting that the dual contest against Ganondorf and Ganon offers "two epic boss battles for the price of one".[100] Chris Freiburg forDen of Geek also chose it as the best boss fight, describing Ganon as "a towering pig beast wielding two massive swords in an arena surrounded by a ring of fire" and opined, "it's hard not to consider it the best boss fight in franchise history".[101] Brian Shea, writing forGame Informer, chose the boss battle inThe Wind Waker as the greatest moment, stating the final blow "is in stark contrast to the cute cel-shaded visual style in the best way possible", which "delivers players one of the most memorable final sequences in gaming".[48] Marco Vito Oddo ofCollider also considered this as the best Ganondorf duel and compared it to the final boss battle inBreath of the Wild, which he described as "another giant blob of dark energy that fights just like every other Ganon Blight the player already fought and defeated" and "an unsatisfactory ending to a fantastic game".[34] Julian Benson ofTechRadar noted the extreme difficulty of the final boss fight against Demon King Ganondorf inTears of the Kingdom, but felt that the game does not prepare the player with the right skillset to successfully defeat him, resulting in him being "the wrong final boss" for the finale.[102]
The name of this king of thieves is Ganondorf Dragmire, but he is known by his alias, Mandrag Ganon, which means Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves.
Many years ago prince darkness Gannon stole one of the Triforce with power.
Several years after Gannon was destroyed, Link learns from Impa about another sleeping Princess Zelda.
Level 8 Gannon's Tower
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