Editing Ganondorf (SSB4)

|ranking = 53

'''Ganondorf''' ({{ja|ガノンドロフ|Ganondorofu}}, ''Ganondorf'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. Alongside {{SSB4|R.O.B.}}, he was officially revealed as a playable [[veteran]] on October 15th, 2014, although he was leaked four times prior to his reveal: via [[Leak#ESRB leak|video footage]] from ESRB, outside the in-game stage boundaries in an [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omeOylQYkuU&t=56s official video] (later replaced with a nearly-identical video sans Ganondorf), in Twitch livestreams and even a mention in [[Masahiro Sakurai]]'s Pic of the Day five days before his official reveal.  

As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', Hironori Miyata reprises his role as Ganondorf, albeit via recycled voice clips from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}''.

Ganondorf is ranked 53rd out of 55 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the G tier and tying him with {{SSB4|Zelda}}. This is a very slight improvement from his ranking in ''Brawl'', where he was the game's lowest-ranking character. As in previous games, Ganondorf remains as the game's archetypal super [[weight|heavyweight]], boasting high endurance, slow yet powerful moves that can KO very early, along with a capable [[edgeguard]]ing game courtesy of hard-hitting aerials. This is further enhanced by the buffs to his mobility, combo game and already high power, in addition to the general changes to game mechanics patching up several key weaknesses he had in ''Brawl''. Altogether, Ganondorf's high power allows him to deal ruthless punishes when the opportunity arises, in addition to being capable of ending stocks with very few hits.

However, Ganondorf still remains significantly disadvantaged by his slow mobility, very sluggish frame data when compared to the cast, and large target, making him exceptionally susceptible to rushdowns, combos and [[projectile]] [[camping]], in addition to giving him a linear [[approach]]. His grab game, outside of [[Flame Choke]], is also very lackluster, while his [[recovery]] is still easily exploitable due to being slow, linear and predictable. Finally, Ganondorf has a fair number of unrewarding moves that can neither combo or KO reliably, despite his overall power.  

As a result of these factors, Ganondorf still relies primarily on punishes and hard reads, and his weaknesses from ''Brawl'' are still prominent; however, he is commonly considered to fare better against difficult matchups, despite still being lackluster overall. This has resulted in Ganondorf gaining a low amount of representation in tournaments, in addition to attaining below-average success. Nevertheless, he is popular in the ''SSB4'' community due to his extremely strong, over-the-top, and extravagant punishment options that can easily KO unaware opponents, with a number of dedicated players such as {{sm|Gungnir}}, {{sm|Vermanubis}} and {{sm|Ray Kalm}}, some of which even use him as a solo main in tournaments despite his standing on the tier list.

* Clear {{SSB4-3DS|Classic Mode}} as {{SSB4|Link}} or {{SSB4|Zelda}} on difficulty 5.0 or higher.

Ganondorf's greatest trait is his raw power. He possesses attacks that are on par with {{SSB4|Bowser}} in terms of damage and knockback, with almost his entire moveset granting him the ability to KO under 150% or even 100% with ease, even if the opponent is in the middle of [[Final Destination_(SSB4)|Final Destination]]. This becomes especially evident with [[rage]], making his [[punishment|punishes]] some of the most potent in ''SSB4'', while several other moves have the ability to KO at exceedingly low percentages, such as an aerial reversed [[Warlock Punch]] (which [[one-hit KO]]s Mario with rage) and sweetspotted up tilt (which KOs middleweights at 33% near the ledge). While Ganondorf's combo game is limited when compared to the majority of the cast, his followups make up for it by dealing high amounts of damage in a short time, such as sourspotted dash attack to up aerial, or the followups from [[Flame Choke]] (either from opponents missing their [[tech]], or through predicting their reactions). Because of his strength, Ganondorf has one of the strongest KO abilities in the game, as he is capable of racking up damage and KOing opponents in less than a few hits.  

In addition, his previously mentioned attributes give him high survivability and allows him to use rage to full effect, further boosting his already powerful moves at high percentages. Ganondorf's strength also makes mistiming or overusing a shield incredibly deadly, with multiple attacks capable of dealing massive shield damage or outright breaking shields with a single hit. Notable examples of this are up tilt's sweetspot, which can break full shields, his forward and up smashes and aerial [[Wizard's Foot]]. He can also play [[mindgames]] to make opponents with low shield health play more carefully as a single hit from one of his attacks can break their shield or KO them at relatively low percentages.

Ganondorf is among the best [[edgeguard]]ers in the game, as his powerful aerials are relatively fast for their immense power (excluding forward aerial and down aerial) and send foes far away from the stage even at medium percents, spelling trouble for any fighter without a long-distance recovery. His down aerial is the most powerful [[meteor smash]] in the game with low ending lag, and his up aerial's late hitbox is among the best [[gimp]]s in the game with its [[semi-spike]] angle and high [[hitstun]]. Finally, his back aerial is a deceptively fast, safe and powerful KO move, as it starts up as fast as {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}'s with relatively little lag and can autocancel in a short hop, despite its immense power. His grounded moveset is also useful for punishing impromptu recoveries, such as using an up tilt against badly positioned fighters or an up smash against horizontal recovering characters like {{SSB4|Ike}}. Ganondorf also has the lowest and safest ledge grab, allowing him to camp on the ledge effectively and giving him decent protection from opponents when hanging from a ledge.

However, Ganondorf possesses many notable flaws. His shield is very vulnerable to [[shield stab]]bing due to its small size relative to his height. Also, small characters, such as {{SSB4|Kirby}}, can easily avoid his attacks due to the majority of his moves having short range, poorly placed hitboxes with low durations, while also extending his hurtboxes and makes him vulnerable to trading or simply being grabbed out of an attack despite being visually out of range. Although Ganondorf's frame data is similar (albeit slightly slower) to {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}} in terms of start up (barring neutral attack, up tilt, and Warlock Punch), his attacks are very difficult to land while being easily punished due to high ending lag and/or landing lag; most notoriously, his forward aerial has the highest ending lag out of all of his aerials, and cannot autocancel even from a full hop, forcing Ganondorf to enter the landing animation. As a result of his high end lag, some of his moves are completely unsafe on shield, making it very difficult to take full advantage of his extreme shield breaking capabilities.

Additionally, Ganondorf's overall physics leave him with very poor mobility and approaching options, which makes closing the distance or creating space considerably difficult for him, and he is easily zoned out by projectile characters due to him lacking a projectile himself. Also, his high knockback and sluggish moves, his poor range as well as his terrible air speed all give him a very poor combo game, as he cannot easily or reliably pursue his opponents in the air while his aforementioned high power moves will almost always knock his opponents too far away for follow-ups. However, Ganondorf himself is very easy to combo; his heavy weight, tall stature, low air speed, and unsafe landing options make him very susceptible to combos and juggling, and his poor [[out of shield]] options gives him difficulty protecting himself against rushdowns. Overall, this makes Ganondorf rely heavily on proper spacing and mindgames, as he cannot afford to whiff a single move.

Another prominent weakness is his frame data. As mentioned before, all of his moves are burdened with extreme amounts of lag, with very few moves being active before frame 9 (with those moves being limited to up aerial, neutral aerial, standing grab, and neutral attack), while some of his moves do not come out before frame 30, such as [[Warlock Punch]] and his notoriously powerful up tilt. This offsets Ganondorf's powerful KO ability by forcing him to rely on reads and hard punishes, with few effective setups to end stocks via combos. When considering his overall poor speed and frame data, this also makes it difficult for Ganondorf to close the gap between him and an opponent should he be going against a speedy foe, such as {{SSB4|Sheik}}. As a result, he is collectively considered to have among the worst frame data in ''SSB4'', along with {{SSB4|Shulk}}, {{SSB4|Palutena}}, and {{SSB4|King Dedede}}.

Other issues include a poor grab game. Ganondorf's grab range is surprisingly short despite his size, while his physics, ineffective angles, and high knockback result in his throws having little follow-up, but are not strong enough to KO reliably. However, his forward throw does very high damage and can decently lead into down aerial meteor smashes off-stage, while down throw has fairly low knockback to decently combo (albeit not as good as other character's combo throws). Flame Choke can also work against Ganondorf due to it enforcing unreliable hard reads, especially if [[tech]]ed, with incorrect reads likely putting Ganondorf in a vulnerable position.  

His recovery remains very lackluster and one is of the worst in the game due to its low distance, low air speed and high vulnerability to edgeguarding and gimps. Flame Choke's and [[Dark Dive]]'s lack of speed, distance and resilience allows Ganondorf to be knocked away by even the weakest of moves, despite the former's fearsome sacrificial KO potential. Even if Dark Dive is landed and lets him reuse the move, it's high ending lag also makes it highly susceptible to being teched and punished, with opponents being able to act before Ganondorf can.

Finally, despite his status as a powerhouse, Ganondorf still possesses some moves that offer little reward due to their inability to combo reliably or KO at realistic percentages (with some not even KOing past 200%), such as his neutral attack's sourspot, neutral aerial's late hitboxes, Dark Dive, and all his throws.

Ganondorf drastically benefits from some of his custom moves; most notably, Wizard's Dropkick and Dark Fists. While Wizard's Dropkick is weaker, cannot [[meteor smash]], and has slightly more ending lag when performed in the air, it is excellent against projectiles and for recovery, acting as a superior version of [[Flame Choke]]'s recovery that does not leave him helpless while allowing Ganondorf to fly over projectiles while attacking. Dark Fists is a two-hit attack with better horizontal reach, [[armor]], and very potent power, giving him impressive protection against edgeguarders if used as a recovery and a very effective out-of-shield option, something that he lacks. When using both of these moves on his moveset, Ganondorf is granted a very efficient recovery and improved offensive prowess, as he can travel high distances while being exceedingly difficult to edgeguard without being punished. For other notable customs, Warlock Blade offers better utility over Warlock Punch due to its lower start-up, increased range, [[transcendent priority]], and high shield damage, but replaces one of Ganondorf's best punishing options due to its reduced strength. Flame Chain and Flame Wave are semi-viable alternatives to Flame Choke, with the former being a multiple hitting attack with decent horizontal knockback and the latter having high damage and strong KO power; however, both are laggier and sacrifice powerful combos, while the latter covers significantly less distance, to the point where it only reaches opponents directly in front of Ganondorf. The rest of his custom moves are ineffective as they offer very little bonuses over the default or other custom moves; the best example is Warlock Thrust, which has extremely minimal KO power and high ending lag to overwhelmingly outweigh its benefits of a larger hitbox and faster start-up. However, while his [[Character customization|custom moves]] address his recovery issues and make him a more dangerous character with better staying power, they are not allowed in the standard metagame.  

Given that he was regarded as quite possibly the worst character in ''Brawl'', Ganondorf has been buffed in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', albeit not enough to raise his standing among the cast. Aside from a few minor animation changes and different [[custom moves]], Ganondorf is still a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}, having even been slightly re-cloned with his down aerial and neutral aerial's first hit functioning almost exactly like Falcon's, albeit the latter having no set knockback and an added hitbox on the foot with increased knockback. Outside of this, some of his moves are faster (notably neutral attack, dash attack, and neutral aerial), have even more power (most notably down smash, back aerial, and Wizard's Foot), or deal more damage (notably up smash, forward aerial, and Flame Choke). His dash attack's sourspot has vastly improved combo potential, while the sourspots on some of his attack are less of a hindrance now due to either having consistent knockback on all their hitboxes and/or deal more damage. Ganondorf's overall damage output is higher which is especially beneficial as most other returning veterans had their damage output reduced. Unlike many other characters who got increases in landing lag, Ganondorf's aerials have less landing lag, most prominently forward and down aerials, while the others are still noticeable as well. His slowest but most rewarding moves, such as his up tilt and [[Warlock Punch]], are much easier to land and are even more powerful. His grab game has been slightly improved, though it remains very poor. One of the most notable changes is that the use of [[Flame Choke]] for [[Ganoncide|Ganonciding]] now consistently KOs the opponent before Ganondorf, allowing it to be used as a guaranteed win if both players in a one-on-one match are on their last stock.

Ganondorf also benefits from the general changes of ''SSB4''. The removal of [[chain grab]]bing, which heavily plagued Ganondorf in previous games, improves his survival, while the changes to [[hitstun canceling]], now only being possible after 40 frames, slightly improves Ganondorf's combo potential (notably from down throw) and makes opponents less capable of attacking him right out of [[Dark Dive]] (though it is still very capable of being attacked out). The removal of damage reduction on [[shield]]s and increased [[shieldstun]] allows many of Ganondorf's attacks to break them more easily, the introduction of edge-stealing which allows Ganondorf to edge-hog more effectively while limiting his opponents' ability to do the same (which is only helped by his ledge grab animation being the lowest and safest in the game). Additionally, the new [[rage]] mechanic greatly strengthens his already high overall knockback, which he can benefit from even further due to his heavier weight.

However, Ganondorf also received noteworthy nerfs. His forward smash no longer has extra reach when pivoted, and while [[Warlock Punch]] was improved overall, it is laggier when reversed and much weaker unless reversed or performed in midair. Despite being infamous for his poor recovery, Ganondorf is even easier to edgeguard due to the removal of [[armor|grab armor]] and his low [[air speed]] being nearly reduced to what it was in ''Melee''. He can no longer perform the Flight of Ganon, noticeably hindering his aerial game. His down aerial is also significantly weaker, lasts shorter, and no longer [[auto-cancel]]s in a [[short hop]], drastically weakening its utility despite having significantly less landing lag and greater reach. The biggest nerf Ganondorf received was to Flame Choke, his staple move in ''Brawl'': it not only lost its grab armor, but when grounded, it can now be [[tech]]ed before Ganondorf can act. This enforces unreliable hard reads, and if Ganondorf reads incorrectly, his slow attack speed will ensure he can get punished. In addition to his nerfs, his glaring flaws, outside of universal changes, from ''Brawl'' were not properly addressed, such as his extremely poor mobility and frame data and poor recovery, while the only issues that were addressed were his unusually low attack power in spite of his character archetype. Lastly, while the changes to hitstun canceling slightly improve his combo potential, it is nowhere near as much as some other returning veterans and it also makes him much more susceptible to combos himself and it removes [[momentum cancel]]ing which when combined with rage, hinders Ganondorf's endurance.

Overall, Ganondorf is considered a better and more rewarding character overall compared to how he was in ''Brawl'' as his damage output and KO potential are greater overall. However, this has barely helped his standing on the tier list, due to his weaknesses not being properly addressed. His speed is still abysmal despite being improved and his recovery is still highly exploitable despite the changes to [[air dodge]]s and the ledge mechanics. Ganondorf's down aerial and Flame Choke (his two best moves) have also been considerably nerfed and the changes to the game's mechanics do not benefit him as much as some other characters. His overall matchup spread, while not as poor as it was in ''Brawl'', is still very bad as he still loses a large majority of matchups. As a result, Ganondorf is still one of the worst characters in the game although it is generally agreed upon that he is no longer the worst overall.

*{{change|Ganondorf's design has slightly changed. His head, eyes, nose and ears have been slightly re-proportioned, and he now sports his glowing chest wound from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}''. Additionally, his {{s|wikipedia|epaulette}}s have been slightly redesigned. Lastly, the aesthetic used in ''SSB4'' has resulted in Ganondorf's attire being slightly more vibrant. Altogether, these changes make him appear significantly more in line with his appearance in ''Twilight Princess''.}}

*{{change|Ganondorf's eye color is slightly subdued, and his cape is now tattered instead of frayed. These changes are unique to ''SSB4''.}}

*{{change|Ganondorf has received three new [[alternate costume]]s.}}

*{{buff|Ganondorf [[dash]]es faster (1.16 → 1.218).}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf's [[air speed]] is slower (0.846 → 0.79), hindering his already poor recovery.}}

*{{buff|The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to [[shieldstun]] significantly help Ganondorf, as they allow many of his high shield damage attacks to shatter shields more effectively and more often.}}

*{{change|The removal of [[meteor smash#meteor canceling|meteor canceling]] significantly helps Ganondorf, as it makes his down aerial and Wizard's Foot even more viable (despite the former's reduced power) and makes them function like [[spike]]s from ''Melee''. However, it makes his already poor recovery even easier to edgeguard.}}

**{{nerf|This noticeably hinders his already subpar air game.}}

*{{nerf|[[Roll]]s have more ending lag (FAF 32 → 34).}}

*{{nerf|[[Spot dodge]] has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 4-19) and has more ending lag (FAF 26 → 29).}}

**{{buff|Neutral attack deals 1% more damage (5%/7%/9% → 6%/8%/10%) and has decreased startup (frame 8 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 35 → 29), improving its [[out of shield]] potential. Its sweetspot and sourspot were moved 1 unit forward and backward respectively (x position 18/12 → 19/11), decreasing the blind spots covering his body while slightly increasing its range.}}

**{{nerf|Neutral attack has reduced knockback (40/30/40 (base), 105 (scaling) → (38/30/40)/(90/90/105), making it slightly weaker despite its damage increase.}}

**{{buff|Up tilt deals 1% more damage (17%/19%/27%/27% → 18%/20%/28%/28%). Additionally, it deals more shield damage across all hitboxes (0 → 20), on top of shields taking 1.19x more damage (as opposed to 0.7x), which allows its sweetspot to instantly shatter even full shields. Lastly, the changes in ledge mechanics also makes it much easier to trap opponents with, improving its edgeguarding potential.}}

**{{buff|Down tilt deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%), improving its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|Sweetspotted dash attack deals 1% less damage (15% → 14%) and has decreased base knockback (60 → 50), now KOing around 140% instead of the 100%-125% range in ''Brawl''.}}

**{{buff|Sourspotted dash attack has an altered angle (100° → 80°) and has decreased ending lag (FAF 42 → 38), improving its combo potential.}}

**{{buff|Sweetspotted forward smash has increased base knockback (30 → 35), slightly improving its KO potential. Downward angled forward smash also has increased knockback scaling on its clean hit (80 → 83).}}

**{{nerf|Ganondorf no longer lunges farther when performing a pivoted forward smash, decreasing its range. Upward angled forward smash also has decreased knockback scaling (85 → 83).}}

**{{buff|Up smash deals 2% more damage (19%/22%/22% → 21%/24%/24%) and the sweetspot launches opponents at a higher angle (80° → 85°) and has slightly higher knockback scaling (70 → 71), making it the strongest up smash in ''Smash 4'' (although it is still weaker compared to {{SSBB|Ivysaur}}'s, {{SSBB|Lucas}}', and {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s up smashes in ''Brawl'').}}

**{{buff|Down smash deals 1% more damage (5% → 6% (hit 1), 12%/14%/14% → 13%/15%/15% (hit 2) and the second hit has increased knockback scaling (75 → 94) and larger hitboxes (5.5u → 6.5u), improving its KO potential and making the move function similarly to how it did in ''Melee''. The second hit now pushes away shielding opponents rather than dragging them toward him, making the move safer.}}

**{{nerf|Down smash's first hit received a hitbox on Ganondorf's thigh that launches opponents forward and away from the second hit, making it much harder for both hits to connect together and making Ganondorf more susceptible to being punished.}}

**{{change|Down smash's second hit now flips opponents.}}

*{{buff|All aerials have decreased landing lag (22 frames → 17 (neutral), 32 frames → 22 (forward), 22 frames → 19 (back/up), 35 frames → 26 (down)).}}

**{{buff|Neutral aerial's first kick has significantly decreased knockback scaling (100 → 30), has altered angles (55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°) and transitions into its second hit faster (frame 20 → 17), making the hits link much more reliably similar to {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}'s neutral aerial. It also gained a hitbox on his foot with significantly increased knockback (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 50/110), improving its spacing potential when hitting with his foot. The second kick also deals more damage (7% (clean)/5% (late) → 12%/9%), has increased knockback scaling (100 → 106) and a larger hitbox (4.3u/5.7u/6.2u → 4.5u/5.7u/7.4u), restoring its KO potential from ''Melee''. It also has decreased ending lag (FAF 45 → 42) and [[auto-cancel]]s earlier (frame 41 → 38).}}

**{{nerf|Neutral aerial's first hit deals less damage (11% (clean)/7% (late) → 7%/5.25%) and its significantly decreased knockback makes it less safe on hit and on landing, removing its KO potential and hindering its spacing potential unless hitting with his foot.}}

**{{buff|Forward aerial deals more damage (15% (sourspot)/17% (sweetspot) → 17%/18%) with higher and consistent knockback (30/48 (base), 80/83 (scaling) → 20/93), making the sourspots much less of a hindrance. It also has less ending lag due to how ''Smash 4'' handles [[interruptibility]] despite the move's interruptibility value being unchanged (FAF 55 → 45).}}

**{{buff|Back aerial's sweetspot deals more damage (16% → 17%) and all hitboxes now have consistent knockback (10/28 (base), 85 (scaling) → 40/89). This makes the sourspots much less of a hindrance toward the sweetspot.}}

**{{change|Sourspotted down aerial now launches at the [[Sakurai angle]], improving its onstage KO potential and granting the move spacing potential but hindering its edeguarding potential. The move's high hitlag also makes down aerial remain untechable by grounded opponents unlike all other meteor smashes. The hitboxes are also positioned lower, making it easier to land the sweetspot below, but makes it incapable of punishing opponents recovering high.}}

**{{nerf|Down aerial has a shorter duration (frames 16-20 → 16-18), has decreased base knockback (30 → 20), and deals 3% less damage on the sweetspot (22% → 19%). This makes it meteor smash grounded opponents later (0% → 10%) and KO grounded opponents later (100% → 120%), though it is still the most powerful meteor smash in the game. It can also no longer auto-cancel in a short hop due to Ganondorf's higher gravity, hindering its combo potential and safety.}}

*{{nerf|All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 30 → 36 (standing), FAF 40 → 42 (dash), FAF 36 → 40 (pivot)).}}

*{{change|Forward, up, and down throws have decreased hitlag.}}

**{{buff|Pummel deals 1% more damage (2% → 3%).}}

**{{buff|Up throw deals 3% more damage (7% → 10%).}}

*[[Floor attack]]:

**{{buff|Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).}}

**{{nerf|Edge attack deals 2% less damage (10% → 8%).}}

**{{nerf|Grounded Warlock Punch deals 2% less damage (32% → 30%) and has altered knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 120/42), considerably hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{buff|Aerial Warlock Punch deals more damage (35% → 38%). Reversed Warlock Punch also deals more damage (35% (grounded)/38% (aerial) → 37%/40%). Grounded Warlock Punch now also grants [[armor]] lasting from frames 11-65 and frames 21-67, respectively.}}

**{{buff|Flame Choke deals more damage (9% (grounded)/12% (aerial) → 12/15%) and has more range (5.2 (grounded)/5.5 (aerial) → 7.2/7.5). Grounded Flame Choke no longer has any blind spots and due to the changes in [[ledge]] mechanics, using grounded Flame Choke on an opponent using their normal get-up option will cause them to miss their ledge grab. Flame Choke now also meteor smashes opponents when Ganondorf lands on ledges with them. Lastly, [[Ganoncide]] always KOs the opponent before Ganondorf, instead of at the same time or after, meaning Ganondorf will always win if he lands a Ganoncide on the opponent's last stock.}}

**{{nerf|Flame Choke can now be [[tech]]ed, significantly hindering its [[tech-chasing]] potential, though it is still extremely difficult to do so. The removal of grab armor makes it easier to intercept, as traded blows will interrupt the grab. This makes Ganonciding slightly more difficult to perform and thus less of a deterrent for opponents edgeguarding Ganondorf.}}

**{{buff|Dark Dive deals 2.8% more damage (11% → 13.8%) and knockback scaling (82 → 90), improving its out of shield potential and allowing it to KO reliably, unlike in ''Brawl''. The grabbox now has a disjoint directly in front of him on frame 14. The changes to hitstun canceling now results in opponents no longer being able to attack Ganondorf after he releases them from Dark Dive unless they stage tech, improving its defensive potential.}}

**{{nerf|The removal of grab armor removes the minimal protection Dark Dive provided. When combined with the previous point about Flame Choke, this makes Ganondorf more susceptible to edgeguarding.}}

**{{buff|Grounded Wizard's Foot deals 2% more damage (12%/10%/10% → 14%/12%/12%), improving its KO potential and its safety at low percentages while also out-prioritizing most weak projectiles. Its hitboxes were also widened (z position -1/-3/4 → 0/-3/6), increasing its range. Aerial Wizard's Foot deals more [[shield damage]] (10 → 15).}}

**{{change|Grounded Wizard's Foot has a slightly different animation: the kick is slightly higher, and Ganondorf enters a three-point landing pose when the move ends.}}

**{{nerf|Beast Ganon deals 7% less damage (47% → 40%) and has decreased knockback, removing its [[one-hit KO]] ability.}}

**{{bugfix|Ganondorf no longer goes into his t-pose whenever he returns from the attack.}}

*{{buff|Forward, up and down throws' [[hitlag]] decreased.}}

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|fsdesc=Transforms into Ganon, his demonic beast form and rams into the opponent. Opponents too close upon its activation are buried, whereas those otherwise will be [[paralyze]]d if they are in front of him.  

|desc=Emerges from a portal of dark magic.

*{{Sm|Adom|Israel}} - Highest-ranked ''Smash 4'' player in the Middle East. He is considered one of the best Ganon mains in the world. He placed 9th at [[Syndicate 2017]], the highest placement made by a Ganondorf main thus far. Has wins over players such as {{Sm|quiK}}, {{Sm|Fire}}, and {{Sm|Cyro}}.

*{{Sm|GanonTheBeast|USA}} - 5th on Minnesota Power Rankings. Infamously defeated {{Sm|Dexter}} in a best-of-five set [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsz1e52Y21s in less than five minutes].

*{{Sm|Gungnir|Japan}} - The best Ganondorf in Japan and one of the best Ganondorf players in the world. Placed 17th at [[Umebura Japan Major 2017]]. He has sets off of high-caliber players such as {{Sm|Taiheita}}, {{Sm|Shimitake}} and {{Sm|Earth}}.

*{{Sm|Orsone|Italy}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|ICARUS II}} and 17th at {{Trn|ICARUS III}}. Currently ranked 10th on the [[Italian Power Rankings]]. Has defeated {{Sm|Dinamirer}} (#5 in Italy) and {{Sm|Sim-Max}} (#2 in Italy).

*{{Sm|Rickles|USA}} - One of the best Ganondorf mains in the world. Placed 1st at [https://smash.gg/tournament/the-arcadian-3/events The Arcadian 3] and 49th at [[2GG: Hyrule Saga]]. He has wins over {{Sm|tyroy}}, {{Sm|K9sbruce}} and {{Sm|Razo}}.

 

*{{Sm|Jile|USA}} - Best Ganondorf main in New England with high-placing regional results. Currently focusing on ''Rivals of Aether''.

Public consensus on Ganondorf in ''Smash 4'' has risen and fallen throughout the game's history despite his numerous direct buffs. Hopes were high when the game was released due to the very noticeable buffs and the very large benefit of the change of mechanics, with some players often drawing comparisons to his ''Melee'' self. Players such as {{Sm|Gungnir}} and {{Sm|Matt Hazard}} were already earning impressive results, with the latter even defeating {{Sm|Mew2King}} in a now-infamous ''3DS'' set. This excitement, however would gradually die off following the Wii U release, as while many characters like {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}} benefited from the discovery of new tech and a better controller setup, Ganondorf proved to not be as mechanically intensive as many would have thought. Even despite numerous buffs between game updates, the metagame continued to develop, leaving Ganondorf behind for the most part, which inevitably led to his 54th placing in the bottom tier of the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]].

 

Despite this, Ganondorf proved to be surprisingly popular in competitive play for a bottom-tier character, gaining a reputation as a "disrespectful" character thanks to his low tier standing and extravagant punishes. As such, he has garnered much better results than most other bottom-tiered characters (and even outplacing most low-tiered ones such as {{SSB4|Dr. Mario}} and {{SSB4|Wii Fit Trainer}}), especially in Japan and Eastern Canada, both places of where there is a surprisingly large number of Ganondorf players. This resulted in Ganondorf holding the third-worst position on the second tier list, at 56th (due to the inclusion of {{SSB4|Corrin}} and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}). Thanks to big advancements to his metagame, as well as still having good results for a poorly regarded character, Ganondorf was ranked 53rd on the third tier list, allowing him to rise out of the "bottom five" position; furthermore, with the abolishment of the "bottom" tier ranking, Ganondorf was then ranked as a low-tier character. However, while Ganondorf gained a notable result in [[Umebura Japan Major 2017]] with Gungnir placing 17th with solo Ganon (also upsetting {{Sm|Earth}} during the tournament), and he retains his placing at 53rd on the fourth and current tier list, this placing is now notable for not only having Ganondorf share the spot with {{SSB4|Zelda}}, but also dropping back to being the second worst character alongside her, after the exclusion of Miis from the most recent tier list.

 

Altogether, Ganondorf has improved notably from his ''Brawl'' incarnation, where he was not only considered the worst character, but he was indisputably a bottom-tier character and his worst matchups were far more difficult to win than most bad matchups in the game. While Ganondorf keeps being consistently ranked either among or barely outside of the "bottom five" characters on the Western and European scenes, the Japanese scene is still more optimistic about the character, especially after Gungnir's high placing. As such, Ganondorf's true tier placing is still debatable.

 

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''The King of Evil that awaits Link at the end of most of his adventures. Ganondorf possesses the Triforce of Power. In Smash Bros., he makes up for his low speed with devastating power. The strength of his blows can knock back most opponents. Get close with a dash attack, and pummel your foes!''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''The King of Evil is Link's arch-nemesis in most games in the Legend of Zelda series. With the Triforce of Power at his disposal, he's a fearsome opponent. In this game, his mighty attacks have so much impact, they easily make up for his slow speed, and his launching ability is extra impressive! Rush in when the enemy's open and strike hard.''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=n64|game1=The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)|console2=wii|game2=The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)}}

 

:'''Ganondorf (Alt.)'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Being the powerhouse that he is, the King of Evil is a great choice for free-for-alls. His Warlock Punch delivers a thunderous, dark-energy-fueled blow from his left hand. Unfortunately, left-handed dark-energy-fueled blows take some time to charge. You can turn to face someone as they cowardly try to hit you from behind.''

 

::{{Flag|Pal}} ''Being the powerhouse that he is, the King of Evil is a great choice for free-for-alls. His Warlock Punch focuses dark energy into his left hand to deliver a thunderous back-hander. Unfortunately, focusing all that energy takes time. If someone sneaks behind you just as you start the move, quickly try to turn around.''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=n64|game1=The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)|console2=wii|game2=The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)}}

 

::{{Flag|North America}} ''For Ganondorf's Final Smash, he morphs into a beast and attacks. As soon as he's transformed, he buries nearby fighters in the ground and then stuns them with his roar. Finally, he charges forward, dealing heavy damage and launching anyone in his way. Any foes buried by the first strike are doomed to be hit by the rest. ''

::{{Flag|Pal}} ''For Ganondorf's Final Smash, he morphs into a beast and attacks. As soon as he's transformed, he buries fighters nearby in the ground, then stuns them with his roar. Finally, he charges forward, dealing heavy damage and launching anyone in his way. Any foes who are buried by the first strike are guaranteed to be hit by the rest. ''

 

==In [[Event Match]]es==

===Solo Events===

 

===Co-op Events===