Editing Ganondorf (SSBB)

|image = [[File:Ganondorf SSBB.jpg|250px]]

'''Ganondorf''' ({{ja|ガノンドロフ|Ganondorofu}}, ''Ganondorf'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. ''{{iw|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda|Series}}'' series director Eiji Aonuma first hinted that Ganondorf would return from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' when he stated that he sent (Ganondorf), [[Link]], and [[Sheik]]'s ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'' designs to [[Masahiro Sakurai]].<ref>[https://www.destructoid.com/eiji-aonuma-on-the-ds-phantom-hourglass-and-smash-bros-37441.phtml]</ref> He was ultimately confirmed on March 18, 2008. Most of Ganondorf's voice clips are from ''Twilight Princess'' and were performed by Hironori Miyata, while his [[Wii Remote selection sound]] is from ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' and was performed by Takashi Nagasako; it last appeared in ''Melee''{{'}}s Sound Test.

Ganondorf is ranked dead last on the ''Brawl'' [[tier list]], in 38th place out of the 38 characters in the game. This is a significant drop from his position on the ''Melee'' tier list, where he ranked 14th out of 26, and is tied with [[Ganondorf (SSBU)|his later iteration from ''Ultimate'']] as his worst placement in the ''Smash'' series to date (although he is far more viable in ''Ultimate'' compared to his ''Brawl'' iteration). Ganondorf's few strengths include high power throughout his moveset, respectable endurance, strong [[momentum cancelling]] capabilities, and some fearsome [[edgeguard]]ing abilities, with access to the most powerful [[meteor smash]] in the game in his [[down aerial]], and a great [[semi-spike]] in his [[up aerial]]. Ganondorf has also gained a new combo starter in [[Flame Choke]] and a superjump glitch in the [[Flight of Ganon]].

However, these strengths are eclipsed by a slew of significant flaws. Ganondorf's overall mobility and frame data are among the slowest, if not the slowest in the game, with even {{SSBB|King Dedede}} just barely beating him. His [[recovery]] is possibly his biggest flaw, being one of the worst recoveries in ''Brawl''; he has the third-lowest double [[jump]] in the game, [[Flame Choke]] covers minimal horizontal distance and is easily edge-guarded due to its slow speed and lack of protection, and aerial [[Wizard's Foot]] no longer restores his double jump. In particular, [[Dark Dive]] is likewise slow, and its newly added hitbox at the move's climax is not sufficient enough to defend from edge-guarding, while it has also lost all of its KO power and now only KOs past the [[Sudden Death]] range (300%), and has so little hitstun that opponents can hit Ganondorf out of it as soon as the move completes. Nerfs to his useful chain-grab options and his overall moveset from ''Melee'', along with the changes to [[hitstun]] severely weakened his KO and combo ability. Additionally, many of his moves either have large sourspots, poor [[reach]] for a character of his size, inconveniently placed [[hitbox]]es, or cannot KO at realistic percentages (like his aforementioned [[Dark Dive]]), invalidating his would-be impressive attack power. Also, the loss of [[L-cancelling]] has harmed him far more than any other character in ''Brawl'', as he is no longer able to safely use his powerful, yet laggy aerials in many situations. In addition, his [[grab]] is not only slow, but also the shortest-reaching grab in the series, which compounds with his slow attacks to give him poor [[out of shield]] options. While his great weight gives him respectable endurance, this is offset by his exploitable recovery, and it also makes him susceptible to [[chain grabs]] and combos (with a few being capable of [[zero-death]]ing him outright). Plus, his shield is unusually small, making it vulnerable to [[shield stab]]bing, similar to {{SSBB|Donkey Kong}}. Finally, his lack of any projectile makes him easily [[camping|camped]] and leaves him with little in the way of approach options or ways ability to force approaches.

As a result, Ganondorf has had the third-highest tier drop from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl'' (behind {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} for the second-highest and highest, respectively), with terrible tournament results and awful matchups against nearly the entire cast. However, Japan has a slightly better opinion on Ganondorf, ranking him 31st.

*Have Ganondorf join the player's party in [[The Subspace Emissary]] by collecting Link's and Zelda's trophies in [[Subspace (Part II)]].

Ganondorf is a [[Weight#SSBB_Weight_Ranking|heavy]], fast falling, very slow character (the slowest to be exact) with sub-par range and strong attacks. Though only in their sweetspots, his attacks deal above average knockback; however, this can also serve as a problem since it prevents him from comboing at medium damage percentages or higher. His side special grants him [[armor]] (only helpful in team battles or Free-for-alls) while he is holding the opponent, and it leaves opponents vulnerable for a bit of time if used on the ground, leaving them open for another quick attack being a true set up like down tilt (on most characters), his jab, or several characters getting hit by dash attack and side tilt for KOs, and even his up aerial on platforms. In the air, Ganondorf's side special can cause a [[Ganoncide]], although it is situational because even when it is impossible to escape from it or control the trajectory, landing it is very hard work, and the results in a last-stock situation are unpredictable. Ganondorf's moves are arguably the least affected by Smash DI because he has the lowest number of multi-hitting moves (his down smash and his neutral aerial are his only moves considered to be a multi-hitting move; however, his neutral aerial's second hit will almost never connect at higher percentages), effectively rendering escape and punishment of his attacks ineffective, although his attacks are a lot easier to shield or dodge. Ganondorf's dash attack provides him with a quick speed boost, and the move is a hard hitter as well and can also KO, but it is easily punished if shielded. Ganondorf's aerials are also very strong, and all have high knockback and strong edgeguarding potential. His up aerial is a very useful [[semi-spike]] that can gimp opponents due to its high hitstun, and his down aerial is an extremely strong and reliable [[meteor smash]] that can surprisingly [[Auto-canceling|auto-cancel]] in a short hop in addition to being the strongest in the game (sometimes able to KO even at 0%, depending on how far away the opponent is from the lower blast line). Ganondorf's powerful up smash, despite its slow startup, has very low ending lag and a deceptive hitbox, making it one of Ganondorf's best moves. Ganondorf's advanced [[superjump glitch]], the [[Flight of Ganon]], is very situational, but, if done right, he travels far higher in the air than any of his aerial options, allowing him to escape pressure, and the maneuver allows him to set up an aerial reverse Warlock Punch, his strongest move.

However, Ganondorf's high power and heavy weight are counter-balanced with a slew of flaws. Ganondorf is the tallest fighter in the game, a problem shared with other heavyweights. His horizontal standing [[grab]] range is the shortest in the game (though his pivot grab has good range, but slower start-up). Because of his poor grab range, slow moves, and short distanced rolls, his out of shield options are some of the least effective in the game (though his grab can sometimes still shield grab depending on the range of the opponent's attack and the shieldstun of it, in spite of its range), forcing him to rely on powershielding; because of how much he relies on his shield that hasn't the size of characters like Snake without being able to punish the opponent, this makes him easy to shield poke with multi-hit moves. Ganondorf also has difficulty jumping out of shield due to his slow jumpsquat (7 frames). Ganondorf has poor [[air speed]], and a very small second jump (though it auto-sweetspots ledges, allowing him to [[plank]]). Ganondorf's mobility is also very poor with his poor air speed and ground speed; because of this, characters with a good projectile can easily break his approach and force him to jump and still get very little distance. He also lacks a projectile while also lacking easy ways to deal with them, and he does not have an easy way of dealing with camping either. Ganondorf's overall ground attack speed is among the slowest in the game along with {{SSBB|Ike}} (but three of Ganondorf's aerial attacks are only laggy if he lands while attacking; Ganondorf's fastest ground attack is his short-ranged grab which has 7 frames of startup). Two of Ganondorf's moves, his Volcano Kick up tilt and Warlock Punch neutral special, are extremely slow and highly situational. His forward aerial, while otherwise a decently powerful move with solid range, is affected by a coding error, preventing it from auto-canceling even out of a double jump and giving it noticeably more ending lag than the rest of his aerials.

Although his weight and good [[momentum canceling]] allows Ganondorf to potentially live up to very high percents, his slow, predictable and easily gimped recovery compromises this, being among the worst in the game. His main recovery move, Dark Dive, not only gains little distance, but it can be hit out of from above by certain characters where he lacks hitboxes (e.g. {{SSBB|Falco}}, at around 90% damage, can meteor smash Ganondorf out of his up special with his down aerial). It can poorly [[stage spike]] edgehoggers, but Dark Dive is easily [[tech]]ed, and in fact the uppercut at the end is stronger than the primary attack (which does not KO until 300%, and is substantially weaker than in other ''Smash'' games). Because of these reasons, Ganondorf's up special is one of the worst in the game and is practical only when used offensively if the opponent is at a low percent or is one of the few who cannot punish it. Although his overall damage input and KO power allows to compensate his terrible recovery somewhat, it still lacks sufficient utility, as opponents can act as soon as they are let go, while Ganondorf must wait for a while before attacking, giving enemies the chance to attack Ganondorf as soon as he lets go. He, like Captain Falcon and {{SSBB|Wolf}}, has a fast falling speed and a heavy weight that can backfire by making him vulnerable to [[chain grab]]s from the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}} and {{SSBB|King Dedede}}. Also, certain characters can avoid much of Ganondorf's moveset by simply [[crouching]] (jab, f-tilt, non-down angled forward smash, down smash, auto-canceled short hop down aerial, [[Warlock Punch]], grounded [[Wizard's Foot]] and even standing grab and dash grab).

Additionally, despite him having some useful combo starters at low percentages (including his down throw, Flame Choke and auto-canceled down aerial), Ganondorf is otherwise virtually unable to combo past low-mid percents. Ganondorf cannot pursue his opponents with most of his other moves both in the air and on the ground due to his low air speed, his abysmal overall mobility, his sluggish jumpsquat, the high knockback of most of his attacks, and the ability to more easily act out of hitstun in ''Brawl'' than in any other ''Smash'' game, which makes him nearly incapable of consistently and efficiently racking up damage above mid percents. As mentioned earlier, he does have some decent combo starters in his short hop auto-canceled down aerial and his Flame Choke. However, both moves are flawed in the same way: they have long start-up lag and are as such extremely predictable and avoidable. Furthermore, his Flame Choke has high ending lag if he whiffs it, and requires proper reads in order for him to effectively tech-chase and combo his opponent repeatedly with it, while his auto-canceled down aerial stops leading into any of his other moves above mid percentages.

==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==

Ganondorf's overall moveset has received an overhaul from ''Melee''. While he still shares some moves from {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}}, he has received different animations and moves that now make him a semi-clone rather than a full clone.

Despite being a low-mid tier in Melee while also receiving some good buffs, Ganondorf was heavily [[nerf]]ed from ''Melee'', being one of the most nerfed characters in the transition alongside {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}. His already slow mobility has been weakened, and some of his moves have less [[reach]] (despite his tall stature), leaving him very easily out-maneuvered and vulnerable from all sides. His comboing and KOing ability also have been severely crippled: his grabs can no longer [[chain throw]] nor set up effectively as before; and his great power has been toned down to being only slightly above-average, due to his moves either being drastically weakened to the point where they cannot K.O. even at 200% or have received extremely large [[sourspot]]s that cannot KO reliably, most notably his forward aerial, the crux of his metagame in ''Melee''. Finally, his already poor recovery was significantly weakened to be among the worst, with his main recovery move ([[Dark Dive]]) being completely unsafe on hit.

*{{change|Ganondorf's design is now based on his appearance in ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' rather than ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}'', and his sword is now the [[List of swords#Sword of the Six Sages|Sword of the Six Sages]]. The overall boost in graphics also give his outfit more detail.}}

**{{nerf|As a result, Ganondorf is significantly larger and taller, making him even more vulnerable to combos, projectiles, and hits in general. While very few of his attacks have more reach, this size increase fails to properly compensate his moves that had their range reduced.}}

*{{change|Ganondorf's sword-waving victory pose has been replaced by a laugh with crossed arms.}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf [[dash]]es considerably slower (1.35 → 1.16), going from 6th lowest out of 26 characters to the 2nd lowest out of 39 characters.}}

*{{buff|Ganondorf's [[air speed]] is higher (0.78 → 0.846), going from being tied for the 3rd lowest out of 26 characters to tied for 9th lowest out of 39, improving his recovery and ability to chase opponents while airborne.}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf's [[air acceleration]] is lower (0.06 (maximum) → 0.04) going from being tied for the 5th highest out of 26 characters to the 2nd lowest out of 39.}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf's traction is lower (0.07 → 0.068).}}

**{{buff|However, it is higher relative to the cast going from the 14th highest out of 26 characters to the 7th highest out of 39.}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf's [[jumpsquat]] is longer (6 frames → 7).}}

*{{change|As with the returning veterans, Ganondorf's [[Falling speed]] is lower (2 → 1.65) although he falls faster relative to the cast, going from the 10th highest out of 26 characters to tied for 7th highest out of 39.}}

*{{change|Ganondorf's [[gravity]] is lower (0.13 → 0.1027), going from being tied for the 3rd highest out of 26 characters to being tied for the 6th highest out of 39.}}

*{{change|The changes to air dodges and the introduction of [[hitstun canceling]] both help and hinder Ganondorf. They further limit his already limited combo potential and remove his ability to [[wavedash]] but they make him much less vulnerable to followups himself, as well as improving his endurance.}}

*{{nerf|The removal of L-cancelling hurt Ganondorf far more than any other character aside from {{SSBB|Bowser}} and {{SSBB|Link}}, as when combined with the changes to [[shieldstun]], it greatly hinders the safety of his aerials, which was one of his strongest features previously.}}

*{{nerf|The removal of [[Directional Influence]] for moves which do not cause tumble greatly hinder Ganondorf as when combined with his high weight/falling speed/gravity and his large size, it makes him highly susceptible to inescapable [[chain grab]]s and move chains. Ganondorf himself does not have any moves which notably benefit from the change, significantly hindering him overall.}}

**{{buff|Neutral attack has more reach and significantly more knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → (40/30)/105), allowing the sweetspot to KO under 125%-150% near the ledge.}}

**{{nerf|Neutral attack has more startup with a shorter duration (frames 3-6 → 8-9) and ending lag (FAF 19 → 34), making it much slower, significantly weakening his close-range game and [[out of shield]] capabilities while completely removing its combo potential.}}

**{{buff|Dash attack has increased base knockback (40 → 60) and damage (14% → 15%), now being a reliable KO move that can KO in the 100-125% range. Despite the significant power increase, however, it is still the second most powerful dash attack (this time surpassed by {{SSBB|King Dedede}}'s).}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack has more startup lag (frame 7 → 10) with its total duration compensated (FAF 38 → 41). It also has much less range and now has a sourspot with less knockback scaling.}}

*[[Forward tilt]]:

**{{nerf|Forward tilt deals slightly less knockback (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 30/88), hindering its KO potential (though it's compensated due to the aforementioned lowered knockback angle). It also has more startup (frame 9 → 10) and ending lag (FAF 29 → 39), can no longer be angled, and has less reach, making it more difficult to land and a less safe and less useful [[space]]r, as well as reducing its maximum damage output.}}

**{{change|Ganondorf has a new forward tilt with battering [[item]]s like the [[Beam Sword]], which is similar to one of his attacks in ''Twilight Princess''.}}

**{{nerf|Up tilt has drastically reduced base knockback (110 → 60), now KO'ing in the 40-50% range. It also now has large, drastically weaker sourspots covering the explosion that deal much less damage (27% → 19%/17%) and KO around the 75-100% range, though it is still the most powerful tilt by far. The introduction of [[Edge sweet spot|ledge auto-sweetspotting]] also makes the move less effective as an edgeguarding tool.}}

**{{buff|Ganondorf has a new down tilt: a low front kick. It has slightly more reach, now being slightly disjointed.}}

**{{buff|Forward smash launches at a lower angle (80°/70°/60° → 45°/40°/35°) and all angles now inflict the same amount of damage as the upwards-angled version from ''Melee'' (24%/22%/20% → 24%). It also has a much larger hitboxes (3.6u → 5u), which somewhat compensates for Ganondorf not lunging as far as he did in ''Melee''.}}

**{{nerf|Forward smash has reduced base knockback (40 → 30). In addition, the elbow hitbox has reduced knockback scaling (85 (angled up)/83 (non-angled)/80 (angled down) → 75 (all angles)), requiring Ganondorf to be up close to the opponent to connect with the sweetspot.}}

**{{buff|Ganondorf has a new up smash: a single upwards kick. Compared to the previous up smash, it has significantly more reach.}}

**{{nerf|Up smash deals less knockback than the first kick in his ''Melee'' up smash (50 (base), 80 (scaling) → 40/70) and has much less damage potential due to the removal of the second kick (39% → 22%). The move additionally has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 43) and a sourspot on the leg that deals less damage (22% → 19%) and has slightly less knockback scaling (80 → 75).}}

**{{nerf|Down smash transitions from the first kick to the second much slower (frame 29 → 36), making it more difficult to link. Along with this, the move has much more ending lag (FAF 46 → 63), making it much less safe to use. The second kick additionally hits at a lower angle (120° → 130°) with much less knockback scaling (110 → 75), now survivable past 150% under standard conditions and overall a much less reliable KO move. The first kick also deals 3% less damage (8% → 5%) and sends opponents at a higher angle (160° → 140°/141°), making it easier to DI and harder to lead into the second kick. Additionally, the first kick has a new hitbox closest to Ganondorf that can send opponents away from him (50°), hampering the move when Ganondorf is too close to his opponent.}}

**{{nerf|The second kick of neutral aerial is drastically weaker, dealing less damage (12% → 7%) and base knockback (50 → 25), completely removing its KO potential. The first kick also deals less damage (12% → 11%), though it can still KO under 150%. Due to the longer hitbox durations, the move [[auto-cancel]]s significantly later (frame 26 → 41), no longer doing so in a short hop.}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has much more ending lag (FAF 35 → 55).}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has more landing lag (25 frames → 32).}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial auto-cancels much later (frames 34 → 55), no longer doing so in a full hop.}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has a new, longer animation (44 frames → 59) where Ganondorf doesn't lean as forward as he did previously, reducing its range and increasing the amount of time Ganondorf cannot grab ledges after performing the move.}}

**{{nerf|The arm hitbox deals less damage (17% → 15%) and has lower base knockback (60 → 30), greatly hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has smaller hitboxes (3.1248u/3.906u/5.0778u → 3.4u/5u) and the hitbox on Ganondorf's hand has been removed, resulting in the middle hitbox being moved further out slightly (1.953 → 2) and being increased in size (3.906 → 5), which still doesn't properly compensate for its nerfed reach, which is no longer slightly disjointed.}}

**{{buff|Back aerial has less landing lag (25 frames → 22).}}

**{{buff|Back aerial has larger hitboxes (5.4684u/4.6872u/3.906u → 6.3u/5.5u/4.8u) which are positioned slightly further away from Ganondorf (x offset: 4.6872/3.1248/-0.7812 → 4.8/3.2/-0.8).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has a shorter duration (frames 10-15 → 10-12).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has more ending lag (FAF 29 → 36) and a longer animation (35 frames → 45).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial auto-cancels later (frame 19 → 22).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial deals less knockback (30/10 (base), 100 (scaling) → (28/10)/85), significantly hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{buff|Up aerial has less landing lag (25 frames → 22).}}

**{{buff|Up aerial has larger hitboxes (3.906u/4.6872u → 4.8u/5.76u) which are positioned slightly further away from Ganondorf (x offset: 3.1248/5.859 → y offset: -3.2/-6).}}

**{{nerf|Up aerial has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 34) and a longer animation (33 frames → 43).}}

**{{nerf|Up aerial auto-cancels later (frame 22 → 25).}}

**{{buff|Down aerial auto-cancels earlier (frames 36 → 32), now doing so in a short hop.}}

**{{buff|Down aerial has larger hitboxes (6.6402u/5.859u/5.4684u → 7u/6u) and they are now static, giving them more consistent range below Ganondorf.}}

**{{change|Down aerial now has an altered animation: Ganondorf's arms to his side instead of up next to his head, and no longer has him leaning backward. He also no longer flips after the move has ended.}}

**{{buff|Grabs have slightly less ending lag (FAF 31 (standing)/41 (dash) → 30/40).}}

**{{buff|With the exception of standing grab's near grabbox, grabs have larger grabboxes (3.906u (standing)/3.906u/3.906u/3.906u (dash) → 4.8u (standing)/4.8u/4.8u/4u (dash)), giving them more range despite dash grab's furthest grabbox being positioned closer to Ganondorf (z offset: {{rollover|9.2807|8.5932 x 1.08)|y}} → 9).}}

**{{buff|Standing grab's furthest grabbox is positioned further away from Ganondorf (z offset: {{rollover|7.5933|7.0308 x 1.08)|y}} → 8). When combined with its larger size, this gives it more range.}}

**{{nerf|Ganondorf's grabs have a new animation where Ganondorf reaches his arm out further. This means that while his grabs have more lateral range, they have less range relative to Ganondorf, with his grabs no longer covering his entire hand. This hinders the safety of his grabs.}}

**{{nerf|Standing grab's nearest grabbox is smaller (3.906u → 3u) and both standing and dash grab's nearest grabboxes are positioned further away from Ganondorf (z offset: {{rollover|2.5311/-2.5311|2.3436/-2.3436 x 1.08)|y}} → 2.6/-2), giving them less range behind Ganondorf.}}

*{{change|Pummel and all of Ganondorf's throw's hitboxes now always launch bystanders in the direction Ganondorf is facing.}}

**{{buff|Pummel has less startup lag (frame 5 → 4) with its total duration subsequently reduced (FAF 25 → 24).}}

**{{nerf|Pummel deals less damage (3% → 2%).}}

**{{change|Forward throw has an altered animation, where Ganondorf punches his opponent in the gut, instead of punching from the side.}}

**{{nerf|The hitboxes have a higher SDI multiplier (1x → 2x).}}

**{{change|Ganondorf releases opponents from forward throw earlier (frame 18 → 12). This makes it harder to DI but increases its ending lag, as its total duration was unchanged.}}

**{{nerf|The hitboxes have a higher SDI multiplier (1x → 2x).}}

**{{change|Ganondorf releases opponents from back throw earlier (frame 20 → 13). This makes it harder to DI but increases its ending lag, as its total duration was unchanged.}}

**{{nerf|The hitboxes have a much shorter duration (frames 11-28 → 11).}}

**{{nerf|The hitboxes have a higher SDI multiplier (1x → 2x).}}

**{{change|Ganondorf releases opponents from up throw earlier (frame 15 → 12). This makes it harder to DI but increases its ending lag, as its total duration was unchanged.}}

***{{nerf|When combined with its altered animation, the universally decreased falling speeds, the introduction of the gravity penalty and the introduction of hitstun canceling, this completely removes its followup and chain grabbing potential.}}

**{{change|Ganondorf releases opponents from down throw later (frame 20 → 23). This makes it easier to DI but reduces its ending lag, as its total duration was unchanged.}}

**{{nerf|Down throw now sends opponents away from Ganondorf (100° → 65°) and it has higher knockback scaling (36 → 50). When combined with the aforementioned universal changes, this completely removes its chain grabbing potential, as well as and making it much less reliable at setting up followups, greatly hindering its effectiveness despite its decreasing ending lag.}}

***{{buff|However, this also improves its safety (especially when considering the game's universal changes), as well as allowing it to set up edgeguards.}}

**{{buff|Warlock Punch has slightly less ending lag (FAF 120 → 118).}}

**{{buff|The grounded version's far hitbox deals more damage (30% → 32%), improving its KO potential.}}

**{{buff|The aerial version deals more damage (30%/32%/34% → 36%) and it launches opponents at a lower angle (361° → 30°), improving its KO potential despite its lower base knockback (40 → 30).}}

**{{buff|Warlock Punch can now be reversed during its startup, which makes it deal more damage (30%/32%/34% → 35% (grounded)/38% (aerial) in exchange for being ten frames slower.}}

***{{buff|The aerial version additionally launches opponents at a lower angle (361° → 30°) while retaining its base knockback, unlike its normal counterpart.}}

**{{change|Warlock Punch has an updated animation with it now being a back handed punch with Ganondorf's left hand instead of a straight punch with his right.}}

**{{nerf|The grounded version's nearest hitbox deals less damage (34% → 32%), hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{buff|Ganondorf has a new side special: [[Flame Choke]]. Ganondorf charges toward his opponent, grabs them by their head, and attacks them with a dark pulse that weakly meteor smashes enemies into the ground. This allows Ganondorf to potentially follow up with an additional attack and [[tech-chase]].}}

**{{buff|Flame Choke is inescapable, cannot be teched, and provides Ganondorf grab armor frames.}}

**{{buff|Flame choke can [[edge sweetspot|grab the ledge]], improving Ganondorf's recovery options.}}

**{{change|Aerial Flame Choke causes Ganondorf and his opponent to plummet downwards until they hit the ground, allowing it to be used as a [[suicide KO]] (although it usually KOs Ganondorf first), but does not meteor smash on landing.}}

**{{nerf|Flame Choke deals less damage than Gerudo Dragon (17% (ground)/16% (air) → 9%/12%) and has weak set knockback, removing its KO potential. It also cannot cut through projectiles and has more startup lag (frame 15 → 16).}}

**{{buff|Wizard's Foot has slightly less ending lag (FAF 78 (ground)/70 (off ledge)/59 (aerial) → 77/69/58).}}

**{{buff|Wizard's Foot has less landing lag (57 frames → 44).}}

**{{buff|Ganondorf now has access to a technique known as [[Flight of Ganon]] where if Ganondorf buffers a double jump and a Wizard's Foot and then he lands the frame after his air dodge or grounded Wizard's Foot aerial ending animation ends, he will gain a large vertical boost. While the technique is limited and difficult to perform, it does grant Wizard's Foot some additional utility.}}

**{{change|Ganondorf now grunts when using Wizard's Foot.}}

**{{nerf|Wizard's Foot has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 14-34 (grounded)/15-29 (aerial) → 16-34/16-29).}}

***{{change|The aerial version is coded to have a longer duration (frames 15-33 → 16-38), although this change has no effect on actual gameplay due to the attack's initial animation still being 29 frames long.}}

**{{buff|If Ganondorf uses Wizard's Foot near an edge while facing away from it, he will go into his aerial ending animation despite still being on the ground, decreasing its ending lag.}}

**{{change|Ganondorf slows down less after hitting an opponent with the grounded version (0.7x → 0.75x).}}

***{{buff|This allows Ganondorf instant access to his double jump and aerials, as well as allowing him to perform an instant landing Wizard's Foot.}}

**{{change|The grounded version has Ganondorf sticking his leg out before thrusting forward, rather than immediately thrusting forward, and his foot is now pointed outwards instead of upward.}}

***{{nerf|However, this also hinders the move's edgeguarding potential.}}

**{{buff|If Ganondorf performs Wizard's Foot immediately after jumping, he will now land instantly. This noticeably improves Wizard's Foot's utility, with it now being a viable Out of Shield option in particular.}}

**{{change|Ganondorf now has a [[Final Smash]], Beast Ganon. Upon activation, Ganondorf turns into {{s|zeldawiki|Ganon}}, his monstrous alter-ego and stomps the ground, [[stun|stunning]] anyone who gets hit by it, and performs a dash at lightning speed. The move is extremely powerful, dealing high damage and knockback, usually [[one-hit KO|one-hit KOing]] anyone who gets hit. The move is also surprisingly fast and Ganondorf has a guaranteed universal setup into it with Flame Choke.}}

|neutraldesc=A slow palm strike. Ganondorf's fastest attack on the ground (outside of his grab), with decent range and knockback, but is among the slowest jabs in the game as it comes out on frame 8. It is overall a useful move for Ganondorf but this is mainly due to Ganondorf lacking any faster options on the ground, outside of his short-ranged grab, which is only a single frame faster.

|utiltname=Volcano Kick ({{ja|爆裂蹴|Bakuretsushū}}, ''Exploding Kick'')

|utiltdesc=Ganondorf lifts his leg before smashing it down in an explosion. Has [[vacuum]] properties dealing huge damage and knockback if it connects, and it does very high damage on shields. Considered the slowest start-up tilt and the slowest move overall with a total of 81 frames of startup, but also the strongest if hit with the sweetspot. Can KO at low percentage if used very close to the edge and the opponent doesn't utilize DI and [[momentum canceling]].

|dtiltname=&nbsp;

|dtiltdesc=Ganondorf kneels on one leg and thrusts the other leg forward. Great range and sets up for aerials, including a slight disjoint in the end but is not safe when shielded.

|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|22}} (leg), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|19}} (body)

|usmashdesc=Forcefully swings his leg up. It has high startup lag although it has low ending lag, solid KO power, great vertical range and deceptive (albeit short) horizontal range. It is overall an effective up smash, although its high startup and somewhat short horizontal range do make it difficult to land.

|dsmashdesc=Kicks his leg in front and then behind him. The move has high startup lag (although it is Ganondorf's fastest smash attack), and there is quite a long gap between the first and second hit. It also has high ending lag, having the highest total duration out of all of Ganondorf's smash attacks. If the opponent is put into tumble from the first hit, they have enough time to air dodge to avoid the second hit and even potentially punish Ganondorf afterward. Whether the first hit puts the opponent into tumble or not depends on the opponent's weight and which hitbox connects. Only 7 characters are never put into tumble with the move, with 11 characters being put into tumble by both the close hitbox and the far hitbox, allowing them to always avoid the move. The first hit's nearest hitbox puts no characters into tumble but it does not link into the second hit at all. The first hit does have a low SDI multiplier, however, so if the opponent is not put into tumble, it is very difficult for them to SDI to avoid the second hit.

 

 

Down smash is overall Ganondorf's least effective smash attack as while it is his fastest smash attack, it is still quite laggy, in addition to being weak and unreliable.

|nairname=&nbsp;

|nairdesc=Two quick mid-air kicks. The first hit deals the most damage and knockback, making it unlikely to combo into the second hit above extremely low percents.

|fairname=&nbsp;

|fairdesc=An overhead punch in a downwards arc. Very powerful with decent start-up, but has high cool down and landing lag. It also has a large sourspot that prevents it from KO'ing at realistic percents. Due to a programming error, the move [[auto-cancel]]s much later than it is supposed to (it is supposed to auto-cancel on frame 36 but due to the wrong kind of timer being used, it does not auto-cancel until frame 55). This same error also gives the move more ending lag (it should be interruptible starting from frame 45 but since the game has to wait for the move to be auto-cancellable first, it cannot be interrupted until frame 55).

|uairdesc=A flip kick, covering a large arc above him. Fast start-up, good coverage with great power. Deals more damage and knockback when it hits closer to Ganondorf. The last few frames of this attack is a [[sour spot]] that [[semi-spike]]s with extremely low horizontal knockback, which can be a deadly edgeguarding move. Considered Ganondorf's fastest attack.

|grabdesc=A short ranged grab. Ganondorf's standing and dash grab both have deceptively short range relative to their animations, with both of them failing to cover Ganondorf's hand. Ganondorf's standing grab is often considered to be the shortest in the game due to its deceptively short range, although its lateral range is only the 11th shortest. Ganondorf's grabs are not too slow and pivot grab does have reasonably good range, being quite disjointed. Ganondorf's grab is considered to be poor overall however, due to his short standing grab range and his unspectacular throws.

|uthrowdesc=Throws opponent upward and jabs their back. A poor throw that isn't strong enough to KO under 200%, but has too high of base knockback to able to combo effectively.

|dthrowdesc=Throws his opponent violently on the ground. A weak throw that works very well for setting up at low percentages, even a shutter-step Forward Smash for high damage. Can often be led into a Flame Choke, up aerial, back aerial, or even down aerial depending on the opponent's DI. No followups are guaranteed however, and Ganondorf's poor speed does limit his potential followup options.

|desc=Emerges from a portal of dark magic. Based on how {{iw|zeldawiki|Phantom Ganon}} emerges from similar dark portals in his boss fight in ''Ocarina of Time''.

===Most historically significant players===

:''See also: [[:Category:Ganondorf players (SSBB)]]

<!--This character has a ten player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->

*{{Sm|Fonz|USA}} - Known for being one of the best Ganondorf players, achieving particular notoriety when he once won a legitimate tournament using primarily Ganondorf, which even with it banning Meta Knight and being in a weaker region, was a feat that other Ganondorf and bottom tier players could not replicate.

Ganondorf initially was not seen as the worst character, being ranked above {{SSBB|Link}} and {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}} on the first tier list, and was still ranked above Captain Falcon on the second tier list. From the third tier list on however, Ganondorf was consistently ranked the worst character, and on the fifth tier list, was considered to be so much worse than everyone else he was ranked in his own tier at the absolute bottom. Despite his reputation as the worst character, he had a dedicated playerbase that achieved better tournament success than most other bottom/low tier characters (however minor it was). A player named {{Sm|Fonz}} even once won [http://www.smashboards.com/threads/go-kakuto-geemu-results.305979/#post-12926734 a legitimate tournament] using Ganondorf (except for in one game), an accomplishment players of most other low/bottom tier characters have not been able to replicate. As such, with Ganondorf's better tournament success compared to most other low/bottom characters, there was some dispute near the end of ''Brawl'''s active life on if Ganondorf was actually the worst character in the game, with {{SSBB|Zelda}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} frequently being cited as even worse. Interestingly, the [[Japanese tier list|Japanese]] do not consider Ganondorf the worst character, and actually have him listed above five other characters on their tier list. Despite arguments in favor of Ganon's punish game and his slightly superior results compared to other bottom tier characters, the BBR still considered him the worst character in their final tier list.

[[File:Ganondorf (Resized).png|thumb|250px|Ganondorf in ''[[SSE]]''.]]

Ganondorf is one of the two secondary antagonists (under [[Tabuu]]) alongside {{SSBB|Bowser}} in the Subspace Emissary.

Ganondorf first appears in a control room on the [[Isle of the Ancients]], where {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} was in to find her Power Suit, giving Bowser the coordinates to find {{SSBB|King Dedede}}, who had stolen {{SSBB|Wario}}'s trophies.

After the Isle of the Ancients is engulfed in Subspace, Ganondorf appears on the [[Subspace Gunship]] as its co-commander, with Bowser, but they are forced to retreat into Subspace when the Gunship is destroyed by {{SSBB|Kirby}} and his [[Dragoon]]. Ganondorf then decides it is time to betray Bowser, so he takes out the last remaining [[Dark Cannon]] and fires it at Bowser, his own co-captain and the most loyal of Master Hand's henchmen. Kicking his [[trophy]] form out of the way, Ganondorf proceeds to present himself to Master Hand. However, as he prepares to betray Master Hand for complete control of the [[Subspace Army]], he sees that Master Hand was literally a puppet of [[Tabuu]], the embodiment of Subspace and the mastermind behind the army. Ganondorf tries to attack him, but is quickly defeated and reduced to his trophy form. As he falls, however, he bumps into the chains of light which puppeteer Master Hand, freeing him from Tabuu's control. Master Hand then attempts to attack Tabuu, but is also defeated with ease.

Later, after the main group of heroes had been defeated by Tabuu and rescued by {{SSBB|Luigi}}, {{SSBB|Ness}} and King Dedede, Kirby finds Ganondorf's trophy - leading the resurrected Bowser to appear and brutally attack the trophy as an act of retribution for his betrayal before tossing it aside. If both Link and Zelda were rescued, [[List of cutscenes in the Subspace Emissary|a cutscene]] will show Ganondorf being revived by them (with a headache from his trophification and Bowser's retaliation) and after the Hyrulian heroes walk away, he clenches his fist in anger and reluctantly decides to help the heroes travel through [[The Great Maze]] in order to defeat Tabuu.

*[[The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II)]]

==In Solo Modes==

 

 

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

====Solo Events====

*'''[[Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee]]''': Ganondorf is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are newcomers from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.

*'''[[Event 40: The Final Battle]]''': The player selects any character and must defeat {{SSBB|Bowser}}, {{SSBB|King Dedede}}, and Ganondorf on {{SSBB|Final Destination}}.

===Co-Op Events===

*'''[[Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle]]''': Both players select a character and take on the entire roster on {{SSBB|Battlefield}}.

Ganondorf Classic Mode Congratulations Screen Brawl.png|Classic Mode

Ganondorf Congratulations Screen All-Star Brawl.png|All-Star Mode

*Ganondorf is the only playable villain who is never fought in The Subspace Emissary, excluding his [[False character|dark clone]] in [[The Great Maze]].

**He and Wario are the only characters in ''Brawl'' when going through The Subspace Emissary that are neither unlocked by simply clearing a level, nor defeated in a secret room.

*Ganondorf and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}} are the only unlockable characters in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' to be unlocked on a [[stage]] that is not from their respective universes. Ganondorf is unlocked on Final Destination, and R.O.B is unlocked on [[Mario Bros.]] Ganondorf is also the only unlockable character in ''Brawl'' to be fought on a {{uv|Super Smash Bros.}} universe stage ({{SSBB|Final Destination}}) when unlocking. In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', {{SSBM|Ganondorf}} along with {{SSBM|Falco}} and {{SSBM|Mewtwo}}, were all fought on a ''Super Smash Bros.'' universe stage (making it three unlockable characters to be unlocked on a stage from the ''Super Smash Bros.'' universe instead of their respective universe), though Falco was fought on {{SSBM|Battlefield}} when unlocking. Ganondorf and Mewtwo were both fought on {{SSBM|Final Destination}} before getting unlocked.

*In a Japanese television show, Masahiro Sakurai played as Ganondorf in a versus match.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hayhkV1zGVA]</ref>

*Ganondorf's ''Brawl'' design has various changes from his appearance in ''Twilight Princess'': he, for some reason, does not seem to have the glowing chest wound (even though he does have it as [[Beast Ganon]]), and his cape is hemmed instead of tattered like the one worn in that game as well. This is ultimately corrected in ''SSB4''.