Editing Ganondorf (SSBU)

In a similar vein to {{SSBU|Link}}, this is the first time in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to break the tradition of Ganondorf using re-purposed voice clips from past ''Zelda'' games. {{s|wikipedia|Takashi Nagasako}}, Ganondorf's voice actor from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}'' and ''{{s|zeldawiki| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker}}'' (and by extension,  ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''), reprises his role in all regions since previously voicing the character in 2002, providing brand new voice clips that mimic his portrayal from ''Ocarina of Time''. He succeeds {{s|wikipedia|Hironori Miyata}}'s portrayal from ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' used since 2006 in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]'' and in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

Ganondorf is ranked dead last on the [[tier list]], at 82nd out of 82, and is the only character in the E- tier. This is a slight drop from his already very low placement in ''Smash 4'', where he was tied with {{SSB4|Zelda}} at 52nd/53rd out of 54, and gives him the dubious distinction of being the only character ranked last for the NTSC and European tier lists of two different games, the other being ''Brawl''. Despite this, it should be noted that his placement does not equate to the same level of unviability as in previous games, as he is overall more viable than in ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4''.  

As with tradition, Ganondorf possesses one of the hardest-hitting movesets in the game, with noteworthy improvements to his raw power over previous games; this makes him one of the most formidable fighters when it comes to KOing. In addition, many of his infamously weak moves have been buffed to be more effective; [[Dark Dive]] is now a capable [[out of shield]] and KO option, Grounded [[Wizard's Foot]]'s sweetspot and sourspots have been reversed and make it effective for KOing, and [[up tilt]] is significantly faster. Finally, Ganondorf now has access to his sword from the ''SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo'', which provides him with extremely powerful and wide-arced smash attacks that easily KO below 100%, with forward smash being one of the strongest in the game, and up smash being able to cover an entire platform above him and apply pressure at the ledge. Overall, Ganondorf still excels at what he does best: ending stocks in a few hits and instilling fear when in the advantage.

However, Ganondorf's core weaknesses continue to hold him back drastically compared to the rest of the roster. His terrible frame data, slow movement and average range give him severe difficulty in approaching and escaping disadvantage, which is especially problematic due to ''Ultimate''{{'}}s emphasis on faster-paced combat and variety of strong zoners. His shield safety is lacking despite his high shield pressure, while his grab and throws are extremely weak for a heavyweight, having short range and unable to KO easily. Several of his moves also have small or poorly placed hitboxes which results in poor range (with hitbox adjustments making some of them worse than previously) or glaring blindspots (with some such as Dark Dive having worse hitboxes than [[Falcon Dive]], its equivalent move from {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}). Some of his moves are nearly useless in a competitive setting due to their immense lag (such as up tilt and [[Warlock Punch]]) His recovery is among the worst in the game due to Dark Dive's low distance, and despite it not causing [[helplessness]] when it connects, opponents are able to slowly [[gimp]] Ganondorf simply by getting grabbed deliberately to push him backwards. Finally, changes to his kit remove some of his only situational moves that allow him to play [[mindgame]]s: his new up smash is no longer able to bait reactions nor is safe on shield if spaced, up aerial's shorter duration makes gimping with the late hitbox more difficult, and aerial [[Flame Choke]] can now be escaped by [[button mashing]] while also KOing Ganondorf first if used as a [[sacrificial KO]].

Overall, Ganondorf's issues collectively give him significant problems in the [[neutral game]]: the majority of the roster can outspeed him in almost every degree, his otherwise great endurance is hindered by having incredibly limited recovery options, while his strengthened power does not give him any proper approach or defensive options, resulting in him struggling to make use of his excellent raw power and KO ability. Because of these factors, while the community had high hopes for Ganondorf in the early metagame, his competitive reception plummeted as the metagame evolved and his weaknesses became much more exploitable, and he has sat at the very bottom of the first two official tier lists.

Ganondorf is the epitome of the [[weight|super heavyweight]] archetype: he is the fifth heaviest character in the game and possesses immense power in exchange for terrible mobility and frame data. Despite his high [[traction]], above average [[falling speed]], and moderately high [[gravity]], he sports the seventh slowest [[walk]]ing speed, the fourth slowest [[dash]]ing speed, the third slowest [[air speed]], the sixth lowest [[air acceleration]], and sixth lowest [[jump]] and [[double jump]] heights. As a result, he is among the least mobile characters in the game, but his high weight grants him respectable endurance, allowing him to survive at very high percentages and greatly benefit from [[rage]].

Ganondorf's most defining trait is his incredible kill power and damage output. Most of his moves inflict over 10% damage and are capable of killing under 100% with ease, even from the middle of [[Final Destination]], giving him one of the strongest [[punishment]] games in the roster. His forward tilt and down smash are very powerful [[semi-spike]]s, while his [[forward smash|forward]] and [[up smash|up]] smashes are massive disjoints that utilize a large sword to cover Ganondorf. In particular, these two smash attacks can not only hit below the ledge, but the former is generally the third strongest of its kind in the game, having the potential to KO most opponents well below 65% (even at the center of [[Final Destination]]). His [[neutral special]], [[Warlock Punch]], has the most startup out of his entire moveset by far, but it also deals absurd knockback and damage (especially when B-reversed in the air), being capable of [[one-hit KO|instantaneously killing]] middleweights and lighter (if it connects before touching the ground, though this is extremely difficult to pull of). Ganondorf’s sweetspotted [[down aerial]] and aerial [[Wizard's Foot]] are extremely powerful [[meteor smash]]es that can KO opponents offstage at exceptionally low percents. Thanks to his strength, Ganondorf has among the highest KO potential in the game, as he can rack up massive damage and KO opponents in very few hits.

Ganondorf's [[shield]]-breaking capabilities are also potent and fearsome. His aforementioned forward and up smashes, Warlock Punch, and aerial Wizard's Foot can bring shields down to a sliver of health, while his Volcano Kick ([[up tilt]]) has [[vacuum]] properties, deceptively large reach, and can shatter shields in a single hit. These options also allow Ganondorf to play [[mindgame]]s to make opponents with low shield health play more carefully around him, as he can punish any mistake extremely hard. As such, mistiming or overusing shields against Ganondorf can be very deadly, as his aforementioned powerful moves allow him to capitalize shield breaks.

Despite his power, Ganondorf has excellent combo starters, some of which are potential kill confirms. His down throw can combo into every aerial except down aerial or dash attack up to mid-percentages. His dash attack is versatile; not only does it possess extreme KO power at high percentages, being the third strongest dash attack in ''Ultimate'', but its early hit can potentially lead into [[neutral aerial]], [[up aerial]], or [[Dark Dive]] at early percentages. Even better, it has a late hit sourspot that grants followups into [[neutral attack]], [[forward tilt]], [[grab]], all aerials except down aerial, and grounded [[Dark Dive]], with the latter two options being potential kill confirms at high percentages. Neutral aerial's set knockback on the first kick as well as the late hit of the second kick can lead into neutral attack, grab, forward tilt, down tilt, or dash attack right after landing on the ground. Sweetspotted down aerial's high [[hitstun]] combos into neutral attack, grab, forward tilt, down tilt, every aerial, up smash, or down smash up to middle percentages. Ganondorf's best combo starter is probably his grounded [[Flame Choke]], which is is a [[command grab]] that [[meteor smash]]es opponents into the ground, leading into dozens of followups and reads. These follow ups include, but are not limited to: neutral attack, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack, grounded or aerial Wizard’s Foot, any smash attacks or aerials, or even another Flame Choke. While Flame Choke can be [[tech]]ed, its low ending lag allows Ganondorf to [[tech-chase]] with the move, with some followups hitting short-distanced techs such as forward tilt covering {{SSBU|Bowser}}'s inward tech, up smash or turnaround down smash on {{SSBU|Snake}}'s inward tech, down tilt on {{SSBU|Inkling}}'s tech away, or neutral attack on all of {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}}'s tech options. Some characters can even be trapped at the ledge, where they move no distance from tech away and are hit during their neutral and inward techs.

All of Ganondorf's aerials are very useful, as most of them are fast despite their immense power, and are guaranteed to knock opponents off the stage even at medium percents, giving him a great [[edgeguard]]ing game. His sweetspotted down aerial is his most damaging aerial and the second strongest meteor smash in the game, and when sourspotted has the second strongest horizontal knockback out of all his aerials (after his sweetspotted back aerial). His up aerial is his lowest damaging aerial, but is his second fastest aerial, can autocancel from a short hop, and its late hitbox is a very potent [[gimp]] with its semi-spike angle and high [[hitstun]]. His neutral aerial has the lowest knockback out of all his aerials, but is his fastest aerial consisting of two hits that naturally combo into each other with damage rivaling his sweetspotted down aerial, while doubling as long-lasting [[sex kick]]s, and has the greatest horizontal reach out of all his aerials allowing it to wall out approaches. His forward aerial boasts good reach in an arc that also hits slightly behind him, while his back aerial is a deceptively fast KO move that can autocancel from a short hop. Aerial Flame Choke is a chokeslam that lacks guaranteed followups, but does more damage than when used on the ground and can still tech-chase. Aerial Wizard's Foot is Ganondorf's only aerial option with vertical knockback, making it a good anti-air that punishes juggles. Finally, Dark Dive is a command grab that does multiple weak electric hits that make it difficult to interrupt, which leads into a very powerful throw that can reverse edgeguard situations, especially when facing away from the stage, while also not causing helplessness and letting him reuse the move; if the grab misses, the move performs an uppercut at the end to deter potential edgeguards.

In spite of his strengths, Ganondorf has many glaring flaws. He is extremely vulnerable to combos and juggling thanks to his heavy weight, very large size, above average falling speed and gravity, and low air speed, and his slow mobility hinders his approach and ability to close distance or create space. His lack of a projectile or reflector also leaves him susceptible to projectile camping and zoning.

Ganondorf's grab game is also lackluster. His grab reach is notoriously short despite his tall stature, and, outside of down throw, his throws have little to no followups. Surprisingly, none of them are consistently viable KO options either, despite dealing respectable amounts of damage; while his forward and back throws deal passable knockback, even they are rather weak and can't KO middleweights under 200% from center stage, while his up throw lacks KO potential altogether. His down throw, despite being a decent combo starter, loses much of its combo potential very quickly past low percentages. The ability to tech Flame Choke at any percentage works against Ganondorf, as it forces hard reads, and incorrect reads can put Ganondorf in a vulnerable position. Flame Choke also lacks a collateral hitbox, allowing doubles, {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}, and {{SSBU|Rosalina & Luma}} to hit him out of the move.

The other major weakness is his terrible [[recovery]]. Ganondorf's slow air speed and low jump height, as well as the helplessness-causing Flame Choke and Dark Dive having low speed and resilience, makes his off-stage movement linear and predictable while leaving him very vulnerable to edgeguards and gimps. His recovery specials also work against Ganondorf; aerial Flame Choke can be escaped by button mashing and KOs Ganondorf first when used as a [[sacrificial KO]], while Dark Dive's throw can be [[Tech Check|teched and punished]] in its endlag. As such, it's possible to edgeguard Ganondorf by even intentionally getting hit by his aerial specials, leaving him in a position where his abysmal mobility prevents him from recovering. All of this leaves Ganondorf with arguably one of the worst recoveries in the game.

Overall, Ganondorf's raw power allows him to deal heavy damage quickly and close stocks early, but he has little means to defend himself which forces him to play cautiously, enforcing a bait-and-punish playstyle. His playstyle is a high risk, high reward character: a single mistake can lead to either player losing a stock, even at 0%. He cannot afford to make any careless mistakes himself, where his exploitable recovery allows his opponents to take his stocks just as early as he can take theirs.

|fsmashdesc=A lunging, two-handed downward sword slash similar to {{SSBU|Ike}}'s forward smash. The 2nd strongest forward smash in the game, behind only {{SSBU|King Dedede}}'s (and the 5th strongest when applying buffs, behind {{SSBU|Kazuya}}’s (when Rage is active), King Dedede's, Max [[Aura]] {{SSBU|Lucario}}'s and {{SSBU|Hero}}'s (if a critical hit occured)), KOing at 56% from the center uncharged, and at 25% fully charged. Great reach that covers overhead and slightly behind him, and hits slightly underneath the stage, allowing it to hit ledge hangs. However, it is Ganondorf's slowest smash attack, coming out at frame 29 and has 39 frames of ending lag, making it highly punishable if not fully spaced. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. Due to an error in interpolating hitboxes, the move has a large blindspot above and in front of Ganondorf's head. Based on a sword slash Ganondorf performs in his boss battle from ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess''.

|usmashdesc=An overhead 180° arcing sword slash from front to back similar to {{SSBU|Ike}}'s up smash. Deceptively large vertical reach, reliably punishing airborne or rolling opponents, and its starting frames hit slightly underneath the stage, allowing it to hit ledge hangs. Very powerful, with the sword hitbox KOing opponents around 85%. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. However, it is Ganondorf's second-slowest smash attack, coming out at frame 20 and has 37 frames of ending lag, making it punishable. Has a blindspot right in front of his leg, and its rear hitboxes end just above the ground, meaning it is fully incapable of hitting {{SSBU|Snake}} and {{SSBU|Wii Fit Trainer}} when they are crouching.<ref>[https://twitter.com/MGK_Ganondorf/status/1189105269290106880]</ref>. Thanks to its massive arc, and the fact that Ganondorf's hitboxes lower while he is preparing the slash, it is a potent anti-air, and lets Ganondorf put immense pressure on opponents on platforms. Also a good out-of-shield move against rising aerials or unsafe attacks due to its relatively fast startup.

|fairdesc=An overhand. It has good reach and is very powerful, with the sweetspot KOing middleweights at 104% from center-stage. It also has decent startup and a wide hitbox that starts slightly behind Ganondorf's head. Has the latest autocancel window out of all of Ganondorf's aerials, only canceling when used from a double jump. It also has above average startup lag, coming out on frame 14. It is similar to [https://zeldawiki.wiki/wiki/File:OoT_Link_Fighting_Ganondorf_Artwork.jpg this artwork from Ocarina of time] where Ganondorf tries to punch Link.

|grabdesc=Reaches out with his left hand. Despite Ganondorf's tall stature, it only has average reach.

|pummeldesc=A knee strike. Slow but strong.

|usdesc=Leaps upward and, upon coming into contact with an opponent, latches onto them and discharges electricity before launching off of them with a dark explosion. The throw is very powerful, KOing around 89% near the edge, making it somewhat risky to edgeguard should he land it while facing away from the stage. Should Ganondorf successfully land a grab, he is not rendered [[helpless]] and can use it again. If the grab misses an opponent, Ganondorf will perform a dark magic-infused uppercut that does weak knockback. Covers a very small amount of horizontal distance, but a decent amount vertically making it a sub-par [[recovery]] move. The move also has noticeable ending lag (25 frames) after a successful grab, making it possible (though relatively difficult) to [[tech]] against a wall and punish Ganondorf with good timing. Decent startup at frame 14 making it a decent out-of-shield but has a high grab box placement that frequently whiffs smaller opponents on the ground.

| djump=26 | rdjump=85-86

| ellag=5 | rellag=76-86}}

*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''.

|[[File:Ganondorf Cheer English SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Japanese SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Italian SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Dutch SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Ganondorf Cheer French NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Ganondorf Cheer French PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]

|[[File:Ganondorf Cheer German SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Ganondorf Cheer Spanish NTSC SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Ganondorf Cheer Spanish PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Russian SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

*{{Sm|Gungnir|Japan}} - A pioneer in Ganondorf's metagame known for creating the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ56AEjrkzo Gungnir Combo]". He seldomly competes offline, with his only notable appearances being 2nd at {{Trn|NUMASUMA 8}} defeating {{Sm|Ly}} and 33rd at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 9}}. However, he is well-known in Japan's online metagame, regularly performing well on [[Smashmate]] and ranking as high as 5th on the [https://smashmate.net/record/37/ 14th] Smashmate SP ranking.  

*{{Sm|Komegura|Japan}} - One of the two best Ganondorf players in the post-pandemic metagame. He is best known for being the only Ganondorf player who was able to place higher than 33rd at a major, doing so by placing 25th at {{Trn|UltCore}}. He also notably upset {{Sm|Jagaimo}} at {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}} to place 33rd. These two results remain the best solo-Ganondorf major performances of all-time.

*{{Sm|Litany|Canada}} - The best Ganondorf player in Canada. Placed 13th at {{Trn|The Amuka Smash Cup}}, 65th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, and 97th at both {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}} and {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Jw}}, {{Sm|Smokk}}, and {{Sm|tamim}}. Currently ranked 2nd on the [[York Region Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|York Region Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Major|USA}} - One of the two best Ganondorf players in the post-pandemic metagame who is best known for his regional performances. His 7th-place finishes at {{Trn|Cascadia Clash 2023}} and {{Trn|Lacombe Dome The Movie}} remain the only top 8 placement from a solo-Ganondorf main at a C-tier or above outside of sandbagging. In addition, he has placed 9th at {{Trn|ALOHA BEACHES}} and 17th at both {{Trn|Daddy's Den X Supreme}} and {{Trn|Keep It Chill 4: Furret's Fiesta}}, defeating {{Sm|Scend}} and {{Sm|Mr.E}} at the latter two events.

*{{Sm|Rickles|USA}} - The best Ganondorf player in the world in the early metagame. He was the first successful Ganondorf player at [[PGR]]-ranked events. He is best known for placing 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}, where he defeated {{Sm|Lima}} and {{Sm|Rivers}}, as well as a variety of Midwest regional and superregional events, including 9th at {{Trn|Frosty Faustings XII 2020}} and 17th at {{Trn|Smash Out 2019}}. He has not been as active since then, although he notably placed 33rd at {{Trn|Riptide}}.

Public opinion on Ganondorf during ''Ultimate''{{'}}s early months was high due to improvements to his flaws from previous games, with some players comparing him to his [[Ganondorf (SSBM)|''Melee'' self]]. This positive opinion was supported by {{Sm|Nairo}}'s surprise yet successful usage of the character against {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} at {{Trn|Collision 2019}}, which led many players to believe that Ganondorf was viable, or at least better than what he was in the previous two games.  

However, this positive perception did not last long as more players realized Ganondorf still has severe difficulty in approaching, recovering, and escaping disadvantage. This especially was problematic in ''Ultimate'', as the general fast pace of the game's engine meant that many characters can easily outpace and overwhelm Ganondorf. In addition, Ganondorf lacked any fast, long-ranged options, leaving him incredibly vulnerable to camping. All of his weaknesses were compounded with how Ganondorf mostly received minor changes in patches while other low-tier characters received significant buffs. Finally, Ganondorf's playerbase remains one of the smallest, if not the smallest, in the game, and even in spite of efforts such as {{Sm|Rickles}} in the early metagame and {{Sm|Komegura}} and {{Sm|Major}} post-pandemic, Ganondorf results remain incredibly scarce after Nairo's Collision 2019 run, especially at a major level. Although he is significantly better than his ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' iterations, many players consider Ganondorf to be the absolute worst character in the game, especially as many other low-tier characters such as {{SSBU|Little Mac}} and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} had more success than Ganondorf. As such, Ganondorf has been ranked dead last on the first two tier lists, and is the only character ranked in the E- tier on the second tier list.

[[File:SSBU Congratulations Ganondorf.png|thumb|Ganondorf's congratulations screen]]

Ganondorf was one of the many fighters that fell under [[Dharkon]]'s control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is unlocked in the [[Sacred Land]] in [[The Dark Realm]] on the top of the land which makes up the Triforce of Power. This land can only be accessed after interacting with the Master Sword (just after the {{SSBU|Cloud}} unlock). Unlocking Ganondorf will briefly reveal the Triforce of Power in the center of the map before disappearing to reveal [[Ganon]]'s castle and his boss battle.

Ganondorf's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Ganondorf. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Ganondorf has been unlocked. Unlocking Ganondorf in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in ''Ultimate''.

*As mentioned above, ''Ultimate'' is the first game where Ganondorf has voice clips specifically for ''Smash'' as opposed to re-purposing them from the ''Zelda'' series. This also applies to {{SSBU|Link}}.

*Until the release of ''Tears of the Kingdom'', neither ''Zelda'' game whose bases served as the redesigns for Link and {{SSBU|Zelda}} in ''Ultimate'' featured Ganondorf with a humanoid form. This is especially most noticeable during [[Media:What is Zelda canon.jpg|their brief cameos]] in {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}'s and {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}}'s reveal trailers.

*Ganondorf’s extreme power has become a popular meme within the community, most notably associated with his forward smash (humorously nicknamed as "Doriyah" by the community, based on his exclamation during the attack), as well as his general ability to take stocks before his opponents despite being at much higher percentages than they are.

*If Ganondorf continually uses his up taunt on the floor of [[Mute City SNES]], he cannot be damaged by it. However, to do this, players first need to land on the floor safely by using a form of long-lasting [[invincibility]] or [[intangibility]], such as [[Revival platform|respawning intangibility]].