Ganondorf (SSBU): Difference between revisions

{{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, providing new voice clips that mimic his portrayal from ''Ocarina of Time'' rather than using re-purposed voice from the game as in previous ''Smash'' games. In ''Ultimate'', Nagasako succeeds {{s|wikipedia|Hironori Miyata}}, who previously succeeding him in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' by re-purposing his voice clips from ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess''.

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 provide 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 hit ledge hangs with the front hit. Overall, Ganondorf still excels at what he does best: ending stocks in a few hits.

However, Ganondorf's core weaknesses continue to hold him back drastically compared to the rest of the roster. His terrible frame data and slow movement give him severe difficulty in approaching and escaping disadvantage, which is especially problematic due to ''Ultimate'''s emphasis on faster-paced and projectile-focused combat. His shield safety is lacking despite his high shield pressure, while his grab and throws are still extremely weak despite his overall power, 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}}). 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, some changes 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 offstage survivability is extremely poor and limited to air dodge mix-ups, while his strengthened power does not help him approach nor give him many options to defend himself, 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 extreme 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 exceptional endurance, allowing him to survive at very high percentages and 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, but it also deals ludicrous 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). 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 heavy damage and KO opponents in very few hits.

Ganondorf's [[shield]]-breaking capabilities are 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 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. Perhaps Ganondorf's best combo starter is grounded [[Flame Choke]], which is is a [[command grab]] that [[meteor smash]]es opponents into the ground, leading into a myriad 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 they are fast despite their immense power (excluding forward aerial and down aerial), 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 glaring flaws. He is highly 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 followup potential. 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 poor [[recovery]], which is considered to be one of the worst in the game. 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.

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 remove his stocks just as early as he can remove 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.

|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.

|grabdesc=Reaches out with his left hand. Despite Ganondorf's tall stature, its reach is among the shortest.

|pummeldesc=A knee strike.

|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 lands 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 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}}

*Emerges from a liquid-like vortex of darkness.

|[[File:Ganondorf Cheer English SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Japanese SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Ganondorf Cheer Italian 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 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 notable Wi-Fi Ganondorf player who regularly performs well on [[Smashmate]], ranking as high as 5th on the [https://smashmate.net/record/37/ 14th] Smashmate SP ranking. He has seen some success offline, such as placing 2nd at the regional {{Trn|NUMASUMA 8}} defeating {{Sm|Ly}} and 33rd at the major {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 9}}. He also notably created the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=GZ56AEjrkzo Gungnir Combo]".

*{{Sm|Komegura|Japan}} - One of the best Ganondorf players in the world in the post-pandemic metagame. His 25th-place finish at {{Trn|UltCore}} is the highest placement for a Ganondorf player at a major since the early metagame, and he has also placed well at several other events, such as 33rd at the supermajor {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}} defeating {{Sm|Jagaimo}}.

*{{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 on 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 world in the post-pandemic metagame with several strong results, including 9th at {{Trn|ALOHA BEACHES}}, 17th at {{Trn|Daddy’s Den X Supreme}} defeating {{Sm|Scend}}, and 33rd at both the majors {{Trn|Port Priority 7}} and {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2023}}.

*{{Sm|Rickles|USA}} - One of the best Ganondorf players in the world from the early metagame to 2021. He was one of the first to show notable Ganondorf results at supermajors with several solid performances such as 33rd at {{Trn|Riptide}} and 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} defeating {{Sm|Lima}} and {{Sm|Rivers}}.

Public opinion on Ganondorf during ''Ultimate''{{'}}s early metagame 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 noted issues regarding his gameplay: he still has severe difficulty in approaching, recovering, and escaping disadvantage. Despite the buffs he received in the transition, his matchup spread remains atrocious, as most other characters from the previous game retained similar tools to overwhelm him, such as {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, and {{SSBU|Cloud}}. This was compounded with how Ganondorf mostly received minor changes in patches while other low-tier characters received significant buffs. As a result, Ganondorf's playerbase remains one of the smallest in the current metagame, with sporadic success seen from players such as {{Sm|Rickles}} in the early metagame and {{Sm|Komegura}} and {{Sm|Major}} in the post-online metagame. Despite being significantly better than his ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' iterations, Ganondorf is once again considered one of the worst characters in the game, and as such is ranked dead last on the current 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}}. 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''.

*''Ultimate'' is the first game to utilize new voice clips for Ganondorf as opposed to reusing them from the ''Zelda'' series. This also applies to {{SSBU|Link}}.

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

*If Ganondorf continually uses his up taunt on the floor of [[Mute City SNES]], he cannot be damaged by it.

**In order to do this, however, players need to use a [[Super Star]] or any other long-lasting [[invincibility]] or [[intangibility]], such as [[Revival platform|respawning intangibility]].