Ganondorf

Ganondorf's appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorofu) is the main antagonist and most consistent enemy in the The Legend of Zelda video game series. His first appearance was as the beast known as Ganon (ガノン) in the original The Legend of Zelda game. The name "Ganondorf" was first mentioned in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past with the villain making his first appearance as Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Since then, the name "Ganondorf" has been used to refer to his human form while "Ganon" is used for his monster form. (Though, at times the names have been used interchangably) In either case, he has been Link's arch-enemy since day one.

Ganondorf has appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and has been hinted to appear in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl; however, in what form Ganondorf will appear (i.e. as a playable character, assist trophy, or so on) has yet to be confirmed.

See Ganondorf (SSBM) for fighter details.

Character Description

Ganondorf was originally introduced in the original The Legend of Zelda game as Ganon. Here, he was established as a power hungry monster who had kidnapped Princess Zelda for her piece of the Triforce, but was destroyed by Link at the end of the game. Since then, collecting the Triforce and conquering Hyrule has usually been Ganon's main goal in the series. He has appeared or been mentioned in every Zelda game. (With some exceptions like The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.)

Ganon's appearance has changed over the course of the series. In his first appearance, he appears as a monster who's facial features are like that of a pig's and with green skin. (Though it will change to orange at one point, which is the cue to hit him with the Silver Arrow) While in A Link to the Past, he has blue skin. While in Ocarina of Time, Ganon's skin is black and he has yellow eyes (and so far, this is the only game to depict Ganon with a tail). While in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, in a departure from previous games, Ganon stands on all four legs, (every other Ganon form has stood on two legs) and appears as more of a boar than a pig. (This may be due to make Ganon similar to Link's "wolf" form.)

In his first appearance as Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, it is revealed that he is the only male in the Gerudo Tribe, born every 100 years. All Gerudos are identified by their noticably darker skin, (which may be due to living in the desert) and red hair. He is seen wearing armor in both Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, while in The Wind Waker he appears to be wearing sorcerer's robes.

Ganon is the primary villain in most of the Zelda games, with his schemes usually involving kidnappping Princess Zelda, conquering the land of Hyrule, or obtaining the Triforce. (Sometimes all three) Therefore, he has never been a playable character in any Zelda game.

Unlike Nintendo's other famous villain, Bowser, Ganondorf is a cunning, intelligent, and extremely powerful character. And in Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf accomplishes something that Bowser (and many other villains) struggle with... (or come close, but are ultimately defeated at the end) he conquered the world. Thus, Link had to build up his strength so he could take Hyrule back from Ganondorf, who had ruled for 7 years by that point.

Though he is usually depicted as being pure evil (hence his title as the "King of Evil" or the "Prince of Darkness"), The Wind Waker reveals somewhat sympathetic reasons for Ganondorf's desire for conquest, but nonetheless, he was still shown to be an extremely evil villain with a lust for power.

Whether he appears as Ganondorf or as Ganon, Hyrule knows that it will be facing an incredible evil that only Link and Zelda can stop.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As a playable character

Main article: Ganondorf (SSBM)

File:Ganondorfmelee.jpg

Ganondorf makes his first appearance in the Smash Bros. series as a secret playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He can be unlocked after completing Triforce Gathering or by playing 600 VS. matches.

Ganondorf's Neutral B move is the Warlock Punch which is similar to the Falcon Punch, except that it is takes more time to execute, but is considerably more powerful. His Smash B move is the Gerudo Dragon, which launches enemies up into the air. His Up B move is the Dark Dive while his Down B move is Wizard's Foot.

Ganondorf is considered a clone of Captain Falcon due to their similar moves, though he does have a few differences. Ganondorf is slower, but more powerful than Captain Falcon. The only exception his Forward aerial, which is weaker then Captain Falcon's knee.

In Single-player

Ganondorf does not specifically appear in the game's single-player Adventure mode. He is featured in only three Event Matches:

• Event 29: Triforce Gathering: As Link and teamed with Zelda, the player faces Ganondorf on the Great Temple stage. Beat this, then fight Gannondorf again to unlock him.
• Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe: Ganondorf is the final opponent you must fight in this series of staged battles. Your character battles him on the Final Destination stage, and your character has 2 stock while Ganondorf has 1. With a timer of four minutes, you must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and life you have: Dr. Mario, Falco, Pichu, Young Link, and Roy.
• Event 51: The Showdown: The final Event Match pits your character against a team of Giga Bowser, Mewtwo, and Ganondorf on the Final Destination stage (friendly fire turned off), with all four characters having 3 stock each and a 4 minute time limit. Seemingly overwhelming odds indeed.

Trophies

By tradition, Ganondorf as a playable character is featured on his personal 3 trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Ganondorf on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.

File:Ganondorftrophy2 copy.jpg

Ganondorf

Said to be the sole man born to the Gerudo tribe in a hundred years, Ganondorf aspired to conquer the world. He plundered a piece of the sacred Triforce from the Temple of Time when Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. With the Triforce of Power in Ganondorf's possession, Hyrule was plunged into darkness until Link and Zelda defeated the fiend. (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 11/98)

File:Ganondorftrophy1 copy.jpg

Ganondorf (Smash Red)

Since he's slow and can't jump very high, Ganondorf relies mainly on his immense physical strength to overwhelm his enemies. His great weight also makes him a difficult foe to send offscreen. Ganondorf's Warlock Punch is slow but absurdly powerful, and when he strikes with his Gerudo Dragon, enemies rise skyward enveloped in dark flames. (B: Warlock Punch, Smash B: Gerudo Dragon)

File:Ganondorf3 copy.jpg

Ganondorf (Smash Blue)

Ganondorf's slow speed works against him in single combat, but in melees, his crazy power lets him earn his keep with innumerable KOs. Ganondorf can't strike quickly, but each blow he lands adds up. Ganondorf is at his quickest when he uses the Wizard's Foot, and his Dark Dive blasts foes in a burst of dark energy. (Up & B: Dark Dive, Down & B: Wizard's Foot)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In an interview with Eiji Aonuma, director of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, models for Ganondorf and Sheik were confirmed as having been sent to Masahiro Sakurai, but not much else has been confirmed. Also, Sheik was confirmed on January 15th, 2008 via Famitsu articles and the smash dojo.

A Sticker of this phantom-form has been confirmed, however.