Ganondorf (SSB4)

Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable (3DS) Starter (Wii U)
Final Smash	Beast Ganon

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorf) was officially revealed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 on October 15th, 2014, alongside R.O.B.. Prior to this, Ganondorf was leaked via video footage from ESRB, outside the in-game stage boundaries in an official video (later replaced with a nearly-identical video sans Ganondorf), and Twitch streams before being officially unveiled. On October 10th, 2014, Sakurai mentioned Ganondorf in the Pic of the day, which means he was shown four times prior to his eventual official announcement.

As in Brawl, Ganondorf is voiced by Hironori Miyata, using recycled voice clips from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

How to unlock

• Play 80 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode as Link or Zelda on difficulty 5.0 or higher.

Ganondorf must then be defeated in Gerudo Valley.

Ganondorf does not have to be unlocked on the Wii U version.

Attributes

Ganondorf is a tall, heavy character who sacrifices speed for power. This is reflected in his attributes, where excluding his tie for sixth highest traction, he has the third slowest dash, third lowest air speed, tied for third lowest air acceleration, fifth highest weight, moderately high fast falling speed, and jumps and double jumps that give negligible height (the latter being significantly lower than even Little Mac's and is the only one that cannot reach the ledge right after dropping from it without frame perfect accuracy). Ganondorf's movement is hence very sluggish compared to the cast, although this is balanced out by his very good endurance.

While he is on par for the slowest frame data in the game along with King Dedede and Shulk, Ganondorf's biggest draw is his attack power, which is among the strongest overall in the game in terms of damage and knockback (on par with Bowser). Almost his entire moveset has the ability to KO at 100% or earlier with ease, especially with rage, making his punishes some of the most potent in Smash 4, while several other moves have the ability to KO at exceedingly low percentages, such as an aerial reversed Warlock Punch (one-hit KOs many lighter characters near the ledge) and sweetspotted up tilt (KOs middleweights at 33% near the ledge). Because of his incredible strength, he has one of the easiest times netting KOs at high percentages, as they are essentially guaranteed to send opponents very far offstage. In addition, his previously mentioned attributes give him high survivability and allows him to use rage to full effect, further boosting his already powerful moves at high percentages. Ganondorf also possesses a strong combo game in Flame Choke, putting opponents in a disadvantaged state that creates direct followups into forward or down tilts, or reading his foe's movements and reacting accordingly with aerials, forward smash, or another Flame Choke.

Unsurprisingly, Ganondorf is among the best edge-guarders in the game, as his powerful aerials are respectably fast (excluding forward air) and pack enough punch to send foes far away from the stage even at medium percents, spelling trouble for any fighter without a very good recovery (such as Pit). His down aerial is the most powerful meteor smash in the game and lasts for many frames with little cooldown, and his up aerial's properties allow him to cause gimps due to its semi spike angle. His grounded moveset is also useful for punishing impromptu recoveries, such as using an up tilt against badly positioned fighters or an up smash against horizontal recovering characters like Ike. Conversely, Ganondorf has the safest ledge grab as he hangs very low, which allows him to edge-hog effectively and gives him decent protection from opponents when hanging from a ledge.

Fitting with his immense strength, Ganondorf has multiple attacks capable of instantly breaking shields or doing significant shield damage upon impact, making it very unsafe to overuse shields against him, especially with hand-to-hand combatants. His up tilt's sweetspot, fully charged forward smash, aerial reverse Warlock Punch, and all versions of Warlock Blade's sweetspot tip are able to break full shields, while his uncharged forward smash, fully charged up smash, up tilt's sourspot, all other versions of Warlock Punch, all versions of Warlock Blade's sourspot, and aerial Wizard's Foot cause incredibly high shield damage. As such, he is one of the fighters with formidable shield pressuring abilities, as mistiming or overusing a shield against Ganondorf can result in high punishment, while he can also play mindgames against opponents with low shield health, as a hit from any of the aforementioned attacks can break their shield or outright KO them at high percentages, making them play more carefully. Overall, Ganondorf holds a great punishing game despite his slow speed, and successful reads can reap him great rewards.

However, Ganondorf possesses many potent flaws despite his incredible power, and some unusually defy his character archetype. Despite his tall size, he has a poorly positioned shield that is vulnerable to shield stabbing, and a majority of his moves are short-reaching with small, low duration hitboxes; small characters can avoid most of his moveset regardless of whether they are standing or crouching. Compounding this issue is his aforementioned frame data, making his attacks very difficult to land while being equally punishable due to high startup, ending lag, and/or landing lag; barring neutral and up airs, none of his moves hit before frame 8 (including his jab), and none of them end before frame 35. Ganondorf's overall physics are also very ineffective, leaving him with poor mobility and approaching speed, which makes closing the distance or creating space considerably difficult for him, and he also struggles against projectile users as his attributes make it difficult for him to deal with them. His heavy weight, tall stature, low air speed, and poor, unsafe landing options additionally makes him susceptible to combos and juggling, and his poor out of shield options gives him difficulty protecting himself against rushdowns. This overall makes Ganondorf rely heavily on proper spacing and mindgames, as he cannot afford to whiff a single move.

Other issues he has include a notably ineffective grab game; excluding his highly damaging forward throw and an agreeable combo starter with down throw, Ganondorf's grab is sluggish (with his pummel being similarly slow) and extremely short ranged, his down throw's combos can be easily escaped from and quickly stops working past mid-percentages, and the rest of his throws have little followup or KO potential. Flame Choke also works against him as the move enforces unreliable hard reads, especially if teched, and incorrect reads may put Ganondorf in a vulnerable position. His recovery remains very lackluster due to its low distance and lack of protection, giving him high vulnerability to edgeguarding and gimps and makes his recovery one of the worst in the game along with Little Mac and Dr. Mario. Lastly, despite his status as a powerhouse Ganondorf is still plagued by sourspots or late weak hitboxes on some of his attacks and he possesses moves that are considered to be nearly or completely useless, being unable to combo reliably or KO at realistic percentages (with some going past 200%), such as neutral attack's sourspot, neutral aerial's late hitboxes, Dark Dive, grounded Wizard's Foot, and his entire grab game.

Customs are a significant mixed bag for Ganondorf, as several give him drastic benefits while others make him incredibly less effective. On the notable side, Ganondorf's recovery goes from one of the worst to one of the best recoveries in the game with the Wizard's Dropkick and Dark Fists customs, as although Wizard's Dropkick is a less efficient direct attack since it's weaker, cannot meteor smash, and has slightly more endlag with more ineffective knockback angles, it becomes a fantastic tool for recovery and against projectiles, as it becomes a superior version of a Flame Choke recovery that doesn't cause helplessness while allowing Ganondorf to fly over projectiles while attacking. Dark Fists is a two-hit attack with better horizontal reach, super armor and very potent power, giving him impressive protection against edgeguarders if used as a recovery and a very effective out-of-shield option, something that Ganondorf lacks. Stacking this with Wizard's Dropkick gives Ganondorf a very efficient recovery, as he can travel high distances while being exceedingly difficult to edgeguard without being punished. Warlock Blade offers better utility over Warlock Punch with its lower start-up, increased range, transcendent priority, and high shield damage, but replaces one of Ganondorf's best punishing options due to its reduced strength. Flame Chain and Flame Wave are semi-viable alternatives to Flame Choke, with the former being a multi-hit attack with decent horizontal knockback and the latter having high damage and strong KO power, but both are sluggish in their own way and sacrifice powerful combos. On the other hand, his other customs are vastly inferior: Warlock Thrust, Dark Vault, and Wizard's Assault offer very negligible bonuses compared to even the worst of his standard specials (such as Dark Dive and grounded Wizard's Foot); the best example is Warlock Thrust, whose significantly lower knockback and high ending lag overwhelmingly outweighs its benefits of a larger hitbox and faster startup.

All in all, Ganondorf is a powerhouse that can instantly rack up ludicrous amounts of damage in only a few hits (whereas other characters would have to pull off lengthy combos to do the same), while he can as easily finish an opponent in a single, well placed attack. He still must play very cautiously like in Brawl, patiently waiting and reading the opponent's movements before striking, although his improved power and miscellaneous buffs have made him a far more rewarding character and definitely not one to be trifled with. As in Brawl, Ganondorf is a fairly popular choice in low- and mid-level play due to the incredible strength of his punishing game, as well as online play due to Wi-Fi lag making his very slow attacks slightly easier and safer to use. Additionally, he has dedicated players such as Vermanubis that give him more significant tournament representation and slightly better results than other perceived low-tier characters. However, like most punishing characters, Ganondorf lacks the representation to keep up at the highest levels where players make very few mistakes.

Changes from Brawl

As Ganondorf was infamously the worst character in Brawl due to tremendous flaws that placed him last in the tier list, he has received a mix of buffs and nerfs, but is considered overall to be buffed from Brawl -- albeit not enough to compensate for his fundamental issues. Some moves have higher damage and knockback (most notably down smash), his forward and back aerials are less hindered by sourspots due to consistent knockback on all their hitboxes (now only affected by a 1% damage difference), his very laggy aerials have less landing lag (most prominently forward and down airs, while the others are still noticeable as well), his slowest but most rewarding moves (up tilt and Warlock Punch) are much easier to land and are even more powerful, and some of his throws have been slightly improved (though are still among the worst). One of the most notable changes is that the use of Flame Choke for Ganonciding now consistently KO's the opponent before Ganondorf, allowing it to be used as a guaranteed win if both fighters in a 1v1 match are on their last stock.

Ganondorf also significantly benefits from the general changes of Smash 4, such as the removal of chain grabs which heavily plagued Ganondorf in previous games, the removal of hitstun cancelling which allows some of Ganondorf's attacks to link better (notably down throw) and also makes opponents incapable of attacking him right out of Dark Dive, the removal of damage reduction on shields and increased shieldstun which allows many of Ganondorf's attacks to shatter them more easily, the introduction of edge-stealing which allows Ganondorf to edge-hog more effectively while limiting his opponents' ability to do the same (which is only helped by his ledge-grab animation being the lowest and safest in the game), and the new rage mechanic which greatly strengthens his already high knockback while his heavy weight lets him survive longer and thus maintain rage.

However, as mentioned, Ganondorf also received noteworthy nerfs. His forward smash no longer has extra reach when pivoted, and while Warlock Punch was improved overall, it is much weaker unless reversed or performed in the air. Despite being infamous for his poor recovery, Ganondorf is even easier to edgeguard due to the removal of grab armor and slower air speed. His down air is also significantly weaker and no longer auto cancels in a short hop, weakening its utility dramatically despite having significantly less landing lag and greater reach. The biggest nerf Ganondorf received was to his staple in Brawl: Flame Choke, as it not only lost its grab armor, but when grounded, it can now be teched before Ganondorf can act, enforcing unreliable hard reads, and if Ganondorf reads incorrectly, his slow attack speed will ensure he can get punished. In addition to his nerfs, almost all of his glaring flaws from Brawl outside of the universal changes were not addressed, the only issue being fixed was his unusually low attack power in spite of his character archetype.

Overall, Ganondorf is generally agreed to have improved from Brawl, but the extent to which he was ultimately buffed is debatable; despite being overall more powerful than his previous incarnations (excluding dash attack being weaker than in Brawl, and back and down aerials, Dark Dive, and Wizard's Foot being weaker than in Melee), he is still vastly inferior to his Melee incarnation (where Ganondorf was faster and had better reach) and is still considered to be in the lower tiers, albeit no longer the worst character by a significant margin as in Brawl. While Ganondorf is still disadvantaged against many characters that can exploit his prominent weaknesses, he no longer possesses near-unwinnable matchups as he did in Brawl, and is one of the most significant benefactors of the changes to shield mechanics in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1. Ganondorf's custom moves help address a few of his glaring flaws, but it is very debatable whether they make him as viable as he was in Melee.

He is still a semi-clone of Captain Falcon with no new decloning in his default moveset, although Dark Dive was given a new animation, and neither character have a custom move that is shared. However, Ganondorf was slightly recloned, with the first hit of his neutral aerial functioning almost exactly like Captain Falcon's, albeit with no set knockback.

Aesthetics

• Ganondorf, like Link and Zelda, once again appears as his The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess incarnation, but now sports his glowing chest wound from that game, as well as a more tattered cape. However, instead of retaining the subdued color scheme that was used in Twilight Princess and carried over to Brawl, his overall color scheme is slightly brighter to appear in line with the more vibrant aesthetics used within SSB4. This is less apparent than for the other Zelda characters due to Ganondorf's darker, more muted color scheme in general.
• Ganondorf's darkness attacks produce more saturated visual effects.
• Ganondorf's mouth does not open all the way, leaving the corners of his mouth shut and making him appear to have pursed lips when opening his mouth. Additionally, he appears to be constantly frowning due the corners of his mouth being shut.
• Ganondorf has more exaggerated facial expressions, often shouting, snarling, grimacing, or showing puzzlement/contemplation during his attacks and idle poses.

Attributes

• Ganondorf is slightly heavier (109 → 112).
• Ganondorf dashes slightly faster (1.16 → 1.218).
• Ganondorf perhaps benefits the most from the removal of 30% damage reduction on shields as well as the significant increase to shieldstun, allowing many of his high shield damage attacks to shatter shields more effectively.
• The loss of meteor canceling has benefited him far more than any other character, providing him the strength of having the strongest meteor smash (down aerial) that can no longer be recoverable, similar to spikes from Melee.
• Ganondorf's air speed was reduced from tied to 9th lowest in Brawl to 3rd lowest in SSB4, behind Luigi and King Dedede, harming his already poor recovery further (0.846 → 0.79).
• Ganondorf's gravity was decreased relative to the cast, from being tied for the 6th highest of 38 characters to the 10th highest of 58 characters (0.1027 → 0.10784). However, the increase in gravity weakens his already poor recovery further, decreases his overall endurance potential, and makes him slightly easier to combo.
• Ganondorf can no longer perform the Flight of Ganon.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's sweetspot deals 1% more damage (9% → 10%).
• Neutral attack's sourspot deals 1% less damage (5% → 4%).
• Dash attack's sourspot sends opponents on a lower angle (100 → 80), giving it more combo potential. The move additionally has 2 frames of invincibility after the start-up, aiding his defensive ability against powerful projectiles.
• Dash attack's sweetspot deals less damage (15% → 14%) with slightly reduced base knockback (60 → 50), now KOing around 140%.
• Down tilt deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%).
• Up tilt deals 1% more damage (17%/19%/27%/27% → 18%/20%/28%/28%). Additionally, shields no longer take 30% less damage which drastically benefits this move, allowing the sweetspot to instantly shatter even full shields. The changes in ledge mechanics also makes this move much easier to trap opponents with, and it is a better move for edgeguarding overall.
• Forward smash's sour spot has slightly increased base knockback (30 → 35).
• Ganondorf no longer lunges farther when forward smash is pivoted, decreasing its reach.
• Up smash deals 2% more damage (19%/22%/22% → 21%/24%/24%).
• Both kicks of down smash deals 1% more damage (1st hit: 5% → 6%, 2nd hit: 12%/14%/14% → 13%/15%/15%). The second kick additionally has higher knockback growth (75 → 94) and a bigger hitbox (5.5 → 6.5), now capable of KOing at 115% and restoring its usefulness akin to its Melee counterpart. The second kick also now pushes away shielding opponents rather than drag them toward him.
• Down smash's first kick has a hitbox in Ganondorf's thigh that sends opponents forward and away from the second kick, making it much harder to link and makes the move punishable for landing it.
• Down smash's second kick now flips opponents.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial's hitboxes produce more damage, dealing 5% more for the second clean (7% → 12%) and 4% more for the second late (5% → 9%). The first kick's knockback was drastically lowered (20 base/100 growth → ? base/? growth) and hits at a higher angle (55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°), while transitioning to the second hit much faster (frame 20 → ?), allowing the two hits to combo effectively, akin to Captain Falcon's. The second kick also has much higher knockback growth (100 → 120) and a bigger hitbox (4.3/5.7/6.2 → 4.5/5.7/7.4), restoring its KO potential akin to its Melee counterpart. It also has less landing lag (22 → 17 frames).
• The drastically reduced knockback on neutral aerial's first hit makes the move less safe on hit and on landing until extremely high percentages, less effective as a spacer, and completely removing its KOing capabilities. The first hit also deals 4% less damage on the clean hitbox (11% → 7%) and 2.5% on the late (7% → 4.5%), and has a shorter hitbox duration (7-13 → ?).
• Forward aerial has significantly less landing lag (32 → 22 frames, being less than when not L-canceled in Melee) and deals more damage, with the sourspot dealing 2% more (15% → 17%) and the sweetspot dealing 1% more (17% → 18%). Its knockback is also stronger overall (30/48 base and 80/83 growth → consistent 20 base/93 growth), making the sourspot much less of a hindrance.
• Back aerial has increased knockback overall (10/28 base and 85 growth → consistent 40 base/89 growth) and the sweetspot deals 1% more damage (16% → 17%), making the sourspot much less of a hindrance. It also has slightly less landing lag (22 → 19 frames).
• Up aerial has slightly less landing lag (22 → 19 frames).
• Down aerial has significantly less landing lag (35 → 26 frames). The sourspot on his upper body now sends at the Sakurai Angle, making it useful for edge-guarding and securing decisive KOs. In addition, the move's hitboxes were shifted lower, giving it more range below him as well as making it easier to land the sourspot.
• Down aerial is weaker, with its sweetspot dealing 3% less damage (22% → 19%) and decreased base knockback overall (30 → 20), now meteor smashing grounded opponents starting at 10% (up from 0%) and now survivable up until 120% on the ground (up from 100%), though still the most powerful meteor smash in the game. It also can no longer autocancel in a short hop, removing its easy combo starting abilities and when combined with the previous point makes the move punishable for landing it at very low percentages.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel deals 1% more damage (2% → 3%).
• Up throw deals 3% more damage (7% → 10%), making it bring opponents to KO percentages slightly earlier.
• The removal of hitstun cancelling increases down throw's follow-up capabilities from zero to mid percentages.
• Forward, up, and down throws have less hitlag.
• Ganondorf has a new back floor attack where he swings his right leg up over his head instead of spinning while kicking.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).
• Edge attack deals 2% less damage (10% → 8%).

Special moves

• Reverse and reverse aerial Warlock Punch deals 2% more damage (35%/38% → 37%/40%) and aerial Warlock Punch deals 3% more damage (35% → 38%). Reverse aerial Warlock Punch also has gained a hitbox near the fist that deals 42% damage. Grounded Warlock Punch also now has super armor during its start-up, lasting on frames 11-66 while not reversed (starting when Ganondorf winds up his fist and ends right before he punches) and frames 11-58 while reversed (during the turnabout).
• Non-reversed Warlock Punch is weaker, dealing 2% less damage (32% → 30%) and having knockback changes (30 base/100 growth → 120 base/42 growth).
• Warlock Punch has a slightly altered punch animation, where Ganondorf crouches while posing almost in the same way as his idle animation.
• Both grounded and aerial versions of Flame Choke deal 3% more damage (9%/12% → 12/15%). When Ganoncided with, the opponent is now always KO'd before Ganondorf, instead of at the same time or after, meaning Ganondorf will always win if he lands a Ganoncide on the opponent's last stock.
• Grounded Flame Choke can now be teched, though the move's low ending lag allows tech-chasing. The removal of grab armor makes it easier to intercept (as trade blows will interrupt the grab) and thus Ganonciding slightly more difficult to pull off (and thus less of a deterrent against edge-guarding Ganondorf).
• Aerial Flame Choke is now a stall-then-fall and removes all forward momentum, making it easier to steer backward but travels less forward distance as a result. While this makes Ganonciding easier when off-stage, it also makes returning to the stage as well as attempting to Ganoncide when facing the ledge much harder.
• Dark Dive deals 2.8% more damage (11% → 13.8%) with slightly higher knockback scaling on the throw (82 → 90), improving its KOing capabilities near the ledge and giving Ganondorf a decent out of shield move. In addition, due to the removal of hitstun cancelling, opponents can no longer attack Ganondorf as he releases them from Dark Dive.
• The removal of grab armor removes the minimal protection Dark Dive provided, which when combined with the previous point about Flame Choke, makes Ganondorf overall even easier to edge-guard offstage than he was in Brawl.
• Dark Dive now has an altered animation with holding onto the opponent one hand as opposed to two, and it produces more spectacular visual effects, with a noticeably larger finishing explosion.
• Aerial Wizard's Foot is interruptible much sooner, giving Ganondorf much greater leniency to successfully recover after using it offstage when edge-guarding, and when using it to mix-up recovery; this also allows it to be used over ground from not as high up without going into its laggy landing animation. It also deals higher shield damage (10 → 15).
• Beast Ganon's knockback has been reduced, no longer being a one-hit KO. The dash also deals 7% less damage (47% → 40%).
• Beast Ganon has a different animation when Ganondorf transforms back into a Gerudo: he triumphantly poses as if roaring.

Update history

Ganondorf has received numerous buffs in balance patches; the buffs have so far failed to address his most glaring flaws, but have mitigated some of his other issues. For example, aerial Flame Choke can no longer be teched like the grounded version, his previously ineffective down smash is much more powerful, and all aerial attacks have been improved overall. The shield mechanics in 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 gave Ganondorf the biggest (albeit indirect) buff yet by enhancing his already excellent shield-breaking ability. Additionally, they made his hitlag heavy attacks significantly safer on shield but also weakened his own already small shield as a defensive option, necessitating (and encouraging) a more offensive playstyle with fewer flaws in defending. Update 1.1.3 improved Dark Dive, which was previously considered one of the weakest and most situational moves in the game (although it is still one of Ganondorf's weakest moves, not capable of KOing until around 170% if used near the edge), and made Reverse Warlock Punch safer to use with the addition of super armor, among other moderate buffs. As a result, he is considered more viable than he was in the initial release of SSB4.

1.0.4

• Landing lag on all aerial attacks has been reduced, with neutral aerial having a moderate decrease while the rest of his aerials had a slight decrease.
• Aerial Flame Choke can no longer be teched, restoring the move's offensive usability.

1.0.6

• Jab damage: 4%/6%/9% → 4%/7%/10%
• Up, forward and down throws have less hitlag.

1.1.0

• Aerial Wizard's Foot shield damage: 10 → 15 (customs affected)
• Down smash knockback growth: 75 → 94
• Down smash hitbox size: 5.5 → 6.5
• Forward aerial damage: 16%/17% → 17%/18%
• Up throw damage: 7% → 10%

1.1.1

• Neutral aerial first kick (clean) base knockback 20 → 0, knockback growth 100 → 130/90, and angle 55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°, allowing it to combo into the second hit at low percentages more effectively while keeping its KO power intact.
• The reduced base knockback on neutral aerial's first kick makes the move less safe on hit and on landing at lower percentages.
• Neutral aerial first kick (late) damage: 7% → 8%
• Neutral aerial second kick (clean) damage: 9% → 10%
• Neutral aerial second kick (late) damage: 5% → 7%
• Neutral aerial second kick knockback growth: 100 → 120
• Neutral aerial second kick hitbox size: 4.3/5.7/6.2 → 4.5/5.7/7.4

1.1.3

• Neutral aerial first hit has drastically reduced knockback, allowing it combo into the second hit more effectively, similar to Captain Falcon's.
• The drastically reduced knockback on neutral aerial's first hit makes the move less safe on hit and on landing until extremely high percentages, less effective as a spacer, and completely removing its KOing capabilities.
• Neutral aerial first hit (clean) damage: 12% → 7%
• Neutral aerial first hit (late) damage: 8% → 4.5%
• Neutral aerial first hit duration: 7-13 → ?
• Neutral aerial second hit startup: 20 → ?
• Neutral aerial second hit (clean) damage: 10% → 12%
• Neutral aerial second hit (late) damage: 7% → 9%
• Neutral aerial landing lag: 18 → 17
• Forward aerial landing lag: 23 → 22
• Back and up aerial landing lag: 20 → 19
• Down aerial landing lag: 28 → 26
• Down aerial hitbox shifted down two units, giving it more range below him as well as making it easier to land the sourspot.
• Down smash second hit on shield angle: 130° → 50°, now pushing opponents away rather than towards him.
• Down smash now flips opponents.
• Grounded, non-reversed Warlock Punch super armor duration: 11-63 → 11-66
• Grounded, reverse Warlock Punch now has super armor on frames 11-58.
• Grounded, reverse Warlock Blade now has super armor on frames 11-54.
• Grounded Flame Choke no longer has a blindspot.
• Dark Dive multihits damage: 1% → 1.2%
• Dark Dive throw damage: 7% → 9%
• Dark Dive throw knockback growth: 82 → 90

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			10% (hand), 7% (arm), 4% (body)	Leans in with a palm strike. Ganondorf's fastest ground attack, with decent range and knockback, but still extremely slow as it comes out on frame 8. Has a chance to trip opponents.
Forward tilt			13% (foot), 12% (leg)	Leans back while forcefully kicking one leg forward. Fairly quick start-up, with great knockback at a semi-spike trajectory. A powerful edgeguarding move against characters with little horizontal recovery. Based on a kick attack used by himself and other large sword-wielding enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Up tilt		rowspan="1"	28% (leg), 20%/18% (explosion)	Ganondorf lifts his leg up then holds it in place until smashing it down in an explosion. Has vacuum properties. Incredibly powerful, with the sweetspot being able to instantly shatter full shields and KO at low percentages when near the ledge, but has laughable startup lag making it a high risk high reward move. It is one of Ganondorf's best edgeguard attacks if used correctly.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	13%	Kneels on one leg and thrusts the other leg forward. Good start-up, range and power with vertical knockback.
Dash attack			14% (clean), 10% (late)	Charges at the opponent and rams into them. Ganondorf gains a quick speed boost during the move. Very brief invincibility after the move's start-up, but lasts too short to utilize effectively. Is able to reliably KO at around 140%.
Forward smash			24%	Thrusts his elbow forward, dealing darkness damage on contact. Relatively slow start-up and high cool down, but its extreme knockback is capable of KO'ing under 80%. Hitting closer to Ganondorf deals slightly higher knockback, but the same damage. Can be angled. While based on Captain Falcon's forward smash, this is very similar to a move Ganondorf uses in the final battle of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as part of a sword combo.
Up smash			24% (foot), 21% (leg/body)	Forcefully swings his leg up. Has some start-up but deceptively low endlag because of its interruptibility, so it can be used to bait opponents. Extremely powerful when used against aerial opponents, capable of KO'ing under 100%. Has small hitbox directly in front of him if he is too far away for the kick to hit.
Down smash			6% (hit 1), 15%/13% (hit 2)	Kicks his leg in front and then behind him. The first kick has low knockback to naturally combo into the second kick, which has the most damage and knockback. However, the hits often do not link properly, and the first kick has a hitbox on the thigh that knocks opponents away from Ganondorf. Ganondorf's weakest smash attack, though not by much as it is one of the most powerful down smashes that can KO at 115%. Can be used to punish a roll. If used near a ledge, the first kick can stage spike opponents if positioned correctly.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	7% (hit 1 clean), 4.5% (hit 1 late), 12% (hit 2 clean), 9% (hit 2 late)	Two quick mid-air kicks. The first hit deals little damage but has extremely low knockback that allows it to combo into the second kick, which has higher damage and KO power. Moderate landing lag if not used in a full hop. However, due to the first kick's extremely low knoback, it is unsafe on hit and landing, and is ineffective as a spacer.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	18% (fist), 17% (arm)	An overhead punch in a downwards arc. Very powerful with decent start-up. Suffers from extreme cool down and moderate landing lag even when used with a full hop due to the lack of an autocancel window.
Back aerial			17% (fist), 16% (arm)	A back-handed punch. Relatively fast start-up with power that slightly surpasses his forward aerial. Has little cool down with moderate landing lag. While it auto cancels in a short hop, its high vertical hitbox makes it unable to hit most grounded opponents.
Up aerial			13%/12% (clean), 12%/10% (mid), 8%/6% (late)	An overhead 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-spikes with extremely low horizontal knockback, which can be a deadly edge guard move, especially at the end. Has little cool down with moderate landing lag, and can auto cancel into a short hop.
Down aerial			19% (legs), 17% (body)	Stomps his legs downward, dealing electric damage. The move is the most powerful meteor smash in the game if hit with the lower half of his body, with grounded opponents being KO'd under 120% while being unable to tech the move. There is a sour spot on his shoulder that hits horizontally with less damage, but is still extremely powerful, stronger than his forward and back aerial at higher percentages, though not as effective as when hitting with the meteor smash hitbox off-stage and the sourspot's small, high hitbox makes it difficult to land. Has surprisingly little cool down, but high landing lag unless used with a full hop. All hitboxes have transcendent priority, meaning that it cannot cancel out projectiles.
Grab			—	A short ranged grab. Despite Ganondorf's size, it is one of the shortest reaching grabs in the game, almost requiring him to be physically touching his opponent. Pivot grab has better range but suffers from cool down.
Pummel			3%	Knees the opponent. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw			5% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	Lifts his opponent up, then punches them in the midsection. One of the highest damaging forward throws in the game. Decent knockback that is good for setting up a meteor smash down aerial, but bad for K.O's as it doesn't kill until 195% when near the ledge.
Back throw			5% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Lifts his opponent behind him and kicks them. Decent knockback, and sets up an edgeguard well, and K.O's earlier than forward throw at around 165% near the ledge. Moderate ending lag severely decreases ground combo potential.
Up throw			7% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Holds opponent above him, then punches them upwards. High base knockback, but low scaling. Not good at followups, but it can be used as a DI mixups, mindgames, and start juggles against characters who has hard time dealing with juggles (such as Shulk with Shield Art), though this can be difficult to do so due to Ganondorf's physics. Its poor knockback scaling prevents it from KOing until 245%.
Down throw			7%	Violently slams the opponent into the ground. A weak throw with very low knockback scaling, making it useful for setting up into dash attack, neutral air, up air, Wizard's Foot, or Wizard's Dropkick at zero to mid percentages. However, Ganondorf's slow speed and physics, an opponent's DI, and the move's low hitstun often makes these follow-ups difficult.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Spins his left foot around him on both sides in a break-dance like fashion.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Swings his right foot over his head as he gets up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around to kick those who are near.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Gets up with a horizontal left back hand to the opponent.
Neutral special	Default	Warlock Punch	30% (ground), 37% (ground reverse), 38% (air), 40% (air reverse), 42% (air reverse, near fist)	Winds up a large amount of darkness and releases it all in a powerful forward backhand punch. A player can pull off a 180° punch by turning in the opposite direction during the charging period for more knock back and damage; however, this is slower than the regular Warlock Punch. It also receives a significant damage bonus if used in the air or turned 180°, and these bonuses stack, so a reverse aerial Warlock Punch is powerful enough to OHKO any fighter at the edge with enough rage, while the grounded version can OHKO certain lightweight fighters near the ledge. Has super armor until just before the punch, unless used in the air.
	Custom 1	Warlock Blade	22%/18% (ground), 24%/20% (ground reverse), 24%/20% (air), 26%/22% (air reverse)	Ganondorf pulls out the Sword of Sages and stabs it forward in reverse grip. Deals less damage overall than Warlock Punch when sourspotted, but has greater range, faster startup, and a powerful sweetspot at the tip of the sword. Has super armor until just before the stab, unless used in the air. Deals greatly increased shield damage, with the sweetspot being able to instantly shatter a full shield. All hitboxes have transcendent priority.
	Custom 2	Warlock Thrust	16%/9% (normal), 19%/12% (reverse)	A faster punch produces a large explosion, giving it more vertical reach, transcendent priority, and less ending lag (though is still notably large due to its faster start-up). The explosion, however, is a large sourspot, with the fist being the only sweetspot in the move, and extremely weak knockback that K.O's past 300%.
Side special	Default	Flame Choke	12% (ground throw), 15% (air throw), 4% (release)	Boosts forward with his hand extended out. Upon contact he grabs the opponent's neck and attacks them with a pulse of darkness before dropping them onto the ground (though an opponent can tech the hit to avoid guaranteed follow-ups, though the move can be tech-chased due to having minimal end lag). In the air, Ganondorf grabs onto and descends holding the opponent before slamming them into the ground, or to the lower blast line in a suicide KO if used off-stage. Much less unwieldy than in Brawl, as Ganondorf will always win if he and the opponent are on their last stocks. This works as a grab move, and as such works through shields and counters. Also can be used for short horizontal recovery, as it grabs onto the ledge.
	Custom 1	Flame Wave	10% (hit 1), 8% (ground throw), 10% (air throw), 4% (release)	Boosts forward with his hand extended out. Upon contact, he blasts them into the air after grabbing them, dealing two hits, with the second having vertical knockback. Has actual KO power, but sacrifices combo ability, range, speed, and it has more starting and ending lag.
	Custom 2	Flame Chain	1.2% (loop hits), 5% (last hit)	Boosts forward with his hand extended out. Upon contact, he strikes them with a series of attacks, leading up to a decent knockback finish. It also provides very long range and more traction on the ground, and passes through shielding enemies. However, it cannot grab, removing Ganonciding, and has slightly more start-up and significantly more ending lag.
Up special	Default	Dark Dive	1.2% (hits 1-4), 9% (throw), 7% (uppercut), 6% (release)	Ganondorf latches onto an opponent and unleashes electricity onto them before launching off of them with an explosion. Covers a very small amount of horizontal distance, but a decent amount of vertical making it a subpar recovery. If he successfully lands this move against an opponent, he doesn't fall helpless and can use it again. Ganondorf will perform an uppercut with weak knockback and darkness properties if this move misses an opponent. The throw has the worst knockback of any of Ganondorf's moves (not counting Flame Choke's set knockback, which has combo potential to compensate) and does not KO until 170%, though it does kill a bit earlier near the edge and is a decent out of shield move.
	Custom 1	Dark Fists	6% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Ganondorf launches himself into the air with a rising fist, followed by another uppercut at the height of his jump. He cannot grab opponents with this move, but he can chain the two uppercuts into each other, dealing very high knockback at moderate damages and KOs much more reliably than Dark Dive. It is considered the best recovery move for Ganondorf due to its somewhat slow start-up allowing for better horizontal reach. Has super armor on startup.
	Custom 2	Dark Vault	1% (hit 1), 3% (throw), 6% (release)	Ganondorf vaults upward twice, but can only grab opponents during the start of either vaults. Its KO power is even weaker, at 400%, and travels less horizontal distance. No uppercut.
Down special	Default	Wizard's Foot	12%/10% (ground), 15%/14% (air), 8% (landing)	Surrounded by darkness, Ganondorf launches himself while extending his leg out, dealing decent damage and knockback (but lots of cool down). In the air, Ganondorf launches diagonally downwards while extending his leg out below him. A powerful meteor smash during start-up, with a late hit sending opponents vertically instead. A small shockwave is formed around Ganondorf when he lands on the ground, which has small amount of knockback. Slows down significantly on impact with anything, has a lot of landing lag, and is extremely risky to use off stage.
	Custom 1	Wizard's Dropkick	9%/7% (ground), 11%/8%/9%/7% (air), 6% (landing)	Ganondorf jumps into the air before performing the kick. Aerial version moves at a 45 degree angle downward, great for horizontal recovery. Can be used both to come back to the stage, and to avoid juggles if launched. Is a true combo out of Down Throw until mid-high percent. A downside is that it doesn't meteor, and has significantly reduced vertical kill power, though it can more safely be used for edge guarding. Very little cool down if used on the ground.
	Custom 2	Wizard's Assault	10%/9% (ground), 14%/12% (air), 6% (landing)	Ganondorf shoots forwards with a faster and further kick that goes through opponents and travels straight down when used in the air, with the grounded attack sending opponents behind Ganondorf. It has a slower start-up and ending lag, but does not slow down on impact. It can meteor smash.
Final Smash		Beast Ganon	10%/5% (appearance), 10% (paralyze), 40%/30% (charge)	Ganondorf becomes his beast form and rams into the opponent. Opponents too close upon initiation are buried, while those otherwise in front will be paralyzed. It's the fastest character in the game if final smashes are taken into consideration.

On-screen appearance

• Emerges from a portal of dark magic.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Floats in the air, curls into a ball, and spins. He then opens up from his curled position and poses while laughing maniacally.
• Side taunt: Punches his right hand into his open palm in a threatening pose and scoffs, then dark flames appears from his hands afterwards.
• Down taunt: Unsheathes the Sword of Sages, looks at it while the tip pulses with dark energy, then sheathes it.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Brings his hands together, then swings his right arm over his head.
• Crosses his arms and looks in the opposite direction.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Ganon-doorf!	Gan-on!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the tune that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

• With his back facing the screen, Ganondorf punches his fist into his open palm, turns and faces the screen, and holds up his fist, the back of it facing forward.
• Pumps a victorious fist covered in dark lighting and crouches.
• While crossing his arms, he laughs in a seemingly sarcastic manner, then looks towards the screen. This references a scene in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Ganondorf	2121	2122	2321	2322	2132
	2332	2222	3122	3121	3112

Notable players

•  Akhous
•  Dark Rice
•  Ganon The Beast
•  Fayiee
•  Ray Kalm
•  Vex Kasrani
•  Vermanubis

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Fated Battle: Ganondorf appears as an opponent that Link must defeat in a 2 stock battle. If the battle lasts through the third portion, two Dark Links will appear.
• All-Star Battle: Melee: Ganondorf is one of the eight opponents fought in this event. All the opponents debut in Melee, and reappear in Smash 4.
• Beautification: 2 Bowsers and 2 Ganondorfs must be flowered by Rosalina & Luma.
• The Demon King and the Goddess: Ganondorf must defeat a team of Link and Zelda. After the two are defeated or some time has passed, Giant Palutena appears and the player must defeat her.
• The Destroyer Cometh: Palutena must defeat a giant Ganondorf and 2 other Ganondorfs before they destroy all the terrain on Skyworld.
• The Final Battle: The player must defeat Ganondorf, along with Bowser and King Dedede.

Co-op Events

• Final Battle Team-Up: Ganondorf appears as an opponent to be defeated.
• Mirror Magic: Lucina and Ike must defeat Ganondorf, who is aided by Giant Metal Shadow Lucina and Ike.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Unlikely Allies: Ganondorf and Palutena must defeat 16 Mr. Game & Watches.

Trophies

Ganondorf

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

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

: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Ganondorf (Alt.)

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

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

: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Beast Ganon

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

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

• GanondorfTrophy3DS1.png

  Classic (3DS)

• GanondorfTrophy3DS2.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Beast Ganon

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Ganondorf's amiibo.

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  On Battlefield.

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  Using Flame Choke on Link on Final Destination.

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  Being blocked by Palutena's Reflect.

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  Being attacked by Meta Knight and Pit.

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  With Link, Zelda, and Sheik.

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  Using Wizard's Foot on Robin and Marth.

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  Being chased by Toon Link, Ness, and Villager.

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  Using his Final Smash on Link and Lucina.

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  Taunting.

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  Fighting with Link in Gerudo Valley.

Trivia

• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first entry in the series to have Ganondorf utilize his sword in a move, albeit in a custom neutral special move.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first game where Ganondorf is unlocked on a stage other than Final Destination.
• Ganondorf has the most grab moves in the game, as both his side special and up special count as grabs and cannot be countered or shielded.
• When Ganondorf uses an aerial Flame Choke on an opponent with one stock left, he will usually still shout his KO voice clip, despite not being KO'ed.
• Ganondorf is the only The Legend of Zelda character that lacks a projectile.
• Ganondorf's amiibo description on Nintendo's official site is based on his Melee trophy description, thereby describing his The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time self.
• Of all the veterans that retain their voice clips from Brawl, Ganondorf and Captain Falcon are the only ones that do to not make use of their unused Brawl knockback sound clips.
• When using Ganondorf's down taunt under the effects of the Timer item, his sword will move in a very strange way due to it not being slowed down with him.