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 leaked videos from footage used by ESRB to rate the game, accidentally shown in an official video, where he appeared outside the boundaries of the screen while Pikachu taunted, before the trailer was replaced with a nearly-identical video which does not include Ganondorf, and he was also shown in Twitch.tv streams before being unveiled, and on October 10th, 2014, Sakurai mentioned Ganondorf in the Pic of the day, which means he was leaked four times (twice by official material) prior to his 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 that sacrifices speed for power. While Ganondorf is on par for the slowest character in the game along with King Dedede, his biggest draw is his attack power, which is among the strongest in the game in terms of damage and knockback (and possibly the strongest overall, apart from situational cases such as max aura Lucario and single moves such as Roy's fully-charged Flare Blade). As such, Ganondorf possesses very powerful moves in his arsenal that can KO significantly earlier than most other characters, especially with Rage. This is evident with back aerial, and Ganondorf's down aerial is more lethal than ever if it connects, as it has a sourspot on his upper body that will allow him to send opponents flying at the Sakurai Angle, with heavy knockback. A prime example of Ganondorf's power is his Warlock Punch, which can One-hit KO many lighter characters near the ledge when reversed, in the air, and with the rage effect. His high weight and moderately high fast falling speed gives Ganondorf good endurance, allowing him to survive better than most other characters and enabling him as an effective rage user.

Ganondorf is among the best edge-guarders in the game, with his aerials not only sending opponents away, but also guaranteeing most of them to be KO'd with a hit to send them back. His down aerial's sweetspot still remains the most powerful meteor smash in the game, and his up aerial's late hitboxes can semi-spike weakly but high hitstun that can cause gimps. Ganondorf may also use his up tilt attack against impromptu recoveries from getting up, or on horizontal recovering characters like Ike or Fox, a perfectly timed up smash will do the trick. Conversely, Ganondorf himself has the safest ledge grab animation in the game, which allows him to edge-hog effectively and gives him decent protection from moves performed on-stage moves such as Fox's Blaster when hanging from the ledge.

He has multiple attacks capable of instantly breaking shields on impact: his up tilt's sweetspot, fully charged forward smash, aerial reverse Warlock Punch, and all versions of Warlock Blade's sweetspot tip. As well, he is the best character to use against breaking shields, as most of his attacks, notably 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 will do significant shield damage upon impact, making it unsafe to overuse shields against him, especially with hand-to-hand combatants.

Although many of Ganondorf's issues from Brawl have been toned down in SSB4 due to the gameplay changes (notably the weakening in other character's projectile camping abilities, the removal of chain grabbing, and the new edge-stealing mechanic), they are still potent, such as his poor range (most notably his grab) and a small, shield stabbing susceptible shield for a character of his size. Ganondorf's overall physics are still among the least effective, leaving him with poor mobility that is considerably slower and recovering takes much more effort than even most of the other heavyweights; excluding his tie for sixth highest traction, he has the third lowest dashing speed and third lowest air speed, 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). His heavy weight, despite improving Ganondorf's endurance and allowing him to effectively utilize rage, leaves him very susceptible to combos, which is further compounded by his tall stature. Ganondorf's moves, while powerful, provide mediocre out of shield and approaching options and are overall very difficult to land due to their aforementioned short range and incredibly long start-up (his fastest ground non-grab move is his jab, which comes out on frame 8), coupled with their extreme ending lag (his jab interrupts on frame 34) leaves him vulnerable to punishes, often forcing Ganondorf to rely on proper spacing and mindgames. His recovery remains very lackluster due to being mostly linear, not traveling far enough, his aforementioned poor physics, and having very little protection (exacerbated by the removal of grab armor), leaving him very susceptible to edgeguarding and gimps. In addition to being outmatched by faster characters, he struggles against projectile users as his only counter to them outside of powershielding (dash attack) has too little invincibility to be reliable, as well as small characters whose small hurtbox can avoid most of his moveset regardless of whether they are standing or crouching. 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 generally ineffective and considered to be nearly or completely useless, being unable to combo reliably or KO at realistic percentages (with some going past 300%), such as neutral attack's sourspot, neutral aerial's late hiboxes, grounded Wizard's Foot, Wizard's Assault, Warlock Thrust, Dark Dive, Dark Vault, and his entire grab game (sans forward throw's damage and to a very small extent down throw's comboing ability).

Overall, Ganondorf remains held back by a slew of flaws, but still holds a great punishing game. He still must play very cautiously like in Brawl, patiently waiting and reading the opponent's movements before striking, but unlike in Brawl Ganondorf's improved power is far more rewarding and definitely not one to be trifled with, and is a more viable character as a result. As in Brawl, Ganondorf is a fairly popular choice in low- and mid-level play due to the incredible strength of his punishing game (which is stronger than in Brawl, going from slightly above average to one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in Smash 4), and does not have as much difficulty in dealing with some close-range characters such as Roy and Little Mac at this level because they fall within the range of most of Ganondorf's punishes. However, characters such as Roy can still heavily out match Ganondorf with their better frame data and movement speed, making it difficult for Ganon players to get in safe punishes because of his sluggish movement and attakc speed. 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.

With customs on, Ganondorf gets a good number of his faults addressed. Most notably, with the Wizard's Dropkick and Dark Fists customs, Ganondorf's recovery goes from one of the worst to one of the best recoveries in the game. Although Wizard's Dropkick is weaker, cannot meteor smash, produces more horizontal knockback on all hitboxes, and has slightly more start-up and slightly more ending lag in the air, its grounded version has less ending lag and its aerial version moves Ganondorf a significant horizontal distance that is faster and further than Flame Choke while not causing helplessness, and both aerial and grounded versions can also allow Ganondorf to go above projectiles while simultaneously attacking, giving Ganondorf an effective anti-projectile option. Dark Fists also allows Ganondorf to move more horizontally as well due to slower start-up, giving him a better reach toward the edge, and thanks to its super armor start-up frames, he is protected from edge-guarders. Additionally Dark Fists is a very powerful two-hit physical attack instead of a grab, addressing many of Dark Dive's faults while sacrificing re-usability if it lands, and its armor will also allow him to tank hits while comboing into opponents and KO them at early damages, if given the opportunity, also making it very risky to edge-guard while at high percentages. Warlock Blade also provides a viable alternative to Warlock Punch; while it is weaker and less damaging, it has less start-up, much more range (due to Ganondorf using his sword), transcendent priority, and causes more shield damage, giving it more uses overall but replacing one of Ganondorf's best punishing options. Flame Chain, while sacrificing powerful combos and Ganoncide and provides slightly more start-up and significantly more ending lag, is a multi-hit attack that provides more range and traction on the ground, the ability to pass through shields, and decent horizontal knockback, giving Ganondorf a relatively viable option for Flame Choke. The rest of Ganondorf's customs, however, are considered to be vastly inferior: Warlock Thrust, Dark Vault, and Wizard's Assault (as mentioned above) offer very negligible bonuses, if they are even enough to be considered better in their respective regards, while giving significant flaws over the default (even though Dark Dive and grounded Wizard's Foot were not useful in the first place); and Flame Wave, while trading off Flame Choke's combos for reasonable offensive and KO power, is largely held back by its downsides of reduced range, slower speed, and increased start-up and ending lag.

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 (although its sourspot launches at an effective edgeguarding angle, this is negligible, as its still small and is still considered somewhat inferior to the sweetspot). The biggest nerf Ganondorf received was to his staple in Brawl: Flame Choke. Flame Choke 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.

Overall, Ganondorf is generally agreed to have improved from Brawl, but his buffs and nerfs as well as his position relative to the generally buffed cast leave debate for exactly how much he has been improved from Brawl; he is still vastly inferior to his Melee incarnation and considered to be in the lower tiers (albeit no longer the worst character by a significant margin, as he was in Brawl). Ganondorf still finds himself mostly outdone by the faster, more mobile and/or more combo-capable powerhouse heavyweights such as Bowser, Donkey Kong and Ike. Additionally, his many retained flaws still leave him troubled when dealing with fast, combo-oriented characters like Sheik and Captain Falcon, projectile users like Mega Man and Samus (except with Wizard's Dropkick equipped), and smaller ones like Pikachu and Kirby. However, while still notably disadvantaged against such characters, Ganondorf no longer possesses near-unwinnable matchups as he did in Brawl. While Ganondorf's custom moves help address a few of his glaring flaws, 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. However, all of Ganondorf's custom moves are completely different, granting him more unique special attacks.

Aesthetics

• Ganondorf, like Link and Zelda, once again appears as his 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.
• 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.
• Ganondorf also likely benefited the most from the change in the meteor cancelling mechanics, as it was removed, and provides for him the strength of having the strongest meteor smashes in his down aerial and aerial Wizard's Foot that is difficult to cancel out of when an opponent's damage is mid-high, essentially making them equivalent to spikes.
• 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 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 significantly higher base knockback (60 → 94) and a bigger hitbox, now capable of KOing at 115% and restoring its usefulness akin to its Melee counterpart.
• 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.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial's hitboxes produce more damage, dealing 1% more for the first clean (11% → 12%) and first late (7% → 8%), 3% more for the second clean (7% → 10%), and 2% more for the second late (5% → 7%). The first kick's base knockback was lowered (20 → 0), allowing it to combo into the second kick more effectively at low percentages, along with increased knockback growth (100 → 130/90) and higher angle (55/60/65 → 55/70/100) which keeps its KO power intact. The second kick 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 → 18 frames).
• Forward aerial has significantly less landing lag (32 → 23 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 → 20 frames).
• Up aerial has slightly less landing lag (22 → 20 frames).
• Down aerial has significantly less landing lag (35 → 28 frames). The sourspot on his upper body now sends at the Sakurai Angle, making it useful for edge-guarding and securing decisive KOs.
• 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 a hitbox near the fist that deals 42% damage. Grounded, non-reversed Warlock Punch also now has super armor during its start-up, lasting on frames 11-62 (starting when Ganondorf winds up his fist and ends right before he punches).
• 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.
• 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; these buffs have so far failed to address his most glaring flaws, but have mitigated some of his minor 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.

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: 60 → 94
• Down smash hitbox size: ? → ?
• 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.
• 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

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 thrusting 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 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 100%. 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 Twilight Princess as part of a sword combo.
Up smash			24% (leg), 21% (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"	12% (hit 1 clean), 8% (hit 1 late), 10% (hit 2 clean), 7% (hit 2 late)	Two quick mid-air kicks. The first hit deals the most damage, while the second kick has more KO power. Can combo into each other up until ~100%. Some landing lag if not used in a full hop.
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.
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 decent 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 decent 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 an extremely powerful meteor smash 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. 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 KOs 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 KOs 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%	Throws his opponent violently on 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 breakdance 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 or reversed.
	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 or reversed. 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 KOs 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% (hits 1-4), 7% (throw), 7% (uppercut), 6% (release)	Ganondorf latches onto an opponent and unleashes electricity onto them before launching 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 300%, while the uppercut has slightly better knockback and KOs at 200% instead, making it unviable for offense.
	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.

Taunts

• GanondorfUpTauntSSB4.jpg
• GanondorfSideTauntSSB4.jpg
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• 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.

Idle Poses

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

On-Screen Appearance

Emerges from a portal of dark magic.

Victory Fanfare

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. It is shared with Link, Zelda, Sheik, and Toon Link.

Victory Poses

• GanondorfPose1WiiU.png
• GanondorfPose2WiiU.png
• GanondorfPose3WiiU.png

• With his back facing the camera, Ganondorf punches his fist into his open palm, turns and faces the camera, and holds up his fist, the back of it facing the viewer.
• Pumps a victorious fist covered in dark lighting and crouches.
• While crossing his arms, he laughs in a seemingly sarcastic manner, then looks at the camera. References a scene in 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
•  Gungnir
•  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)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  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

• In previous Super Smash Bros. appearances, Ganondorf has a sword in some aesthetic capacity, whether that be in his artwork or one of his victory poses in Super Smash Bros. Melee, or in one of his taunts in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first entry in the series to have Ganondorf actually utilize his sword, albeit in a custom neutral special move.
• Ganondorf is the character with the most grab moves in the game, as both his side special and up special count as grabs and cannot be countered or shielded.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first game where Ganondorf is unlocked on a stage other than Final Destination.
• Ganondorf's cape has rips and tears in it, much like in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess after receiving damage from battle. However, despite Little Mac showing battle damage, Ganondorf's cape is torn from the start.
• In All-Star Mode, Ganondorf appears right next to Sheik since his human-like form (referred to as "Ganondorf") first appeared in Ocarina of Time alongside Sheik.
• When Ganondorf uses an aerial Flame Choke on an opponent with one stock left, he will sometimes shout his KO voice clip, despite not being KO'ed.
• Ganondorf is the only 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 actions in Ocarina of Time.
• Of all the veterans that have appeared in and retain their voice clips from Brawl, Ganondorf and Captain Falcon are the only ones to not make use of knockback sound clips that weren't used ingame in Brawl despite having them.