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
Tier	J (54)

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, he was leaked four times: via video footage from ESRB, outside the in-game stage boundaries in an official video (later replaced with a nearly-identical video sans Ganondorf), in Twitch livestreams, and a mention in Masahiro Sakurai's Pic of the day on October 10th, 2014.

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

Ganondorf is currently ranked 54th out of 56 characters on the tier list, a slight improvement from his dead last placement in Brawl but leaving him once again as the lowest-ranked heavyweight. He boasts high raw power and damage output that can net early KOs, a great edgeguard game with powerful aerials and the strongest meteor smash in the game with his down aerial, and has excellent shield breaking capabilities in his smashes and up tilt. However, like in Brawl, Ganondorf is significantly hindered by his slow mobility and frame data, which when coupled with his short reaching, poorly positioned hitboxes that also extend his hurtboxes and his tall size and heavy weight, leaves him exceptionally weak to rushdowns, combos, and projectile camping. His grab game outside of Flame Choke is very lackluster, and his recovery is among the worst due to being slow, linear, and predictable. Surprisingly for a powerhouse, Ganondorf has a fair number of weak, unrewarding moves that can neither combo or KO reliably, notably Dark Dive and his grabs. While Ganondorf is fairly popular in the SSB4 community as a "fun" or "disrespect" character due to his extravagant punishes, he has failed thus far to achieve success in the competitive scene beyond minor tournaments. He is considered to be significantly better when given access to custom special moves, primarily as they can grant him a greatly improved recovery, but since most tournaments do not allow customs, this has not helped his standing in the current metagame.

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 and endurance. 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 falling speed, high gravity, and the third lowest jump and double jump heights but the lowest jump heights overall due to the lower height jumpers (Kirby and Jigglypuff) possessing multiple mid-air jumps.

Ganondorf's greatest trait is his power, having attacks that are on par Bowser in terms of damage and knockback. Almost his entire moveset has the ability to KO under 150% or even 100% 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 with rage near the ledge) and sweetspotted up tilt (KOs middleweights at 33% near the ledge). Because of his strength, Ganondorf has an easy time netting KOs at high percentages, as his moves 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 or read followups, such as a follow-up forward tilt that can take a stock of any fighters with weak horizontal recoveries early.

Ganondorf is among the best edge-guarders in the game, as his powerful aerials are relatively fast (excluding forward air) and send foes far away from the stage even at medium percents, spelling trouble for any fighter without a long-distance recovery. His down aerial is the most powerful meteor smash in the game with little cooldown, and his up aerial's sourspot is among the best gimps in the game with its semi-spike angle and extreme hitstun. 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. Ganondorf also has the safest ledge grab, allowing him to edge-hog effectively and giving him decent protection from opponents when hanging from a ledge.

Fitting with his immense strength, Ganondorf has deadly shield breaking capabilities, with multiple attacks being able to fully shatter shields upon hit, making it very unsafe to overuse shields against him. Some notable examples include his up tilt's sweetspot, which can break full shields, and his forward and up smashes and aerial Wizard's Foot, which does incredibly high shield damage. As such, mistiming or overusing a shield against Ganondorf can result in high punishment, and he can also play mindgames against opponents with low shield health, as a hit from many of his attacks can break their shield or outright KO them at relatively low percentages, making them play more carefully.

However, Ganondorf possesses many potent flaws. His shield is very vulnerable to shield stabbing despite his size. Also, small characters can easily avoid due to the majority of his moves having short range, poorly placed hitboxes, and low durations, while also extending his hurtboxes and makes him vulnerable to trading or simply being grabbed out of an attack despite being visually out of range. Ganondorf's frame data also compounds this issue as it is the slowest out of all 56 characters, making his attacks very difficult to land while being equally punishable due to high startup, ending lag, and/or landing lag; barring neutral attack, standing grab, neutral aerial, and up aerial, none of his moves hit before frame 10 and end before frame 36. As a result of his slow attack speed, almost all his moves are completely unsafe on shield, making it very difficult to take full advantage of his extreme shield breaking capabilities. Ganondorf's overall physics leave him with poor mobility and approaching options, which makes closing the distance or creating space considerably difficult for him, and he is easily zoned out by projectile characters due to him lacking a projectile himself and his attributes. 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. Overall, this makes Ganondorf rely heavily on proper spacing and mindgames, as he cannot afford to whiff a single move.

Ganondorf's grab game is also a issue. It possess short range despite his size, his down throw is not as reliable as other down throws due to his physics and low hitstun, and his other throws have little follow-up or KO ability. 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 and one of the worst in the game due to its low distance and high vulnerability to edgeguarding and gimps. 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 offer little reward due to their inability to combo reliably or KO at realistic percentages (with some going past 200%), such as his neutral attack's sourspot, neutral aerial's late hitboxes, Dark Dive, and his aforementioned grab game.

Ganondorf drastically benefits from some of his custom moves. Ganondorf's recovery significantly benefits from the Wizard's Dropkick and Dark Fists customs. While Wizard's Dropkick is weaker, cannot meteor smash, and has slightly more endlag with more ineffective knockback angles, it is excellent against projectiles and for recovery, acting as a superior version of Flame Choke's 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 he 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. His other custom moves are ineffective as they offer very little bonuses over the default or other custom moves.

All in all, Ganondorf is a powerhouse who can deal large amounts of damage in only a few hits and as easily finish off an opponent with a single, well-placed attack. While Ganondorf is a much more rewarding character than in Brawl, he is once again among the lower-ranked characters in the game due to his lackluster mobility, frame data, recovery and lack of approaching and zoning options, forcing him to rely almost completely on punishes and mindgames. As such, 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 significantly more effective than before. Overall, Ganondorf is a high-risk, high-reward character; he struggles in consistent high-level play, but players very skilled with reads and mindgames can use his raw power to their advantage and end matches in a flash with the right amount of luck. Additionally, he is fairly popular as a "fun" or "disrespectful" character choice in non-serious settings due to his over-the-top punishes.

Changes from Brawl

After being deemed as the worst character in Brawl due to tremendous flaws, Ganondorf has been considerably buffed in his transition to SSB4, albeit not enough to significantly improve him overall. Some of his moves are faster (notably neutral attack, dash attack, and neutral aerial) or have more power (most notably down smash), his dash attack's sourspot has vastly improved combo potential, 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 aerials, 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, 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, lasts shorter, 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 issues being fixed were his unusually low attack power in spite of his character archetype, and to a lesser extent, less landing lag in his aerials.

Overall, Ganondorf is generally agreed to have objectively improved from Brawl, although this has barely helped his tier standing, and remains arguably inferior to his Melee counterpart in certain areas. Despite this, he is considered a much better and more rewarding character overall, as his matchups with the rest of the cast, while still generally poor, are not as abysmal as they were in Brawl (where Ganondorf was even occasionally placed in his own tier at the very bottom). 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.

Aside from a few minor animation changes and different custom moves, Ganondorf still remains a semi-clone of Captain Falcon. Ganondorf was slightly recloned in 1.1.3 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 heavier (109 → 113).
• Ganondorf dashes slightly faster (1.16 → 1.218).
• Ganondorf benefits from the removal (and possibly more so than anyone else) 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, as well as more often.
• 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 (0.846 → 0.79), harming his already poor recovery further.
• Ganondorf's gravity was increased (0.1027 → 0.10784), weakening his already poor recovery even further, decreasing his overall endurance potential, and making him slightly easier to combo.
• Ganondorf can no longer perform the Flight of Ganon.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack has one frame less start-up (8 (sweetspot)/7 (sourspot) → 7/6), less ending lag (IASA 34 → 28), and deals more damage (5%/7%/9% → 6%/8%/10%), giving Ganondorf a decent out of shield move.
• Dash attack's sourspot sends opponents on a more horizontal angle (100° → 80°) and the move has less ending lag (IASA 41 → 37), making it an effective combo starter and drastically improving its combo potential overall. The move additionally has 2 frames of invincibility after the start-up, aiding his defensive ability against powerful projectiles.
• Dash attack's sweetspot deals 1% 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 sweetspot 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

• All aerials' have less landing lag: 22 → 17 (neutral), 32 → 22 (forward), 22 → 19 (back/up), 35 → 26 (down).
• Neutral aerial deals 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 growth was drastically lowered (100 → 30) and hits at a higher angle (55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°), while transitioning to the second hit slightly faster (frame 20 → 17), allowing the two hits to combo effectively, akin to Captain Falcon's. It also gained a hitbox on the foot with increased knockback (20 base/100 growth → 30 base/110 growth) which knocks opponents out of the combo but is good for spacing. 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 slightly less ending lag (IASA 45 → 42).
• The drastically reduced knockback on neutral aerial's first hit makes the move less safe on hit and on landing and less effective as a spacer unless hitting with the foot, while completely removing its KOing capabilities. The first hit also deals 4% less damage on the clean hitbox (11% → 7%) and 1.75% on the late (7% → 5.25%).
• Forward aerial 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 20/90), making the sourspot much less of a hindrance.
• Back aerial has stronger knockback (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.
• Down aerial's 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 lasts 2 frames shorter (16-20 → 16-18) and 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 can also 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%).
• 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.
• Non-reversed Warlock Punch is weaker, dealing 2% less damage (32% → 30%) and weaker knockback (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%). Grounded Flame Choke's grabbox range was increased by two units, and due to the changes in ledge mechanics, using grounded Flame Choke on a person using their normal get-up option will cause them to miss their ledge grab. In addition, 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 growth 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.
• Grounded Wizard's Foot deals 2% more damage (12%/10%/10% → 14%/12%/12%), allowing to outprioritize most low-damaging projectiles, improves its KOing capabilities near the ledge, and makes the move more safer at low percentages. 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; to the point where full hopping at the ledge and then using it offstage can be recovered with second jump and Dark Dive. 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

While Ganondorf's glaring flaws have not been fixed, he has multiple buffs that addresses 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; possessing either less landing lag, better hitbox placement, or dealing more shield damage. 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. Update 1.1.5 improved Ganondorf's neutral by making his infamously slow neutral attack significantly faster and lowering the hitbox position so it hits smaller opponents more effectively, less ending lag on his dash attack, and making his previously ineffective down special, Wizard's Foot, more effective by increasing the damage, making it KO earlier, out-prioritize weaker projectiles, and is overall more safer and more rewarding on hit. As a result, he is considered a much better character 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

• Neutral attack deals 1% more damage on the arm and hand hitboxes respectively: 6%/9% → 7%/10%.
• Up, forward and down throws have less hitlag.

1.1.0

• All variations of Wizard's Foot deal more shield damage when used in the air: 10 → 15.
• Down smash knockback growth increased: 75 → 94
• Down smash's second kick has a bigger hitbox: 5.5 → 6.5.
• Forward aerial damage deals 1% more damage on both hitboxes: 16%/17% → 17%/18%.
• Up throw deals 3% more 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 is significantly improved. The first kick has drastically reduced knockback that allows it combo into the second hit more effectively similar to Captain Falcon's, has a new hitbox on his foot that deals high knockback for spacing properties, transitions three frames faster, has 3 frames less ending lag, and deals 2% more damage on the both the clean and late hitboxes on the second kick.
• The drastically reduced knockback on neutral aerial's first hit makes the move less safe on hit and on landing and less effective as a spacer unless hitting with the foot, while completely removing its KOing capabilities. It also deals less damage on the clean and late hitbox.
• Neutral, forward, back and up aerials all have 1 frame less landing lag.
• Down aerial has 2 frames less landing lag, and the hitbox is shifted down two units, giving it more range below him as well as making it easier to land the sourspot.
• Down smash's second kick now sends shielding opponents at a different angle, now pushing opponents away rather than towards him.
• Down smash now flips opponents.
• Warlock Punch and Warlock Blade have increased super armor frames and have added armor when ground reversed.
• Grounded Flame Choke grabbox modified so it no longer misses grounded opponents.
• Dark Dive improved. The multi-hits deal 0.2% more damage, the final hit deals 2% more damage, and has slightly increased knockback growth.

Technical changelist 1.1.3

Change	Old value	New value
Neutral aerial first kick knockback	0 (base)/130/90 (growth)	20 (base)/30 (growth)
Neutral aerial first kick new hitbox	N/A	30 (base)/110 (growth)
Neutral aerial first kick damage	12% (clean)/8% (late)	7%/5.25%
Neutral aerial second kick	frame 20	frame 17
Neutral aerial second kick damage	10% (clean)/7% (late)	12%/9%
Neutral aerial ending lag	45 frames	42 frames
Neutral, forward, back and up aerials landing lag	18 frames/23 frames/20 frames	17/22/19
Down aerial landing lag	28 frames	26 frames
Down smash second kick shield angle	130°	50°
Grounded, non-reversed Warlock Punch super armor frames	11-63	11-66
Grounded, reverse Warlock Punch super armor frames	N/A	11-58
Grounded, reverse Warlock Blade super armor frames	N/A	11-54
Dark Dive multi-hits	1%	1.2%
Dark Dive throw damage	7%	9%
Dark Dive knockback growth	82	90

1.1.4

• Ganondorf is slightly heavier: 112 → 113.

1.1.5

• Neutral attack damage: 4%/7%/10% → 6%/8%/10%.
• Neutral attack start-up: 8 frames → 7.
• Neutral attack ending lag: 34 frames → 28.
• Neutral attack hitbox 1/2 position: 12/18 → 11/19 (shifted downward).
• Dash attack ending lag: 41 frames → 37.
• Grounded Flame Choke and Flame Wave grabbox range increased by 2 units.
• Grounded Wizard's Foot (clean) damage: 12% → 14%
• Grounded Wizard's Foot (late) damage: 10% → 12%
• Grounded Wizard's Dropkick (clean) damage: 9% → 11%
• Grounded Wizard's Dropkick (late) damage: 7% → 9%
• Grounded Wizard's Assault (clean) damage: 10% → 12%
• Grounded Wizard's Assault (late) damage: 9% → 11%
• Standing grab range increased: 5.5u (grabbox 1)/5.2u (grabbox 2) → 7.5u/7.2u
• Dash grab range increased: 6u (grabbox 1)/5.2u (grabbox 2) → 8u/7.2.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			10% (hand), 8% (arm), 6% (body)	Leans in with a palm strike. Ganondorf's fastest ground attack, with decent range and knockback, but has high cool down. Despite Ganondorf's power archetype, his jab damage (apart from the sweetspot) and setup is among the weaker ones in the game, and is one of three jabs with a sourspot (the others being Marth and Roy).
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 notorious for instantly shattering full shields and KOing at low percentages when near the ledge, but has immense starting 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. The sweetspot is able to reliably KO at around 140%. The sourspot, despite severely lacking in KO power, has a longer-lasting hitbox than the sweetspot and can be comboed into any of his aerials at varying percentages, with up aerial striking the entire cast between 70% and 90%.
Forward smash			24%	Thrusts his elbow forward, dealing dark damage. 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. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. 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. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. Notably, when sweetspotted it is the strongest up smash in the game.
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, their's a hitbox on Ganondorf's thigh that causes it to not link correctly as it knocks out of the combo. 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), 5.25% (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. The first kick has a hitbox on the toe that knocks opponents away and out of the combo, but is useful as a spacer. Moderate landing lag if not used in a full hop. However, due to the first kick's extremely low knockback, 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. Very likely to take a stock at medium percentages if used quickly after a ledge trump.
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. Has surprisingly little cool down, but moderately high landing lag unless used with a full hop, although it is capable of comboing into itself at very low percentages. All hitboxes have transcendent priority, meaning that it cannot cancel out projectiles.
Grab			—	Ganondorf grabs his opponent with his right hand. 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 can set up for an edgeguard. Ganondorf's strongest throw, KOing 37% earlier than his forward throw. 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 growth. 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 growth prevents it from KOing until 245%.
Down throw			7%	Violently slams the opponent into the ground. A weak throw with very low knockback growth, 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. Has a very long reach and can even occasionally stage spike enemies near or at the ledge behind him.
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 and knockback 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 ledge with enough rage and even instantly shatter full shields, while the grounded version can OHKO certain lightweight fighters near the ledge.When reversed, can KO middleweights at a stunning 16% with no rage. 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 KO 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	14%/12% (ground), 15%/14% (air), 8% (landing)	Surrounded by darkness, Ganondorf launches himself while extending his leg out, dealing decent damage and knockback, but has 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. Has relatively high shield damage in the air, able to bring shields to a silver of health if all its hitboxes connect. 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	11%/9% (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 to come back to the stage, vault over most projectiles, 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	12%/11%/7% (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.

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

Active

•  Adom
•  Evilgoku
•  Deeder
•  Gado
•  GanonTheBeast
•  Jile
•  Pon
•  Ray Kalm
•  Vermanubis

Inactive

•  Vex Kasrani

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)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Beast Ganon

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.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Ganondorf's amiibo.

• 

  On Battlefield.

• 

  Using Flame Choke on Link on Final Destination.

• 

  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 as an attack, albeit with a custom special, Warlock Blade.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first game where Ganondorf is unlocked on a stage other than Final Destination.
• Ganondorf's neutral moveset has the most grab moves in the game, as both Flame Choke and Dark Dive count as grabs and cannot be shielded or countered.
• 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'd.
• 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 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 an unusual way due to it not being slowed down with him.
• Despite Ganondorf retaining his voice clips from Brawl, his laughing SFX for his up taunt has been slightly altered, due to it being re-recorded.
• Ganondorf's NTSC crowd chant is very similar to the one in Melee, where the crowd eerily drags out the second part of his name.