Ganondorf

"Both of you, faithless fools who would dare to take up arms against the king of light and shadow... So you choose! And so you shall feel my wrath!"

- Ganondorf possessing Zelda.

Ganondorf (called Ganondorf Dragmire in the early English versions) is the primary antagonist in The Legend of Zelda series of video games, in which he either appears under his humanoid form or his mightier transformation, sometimes under both. He is the king of the mostly-female thieves known as the Gerudos, the reincarnation and successor of Demise as the King of Evil of the Zelda world, and the holder of the Triforce of Power.

Ganondorf constantly tries to steal the other two Triforce pieces, Wisdom and Courage, to obtain the power of the Golden Goddesses and make the world his own, and is locked in permanent conflict with the main protagonists Link and Princess Zelda throughout history.

Alter-egos
Over the years, Ganondorf has had multiple different copies and counterparts who have made appearances. The first of these to appear was Agahnim - who was created by Ganon as a means to escape the Dark World - Agahnim only exists in the Decline Timeline. The second was Phantom Ganon - who was created as a powerful minion in the Unified Timeline - but then banished, causing a second Phantom Ganon to appear in both the Child and Adult timelines, and a third Phantom Ganon to appear on the Child Timeline. Ganon's resentment and evil thoughts also manifest as Shadow Link in both the Split and Decline Timelines. In the Adult timeline a Puppet Ganon was also created.

Ganondorf himself, is a reincarnation of Demise.

Biography
This biography of Ganon is organized into the latest "official Zelda timeline", this may change completely in the future as the timeline given is merely meant as an example, and their have been official timelines before it.

Unified Timeline
The Unified Timeline refers to events before the split in Ocarina of Time and thus occurs in every timeline, the split happens in the final battle with Ganon.

Skyward Sword

 * See: Demise

Ganondorf's past self, Demise appears in this game.

After Hylia's servant, Impa, escaped with Zelda into the past, and a Gate of Time was revealed in the Sealed Grounds, the seal on Demise broke and he escaped under his Imprisoned form. However, the Chosen Hero of the Goddess, Link, defeated him, driving the Seal Spike into his skull and resealing him below the Sealed Grounds.

Demise later escaped again, but was again defeated and sealed up by Link, with help from a fellow child of the sky, Groose, and his catapult. This happened a third time as well. As Demise was about to escape a fourth time, Link made a wish with the Triforce, causing the Statue of the Goddess to fall and crush Demise, obliterating him.

However, Ghirahim traveled to the past with Zelda and, by means of a ritual, gave her soul to Demise, who was able to return to power. Demise transformed Ghirahim back into a sword and remarked Link, who is facing him without fear. Favorably impressed, Demise told him that if he wished to fight him, he should enter his own dimension away from any distractions, otherwise, he could just wait for Demise to destroy the entire world.

Link entered the dimension and fought Demise. Eventually, Link defeated Demise by stabbing him with a Killing Blow using the Master Sword. Before disintegrating into black smoke, Demise praised Link's valor but cast a curse so that his hatred would be reincarnated to torment Link and Zelda's descendants forever. What remained of Demise's consciousness was absorbed into the Master Sword, to decay over time until there was nothing left

Between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time
Several hundred years after Demise's consciousness had been absorbed into the Master Sword, he finally decayed into nonexistence, allowing him to be reborn as Ganondorf.

Ocarina of Time
"These toys are too much for you! I command you to return them to me!"

- Ganondorf

By the time of the events of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was striving to conquer the lands of Hyrule and obtain the Triforce. In order to access the Triforce within the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf sought the three Spiritual Stones from the Kokiri, Gorons, and Zoras. When they refused to hand them over, he cursed the Great Deku Tree and Lord Jabu-Jabu and blocked off Dodongo's Cavern. At the same time, he pledged false allegiance to the King of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda sensed the evil within Ganondorf and, along with Link, strove to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce. Ganondorf betrayed and assaulted Hyrule Castle while Link gathered the three Spiritual Stones. He only came in time to see Zelda and Impa flee, pursued by Ganondorf. Ganondorf demanded Link to tell him where the two had fled too, but Link did not tell him. When Link shortly after opened the gate to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf followed him and seized the opportunity to obtain the Triforce, with partial success. As he touched the Triforce, it split, leaving Ganondorf with only the Triforce of Power.

During the time that Link was asleep, Ganondorf conquered Hyrule while waiting for the moment he would find the other owners of the other two Triforce pieces. Eventually, he found them in the Temple of Time, where he kidnapped Zelda and challenged Link to come save her. The three met again in Ganon's Tower, where the final battle ensued. Link reaches the top of the Tower to discover Ganondorf playing an organ (the sound of which can be heard throughout the Tower) and engages and bests him in battle. Link had to turn back the yellow bolts of light that he casted at him to bind the Evil King. After that, he fired a Light Arrow to stun him, and Link delivered the coup de grace with his Master Sword. Whenever he recovered, Link repeated this strategy and if he tried to accumulate dark energy for a devastating attack, a Light Arrow could be shot beforehand. After a couple of times, he fell, defeated and tried to bury Link and Zelda by crumbling the tower; fortunately, they managed to get out in time. Enraged, Ganondorf managed to pull together all his strength and unleashed the essence of the Triforce of Power to transform into a bestial form, Ganon. Despite this, Link managed to defeat him by striking its tail with the aid of the Megaton Hammer and the Biggoron Sword until he was weak enough to cast down his fire barrier so Link could recover his Master Sword. Using the Master Sword and some techniques like countering its blades' slashes with slashes of his own, firing a light arrow to its face and rolling between his legs, he managed to hack away at his tail some more times to weaken the Evil Beast. Link, with the help of the Master Sword, Navi, Zelda, and the power of the other Six Sages; dealt the final blow and Ganondorf was sealed into the Sacred Realm, where he could not harm Hyrule or lay his hands on the remaining pieces of the Triforce.

Child Timeline
This is the timeline where Link was sent back to the past and was able to warn the Royal Family of Ganondorf's treachery, leading to the events of Twilight Princess backstory.

Majora's Mask
Ganondorf briefly appears in a flashback in the Majora's Mask manga. The flashback showcases part of Ganondorf's battle with Link.

Twilight Princess
"Do not think this ends here... The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"

- Ganondorf after being defeated

Prior to the events of Twilight Princess, Ganondorf was captured, put on trial, and sentenced to execution by the Sages. While they managed to severely wound him, they could not kill him. It was revealed that he possessed the Triforce of Power, and with it, he managed to free himself from his chains, and well as kill the Sage of Water. Knowing no better solution, the Sages opened the gate to the Twilight Realm and sent Ganondorf through it. There he influenced Zant, who had been denied the throne of the Twilight Realm, to seize control and access Hyrule again. Ganondorf granted Zant a fraction of his power, in return for the opportunity to escape the Twilight Realm.

Before being killed by Midna, Zant said that Ganondorf will endlessly resurrect him. Link faced Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle and possessed Zelda's body, but Link defeated him and Midna drove him out. Ganondorf transformed into Ganon. Unlike his previous transformation into Ganon, this Ganon was on four legs and his weak spot was the scar on his chest. Link transformed into a wolf, in a sacred beast vs. evil beast battle, and Link won. Ganondorf transformed into a beast of flame, and Midna transformed and fought him, but he defeated her and engaged Link in horseback battle. Link knocked him off the horse, and Link and Ganondorf had their final battle, in which Link knocked Ganondorf down and stabbed him in his execution wound. The Triforce of Power left him, thus rendering him mortal, and he has a vision of Zant snapping his neck before dying.

Four Swords Adventures
Ganondorf is again reincarnated as a member of the Gerudo tribe and begins his plan to usurp the powers of others so that he can once again cover Hyrule in Darkness.

Ganondorf begins his plan by violating the Gerudo law and heading to the Pyramid, inside he finds the Trident of Power, a demonic weapon of great power, now with the mighty Trident Ganon was the King of Darkness once again. Ganondorf then headed to the forests where the Deku began to worship him, he collected the Dark Mirror and released the Shadow Links from it.

He then began the next phase of his plan, sending the Shadow Links to trick Hyrule's Hero Link into releasing Vaati's essence from his seal. Once Vaati's essence was released, Ganondorf revived Vaati and took control of him, he used Vaati to corrupt the Royal Jewels and turn them into Dark Crystals. Once this was done, Ganondorf fought and defeated the Knights of Hyrule - transforming them into demons. Ganondorf then opened up the Dark World and unleashed an army of demons. He sent Vaati to the Palace of Winds and sealed it away, fooling the Heroes into believing that Vaati was the one behind the events, Ganondorf lurked in the Dark World below the Palace of Winds, where he absorbed the Maidens power.

The Links eventually defeated all of Ganon's minions and made their way to the top of the Palace of Winds, Vaati - under the control of Ganondorf - fought them but was defeated. The heroes descended to the bottom of the tower, where they found what was left of Vaati's darkness. Ganondorf absorbed the power, adding it to the other power he had stolen, and transformed into Ganon, engaging the heroes. Ganon was defeated and sealed inside the Four Sword.

His Shadow Link minions are manifestations of the resentment and evil thoughts of his previous incarnation and are thus a part of him.

Adult Timeline
This is the timeline where Ganondorf was sealed after ruling Hyrule and then being defeated by Link, he eventually escaped, leading to the backstory of The Wind Waker.

The Wind Waker
""Gods! Hear that which I desire! Expose this land to the rays of the sun once more! Let them burn forth! GIVE HYRULE TO ME!!!""

- Ganon

Long before the events in The Wind Waker, Ganon managed to escape and wreak havoc in Hyrule once more. No hero appeared this time and the Gods were forced to flood Hyrule in order to stop Ganon.

However, he managed to free himself and rebuilt his army. Still wanting to obtain the Triforce, he sent one of his minions, the Helmaroc King, on a search for "young girls with pointy ears", hoping to find Princess Zelda, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Among the girls kidnapped is Link's sister, Aryll, and this sets Link off on his adventure to rescue her. Link finds Ganondorf's hideout, the Forsaken Fortress, where Ganondorf had Link thrown far away into the ocean after being caught by the Helmaroc King. Later, it is revealed that Ganondorf has limited magic strength, for his powers were sealed away by the gods with the aid of the Master Sword. However, without this knowledge, Link himself takes the Master Sword, and thus removed the only barrier restraining Ganondorf's power.

Soon afterwards atop the Forsaken Fortress, Ganondorf reveals that the Master Sword is dull; its power to banish evil gone. Link and the pirate captain Tetra narrowly escape safely with the help of the Sky Spirit Valoo and the Rito, before Ganondorf can seize Tetra, who he finds is actually Princess Zelda and the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom.

After this, Zelda is hidden inside the underwater castle in Hyrule and Link begins his quest to reawaken the Master Sword. Once Link achieves his goals of finding the Triforce of Courage and restoring the Master Sword, Ganondorf locates their haven and consequently captures Zelda, whom he takes to his underwater tower. Link finds Zelda unharmed, lying in a bed, sleeping, with Ganondorf watching over her and her dreams. However, before Link has any chance to approach, Ganondorf transforms into a giant puppet, which Link defeats. Ganondorf finally reappears to challenge Link, and with Zelda in his arm, he rises to the rooftop of the tower.

Soon after Link reached the rooftop, Ganondorf speaks to him about his reasons for desperately searching for the Triforce pieces, revealing a little of his origins from the harsh Gerudo Desert and his desire to take over the green landscapes of Hyrule. When he declares that he already has in his possession the Triforce of Wisdom, Ganondorf suddenly rushes against Link and delivers swift, hard blows that leave Link half-conscious and the Master Sword out of reach. Ganondorf, using his Triforce of Power, summons the two missing Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda and reforms the Triforce. Nevertheless, right before Ganondorf is able to touch the Triforce and make his wish come true, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last King of Hyrule, appears to touch the Triforce first and makes the wish of washing away the ancient land of Hyrule. The Triforce disappears and water starts pouring through the protective barrier into the land of Hyrule as Ganondorf laughs scornfully. Link wakes up at that point and Zelda approaches him holding the Master Sword for Link to engage Ganondorf in a last battle. Now that he no longer has the Triforce of Power, he is no longer immortal. Ultimately with Zelda's aid, Ganondorf is defeated when Link deals the final blow by plunging the Master Sword straight into Ganondorf's forehead, turning him into stone. He remains atop the tower under the Great Sea with the Master Sword in his head, and the ocean finally drowns Hyrule under the Great Sea.

Phantom Hourglass
Ganondorf does not make an appearance in game but is mentioned in the game's prologue detailing the events of The Wind Waker.

Decline Timeline
This is the timeline where Ganondorf killed Link in his final battle with him, leading to the Imprisoning War described in the backstory to A Link to the Past.

A Link to The Past

 * See: Agahnim

Ganondorf appears in the backstory of A Link To The Past (manga only), showing how he stole the Triforce and became Ganon. He also appears in the non-canon comic, which features the first ever design of Ganondorf. Although the manga is non-canon, it should be noted that it bore a strong resemblance to Ganondorf's appearance in Ocarina of Time.

Oracle of Ages/Seasons
Ganondorf appears again as Agunima (a copy), who was left to guard the Dancing Dragon Dungeon.

He was also to appear in the Linked games as a boss before transforming into Ganon but was cut. In the final game he appears in his Ganon form after he is resurrected by Twinrova.

A Link Between Worlds

 * Yuga_art.pngSee: Yuga 

Ganondorf appears in his Ganon form  in Lorule where he is resurrected by Yuga. Ganondorf's Lorule counterpart, Yuga, is one of the games main antagonists alongside Ganon himself, late in the game, Ganon and Yuga fuse into YuGanon.

The Legend of Zelda
Ganondorf appears as Ganon: who had stolen the Triforce of Power attacked Hyrule in an attempt to steal the Triforce of Wisdom. He made his base of operations in Death Mountain under Spectacle Rock. Princess Zelda split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces. His humanoid form also appears in game under the aliases 'Agahnim' during the time of disasters in Hyrule, he joins the king and stops them all, only to take control of Hyrule after the king drops his guard transforming the land into the Dark World, he also manages to take control of Hyrule by stating that Link is behind these events, at the end of the game, Link defeats Agahnim, who then transforms into Ganon, ands to prevent Ganon from laying his hands on it. Link assembled them and fought and defeated Ganon, using the Silver Arrows to defeat him.

The Adventure of Link
Ganondorf does not appear in the first game's sequel, as his minions are attempting to revive him. He appears in his Ganon form in the game over screen. One of Ganondorf's alter-egos (copies), the Magician, appears in the backstory, where he casts Zelda into a deep sleep.

One of the more notable events in the comics is when Link steals the Triforce of Power from Ganondorf, causing most of his minions to abandon him, and his power to weaken to what they were at the end of the Child portion of Ocarina of Time.

Hyrule Warriors
Long ago, Ganondorf attempted to take over Hyrule, but a past Link fought and defeated him, Link broke Ganondorf's spirit into four pieces - sending three into the depths of time and space, and the fourth piece at the entrance to the temple containing the Master Sword.

Eventually, the Triforce guardian witch Cia's infatuation with Link caused her to grow corrupted, and allowed Ganondorf to corrupt Cia, and have him as his figurehead leader of the Dark Forces.

In the end, Ganondorf was revived through three of his spirit fragments. Now working separately from Cia, he attacked Link and Zelda at the Temple of Souls, but Link defeated Ganondorf, destroying him. However, Ganondorf was revived through his fourth and final spirit fragment, resurrecting Zant and Ghirahim (who had been destroyed and imprisoned in a Portal of Souls, respectively). The evil trio took control of Gerudo Desert, and Ganondorf took the Triforce pieces from Link, Zelda, and Lana.

Believing the battle to be won, Ganondorf disappeared. This gave Link and his allies the opportunity to defeat Ghirahim and Zant, destroying them once and for all. Then they attacked Ganon's Castle, which he had turned Hyrule Castle into. Once defeated again, Ganondorf transformed into Ganon. Link defeated Ganondorf, then he, Zelda, and Lana used the Triforce to destroy him. What remained of his darkness was either sealed or destroyed when Link and Zelda returned the Master Sword.

Ancient Stone Tablets
The BS exclusive Ancient Stone Tablets is a sequel to A Link to the Past, taking place six years after. After his defeat by Link in the previous game, Ganondorf's spirit survived and managed to call the Hero of Light to Hyrule, planning to steal his power. Finally after being resurrected as Ganon the two battle, with the Hero of Light defeating the demon king.

The Legend of Zelda (comic series)
In the Zelda comic series, Ganondorf is resurrected after the events of The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link. Ganondorf appears in both his regular Ganondorf form, and in his Ganon form.

Ganondorf's primary goal on the series is to reunite the Triforce in order to become toe supreme ruler of the Light World. Also, despite his previous defeats, Ganondorf managed to regain his forces and even gather new generals, such as The Shadow and the Thunderbird. He is also semi-successful, as he manages to capture both Link and Zelda multiple times.

Powers and Abilities
Even without the Triforce, Ganondorf possess incredible fighting skills, enough to fight both Link and Zelda at the same time using twin blades. He also possesses dark magic abilities, such as energy blasts, and super strength. Ganondorf also has control over monsters. Just before gaining the full Triforce, Ganondorf fought and killed all of his followers that he did not trust at the same time, and singlehandedly defeated them. Several of these abilities were gifted to Ganondorf due to him formerly being Demise, and retaining these powers from his past life.

With the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf becomes godly in power, invincible to all but the most powerful sacred weapons: the only things which can destroy his body being the Master Sword and the Silver Arrows. Ganondorf is immortal and possesses the ability to fly, teleport, possess others, empower other beings, utilize powerful magic, create powerful monsters, and also possess superhuman traits: such as enhanced reflexes and unlimited strength. All of the powers utilized by Zant are through Ganondorf's power, meaning that Ganon also possess the ability to rapid fire small blasts, grow to a giant size; and shrink to a miniature state, breath underwater, and create constructs.

Even when in danger, Ganondorf can tap into his true demonic powers, adding it to the power he has as Ganondorf and with the Triforce of Power, becoming Ganon.

While possessing Zelda, Ganondorf utilized the Triforce of Wisdom to create massive Golden Triangles with damaging qualities.

While controlling Vaati and draining his power, he is also able to utilize Vaati's powers: such as his wind magic.

The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest
Ganondorf appears as Ganon as the final boss of The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest part of Nintendo Land.

Players

 * Link
 * Young Link
 * Captain Falcon

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee Ganondorf appears as a playable character; unlocked through successfully completing event mode #29 (Triforce Gathering) or, alternately, playing 600 versus mode matches. His design is based on his appearance in Ocarina of Time with a moveset almost identical to that of Captain Falcon, the prime difference being that Ganondorf lacks Captain Falcon's speed but makes up for it by dealing greater damage to his opponents. His moves also differ in that they utilize dark magic in place of fire.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ganondorf returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl  with an upgraded design based on his appearance in Twilight Princess.

Subspace Emissary
In the game's adventure mode, Ganondorf has been resurrected by Master Hand (though with only his warlock powers and no Triforce of Power) and serves as one of the main antagonists, commanding the Subspace Army whose goal is to bring the world into Subspace for their leader, Master Hand. However, Ganondorf's true intention is to betray Master Hand and seize his power for himself. He leads a team of several villains such as Ridley, Porky, Petey Piranha, and Wario, in addition to Bowser, who acts as his second in command, he is also given command over the Subspace army and it's commanders: Galleom and Duon. After commanding the R.O.B Squad to set off Multiple Subspace Bombs, Ganondorf orders them to betray the Ancient Minister, their former master, who in return joins the heroes in his true form - R.O.B. Soon after Ganondorf and Bowser emerge from Subspace in a Massive Subspace Gunship, and engage in battle with the heroes, however they fail and abandon the exploding ship and head back to Subspace. Afterwards the two travel to Master Hand, however, Ganondorf betrays Bowser and turns him into a trophy using a Dark Cannon. Master Hand himself is seen to be controlled by Tabuu, the embodiment of Subspace. Ganondorf, surprised at this revelation, leaps to attack the dark being with a Warlock Punch, only to be turned into a trophy himself due to his lack of the Triforce of Power. When Bowser is revived by King Dedede, he furiously attacks Ganondorf's trophy in an act of vengeance. Link and Zelda come across the trophy and revive him, forming a temporary alliance as all the characters prepare for the final battle against Tabuu. After every fighter is returned to normal, all of them, including Ganondorf, battle Tabuu, eventually defeat him and returning the world from subspace.

While presumably non-canon, the events of the game would take place a short while after Twilight Princess in the Child Timeline.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U
Ganondorf returns as a playable character in the video game; Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. He retains his physical appearance in Twilight Princess, which includes the hole on his chest, as well as maintaining moveset from Brawl. He even has a palette swap that resembles Yuga's color scheme. He is an unlockable character in the 3DS version, but he is available from the start in the Wii U version.

Theme Music

 * The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony - Dark Lord Ganondorf

Boss Music

 * A Link to the Past - Battle Agahnim Battle
 * Ocarina of Time - King of Evil Ganondorf Battle Great King of Evil Ganondorf Battle
 * The Wind Waker - Ganondorf Battle
 * Twilight Princess - Horseback Ganondorf Battle
 * Twilight Princess - Dark Lord Ganondorf Battle

The Legend of Zelda (TV series)
Ganondorf appeared as Ganon, he was the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda TV series.

Captain N: The Game Master
Ganondorf appears again as Ganon in Captain N: The Game Master, the events took place after the Zelda TV series. He was a major antagonist and even was a more major villain than Mother Brain (the shows main antagonist) at one point.

The Legend of Zelda (April Fools movie)
Ganondorf appeared as the main antagonist in The Legend of Zelda, an April Fools joke by Nintendo and IGN to trick people into thinking there was a Legend of Zelda movie in the making. He was played by Gregory Lee Kenyon. Ganondorf fought Link with a flaming sword in the movie's climax and had many minions, such as Armogohma and King Dodongo.

The Legend of Zelda (Pre-rendered 3D Movie)
Ganondorf would have appeared as the main antagonist of the cancelled The Legend of Movie movie.

In the only revealed scene, Ganondorf sends his Shadow Knights to kidnap Zelda, after Link reveals himself and defeats three of the Knights, Ganon appears and prepares for a showdown with Link and Zelda.

Stupid Mario Bros.
In the YouTube series Stupid Mario Bros., he was the hidden main antagonist and the master of Nox Decious. To defeat the Mario Brother's and Decious' former henchman, the Darkness, he formed the League of Bad Guys which included every other villain of the show (FedEx, Bowser, Blaire Vherestorm, Liquid Snake, Scott Masterson, Pauline, Zubashi and Decious). It was revealed that he planned to merge the Real World with the Dark Realm. However, all the other members died or failed until only Ganondorf was left. He finally got killed by Mario. He was portrayed by Matthew Thomas Provencal.

Hyrule: Total War
Ganondorf is the leader of the Gerudo tribe in Hyrule Total War, he is presumably the reincarnation of King Ganon. His alias Agahnaim appears in the game as well.

Description
''The last of the male Gerudo and undisputed emperor of the Gerudo race, Lord Ganondorf has made it his life duty to see that his people are restored to their former glory at any cost. The oppressive Kingdom of Hyrule and other races of the land have become targets of his hate, malice, and desire for conquest. In battle he wields the mighty trident of King Ganon and a scimitar, and with him the secretive Vagrudanon serve as his bodyguards.''

Hyrule Historia
The Hyrule Historia provides several different pieces of art of Ganondorf, Ganon, and Demise.

Trivia

 * Ganon of Four Swords Adventures is the only main villain in the Zelda series not to be killed, as he ends up sealed inside the Four Sword while the previous Ganondorf (in both timelines), Ghirahim, Demise, Majora, Bellum, Chancellor Cole, Malladus, Zant, and Vaati did not survive their final battles.