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

Ganondorf (called Ganondorf Dragmire in early English versions) is the reincarnation of the hatred of Demise from Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and the humanoid version of Ganon with whom he interchangeably appears as the primary antagonist in most Zelda games. He is a leader of a species of female thieves known as the Gerudos, and holds the Triforce of Power. Ganondorf constantly tries to steal the other two Triforce pieces, Wisdom and Courage, to obtain the power of the gods.

Titles
Like most bosses in The Legend of Zelda series, Ganondorf has recieved multiple titles. In his original appearances he was referred to as the Demon King. He is many times named as the King of Evil, but Ocarina of Time takes this a step further calling him the Great King of Evil. In The Wind Waker he is named the Emperor of the Dark World, and in Twilight Princess he is given the title of Dark Lord.

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. Favourably 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 valour 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.

Ocarina of Time
"These toys are too much for you! I command that you 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. Enraged, Ganondorf unleashed the essence of the Triforce of Power, and transformed into the bestial form of Ganon. Despite this, Link managed to defeat him by using the Master Sword and the power of the Sages. Ganon 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 weher Link was sent back to the past and was able to warn the Royal Family of Ganondorf'f treacher, leading to the events of Twilight Princess' backstory.

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

Twilight Princess
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 before dying, he saw a vision of Zant snapping his neck, indicating that he can no longer be resurrected.

Four Swords Adventures
Ganondorf is mentioned as a man who was to become the desert Guardian but ran away in search of power, he appears as the King of Darkness, Dark Link and Vaati's master and the final boss in the game. His human apperance in game is said to be similar to that of the Wind Waker deisgn (as shown in the manga).

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!!!

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.

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

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 (though it has no similarity to the modern Ganondorf in any way and is non-canon.)

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 ressurected by Twinrova.

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 ressurected as Ganon the two battle, with the Hero of Light defeating the demon king.

A Link Between Worlds
In the upcoming Zelda game, Ganondorf, in his Ganon form, appears in Lorule at one point during the story. Ganondorf's Lorule counterpart, Yuga, is one of the games main antagonists.

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 shHis humanoid form also appears in game under the aliase '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.ards to prevent Ganon from laying his hands on it. Link assembled them and fought and defeated Ganon, using the Silver Arrows to defeat him.

Adventure of Link
Ganon 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.

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 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. ''In the game's adventure mode, Ganondorf 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 gathers several villains such as Ridley, Duon, Golleum, Porkey, Petey Parahna, and Wario, in addition to Bowser who acts as his second in command. 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. Soon after Ganondorf and Bowser emerge from Subspace in an 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. 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, only to be turned into a trophy himself. When Bowser is revived by King Deedee, 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 defeating him and returning the world from subspace.

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.

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 (CGI 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.

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.