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This Villain was proposed and approved by Villains Wiki's Pure Evil Proposals Thread. Any act of removing this villain from the category without a Removal Proposal shall be considered vandalism (or a futile "heroic" attempt of redemption) and the user will have high chances of being | ||
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| “ | You're trying to steal my throne through trickery...but I won't fall for it! The royal throne belongs to me! I struggled and fought and finally rose to power! I will not forfeit it to you! | „ |
| ~ Zant rejects Link's offer of redemption |
Zant, also known as the Usurper King, is the secondary antagonist of the 2016 manga series The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by Akira Himekawa, an adaptation of the 2006 video game of the same name.
The aide to the late King of the Twilight Realm, Zant sought to use his death to achieve his long-held goal of ruling the realm, but was passed over in favor of his own former protégé and the King's daughter, Princess Midna. When she refuses his offer of marriage, Zant asks for power from Ganondorf to usurp Midna and invade the Light Realm to rule both worlds, thus becoming Midna's archenemy.
Appearance[]
Zant has a tall, slender build with long arms that is noticeably go down to the knees. He dons an oversized regal robe of black colours decorated with aquamarine symbols representing the Twili, with eight red and aqua tassels at the end of his sleeves. Over the robe, he dons a metallic shoulder guard with a red gem in the middle, as well as a dark red tabard decorated with golden motifs that bear a resemblance to the Gerudo symbol, hinting at an allegiance to Ganondorf, frilled black trousers. Perhaps the signature feature of Zant's wardrobe is the conical, chameleon-esque metal helmet that can lock into his shoulder guard. The tongue of the chameleon serves as a mouthguard which can be retracted into his helmet.
To underline the small coward he is beneath the helmet, Zant is revealed to be a much less threatening figure with a gaunt, snake-like figure with pale blue skin, purple lips and orange, pupilless eyes that glow, representing the lack of humanity in his nature. He wears charcoal eyeshadow, black eyeliners with the Twilight emblem engraved on his forehead that goes down to the tip of nose. He also has a subtle Glasgow grin across his lips that forms an "X "shape. He also has red hair which is covered by the dark balaclava that he dons around his head and neck.
Personality[]
| “ | You aren't big or imposing. You wear a steel mask just to look tough. You're just a tiny coward! | „ |
| ~ Link calls out Zant for the petty bully he is |
Zant, like his original game counterpart, is a vainglorious manchild who values power and control over all else. A vicious perfectionist who will throw a fit over any setback, he commits deplorable crimes and hides his unimpressive visage under an intimidating helmet just to feel above everyone else. This lust for power is what made him a fanatic to Ganondorf's power as he feels the Demon King alone can give him the strength to rule both the Light and Twilight Realms once he plunges them to darkness, his own pride blinding him to see he may just be another pawn for Ganondorf. Perhaps the creepiest part of Zant's character is an expansion of his interactions with Midna, where he is revealed to have an unsettling, obsessive desire to marry and control Midna. Beyond viewing her as an asset he can use to keep the royal family at his side and secure his rule, he is viciously jealous at Link accompanying her. Zant seeks to rule all existence just so he can finally have her lest he will condemn her to Hell should she reject him. He is also massively self-righteous, ranting about how Midna and Link are the villains who are preventing him from helping the Twilight Realm fight back against the oppression they suffered under Hyrule, but Link and Midna call him out as just a greedy conqueror who wants power and that the Twili people suffered more under his rule than they ever did under the light dwellers.
The manga then expands on Zant's motives by revealing that his ego and lust for power stem from a lack of self-worth, envying Link's belief in himself. He admits that he wants to rule both realms and be the most powerful being in existence to satisfy his lingering inferiority complex. This seems to earn him some pity from Link, who even offers redemption and some of the validation he craved. However, Zant then rejects it, showing all he cares about is power while laughing at how Hyrule and the Twilight Realm will fall to Ganondorf, prompting Midna to give him his well-deserved demise.
Biography[]
Zant was the ambitious advisor to the late Twilight King, having sought to one day rule the land and wage war against Hyrule to control both worlds. He adopted a fawning demeanor as an advisor to gain influence, even mentoring the KIng's daughter, Midna, since she was a child. When the King died, Zant sought to take control over the Twilight Realm, but the Twili Elders deemed Midna to be worthier for the throne, enraging Zant. Zant then makes a forceful attempt to marry her so that he can be king and rule, but Midna rejects his proposal as well as any attempt to wage war against the Light Realm despite her own personal contempt, because she knows such a war will spell doom for the Twili.
The enraged Zant was then approached by the imprisoned Demon King, Ganondorf, granting him his power to turn humans into monsters. Zant uses this power to turn countless Twili into Shadow Beasts, who are aware of their enslavement to Zant's will but lose more of their own individuality should they resist. Staging a bloody coup that sees him curse Midna to be in an impish form upon draining her powers, as well as killing all the elders, Zant takes the throne for himself. Invading Hyrule, Zant spread his magic to turn countless of its people into monsters to spread death and destruction across the land, seeing towns and villags destroyed. When soldiers came to defeat Anika's village, he turned them into monsters to wipe out the entire village, leaving Anika as the sole survivor.
Barging into Hyrule Castle, Zant holds many soldiers hostage as he threatens Princess Zelda, Hyrule's ruler, that he will wipe out everyone in Hyrule should she refuse to surrender the kingdom to him, forcing Zelda to agree and be captured. He also attacked the Zora Kingdom, killing off its Queen and sealing the rest of its population under ice that condemns them to a slow death. When Link and Midna team up to vanquish Zant's evil influence over the kingdom, Zant makes repeated attempts to stop them, cowardly hiding behind his illusion powers to best them in the Zora Kingdom while mortally wounding Midna with a strong ray of light energy, as well as beating Link down when he was on his own and leaving him for dead.
When Midna and Link repair the Mirror of Twilight, a portal between the Light and Twilight realms, Link and Midna confront Zant on his throne room, where he was patiently awaiting them. Zant then reveals his plot to direct Ganondorf's power to merge the Twilight Realm and Hyrule, turning most life into monstrous slaves while wiping out the rest, ranting about how it is for the good of his people, while bemoaning Midna's rejection and how all he ever did was love her and she is a traitor that "trapped her in her charms". This prompts Link and Midna to call him out as just a selfish coward who makes his own people suffer just so he can be above everyone else and that he never loved Midna.
Zant traps Link in an illusion and tries to kill him, but Link hones in his skills to finally defeat Zant for good. There Zant rants about his real reason for resenting Link, because his eyes shone of self-belief more than his ever did, and his schemes are one grand attempt to make himself feel more powerful. Link tries to offer him pity and give him a chance to redeem himself, which Zant considers for a brief bit, but then reaffirms that all he cares about is the throne he feels he "deserves" while boasting about how through Ganondorf, he shall rule all existence and that he is immortal. Midna, having harnessed the power of the Shadow Crystals, fires a blast that disintegrates Zant. After his well-earned demise, all the Shadow Beasts return to normal.
Trivia[]
- After Zant's death, Midna says, "Zant...you foolish, pitiful man." This is a reference to Princess Zelda's lament towards Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time.
External Links[]
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