Ganondorf

Ganondorf is the main antagonist of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. In Zelda lore, Ganondorf was born to the Gerudo and became the King of Thieves. He is also sometimes called The Prince of Darkness, The Evil King and Ganon. He is the nemesis of Link and Princess Zelda in most of the games in The Legend of Zelda games.

Ganondorf has had several voice actors: Len Carlson (TV show), Takashi Nagasako (Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Wind Waker), Hironori Miyata (Twilight Princess)

Human Form


Ganondorf (called Ganon in his beast form) was birthed from the Gerudo witch Twinrova, who is described as his 'surrogate mother'. One would assume the witch used black magic to birth a fatherless child from pure evil. Twinrova, like all mothers, tried to control Ganondorf's life. More specifically, she brainwashed Nabooru who spent seven years as Ganondorf's servant until Twinrova was killed and the curse was broken. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf manipulated Link and Princess Zelda into granting him access to the Sacred Realm where he acquired the Triforce. However, due to the nature of the Triforce, he was only able to obtain part of it, the Triforce of Power. This resulted in the two remaining pieces, Courage and Wisdom going into Link and Zelda respectively.



At the end of Ocarina, Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages, but the seal broke decades later. Ultimately the entire country of Hyrule had to be sealed under The Great Sea in order to keep Ganondorf from killing the Hylians who migrated to the mountaintops that became islands. Hundreds of years later, Ganondorf penetrated this seal as well.



It is implied that after obtaining the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf became immortal. In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker the King of Hyrule describes both Ganondorf's unnaturally long life and his own as being 'bound to the fate of Hyrule', and the King, who at the time held part of the Triforce of Wisdom, said his own long life was caused the same way. And the king eventually used the Triforce to destroy Ganondorf in the only way possible: Destroying Hyrule. On top of that, Link shoved the Blade of Evil's Bane through his head, turning him to stone.

Though the body that Twinrova had given birth to, the body of Ganondorf, was destroyed, the spirit of Ganon lived on. Hundreds of years later, in The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures Ganondorf was reborn. Oops. The Gerudo people consist entirely of women, but every hundred years a Gerudo male is born, and until that time the Gerudo women 'date' Hyrulians. The law states that this Gerudo male is king. For the hundreds of years that Ganondorf was still alive, these kings were probably good guys. But once he died, his spirit was free to be reincarnated once again in the body of a Gerudo.

This new Ganondorf was much fatter and looked nothing like the first Ganondorf, but we never see him in-game. We only see statues of him in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Minutes after the player discovers Ganondorf has been reborn, it is also revealed that he has stolen the sacred Gerudo trident. The trident, apparently, grants the ability to transform into Ganon. From this point on the only time we see Ganondorf is in his Ganon form.

The Ganon form


Ganondorf's Ganon form is a huge pig monster that wields a big trident. He has the power to summon Fire Keese and turn invisible and smash crap. Ganondorf was able to turn into this form once he got the Triforce of Power, and is seen 'activating' his Triforce before changing.

After he was defeated in Ocarina of Time, he probably left behind one of his tridents (even though they were more like swords with a pointy hilt) as the Gerudo kept his trident as a sacred relic, and his power lives within it or something.

Ganondorf transforms into Ganon in Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past. He is only seen in his Ganon form in every other game. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask are the only games to not feature Ganon. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening features his Ganon form from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as a Shadow Nightmare being.

Personality
Ganondorf is commonly portrayed as the incarnation of pure evil, greed, and power. He is ruthless, cold, unscrupulous, manipulative, and calculating. He is also shown to have an ego, believing that only he is worthy to rule the kingdom and showing an arrogant sense of entitlement. One of Ganondorf’s most defining traits is his unquenchable lust for power. It was also shown that Ganon does not possess a balanced amount of power, wisdom, and courage as evidenced when the Triforce split in three pieces when he tried to wield it.

It is heavily implied in Skyward Sword that Ganondorf's evil nature stemmed from being a reincarnation of the Demon King Demise as well as being a product of his curse. In Four Swords Adventures, Ganondorf's arrogance is such that he even refers to the Links as "worms" and "maggots", and also refers to the then-recently defeated Vaati as a "useless cur." Aside from his arrogance, Ganondorf is shown to be a "sore loser", usually swearing revenge or refusing to admit defeat when bested in battle.

Ganondorf is also a skilled strategist, as he is implied to have manipulated Link and Zelda into opening the Door of Time for him, and he also deliberately allows Link to purify the temples he has captured knowing that this will draw Zelda out into the open. This knack for strategy was similarly demonstrated in Wind Waker, where he murdered the original Sages of Wind and Earth specifically to ensure the Master Sword lost its true power, as well as using the opportunity presented by Link trying to restore the Master Sword to abduct Zelda from Hyrule Castle. The best demonstration of his strategic skills, however, came about during his final fight against Link and Zelda in the same game, where he managed to quickly disable Zelda upon realizing the threat she posed with the Light Arrows, and when she regained consciousness, proceeded to evade her shots as well as parry Link's blows.

It has been hinted that the Ganondorf originally seen in Ocarina of Time sought to conquer Hyrule out of jealousy, as he apparently lived a life full of suffering due to living in the desert. In Ocarina of Time, when he manages to conquer the kingdom of Hyrule, he never attempts to aid his own people, despite them living in the same conditions as he once did. He even resorts to mind controlling certain Gerudos to ensure absolute loyalty, reinforcing the notion that his desire for Hyrule was born out of jealousy and not a desire to help his people. However, once Link initially defeats Ganondorf, Zelda briefly expresses pity and speculates that his death was caused in part due to failing to control the Triforce due to an imbalanced heart.

Interestingly, Ganondorf seems to follow a code of honor; in Ocarina of Time, he is amused and almost impressed when a young, helpless Link drew his weapons at him. Effortlessly knocking Link away, Ganondorf let the boy live despite his defiance, acknowledging some respect for his courage. When he knocks Link down, he will wait for Link to get up before continuing a fight. In The Wind Waker, when Ganondorf realizes that Zelda keeps attacking him with the Light Arrows while he fights Link, he swiftly approaches Zelda, puts away his sword and backhands her, instead of outright killing her. He also claims at one point that he will not kill Link, and merely seeks to claim the Triforce of Courage from him.

In Ocarina of Time, he is confident, wise-cracking and sarcastic, calling Link "kid" even after seven years, calling Link's weapons "toys", and making remarks such as "I like your attitude" before blasting him with magic, but is ultimately serious when he needs to be. Ganondorf always cracks a smile, even in the most dire of circumstances, showcasing a pleasure in destruction and a confidence that never dies, even when the odds are against him.

In The Wind Waker, Ganondorf seems to have matured with age. He is portrayed somewhat as a tragic villain, being altogether more solemn and less prone to wisecracks. Despite this, he still longs to cover the entire world in darkness, even after his actions led to the destruction of Hyrule, and places a curse upon the Great Sea to keep it in a perpetual state of terror. It is also implied that Ganondorf is emotionally unstable throughout the events of The Wind Waker, spending the early course of the game kidnapping young girls in a desperate attempt to find the Triforce of Wisdom, lacking the overtly evil nature of his previous appearance, and laughing maniacally when Hyrule is about to be flooded.

Knowing that his plans that have taken centuries of trial and error have finally come to a dramatic end at the climax of The Wind Waker, Ganondorf shows a more tragic side that seems to contrast his attitude in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Having dedicated his life to controlling a kingdom that was now destined to disappear alongside his body, in his final moments, Ganondorf still smiled, and even chuckles briefly when sensing the wind from Gerudo Desert blowing. This may imply that he had come to terms with his defeat, and was actually content with how things had ended.

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Ganondorf's personality is more closely linked to his Ocarina of Time persona, as Ganondorf has, in this timeline, faced less hardships and overall appears to be younger and more emotionally stable, even possessing some of his cockiness from Ocarina of Time. The Sages also mention that Ganondorf, due to being blinded by rage and his own might, ended up caught, subdued, and promptly executed, implying that he was extremely reckless in his own actions and planning.

While arrogant, Ganondorf is able to recognize others when they prove themselves, and will show some respect towards such individuals. In the Wind Waker, Ganondorf showed a begrudging respect to the Hero of Time, as well as referring to Link as his reincarnation. In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf challenges Link to a duel, which indicates that he sees him as a worthy adversary.

Powers and Abilities
Ganondorf is shown to be very powerful in the series, mostly due to his frequent possession of the Triforce of Power. Even without the Triforce of Power though, Ganondorf is still a powerful Gerudo with potent magical abilities, able to use dark magic with ease. He is often shown to possess titanic strength, with few characters in the franchise able to match or surpass him. His most infamous ability, however, was his ability to transform into the boar-like demon known as Ganon, which generally required the use of the Triforce of Power.

In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf plagues the Great Deku Tree, Dodongo's Cavern, and Lord Jabu-Jabu with monsters, somehow managing to tame these dangerous creatures. After acquiring the Triforce of Power, he was also able to break the seal on Kakariko Well and releasing Bongo Bongo, resurrect the feared dragon Volvagia, freeze several Zoras in Red Ice, fly, imprison and warp away Princess Zelda, open up a portal to another dimension, and conquer Hyrule. He can also generate waves of darkness that were potent enough to prevent fairies such as Navi from even getting close to him, let alone target him, and he seems to have at least some degree of reality-warping powers, as evidenced by how he transformed his throne room into a battle arena when fighting Link. He also has the power to transform into a boar demon known as Ganon as well as create a copy of himself called Phantom Ganon. In addition, he has enough strength to cause an entire portion of his throne room's floor to collapse with a single punch, should it not be connected to the room below. He was also implied to have gained immortality from his possession of the Triforce of Power. He was also skilled in playing the pipe organ, as evidenced by his playing a song on it to lure Link up to the top of his castle. He also implies when being sealed away that the Triforce of Power is also capable of allowing him to break the seal in the future.

In The Wind Waker, even without his full power backing him when it was sealed within the Master Sword, Ganondorf was still shown as being capable of generating an Endless Night and a barrier around Hyrule Castle. His full power was such that he could survive a direct flame blast from Valoo unscathed, which had been powerful enough to set the top portion of the Forsaken Fortress on fire. Having apparently learned from his previous battles with the Hero of Time centuries earlier, Ganondorf relied more on his physical power, sword fighting skills, and minions like Helmaroc King and Puppet Ganon to deal with his enemies. In his final battle with Tetra and the Hero of Winds, Ganondorf relied entirely on his swords fighting skills, which were shown to be superior to those possessed by the Hero of Winds. It was the assistance of Tetra, who stunned Ganondorf with Light Arrows, that the Hero of Winds managed to pass Ganondorf's defenses. He also possessed at least a degree of mind-reading abilities, as he was shown to read Zelda's dreams about "oceans as far as the eye can see".

In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is implied to wield the Triforce of Power, and may gain some abilities from his connection to Zant. Like Link's wolf form, he transforms into a different form when exposed to the magic of the Twilight Realm, though in his case he takes the form of a burning head made of golden fire (possibly due to the protection of the Triforce of Power, as the Golden Goddess of Power, Din is commonly associated with fire) referred to in Hyrule Historia as "Ganondorf's Malice". His "Ganondorf's Malice" form can also be accessed in the Light World, as evidenced by his transforming into this state shortly after his Ganon form was felled, and was also capable in this state of withstanding even a direct blow from Midna's Fused Shadow form's trident, which was potent enough to completely obliterate Hyrule Castle.

The powers he displays are never definitively attributed to any source, though he has many abilities seemingly Twilight-based in nature. These include the use of Twilight Portals and turning into Twilight in order to possess another person. He is also capable of generating a barrier powerful enough to require the Fused Shadows to fully dissipate, and was also capable of transfiguring various entities, evident with his turning Midna into an imp-like creature via Zant. In addition, he can also bestow entities with immortality as well as guaranteed revival from death so long as he himself does not perish beforehand, as evidenced with Zant.

Ganondorf can also create Phantom Riders as well, and was fully capable of horseback combat, as evidenced by his fight with Link. He was also capable of destroying one of the Ancient Sages, who were implied to be disembodied spirits, with his bare hands, shortly after surviving his execution and shattering the chains binding him to a pillar. He is also demonstrated to shatter chains binding him with minimum effort, as evidenced by his first actions shortly after surviving his execution. His overall strength seems to rival Link, as evident in their duel where they pitted their strength against each other in a sword lock. His physical strength was also such that he could crush the Fused Shadows with his bare hands, as evidenced by his actions to Midna's helmet prior to his horseback duel with Link and Zelda. Ganondorf also gifted Zant with many of his abilities (though Ganondorf is never shown using them) - including altering his size or changing the terrain he fights in.

Ganondorf can survive attacks that would kill another being, such as his 'execution' at the hands of the Sages before the events of Twilight Princess, and his defeat at the end of some games in which he is not actually slain. The exact limits of his powers are unknown. He is also very skilled with swords, as shown in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Both Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess strongly imply that his surviving lethal attacks was attributed to the Triforce of Power.

Physical Appearance
Ganondorf's appearance varies throughout his appearances in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, although in general, he is depicted with flaming red hair, gold eyes, a head brooch, and dark olive-green skin (a trait he shares with his adoptive mothers Koume and Kotake), and in his latter appearances, a red beard.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
This is the first game where Ganondorf appears in his Gerudo form. Ganondorf is the primary antagonist of the story: an evil Gerudo mystic who seeks the omnipotent Triforce. Striving to obtain the Spiritual Stones, which serve as keys to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf attempts to wrest control over them from the leaders of the Kokiri, Goron, and Zora Races. When each leader refused to give in, Ganondorf responded by tormenting them and their people.

Link, a Hylian youth who lived among the Kokiri, has increasingly troubled dreams as Ganondorf came closer to achieving his goal. One day, a fairy by the name of Navi awakens Link and brings a request from the Great Deku Tree that he go see him. The Great Deku Tree explains to Link about the curse that was placed on him, as well as the evil Ganondorf. The Great Deku Tree asks Link to venture inside him and defeat the originator of the wicked curse, Queen Gohma. Link successfully does so, but the Great Deku Tree reveals that he had been doomed to die before Link began his quest. After explaining the Creation of Hyrule and the Triforce, the Great Deku Tree asks Link to meet Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle. Link travels to Hyrule Castle and meets with the prophetic Princess Zelda, who had foreseen their meeting in her dreams. She explains to Link that along with the Spiritual Stones, the Ocarina of Time as well as the "Song of Time" are needed in order to enter the Sacred Realm. Zelda was convinced that together, they could obtain the Triforce before Ganondorf and stop his evil plans.

Link collects the two remaining Spiritual Stones, but, as he returns to the castle, he sees Zelda riding away from the castle together with her nursemaid, Impa. Before disappearing out of sight, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time into Hyrule Castle Town's Moat. Suddenly, Ganondorf appears before Link, their encounter a fulfillment of Link's nightmares. Ganondorf demands Link to tell him the direction that Zelda went, and is met with refusal. Amused by Link's courage, Ganondorf casually knocks him away with dark magic, before chasing after Zelda.

After recovering, Link dives into the moat to recover the Ocarina of Time, and, once he touches it, Zelda appears before him in a vision and teaches him the "Song of Time". With all the required keys to the Sacred Realm, Link ventures within the Temple of Time and finds the chamber where the legendary Master Sword rests. By touching the Master Sword, Link fulfilled an ancient prophecy that regards the Hero of Time, who is destined to battle a great evil. However, since he was too young to be the Hero of Time, Link is sealed within the Temple of Light for seven years.

However, Ganondorf was aware of what Link and Zelda were planning the whole time, and was waiting for Link to open the Door of Time. He claims the Triforce, but due to his heart being unbalanced, it shatters into three pieces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage, with the Triforce of Power going into Ganondorf's possession. The Triforces of Wisdom and Courage were secretly given to Zelda and Link, respectively. While not being able to obtain the full power of the Triforce, Ganondorf usurped the throne of Hyrule and transformed the once peaceful land into a wasteland of fear and horror. During that time, Ganondorf revives an evil dragon named Volvagia, planning to commit genocide against the Gorons by feeding them to him, with the intention of cowing the other races to his rule, and also intends to use Volvagia to spark an eruption of Death Mountain to wipe out Kakariko Village. Ganondorf also traps the Zoras under a thick sheet of ice in Zora's Domain (and presumably froze King Zora XVI in Red Ice), as well as draining Lake Hylia with a water demon named Morpha, and he spreads his evil influence to the Forest Temple.

Seven years later, Link awakens within the Chamber of the Sages and seeks out the seven sages required to defeat Ganondorf. In his journey, Link also undoes most of the evil Ganondorf plagued upon Hyrule, with Ganondorf quietly observing the young Hylian's actions. After the awakening of the final sage, Link is summoned to the Temple of Time. At that location, Sheik, a mysterious Sheikah who aided him throughout his quest, reveals her true identity to be that of Princess Zelda. Zelda presents to Link the Light Arrows. Immediately afterwards, the two are ambushed by Ganondorf, who takes Zelda away to His Castle. Ganondorf also implies that he suspected that Zelda would aid Link in some fashion, and that he allowed Link to restore the temples knowing Zelda would reveal herself afterwards. Link breaks the seal on Ganon's Tower and confronts Ganondorf at the top of the tower. After a fierce battle, Ganondorf appears to be defeated, leaving him shocked at he could be defeated, as well as suffering from extensive enough injuries that he was forced to vomit up blood.

Zelda briefly pities him for his fate, and implies that his supposed demise came from not having control over the Triforce. Unfortunately, with his last ounce of strength, Ganondorf attempts to bring down his castle onto Zelda and Link, who narrowly escapes before the castle collapses. Just when they think they have won, however, a noise is heard from the rubble, revealing itself to be Ganondorf, who uses the Triforce of Power to transform into Ganon. Ganon knocks the Master Sword out of Link's hands, forcing Link to weaken Ganon with his other weapons until he retrieves the Master Sword. Afterwards, Link further weakens a rejuvenated Ganon with the Master Sword. Zelda then assists Link by using her power to hold Ganon at bay, allowing Link to deal the final blow. The Seven Sages unite their powers to seal the defeated Ganondorf away. Furious of his defeat, Ganondorf declares that he would return, as long as the Triforce of Power was in his hand, and vows to exterminate Link, Zelda, and the Seven Sages' descendants when he does return.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Ganondorf is the primary antagonist of the game. A long time prior to the events of the game, Ganondorf somehow manages to break the seal that was placed on him, and attempted to establish dominion over the land of Hyrule once again. The people of Hyrule believed that the Hero of Time would stop him again, but he did not return. So to stop his nefarious plot, the people of Hyrule prayed to the Golden Goddesses, which made them flood the land which created the Great Sea, impeding Ganondorf's plans. After some time had passed, Ganondorf somehow broke out of his underwater imprisonment, though his power was somewhat diminished due to the Master Sword's influence. He was referred to in ancient texts referring to this event as the "emperor of the dark realm."[1]

To find the direct descendant of Princess Zelda, who held the Triforce of Wisdom, Ganondorf sent his loyal minion, the Helmaroc King, to kidnap all young, pointy-eared girls living on the islands of the Great Sea. After being captured, the young girls were imprisoned within Ganondorf's new lair, the Forsaken Fortress. In addition to that, Ganondorf sent monsters to islands all around the Great Sea to prevent a successor to the Hero of Time who had sealed him away from interfering with his plans. To further secure himself against the coming of the hero's descendant, Ganondorf ordered two of his minions, Jalhalla and Molgera, to kill the Sages of the Wind Temple and the Earth Temple, whose prayers gave the power to repel evil to the Master Sword.

Eventually, the Helmaroc King came to Outset Island, where the young boy, Link, lived, who came of the age when young boys were given green garments in memory of the Hero of Time. The Helmaroc King had kidnapped the young pirate leader, Tetra, and Link travels into the forest to save her, and successfully does so. However, as they leave the forest, Link's sister, Aryll, is taken by the Helmaroc King in Tetra's place. Link travels with Tetra and her pirates to the Forsaken Fortress. Link manages to sneak his way into the dungeon cells, but is discovered. Link catches a brief glimpse of Ganondorf, just before he is thrown far away from the island by the Helmaroc King at Ganondorf's command. Floating in the ocean while unconscious, Link is discovered by the King of Red Lions, a talking boat who becomes his ally and companion.

The King of Red Lions and Link work together to obtain the three Pearls of the Goddesses, which when gathered, raises the fabled Tower of the Gods from the depths of the Great Sea. After Link collects the pearls of Din and Farore, Ganondorf uses his evil magic to destroy Greatfish Isle, where the spirit Jabun, holder of Nayru's Pearl, resided. Jabun escapes to a cave on Outset Island,which is later found by Link and the King of Red Lions. Despite this drawback though, Link successfully obtains the final pearl. By doing so, Link gains access to the Tower of the Gods, leading him to the Master Sword. Taking the Master Sword, Link travels once more to the Forsaken Fortress with some indirect aid from Tetra's Pirates, and takes out the Helmaroc King once and for all. Ganondorf then meets the hero face to face and, after he commending him for making it as far as he did, reveals that removing the Master Sword's seal also returned his full powers, and cites how time resuming and his forces reactivating as proof; however, Ganondorf's safeguards proved useful when it is revealed that the Master Sword held no power over Ganondorf without the prayers of the Wind and Earth Sages. Tetra arrives to aid Link, and distracts Ganondorf, but is promptly overwhelmed. Just as when Ganondorf is about to squeeze the life out of her, Ganondorf's Triforce of Power resonates, and reveals Tetra's true identity to be that of Zelda's descendant and (partial) holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Before Ganondorf has the chance to take the Triforce fragment, Link and Zelda are rescued by Valoo, a great dragon whom Link befriended earlier. Valoo sets Ganondorf's Lair on fire, but Ganondorf escapes, and retreats to his tower in the sunken land of Hyrule.

Link leaves Zelda safe in the chamber beneath Hyrule Castle, awakens the descendants of the sages, and restores the Master Sword to its former glory. However, Ganondorf, anticipating Link's actions and presumably deducing where Zelda was being hidden, proceeds to call all of his monsters back to his tower from the Forsaken Fortress. The now abandoned fortress is noticed by the fishmen and later relayed to the King of Red Lions. To make his way back into sunken Hyrule, Link gathers the shards of the Triforce of Courage at the behest of the King of Red Lions, as the latter anticipates that Ganondorf was at his endgame. However, Zelda is taken away by Ganondorf to his domain. Link destroys the barrier that Ganondorf placed around the entrance to Hyrule Castle, and defeats the evil monsters that lurked there. Inside his tower, Ganondorf reveals to Link part of his motives for conquering Hyrule.

After the destruction of his puppet form, Ganondorf retreats to the top of his tower. When Link re-confronts him on the roof, Ganondorf fully explains the reasons for his ambition to conquer Hyrule: his homeland, the Gerudo Desert, was a harsh, barren place, with its winds often bringing nothing but misery and death to his people, either hot searing winds by the day or piercing cold gales at night. When he learned of Hyrule's lush nature, Ganondorf coveted the friendlier winds that blew across Hyrule. Ganondorf's personal quest had been born of a desire to bring his people to lush Hyrule.

Ganondorf forcibly reassembles the Triforce. However, as Ganondorf was about to make his wish, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the former King of Hyrule who had taken residence within the King of Red Lions, touches the Triforce before him, and wishs that Hyrule be flooded, preventing Ganondorf from ever attaining his true wish as well as bringing a future to Link and Zelda. After a fit of hysterical laughter at his failure, Ganondorf attacks Link and Zelda as water begins to cover Hyrule. Zelda attempts to use the Light Arrows to attack Ganondorf, but is knocked out. Link defends himself against Ganondorf's attack until Zelda reawakens. Working as a team, Link and Zelda uses the Master Sword and Light Arrows to weaken Ganondorf. Once Ganondorf is severely weakened, Link plunges the Master Sword deep into Ganondorf's forehead, turning the madman into stone. Immediately prior to his petrification, however, Ganondorf briefly references the wind that often plagued the Gerudo with some amusement. Link and Zelda escapes to the surface while Ganondorf and Hyrule are flooded once and for all.

Oddly, even though the Triforce of Power was explicitly shown leaving Ganondorf to reform the Triforce, the final battle showed Ganondorf having the Triforce of Power mark on his hand. This was later retained in Wind Waker HD. This hints each Triforce piece returned to its host after Daphnes stated his wish, which could explain why he was able to take blows from both the Master Sword and Light Arrows without immediately perishing.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The same Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time, albeit in a different timeline from the Adult Timeline, he is also the main antagonist in Twilight Princess. For unknown reasons, this Ganondorf seemingly wielded the Triforce of Power like his other counterparts, despite not gaining access to the Sacred Realm in this timeline.

It is explained in Hyrule Historia that when the Hero of Time was sent back into the Child Timeline, he immediately warned Zelda and her father about Ganondorf's plots, and thus stopped the Gerudo's actions in the Adult Timeline from ever occurring. That instead led to the Gerudo to be charged for his crimes, and with the sentence being execution by the Ancient Sages of the Mirror of Twilight at Arbiter's Grounds.

The Water Sage attempted to carry the execution out, and stabbed Ganondorf with the Sword of the Six Sages, which left a glowing, open wound in his chest. However, Ganondorf remained alive, presumably because of the Triforce of Power, and killed the Water Sage with his bare hands. With their execution a failure, the Sages sealed Ganondorf away in the Twilight Realm. Inside the Twilight Realm, he gained a servant through Zant, a member of the Twili Race who had been refused the throne of the Twilight Realm. Posing as a god, Ganondorf pretended to offer his powers to Zant, without specifically mentioning any requests outside of merging the Twilight Realm and the Light Realm to create eternal darkness. Zant took him up on his offer, and through him, Ganondorf was able to escape to Hyrule when Zant launched a military campaign to cover all of the land in Twilight.

Seeking to defeat Zant, Link and Midna make their way to the top of the Arbiter's Grounds, where the Ancient Sages explains to them what happened to Ganondorf. Later on, Link and Midna reassemble the Mirror of Twilight and travel into the Twilight Realm, where they defeat Zant. Zant reveals how he came to meet his "god" before Midna slays him. Link and Midna go to Hyrule Castle, where Midna uses the restored Fused Shadow to remove the Twilight barrier that is placed around the castle. Inside the castle's Throne Room, Link and Ganondorf meet each other. Ganondorf possesses Princess Zelda's lifeless body and attacks Link, but Midna manages to purge Ganondorf's soul from Zelda's body, restoring her life as well. Ganondorf then transforms into Ganon, but is defeated by Midna and Link in his Wolf Form. Seeing the Demon King wounded, Midna sends Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field for their safety before attacking Ganondorf with all her might.

A short while later, a huge explosion is heard in direction of the castle. The mist clearing away, Ganondorf ominously reappears holding Midna's Fused Shadow Helmet, crushing it in his hand. Riding his Mount and summoning ghost riders, Ganondorf fights the heroes on a horseback duel. Despite his demonic powers, Ganondorf is promptly overpowered by Link's Master Sword and Zelda's Light Arrows.

Impressed with Link, Ganondorf challenges him on a one-on-one duel, using the very sword that was meant for his execution. Proving himself superior to Ganondorf in strength and swordsmanship skills, Link triumphs in their battle and lands a fatal blow on his foe. Bellowing a blood-curdling scream, Ganondorf bitterly remarks that regardless of his loss, this was not the end, as the history of light and shadow "will be written in blood", the Triforce symbol on his hand fading away before, in a vision, Zant appears and cracks his own neck in a mocking way, while standing in place. His final words showcasing his insanity, Ganondorf finally meets his demise.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Ganondorf was a playable character for the first time in Super Smash Bros. Melee. To unlock him, the player must beat Event Match #29 or play 600 VS. Mode matches. His moves are almost exactly the same as Captain Falcon's, but he is slower and more powerful. His forward air and up tilt are some of the few moves that are different. His physical appearance is based on the design used in the Space World 2000 Demo, and wields the same sword used in the demo in one of his victory poses, even though he does not use it in battle. Ganondorf also has a brief appearance in the opening for the game, where his hand is seen alongside Link and Zelda's hands, with their respective Triforce marks.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ganondorf is based off of his appearance in Twilight Princess. His moves remained largely the same as in Melee, though some are visually different. However, his Gerudo Dragon (side-B) has been replaced by the Flame Choke, which knocks enemies downward instead of upward. His final smash is a horizontal charge as Beast Ganon.

In the storyline, Ganondorf uses the Ancient Minister to drop Subspace bombs on the world, "erasing" it and transporting it into Subspace. He serves under Master Hand, and Bowser, the main antagonist of the Super Mario Bros. Series, is Ganondorf's right-hand man. Eventually, the Ancient Minister (later revealed to be a ROB unit) turns on Ganondorf, refusing to fight the heroes when confronted by them on the "Isle of the Ancients" stage. However, Ganondorf takes control of all the R.O.B.s, forcing them to attack the Ancient Minister and then proceeding to have them detonate multiple Subspace bombs at once, generating an explosion so great and tearing a hole so large that the entire island is permanently consumed. Ganondorf and Bowser pilot a titanic gunship into the real world via this hole, using it against the alliance of heroes arriving to take the villains down. The gunship is destroyed when Kirby flies the Dragoon through the hull. Retreating back into Subspace, Ganondorf betrays Bowser, turning him into a trophy. Ganondorf soon learns that Master Hand, whom he was apparently going to betray for more power (though this is difficult to determine since the only lines of dialogue in the entire story are spoken by Solid Snake, Ike, and Captain Falcon), is only a puppet being controlled by a higher being, Tabuu. Ganondorf attempts to attack Tabuu alone, but is easily subdued with a single hit and turned into a trophy (though his attack does succeed in inadvertently freeing Master Hand from Tabuu's control). Later on, the trophy of Ganondorf is attacked by a revived Bowser in retaliation for his earlier betrayal before being revived himself by, ironically, none other than his arch-enemies Link and Zelda, who convince him to help them and the rest of the playable fighters in the final battle against Tabuu.

Ganondorf does not use the sword he had in Twilight Princess, even though his appearance is based off of his Twilight Princess design. However, the sword is seen in one of Ganondorf's taunts, where he takes it out of its sheath just to inspect it, and possibly show it off, then immediately returns it. In his regular form, Ganondorf does not have the chest wound that he had in Twilight Princess, though it is present when he turns into Ganon. Strangely, it is more purple in color than in Twilight Princess.

Ganondorf appears on two stickers. One depicts his artwork from Ocarina of Time and gives a +29 bonus to darkness attacks, and the other depicts his artwork from The Wind Waker and gives a +33 bonus to darkness attacks. Ganondorf is the only one who can use these stickers.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Ganondorf makes his third appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series in this game for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He appears as a hidden character in the 3DS version, while he is available from the start in the Wii U version. He retains his Twilight Princess design he had in Brawl, and his chest wound where he was struck with the Sword of the Six Sages is now present. His move set remains mostly the same, including his final smash. However, he is able to use the Sword of the Six Sages as a custom move to his Warlock Punch. Other popular custom moves include Flame Wave, Dark Vault, and Wizard Dropkick. Interestingly during one of Pit's special conversions (which occur by preforming Pit's down taunt on the Palutena's Temple stage while fighting Ganondorf), the goddesses Palutena and Viridi both claim that like Link and Zelda, there are multiple incarnations of Ganondorf, however given the non-canon nature of the Super Smash Bros. series, these claims are dubious at best.

In the Wii U version, there is a Toon Ganondorf Trophy, while the 3DS version features a Ganondorf Ocarina of Time 3D Trophy.