Ganon

Link
Species	Gerudo
Hair color	Blonde
Relatives	Variable
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

Ganon is the overall villain of the Legend of Zelda game series, appearing as the final boss of nearly every game. He is known for his constant search for more power and domination, and in many games carries the Triforce of Power. Traditionally he has the appearance of a giant pig monster. But most games since Ocarina of Time have instead shown him in his earlier, more humanoid form as the gerudo thief Ganondorf.

Background

Origins

Note: Since there is no legitimate argument to prove otherwise, Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker are considered Ganondorf/Ganon's first chronological appearances and are listed thus.

Once every hundred years, a gerudo king was born to the otherwise all-female gerudo race. Though his mother is unknown, he was raised by his 'surrogate' mothers, the two witches Koume and Kotake (better known together as Twinrova). He grew strong in body and in magic. Though never explicitly stated, it is highly likely that he fought in the Great Wars prior to Ocarina of Time. His hatred for Hyrule was fueled by the suffering of his people in the desert while the Hyrulians enjoyed prosperity. Afterwards, he pledged allegiance to the King of Hyrule and made efforts to bring peace between the two peoples. His motives, however, were not for peace, but the Triforce instead. In the meantime he poisoned the Great Deku Tree, starved the gorons, and infected Jabu-Jabu. All his efforts against them to acquire their three Spiritual Stones. Although he failed on all counts (even his attempt to capture the Ocarina of Time from Zelda), he was not easily defeated. Rather, he allowed Link to use the stones to open the way to the Sacred Realm, where he claimed the Triforce. Because of his unbalanced heart, he was only able to claim the Triforce of Power. Wisdom and Courage went to Zelda and Link respectively.

Successful, he ruled over the land for seven years while Link and Zelda mysteriously vanished. He gained many underlings and made efforts to free and revive ancient monsters such as Volvagia and Bongo Bongo. However, Link returned after those seven years and made efforts to undo his evil. With the help of Zelda, who had been under the guise of Sheik, he was able to assemble the Sages. Ganondorf battled Link on top of his tower and used his most powerful magic, but still was defeated by the power of the Master Sword. Not quite out, he transformed into the pig-like beast, Ganon. In the ensuing battle, Ganon took extensive damage, but was not quite defeated. However, he was weakened and distracted enough to allow Zelda and the Sages to imprison him in the Sacred Realm. Left in a void of nothingness, he returned to his gerudo form and swore vengeance against the descendants of Link and Zelda.

In time, the seal weakened and Ganondorf was able to escape. Without the Hero of Time to stop him, Ganondorf was able to dominate Hyrule. When no hope came to the people, the goddesses intervened and flooded the land. The land of Hyrule was frozen in a time bubble, deep beneath the sea. Ganondorf, however, was too powerful to be stopped that way. He once more managed to create a weak link in the bubble and escaped to the surface world. Being now no more than a legend, he took over the pirate base of Forsaken Fortress and assembled a new band of followers. Still desiring the Triforce, he made efforts to find the descendant of the Royal Family, knowing that they would possess the piece of Wisdom. His kidnapping of hylian maidens inevitably led to the capture of Link's sister. When he first met the boy, he had Helmaroc King simply fling him into the distance. When Link claimed the Master Sword from the Frozen Hyrule, he broke the seal that prevented Ganon from gaining his full power. During their second meeting, Link tried to defeat him with the Master Sword. But the sword lacked any power and Ganondorf would have killed him if not for the intervention of Tetra and Valoo. In the chaos of the moment he did, however, discover that Tetra possessed a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom.

By the time Link had powered up the Master Sword and assembled the Triforce of Courage, Ganon had already discovered Zelda's location and taken her away. Link confronted Ganon on top of his tower. He easily overcame Link and claimed his piece of the Triforce, assembling the three pieces into its complete form. Before he could make his wish, King Daphnes placed his hand on the Triforce and made his own wish. Although his own fate was already sealed, he had no intention of allowing Link and Zelda to survive. He dueled Link on top of Ganon's tower, where the gerudo warrior wielded his two swords. Link and Zelda worked together to defeat him. The Master Sword was planted firmly in his head, turning him into stone. The two escaped as the water came crashing down, burying the stone bodied Ganondorf underneath the sea.

Other Games

Note: The following is ordered by release date rather than implied timeline.

In The Legend of Zelda, Ganon had returned wielding the Triforce of Power. His attempts to gain the Triforce of Wisdom failed when Princess Zelda split it into eight pieces, hidden among the labyrinths beneath Hyrule. With the assembled Triforce of Wisdom and the power of the Silver Arrows, Link defeated Ganon. Although dead, his minions attempted to revive him by killing Link and using his blood as a sacrifice in The Adventure of Link. (Although they did fail, Ganon could be seen laughing on the Game Over screen if the player lost all his lives).

In A Link to the Past, Ganon assumes the persona of Agahnim (or possesses him). Ganon himself is trapped in the Dark World, which is a perverted version of the Golden Land (Sacred Realm) that was created when he used the Triforce. Using Agahnim, he worked to weaken the seal by sacrificing the Maidens (descendants of the sages) and sending them into the Dark World. After sending the last one (Zelda), Ganon was on the verge of domination. However, Link challenged Agahnim with the Master Sword and defeated him. To help seal his demise, Agahnim sent Link into the Dark World, certain that he would be unable to survive. Instead, Link gathered the seven maidens (encased in crystals) and used their powers to break the seal on Ganon's Tower. After defeating Agahnim, Ganon abandoned his body and fled to the Pyramid of Power. There the two of them fought and with the Master Sword and Silver Arrows, Ganon was soundly defeated.

In both the Oracles games (Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages), Twinrova worked hard to revive Ganon. With the help of Onox and Veran, they have begun lighting the three Flames. Veran lit the Flame of Sorrow and Onox lit the Flame of Destruction. By sacrificing Zelda they planned to light the Flame of Despair, but Link managed to rescue her and defeat Twinrova. As a last resort, Twinrova sacrificed herself to revive Ganon. Despite all this, Link was still able to vanquish the King of Evil using nothing but his existing arsenal of weapons.

By the time of Four Swords Adventures, Ganon has faded into obscurity, being unknown even to the most learned of scholars. But in the form of Ganondorf he is more well-known; it is mentioned that he fled the Gerudo village after breaking the law. Throughout the game he gathered more power. Using the Dark Mirror, he was able to create doppelgangers of Link known as 'Shadow Links'. Using them, he was able to trick Link into retrieving the Four Sword and freeing Vaati in the process. He then set his sights on obtaining the Magic Trident, to increase his powers. After Vaati was defeated, he fought Link himself. He sealed Zelda way and took on a gigantic form. Once freed, Zelda used her powers (and the maidens' power) to seal Ganon. He was then trapped inside the Four Sword, just as Vaati had been before.

Trivia

• The American translators gave him the last name 'Dragmire' in the A Link to the Past Manual. This name does not appear in the japanese text nor is it mentioned in either Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker. In the same manual, he was also called 'Mandrag' Ganon. Again, Mandrag is not canon.
• Ganon's two primary weaknesses are the Master Sword and Silver Arrows. At certain points, only these weapons (one or the other or both) could damage him. Other times, however, neither one were neccessary to defeat him.
• As Ganondorf, he is playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee and has three unlockable trophies.

Ganon makes a quasi-appearance in Link's Awakening. One of the forms that DethI takes is that of Ganon.