The Legend of Zeldais iconic for its three primary characters: Link, Zelda, and Ganon. They have been a staple for nearly every singleZeldagame by either being directly involved in the story or at least alluded to. While Link and Zelda generally remain the same in each game, even if they are reincarnations of previous Heroes and Princesses,Ganon persists through timein his attempts to gather all the pieces of the Triforce and rule over Hyrule.
Each and every version of Ganon is impactful in their own game, pushing the heroes to the limits and proving why they are titled the Prince of Darkness. To find the best of the brutal bunch, there are so many aspects to be considered that number 10 can be as fantastic as number one, just with small differences.
10The Imprisoned From Skyward Sword
The Beginning Of The Curse Of Conflict
The original Demon King Demise is the true antagonist inSkyward Swordand has some resemblance to the Ganon that the reincarnations of Link and Zelda face through the many years ofTheLegend of Zeldafranchise. While not outright stated, Ganon is likely the reincarnation of the original Demon King and carries on his will of hate and destruction,cursed to carry out the endless battle of light against the dark.
Another interpretation of the Demise/Ganon relationship positions Ganondorf as the personification of Demise’s malice, which is explicitly stated in his curse to haunt the descendants of the Goddess Hylia (Zelda) and those who possess the spirit of the hero (Link).
As a great character in his own right, The Imprisoned is a constant threat to Link throughSkyward Sword, but does not carry the show as the game’s best antagonist.Ghirahim’s performance overshadows the end game revealof him being just the spirit of Demise’s sword, and he shines as the main foe for Link. This makes Ghirahim far more endearing as a villain than Demise in a series where any form of Ganon should be the most impactful villain.
9Ganondorf From Hyrule Warriors
The Enjoyment Of Playing The Villain
At first, the idea of finally playing Ganondorf in aLegend of Zeldagame seemed like a dream come true. Having the opportunity to control the Demon King as he rampages through hordes of enemies is what some players may have wanted since they first saw him knock Link over with a horse back inOcarina of Time.Playing as the character is as fun as expected andfinally allows players to taste a small amount of his power.
Unfortunately, it is just a small piece of Ganondorf’s power. Having Ganondorf applying the same damage capability as a character such as King Daphnes or Linkle takes away from his terrifying presence. For the purposes of a Mosou game, he is an amazing addition, but for his impact on his world and the rest ofZeldaas a whole, he is somewhat lower on the list.
8Yuga Ganon From A Link Between Worlds
A Reflection Of Ganon
A Link Between Worldsintroduces a completely different style of Ganon in the form of Yuga in a different world reflecting Hyrule, named Lorule. Yuga is his own character with his own backstory, motivations, and desires, but is connected to the famous Demon King, leaning heavily into the dark magic aspect of the character. Yuga proves that aZeldagamedoes not necessarily need a Ganon as Link’s ultimate foe.
Why Zelda is The New Lead in Echoes of Wisdom
Echoes of Wisdom is forging a new path with playable Zelda, but the game wasn’t initially envisioned to star the iconic Princess of Hyrule.
Ganon is not completely absent inA Link Between Worlds. In the final battle, Yuga harnesses the power of Ganon, becoming Yuga Ganon, and fights alongside Hilda, Zelda’s counterpart, to try and pry the Triforce of Courage away from Link. In standard fashion, Yuga Ganon betrays Hilda and utilizes both Wisdom and Power, makingYuga possibly even more devious than Ganon.
7Calamity Ganon From Breath Of The Wild
The Beast Of Rage And Hate
As a sheer force of nature,Breath of the Wild’sCalamity Ganon is the most formidable and dangerous form of GanoninZelda. His existence inBreath of the Wildis less of an antagonist to Link and more of an abstract, all-powerful villain who has been absorbed by hatred and rage. As the game begins, Calamity Ganon is still victorious, and its shadow covers the lands of Hyrule.
Ganondorf’s malice leaking from being sealed may have created the primal power of Calamity Ganon, but the beast is a character within its own right. Upon its first defeat, it reemerges as Dark Beast Ganon, which has more resemblance to the old style of Ganon. Overall, it may be an obscenely powerful force of nature, but when consideringGanon’s chess-master moves in other installments, Calamity Ganon is slightly less impressive.
6Ganon From A Link To The Past
The Iconic Form Of Ganon
A Link to the Pastis a great representation of good versus evil. The imposing hog-like creature, Ganon looms over Link with overwhelming strength and with magic mastery. His final battle is memorable in theZeldacommunity and his appearance is iconic,being utilized in nearly everyZeldagame afterwardin at least one of Ganon’s boss fight forms.
One of the traits that make a Ganon great is how impactful they are in their game, andA Link to the PastGanon is one of the most successful.
He is up to his usual deceitful tricks, posing as his alter-ego, Agahnim, and only unveils himself as the Prince of Darkness after Agahnim’s defeat in Ganon’s Tower. Ganon inA Link to the Pastis fairly successful in his plans of domination andLink is pushed to the brink to defeat him. One of the traits that make a Ganon great is how impactful they are in their game, andA Link to the PastGanon is one of the most successful.
5Ganon From Echoes Of Wsidom
Zelda Finally Gets Her Revenge
Seeing the return of the original iteration of Ganon in the new graphicalmasterpiece ofEchoes of Wisdomstirs serious levels of nostalgia. Ganon does make several appearances as a secondary form of Ganondorf in games such asOcarina of TimeandTwilight Princess, but the interpretation is always greatly altered to fit into the theme of those games, making him more monstrous.
Echoes of Wisdombrings back the blue-skinned pig-like magician for Zelda to overcome instead of Link. Zelda has either been trapped in a crystal during Link’s battle with Ganon or supporting him from the sidelines with a bow or even used as a puppet for Link to fight, but this timeZelda is the one who brings down the menacewho has kidnapped her countless times. Seeing Zelda try to finally best the Demon King in a battle of magic makes interacting with Ganon that much more exciting.
4Ganondorf From Twilight Princess
The Darkest Of The Ganondorfs
Twilight PrincessGanondorf explores a darker personification of the character, wherein his entire agenda is to merge the world of light and the twilight realm to create a new world of darkness. Even though Ganondorf is the main villain of the game, he is manipulating the character Zant to do his bidding. Throughout the game, Link battles Zant in his place and does not come into contact with Ganondorf until very near the end.
The final battle is broken into four stages with each one having some unique mechanics, each one interesting in how they work but relatively simple or frustrating in their completion. The battle on horseback can either be a constant falling off the horse or a swift put-down with good aim.Twilight Princess’s dark take on Ganondorf makes him very cool to fight against, but his lack of presence makes him underwhelming.
3Ganondorf From The Wind Waker
The Pirate Mastermind
The Wind Waker’s Ganondorf is excitingly interesting, partly due to the game he is from.Wind Waker’s unparalleled art styleand unique world heightens the enjoyment the robed-pirate Ganondorfs brings when comparing him to the rest of the Ganondorfs. He is brought back to life once again in his endless attempts to conquer Hyrule, and this time he hopes to drain the sea covering the kingdom and take over what is left.
Wind WakerGanondorf’s duel against Linkand Zelda is arguably the most exciting of such boss fights in the series, given the incredible arena atop Hyrule Castle, surrounded by the cascading Great Sea.
Link’s final confrontation with Ganondorf inWind Wakeris another reason he is such a great version of the character.The teamwork of Link and Zelda makes the battle far more engaging and exciting. Every character inWind Wakeris so amazingly designed and that includes Ganondorf - the pirate, swashbuckling wizard Ganondorf is only kept from the top spot due to the sheer impact the next two had on the series.
2Ganondorf From Tears Of The Kingdom
From Demon King To Demon Dragon
Ganondorf fromTears of the Kingdomis close to being the most iconic and popular version of the character.He is the Ganondorf of the modernZeldaerathat many new players of the franchise have experienced and holds a special place in eachZeldafan’s heart. With how hugeTears of the Kingdomis, he may eventually become the most recognizable version of the character, with more games likely delving further into him as a character and less as a force for evil.
Rauru Actually Tried His Zelda: TOTK Plan Before & It Was A Disaster
The events of the Imprisoning War in The Legend of Zelda: TOTK have happened before, and had disastrous consequences for the future of Hyrule.
His characterization is dynamic and nuanced, with Nintendo offering players insight into his history through cutscenes and flashbacks that explore more of why he does what he does. Naturally, he is evil and does evil things, driven by a lust for power, but the burden placed on him since birth fuels some of his decisions,twisted by the hatred of Demise’s curse of perpetual conflict. Not only is his characterization fleshed out, he looks exceedingly cool with his new and fresh design. However,there is no final battle in Ganon’s Tower, which is an expected location for anyZeldagame.
1Ganondorf From Ocarina Of TIme
The First And Most Recognizable Ganondorf
Ganondorf fromOcarina of Timeis the first iteration of the famous green-skinned, red-haired Gerudo menace. His introduction to the first N64Zeldagame sparked generations of new, stylized versions of Ganon’s humanoid form, all with their slightly different takes. In the final battle at Ganon’s Castle, Ganondorf battles Link with both his magician tactics and, when that fails, unleashes the full might of his traditional Demon King form of Ganon,making him the best of both worlds.
He is the foundation of what made the character so intriguing and inspiring throughoutThe Legend of Zeldafranchise.
WithoutOcarinaGanondorf, there would be none of the humanoid Ganons that would come after. He is the foundation of what made the character so intriguing and inspiring throughoutThe Legend of Zeldafranchise. From the moment Young Link peered through the window into the Hyrule Castle and witnessed Ganondorf’s startling glower in return, he has remained seared into the minds ofZeldaplayers as theruthless Prince of Darkness.
