History Characters / TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildGanonAndYigaClan

* FoeRomanceSubtext: Downplayed. [[spoiler:When Link finally confronts Phantom Ganon directly at Hyrule Castle, Phantom Ganon speaks with a very flirtatious tone towards hiim, and moves somewhat seductively around the main hall area. However, it's rather apparent that Phantom Ganon is only doing this to taunt Link and encourage him to lower his guard until Ganondorf reveals its true self.]]

* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', he blames Link for being cast down into the Depths… ignoring the fact that Kohga cast ''himself'' into the Depths due to his own stupidity while trying to kill Link.]]

* {{Flanderization}}: In the first game, the Yiga Clan were portrayed as being a legitimate threat and deadly serious group that terrorized Hyrule and its people, with their only real comedic moments coming from their minor fixation with bananas and the fact that [[FightingClown Master Kohga]] was their boss. ''Tears of the Kingdom'' puts them at about the same level of silliness and competence as their leader, with their banana obsession heavily exaggerated and their tactics being far more obvious and ridiculous.

* NoNonsenseNemesis: It is a mindless force with zero desire to play around or let the player level-grind; it attacks as soon as it has the opportunity. This almost killed Link in the backstory as it showed up immediately after subverting the Divine Beasts and before Zelda was able to master her powers, forcing her to seal it in Hyrule Castle for a century while Link healed up and re-trained himself.[[spoiler: This is especially notable next to Ganondorf in the next game, who explicitly passes up a chance to kill Link when he's helpless because NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction and pays for it ''hard''.]]

* MeaningfulRename: "Calamity" isn't being used as an adjective or descriptor here; it's like the naming scheme of a hurricane. He ''became'' a calamity ''known as'' Ganon. Some characters refer to him as simply "The Calamity".

* BotanicalAbomination: In contrast to the [[MeatMoss fleshy]] appearance of Malice, large enough concentrations of Gloom in the Depths can sometimes be seen sprouting what appear to be twisted wooden roots or branches. [[spoiler:Ganondorf's lair in the deepest reaches of the Depths takes the form of a gnarled complex of Gloom roots.]]

* MasterOfDisguise: Disguised Footsoldiers look exactly like typical Hylians at first glance. The only way you'll know they're Yiga is when you talk to them. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', one even disguises themself as a Cucco, while two of them [[DecoyDamsel disguise themselves as Zelda.]][[note]]One of [[TrojanPrisoner which is "trapped" in a cage at the Dueling Peaks]], while the other is encountered at the same Grand Plateau starting place King Rhoam's Old Man alter ego was encountered at the start of ''Breath of the Wild'', claiming to have amnesia.[[/note]] [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou The Zelda disguises even fools the the text box]] into giving her name as Zelda. They can also disguise themselves as trees, specifically the out of place yellow sky trees on the surface, surrounding a bunch of Mighty Bananas.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see his mummified form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legendofzeldatearsofthekingdomganondorfmummymummifiedzombieundead.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see his Demon King form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legendofzeldatearsofthekingdomganondorfdemonking.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see his final form ('''SPOILER''')]]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demon_dragon_5.png[[/labelnote]]]]

The source of the Calamity, [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] is an evil Gerudo king who sought to conquer Hyrule long ago. After the hand of Rauru sealing him falls off from his body in the present day of ''Tears of the Kingdom'', the Demon King is revived and now seeks to regain his strength and finish what he started.

* PaperThinDisguise: Zigzagged, not for the Ganondorf form [[spoiler:but for its other disguise; it actually puts up a pretty decent Zelda impression for the most part, but it has a tendency to blow its cover when trying to stifle its {{Evil Laugh}}s. The moment things start to go its or its master's way, that's when "Zelda" [[GigglingVillain starts getting all giggly]] and the mask starts to slip.]]

--See [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildGanondorf his page]].

[[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildLinkAndZelda Link and Zelda]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildChampions Champions]] | '''Ganon and Yiga Clan''' | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildMonstersAndMooks Monsters and Mooks]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildHyliansAndSheikah Hylians and Sheikah]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildOtherRaces Other Races]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildOthers Others]]]]]]-]

* AlmightyIdiot: [[spoiler:After Link defeats him the first time, he resorts to using the forbidden art of draconficiation, which involves him swallowing his stone to turn into a dragon. However, Mineru states that using this will result in the user losing their sapience, something Ganondorf acknowledges and yet is completely fine with sacrificing just to ravage Hyrule and defeat Link. And sure enough, this ends up turning Ganondorf into a nearly mindless monster just like Calamity Ganon. His first act as Demon Dragon? To drag Link back up to the surface which (once Link is able to get free from his jaws) heals any Gloom damage Link may have taken and gives the Light Dragon the opportunity to intervene.]]
* AlreadyDoneForYou: He technically did this for ''himself'' through his hatred and malice manifesting as Calamity Ganon. This offshoot of his power left Hyrule ravaged, its champions slain save their last and greatest, and its armies utterly crushed, leaving the survivors as a loose grouping of disparate villages by the time he resurrects. The utter absence of any Shiekah technology after the TimeSkip, especially the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, further compounds this as there are no mighty weapons that could be turned against him, made worse by the fact that the Gloom has decayed and corroded all the weapons in Hyrule, leaving the Hyruleans powerless. This actually ends up being an advantage for the heroes in a backhanded manner however, as being [[ChallengeSeeker the kind of person he is]], Ganondorf is [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction utterly unmotivated]] to push himself to face a loose rabble of unworthy opponents for a forgone and easy victory, content instead to [[OrcusOnHisThrone steadily rejuvenate himself in the depths]] to recover his full strength gradually, rather than treating them seriously from the start. This allows Link to gain allies and strengthen himself for their rematch, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind allowing him to better match Ganondorf]] once given time to prepare by his enemy underestimating him.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Ganondorf's official art depicts him with greenish skin, as opposed to the brown skin of other Gerudo.
* AmbiguousSituation: It's left unclear whether or not this Ganondorf is a reincarnation or successor of Demise. While ''Tears of the Kingdom'' features a radically different backstory for Hyrule, [[spoiler:Ganondorf's OneWingedAngel form is a near spot-on match for the old Demon King, and he achieves it by obtaining a Secret Stone, which only amplifies his pre-existing power.]]
* AmbiguousStartOfDarkness: He was once a celebrated hero of the Gerudo tribe, but it's never made clear if he was always using them as a means to an end, or if he became obsessed with power over time.
* AmbitionIsEvil: This Ganondorf may have no connection to the Triforce of Power this time, but his desire to acquire unlimited power and crush the world beneath his foot is as strong as ever.
* AmplifierArtifact: [[spoiler:Ganondorf's crown contains one of the Secret Stones of the Zonai, his specifically is Sonia's stone, which he stole from her after killing her. The stones can amplify the user's power significantly. And for Ganondorf, who was already a powerful Gerudo warrior with dark magic on his side, it amplifies his power to near godlike proportions, making him so powerful that the Sages were unable to defeat him and Rauru had to pull a HeroicSacrifice just to seal him away so Link can finish him off in the future.]]
* AncientEvil: Calamity Ganon was said to have terrorized Hyrule for at least 10,000 years, and -- being the source of Calamity Ganon -- Ganondorf is even older, making him incredibly ancient. In fact, he dates back to the very foundation of Hyrule Kingdom, in a time that was until recently only considered to be a myth rather than actual historical fact.
* ArchEnemy: He's one to Zelda and the Royal Family of Hyrule:
** Zelda ended up [[spoiler:traveling back into the past and helped Rauru and the Sages defeat Ganondorf in that time and later came up with the plan to help Link defeat Ganondorf in the future]]. Not to mention all the damage and devastation inflicted on the land by his near-mindless prior incarnation, which Zelda spent [[SealedEvilInADuel 100 years holding at bay]] after he'd slain both her father and most of her close friends, coming close to finishing her off for good if not for Link's intervention.
** To Rauru. [[spoiler:Ganondorf murdered Rauru's wife, Sonia, to take her Secret Stone and mocked Rauru for it, enraging Rauru to the point that he nearly attacked the man. Rauru led the Sages in the fight to defeat him, ultimately sacrificing his life to seal Ganondorf away so Link could defeat him once and for all.]]
** This is actually PlayedWith regarding Link, despite their historical animosity in prior games. Ganondorf only recognizes him through the Master Sword he wields and is [[PretenderDiss utterly disappointed]] in him as a potential opponent, considering him far too weak to be a challenge, and repeatedly dismisses him as a true threat all the way up to their climatic fight, only taking mild interest due to how both Zelda [[spoiler:and Rauru]] have faith that he will defeat him. That said when Link [[spoiler:confronts Phantom Ganon at Hyrule Castle]] Ganondorf acknowledges how Link has endured through his corruption, and killed many of his minions, and after [[spoiler:Link defeats Phantom Ganon]], Ganondorf will admit there was more to Link than he initially thought and start taking him more seriously, and during their final confrontation [[spoiler:Ganondorf's animosity towards Link and his inability to defeat him, grows to the point he swallows his Secret Stone just to kill Link, fully aware he's sacrificing his body and mind to do so.]]
* AttackItsWeakPoint: [[spoiler:Much like Dark Beast Ganon in ''Breath of the Wild'', his Demon Dragon form is immune to all forms of attack and can only be damaged by targeting the growths on his back and later the Secret Stone on his forehead, destroying it being the only means of killing him.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: {{Downplayed}}, as he hasn't completely abandoned his sense of reason, and showed the ability to [[KnowWhenToFoldThem recognize when he'd be in a losing fight against Rauru]] back when he was a mortal Gerudo, forcing him to plan an indirect means of confronting him first. However, after ascending into the form of the Demon King, he completely abandons any complicated plans or strategies beyond using his overwhelming might to crush all opposition during his conquest, either directly or through the army of monsters he created with his power. [[spoiler:It's implied the various scourges plaguing the land were orchestrated by Phantom Ganon to serve its master's interests, as Ganondorf himself considers the present-day Hylians far too weak to offer him the satisfying victory he craves, and is thus disinterested in facing them for most of the game]]. Even when confronted by Link, his fighting style shows impressive weapon-handling, but practically no defensive techniques beyond a counter-attack, implying Ganondorf doesn't consider Link's efforts worth defending himself against in favour of an all-out assault to beat him down. [[spoiler:His inability to accept his loss results in him devolving into the Demon Dragon, practically the epitome of his desire to lay waste to the land with his obscene power, with only his current focus on killing Link distracting it]].
* AxCrazy: This iteration of Ganondorf is considerably more bloodthirsty than his other iterations if only their human forms are taken into account. This is supported by the fact that [[BloodKnight he's always eager to pick a fight against someone]] and advocating the absolute annihilation of anyone who opposes him or is aligned with his opposition, [[OmnicidalManiac which is pretty much everyone in Hyrule]], if it means becoming its king. [[spoiler:There's also him taking great joy in killing Queen Sonia. He drops the stoic act and sports a [[SlasherSmile deranged smile]] as he watches Sonia die and Zelda panic over her death.]]
* BarbarianLongHair: In his undead state, Ganondorf's hair is an unkempt mane matted by millennia spent trapped underground, a stark contrast to the [[SamuraiPonytail samurai-style topknot]] his living form sports. [[spoiler:Likewise, in his Demon King form, his hair is also a flowing, flaming mane similar to Demise and his ''Hyrule Warriors'' incarnation.]]
* BaritoneOfStrength: Creator/MatthewMercer gives Ganondorf a deep and commanding voice, fitting for the King of the Gerudo tribe, and he's a powerful warrior.
* BattleAura: [[spoiler:After killing Sonia and taking her Secret Stone, Ganondorf is wreathed in a red and black aura of gloom, letting out a battle-cry as he transforms into the Demon King.]]
* BeardOfEvil: He has a trimmed, red beard that remains unchanged even after his hair turns into a fiery, long mane after assuming his Demon King form. Strangely, it's absent on his corpse despite him still having long hair.
* TheBeastmaster: [[spoiler:His first attempt to conquer Hyrule involved him unleashing a swarm of Molduga on the kingdom. When that plan was foiled by Rauru, it forced him to adopt subtler methods.]]
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: [[spoiler:During the final fight against him, he can perform a Perfect Dodge like Link can, complete with the same BulletTime effect, and he can even do this if Link does his own Perfect Dodge to ready up his Flurry Rush attack. Ganondorf can also use a sword, spear, club, and bow as well as switch them on the fly just like Link. However, he notably doesn't use any shields or armour to protect himself, despite being capable of [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation using his Gloom to create armaments out of thin air]], and only uses his honed reflexes to skillfully dodge Link's attacks instead, suggesting that he is intentionally facing the Swordsman on a level playing field whilst disregarding any tactics of Link's that would suggest "weakness", like the need to defend against his enemies' attacks]].
* BigBad: Of ''Tears of the Kingdom'', naturally. After he's freed from his enchanted prison, Ganondorf plots to rebuild his power and demon army to finish his conquest of Hyrule and eliminate all who oppose him, especially Link.
* BishonenLine: When Link and Zelda find him, he's a mummified corpse. After having time to recover his strength, his body bulks out into a handsome, muscular one. This trope is especially in play when comparing Ganondorf with Calamity Ganon, whose different forms were very inhuman-looking.
* BlackBlood: When he [[spoiler:tears the implanted Secret Stone out of his head in preparation to swallow it and undergo the forbidden draconification rite to gain enough overwhelming power to crush Link, the wound left in his forehead is filled with bubbling black ichor, indicating his Demon King form has this]].
* BlackEyesOfCrazy: When Ganondorf revives in an undead state, Malice eyes -- which have slitted pupils, yellow irises, and black sclerae -- appear in his hollow eye sockets. When restored to his prime, his eyes are normal with red irises. [[spoiler:He also possesses black sclerae when he transforms into the Demon King.]]
* BlingOfWar: Ganondorf wears several pieces of gold jewelry into battle, and even his sword has a gilded guard and pommel. Justified with the [[spoiler:Secret Stone he wears on his forehead, since it supplies much of his power]].
* BloodKnight: Ganondorf relishes the chance to test his might against worthy adversaries. When [[spoiler:Rauru]] tells him that Link will one day come to defeat him, Ganondorf replies that he looks forward to meeting him. And when Link puts up a good fight during the final battle, Ganondorf expresses his excitement before powering up.
-->'''Ganondorf (English):''' Heh heh heh... what a feeling. I had almost forgotten the thrill of battle. That feeling as blood surges in my veins... and I am not even nearing the limits of my power!
-->'''Ganondorf (Japanese):''' It's been a long time since I felt this. Boiling blood, dancing flesh... And every muscle of my body yearns to release even more power......
* BondVillainStupidity: Ganondorf has the power and means to quickly track down Link and kill him once he finds out that Link survived their first encounter. But instead, he toys with the hero through [[spoiler:Phantom Ganon disguised as Zelda]] and leaves him [[spoiler:and the new Sages]] alone after showing them [[StoryboardingTheApocalypse a vision of what he's going to do to Hyrule]]. By the time Link confronts Ganondorf in the final battle, it becomes clear that the Demon King only wants a {{worthy opponent}} to test his mettle, never seriously taking Link as a true threat.
* {{Bookends}}: The story of Ganon, through the perspective of Link and Zelda, begins and ends as a mindless monster; Calamity Ganon the first time [[spoiler:and the Demon Dragon the next]].
* BossAlteringConsequence: If you didn't complete the main quests before fighting him, then your allies won't show up to help you during the final battle.
* BossSubtitles: "The Menace Unleashed" for his human form, [[spoiler:"Master of the Secret Stone" for his Demon King form, and "Draconified Demon King" for his Demon Dragon form.]]
* BowAndSwordInAccord: In addition to his katana, Ganondorf also wields a bow during the final boss fight.
* BreathWeapon: His only attack in his [[spoiler:Demon Dragon form]] is to rain down fireballs of Gloom.
* BringIt: [[spoiler:After knocking Link's allies out of the fight, he smiles and tells Link to face him by flicking his fingers.]]
* BrokenAce: Ganondorf was a legendary warrior and hero among the Gerudo, a master of all manner of weapons who became their chief in a time where strength and bravery -- or bloodlust -- were all that mattered. However, his ambition and lust for power led to him becoming the Demon King and ravaging even his own people when they refused to submit.
* TheBusCameBack: It has been a whopping 17 YEARS since his [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess last appearance]] in his Gerudo form, excluding spin-offs like ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''.
* CardCarryingVillain: He makes no pretense of what his reign over Hyrule would be to everyone; a land shrouded in darkness and filled with demons and monstrous servants killing all who may oppose him. When confronted by Link just before the final battle, he muses how much he hates the "insufferable" light and all the "weak, peace-loving cowards" that live in Hyrule.
* CarryABigStick: One of the weapons Ganondorf uses in the final battle is a large club that somewhat resembles a traditional Japanese kanabo which he can use to send shockwaves of Gloom at Link, fitting his Samurai[=/=]Ronin theme and {{oni}}-like Demon King form.
* CastingAShadow: Ganondorf's magic comes in the form of Gloom, which is essentially a stronger, more corrosive form of Malice from ''Breath of the Wild''.
* CategoryTraitor: The Gerudo consider Ganondorf a massive source of cultural shame, to the point that their chieftain Urbosa outright relishes the chance to punish Ganon with her Divine Beast in revenge. It's to the point that they even refer to him as a demon manifested as a Gerudo rather than one of their own kind. [[spoiler:''Tears of the Kingdom'' reveals that after becoming the Demon King, he turned his army of monsters on his own people during his conquest of Hyrule.]]
* ChallengeSeeker: Ganondorf doesn't simply want to rule the world, he wants to conquer it with all his might. Anything less, he expresses disappointment. [[spoiler:More specifically, he wants to use all the power at his disposal against an opponent who can't be overcome by anything less ''and win'' - [[SubvertedTrope he doesn't want the risk of defeat]], only the thrill of needing to bring all he's got to bear.]]
* ClassicVillain: He represents the vices of Ambition, Wrath, and most importantly, Pride. These serve as contrast to the HumbleHero Link, which is fitting as Ganondorf is essentially Link if he decided to abuse his skills and powers for his own selfish gain.
* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:When his Demon King form proves to be no match for Link, Ganondorf decides to swallow his stolen Secret Stone to become the Demon Dragon, reasoning that its overwhelming power would be enough to destroy Link and bring Hyrule to its knees. The problem is that draconficiation [[SanityHasAdvantages robs the user's mind in the process]], and thus the Demon Dragon is in gameplay actually easier for Link to destroy since its attacks are easily telegraphed and it has way too many obvious weak points scattered across its body. In-story the Demon Dragon is so big that despite having grabbed Link in his jaws Link is able to survive thanks to being lodged in a space between the dragon's teeth instead of being pierced or crushed by them (Link slipping free when the Light Dragon provokes the Demon Dragon into opening his mouth), and the Light Dragon likewise is small and fast enough in comparison to easily maneuver around his attacks in order to rescue Link. Furthermore, unlike Calamity Ganon, whose single weak point was only exposed after Link weakened it through targeting the areas Zelda was fighting it from inside, the Demon Dragon has multiple weak spots, massive tumorous growths of eyes that burst through its otherwise impenetrable scales from the sheer power it possesses being too much for its massive body to truly contain. These give Link safe footing to attack them close up once he reaches them, despite the Demon Dragon being corrosive to the touch, and are significantly easier to damage than the prior Demon King form]].
* CombatPragmatist:
** Prior to gaining the Secret Stone, his first attempt to conquer Hyrule was to soften it up by directing a swarm of Moldugas to attack its defences whilst he observed to see their response and judge how easily they'd withstand a full-scale assault. Seeing Rauru easily destroy the swarm with a WaveMotionGun had him decide to swear fealty to him for a more indirect approach at weakening the kingdom's defences from within rather than [[KnowWhenToFoldEm openly attacking in a doomed effort]]. [[spoiler:He had no issues striking a defenceless Sonia InTheBack whilst hidden under an illusion to steal her stone for himself in order to properly contend against Rauru]].
** Once he has the Secret Stone empowering him into the Demon King however, he otherwise averts this, choosing to directly face all opposition head-on and [[ChallengeSeeker revelling in crushing his foes with his immense power]], seeing such tactics as beneath him after he'd ascended to a new tier of strength. When fighting Link, he's a FairPlayVillain who confronts him alone mainly with martial skill augmented by his Gloom for increased damage. The closest he comes to this is [[DoppelgangerAttack summoning doppelgängers of himself]] to gang up on Link during his second phase, which is otherwise a stand-in for Link's own ability to summon the shades of the Sages to aid him in combat, [[spoiler:and he has no objections to the sages themselves stepping in to fight alongside Link as well. However, this trait comes back in full when he actually ''loses'' to Link, making him resort to the most immediate means he can think of to utterly crush his opponent one-sidedly and undo his defeat]].
* CompositeCharacter: This Ganondorf takes cues from several versions. In terms of design, his outfit resembles the robe worn by his ''The Wind Waker'' incarnation mixed with a set of Gerudo Voe wear similar to that from ''Breath of the Wild''. In his undead state, his hair is a wild, lion-like mane resembling his ''Hyrule Warriors'' incarnation. In the story, [[spoiler:he falsely swears allegiance to the King of Hyrule before staging a coup just like his ''Ocarina of Time'' self. And him being a completely new incarnation of Ganondorf with no known connection to the prior, as well as him using a powerful magical artifact besides the Triforce to become a Demon King, brings to mind his ''Four Swords Adventures'' counterpart.]]
** He also seems to be a combination between his mainline counterpart and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Demise]], With him being imprisoned in a pit, acting mostly through a phantasmal lesser minion, and creating Calamity Ganon through his hatred, much like how Demise's curse created the mainline version of Ganondorf. [[spoiler:His Demon King form even appears very similar to Demise, with gray skin, black scales, and firey orange hair, and his [[OneWingedAngel Demon Dragon]] form is a black-scaled, mindless, DraconicAbomination, similar to the Imprisoned.]]
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist:
** He contrasts Calamity Ganon in many ways:
*** Whereas Calamity Ganon in ''Breath of the Wild'' had been reduced to being a mindless beast that took on the form of a {{Kaiju}}, Ganondorf in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' returns to being an actual person capable of speech, independent thought, and taking on a humanoid form.
*** Calamity Ganon was only indirectly causing the various strife throughout Hyrule whilst sealed within the castle by Zelda, through the Divine Beasts, the Blight Ganons and the respawning army of monsters created by its presence. Ganondorf ''actively'' causes ongoing chaos throughout the region through [[spoiler:his servant [[TheDragon Phantom Ganon]], disguised as Zelda]], directing various schemes to prevent the return of the Sages from standing against him, and actively directs the Gloom generated by his presence to corrode armaments throughout the kingdom to render the inhabitants even more helpless against the monsters than they were before.
*** Calamity Ganon was [[SealedEvilInADuel trapped fighting Zelda relentlessly for 100 years]] and Link's quest to defeat it for good was shown as a RaceAgainstTheClock to prevent its return at the last moment, Ganondorf is [[OrcusOnHisThrone not restrained in any manner]] and proves capable of assuming his demon King form with effort to face Link at full strength whenever he reaches him, but doesn't do so before then because [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction he doesn't consider his opponents in the kingdom worth forcing himself to fight early]].
*** Calamity Ganon desperately tried to regain a humanoid form at any cost, and was constantly thwarted from achieving that, eventually assuming the Dark Beast Ganon form in a pure VillainousBreakdown, Ganondorf starts out returning to a humanoid form with ease to fight Link, before assuming his monstrous Demon King form to utilize his full power of his own free will [[spoiler:and furthermore discards even that to become a similarly mindless beast in the hopes of killing Link when he bests him]]. Even their boss fights reflect this, as Calamity Ganon had only a single phase where it fought Link at full power with every weapon at its disposal, [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen bereft of any dignity]], and Link canonically had to weaken it to half health first with the Divine Beasts to stand a chance solo, Ganondorf has multiple phases where [[IAmNotLeftHanded he gradually uses more and more strength to beat Link]], who fights him alongside his Sage allies, and uses various refined weapons in combat with a dignified display of his martial prowess.
** He shares a number of traits with his various incarnations, especially the ones from ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''The Wind Waker''. He tries to manipulate the King of Hyrule in order to get closer to what he wants, in this case a Zonai Secret Stone instead of the Triforce. However, Ganondorf's cruelty is emphasized over his cunning, showcasing him [[spoiler:murdering Queen Sonia]] on-screen rather than manipulating the heroes into giving him the item he desires. He also does so to feed his already massive ego rather than trying to give the Gerudo a better life outside of the harsh climates of the Gerudo Desert.
** Interestingly, he's also one to Demise from ''Skyward Sword''. A lot of what can be said about this incarnation of Ganondorf can also be said about Demise, right down to how they're both [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] that were sealed away with the power of holy light and both hold the title of Demon King (though other incarnations of Ganondorf also share that title). However, while Demise ultimately grew to respect Link and even Groose, Ganondorf sees everyone that doesn't test his full might as beneath him, [[spoiler:and even then he'll go ''miles'' beyond the GodzillaThreshold to ensure victory even if he doesn't get to enjoy it [[ThisCannotBe all because he can't fathom the idea that he could lose]].]]
* CoolHorse: A Zonai wall mural depicts Ganondorf riding a horse. After becoming the Demon King, he rides a rather demonic looking horse as he leads his newfound monster army.
* CrownOfPower: Ganondorf's headpiece has [[PowerCrystal a red magatama jewel]] embedded in it that glows when he unleashes his power. [[spoiler:It's actually Sonia's Secret Stone, which he stole from her after killing her.]]
* CurbStompBattle:
** When defeating one of the temple bosses and meeting the sage, they all tell the same story: namely that Ganondorf's power was so great that they couldn't defeat him and it took Rauru sacrificing himself just to seal Ganondorf away.
** Upon being released from Rauru's seal, millennia of imprisonment has reduced Ganondorf to a withered, mummified husk of his former glory, and did significantly weaken his full power...which doesn't stop him from ''easily'' breaking the Master Sword and near-fatally corrupting Link's body with Gloom when he lashes out at Zelda and Link [[TakingTheBullet takes the hit instead]]. Seeing how easily his destined opponent fell before him even in his reduced state convinces Ganondorf that any chance of a good fight against Link is a pipe dream, and utterly disinterests him in treating his present day enemies with any seriousness.
* DamnedByFaintPraise: The closest he comes to acknowledging Link as a capable foe is late in the game where he remarks there is indeed more to Link than the power Rauru gave him, only to condescendingly add "but not much more."
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: His entire boss fight is designed to provoke this [[spoiler:if you've fought Phantom Ganon before you sought him out. Many of his attacks are identical to those that Phantom Ganon uses, except ''faster''. If you recognize his ready motion and prepare to evade as per Phantom Ganon's timing, well, there goes your shield.]]
* DarkIsEvil: A self-titled Demon King who wields powerful dark magic and seeks to take over the Kingdom of Hyrule, seeking to cast it into eternal darkness.
* DarkReprise: [[spoiler:Upon swallowing his secret stone to undergo draconification, an ominous version of the divine dragon's mysterious {{Leitmotif}} plays during the transformation sequence and the Demon Dragon's rise out of the Depths]].
* DashAttack: One of his attacks has him dashing forward with his naginata, leaving a trail of Gloom in his wake. He may dash multiple times in a row.
* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler:It is said that the forbidden art of draconification irreversibly warps both a person's body and mind into a mindless beast. By swallowing his secret stone and transforming into the Demon Dragon, Ganondorf the Demon King Gerudo essentially ''kills'' himself just to get a slim chance of killing Link.]]
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the BloodKnight and ChallengeSeeker. For Ganondorf, it's not enough to just win. He has to test his might against a worthy foe so his victory can truly feel complete. When [[spoiler:Rauru]] tells him that Link will one day come to defeat him, Ganondorf replies that he looks forward to meeting him. But when he encounters Link in the present day and manages to both shatter the Master Sword and ravage his arm, Ganondorf is utterly disappointed and dismisses Link as a worthy adversary. And this ultimately becomes his downfall as by not treating Link seriously enough, it allowed Link to regain his strength, defeat his servants plaguing the temples, and [[spoiler:awaken the new sages]] to bring the fight to Ganondorf personally. [[spoiler:When Link proves powerful enough to actually defeat him, Ganondorf has a massive VillainousBreakdown and decides to swallow his Secret Stone and transform into a dragon, fully aware that this will cost him his mind, just because his ego cannot handle the prospect of defeat.]]
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: [[spoiler:When Link and Zelda finally vanquish him, the Demon Dragon perishes in a mighty, atomic bomb-like explosion]].
* DieLaughing: [[spoiler:After he swallows his stolen Secret Stone, he gives out a maniacal laughter as he is transformed into the mindless Demon Dragon, fully confident that he will succeed in killing Link and destroying Hyrule despite losing [[DeathOfPersonality his mind and personality]].]]
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Stealing a secret stone and claiming it for himself augmented his dark magic to godlike extents, transforming the Gerudo warlord into the monstrous Demon King.
* DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: He has no problems with wiping out dissenters and replacing them with his own monsters as long as he ends up the one in charge.
* {{Determinator}}: Counting his original defeat over 10,000 years in the past, this version of Ganondorf has been defeated/stalemated at least ''four times over'' by now, and has come back once again for a fifth attempt '''even faster''' than before, apparently out of sheer willpower and refusal to lose. All the devastation caused by Calamity Ganon can be attributed to Ganondorf's evil magic actively breaking through Rauru's seal, and even when faced with defeat at the hands of Link, Ganondorf intends to go down fighting to the bitter end with every last trick up his sleeves. But this determination is only fueled by his need for challenge, as it quickly dissipates the moment Ganondorf deems an opponent to be beneath his attention.
* DetrimentalDetermination: [[spoiler:His pride makes him very prone to proving himself the superior fighter and ruler, which really doesn't translate well if they're impeded. When he's defeated by Link, Ganondorf refuses to accept being bested by his challenger and prioritizes his pride over his pragmatism, choosing to gulp down his Secret Stone to gain more power in another attempt at killing Link. Sure he's gained a massive power boost, but his refusal to give up has cost him his sanity and rational thought, leaving Ganondorf as a mindless, demonic dragon that in gameplay proves to be less challenging to Link than he was as a man.]]
* DevilsPitchfork: While exploring the caverns beneath Hyrule Castle in one of the trailers, Zelda passes a torch in front of a mural depicting Ganondorf wielding a trident similar to the one he wields in ''A Link to the Past''. In the game proper, he wields a naginata and various other weapons instead.
* DoppelgangerAttack: In the second phase of the final boss fight, Ganondorf will summon four phantoms of himself as backup. [[spoiler:However, Sidon, Yunobo, Riju, Tulin, and Mineru will arrive to provide backup for Link, mainly distracting the phantoms so Link can focus on Ganondorf. After enough damage, Ganondorf will absorb the phantoms for a powerup, unleashing a shockwave that knocks the new sages out of the fight and leaving Link to face Ganondorf alone.]]
* DragonsAreDemonic: [[spoiler:He takes the form of the gargantuan, Gloom-radiating Demon Dragon during the final battle after swallowing his Secret Stone in a last ditch attempt to kill Link, combining this trope with DraconicAbomination as its power shakes the very sky and it's said to be impervious to anything short of the powered-up Master Sword.]]
* DroneOfDread: The first phase of his battle starts with long, drawn-out droning noises combined with discordant instrumentation for a bit over a minute before gradually shifting to quicker, more melodic and drum-heavy music.
* DubNameChange: [[spoiler:His Demon Dragon form was simply called "黒龍" (''kokuryuu'', or "black dragon") in the Japanese version.]]
* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Ganondorf's ideal kingdom is a world of darkness and eternal war, where all the inhabitants struggle to survive against the onslaught of the Demon King and his army. He despises Zonai technology not because it gave the Hyrule's citizens a better life compared to his people in Gerudo Desert, but because it made them into "weak, peace-loving cowards" that would make his conquest boring.
* EarlyBirdCameo: When Calamity Ganon first assumes a physical form in ''Breath of the Wild'', it gets a head with a red beard and a CoolCrown like Ganondorf.
* EvilCounterpart:
** Ganondorf shares quite a few similarities to Link:
*** Ganondorf's origins in this iteration as TheAce of his kingdom and people, prodigy ascended to a position of power and prestige through his ability, and given fealty as the once-a-century King calls to mind Link's own prodigy status from birth, the child of a line of Hylian Knights, his being the holder of the Master Sword and the following that granted him from the kingdom's soldiers. The big difference is that while Link remains [[NiceGuy a humble and caring person]] [[HumbleHero despite his status]], Ganondorf allowed his [[SmugSuper status and his lust for power to go to his head]], turning him into [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity a monster both figuratively and literally.]]
*** The FinalBoss fight continues the comparisons as it is demonstrated that Ganondorf effectively ''was'' the Link of the Gerudo, as he demonstrates prowess in every form of weapon, ''just'' as Link does -- one-handed, two-handed, lance, and bow all. He can swap between them at will, just like you do. He can used charged variants of attacks, just like you do. And he can even [[JustFrameBonus Perfect Dodge]] your attacks, and get the BulletTime benefit from it, ''[[PlayerExclusiveMechanic just like you do.]]'' Yours is still ultimately better, since Perfect Dodging his Flurry Rush is one of the better ways to hit him during his [[LightningBruiser last phase.]]
*** Both were also put into stasis for a long time, but both the circumstances and results differ. Link was put in stasis to keep on living, not aging physically, but losing strength due to laying dormant. On the other hand, Ganondorf was put in stasis to keep him from everyone else, and [[AgeWithoutYouth while he definitely loses his handsome looks]], he's still powerful enough to destroy the Master Sword in one attack. The experience also resulted in both of them having memory loss for different reasons, but whilst Link eventually recovered his past memories and identity, Ganondorf remains completely oblivious to the actions of Calamity Ganon all the way to the end, and only a select few are even aware the Calamity originates from or was Ganondorf at all, with the narrative almost treating them as entirely unrelated threats.
** He also serves as a counterpart to Zelda, mostly due to [[spoiler:their dragon forms]]. Zelda [[spoiler:became a dragon as part of a long-term plan to help Link]], while Ganondorf [[spoiler:became one in a last-ditch effort to beat him]]. [[spoiler:Both transformations reach their climax with a shot of the character's eyes transforming into the eyes of the dragon, showing the character's final expression as the transformation takes hold. For Zelda, the focus is on her pain and fear as she sacrifices herself for the future. For Ganondorf, the focus is on his ''glee'' at the prospect of becoming the dragon and destroying Link.]]
* EvilIsBigger: Ganondorf, as always, is much taller and more muscular than Link. [[spoiler:His dragon form is also much larger than Zelda's.]]
* EvilIsPetty: When it comes to wreaking havoc on Hyrule, Ganondorf mixes in devastation with trivial cruelty. His monstrous assaults on the peoples of Hyrule include [[spoiler:unleashing a ZombieApocalypse upon the Gerudo, blizzards and starvation for the Rito, poisoning the Zora's water supply, and... getting the Gorons addicted to [[GRatedDrug marbled rock roast]] so that they become lazy. As for his guise as Zelda, he uses his puppet to murder Queen Sonia, deceive the Great Fairies to deprive Link of their blessings to his armor, lure Link into traps with monsters, and... scare Zelda's horse, just because.]]
* EvilLaugh:
** [[spoiler:He laughs after he kills Queen Sonia, complete with a SlasherSmile.]]
** During the FinalBoss battle, he laughs in evil pleasure [[spoiler:after swallowing the Secret Stone as he's [[OneWingedAngel transforming into the Demon Dragon]]]], overlapping with LaughingMad.
* EvilPlan: Actually {{Downplayed}} compared to [[TheChessmaster past iterations]]. Whilst Ganondorf is fairly cunning, and showcased a willingness to resort to subterfuge against Hyrule when his attempt to weaken the kingdom with a monster swarm was thwarted by Rauru's [[WaveMotionGun immense power]], recognizing that a direct attack wouldn't guarantee his victory against somebody wielding a Secret Stone, once he successfully [[spoiler:assassinated Sonia and stole her stone]] to become a PhysicalGod, he demonstrates no plans in mind beyond using his immense might to one-sidedly crush all opposition before him. Even when he resorts to distracting and dividing the various races of Hyrule with his servants causing chaos in their regions whilst he recuperates from his long imprisonment in the depths, he leaves the overseeing of these to his main servant [[spoiler:Phantom Ganon]], and his attitude and performance in battle against Link indicates it was purely optional for him rather than something he needed to do to buy time, believing his own might was all he needed to destroy his enemies once he began his conquest.
* EvilReactionary: Before fighting Link in the Japanese version, he remarks that "people felt far more conviction long ago", and explains that his goal is to turn back the clock to when the world was ideal -- that is, when he ruled over and terrorized everyone as the Demon King.
* EvilRedhead: Well, this is ''Ganondorf'' after all. It's not just that he's an evil man with red hair, but he's a demon king that is reviled by all who know him, which isn't hard to dispute as Ganondorf is willing to destroy all life on Hyrule if it means establishing a domain solely for himself.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Regardless of language, Ganondorf sounds like if a volcano could talk.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: In his undead state, his voice has a noticeable rasp to it.
* EvilWeapon: Ganondorf's weapons -- which can be obtained by beating Phantom Ganon -- are manifested from Gloom and can only be safely wielded by him, as using them damages Link.
* FacialHorror: Downplayed. Closeups reveal that the tines of the crown he wears as the Demon King actually pierce through his skin to hold on to his head.
* FallenHero: He was once hailed as a hero to his people and a king by birthright, but his lust for power led him to become a monster that even they feared and hated. Ever since he became the Demon King, there never was another male Gerudo born (presumably because he was still alive) and the Gerudo people fully transitioned to a complete matriarchy. The only story told of Ganondorf in the present-day Gerudo folklore is how a vile demon named Ganon took the form of a Gerudo.
-->'''Gerudo Sage:''' He was our chief... before he changed. His obsession with power transformed him into a monster.
* FangsAreEvil: His undead state and his [[spoiler:Demon King form]] have noticeable canines to further highlight his villainous nature.
* FashionableAsymmetry: His one sleeve, resembling his robe in ''The Wind Waker'', is only worn on his left arm.
* FatalFlaw:
** His overwhelming lust for power which stems from his equally overwhelming '''{{Pride}}'''. Ganondorf is TheAce, a warrior without peer, a mighty warlock besides, a devious mind, the hero of his people, a man of status and prestige above all others, [[SmugSuper and he knows it.]] Subsequently, he believes he is the only one fit to rule, as none are so great as he -- that just by virtue of ''being Ganondorf'', that [[ItsAllAboutMe he deserves everything.]] Likewise, one such as him deserves to have a worthy foe, so that he may feel his triumph is earned, [[DirtyCoward even though he quite literally stole it.]] Specifically, he wants to be [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction challenged]], ''not'' to actually be defeated. [[spoiler:When faced with the brink of just that at Link's hands, he suffers a cataclysmic VillainousBreakdown as his pride consumes all his reason, refusing to believe that he could be bested and willingly becoming an AlmightyIdiot ''just'' to win, even if it wouldn't even qualify for a PyrrhicVictory at that point as he'd no longer even be able to ''recognize'' if he'd won.]]
--->'''Rauru:''' That pride will be your downfall, Ganondorf!
** Going alongside that is his immense '''[[{{Narcissist}} ego]]'''. Ganondorf's opinion of himself is such that he naturally sees himself above all others, and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy seeks to display this superiority]] against powerful opponents that will [[ChallengeSeeker challenge him in battle]]. Seeing how poorly Link fares against him even in a weakened state utterly kills Ganondorf's desire to pro-actively conquer the kingdom, unlike Calamity Ganon's constant attempts to break free and rampage, which is further enhanced by [[AfterTheEnd the weakened state of Hyrule]] after 100 years of being [[AlreadyDoneForYou ravaged by his former incarnation]]. Seeing no possibility of him gaining a satisfying victory against inferior foes, Ganondorf instead [[OrcusOnHisThrone stays in the depths of his own volition]], seeing it as more worthwhile to regain his former splendor gradually rather than instantly crush his enemies, and leaves it to his main servant Phantom Ganon to distract and sow discord amongst them, rather than doing it himself. This [[BondVillainStupidity allows Link plenty of time to gather allies united against him as well as regain his strength for a better showing]]. This trait even shows during his boss fight, as he initially fights Link in his human Gerudo form as a self-imposed PowerLimiter, still not seeing Link as worth fighting all-out from the start, and by the time he ''does'' use his full strength, [[WorfHadTheFlu the fighting has worn him down already]], making it easier on Link. [[spoiler:His ego is so massive that he flies into the same VillainousBreakdown that Calamity Ganon did after hundreds of years of being constantly thwarted after a ''single'' loss to Link, throwing away all pragmatic options for dealing with the situation in order to instantly reverse his loss]].
** One that feeds into the prior two points is his inability to [[NeverMyFault admit fault in himself]]. Ganondorf is such a prideful and egotistical man, he never backs down or changes his opinion on something once he's made his mind up, even when it becomes increasingly clear that he's ''wrong''. He judges Link as being an unworthy foe after easily [[CurbStompBattle besting]] both him and the Master Sword without even realising who they were, and maintains this opinion throughout the game, even as Link's various successes against his monstrous servants proves he's a skilled fighter who was caught off-guard by a powerful foe. The closest he comes is noting that there is something to Link's abilities after he beats Phantom Ganon, but then arrogantly doubles down on his own assessment that there's "not much more" to Link. Seeking to prove himself right, he [[IAmNotLeftHanded constantly holds back against Link]] during the final fight, making it easier to gradually overcome him, [[spoiler:and getting proven utterly wrong when Link ''beats'' him at the height of his strength proves to be such an immense blow to his ego that he instantly seeks a way to undo it, no matter how short-sighted it is]].
** Notably, Rauru outright invokes Ganondorf's FatalFlaw shortly before sealing him, noting his pride will be his undoing. At the time it was due to him looking down on the sages (not realizing they were in fact creating an opening for Rauru), but it would prove to apply to him in general.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Downplayed. Ganondorf can act every bit as regal as you'd expect from a man of his status, but his malevolent nature is so thinly-veiled that it's borderline transparent. [[spoiler:When he comes to pledge fealty to Rauru and Hyrule, both Rauru and Zelda can immediately see through his BS, with Rauru only playing along as a means to keep a close eye on him. And sure enough, once he murders Sonia and takes her Secret Stone, the true monster comes out, both figuratively and literally.]]
* FantasticRacism: In the original Japanese version, part of his reason for wanting to destroy Hyrule stems from his hatred of the Zonai, as he believes they're responsible for the world "losing its courage". Given his BloodKnight tendencies, this likely means he believes using Zonai tech to fight for you is [[FirearmsAreCowardly cowardly]].
* FieryRedhead: His scarlet-colored hair compliments the fact that he's a blood-hungry warmonger who is eager to test his skill and powers against a worthy foe and gets pretty excitable when things go his way.
* FinalExamBoss: Unlike every other boss in the game, Ganondorf has [[spoiler:no exploitable weaknesses to stagger him. Randomly attacking will result in him either counter-attacking or dodging your strikes. The only way to do heavy damage is to read the telegraphed attacks of his whole arsenal and dodge in the right direction at the precise moment to active Flurry Rush, and his second phase demands you to do this ''twice in a row''. In other words, players are required to have mastered the combat system to best Ganondorf.]]
* FinalSolution: He plans to cleanse Hyrule of all opposition to his rule, saying that's what a king must do. This amounts to ''everyone'' living in Hyrule.
* FullBoarAction: Oddly enough, averted this time around. [[spoiler:While his Demon Dragon form does have a porcine nose, that's the only boar-like trait he has in any of his forms, and this remains one of only two games (the other being ''The Wind Waker'') in which he never becomes Ganon.]]
* GameFace: Initially, the form he appears throughout the game and interacts with Link in ''is'' his [[OneWingedAngel Demon King form]], but so desiccated and weakened by the passage of time that he's become like a mummy. Upon Link finally managing to fight his way through his forces to reach him however, he reveals that he's already gathered enough strength to regain his full power, but purposefully assumes the form of his original Gerudo self pre-transformation as a self-imposed PowerLimiter, not seeing Link as worthy of his full strength even after all his efforts. It's not until Link actually manages to out-fight him in this state that he re-assumes his rejuvenated Demon King form, and it's otherwise treated as being his true form after he [[DemonOfHumanOrigin transformed into a monster]].
* GenocideFromTheInside: [[spoiler:After transforming himself into the Demon King and creating an endless legion of demons, Ganondorf turns on his own people when they start resisting his rule, as he no longer needs them to conquer the world]]. In present day, Ganondorf unleashes a massive sandstorm upon Gerudo Town, and then follows up with swarms of [[MonstrousHumanoid Gibdo]], all in an attempt to wipe out the Gerudo people and prevent the new Sage of Lightning from awakening.
* AGodAmI: Ganondorf is obsessed with ruling over all of Hyrule as an almighty king, particularly in the Japanese version, where he's even more egotistical than in English. But whether in the original or in localizations, he still clearly considers himself to be something above mortal beings.
-->'''Ganondorf (JP):''' I am... the ruler of everything... An omnipotent king!! I refuse to accept this! Not from a mere human whelp!!
* GodhoodSeeker: In the distant past, back when he was a mortal Gerudo, Ganondorf eyed for the Secret Stones, seeing them as the key to amplify his dark magic to god-like power levels. He finally got one after [[spoiler:murdering Sonia]], and abused the Secret Stone to become the omnipotent Demon King.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Of ''Breath of the Wild''. Calamity Ganon was nothing more than an animalistic, nearly-mindless manifestation of Ganondorf's hatred and malice that broke free from his body. And Ganondorf makes it clear that he remembers nothing as Calamity Ganon, since he only deduces that Link is the prophesied hero rather than recognizing him as the man who ruined his comeback a few years ago.
* HadesShaded: [[spoiler:In his Demon King form, Ganondorf's skin changes from brown to charcoal grey -- emphasizing his corrupted nature.]]
* HatedByAll: Ganondorf was once revered as a hero to the Gerudo people and a king by birthright. [[spoiler:But upon becoming the Demon King, he would turn his demon army on his own people during his conquest of Hyrule.]] By the present day, he is a source of cultural shame for the Gerudo to the point that folklore refers to him as a demon taking the form of a Gerudo. He doesn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he seems happy about it because it means more enemies for him to defeat and flaunt his superiority to.
* HealingFactor: [[FreezeFrameBonus It occurs quickly and subtly]], but in the opening sequence of the game, after a shard of the Master Sword cuts open the side of Ganondorf's face, the wound remains for several moments, steaming...before sealing right back up as though it were never there. This serves to demonstrate that Ganondorf's body can regenerate from harm.
* HesBack: After being reduced to a seething, mindless abomination as Calamity Ganon, Ganondorf has returned as the scheming EvilOverlord he once was and is once again an active threat to Hyrule.
* HellishHorse: Just like in ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Twilight Princess'' Ganondorf rides his Steed while commanding his minions to destroy Hyrule to make his new kingdom.
* HistoryRepeats:
** The Once-In-A-Century King of the Gerudo people curries favor with the King of Hyrule in an effort to infiltrate his court, but Princess Zelda suspects his treachery and enact a plan to undermine his ambitions. Her efforts only serve to backfire, as a last-moment's deception enables him to seize an opening granted to him by one of his destined foes to attain the very power he sought, usurping an artifact of the gods to attain unimaginable power and become the Demon King, ravaging Hyrule for years to come. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Back on the Nintendo 64 once again, are we?]]
** Ganondorf is the mighty Demon King, who once raised an army of monsters in an attempt to wipe out his opponents and subjugate the surface world, only to be defeated by Hyrule's founder and sealed away. After the seal is weakened, he underestimates Link's strength, sends a powerful minion to wreak havoc across Hyrule and restore his power, [[spoiler:and upon being defeated, transforms himself into a monstrosity to lay waste to Hyrule in a spiteful attempt [[SoreLoser to get the last laugh]]]]. While ''Tears of the Kingdom'''s place in the series' timeline is left ambiguous, the parallels between this Ganondorf and the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Demon King Demise]] are downright uncanny.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Twice over:
** Ganondorf's Gloom successfully ruins all but a tiny handful of Hyrule's weapons, making it virtually impossible to mount an effective attack against him. However, he also strengthens the monsters of Hyrule, resulting in their horns growing to enormous sizes that make them excellent as replacement blades. While Link does it the most effectively of anyone thanks to his portable Fuse ability, by the time he reaches Gerudo Town they've also figured out how to replace their weapon blades with Lizalfos Horns. The Gloom also cracks open portals to the Depths, where the ghosts of Hyrule's fallen knights are waiting to grant Link restored weapons, and the end result of combining these two traits is that Link is actually made far more powerful by the Gloom's presence than he was without it.
** [[spoiler:Ganondorf's last ditch attempt to kill Link and achieve ultimate power backfires spectacularly. By swallowing the Secret Stone and becoming an all-powerful, immortal dragon, Ganondorf has essentially erased his own mind, [[SanityHasAdvantages the very thing that makes him a greater threat than Calamity Ganon]], and made his final phase much easier than his last two phases. Additionally, Ganondorf's soul is now bound to the Secret Stone and thus when Link destroys the stone, Ganondorf dies for good as the supposed immortal Demon Dragon explodes into oblivion.]]
* HomingProjectile: When using his naginata, one of his attacks has him send out three blasts of Gloom that home in on Link. These can either be dodged or reflected back at him for damage.
* HumanoidAbomination: He was once a mortal male Gerudo during the reign of the first King and Queen of Hyrule, but after he used [[spoiler:Sonia's stolen Secret Stone]] to increase his powers to god-like levels, he became an immortal, monstrous Demon King. [[spoiler:His demon form can be best described as a monster pretending to be human, with two devilish horns, sharp teeth, reptilian black eyes, a flowing flame-like mane, and a samurai outfit made of scales.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Mocks Rauru for underestimating him and not using the full power of the Secret Stone. Ganondorf himself ends up meeting his end because he constantly underestimates Link and holds off on using his Secret Stone's full power for most of their fight.
** Ganondorf is a SocialDarwinist who believes being the strongest entitles him to rule the world. [[spoiler:This is the same man who resorted to underhanded methods, up to including killing Queen Sonia [[InTheBack from behind]] to literally steal her power, when King Rauru’s forces proved too much for him to overcome directly. He also has a massive VillainousBreakdown after Link beats him in the final battle.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Occurs in several forms during his face-offs with Link:
** When they initially come across his sealed body underneath Hyrule Castle, he appears to be ''dead'', mummified from the eons held in place by Rauru's seal. Then the seal finally falls off and he immediately starts moving again, lashing out with a tentacle of concentrated Gloom at Zelda that ravages Link's body and ''shatters the Master Sword'' before he even realizes what the weapon was. Seeing how poorly his destined opponent fares against him even in such a reduced state colors Ganondorf's [[PretenderDiss opinion of Link thereafter]], as he believes Link will be utterly incapable of facing him once his true strength returns if he falls so easily before him now.
** When they do finally fight in the Depths, he reveals that enough time has passed regardless of how quickly Link reached him for him to forcibly rejuvenate himself back to full strength, meaning he could have started his conquest of Hyrule at any point during Link's quest, but was [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction utterly unmotivated to push himself against such lesser opponents for an easy victory]]. Furthermore, he initially fights Link in the form of his original Gerudo self rather than with his full Demon King power, still seeing him as not worth using that much strength to beat.
** When he finally assumes his Demon King form, he attacks Link alongside [[DoppelgangerAttack four Gloom clones of himself]], each capable of wielding his weapons to fight Link beside his original body, [[spoiler:and which require the aid of the sages to distract before be absorbs the clones for a final power boost and knocks the sages out for the last round solo against Link]]. Notably, this attitude is a massive handicap upon him (at least in gameplay), because by the time he ''does'' fight Link with everything he's got, [[WorfHadTheFlu he's lost a fair amount of health from their prior bouts]], giving Link a better chance than if he'd faced him seriously from the start.
* InTheirOwnImage: Ganondorf despises the Kingdom of Hyrule, believing that its era of peace and prosperity has made people weak in spirit. He intends to reshape the world as it once was before Hyrule's founding, a SocialDarwinist's utopia where the strongest rule.
* {{Irony}}:
** When first hearing his name [[spoiler:back in the time of Hyrule's founding]], Zelda is understandably wary of him because of how similar it is to Calamity Ganon's. For their own reasons, both she and Ganondorf are completely unaware that he ''is'' the calamity that plagued her life for so long.
** Ganondorf complains about how weak and unworthy Hyrule is. He only has himself to thank for it, given Calamity Ganon completely ravaged the place.
** Calamity Ganon, despite being almost mindless, proved to have enough intelligence in it to [[ItCanThink learn from its past defeats]], allowing it to effectively destroy Hyrule upon its second resurrection by targeting and infecting the Divine Beasts and Guardians before they could be used against it. Ganondorf, despite being smarter than it, lacks the memories of his time as the Calamity, and thus winds up repeating the same mistake that cost it the FinalBattle against Link: [[spoiler:sacrificing everything for sheer raw power as a massive {{Kaiju}} monster, which is [[PowerUpLetDown less effective to fight Link]] because how how agile he is, and how both forms [[AlmightyIdiot lack intelligence to properly direct their immense might]] against him]]. Wheres Calamity Ganon did so as a last resort since Link had beaten it so badly it was barely able to hold its body together, it's made clear that Ganondorf had several options to [[spoiler:deal with Link matching him in a fight, but his immense {{Pride}} and narcissism [[DidntThinkThisThrough prevented him thinking about how to best respond to Link's challenge]] in favor of an immediate and overwhelming victory]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Ganondorf plans to become Hyrule's new king and doesn't care about the inhabitants living in the land already. In fact, he's more than happy to wipe them all out and replace them with his demon servants created from his evil magic. Not even his own people, the Gerudo, are safe from his warmongering.
* ItsPersonal:
** Despite their [[ArchEnemy historical animosity over the course of the franchise]], he actually averts this attitude towards Link throughout the game, dismissing him as unworthy of his time after he easily bests him even whilst greatly diminished and viewing his various successes against his monstrous servants as utterly futile attempts at stopping him, as his full restored powers make his victory all but certain. He only expresses any inkling of who Link is because [[spoiler:Rauru and a time-displaced Zelda]] placed their faith in him to stop him, and makes it clear that [[PretenderDiss he considers the sentiment misplaced]] in every interaction he has with him -- in fact, the fact he's "destined" to fight Link at all visibly irritates him more than anything the Swordsman does.
** [[spoiler:However, when Link succeeds in actually besting him at the height of his powers, this sentiment comes [[SoreLoser rushing back in full force]]. Ganondorf happily sacrifices his mind and body to become the unstoppably powerful Demon Dragon to [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill personally obliterate Link several times over]] and then destroy Hyrule just to spite at his role as the land's protector. Despite losing most of his personality, enough remains of Ganondorf that the Dragon singles Link out amongst the allies united against him and drags him to the surface. Even when the similarly-sized draconified Zelda joins the fight and rescues Link, Ganondorf makes a single attempt to bite her before aiming all his subsequent attacks towards him rather than attacking the Light Dragon herself or lashing out at the kingdom below, directing all his power and rage against an insignificantly tiny opponent out of pure hatred for Link]].
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Fitting his new Samurai motif, his main weapon is a katana.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Murdering Queen Sonia and stealing her Secret Stone was bad enough, but Ganondorf goes the extra mile by mocking King Rauru that her death was ''his'' fault because he never used his Secret Stone at its full potential. It's enough for Rauru to lose his cool and nearly attack the Demon King head-on.]]
* TheKingslayer: [[spoiler:He murdered Queen Sonia to take her Secret Stone. He's also indirectly responsible for King Rauru's death, as the latter [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed himself]] to seal Ganondorf away.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: ''This'' Ganondorf does not mess around. Of his many incarnations, it's not a stretch by any means that this Ganondorf is the most powerful ''both'' from a story and gameplay perspective. His very introduction at the start of of the game has him ''breaking the Master Sword in two.'' AKA the ''very weapon designed specifically to kill him''. [[spoiler:He manages to obtain a [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Demise-like]] form, with all the power that entails. To even get to him, the player has to go through [[TheWarSequence a literal army of monsters]] and, if the player hasn't beaten the dungeons, the four dungeon bosses back to back as well. And once you do manage to get to him, he is no slouch in combat either, with the first two phases of his fight being regarded as one of the most difficult Ganondorf fights in the series so far.]] Despite ''Tears of the Kingdom'' generally being LighterAndSofter than ''Breath of the Wild'', whenever Ganondorf is on screen, the threat he presents is always played ''deadly'' serious.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When confronted with the fact that [[spoiler:Rauru's]] power was so extraordinary that a direct attack would wipe Ganondorf's Gerudo forces off the face of Hyrule should it come to that, Ganondorf buckled down and swore fealty to the Kingdom. [[spoiler:Of course it was just a ruse to trick and manipulate them internally so he could murder Queen Sonia for the Secret Stone, something both Zelda and Rauru had tried to plan for yet still got caught off-guard on, but it says a lot that a man so utterly sociopathic and egotistical realized even ''he'' had met his match and had to give Rauru the roundabout.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: The Gerudo are over 7 feet tall at their adult heights, but Ganondorf still visibly dwarfs them all, on top of also being much bulkier.
* LeakingCanOfEvil: His decomposing body has been sealed at the bottom of a deep cave by a strange disembodied arm. Nevertheless, it turns out that Calamity Ganon was leaking out of his can, and at the start of this one, tendrils of evil substance called Gloom -- a concentrated form of Malice -- are oozing out of his abdomen, and when the arm finally falls off his body, a huge geyser of Gloom bursts out of Ganondorf's body and after briefly being repelled it destroys the Master Sword and ravages Link's arm.
* LegacyCharacter: This is a new incarnation of Ganondorf, not either of the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime previous]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures ones]].
* LegendFadesToMyth: Ganondorf's life and actions seem to have been completely forgotten by the people of Hyrule, who only know him as his Calamity Ganon incarnation. Not counting item descriptions, the only remnants of his human identity that are confirmed to survive are an old legend that the Calamity once incarnated as a Gerudo, and stories of an evil man who was once opposed by [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] (and there are too few extant records of the latter for anyone to realize that the evil man of that time was a previous incarnation of the Demon King currently threatening Hyrule).
* LightningBruiser: As the final battle demonstrates, despite being a hulking mountain of a man, Ganondorf can move with frightening speed to the point that he can even ''dodge Link in the middle of a Flurry Rush''. And his attacks are powered by Gloom, which can [[MaximumHPReduction take off some of Link's max health.]]
* {{Lunacy}}: Ganondorf, and by extension Calamity Ganon, are closely associated with the Blood Moon, which has the power to resurrect all the monsters slain by Link. [[spoiler:''Tears of the Kingdom'' reveals that Blood Moon first came into being when Ganondorf became the Demon King and summoned his army, implying that his sheer power brought the moon into being. When the Secret Stone is forced out from the Demon dragon's forehead after enough damage is dealt to it, the Blood Moon again rises in the background of the ariel duel, and noticeably backlights Link as he strikes the final blow on the stone. With Ganondrof's destruction, the moon too evaporates and restores the land to daylight.]]
* ManlyMan: Ganondorf sports a hulking, muscular physique that surpasses practically every other character in the franchise, along with a threateningly [[EvilSoundsDeep deep voice]], courtesy of Creator/MatthewMercer.
* MaouTheDemonKing: Ancient legends depicting the Imprisoning War only refer Ganondorf as the Demon King and murals depict him commanding legions of monsters and demons to slaughter Hyrule's forces. [[spoiler:It's revealed in flashbacks that Ganondorf was originally a mortal Gerudo who became an immortal and all-powerful Demon King after he corrupted Sonia's Secret Stone as his own, with his appearance now sporting horns, flowing fire-like hair, sharp teeth, demonic eyes, and scaly skin.]]
* MasterOfIllusion: One of Ganondorf's magical abilities is the power to create realistic illusions of others. [[spoiler:He uses an illusion of Zelda in an attempt to assassinate Sonia for her Secret Stone and in the present day, uses illusions of Zelda to spread chaos throughout Hyrule and distract Link while he regains his strength.]]
* MaximumHPReduction: All of Ganondorf's attacks are powered by Gloom, which will take off some of Link's max health. Unlike the Gloom effect in the main game, which is reversible with the right treatment, being the source of the stuff means that Ganondorf's attacks ''remove the hearts from Link's health entirely'', [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration just like when he corrupted him with Gloom in the game's beginning]], meaning a battle of attrition is a difficult prospect unless you're really good at dodging. [[spoiler:In his Demon Dragon form, on top of his fireballs deleting hearts as well, Ganondorf's body radiates so much Gloom that it will [[DamageOverTime steadily drain Link's health]] the longer he stays on him.]]
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:His final form doesn't have "Ganondorf" or "Ganon" anywhere in the name, instead being known as the Demon Dragon. Anyone who undergoes draconification is said to suffer a DeathOfPersonality; the name "Demon Dragon" reflects how Ganondorf himself is effectively already dead, and what remains is merely the last vestige of his power.]]
* MightMakesRight: Power is everything to him, and thus the most powerful being should be the rightful ruler of Hyrule. He considers Rauru to be a weak king because [[YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForEvil he had god-like powers to subjugate the entire world through brute force yet chose the path of peace and diplomacy instead]], allowing the world, in Ganondorf's mind, to become soft and weak.
* MirrorBoss: Not only can he swap between weapons just like Link can, but he will evade a Flurry Rush with the same BulletTime effect as Link used to initiate it. However the one strategy of Link's that he never mimics, despite apparently having the ability to create matter from concentrated Gloom, is using shields or armour to defend himself against his adversary's blows, only using skilful reflexes to dodge and counterattack or his skin's [[StoneWall innate toughness]] in his Demon King form. This is presumably another aspect of his massive ego, disregarding any attempts to block or negate his adversary's "weak" blows as a show of his superior might, which just allows Link to [[DeathByAThousandCuts slowly wear him down instead]].
* MonsterProgenitor: Calamity Ganon's true origins are an offshoot of Ganondorf's power given life, making him this to both the Calamity and the Blight Ganons. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that all of the monsters that roam Hyrule in the present day - the Bokoblins, Moblins, Hinoxes, Lizalfoses, and Lynels - were not just corrupted but outright ''created'' by him with the influence of the Blood Moon, explaining why they resurrect whenever the Blood Moon rises.]]
* MorphicResonance: [[spoiler:His Demon Dragon form retains his mane of red hair as well as his red and black eyes in his Demon King form, as well as having a porcine snout that resembles various iterations of Ganon; among the numerous horns the dragon sports are some whose shape and placement reflect both the Demon King's horns and Dark Beast Ganon's tusks. It's also much larger than the Light Dragon, perhaps reflecting the size difference in their original bodies.]]
* MrFanservice: In this game, Ganondorf wears garb similar to Link's Desert Voe outfit from ''Breath of the Wild'', which [[WalkingShirtlessScene bares most of his chest]] and shows off his muscular physique for all to see, not to mention with ''Tears of the Kingdom'' giving Ganondorf dialogue allows Creator/MatthewMercer to portray him with a spine-chilling baritone that's bound to have earned a few fangirls and fanboys.
* MultiMeleeMaster: Throughout the final battle, Ganondorf will cycle through his Gloom Sword, Gloom Club, Gloom Spear, and the Demon King's Bow for his attacks.
* {{Mummy}}: Though he lacks the bandages typical for the trope (a trait shared with the Sheikah Monks of the previous game), Ganondorf has decayed into a desiccated husk of his former self after being sealed beneath Hyrule Castle for thousands of years. The introductory portion of the game, where Link and Zelda explore this area for the first time, is even visually similar to a mummy's tomb.
* MythologyGag:
** His robe and sword resemble the ones his incarnation in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' sported.
** [[spoiler:His Demon King form is a near-dead ringer for Demise, with its glowing red hair and scaly skin]].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: InUniverse, Ganondorf's name gives Zelda pause because it reminds her of Calamity Ganon, unaware that they are one and the same.
* {{Narcissist}}: Ganondorf sees himself as an all-powerful king and warrior and is unafraid of showing off his authority and power toward others. He honestly and openly sees himself as better than everybody else in Hyrule and the main reason he doesn't fight Link is that he sees the hero as being beneath him and an unworthy challenger. [[spoiler:The only time Link even gets the Demon King's attention is when he's grown strong enough, ''only'' because Ganondorf starts to see him as a threat to his power and ambitions.]]
* NaginatasAreFeminine: Inverted. Ganondorf is a tall, muscular man, and he can summon and perform a powerful DashAttack with a naginata.
* NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction: Ganondorf hates the present-day denizens of Hyrule because he perceives them to be too weak and peaceful to last as long as their ancestors during the Imprisoning War. He mentions how it would be more satisfying to overcome a more worthy foe.
* ObviouslyEvil: The game doesn't even bother trying to hide that Ganondorf is the main villain. This is even commented on InUniverse. [[spoiler:When Ganondorf arrives to pledge fealty to Hyrule, both Zelda and Rauru ''immediately'' can tell he's lying through his teeth, with Rauru only playing along as a means to keep an eye on him. And those suspicions are proven correct as Ganondorf assassinates Sonia and takes her Secret Stone.]]
* OmnicidalManiac: Once he became the Demon King [[spoiler:through the stolen Secret Stone]], his plan to rule the world immediately morphed into a campaign of death and destruction, with clear instructions to his army to leave no survivors [[spoiler:including his own people]]. In the Japanese version, just before [[spoiler:swallowing the Secret Stone]], he vows to "let eternal darkness bring the world to its end" [[SoreLoser out of spite]] at being defeated by Link and the Sages.
* TheOneGuy: While others are stated to have existed, he is the only known male Gerudo encountered in the setting. In ''Ocarina of Time'' it was claimed that a single male is born among the Gerudo every 100 years, but ''Creating a Champion'' claims there have been no male Gerudo born since Ganondorf, whose birth goes back over ten thousand years before the events of ''Breath of the Wild''. ''Tears of the Kingdom'' states the "every 100 years" rule applied to these Gerudo as well, implying that no men being born after him was due to Ganondorf not being dead but sealed away under Hyrule.
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:When he transforms himself into the Demon King, his Gerudo form mutates into a horned humanoid demon cloaked in darkness and flaming hair. As the Demon King, he's far more powerful than anything Link has faced before, with devastating Gloom-infused attacks and an absurdly large health bar. And after being bested by Link, he swallows his Secret Stone in a desperate bid to win, performing the forbidden act of Draconification and becoming the Demon Dragon.]]
* {{Oni}}: While his human form resembles a classic Samurai or Ronin, [[spoiler:His Demon King form resembles a classical description of an Oni, having two devilish horns on his head, wielding a kanabō, and being a violent bloodthirsty warmonger.]]
* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: He self-invokes this against his enemies, befitting [[StrengthEqualsWorthiness his standards]] of "worthy". Whilst steadily rejuvenating himself down in the Depths, he seals off his resting spot with a massive door that only opens after Link successfully traverses the Gloom-saturated caverns, [[TheWarSequence fights off a small army of monsters guarding the gateway]] and faces off against [[BossRush any surviving boss monsters from the main Quest]], before allowing entry. This ensures that whomever actually manages to reach him has to be ''at least'' a OneManArmy who can [[WorthyOpponent give him a decent fight]] before he inevitably defeats them and lays waste to Hyrule -- and even when Link successfully does all of that, he makes it clear that his success [[PretenderDiss has only marginally improved his opinion of his opponent]] in any way.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: He could have hunted down Link himself, but being revived as a mummy and not at his prime means he has to spend the majority of the game within the Hyrule Castle depths restoring his former power, while his phantom does all the dirty work at the surface [[spoiler:disguised as Zelda and keeping Link busy]]. Over 10,000 years of being in an out-of-body state [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} can give you such a crick in the neck, y'know?]]. Even when he's recovered enough to finish Link off personally, he just doesn't see the need to ''make'' said effort until Link stands before him because he considers his foes [[ChallengeSeeker unworthy of pushing himself to fight early]], believing the outcome won't change regardless of how formidable they become.
* OurLichesAreDifferent: Ganondorf's depiction in this game definitely fits the definition of a lich. He's introduced as a NotQuiteDead mummy entombed under Hyrule Castle, who unleashes potent magic once he is unsealed. He also fits the "destructively ambitious" archetype of a lich, since he is ruthless in his pursuit of unlimited power which he wants to use to not just conquer Hyrule, but destroy it entirely. [[spoiler:Moreover, in his most powerful form his soul is bound to the artifact enhancing his power, and the only way to kill him is to destroy said artifact.]]
* PhlebotinumMuncher: [[spoiler:Unable to handle the blow to his ego after being defeated, Ganondorf swallows his Secret Stone and uses it to transform into the mindless [[DragonsAreDemonic Demon Dragon]].]]
* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler:Afer taking Sonia's Secret Stone and becoming the Demon King, Ganondorf's power increases to virtually godlike levels. His very presence casts Hyrule in a state of perpetual darkness and generates Gloom, a concentrated, more corrosive form of Malice that corrupts all life it comes into contact with as well as summons countless monsters to do his bidding. His power is so great that Rauru and the Sages were unable to defeat him and Rauru had to sacrifice himself just to seal Ganondorf away so Link can finish him off in the future.]]
* PaintingTheMedium: Ganondorf's powers affect the game itself:
** In the prologue, his Gloom corrupting Link is shown as his heart containers, the game's equivalent of a health bar, being deleted until only three remain; during the later stages of his boss battle, Ganondorf's projectile attacks can once again permanently delete Link's heart containers.
** While the health bars of other boss enemies are roughly about the length of the BossSubtitles, upon assuming his [[spoiler:Demon King]] form, Ganondorf's health refills to full and then [[spoiler:extends all the way to the far right of the screen]], as if to warn players that this enemy is far stronger than any foe Link has faced so far.
* PointyEars: He doesn't have them, which is significant because by the time of ''Breath of the Wild'', all the other Gerudo ''do''. Depending on the telling, this is either the result of generations of interbreeding with pointy-eared Hylians, or because their cultural shame over giving rise to Ganondorf led to them opening themselves up to the Goddess Hylia.
* PowerEchoes: As [[spoiler:the Demon King]], Ganondorf's voice gains a noticeable echo effect to show off his sheer power.
* ThePowerOfHate: Ganondorf is shown radiating an evil substance called Gloom (a more potent, corrosive form of Malice), even as a sealed, mummified corpse. Moreover, despite his mind being sealed away for over ten thousand years his hatred was so powerful it broke out of his body in the form of Calamity Ganon.
* PrefersGoingBarefoot: He, along with almost everyone else from the past, goes almost barefoot, wearing only foot wraps and toe rings.
* PretenderDiss: When Ganondorf reawakens from his more than ten-thousand year slumber, the first thing he does is lash out at Zelda upon recognizing her, with Link getting in the way. As Link's arm is mutilated and the Master Sword is shattered against Ganondorf's torrential power, Ganondorf comes to realize that must have been "The Sword that Seals the Darkness", and thus ''this'' must be the Link he had heard so much about. His sheer disappointment in what he's beheld makes this trope plain:
-->'''Ganondorf:''' Rauru placed his faith in you... ''(Disgusted sneer)'' ...''[[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe and]] '''[[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe that]]''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe was all you could do?]]''
* RageQuit: In the end, [[spoiler:after losing two bouts in a row to Link, Ganondorf simply turns himself into a dragon to raze everything to the ground]].
* ReadingsAreOffTheScale: In the prior game and ''Tears'', the various boss-type enemies has BossSubtitles displayed at the top of the screen alongside their health bars, roughly about the length of said subtitles. Upon assuming his Demon King form during the second round of his FinalBoss fight, [[spoiler:Ganondorf's health refills to full and then ''extends all the way to the far right of the screen'']], underselling both how much much power and vitality he has in this state.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The Gloom that Ganondorf is shown radiating is red and black, contrasting the purple and magenta color of Malice of ''Breath of the Wild''.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Ganondorf is shown to have glowing red pupils as he lets out a battle-cry, wreathed in a BattleAura of Gloom.
* RepeatedCueTardyResponse: Apparently Rauru had sent multiple invites to Ganondorf requesting him to form an alliance between the Gerudo and Hyrule. During the meeting, Ganondorf apologizes to Rauru and Sonia for taking so long on responding to the invites... But Ganon [[AmbitionIsEvil being Ganon]], one can't help but wonder if he ignored the invitation on purpose because he was busy planning to conquer the kingdom, or if he just found the repeated invites annoying.
* RevenantZombie: Ganondorf's mummified corpse is discovered by Link and Zelda sealed in an underground chamber deep below Hyrule Castle. However, Ganondorf reanimates and unleashes an earthquake, causing Hyrule Castle to rise into the sky atop a geyser of Gloom.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: A rare villainous version, since he states that crushing any opposition and ruling is what a King must do for his subjects, ie, his monsters.
* {{Sadist}}: As shown when he [[spoiler:murders Queen Sonia with a [[SlasherSmile vicious grin]] plastered all over his face]], it's clear Ganondorf enjoys causing suffering for its own sake. It heavily overlaps with his BloodKnight tendencies.
* {{Samurai}}: His design and mindset evoke a particularly villainous one. His outfit resembles a very pared-down take on a kimono, complete with a SamuraiPonytail. His Demon King form looks like an {{Oni}}. His weapons are based on traditional Japanese weapons (the Gloom Sword is a katana, the Gloom Club is a kanabo, the Gloom Spear is a naginata, and the Demon King's Bow is a Yumi). His battle themes feature traditional Japanese instruments like shamisens and tomba drums. And his BloodKnight, ChallengeSeeker personality and SocialDarwinist ideology, where he desires for Hyrule to be in a constant state of battle so that it will someday produce an opponent to give him a satisfying fight, seems like a more wicked and violence-glorifying interpretation of bushido.
* SamuraiPonytail: Befitting the new katana/Gloom Sword he wields, he ties his long hair up in a topknot and ponytail this time.
* SanityHasAdvantages: {{Zigzagged}}. Breaking free from Rauru's seal restores Ganondorf's intelligence, allowing him to easily throw the races of Hyrule into discord with carefully coordinated use of chaos, something Calamity Ganon is incapable of. However, regaining his mind also means he gains his immense ego along with it, and thus [[OrcusOnHisThrone he deliberately lets Link and his friends come to him]] for the final showdown to demonstrate his final victory over Hyrule's defenders. This ironically means that Hyrule is under less of immediate danger from Ganondorf compared to Calamity Ganon, who intends to destroy the land the moment it breaks free.
* SanityStrengthening: After the hand of Rauru falls off from his chest, Ganondorf's corpse comes to life and, unlike Calamity Ganon, is sentient enough to speak directly to Link and Zelda. With his cunning mind restored, the Demon King becomes an even greater threat than Calamity Ganon as he still intends to destroy Hyrule and remake it as a land of darkness.
* SatanicArchetype: As the only male Gerudo of his time, Ganondorf was made a king by birthright and was hailed as a hero among his people. However, Ganondorf's pride and lust for power led him to attempt to take over the Kingdom of Hyrule by falsely swearing allegiance to the king and [[spoiler:murdering Queen Sonia for her Secret Stone, using its power to transform into the monstrous Demon King. With his newfound power, Ganondorf led his monster army in a great war for conquest before being defeated and sealed deep beneath the earth.]] His final form is [[spoiler:the [[DragonsAreDemonic Demon Dragon]]]], and [[spoiler:dragons]] are commonly associated with the Devil. For bonus points, [[{{Bowdlerise}} in the Japanese version]], he even vows to drag Link and his friends to Hell before [[spoiler:swallowing the Secret Stone]].
* ScaledUp: [[spoiler:When even his all-powerful Demon King form is decisively defeated by Link in battle, he undergoes a VillainousBreakdown and in a last desperate act swallows his Sage Stone, turning him into a gargantuan Demon Dragon. However, it is, at best, a ClippedWingedAngel as far as gameplay is concerned and is thus actually easier for Link to defeat, because despite gaining immense power (and only even being able to be fought at all because of the Light Dragon's assistance), he loses all semblance of his intelligence and attacks rather mindlessly.]]
* SealedEvilInACan: Ganondorf's mummified corpse is sealed in a subterranean chamber with Rauru's Zonai arm embedded in his chest. Despite this, [[LeakingCanOfEvil Gloom oozes from his body]] -- implied to be the source of Malice and the Calamity Ganon manifestation from ''Breath of the Wild''.
* SlasherSmile: [[spoiler:Sports this upon killing Queen Sonia, complete with an EvilLaugh]].
* SmugSuper: He's arrogant and narcissistic, but he has the overwhelming power to back up his smug personality. His entire boss fight consists of him gradually using more and more of his Demon King powers just to taunt Link. It's literally after you bring down his massive HP bar to zero that Ganondorf's smugness disappears and he's faced with the real possibility of defeat.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Ganondorf believes that an ideal Hyrule is a world where everyone have to fiercely fight to live another day, weeding out the weak and leaving the strongest to rule. He despises peace because he believes it makes people weak, which is explicit in the Japanese version where he laments how the people "lost their courage" in present-day. Because of this mindset, it's not enough for Ganondorf to simply rule Hyrule. He has to conquer the land by force and make his enemies fight him at their fullest potential just to prove himself to be the only being worthy of ruling the world.
* TheSociopath: He is a cruel, evil tyrant defined by his lust for power, [[FauxAffablyEvil his charismatic persona]], [[{{Sadist}} his indulgence in violence for the sake of it]], [[LackOfEmpathy his lack of remorse or empathy to anyone]], and [[ItsAllAboutMe a self-centered view of himself]].
* SoreLoser: [[spoiler:Ganondorf would rather forgo his pragmatism and sanity than ever admit being defeated. He's so shaken at Link besting him that he decides to swallow Queen Sonia's Secret Stone just to prolong his fight and get enough strength to kill Link and the Sages, not caring that the draconification would result in him losing his sense of self.]]
* SpinAttack: One of his attacks with his katana has him perform a Gloom-empowered spin attack.
* SpitefulSuicide: [[spoiler:One interpretation of his choosing to knowingly sacrifice his mind and body to become the Demon Dragon as a last-ditch effort to kill Link. Despite having other options, such as fleeing the battlefield, his pride will not allow him to admit defeat against a "mere mortal", and through consuming the stone to become a mindless beast that will destroy everything, [[TakingYouWithMe especially his hated foe]], Ganondorf also no longer has to live with the knowledge that he genuinely ''lost'' to Link despite all his advantages, implying [[SoreLoser he'd rather kill himself metaphorically than accept defeat]]]].
* StoryboardingTheApocalypse: At Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf gives Link and his allies a vision of the past where he created an army of monsters under the Blood Moon and then led them across Hyrule to conquer and destroy everything in sight. He [[YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive promises them]] that this is the inevitable future for Hyrule once he's fully recovered, and that they should prepare themselves for imminent deaths.
* StrongAndSkilled: He's not only got the raw might that made Calamity Ganon such a threat even whilst lacking most of its mind, he can [[SanityHasAdvantages control that strength much more efficiently with his own mind restored to him]], fighting Link in an elegant display of martial skill with his varied weapons, each of which hit like a truck. The ultimate display of how skilled he is shown with his ability to [[spoiler:''dodge a Flurry Rush'' and counter-attack Link, whereas against any other enemy before it was a guaranteed hit]].
* SuddenlyVoiced: ''Tears of the Kingdom'' is the first game in the series to give Ganondorf fully voice acted dialogue.
* SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: [[spoiler:Outraged that he could be bested by a mere mortal and unwilling to accept defeat, even temporarily, Ganondorf swallows his stolen Secret Stone to transform himself into the Demon Dragon, a mindless monster bent on destroying Link and Hyrule. This form offers him no actual benefits as he would neither know if he actually succeeds in killing Link nor be able to rule over anything due to his mindless state. The only real benefit it gives him is not being aware of his imminent defeat by Link and Zelda.]]
* SwordBeam: Ganondorf can fire projectiles made of Gloom from his kanabo and his naginata.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Since his days as a Gerudo King in the earliest records of history, Ganondorf has always sought to conquer the land of Hyrule, viewing the subjugation of the sacred land as the ultimate display of his assumed right to rule. When he obtained the power to do [[spoiler:by killing Queen Sonia and stealing her Secret Stone]], he created a huge army of demons to invade Hyrule and wipe out anyone who opposed him. After being revived in the present-day of ''Tears of the Kingdom'', Ganondorf intends to finish that goal, [[FinalSolution complete with the bloodshed of all his enemies]].
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Ganondorf knows he's essentially killing himself by transforming into a dragon, but he doesn't care as long as it means taking Link and Hyrule to complete destruction. This trope is made more explicit in the Japanese version, where he uses the word ''michidzure'' (道連れ, or "taking someone [e.g. in death] against their will") to describe his actions.]]
* TechnicallyLivingZombie: His body appears to be mummified from being sealed in place by Rauru's HeroicSacrifice for over 10,000 years, long enough that his opponent's body has long decayed to dust save for his right arm still maintaining the seal on his chest and heart. When that arm falls off however, he starts moving again within seconds, showing that he was actually [[NotQuiteDead preserved and kept alive]] even as a desiccated husk within his mortal body, bound unmoving as the years stripped away his vitality.
* TennisBoss: His projectiles can once again be reflected back at him during his boss fight with a well-timed sword swing. It's a bit downplayed here since it's not necessary to beat him, and he won't send them back to you, but it does let you get a bit of damage in on him at safe distance. This incarnation of Ganondorf also has a unique variation of the traditional gimmick where he and Link can back-and-forth each other's Perfect Dodges until one of them misses the dodge timing, allowing the other to land a Flurry Rush.
* TerminalTransformation: [[spoiler:The draconification process erases Ganondorf's mind and identity and while it is possible to reverse the transformation (as seen with Zelda), Ganondorf never gets the chance as the Demon Dragon's Secret Stone gets destroyed by Link, dooming Ganondorf to die as a mindless beast.]]
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Ganondorf's final attempt to kill Link is transform himself into an all-powerful, immortal Demon Dragon. It dwarfs every other dragon in the game and has the power to destroy Hyrule with ease, yet this Draconified Demon King exclusively targets Link.]]
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: For centuries, the people of Hyrule had forgotten his origins and only knew him as a monstrous, indescribable terror. He reveals himself in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' to be a tall, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld seemingly]] middle-aged man, one who just happened to stumble on a bit too much power in the past.
* ThrowTheSheathAway: As he prepares to fight Link for the last time, he drops his ''saya''.
* TookALevelInBadass: He was a mortal Gerudo gifted in dark magic but he became an all-powerful, nigh immortal Demon King [[spoiler:after stealing and corrupting Sonia's Secret Stone for himself]]. And unlike his previous counterparts, this Ganondorf is powerful enough to shatter the Master Sword with his corroding Gloom alone.
* UnPerson: Ganondorf's name and identity have undergone this over the course of history. At the time of the Imprisoning War, the Gerudo knew and admitted that Ganondorf was one of their own before he changed, but by the present time, the knowledge they passed down about him omitted that he had been their chief, changed his identity to the being Calamity Ganon (who first emerged perhaps generations later), and came to claim he was never a real Gerudo but merely a demon had taken the form of one. That the Gerudo still consider even this less direct connection to their people a great cultural shame suggests that removing the name and identity "Ganondorf" was not done selfishly, but the game never clarifies the reason.
* TheUsurper: [[spoiler:Stolen though his position may be, this incarnation of Ganondorf is technically ''the Sage of Darkness'' (or Shadow if you're being traditional) since he bears a Secret Stone. He keeps the position until the end of the game due to a combination of Hyrule in general being ignorant of his status as a Sage (not helped by him never being referred to as such in-game, or the fact that they're only recently rediscovering that the Sages even existed), and the other Sages being incapable of defeating him to reclaim the position.]]
* VictoryByEndurance: His boss fight is designed to achieve this for him. Before even reaching him, Link has to traverse a cramped and Gloom-saturated dungeon underneath Hyrule Castle, populated by high-level enemies, and his ability to summon the spirits of the sages to aid him stops working after descending far enough. Upon reaching the entrance to Ganondrof's lair, he them has to face a small army of Gloom-enfused enemies, along with [[BossRush all the story bosses who are yet undefeated]].[[note]]The story bosses still appear in a cutscene if they ''have'' been defeated, but the Sages hold them off so Link can advance[[/note]] Ganondorf himself has multiple stages with increasing numbers of attacks and tactics between them, an ''absurdly'' [[DamageSpongeBoss long health bar]] in his Demon King form, increased defences in said state and his Gloom-infused attacks have the unique advantage of ''permanently'' [[MaximumHPReduction removing Link's heart containers]] should they connect, ensuring that the longer the fighting goes on, the lower Link's health goes regardless of how many healing items he has. Link's efforts throughout the game amount to building himself up long enough to outlast Ganondorf in a protracted duel, [[spoiler:with the aid of the Sages ensuring that Ganondorf doesn't overwhelm him and decreasing the burden on Link]].
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: ''Tears of the Kingdom'' is a much LighterAndSofter game than ''Breath of the Wild'', having more uplifting themes and a sense of compadre and teamwork... with an utterly irredeemable, monstrous villain as the BigBad. This incarnation of Ganondorf is the most vile he’s ever been and lacks any of his previous incarnation’s more noble and tragic traits, being an unhinged, maniacally genocidal beast of a man willing to kill even his own people if they stand in his way of obtaining sheer power. For the crux of his qualifying for this trope, [[spoiler:he straight out murders the Queen of Hyrule in cold blood InTheBack to steal an AmplifierArtifact from her after swearing fealty to the King in bad faith, and then uses the artifact to become a [[MaouTheDemonKing Demon King]].]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Upon being defeated by Link at the height of his power as the Demon King, Ganondorf expresses shock and disbelief that he could be beaten by a mere mortal. Enraged by Link's persistence and still determined to rule Hyrule, Ganondorf swallows his stolen Secret Stone to transform himself into the Demon Dragon in a last ditch attempt to kill Link and cast Hyrule under eternal night. This draconfication process robs the user's mind, but Ganondorf deems his body and mind to be acceptable sacrifices if it means achieving some form of victory.]]
-->'''Ganondorf:''' I will yet rule this land... You will not stop me! A mere mortal... will not stand in my way! [[spoiler:[''tears his stolen secret stone from his forehead''] My body... my mind... everything! I'll sacrifice it all to destroy you and cast this world into eternal night!]]
* VillainRespect: During the meeting where he makes his vow of fealty to King Rauru, Ganondorf mentions when the Zonai first came to Hyrule and how they were viewed like gods, and he also voices how impressed he is at how far Rauru himself had gotten as king. While he's certainly lying through his teeth about the fealty, it's unclear if he was also being dishonest of admiring how great and powerful the Zonai people were and still are, or if he was being genuine in his admiration.
* WalkingArmory: His skill with multiple weapons rivals even Link in this field! He's got a katana, a naginata, a bow and arrow, and a massive kanabō in his arsenal, and he'll constantly switch between them in his battle, playing nicely with his new [[TheWarlord warlord]] aesthetic this time around. That said, he also limits himself to just those four, albeit powerful, weapons, whereas Link will be carrying far more of each type on his person during the showdown and is capable of using his Fuse ability to make {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s on demand to fight with. This shows Link's willingness to [[CombatPragmatist fight dirty with every available advantage he can get]], whereas Ganondorf is his equal in skillful weapon handling, but intentionally limits himself to dignified weaponry befitting of his status.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: He wears a tunic that leaves the right portion of his chest and the right arm uncovered. Justified in that he's a BloodKnight who doesn't bother to wear armor or even clothes with effect benefits, like Link does.
* WalkingWasteland: Ganondorf in proper form has something a lot more potent than the Malice his incarnation of Calamity Ganon exuded: a dense plague of his essence dubbed Gloom. What makes this so much more dangerous is that, while Malice was a horrifically corrosive substance gradually swallowing Hyrule, one was perfectly safe even being close, so long as they didn't touch it. Gloom, however, is not just of the same properties, but travels as an airborne contagion, seeping throughout the land as a dense mist -- and it is not just highly-infectious, but ''guided'', as well. It seeks out not just the people, but also any means of the kingdom's defense and corrodes them to rust. In this way, Ganondorf effectively chokes the life out of Hyrule through the act of simply ''existing'', and anyone without supernatural boons who pursue him will wither and perish well before they get anywhere ''near'' him.
* TheWarlord: A king without a kingdom -- as the Gerudo have long since repudiated him -- Ganondorf still seeks to conquer Hyrule using his hordes of monsters created from his evil magic. [[spoiler:Even before he became the Demon King, Ganondorf sought to conquer Hyrule by having his Gerudo tribe control a swarm of Molduga to invade the land. It's only when he saw the power of the Secret Stone that Ganondorf began thinking of other means to conquer Hyrule.]]
* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: Seems to have this view on the people of Hyrule. Ganondorf expresses his disgust by calling the Hyruleans "peace-loving cowards" and, in the Japanese version, he notes that they used to have more "resolve" before Rauru united the kingdom and established peace. Overall, Ganondorf seems to believe that peace makes people weak, meaning that war and battle are the only proper ways to prove one's strength.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Powerful as he was during ''Breath of the Wild'', Calamity Ganon was notably lacking Ganondorf's trademark cunning and manipulations despite his [[AlmightyIdiot immense power]], and was constantly being suppressed by Zelda's powers throughout the fight, hampering his performance. This version has no such handicap and [[SanityStrengthening regains his mind]] along with his physical body, and demonstrates how much more dangerous he is because of that by badly damaging Link's right arm upon awakening -- the same Link who recently defeated him after an entire game of [[BagOfSpilling regaining enough strength]] to do so.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Zig-zagged. In the era of Hyrule's past, Ganondorf was noted to be an unparalleled warrior of superhuman physical prowess and combat abilities, who mastered all manner of weapons -- [[spoiler:something he shows off in his boss fight's first stage by being able to bullet-time dodge Link's attacks]]. When unleashed at the beginning of the game, Ganondorf shows off his raw power by casually shattering the full-power Master Sword and fatally wounding Link [[CurbStompBattle with a single attack]] aimed at Zelda -- all while at a fraction of his own full power. The game's story mode makes it clear that Link's chances of defeating Ganondorf are close to zero [[spoiler:without 1) the Sages backing him up, and 2) the repaired Master Sword being greatly-augmented by spending untold millennia marinating in Zelda's draconification-boosted holy power]]. However, in the present day it turns out that Link's own superhuman combat prowess rivals -- if not surpasses -- Ganondorf's own, [[spoiler:something that ultimately costs Ganondorf the fight when he refuses to take Link seriously based on their first encounter]].
* WorthyOpponent: He seeks worthy foes to test his mettle because [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction he finds no joy in winning without effort]].
** He actually had this attitude towards Rauru in the past. He was impressed by his display of power in firing a WaveMotionGun to wipe out a swarm of Molduga he directed to attack the Kingdom, and decided to go for a more subtle approach to seize the chance to claim his own stone before fighting him. Once he does so, he mocks the King for not using his full strength with the stone, calling it a 'waste'. During the Imprisoning War, he's subtly impressed by Rauru's determination to [[SealedEvilInADuel seal them both together for eons]] despite the fact it will lead to his death and will only delay Ganondorf's ambitions. When Rauru tells him that [[spoiler:in the future, a Swordsman named Link will face him and defeat him for good, Ganondorf is interested by this mysterious figure his enemy trusted to finish the job he couldn't, and looks forwards to facing him]].
** Subverted with Link. While he did look forward to facing Link [[spoiler:after Rauru proclaimed that the swordsman will be there in the far future to defeat the Demon King for good]], in the present day, he sneers contempt towards him after easily ravaging Link's arm and shattering the Master Sword. Throughout the game, Ganondorf mocks Link for being given Rauru's powers and is often surprised whenever Link overcomes one of his powerful minions. When Link finally grows powerful enough to give Ganondorf a worthy fight in the final battle, [[spoiler:Ganondorf still refuses to treat Link with respect by going to the polar opposite reaction. Instead of seeing him as a weak mortal unworthy of attention, Ganondorf now sees Link as a threat to his narcissistic belief as the invincible Demon King since he didn't want a genuine challenge, just one that would flatter his ego and allow him to display his full power.]]
* YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForEvil: [[spoiler:After murdering Sonia and taking her Secret Stone, he expresses this view towards Rauru, mocking him for not using the Stone's power to its full potential.]]
* YouDontLookLikeYou: InUniverse. In addition to his desiccated looks from being sealed for 10,000 years making him look practically zombified once released, his Demon King form looks markedly different to his original Gerudo self, the combination of which [[spoiler:prevented the time-displaced Zelda from realising Ganondorf was the mummified corpse that attacked her underneath the castle when she chronologically first met him. She only realises this after seeing him transformed into the Demon King for the first time, by which point, she brokenly notes that the knowledge only makes the showdown with him an inevitable ForegoneConclusion for herself and her past allies]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Downplayed with the Gerudo. [[spoiler:Ganondorf didn't immediately attempt to kill his own people after he became the Demon King. But he certainly doesn't mind when they turned against him and sided with King Rauru since he has already his army of demons as their replacement regardless.]]
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: When using his Gloom Bow, Ganondorf will surround Link with a ring of Gloom to make it harder to dodge his shots.

A page for both forms of Ganon, his offshoots, and his subordinate Yiga Clan in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom''. For their depiction specific to, and new characters in the prequel game, please see the ''[[Characters/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamityGanonAndDarkForces Age of Calamity]]'' character page instead.

* TookALevelInJerkass: While most previous incarnations of Ganondorf were cruel tyrants, he nevertheless seemed pretty satisfied with trying to TakeOverTheWorld and have Hyrule be full of unwilling but living subjects for him to control, only becoming an OmnicidalManiac when transforming into the bestial, AlmightyIdiot Ganon. He also still had varying levels of affection for his fellow Gerudo; at the very least he tended to mostly leave them alone while he tormented the ''rest'' of Hyrule. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', in contrast, he openly expresses his desire to wipe out all non-monstrous life in Hyrule despite being totally sapient this time, and he also [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness violently turns on his Gerudo subjects too]] once he acquires the power to do so.

* AdaptationalVillainy: While most previous incarnations of Ganondorf were cruel tyrants, he nevertheless seemed pretty satisfied with trying to TakeOverTheWorld and have Hyrule be full of unwilling but living subjects for him to control, only becoming an OmnicidalManiac when transforming into the bestial, AlmightyIdiot Ganon. He also still had varying levels of affection for his fellow Gerudo; at the very least he tended to mostly leave them alone while he tormented the ''rest'' of Hyrule. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', in contrast, he openly expresses his desire to wipe out all non-monstrous life in Hyrule despite being totally sapient this time, and he also [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness violently turns on his Gerudo subjects too]] once he acquires the power to do so.

* AdaptationalVillainy: While most previous incarnations of Ganondorf were cruel tyrants, he nevertheless seemed pretty satisfied with trying to TakeOverTheWorld and have Hyrule be full of unwilling but living subjects for him to control, only becoming an OmnicidalManiac when transforming into the bestial, AlmightyIdiot Ganon. He also still had varying levels of affection for his fellow Gerudo; at the very least he tended to mostly leave them alone while he tormented the ''rest'' of Hyrule. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', in contrast, he openly expresses his desire to wipe out all non-monstrous life in Hyrule despite being being totally sapient this time, and he also [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness violently turns on his Gerudo subjects too]] once he acquires the power to do so.

* AdaptationalVillainy: While most previous incarnations of Ganondorf were cruel tyrants, he nevertheless seemed pretty satisfied with trying to TakeOverTheWorld and have Hyrule be full of unwilling but living subjects for him to control, only becoming an OmnicidalManiac when transforming into the bestial, AlmightyIdiot Ganon. He also still had varying levels of affection for his fellow Gerudo; at the very least he tended to mostly leave them alone while he tormented the ''rest'' of Hyrule. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', in contrast, he openly expresses his desire to wipe out all non-monster life in Hyrule despite being being totally sapient this time, and he also violently turns on his Gerudo subjects too once he acquires the power to do so.

* HatedByAll: Ganondorf was once revered as a hero to the Gerudo people and a king by birthright. [[spoiler:But upon becoming the Demon King, he would turn his demon army on his own people during his conquest of Hyrule.]] By the present day, he is a source of cultural shame for the Gerudo to the point that folklore refers to him as a demon taking the form of a Gerudo.

* HateSink: Although Calamity Ganon is the BigBad of the game, it is more of a mindless force of nature rather than a character, and the monsters it controls don't have any greater agenda beyond hunting and pillaging. As such, the fanatic, murderous and thieving Yiga Clan are the only enemies that players could truly hate, and they '''don't''' disappoint in that area, especially if you partake a Shrine sidequest involving the Sheikah Dorian. As it turns out, the Yiga Clan [[spoiler:murdered Dorian's wife and threatened to do the same to his daughters, Koko and Cottla, if he doesn't give up information about Link and Kakariko Village. The loss of Dorian's wife left emotional scars on the two daughters, and they would have lost their father as well had Link not given the Yiga Blademaster a well-deserved ass-kicking]].
** Strangely [[AvertedTrope averted]] with their leader, Master Kohga. You'd expect him to be the most loathsome Yiga of them all, but he turns out to be a [[LaughablyEvil complete goofball]] who is [[AffablyEvil friendly towards Link]] and spends most of his time [[OrcusOnHisThrone lounging around in his lair]].