History Characters / TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildGanonAndYigaClan

* ArchEnemy: [[spoiler:He considers himself this to Link in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', though the feeling [[ButForMeItWasTuesday isn't exactly mutual]] on Link's end.]]

* EpicFail: His final attempt to kill Link [[spoiler:involves him using a special Yiga technique passed down from his father's mother's father. Said technique is summoning a gigantic spiked ball that blocks Link from his sight, but Kohga ends up debating on how to use it, and he fails to realize the ball is rolling towards him. Kohga panics and ends up falling into a BottomlessPit, with the spiked ball landing on top of him. And all without Link doing a thing]].

* TheDragon: He sees himself as Ganon's top follower. Whether or not Ganon can or will respond to him at this point is another matter, but that won't stop him from doing whatever he can to curry favor with the Calamity and the Demon King behind it.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In previous games, Phantom Ganon was little more than a mindless ghost-like being created by Ganondorf, whose presence was mostly relegated to trying to kill Link. In this game, [[spoiler:Phantom Ganon is not only capable of shapeshifting into other forms, but is much more of a deceptive manipulator, being able to trick Queen Sonia and Zelda into helping its master kill the former, but also brainwashes Yunobo and leads the Zonai Research Team astray to keep all of Hyrule in a state of chaos.]]

* TheCorruption: Ganon's body is composed of a substance called Malice, a form of dark energy that corrupts anything it comes into contact with. Its power surrounds Hyrule Castle in the form of a red and black fog, and is spreading across Hyrule as a living, toxic ooze. It is responsible for the corruption of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts. [[spoiler:Also, the Spirit Dragon, Naydra, is corrupted by its Malice as well]].

* SilentAntagonist: He never speaks in the game. [[spoiler:Even his vaguely humanoid form cannot form any words beyond demonic shrieks of pain]].

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the EternalVillain. Calamity Ganon is essentially what happens when a villain is trapped in an inescapable cycle of constant battles, victories, inevitable defeats. He is the manifestation of the ever-increasing hatred brought on by every version of Ganondorf that has suffered for millennia after millennia, finally bursting out and causing mindless destruction after the latest incarnation's failure.

* AlmightyIdiot: Ganon appears now a malevolent, animalistic being of pure power, no longer displaying the traits of the intelligent SorcerousOverlord that he once was.

** Ganon is described as the pure embodiment of an ancient evil reborn time and time again. This is likely referring to Demon King Demise's curse in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' as well as Ganon is usually the main antagonist of any Zelda story.

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Kohga's time in the Depths between games allowed him to study and harness Zonai technology in order to expand the Yuga Clan's operations and give himself new tools to fight with. By the time Link encounters him again, he's effectively conquered the Depths and is on his way to becoming a genuine threat to Hyrule, with his boss battles being much longer and more strategic than before. That being said, he's still a [[TooDumbToLive goofy idiot]] at his core, which ends up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard biting him in the ass]] at the end.]]

* VileVillainLaughableLackey: Inverted. Kohga is played comedically, with an easy boss battle and an UndignifiedDeath. By contrast, his clan is completely ruthless and lacks any comedic or redeeming qualities (save for the banana obsession). [[spoiler:Played straight in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', however, where he's as goofy as ever while swearing his fealty to the most evil incarnation of Ganondorf in the franchise. That being said, it's still downplayed as there's no indication Ganondorf even knows that the Yiga exist.]]

* HypocriticalHumor: [[spoiler:He calls Link a cheater for using Autobuild during their first battle in ''Tears of the Kingdom''… despite the fact that he was trying to get Autobuild for himself just moments before.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Kohga's time in the Depths between games allowed him to study and harness Zonai technology in order to expand the Yuga Clan's operations and give himself new tools to fight with. By the time Link encounters him again, he's effectively conquered the Depths and is on his way to becoming a genuine threat to Hyrule, with his boss battles being much longer and more strategic than before. That being said, he's still a [[TooDumbToLive goofy idiot]] at his core, which ends up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard biting him in the ass]] at the end.

* BreakoutVillain: From a one-off, joke boss fight in ''Breath of the Wild'' to a recurring antagonist in ''Age of Calamity'' [[spoiler:and a major ArcVillain in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', with each installment leaving [[JokerImmunity an opening]] for his return]].

** Downplayed in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', as it's not the only way to defeat him, but he seems quite reluctant to give up on the spiked ball attack even though it failed him so miserably last game, and even though Link gains an ability that lets him make objects move backwards (and, as such, right into Kohga's face.)

* VehicularCombat: Every boss fight with him in ''Tears'' has him piloting a Zonai-built vehicle: A crude tank in the first fight, a fan-propelled glider in the second, a motorized raft in the third, and a MiniMecha in the fourth. Unfortunately, Link isn't supplied with his own vehicle in any of these fights (with the exception of the third battle, as other prebuilt motorized rafts are strewn about), so you'll either have to just engage Kohga on foot or summon your own vehicle.

* ArcVillain: [[spoiler:In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', he's the most frequent reoccurring antagonist in the Depths, with his own goal and plotline.]]

* AmbiguouslyRelated: While it is clear that Calamity Ganon is related to the original Ganondorf, the "how" is actually a bit murkier. ''Tears of the Kingdom'' has Impa mention that the Calamity is more of a derivative creature born from Ganondorf's evil and hatred, which would technically make it a separate entity rather than an actual form or reincarnation of Ganondorf, and Ganondorf himself doesn't mention Calamity Ganon at all and seems to have no memory of being Calamity Ganon, but even then the game doesn't really bother delving into the specifics. The English version has Impa refer to it as the Demon King of ancient times, indicating it could also just be an alternate form he used to escape the seal (similar to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Agahnim]]) or a semi-sentient fragment of Ganondorf's soul.

* FightingAShadow: ''Tears of the Kingdom'' reveals that Calamity Ganon is nothing more than a manifestation of the evil magic leaking out of Demon King Ganondorf's sealed body. This makes the Great Calamity even more horrifying because it means that Hyrule was devastated by a mere fraction of Ganon's power, with Link and Zelda barely coming out on top despite having the Master Sword and Divine Beasts at their advantage. When Ganondorf breaks free from his seal, he proves himself to be even more powerful than Calamity Ganon ''and'' he has a rational mind to inflict maximium devastation upon the people of Hyrule.

* UndyingLoyalty: To Master Kohga and a lesser extent, Ganon. If a Yiga member were to defect, the rest of the clan will punish them severely. [[spoiler:[[DecapitatedArmy And defeating their leader in ''Breath of the Wild'' will not cause them to fall apart.]] Instead, it makes them all the more determined to kill Link.]] Yiga Clan notebooks also end with Glory to Master Kohga when Link reads them in ''Tears of the Kingdom''.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of {{Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain}}s. The Yiga are treated mostly as jokes that serve as a minor annoying road bump most of the time, and often end up being a source of much comedy throughout the game. However, despite this, they are still '''''villains'''. Violent, sociopathic villains following what is effectively a GodOfEvil''. Although to Link they're mainly an annoyance, that still doesn't change the fact that they're still [[NotSoHarmlessVillain complete monsters to everyone else]]. [[spoiler:They are responsible for the death of an NPC's wife, because he [[ResignationsNotAccepted had a change of heart and quit being a Yiga member.]]]]

* VileVillainLaughableLackey: Inverted. Kohga is played comedically, with an easy boss battle and an UndignifiedDeath. By contrast, his clan is completely ruthless and lacks any comedic or redeeming qualities (save for the banana obsession). [[spoiler:Played straight in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', however, where he's as goofy as ever while swearing his fealty to the most evil incarnation of Ganondorf in the franchise.]]

* {{Fireballs}}: [[spoiler:Has Fireblight Ganon's free hand for casting fire magic, and it can use Fireblight's explosive fireball attack, except Calamity Ganon can charge it far more quickly.]]

* FinalBoss: As the overarching threat of Hyrule, it is not surprising that Calamity Ganon is the last opponent that Link needs to face to finish the game.

%%* HeroKiller: Through the Guardians and the Four Blight Ganons, he managed to kill the four Champions of Hyrule, [[spoiler:King Rhoam, and came dangerously close to killing Link, who was only saved when he was taken to the Shrine of Resurrection]].