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A page for both forms of Ganon, his offshoots, and his subordinate Yiga Clan in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For their depiction specific to, and new characters in the prequel game, please see the Age of Calamity character page instead.

Beware of spoilers!


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Ganon

Main incarnations

    Calamity Ganon 

Calamity Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/botw_calamity_ganon_artwork.png
"That...is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin."
Click here to see its physical form
Click here to see Dark Beast Ganon
Voiced by: Tsuguo Mogami
"Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again..."
Princess Zelda

The raw hatred of Demon King Ganondorf, so powerful it broke free from his body and became a seemingly mindless destroyer. It ravaged Hyrule a century in the past before Zelda sealed herself and it away in Hyrule Castle, but has grown more powerful over time and is on the verge of escaping and destroying what's left of Hyrule, which Link is tasked with preventing before Zelda's power is completely diminished.


  • All Your Powers Combined: When fought as a boss, Calamity Ganon wields the weapons and powers of the four Blight Ganons at the same time and then some.
  • Almighty Idiot: Downplayed. Ganon appears now a malevolent, animalistic being of pure power, no longer displaying the traits of the intelligent Sorcerous Overlord that he once was. However, he is clever enough to turn Hyrule's own weapons against them, but beyond that, he seems to act merely on impulse.
  • Ambiguously Related: 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 it 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 the Calamity as the Demon King of ancient times, indicating it could also just be an alternate form he used to escape the seal (similar to Agahnim) or a semi-sentient fragment of Ganondorf's soul.
  • Ancient Evil: Calamity Ganon is noted to be the subject of numerous legends dating back thousands of years, being the eternally-recurring reincarnation of an ancient Demon King.
  • Animalistic Abomination: Somewhat resembles a serpentine boar when it's seen surrounding Hyrule Castle. After Link defeats its cyborg form, Ganon pools all his power to manifest as the Dark Beast Ganon, an enormous boar-shaped monster made of concentrated Malice.
  • Animal Motifs: As usual, boars.
  • Anthropomorphic Personification: This is the Demon King's hatred and malice manifested in an ethereal form of a boar.
  • Arch-Enemy: To Link and Zelda, as it sees them as the greatest threat to him.
  • Arm Cannon: Can use Windblight Ganon's Arm Cannon to fire laser blasts and gusts of wind.
  • Assimilation Backfire: After Zelda was consumed by Calamity Ganon, she was able to confine him within Hyrule Castle and sabotage his proper resurrection for one hundred years. When it transforms into Dark Beast Ganon, she is able to form openings in its defense that Link can exploit.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Dark Beast Ganon is absolutely massive, easily the largest incarnation of the character and one of the largest bosses in the Zelda series.
  • Ax-Crazy: As most of his mental energy is focused on holding Zelda at bay, Calamity Ganon is forced to leave his body behind as a mindless, malevolent engine of pure evil and destruction, driven by his malice to destroy everything in sight.
  • Beard of Evil: Calamity Ganon's first form has a massive red beard hanging from its chin, complete with an equally massive red mane on the back of its head.
  • BFS: Wields Fireblight Ganon's giant sword.
  • Big Bad: Of Breath of the Wild. It destroyed Hyrule in the long past and plans to finish off what's left once it escapes. Link has to defeat it before that happens.
  • Bishounen Line: Inverted, in contrast to other incarnations of the character. Though he started out as a Gerudo man, Ganon devolved into an Eldritch Abomination made of Malice known as Calamity Ganon. Its first form is a twisted mishmash of flesh and technology mounted to a malformed skull, barely resembling anything humanoid, and it later reforms into a gigantic, quadruped demon boar with hooves.
  • Blade Below the Shoulder: It has several blades attached to its limbs, including Fireblight Ganon's sword, Waterblight Ganon's spear, and a short Laser Blade similar to Thunderblight Ganon's.
  • Body Horror: When Link finally fights it, he gets to see what it really looks like... and it is not pretty, to say the least. Being a demonic, horrific mish-mash of all four Blight Ganons rolled into a giant cybernetic half-spider humanoid... thing with a rotting Skull for a Head, this Ganon more than any before it plays up the abomination role to its fullest.
  • Boss-Altering Consequence: His health will be reduced to half if you completed every Divine Beast dungeon.
  • Boss Subtitles:
    Scourge of Hyrule Castle
    Calamity Ganon
    Hatred and Malice Incarnate
    Dark Beast Ganon
  • Breath Weapon: Dark Beast Ganon's only attack aside from stepping on Link is a destructive energy beam shot from his mouth.
  • The Bus Came Back: After the only main game Ganon appeared in after The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a game that had him be Demoted to Extra, Ganon returned to this game as the primary Big Bad.
  • Came Back Wrong: It is implied that Calamity Ganon is the result of Ganon failing to properly reincarnate. Calamity Ganon seeks to regain its full strength and be reincarnated. However, its Hyrule Compendium entry states that Link managed to stop it before it could fully reincarnate, and it ultimately forsakes reincarnating to become the Dark Beast Ganon (in the English translation anyway; in the Japanese version, Dark Beast Ganon results from Ganon not wanting to give up on reincarnating). Tears of the Kingdom reveals that Calamity Ganon was but a mere offshoot of Ganondorf's evil that leaked out while he was imprisoned underneath Hyrule Castle.
  • Casting a Shadow: Generates an evil magical energy called Malice.
  • Clipped-Wing Angel: In order to become Dark Beast Ganon, it sacrifices everything for sheer raw power. In this final form, Ganon is slow and can barely turn around, which becomes problematic against an agile Link and his horse. He has a devastating energy beam that can knock out a huge chunk of Link's health, but it's Ganon's only method of attack and easily avoidable. Additionally, Zelda is able to create weak spots within Ganon for Link to strike with Light Arrows.
  • Collateral Damage: Dark Beast Ganon spawns in Hyrule Field, with several groves of trees and bushes almost like grass around his immense hooves. As he stomps around in place, the trees are crushed instantly, or toppled upon contact with each stride. The local horses aren't spared either, as he'll crush them if he manages to step on one.
  • Continuity Nod: 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 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, whicb destined Ganon to be the main antagonist of almost every Zelda story.
  • Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Unlike the Sorcerous Overlord incarnations it had assumed in earlier titles, Calamity Ganon is considered to be a force of nature, rather than being an intelligent entity of its own. Additionally, in a grand subversion of previous trends, Princess Zelda is the one keeping it prisoner in Hyrule Castle.
  • The Corruption: 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. Also, the Spirit Dragon, Naydra, is corrupted by its Malice as well.
  • Crippling Overspecialization: Dark Beast Ganon is focused entirely on size and power. Link can barely reach its ankles in terms of height (even when riding the Giant Horse), its body is invulnerable to all forms of attack save for the Bow of Light, the Twilight Bow, Ancient Arrows, and the Master Sword's sword beams, and its Breath Weapon can shave off a huge portion of his hearts. With Zelda weakening it from the inside, however, its weaknesses become apparent. Link can easily dodge its attacks and run circles around it, and its size makes shooting at its weak points a simple matter.
  • Cyborg: Link interrupts its attempt to reincarnate, so it bursts out of a pulsating sac of tech line-covered Malice-flesh in the form of a vaguely humanoid cyborg possessing multiple limbs wielding all the weapons of its offshoots, Guardian tentacles, and a skull-like face with an enormous crimson beard and mane.
  • Damn You, Muscle Memory!: As Calamity Ganon it can fire a laser just like the Guardians and Blights, but Ganon's laser charges and fires faster than the others do. So even if you've gotten the timing down perfectly for deflecting the laser beforehand, you can still wind up getting hit by it if you don't react in time.
  • Dark Is Evil: It's a swathe of malignant darkness and Malice.
  • Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the Eternal Villain. Calamity Ganon is essentially what happens when a villain is trapped in an inescapable cycle of constant battles, brief victories, and inevitable defeats. Though he was ultimately revealed to be born from an incarnation of Ganondorf who has never fought Link, Calamity Ganon debuted after the Zelda Timeline established that Ganon will never go away even he's killed because he'll reincarnate in the future. And thus, Calamity Ganon is ultimately what Ganon's role is in the Zelda universe, a mindless force of pure evil incapable of being anything more.
  • Determinator: He seeks to reincarnate himself upon Hyrule no matter what it takes. Even when Link destroys its physical form, Ganon still refuses to go down and incarnates improperly into Dark Beast Ganon. While the English version states Ganon has given up on reincarnation by this point, the Japanese version states his manifestation into Dark Beast Ganon is a sign of his refusal to give up reincarnation.
  • Digital Abomination: In addition to his new Mechanical, Animalistic and Undead Abomination designations, Calamity Ganon fits even this into his new Lovecraftian makeover. The Malice, rogue Guardians and Blight Ganons are all manifestations or shadows of his will, and the latter are literal computer viruses corrupting the Heart Drive of each Divine Beast.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Ganon has taken the forms of a humanoid Gerudo and a demonic Pig Man, but this form is nothing less than a boar-shaped mass of darkness and Malice. When fought as a boss, it manifests as a vaguely humanoid cyborg with a skull-like face, and when that form is defeated, it manifests as the enormous boar-monster Dark Beast Ganon.
  • Elemental Powers: Calamity Ganon wields the powers of all four Blight Ganons.
  • Evil Is Bigger: While Ganon has always dwarfed Link in size, he takes it up to eleven in this game. His first form is the closest equivalent to Ganondorf, with a humanoid torso and head, and it is around the size of Ganon's beast form from the other games, with his skull-like head being as big as Link. And as Dark Beast Ganon, he is the size of a Kaiju, with Link and his horse barely reaching his ankles.
  • Evil Only Has to Win Once: This form of Ganon has come further than any other incarnation before, having plagued the land for eons and only held back by the barest of efforts. Link still lives, giving Hyrule a chance, but this is absolutely the last chance they have because Calamity Ganon is almost at the zenith of its ability to destroy Hyrule for good.
  • Evil Redhead: One of Ganon's most recognizable traits is his red mane, which is also one of the last remaining traces of Ganondorf left in Calamity Ganon's first form.
  • Extra Eyes: In the final battle, Dark Beast Ganon's final weak point is an enormous orange slit-pupiled eye that appears on his head, surrounded by dozens of smaller eyes.
  • Eyes Do Not Belong There: The Extra Eyes of Dark Beast Ganon are found inside of its massive forehead, only visible after Link severely weakens it with the Light Arrows.
  • Fangs Are Evil: Calamity Ganon's smoke form is shown to have two large tusks at the sides of its mouth. Dark Beast Ganon has a series of large fangs lined in its jaws along with those two tusks.
  • Feral Villain: It's Ganondorf's hatred and malice consolidated into a physical form. But without Ganondorf's higher ambitions of remaking the world or his mind to guide its raw emotions, Calamity Ganon is simply an animalistic, rabid creature destroying everything it sees.
  • Fighting a Shadow: 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 maximum devastation upon the people of Hyrule.
  • Final Boss: 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.
  • Fireballs: 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.
  • Flat Character: Played for Horror. Ganon in his "Calamity" form is a near-incomprehensible and almost unstoppable monster who can't be tricked or schemed around like his other incarnations, and Hyrule is left in the universal dread of him coming back, since he would annihilate everything if allowed.
  • Full-Boar Action: Even though it's now a swirling vortex of dark energy, it coalesces into the shape of a giant-mouthed boar. When manifested as the Dark Beast Ganon, it takes on physical form as a colossal boar-monster that dwarfs any other boss in the series.
  • Generic Doomsday Villain: The development team avoided giving Ganon any deeper characterization or even lines because they believe it would distract from the open-world gameplay. Thus, Calamity Ganon is depicted as a sealed natural disaster than an actual villain, with the eventual justification that it's a mindless manifestation of Ganondorf's evil leaking out of his seal.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Calamity Ganon's eyes are always glowing, no matter what form it takes. The only exception are the Extra Eyes within Dark Beast Ganon.
  • Go for the Eye: After severely weakening Dark Beast Ganon, Extra Eyes appear within its massive forehead. No guesses as to what you have to do next.
  • Hated by All: Usually, Ganon at least has some loyal followers, but as this beast, all of Hyrule dreads it. The Gerudo consider Ganon a plague on their history, the Yiga Clan are more motivated to serve it out of Revenge Before Reason (And Age of Calamity suggests it just takes one betrayal to turn them against it), and the people of Hyrule generally just see it as a beast with no shreds of the man he was left. The only seemingly loyal followers it has are its own creations and the various monsters Link fights, but the former are just an extension of Ganon itself and the latter are Always Chaotic Evil beasts anyway.
  • The Heartless: In contrast to how it appears in most Zelda games, Ganon is depicted as a manifestation of Ganondorf's evil instead of something the Demon King transforms into. At the end of Tears of the Kingdom, Ganondorf turns into a dragon instead of the traditional boar.
  • Hell Is That Noise: Calamity Ganon's roar is beastly and intimidating, even from a distance. And its spider-like cyborg form emits a high-pitched, inhuman shriek.
  • Hero Killer: Calamity Ganon is Malice-incarnate, thus all the corrupted Guardians and the Blight Ganons are extension of his will. As such, he is responsible for killing off most of Hyrule's greatest Champions, with only Link and Zelda barely surviving Ganon's onslaught.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Potentially. Link can use the Sword of the Six Sages, which Ganondorf used in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, to attack Calamity Ganon. Also, Link can use the Giant Horse, implied to be the descendant of Ganondorf's horse, against Dark Beast Ganon.
  • Holy Burns Evil: The only weapons capable of injuring him as Dark Beast Ganon are the Light Bow and Twilight Bow's arrows, Ancient Arrows, and the Master Sword's Skyward Strikes.
  • I Have Many Names: Not counting the Blight Ganons that he created, Ganon has many names in this game. He is referred by various inhabitants as either "Ganon", "Calamity Ganon", or simply "The Great Calamity". His Hyrule Compendium entry also noted that he also went by the title "Great King of Evil". And that's not going into his One-Winged Angel form known as "Dark Beast Ganon".
  • Informed Attribute: The Old Man states that Calamity Ganon was a cunning being that came up with an Evil Plan beyond their imagining one hundred years ago. Its actual intelligence is debatable, as Ganon shows no intellect beyond primal instincts and its unimaginable plan was nothing more than corrupting the Sheikah tech that had defeated him over 10,000 years ago. However, Ganon (or Ganondorf) may simply have chosen not to speak, because he's had enough and cannot afford to toy around as he seeks to reincarnate properly. On the other hand, Ganondorf, the being from which Calamity Ganon spawned, does fit that description.
  • It Can Think: The reason why Hyrule's second attempt of using the Sheikah tech backfired was due to the fact that Calamity Ganon, despite appearing as (more of) a mindless beast than his previous incarnations, still possessed enough intelligence to remember and learn from his previous defeat. To top that off, Calamity Ganon is shown to be able to think enough to begin forming a body before the confrontation in Hyrule castle that was interrupted by Link's arrival, regardless of how long he takes, and potentially slowed by Zelda's interference.
  • "It" Is Dehumanizing: The Old Man refers to the Calamity Ganon as a non-personable "it". Subverted as masculine pronouns are also used to describe Calamity Ganon.
  • Kaiju: Dark Beast Ganon is by far not only the largest version of Ganon in the franchise, but one of the largest Zelda bosses ever. Link on a horse isn't even up to its ankles.
  • Javelin Thrower: Can use Waterblight Ganon's energy spear and mainly throws it at you.
  • Leaking Can of Evil: He's been sealed in Hyrule Castle for 100 years. By the time the game proper begins, Ganon has reclaimed enough power to manifest itself as a mass of fog-like corruption surrounding the castle and resurrect monsters during a Blood Moon. It's also made clear that soon, Ganon will break free of its imprisonment and destroy what's left of Hyrule unless Link can put him down for good. Tears of the Kingdom also establishes that Calamity Ganon itself was spawned from a leak from Ganondorf's sealed body.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Calamity Ganon is no slouch in the department of speed and brute force. It has multiple ways of attacking Link and each strike can knock him back hard, taking a good chunk of health with it. Inverted with Dark Beast Ganon, who is slow and has one or two means of attack.
  • Made of Evil: Calamity Ganon is a mass of pure Malice shaped like a boar. His final form is stated to be evil in its purest form, with its boss title being 'Hatred and Malice Incarnate'. Tears of the Kingdom indicates that Calamity Ganon itself is the raw evil of the Demon King taking on its own form.
  • Made of Iron: It takes a massive Wave-Motion Gun Alpha Strike just to bring it down to half health. And that's just in its first form!
  • Meaningful Rename: Calamity here isn't being used as a descriptor for Ganon, but the other way around; it is the Calamity named Ganon, much like Hurricane Katrina, or Typhoon Cobra. Some characters refer to it simply as "the Calamity."
    • In addition, the naming scheme of it evokes Phantom Ganon, a reoccurring shade Ganondorf is known for creating to ward off interlopers he doesn't feel are worth his time.
  • Meaningless Villain Victory: A hundred years ago, Calamity Ganon had broken out from his ten thousand year prison, successfully destroyed the Kingdom of Hyrule and defeated the Champions trying to stop him. But before he can proceed to devastate the rest of the world, Zelda used her newly awakened powers to confine Ganon within the castle, denying him to savor the fruits of his victory for about a century. Eventually, Ganon manages to break free from Zelda's seal and form a physical body... only to be then confronted by the newly revived Link ready to destroy him once and for all... at least until Tears of the Kingdom.
  • Mechanical Abomination: As if being an Eldritch Abomination wasn't enough, Calamity Ganon's essence also acts as a living computer virus. When said essence is infused with Sheikah technology, such as the Guardians, it becomes an extension of Ganon's being. Calamity Ganon's physical form is a mixture of Magitek and flesh-like Malice that somewhat resembles a decaying humanoid spider.
  • Mechanical Monster: Its first form is largely composed of a giant Guardian machine with a humanoid torso that may or may not be organic, held together by Malice.
  • Metamorphosis: According to the Hyrule Compendium, the moment it sensed Link awakening Ganon entered a metamorphosis phase to obtain a new physical body. He forms a cocoon of Malice and Sheikah technology to protect himself from intruders as his new vessel develops. However, Zelda tremendously slowed down the process, resulting in an incomplete form by the time Link comes to face Ganon. Upon entering the Sanctum, Ganon bursts out of the cocoon prematurely. Instead of the humanoid Ganondorf or even Pig Man Ganon, Calamity Ganon's incomplete body is a mechanical abomination that is more of a cross between a rotting corpse and a deformed spider, instead of anything remotely human.
  • Mighty Glacier: Dark Beast Ganon moves extremely slowly, but its laser attack is devastating.
  • Monster Progenitor: He created the Four Blight Ganons to control the Divine Beasts.
  • Motive Decay: Demon King Ganondorf did plan to destroy Hyrule, but only so he can then remake it in his own image. Calamity Ganon is what happens when Ganondorf's mind is sealed away; an animalistic beast capable of planning the end of the world, but nothing beyond that. Had Calamity Ganon succeeded, there would be no world left for Ganondorf to conquer.
  • Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Its physical body has multiple limbs, used to hold the weapons of the Blight Ganons.
  • Mythology Gag:
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Affixing the epithet "The Calamity" before its name doesn't inspire visions of hope and peace.
  • Nested Ownership: Played for Horror, as Ganondorf is so powerful that his power can spawn offshoots, and Calamity itself is an spawn of Ganondorf that can create its own spawn: Malice and the Blight Ganons.
  • Nigh-Invulnerable: Once Ganon manifests as Dark Beast Ganon, Zelda states that the only weapon capable of hurting him is [[spoiler:the holy Light Bow, and even then only when she uses her power to create weak spots for Link to target.
  • No-Nonsense Nemesis: 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. 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 No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction and pays for it hard.
  • Non-Standard Character Design: While Zelda's had its share of nasty-looking monsters, Calamity Ganon's first form is so malformed and Gorny that it looks far more like something you'd encounter in a Xenoblade Chronicles 1 title. Fitting, perhaps, since Monolith Soft are credited as co-producers.
  • Oh, Crap!:
    • If Link frees the Divine Beasts from Ganon's control, then the first fight against Calamity Ganon has the Demon King be caught by surprise by a rain of blue Sheikah energy, cutting its health in half.
    • Dark Beast Ganon does this when Zelda escapes his body, transforming into his misty form as he attempts to futilely flee.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: When Calamity Ganon returned 100 years ago, it destroyed everything in its path before being sealed away in Hyrule Castle. Once he breaks free and regenerates himself, nothing will stop him from consuming the rest of the land in death and destruction.
  • One-Winged Angel: As per Zelda tradition, Ganon will assume his ultimate form in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Link. After Link destroys Calamity Ganon's first form, Ganon abandons his cyborg body to put all of his energy to become Dark Beast Ganon, a giant boar made of hatred and malice.
  • Orcus on His Throne: He's not really the most proactive version of Ganon, mostly staying within the corrupted, ruined confines of Hyrule Castle. Justified because he's a Sealed Evil in a Duel with Zelda and cannot act as he wishes, being limited to reviving monsters and controlling the Guardians and Divine Beasts with his Malice.
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Ganon has become so powerful that he could destroy the world on his own, even without the need of his monsters or Guardians. His very essence alone is enough to corrupt technology and even living beings.
  • The Power of Hate: Calamity Ganon is born from the hatred and malice of the sealed Demon King Ganondorf, and without the Demon King's cunning mind it is left to be consumed with its own hatred. He transforms into Dark Beast Ganon by focusing entirely on his hatred for Link and Zelda, but at the cost of what little intelligence he has left.
  • Power-Upgrading Deformation: Calamity Ganon had long passed this stage eons ago, but he somehow manages to top it during the Final Battle. Its new physical form is a Lightning Bruiser, but it's a grotesque combination of a humanoid corpse and a mechanical Guardian Stalker held together by Malice. When that form is defeated, Ganon pools his Malice into an indestructible and all-powerful form known as Dark Beast Ganon, but that form is a giant boar devoid of any human traits whatsoever, a tell-tale sign that the former Gerudo has completely lost his humanity for good.
  • Purple Is Powerful: Its body and ooze are an eerie mix of purple and black. It's also a massively powerful Eldritch Abomination that turns into a Kaiju in its final form.
  • Rage Quit: After Link interrupts its reincarnation cycle by defeating its incomplete physical form, Ganon, not giving up on resurrection, focuses all of its power into a new vessel known as Dark Beast Ganon. However, due to his conviction going wild, his new form buries his consciousness under the malice, leaving him as an enraged, berserking creature that goes on laying waste to everything in his path. In the English localisation, Zelda claims that Ganon has given up on reincarnation just for one more try at killing Link.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: Its body is black with red-purple highlights. The skull of its first form also has a red mane and beard.
  • Retcon: Calamity Ganon was initially depicted as a version of Ganondorf that was so consumed by time and his own power that he became a nearly mindless abomination. Tears of the Kingdom establishes that Calamity Ganon is The Heartless for Ganondorf.
  • Rule of Symbolism: True to the game's title, Ganon is shown at his most beastly in both of his incarnations shown. Any semblance of a man-like figure is long gone.
  • Sanity Has Advantages: Calamity Ganon and later Dark Beast Ganon are among the most powerful forms that Ganon has ever taken, capable of destroying the world on their own. But Ganon does not have the sanity he had back when he was Ganondorf, which is fortunate for Link as he is spared from Ganondorf's usual manipulative tactics. The trade-off, however, is that Hyrule is under more imminent danger because Calamity Ganon has no massive ego to hold back his power, thus Link has to confront Ganon before Zelda's seal finally gives way.
  • Scary Teeth: Calamity Ganon's humanoid skull has an incomplete set of jagged teeth.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: After its Dark Beast form is defeated, Calamity Ganon tries to escape but is sealed away by Zelda's divine power. In the true ending, she notes that it may someday return.
  • Sealed Evil in a Duel: One hundred years ago, Zelda sealed him inside Hyrule Castle and has been fighting him ever since, but her power is starting to fade. Her battle however contributed into Link's success, as the mental stalemate was enough, to tremendously slow down his resurrection.
  • Self-Constructed Being: Calamity Ganon is malevolent spirit that desires to reincarnate into a physical body. However, because of Zelda's meddling for 100 years, Ganon could only muster up an incomplete body reinforced with Sheikah technology by the time Link arrives into the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle.
  • Shockwave Stomp: Its quickest attack, borrowed from Waterblight Ganon, is to stomp on the ground, generating a shockwave and a weak energy field around it. It's practically guaranteed to do this if Link gets in close for melee attacks, such as with a Flurry Rush.
  • Shrouded in Myth: While it is accepted that he was born in Hyrule, no one knows Ganon's history beyond the fairy tales and legends told over thousands of years. His origins as a male Gerudo who became the Demon King (as seen in Tears of the Kingdom) is now distortedly remembered as a demon who took the form of a Gerudo. It has gotten to the point that very few individuals realize that Ganon and the Demon King spoken in legends detailing the birth of Hyrule Kingdom are the same person.
  • Silent Antagonist: He never speaks in the game. Even his vaguely humanoid form cannot form any words beyond demonic shrieks of pain.
  • SkeleBot 9000: His first form is like the damaged, skeletal torso of Ganondorf composed of Sheikah Technology fused onto a misshapen spider robot, with incomplete or malformed appendages all over the place.
  • Skull for a Head: Calamity Ganon's first form features a skull with a gem on its forehead, surrounded by a red mane.
  • Spell My Name with a "The": Zigzagged. The Old Man refers to it as "the Calamity Ganon". Though some characters refer to it as Calamity Ganon or just Ganon.
  • Spider People: Its first form is composed of a humanoid upper half fused with a mechanical Guardian spider acting as its legs. Although it only has two proper Guardian legs, with the others being the weapons of the Blight Ganons used to prop up his body and a pair of skeletal, humanoid arms.
  • Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: When Link destroys Calamity Ganon's incomplete physical body, the enraged Demon King assumes his Dark Beast form to kill everything out of spite.
  • Super Smoke: It can been seen as a vortex of darkness surrounding Hyrule Castle, with a boar-shaped manifestation emerging from the top.
  • Sword and Gun: Its first form can use Windblight Ganon's cannon and the Guardian laser alongside multiple energy blades.
  • Taking You with Me: Ganon's final gambit after Link destroys its physical form. Deprived of its chance to reincarnate back into the world, the enraged Ganon uses all of its energy to become Dark Beast Ganon, a form that causes the Demon King to lose whatever is left of his mind and be reduced to a rampaging beast. Not that he needs his mind, as he intends to destroy everything in sight, especially Link.
  • Technopath: Used its Malice to take control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts.
  • Tennis Boss: Played with. When Calamity Ganon uses the fireball attack of Fireblight Ganon, this is subverted. See Fireblight's section for more info. However, when it uses the cannon of Windblight Ganon, this can be played straight, albeit not the only way to fight the boss.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In terms of raw power at least. Ganon has gone from an already highly dangerous sorcerer and warrior to being pretty much a malicious force of nature. While his intelligence may have faded, it has not disappeared, as he was still able to learn from his past defeat by the Guardians and Divine Beasts, corrupting them and using them himself.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: As Ganondorf, he was a calculating chessmaster and a skilled warrior. As the Calamity Ganon, he is a chaotic, almost mindless force of nature that only vaguely show signs of sentience and cunning. This is later rectified in Tears of the Kingdom where it's revealed that Calamity Ganon is merely a manifestation of the evil leaking out of Ganondorf's mummified body deep below Hyrule, and the real Ganondorf's mind was frozen in time until the seal is broken.
  • Turns Red: Once it loses about half of its life (not counting what the Champions took care of), Calamity Ganon begins to shine with a red aura that renders him invulnerable to all attacks. The only way to remove the aura is to reflect its projectile attacks, use Urbosa's Fury, or execute Perfect Dodges.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Not that Calamity Ganon was ever stable in this game, but when Link defeats his first form, he screams in fury as its body literally breaks down. He then assumes his pure, enraged form as Dark Beast Ganon to wipe out both Link and Hyrule at all costs. Once Link weakens the Dark Beast enough for Zelda to break out, Ganon panics and reverts back into his smoke form and tries to attack the now-freed princess, only to get sealed away by Zelda's divine orb.
  • Villain Forgot to Level Grind:
    • A unique variation where players could only tell the difficulty differences of Calamity Ganon if they enter its resting place at different stages of game. If Link confronts Ganon immediately after leaving the Great Plateau, not only would he encounter a powerful boss that strikes with no mercy, but he would have to go through a gauntlet of Blight Ganons before he actually gets to fight the Big Bad. But Calamity Ganon's formidability actually weakens should Link partake in the Shrine Quests and free the Divine Beasts. For every Divine Beast freed, a Blight Ganon would be removed from the Boss Bonanza, and Calamity Ganon itself loses 12.5% of its health from each freed Divine Beast's laser. If Link frees all the Divine Beasts and completes all the Shrines, then he would just confront a weakened Calamity Ganon with half of its health left while Link has more than enough hearts, stamina, and resources by this point of the game to outclass his adversary.
    • This is inverted in the backstory, where King Rhoam's solution to ward off Calamity Ganon 100 years ago is to unearth the Guardian army that bested it 10,000 years beforehand. Ganon, however, developed the ability to hijack machines in the interim, taking the army for itself and bringing Hyrule to ruin.
  • Volumetric Mouth: When Link first sees the smoky form of Calamity Ganon from the Great Plateau, it can open its enormous mouth to a near 90 degree angle. The effect is rather unsettling. Subverted with its physical forms, whose mouths are normal-sized compared to their bodies.
  • With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Calamity Ganon is pure power incarnate, with none of the intelligence to control it. This is especially true of Dark Beast Ganon, whose Hyrule Compendium entry states that its transformation into a monster made of concentrated Malice has robbed it of all awareness except the desire to rampage and destroy.
  • Worf Had the Flu: Since Zelda sealed him in a duel for a hundred years, he could only muster up a incomplete body reinforced with Sheikah technology. Also, Ganon needs to focus most of his mental capability on Zelda, as she would seal him away once more if he doesn't hold her back. These factors, plus Zelda sabotaging Calamity Ganon from within, are what allow Link to defeat the Demon King for good.

    Ganondorf 

Demon King Ganondorf

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ganondorf_totk.png
"Do not look away. You witness a king's revival... and the birth of his new world."

Voiced by: Kosuke Takaguchi (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (English)Foreign VAs
"How disappointing. This world should be shrouded in darkness, not bathed in insufferable light. All these weak, peace loving cowards running rampant. It would have been more...satisfying to overcome a worthy foe. Regardless... I will reshape this world as it was meant to be. I will crush any opposition. I will rule. That is what a king must do."

The source of the Calamity, 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.


Spawn and offshoots

    Malice/Gloom 

Malice/Gloom

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/botw_glowing_eyeball_model.png

The alternately liquid-like and ash-like substance that Ganon produces to spread his dominion over Hyrule. Large pools of Malice can be found in areas heavily befouled by Ganon's influences; the largest concentrations are present within the Divine Beasts and especially in Hyrule Castle, but smaller concentrations can be found in several other areas and a surge of the stuff occurs across the whole kingdom during a Blood Moon. The largest concentrations of Malice can develop several additional growths; the most common are large, blunt spikes that rise into the air to serve as a form of fencing, followed by large eyeballs that open to watch Link's passage and which if destroyed will take large chunks of their surrounding formations into the ether with them. Malice within Hyrule Castle and the Divine Beasts also sports toothy mouths, always paired with eyeballs, which periodically release floating Bokoblin, Moblin and Lizalfos skulls, known as Cursed Bokoblins, Cursed Moblins, and Cursed Lizalfos.

In Tears of the Kingdom, Malice has concentrated into a more lethal form known as Gloom, which can take maximum heart containers away and has been responsible for decaying every weapon in Hyrule.


  • Alien Kudzu: In contrast to the 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. Ganondorf's lair in the deepest reaches of the Depths takes the form of a gnarled complex of Gloom roots.
  • Black Eyes of Crazy: The eyes of the Pools of Malice have black sclera, yellow irises, and vertically-slitted pupils. The eyes in the hands of Gloom Spawns have the same.
  • Go for the Eye: Some pools of Malice can be destroyed by shooting the eye appendages sticking out of them.
  • Hell Is That Noise: Malice can be heard producing unsettling gurgling sounds.
  • Made of Evil: The Malice is the physical manifestation of Ganon's evil and hatred.
  • Maximum HP Reduction: Extended contact with Gloom (as well as taking damage from Gloom-tainted enemies) will temporarily break Link's heart containers until he can reach a Lightroot, return to the surface, or eat food with a "sunny" effect.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • "Malice" is defined as "ill will" or "the desire to harm", fitting for the foul substance that represents Calamity Ganon's hatred.
    • "Gloom" can mean either "partial or total darkness" or "a state of depression". Both meanings apply: Gloom is a representation of Ganondorf's power and is all over the pitch-black Depths, but it's also a Mystical Plague that causes people to fall deathly ill until they can find treatment, somewhat like a severe depression. In Japanese, it is called "Miasma" instead — in the 19th century, miasma theory was the belief that diseases and plagues sprung up from miasmas, or air pollution that came from decaying organic matter.
  • Meat Moss: Pools of Malice can be found throughout the Divine Beasts, Hyrule Castle, and some other locations, growing across the environment and impeding Link's process. They take on a very fleshy appearance, with some pools sprouting eyes or mouths.
  • Mook Maker: Pools of Malice can spit Cursed enemies out of toothy mouths if you get too close. The Malice also does this on a massive scale during a Blood Moon, reviving all the enemies you've killed.
  • Mystical Plague: In Tears of the Kingdom, Gloom is a more potent version of Malice that not only corrodes the weapons of Hyrule, but also causes anyone who comes in contact with it to fall ill. Best shown in the Japanese version, which calls it shouki (瘴気) or "Miasma".
  • No Ontological Inertia: Once Ganon himself is defeated, the Malice disappears from Hyrule, as evidenced by its conspicuous absence from the previously Malice-drenched Castle Town. Justified, as it's the physical form of Ganon's resentment and would logically die with him.
  • The Power of Hate: Malice is the material manifestation of Calamity Ganon's hatred towards Hyrule, and as such it's a deadly substance that harms any non-evil creature it touches. In the Japanese version, it's even called on'nen (怨念), which translates to "deep-seated resentment".
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: Malice is a physical manifestation of evil and hatred whose primary color motifs are a mixture of black and reddish magenta, in addition to the blood-red pupils of the Malice eyes. The more dangerous Gloom introduced in Tears of the Kingdom is a even more brighter red and black, showing its true power.
  • Weakened by the Light: Unlike Malice, Gloom generally thrives only in places devoid of sunlight such as the Depths, and even then, pools of Gloom shrink whenever you successfully light a nearby Lightroot, plus, Gloom-infested enemies will not even try to follow Link into a Lightroot. The only places where you can find Gloom above the ground are the rims of Gloom-infested chasms and inside the three great labyrinths. whose high walls presumably prevent sunlight from reaching certain areas; meanwhile, all the ruins in the sky are completely devoid of Gloom.
  • Wrecked Weapon: Ganondorf's Gloom is concentrated enough to break the Master Sword. It's also the reason why all of the regular weapons in the game are visibly corroded.

    Blight Ganons as a whole 

Scourges of the Divine Beasts

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1225.JPG

Malicious entities born from Calamity Ganon, these phantoms killed the Champions and took possession over the Divine Beasts. With the Divine Beasts under their control, the Blight Ganons brought natural disasters across the four corners of Hyrule, such as fierce winds, heavy rains, fiery eruptions, and electric sandstorms. Now focusing on controlling the Divine Beasts, Link must first wrest control away from them to force them out of the machines and fight in the open.


  • Battle in the Center of the Mind: As part of the trials of "The Champions' Ballad" DLC, Maz Koshia creates illusory recreations of the four Blight Ganons within Link's mind, essentially making rematches against them with limited resources. Defeating these rematches upgrades the corresponding Champion's Gift.
  • Beat Them at Their Own Game:
    • They have similar powers and weapons to their corresponding Champion. Fireblight Ganon wields a large sword like Daruk and can shield itself in an orb of fire like Daruk's Protection, Windblight Ganon uses a projectile weapon like Revali and can control wind like Revali's Gale, and Thunderblight Ganon uses a sword and shield like Urbosa and can use lightning like Urbosa's Fury. Waterblight Ganon wields a spear like Mipha, but has no unique power to match her healing, so it uses Sheikah Cryonis magic as an extension of its water powers. Each of the four Blight Ganons were successful in this regard, killing their assigned Champion.
    • On Link's part, as they are composed of Sheikah technology, they are especially vulnerable to Ancient Gear and Guardian weaponry.
  • Boss Bonanza: Optional, but if you try to go to Hyrule Castle before you free their respective Divine Beasts, the ones you haven't defeated will fight you one at a time before you face their progenitor.
  • Boss Subtitles: "Scourge of Divine Beast [Name]".
  • Bright Is Not Good: They are all vibrantly colored, and they all are destructive incarnations of Calamity Ganon.
  • Computer Virus: They are basically living computer viruses that have taken control of the Divine Beasts.
  • Cool Mask: They all have mask-like plates for faces.
  • Counterpart Combat Coordination: As noted in Evil Counterpart, each Blight Ganon uses the same type of weapon as their corresponding Champion. Daruk and Fireblight Ganon both wield very large swords and can use a shield of fire. Mipha and Waterblight Ganon both wield polearms. Urbosa and Thunderblight Ganon both wield swords and shields and have control over lightning. And while Windblight Ganon doesn't use a bow like Revali, it still wields a projectile weapon and has control over wind. Each of the phantoms fought against their Champion counterparts, with the Champions losing the battle and their lives.
  • Cyber Cyclops: They all have a single eye in the center of their faces, similar to the Guardians.
  • Cyborg: They are comprised of Malice-flesh and Sheikah technology.
  • Dub Name Change: They're called variants of "[Element]blight Ganon" in most translations, but the Dutch dub refers to them as "Ganon's [Element]phantoms" (i.e., Ganons windfantoom, Ganons vuurfantoom, Ganons bliksemfantoom, Ganons waterfantoom); the German version calls them curses ("Ganons Windfluch", "Ganons Feuerfluch", "Ganons Donnerfluch", "Ganons Wasserfluch") the French versions instead use "Ganon's [element] shadow" (Ombre de vent de Ganon, Ombre de feu de Ganon, Ombre de foudre de Ganon, Ombre d'eau de Ganon); and the Spanish and Italian dubs call them "Ganon's Wrath of [Element]" (Ira del [elemento] di/de Ganon).
  • Elemental Powers: Each one uses a specific element to match the Divine Beast they're controlling.
  • Elite Four: There are four of them in total, and they were instrumental to Calamity Ganon's destruction of Hyrule.
  • Evil Counterpart:
    • Each of the Blight Ganons is armed with the same weapon type that their opposing Champion wielded. The exception is Windblight Ganon, who uses an Arm Cannon rather than a traditional bow and arrow like Revali, but either way they're both the only ranged weapon expert in their respective team. Three of them also use the same signature magical ability: Windblight Ganon summons updrafts, Fireblight Ganon encases itself in a shield, and Thunderblight Ganon calls down lightning.
    • Calamity Ganon itself is one for Link, being able to wield all of the others' weapons in addition to unique attacks, leaving Dark Beast Ganon to be Zelda's counterpart as the manifestation of Malice to Zelda's sacred power of Light (in the form of Light Arrows).
  • Evil Redhead: All of them have long, wild red hair coming from their heads, probably evoking their progenitor's human form. Calamity Ganon has the same, with a beard as well.
  • Eye Beams: Like the Guardians, they can lock on to Link and fire lasers from their single blue eyes.
  • Foreshadowing: They're twisted constructs of Malice and scraps of Sheikah technology. By the time we see their master, it's clear they were indicative of his ability to construct functional forms, as, after a century's time of work, he is in no better shape than the Blights.
  • Go for the Eye: While it's not strictly necessary to defeat them, unlike other Zelda bosses adhering to this trope, shooting them in the eye will briefly stun them.
  • Hell Is That Noise: They all mainly communicate with inhuman shrieks.
  • Hero Killer: They are responsible for the deaths of the four Champions of Hyrule. This is especially notable in Revali's and Daruk's cases, as Revali excelled in the exact method needed to defeat Windblight, and Daruk had an ability that gave him an impenetrable defense.
  • Humanoid Abomination: All of them are vaguely humanoid, but look very bizarre, unnatural, and Metroid-esque compared to the other monsters in this game.
  • It Can Think: The Blight Ganons, being made to usurp the Divine Beasts by killing their champions, shift into new phases by adopting new strategies to counteract their foes rather than changing forms.
  • Laser Blade: Apart from Windblight Ganon, they can all produce blades of energy.
  • Made of Evil: They are made of Malice just like Calamity Ganon.
  • Magitek: They're made of both the long-lost, futuristic technology of the Sheikah, as well as the Malice that comprises Calamity Ganon.
  • Mechanical Abomination: The Blight Ganons are a mockery of Sheikah technology, twisted into beings that barely resemble anything humanoid. Their artificial nature allowed them to hijack the Divine Beasts, and they were able to mimic the slain Champions' powers against Link.
  • Natural Weapon: Their weapons are parts of their bodies; Windblight Ganon has an Arm Cannon, Thunderblight Ganon has a Hook Hand, and both Fireblight Ganon and Waterblight Ganon have a Blade Below the Shoulder.
  • Power Floats: Due to having no visible legs, they mainly hover above the ground.
  • The Psycho Rangers: As a whole, they are Calamity Ganon's answer to the formidable Champions that stand with Link and Zelda.
  • Short Range Guy, Long Range Guy: The four Blights double up on this trope: Fireblight and Thunderblight specialize in getting in close melee range and slashing away, while Windblight and Waterblight specialize in keeping away from Link and wearing him down at a distance. Fireblight and Thunderblight do have ranged attacks and Waterblight has melee capability, but these other attacks are used as a secondary strategy at most.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To recurring Zelda boss Phantom Ganon. They are floating monsters resembling Ganon that are offshoots of his dark magic but are still distinct entities. The Hyrule Compendium even calls them "phantoms of Ganon" while the quest description for "The Champions' Ballad" after they are defeated even refers to them as "phantom Ganons."
  • Tactical Suicide Boss: Averted. Two of the Blights have attacks that make them vulnerable to being countered by Link’s runes. Thunderblight has its magnetic lightning rods, and Fireblight its energy shield. Once Link counters them for the first time, the Blights will stop using these attacks rather than fall for the same trick again.
  • Teleportation: Can warp around the arena by turning into a ball of energy.
  • Turns Red: At half health, they start to use stronger attacks.
    • Waterblight Ganon floods the room with water to make it hard for Link to move around and starts using Cryonis.
    • Fireblight Ganon ignites its sword and encases itself in a ball of fire that renders it immune to all attacks.
    • Thunderblight Ganon electrifies its sword and shield and begins summoning spikes from the sky to act as lightning rods.
    • Windblight Ganon activates its Attack Drones and uses them to redirect its shots and to fire blasts of condensed air.
  • Wild Hair: They have villainously long hair in different styles. Windblight has a short, unkempt cut in which its drones are embedded; Waterblight has a longer mane that hangs down its back, Fireblight has an epic mane that sweeps out to either side of him, and Thunderblight has Barbarian Long Hair.

    Windblight Ganon 

Windblight Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imgres_4_18.jpg
Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Medoh

An offshoot of Calamity Ganon sent to take over the Divine Beast Vah Medoh.


  • Arm Cannon: It has a gun where its right hand should be.
  • Attack Drones: In the second phase of the fight, it detaches the spikes projecting from its back and uses them to redirect its shots to confuse Link as well as to fire condensed blasts of wind from its arm cannon. The drones can be temporarily taken out.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: It is the largest Blight Ganon.
  • Beam Spam: Halfway through the fight, it will begin rapid-firing its Arm Cannon in combination with the beam-reflecting drones. Hello, wall of lasers.
  • Blow You Away: It can form tornadoes with its right hand and can fire condensed gusts of wind from its arm blaster.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Revali describes it as a dirty fighter, and it can use its Attack Drones to redirect its shots to hit Link's blind spot.
  • Family-Friendly Firearms: Its cannon can fire bolts of energy and gusts of wind, but not bullets.
  • Flunky Boss: Windblight Ganon makes use of Attack Drones later in the fight.
  • High-Altitude Battle: Defeating it requires Link to ride updrafts with the Paraglider and fire arrows at it.
  • Pinball Projectile: During its second phase, it will send out several drones and will begin bouncing its Beam Spam off of them several times apiece. This makes dodging the attacks far more difficult as it is impossible to keep track of where they're coming from.

    Waterblight Ganon 

Waterblight Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jpg_5.jpg
Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Ruta

An offshoot of Calamity Ganon sent to take over the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.


  • Animal Motifs: Its snout is shaped like an elephant's trunk, and it took over the elephant-based Vah Ruta.
  • Blade Below the Shoulder: The energy spear it uses is projected from its mechanical left arm.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: According to Mipha in some of the post-rematch dialogue, it was able to kill her before she could even fight back.
  • Ice Magic Is Water: It has power over water and ice.
  • An Ice Person: It can create giant blocks of ice to toss at Link. Link can counter this by using Cryonis to shatter the ice.
  • Javelin Thrower: It manifests an energy spear that it can fire at Link.
  • The Left Hand of Doom: Its left arm, which holds its energy spear, is very long. Combined with the length of its spear, this gives it a very wide reach.
  • Logical Weakness: Water is inevitably vulnerable to electricity.
  • A Sinister Clue: Wields its energy spear with its left arm.
  • Sword Plant: Can slam the ground with its spear and create a short-ranged shockwave.

    Fireblight Ganon 

Fireblight Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fireblight_ganon.png
Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Rudania

An offshoot of Calamity Ganon sent to take over the Divine Beast Vah Rudania.


  • Blade Below the Shoulder: It has a massive energy sword for a right hand.
  • The Brute: The Blight Ganons are all mindless beasts, but Fireblight in particular is bulkier and more focused on beating your face in.
  • Deflector Shields: When it Turns Red, it encases itself in a fiery barrier similar to Daruk's Protection, rendering it impervious to most attacks.
  • Feed It a Bomb: The method by which you must knock it out of the air when he does his charged fireball attack is to throw bombs when he's charging his attack, not unlike King Dodongo or Scaldera.
  • Fireballs: It holds a fireball in its left hand, which it uses to throw a cluster of small fireballs. During its second phase, it can charge up a more powerful, explosive fireball to throw.
  • Flaming Sword: During its second phase, it ignites its Laser Blade, giving it the ability to make fiery explosions and Spread Shots of flames.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: There are two ways to beat him. One is to get a bomb caught up in his suction and blow it up in his face, two is to deflect his fireball back at him. Both strategies involve using his own ability against himself.
  • Logical Weakness: Fire is inevitably vulnerable to ice.
  • Painfully Slow Projectile: Should you not be confident in trying to bounce its giant fireball back at it, you can at least rest in the knowledge that it will never catch you in the blast if you get moving.
  • Playing with Fire: It wields a fiery sword, and can shield itself in an impenetrable sphere of fire.
  • The Right Hand of Doom: Again, the big honking fire sword.
  • Tennis Boss: Subverted. Fireblight Ganon charges an explosive fireball the same way Ganondorf did in the penultimate fight of Ocarina of Time. But if you attempt to swat them back against Fireblight, it explodes in your face. You can, however, parry the fireball back with your shield instead of your melee weapon.

    Thunderblight Ganon 

Thunderblight Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thunderblight_ganon.png
Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Naboris

An offshoot of Calamity Ganon sent to take over the Divine Beast Vah Naboris.


  • Blade Below the Shoulder: It has an energy sword for a right arm.
  • Bolt of Divine Retribution: In the second phase of the fight, it can call down metal spikes to act as lightning rods.
  • Fast as Lightning: Thunderblight Ganon is the smallest of the main bosses, but is by far the fastest. Its main battle tactic is to zip around the arena with its Flash Step ability, then slash with its Hook Hand. It also has the ability to control lightning, as implied by its name.
  • Flash Step: It can quickly dash around the arena to attack Link.
  • Hook Hand: Its Laser Blade is hook-shaped, and it wields it in place of a right hand.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard:
    • Link can use Magnesis to lift one of its metal spikes near it, causing it to damage itself with its own lightning.
    • Despite controlling lightning, Link can use Urbosa's Fury to stun it, although the only way to do this is in the illusory battle in the "Champions' Ballad" DLC (since Urbosa's Fury is won from the initial fight).
  • Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: It has an energy shield it uses to block Link's attacks. The shield can be temporarily destroyed to let Link attack.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: It is the smallest Blight Ganon, but no less deadly than its kin.
  • Shock and Awe: It can toss lightning balls from its Hook Hand, and in its second phase, it can power up by electrifying itself.
  • Sword Beam: It can launch balls of energy from its sword.
  • Speed Blitz: Thunderblight Ganon's main tactic is to overwhelm its opponent with its Flash Step ability.
  • Stab the Sky: Once it enters its second phase, it charges its weaponry with lightning by doing this, not unlike Demise.

    Gloom Spawn 

Gloom Spawn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/totk_gloom_spawn_model.png
*Shrieking noise*

Introduced with the Gloom in Tears of the Kingdom, certain pools of Gloom can even take on a highly dangerous mobile state known as a Gloom Spawn, sprouting a deadly collection of grasping arms with eyes for palms that relentlessly hunt down their prey with terrifying speed.


  • Beef Gate: Gloom Spawns serve as an even bigger one than Guardians in the previous game, being absurdly fast and powerful while essentially guarding certain areas from a low-level Link. They can essentially only be overcome once Link has enough hearts to power through their Gloom effect and a strong weapon to take them down quickly.
  • Blob Monster: The Gloom Spawns are dangerously fast and powerful moving pools of Gloom with nightmarish hands coming out.
  • The Dreaded: In-universe and out. A few NPC characters will explicitly warn you about them and tell you to hightail it if you find one.
  • Drop-In Nemesis: The Gloom Spawns have a habit of simply popping up out of nowhere and giving chase. In the early game where you have little in the way of health, weapons, or armor, encounters with them tend to end very poorly... and that's without taking Phantom Ganon appearing once they're defeated into account. The only way to know if they are around is to scan a Phantom Ganon with the Camera (either the ones spawned from Gloom Spawns or the phantom Zelda will work), then set it as a sensor target.
  • Go for the Eye: Downplayed. Shooting their eyes serves as a stun point, but it's functionally useless to do so since attacking one hand at a time leaves you open to all the other four, and an eye shot does worthlessly low amounts of damage.
  • Hydra Problem: If you're too slow individually whittling down the hands of a Gloom Spawn, more hands will just regenerate. You're gonna have to take down multiple hands at once, quickly, to truly defeat it.
  • Kill It with Fire: One easy way to kill all the hands very quickly is to simply fire off a barrage of Bomb Flower-fused arrows at it in rapid succession.
  • Meaningful Name: The use of the word "spawn" makes their name come across as a lore-appropriate, toned-down form of "hellspawn"—a fitting invocation for freakish, horrific, deadly monsters of pure evil energy that come from the underworld.
  • Nightmare Hands: It's made up of several creepy hands with eyes in the palms that continually grasp at Link to sap his life-force.
  • No-Nonsense Nemesis: Bad enough that just being close causes Gloom damage. Worse that it's fast and determined to keep you close.
  • Nothing Is Scarier: Gloom Spawn do not register as a monster on the Purah Pad's camera, leaving you out of luck on any information regarding their nature or how to defeat them. Downplayed however, in that you can snap a picture of its next form, Phantom Ganon, and set him as a sensory target, which is useful to warn you of where Gloom Spawn/Phantom Ganon appears.
  • Obvious Rule Patch: Since the effects of Gloom are negated by direct sunlight, whenever a Gloom Spawn appears, it will turn the sky a dark blood-red (as though it were a Blood Moon) in order to make its Gloom attacks effective against you.
  • Personal Space Invader: The hands of a Gloom Spawn don't actually attack directly. Rather, they'll grab Link and let the Gloom itself do the damage. While grabbed, Link can't act unless the player mashes buttons/wiggles the stick.
  • Red Sky, Take Warning: Getting spotted by a Gloom Spawn on the Surface will cause it to turn the sky red as if it were a Blood Moon. This serves as a visual cue and justification for why being on the Surface won't protect you from taking cumulative Gloom damage from them—they take away healing natural light while they're active.
  • Sheathe Your Sword: While engaging in a fight with them is a risky option, fleeing from their territory and not letting them grab you for long enough will eventually cause them to dissolve and even drop Dark Clumps (though Phantom Ganon won't appear through this method so you'll miss out on his spoils). However, some areas (such as Lindor's Brow Cave and the Deku Tree's navel) are home to a Gloom Spawn that will never despawn, meaning you will have to either fight it or avoid it in such cases.
  • A Sinister Clue: Gloom Spawn hands appear to be predominantly modeled as left hands.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: It seems the Gloom Spawn is Tears of the Kingdom's stand-in for Wall and Floormasters. Gameplay-wise, they're a stand-in for the previous game's Guardian Stalkers, being panic-inducing mobile threats that can utterly annihilate early-game players and direct them far away from their territory.
  • Trojan Horse: Not that the Gloom Spawn isn't dangerous on their own, but if you defeat all of the hands, the Gloom takes on the form of something even worse: Phantom Ganon.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: They can't climb walls or cross bodies of water, so getting out of their reach will cause them to throw a fit and retreat.
  • Zerg Rush: Subverted in that it's all considered one enemy, but a Gloom Spawn's hand wouldn't be nearly as much of a threat if it didn't come with four more. Based on your Main Quest progression, you can usually summon the Sages' avatars to even the odds a little bit, but there's at least one Gloom Spawn underneath Hyrule Castle that is past the point where the avatars can't join you.

    Phantom Ganon 

Phantom Ganon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4136461_zelda_tears_of_the_kingdom_phantom_ganon_guide_hyrule_castle.jpg
The Demon King's Phantom Saboteur
"Did my puppet entertain you? She made it so easy to mislead you— to keep you occupied… but such an indirect approach is no longer needed. End this hero's life, my dark servant. Cut him down."
Ganondorf
A Gloom-manifested shadow of the Demon King himself, serving as his proxy. It takes the form of Ganondorf, specifically his mummified corpse appearance.
  • Adaptational Intelligence: 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, 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, gives Yunobo a mask that brainwashes him and turns him against his people, and leads the Zonai Research Team astray to keep all of Hyrule in a state of chaos.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: It spends the first half of the game spreading fear and mistrust wherever it goes, which includes things like brainwashing the Gorons, attacking King Dorephan, and scaring off Zelda's horse.
  • Ascended Extra: Went from filling a boss fight slot as a stripped-down clone of Ganondorf to serving a much more active role in furthering the Demon King's goals around Hyrule. By keeping Link occupied while disguised as Zelda, this Phantom Ganon feels much more like a proxy to the King of Evil than its previous incarnations.
  • Bishōnen Line: Several Phantom Ganons appear in the second phase of the fight against Ganondorf, but rather than resembling his emaciated mummy form like before, they now resemble his buff and revitalized Demon King form.
  • The Bus Came Back: Not counting remakes and spinoffs, Phantom Ganon hasn't made an appearance as a boss since Four Swords Adventures 19 years ago.
  • Climax Boss: After "Zelda" leads you to Hyrule Castle, it finally reveals its true colors and attempts to strike you down as commanded by its master. After this fight, the path to Ganondorf essentially becomes a straight shot through the Castle depths, and being able to beat this thing means you're more than likely ready to face the Demon King.
  • Clipped-Wing Angel: After Link defeats a Gloom Spawn, it will form itself into Phantom Ganon. Despite the Phantom's formidable attacks, it's arguably easier to fight than the Gloom Spawn because its attacks are slow and predictable, allowing for Perfect Guards and Flurry Rushes, unlike the Gloom Spawn's overwhelming multi-armed attacks.
  • Composite Character: Just like its master, Phantom Ganon takes some cues from itself and its 'evil' Zelda disguise.
    • It fights like Ganondorf himself in Ocarina of Time as a show of what his nemesis can expect in the final battle against him and it's also fought at Hyrule Castle, just like in Four Swords Adventures.
    • Just like its The Wind Waker incarnation, it can be fought multiple times and can pull a Doppelgänger Attack, which it can also do in Four Sword Adventures during its boss fight at the Temple of Darkness.
    • The Evil Zelda disguise takes some cues from the various evil Zeldas, namely brainwashing the Gorons via Marbled Gohma's Marbled Rock Roasts and Yunobo with a mask similar to Wizzro brainwashing Darunia in Hyrule Warriors and Vaati brainwashing Link's father with an evil knight's helmet in the Four Swords Adventures manga, as well as the Evil Zelda spawned from Ganon's magic mirror in the Zelda cartoon.
    • It takes action in the game's story, similar to its role in the Wind Waker storyline of Hyrule Warriors Legends.
  • Cursed Item: The weapons it drops are absurdly powerful for how early you can equip them with a bit of ingenuity. However, they inflict Gloom damage on the wielder... unless you use them as fusion materials for a normal weapon and get all the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Their bows however avert this and instead grow stronger the more heart containers the wielder has, and doesn't count those damaged by Gloom, making it not pair well.
  • The Dragon: It serves as Ganondorf's foremost servant and enforcer of his will, distracting Link whilst he recuperates his strength from being sealed and serving as a Climax Boss fight within Hyrule Castle after Link thwarts each one of his master's schemes and slays his various monstrous servants. It even played an instrumental role in allowing Ganondorf to assassinate Queen Sonia over 10,000 years ago, indicating it was serving him even as a mortal man before he became the Demon King.
  • Doppelgänger: A twofold example: it's a Gloom clone of Ganondorf, obviously, but it also disguises itself as Princess Zelda to keep you distracted before leading you into its arena in Hyrule Castle. This happens to be the same disguise it used for its role in Sonia's death. Phantom Ganon was initially supposed to assassinate her in Zelda's guise before ultimately being used as a distraction for Ganondorf to go in for the kill.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: It's possible to randomly encounter him long before you ever step foot in Hyrule Castle or the Deku Tree, where he's officially introduced in the story. He initially takes the form of Gloom Spawn emerging from a pool of Gloom, which inflict Maximum HP Reduction, are extremely strong, durable, and fast, and regenerate their health very quickly, only revealing himself as Phantom Ganon once all the arms are destroyed, which helps prevent less-prepared early-game players from accidentally initiating an encounter with him.
  • Evil Counterpart: Phantom Ganon is essentially Ganondorf's equivalent of the Sage's Vows — an avatar of its creator that acts as a proxy for him while he attends to business elsewhere. However, as shown in flashbacks, Ganondorf had the ability to summon Phantom Ganon even before he stole Sonia's Secret Stone, so it's not the exact same type of entity.
  • Evil Is Petty: Among the trouble it causes as Princess Zelda, it scares off her golden horse from Snowfield Stable in Hebra, leading it to flee into Gleeok territory. Unlike everything else it does, this doesn't serve any real purpose in terms of making things harder for Hyrule to fight back against Ganondorf, leaving pettiness as the only possible explanation.
  • The Faceless: It assumes Ganondorf's mummified form as the closest approximation of its 'true' form, and also disguises itself as Zelda, but both of these are indicated to be mere illusions it manifests through. Whilst it shows some indications of a sentient will, conversing with both Sonia and Link as Zelda and letting out an Evil Laugh when Ganondorf is in prime position to land a killing blow on Sonia without her or Zelda being aware of it, it's implied that it doesn't have a real form of its own, and merely takes on Ganondorf's out of loyalty to its master.
  • Fan Disservice: At Hyrule Castle, it takes the form of Zelda in her semi-revealing Zonai dress and speaks to Link in a very flirtatious manner. However, instead of seeming attractive and seductive, it comes across as incredibly creepy and out-of-character for the princess, with Link responding to it as such.
  • Faux Affably Evil: When speaking to Link while disguised as Zelda in Hyrule Castle, it pretends to be kind and welcoming at first, before quickly dropping the act and revealing its true nature.
  • Final Boss Preview: Similar to his first appearance in Ocarina of Time, Phantom Ganon has many of the same attacks as Ganondorf does, giving you an idea of what to expect for the final battle.
  • Foe Romance Subtext: Downplayed. When Link finally confronts Phantom Ganon directly at Hyrule Castle, Phantom Ganon speaks with a very flirtatious tone towards him, 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.
  • Foreshadowing: It appears around Hyrule to enact Ganondorf's will in various schemes and manipulations disguised as Zelda. Specifically, it disguises itself as Zelda in the garb she wore during the era of Hyrule's founding, which none of the present day inhabitants of Hyrule have seen her in or would be expecting her to wear. This foreshadows that it too was around over 10,000 years ago and assumed her form then, aiming to assassinate Sonia disguised as her to cause discord within the castle, before Ganondorf changed his plans after Sonia and Zelda revealed they were well aware of his obvious malicious nature.
  • Giggling Villain: When disguised as Zelda, Phantom Ganon starts chuckling maliciously whenever it intends to do something evil. This isn't apparent in its natural form though, where it's a stoic warrior through and through.
  • The Heavy: This thing appears all around Hyrule pretending to be Princess Zelda and serves its master by causing most of the problems that befall almost every nook and cranny of the kingdom, while Ganondorf himself stays in the Hyrule Castle depths for most of the game recuperating his vitality and strength.
  • It Can Think: It has at least enough sentience and capability of speech to imitate Zelda to try to fool Queen Sonia and to express malicious excitement in her guise. In a rather creepy way.
  • Infinity +1 Sword: While bordering on Difficult, but Awesome due to their Gloom life draining effect, if you have enough Hearts or ways to counteract it, the Gloom weapons that Phantom Ganon drops are the strongest in the game. Most weapons range from the mid single digits to maybe the double digits, where you're intended to fuse monster parts to make them even stronger. The Gloom weapons start at an Atk of 40 with the sword and naginata, and 50 for the club, and that's before fusing them with anything. The Demon King Bow, while it'd take a while to reach its max potential, said max potential is a 60 Atk bow that is immune to weather, and is pretty durable, making it one of the best bows you can get.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Whilst its master is no slouch in this department, he's recovering his strength for the majority of the story, and thus this thing serves as the main threat against Link and the people of Hyrule in his stead, causing chaos and discord everywhere to distract Link whilst also preventing the descendants of the sages from being able to aid him in the prophesied fight with Ganondorf. Accordingly, every time it appears in the guise of Princess Zelda contains a sinister air to its uncharacteristic mannerisms, and when it finally unmasks itself before Link for a proper Boss Fight, it serves as a formidable Climax Boss that nearly kills him at the end and requires him to be saved by the allied Sages. This even extends to its potential as a Recurring Boss, as it can unexpectedly appear from a Gloom Spawn once Link destroys it and serves as a much tougher fight with no warning, keeping the player wary every time they encounter one in case it shows up — not helped by the fact that it's unclear if defeating it in battle actually puts it down or not.
  • Magikarp Power: The bow he drops scales with Link's max hearts, gaining 4 damage for each full Heart Container. This eventually caps, but it caps at 60, well above any other bow in the game. It also comes with a nifty 42 durability, making it one of the sturdier bows in the game.
  • Marionette Motion: When disguised as Zelda, it slumps over like a marionette hanging by its wrists as Ganondorf reveals its true nature, before assuming its true form.
  • Master of Illusion: In addition to being able to assume a convincing Zelda disguise, it can cast a glamour magic that "returns" the Hyrule Castle Sanctum into pristine condition.
  • Mighty Glacier: If you end up fighting one, it will typically just slowly stomp towards you rather than the quick and nimble movements of even the most basic enemies. The one exception is its charge attack which, mind you, is also not particularly fast. It is, however, more difficult than it looks to dodge perfectly for a flurry rush, as are most of its basic strikes. And given that it's basically a walking mass of Gloom, it will of course reduce your maximum HP with every blow. It's not uncommon for players to give up on their normal tactics and either fight it entirely at range or to just charge in berserker style and hope to tear it down before it tears Link down.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: When it lures Link to Hyrule Castle in the guise of Zelda, it leads him all throughout the lower levels of the castle and ambushes him with several high-level monsters... including a Black Boss Bokoblin, a Black Hinox, and a Silver Moblin, all of whose horns make for excellent weapon fusions. Combined with the various Royal and Royal Guard weapons scattered throughout the castle, its runaround gives the player the perfect opportunity to build up their arsenal for the actual confrontation in the Sanctum, even for those who are not normally inclined to exploration beyond what the story demands.
  • Nothing Is Scarier: Its intimidating presence is furthered by the fact so little of its true nature is explored in the story, despite the relative prominence it has as Ganondorf's Dragon. It has a personality and will of its own, yet serves Ganondorf almost as mindlessly as the Blight Ganons did his prior incarnation, with the Demon King even calling it his 'puppet', like it wasn't an individual at all. It showcases some sadistic tendencies, such as mocking Link and Sonia when it believes it has the upper hand using its illusions, but otherwise never converses in it's 'true' appearance and always attacks Link as an especially formidable enemy. It can mimic various abilities Ganondorf himself does in battle, but it's unclear if this is its own strength or an extension of the connection shared between the two allowing it to share in the Demon king's strength. And its appearance as Ganondorf's minion over 10,000 years ago indicates it was serving him even before he became the inhuman Demon King, leaving it unclear how exactly he gained the loyalty of such a powerful being. Even its true appearance is unclear, as it seems to merely be mimicking Ganondorf's mummified body as an expression of its loyalty towards him rather than showing what it really looks like. The fact that it can be fought multiple times after the story-mandated Climax Boss fight in Hyrule Castle makes it unclear if it's even been defeated for good or not every time Link puts it down.
  • Optional Boss: It is mandatory to fight Phantom Ganon at either Hyrule Castle or Gloom's Approach; clearing the Lost Woods also requires another battle against Phantom Ganon in the Deku Tree's navel. Otherwise, it can be optionally encountered elsewhere in the overworld, materializing after destroying a Gloom Spawn. It takes a good deal of effort to coax it out of this form, having to destroy a very tough mass of arms made of Gloom, and even then it may not appear. Hylia help you if you have to deal with a random Gloom pool and it does decide to show up.
  • Perfect Disguise, Terrible Acting: Not for the Ganondorf form 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 Laughs. The moment things start to go its or its master's way, that's when "Zelda" starts getting all giggly and the mask starts to slip.
  • Recurring Boss: In addition to its story-driven boss battles in Hyrule Castle/Gloom's Approach and within the Deku Tree, Phantom Ganon can be encountered as a recurring miniboss throughout Hyrule by destroying the tough-as-nails Gloom Spawns before they despawn. Although if you can somehow summon Phantom Ganon this way and fight it early, you're probably not gonna be fighting it for long.
  • Silent Antagonist: Zig-zagged. When it assumes the form of Zelda, Phantom Ganon says many things to throw Hyrule into chaos, shows reverence for the Blood Moon's rise every night, and even mocks the likes of Sonia and Link for trusting it. When it assumes its real form however, Phantom Ganon doesn't so much as utter a word, even disappearing during the aforementioned Blood Moon scene and not saying anything about it.
  • Spanner in the Works: The Dragon Tears memories reveal that Rauru, Sonia and Zelda were all keenly aware that Ganondorf was bad news and lying through his teeth when he swore fealty to Hyrule, but Rauru believed it'd be better to have him close by to keep track of him, and so accepted his vow regardless. However, none of them were expecting him to have a creature serving him with powerful illusionary abilities. Even when they predicted any straightforward assassination attempt on Sonia, the Phantom's illusions hid Ganondorf himself from view until he was in a prime killing position to strike whilst their guard was down and they were distracted facing off with his servant, enabling him to seize Sonia's stone and become the Demon king.
  • Stronger Than They Look: It assumes the form of Ganondorf's emaciated mummified body when fighting Link, but despite its seemingly-frail appearance, it is incredibly lively in a fight and serves as a tough Recurring Boss, capable of taking off multiple hearts with every strike and even breaking Link's heart containers with Gloom.
  • Took a Level in Badass:
    • In Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, Phantom Ganon was just another boss, no more threatening than any other and explicitly called "worthless" by Ganondorf in Ocarina. In this game, not only is Phantom Ganon its master's heavy and dragon, being the direct cause of most of the trouble Link encounters during his adventure, but running into it as an overworld enemy is a death sentence for most players until they've gotten more hearts and better equipment to fight it with.
    • In previous incarnations, Phantom Ganon has used Energy Ball attacks, making it predictable and easy to defeat. This one, however, seems to have learned its lesson and now goes to attack Link directly with its long, powerful Gloom Sword.
  • Wake-Up Call Boss: To those in the early game that can somehow manage to summon it from defeating Gloom Spawns. Phantom Ganon is significantly more difficult than any other boss encounter a player is expected to fight in the early game, with complex attacks and health zapping Gloom, to the point that summoning it on accident is a death sentence.
  • Walking Wasteland: Wherever Phantom Ganon appears, a puddle of Gloom appears around it. And if whichever schmuck summoned it decides to hide, it just calmly begins to spread Gloom outward to smoke the prey out. Fortunately, the Gloom spread can be cut off with a good headshot from a bow.
  • Walking Armory:
    • Being a Final Boss Preview, the Phantom Ganon in Hyrule Castle shares a penchant for this with its master, cycling between katana, naginata, and kanabo as the battle wears on.
    • Averted with the ones that appear from Gloom Spawn, which are limited to a single melee weapon specific to the location.
  • You Will Not Evade Me: Attempting to flee from Phantom Ganon like a Gloom Spawn will cause him to teleport to your location, or shoot you with arrows. You will have to stand your ground and fight back.

Yiga Clan

    General 

The Yiga Clan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yiga_eye.png
"Beware, fool, the eye of the Yiga."
"The Sheikah became outcasts, forced into exile. Some, like us, chose to cast off our technological advances and strove to live normal lives. Others fostered a hatred towards the kingdom that shunned them. These sad souls swore their allegiance to Ganon. They now call themselves the Yiga Clan. Their sole mission is to eliminate all who stand against Ganon. Please, dear hero... be careful out there."
Cado

When the Hylians turned on the Sheikah, some of them could not forgive their former allies for this betrayal. These dissidents swore revenge on the Hylians and became the Yiga Clan, seeking to maintain as much of their old magitek as possible and use it to avenge themselves on all Hylians. Sworn to Calamity Ganon, they seek to bring the demise of the hero resurrected.


  • Affably Evil: Tears of the Kingdom shows that when they're not trying to murder Link and sacrifice Hyrule to the Demon King, the Yiga are mostly just Punch-Clock Villains who enjoy training with each other, sharing instructions for other members to build cool vehicles, and eating copious amounts of bananas. On top of that, their loyalties to each other and Master Kohga are 100% genuine, which Kohga himself very much appreciates and reciprocates.
  • All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Yiga Clan takes over the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab during the events of Tears of the Kingdom, using it as a base to make more Yiga Footsoldier outfits for their guys as well as research ways to further utilize Zonai technology on Ganondorf's behalf. They've even taken over the Shrine of Resurrection, Link's resting place from Breath of the Wild.
  • Ambiguous Situation: Although they are willing servants of Ganon, it's never made entirely clear if either the Calamity or the Demon King even know about the existence of the Yiga Clan at all, or care about them if they do. For what it's worth, the Yiga Clan are among the few non-monsters to be revived every Blood Moon, indicating that Ganon is aware of them on some level, but it's unknown whether he values them over any of the other monsters he conjures.
  • Animal Motifs: Like the Sheikah in Kakariko Village, they have dozens of frog statues surrounding their hideout. The Yiga's are all wearing face cloths like some of the Sheikah monks, but they're emblazoned with the upside-down eye of the Yiga.
    • Also, monkeys with their love for bananas, their erratic leaping and their laughter sounding like the hollers of a monkey.
  • Apocalypse Cult: The Yiga Clan is devoted to killing Link, which would allow Calamity Ganon to destroy the world unopposed. They've been around since before the Great Calamity, though whether they had any part in bringing him back or if Ganon even knows they exist is left unclear. Tears of the Kingdom makes this even more blatant, with Master Kohga openly avowing that he wants the world destroyed.
  • Avenging the Villain: Killing Master Kohga won't stop the Yiga ambushes; in fact, it simply makes them more frequent and less subtle.
  • Berserk Button: Betrayal. They swore their services to Ganon after the Hylians turned on them, and in the present, they respond to Dorian's attempt to leave by holding his children hostage after killing his wife.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Their banana-crazed behavior in the Yiga Hideout as well as their over-the-top leader may lead you into thinking that the Yiga Clan are just comical foes like the Bokoblins. But then you learn about Dorian's backstory as a former Yiga Clan member. The Yiga Clan, in response to his defection, killed his wife and now threaten to kill his children if he does not give up information about Link and Kakariko Village. Even when he complies to their wishes, the clan members decide to execute him for outliving his usefulness, and would have succeeded if Link had not intervened. Two cutscenes from the past also exhibit their ruthless ambushes. Despite their goofy demeanor, they are still a deranged and murderous clan carrying out Ganon's will. It continues in Tears of the Kingdom, where they have Mighty Banana traps that can kill Link with monsters like a Gloom-infused Black Hinox or ambush and attack him on the spot if he gets greedy. Some of them can even disguise themselves as Zelda with her actual present-day garb, instead of the ancestral dress worn by Phantom Ganon's impersonation.
  • Can't Catch Up: They're a credible threat in the early game, but they don't scale the way monsters do, and so retain that early game health and damage output for the rest of the game. In Breath of the Wild, this was mitigated somewhat by them switching to stronger weapons after Master Kohga's defeat; this does not happen in Tears of the Kingdom, and in the late game a player is likely to flatten the basic Footsoldiers with a single swing from an endgame-tier weapon the moment they reveal themselves.
  • Category Traitor: The Yiga Clan considers any member who defects to be forfeiting their lives. Family members are not safe from the Yiga's wrath, as Dorian found out the hard way with his wife.
  • Clarke's Third Law: Creating a Champion reveals that the seemingly mystical aspects of some of the Yiga Leader's esoteric arts may have been augmented by hidden Sheikah technology.
  • Complexity Addiction:
    • Many of their plans to ambush Link are ridiculously overcomplicated and doomed to fail because of that. They range from setting bananas out in the middle of Faron and waiting for who knows how long before he decides to pick them up, disguising themselves as merchants and selling ludicrous amounts of bananas to lower his guard, to dressing up as Zelda and luring him to the top of a mountain (where they can easily be knocked off).
    • The most egregious case, however, comes from "The All-Clucking Cucco" Side Adventure in Tears of the Kingdom. Here, the Yiga orchestrate an elaborate scam where they set up a booth with a Cucco in it, with a Yiga just out of sight voicing the Cucco and giving out "prophecies" to travelers. The Yiga run this con for what seems like weeks, if not months, before finally being visited by Link. However, instead of ambushing him, they send him on two completely meaningless quests for no discernible reason. After all of this, they finally jump out and attack Link. For all their efforts, they're rewarded with a swift ass-kicking from the hero.
    • Many of their Zonai vehicles demonstrate this as well. While some of them are genuinely well-constructed and useful, an equal amount are ridiculously loaded with extra parts and unnecessary devices that don't actually add anything to the core design, and may even slow them down compared to the Boring, but Practical vehicles that players are more likely to create.
  • Cool Mask: They wear solid white masks with the red Yiga eye on them.
  • Decapitated Army: Subverted. If Master Kohga is defeated, they'll dissipate from their hideout. However, that means the entire clan is after Link, with archers (and occasionally a Blademaster) ambushing on the roads. It is a reckless tactic that spreads their forces thin, but it makes Hyrule less safe to travel on foot. The disguised Yiga travelers are still around, but they up their game by replacing their Vicious Sickles with Demon Carvers. They reappear in their hideout in the DLC after stealing a Sheikah orb, but like most present-day characters, they don't appear to know its purpose (which, in this case, is to be tossed into the socket in the bottomless hole in their own arena) and merely guard it. Once Link steals it, they scatter again, likely because they realize they've been infiltrated.
  • Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of Ineffectual Sympathetic Villains. 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, fanatical villains following what is effectively a God of Evil. Although to Link they're mainly an annoyance, that still doesn't change the fact that they're still very dangerous to everyone else. They are responsible for the death of an NPC's wife, because he had a change of heart and quit being a Yiga member.
  • Desert Bandits: Ironically, they act as a Suspiciously Similar Substitute to the Gerudo, who are now a Proud Merchant Race. Though they did not originate from the desert, they established a hideout there and stole the Thunder Helm, a Gerudo royal heirloom, to prevent the Gerudo from reaching Divine Beast Vah Naboris.
    Liana: These thieves are highly skilled in both stealth and disguise. They refer to themselves as the Yiga. They slipped into town in the dark of night, stole the chief's heirloom, and vanished like smoke in the wind. We believe them to be descendants of the Sheikah tribe that splintered and turned to villainy. But why would they want to steal the Thunder Helm?
  • Disproportionate Retribution: The Yiga Clan is known for killing people just for speaking negatively about them or Calamity Ganon. And if a member of the clan tries to leave, both they and their family are marked for death.
  • Dressing as the Enemy: A sidequest in Tears of the Kingdom lets Link scrounge the pieces of a Yiga Footsoldier outfit and pull this on them. Disguised Yiga will assume he's one of them and won't attack, and they'll even let him into the Yiga Clan Hideout and be trained as a Blademaster.
  • Evil Counterpart Race: To the Sheikah, who they split off from. The Yiga use all of their traditional skills and style, but are sworn to fight Hyrule rather than protect it. Their insignia is even an inverted version of the Sheikah's. Whereas most good Sheikah have white hair, with only three exceptions, the Yiga all have black hair except Dorian, who is no longer a member (although dialogue in Tears of the Kingdom implies that a Yiga's hair should be dyed to conform to the uniform, making it unclear if the black hair is intrinsic or artificial).
  • Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: Subverted. Reading their logbooks in the Depths shows they're still subject to monster attacks and they return the favor by attacking monster camps while the monsters sleep. Yiga are also negatively affected by Gloom, just like any other human.
  • Evil Is Petty: They continue to terrorize Hyrule and its people over a dispute that took place 10,000 years in the past, in an iteration of Hyrule only known to the present through archeology and ancient, faded myths. For context, that would be equivalent to modern humans becoming terrorists over something that happened back in the early Neolithic.
  • Evil Laugh: They belt a malicious laugh out when they drop their disguises, as well as every time they teleport.
  • Face–Heel Turn: The Yiga Clan is composed of former Sheikah members who had forsaken their duty to protect Hyrule and joined forces with Ganon.
  • Faceless Goons: All members of the Yiga clan wear a face-covering mask with their symbol on it. When out of uniform in traveler disguises, they avert this, but still put on their faceless Yiga uniforms once they drop cover. Lampshaded by a Footsoldier in Tears of the Kingdom who reprimands a disguised Link, pointing out that his blonde hair stops him from looking uniform.
  • Far East Asian Terrorists: They are a ninja-like clan dedicated to destroying Hyrule.
  • Faux Affably Evil: In contrast to their master, many of the Yiga members in disguise will pretend to engage in friendly conversation before revealing their true colors. Likewise, the Blademaster that was threatening Dorian and his family also treats him like an old friend, even though he's about to kill the poor guy.
  • Flanderization: In the first game, the Yiga Clan were portrayed as being a legitimate 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 Master Kohga was their boss. Tears of the Kingdom degrades them to about the same level of competence and silliness as their leader, with their banana obsession heavily exaggerated and their tactics being far more obvious and ridiculous. This is even lampshaded by one of the newspaper readers in the Stables, noting that the more he reads about the Clan, the dumber they seem.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Tears of the Kingdom shows that they must have inherited some pretty strong technical capabilities from their Sheikah ancestors, since the Yiga have attained a command over Zonai devices which have stymied most of Hyrule, with vehicles they crafted being shown in their hideout and many camps in the Depths, as well as Kohga ultimately constructing an advanced mech that the player can only match by allying with Mineru to build one as her new body. Besides this, they also managed to perfectly replicate the Gerudo's ancestral Thunder Helm with their Lightning Helm, with its exact appearance and total electric immunizing effect.
  • Hand Seals: The Yiga clan members use traditional mudras to cast their spells.
  • The Heavy: The Yiga Clan are the only major enemies actively hunting down Link since Calamity Ganon is too busy trying to break free out of Hyrule Castle to worry about his arch-nemesis, with the Blight bosses being contained inside the Divine Beasts, and the monsters don't actively pursue or search for Link outside of their encampments and territories.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: Zig-Zagged. Link either encounters them disguised as ordinary Hylian travelers (whereupon they transform into their battle garb) or emerging from invisibility to ambush him, with the only places they walk around openly as Yiga being within their secret headquarters and their bases in the Depths where they don't really expect to find anyone they would need to hide themselves from. However their actual uniforms are a very eye-catching bright red and white in color and their teleportation is accompanied by an obvious laugh rather than trying to remain silent.
  • Les Collaborateurs: The Sheikah are the servants of Goddess Hylia who fight to protect Hyrule from evils like Ganon. The Yiga Clan, on the other hand, willingly fight for Ganon to get their revenge on the people of Hyrule, though it's unclear if he even knows they exist.
  • Magic Knight: The Yiga are good with both melee weapons and magic.
  • Mook Mobile: During the events of Tears of the Kingdom, they have various Zonai vehicles to fight Link in the Depths, such as Fanplanes and Headlight Rafts.
  • Mirroring Factions:
    • Interestingly, the Yiga Clan have quite a lot in common with the River Zoras from the 2D Zelda games. Both of them are villainous counterparts to a race who were initially friendly with Hyrule many years ago, until a decline in their relationship caused them to become monstrous mooks. The main difference is that the Yiga Clan are a cunning, intelligent and organized group of evil ninjas who will spread out across Hyrule and attack people without any provocation, whereas the River Zoras are usually animalistic creatures who only attack if someone intrudes on their territory.
    • They're also a distinct opposite to the Gerudo. Both races have had a lengthy history and involvement with Ganon, were heavily feared by other races due to how dangerous they are, and they both specialize in thievery and trickery in order to carry out their missions. However, the Gerudo were honorable thieves gradually began to distance themselves from Ganon over the years as they became aware of how monstrous a being he really was, and have become friendly with most of Hyrule's civilized races in the modern day. By contrast, the Yiga Clan started out as part of the Sheikah, but eventually defected to Ganon's side after suffering a Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal from the Hylians, and have no morals whatsoever.
  • Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: According to Cado and the tapestry detailing the first sealing of Calamity Ganon, the people of ancient Hyrule became fearful of the Guardians and Divine Beasts, despite how they had helped them, and so the king had all Sheikah technology banished from the land and forced its creators to live without it. Because of this decision, many Sheikah lost faith in the kingdom and swore allegiance to Ganon, becoming the feared Yiga Clan. The evil Sheikah existed for 10,000 years in secret, but only started using the name Yiga 100 years ago, when the Calamity was indisputably returning. It was the current Kohga who chose the name.
  • Money Spider: The Yiga Clan are the only enemies in the game who drop Rupees after being defeated, usually dropping between green, blue, and red varieties.
  • No Name Given: Disguised members of the Clan will have generic titles in their dialogue boxes rather than having their own unique name like normal Hylians. The only known named members of the Yiga Clan are Master Kohga and Dorian.
  • Non-Lethal K.O.: Defeated Yiga assassins don't die the same way that Ganon's monsters do, but instead teleport away while dropping their weapons and loot. Unless you hit them with an Ancient Arrow, which obliterates them as with any other low-level mook. The only real exception is Master Kohga, but even then, his demise is humiliatingly self-inflicted.
  • Ninja: The Yiga Clan, like their parent group the Sheikah, are a ninja clan.
  • Paper Talisman: The Yiga clan members' teleportation always involves them vanishing into red paper talismans.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: In Tears of the Kingdom they continue to wear disguises, despite being the only humans living in the Depths, meaning there's no possibility they could be anything else.
  • Psycho Supporter: They consider themselves as a group of powerful, brave warriors... dedicated to killing the hero and all those who oppose Calamity Ganon.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: The Yiga Clan's color aesthetics are primarily dark outfits and banners with a red, upside-down version of the Sheikah Eye symbol.
  • Renegade Splinter Faction: They split from the more peaceful Sheikah after they felt they were wronged by the Hylians.
  • Revenge Before Reason: They decided to throw their lot in with Calamity Ganon in order to get revenge on Hyrule for ostracizing them. There's no evidence that Ganon even knows about them or wouldn't destroy the Yiga Clan along with the rest of world once he's released. Additionally, after Link defeats Master Kohga, the Clan abandons any trace of subtlety and begins attacking him openly and on-site.
  • Secret Art: The Earthquake attack, which Blademasters can use to shatter the ground under Link to damage and knock him back. Link himself can learn the Art by infiltrating their lair in Tears of the Kingdom.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
    • As the Gerudo race is no longer associated with Ganon, the Yiga Clan can be seen as their replacement. Just like the original Gerudo tribe, they are followers of Ganon, engage in thievery, and have a desert valley hideout where Link must undertake a Stealth-Based Mission.
    • They're also very similar to the Garo from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Both are clans of masked ninjas fighting against the remnants of a medieval fantasy kingdom, both have similar techniques such as a sprinting slice attack, and both have more fancily-dressed leaders you must fight to move the "desert arc" of their respective games forward.
  • Then Let Me Be Evil: The original motivation for the clan's split from the other Sheikah was deep resentment over being banished for constructing marvels meant to help Hyrule. The general line of thought seemed to be something like "you believe we're going to destroy everything with our technology and other hidden arts? Fine, we will!"
  • Trademark Favorite Food: They love Mighty Bananas, to the point of keeping a massive stash of them in their base, along with being able to be baited by them in the Yiga Hideout stealth section. Without fail, they drop them upon defeat as well. It's indicated by Sheikah monk Maz Koshia's shared love for them that this trait was inherited from the ancient Sheikah.
  • Uncertain Doom: It's unclear whether Yiga clan members are actually killed when defeated. Them being Sheikah as opposed to monsters brings in to question whether they have the common humanity-based immunity to dying, which has been present in some previous Zelda games (the Gerudo pirates in Majora's Mask and Ambi's guards in Oracle of Ages) and averted in others (Ganondorf in multiple games, the many Cannon Fodder soldiers in A Link To The Past and Four Swords Adventures, and Sakon in Majora's Mask):
    • On the one hand: Their defeat explosion is different from other enemies, resembling a Smoke Out teleport, and they remain standing when doing so rather than going into a ragdoll state like the other enemies.
    • On the other hand: The explosion is more violent than their usual teleports (and is red as opposed to white), they are internally flagged as dead in the game data, and when defeated with an Ancient Arrow, they are vaporized the same as any other organic enemy. It seems the Blood Moon gives them power, as they return to hunting Link when each one passes.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Master Kohga and a lesser extent, Ganon. If a Yiga member were to defect, the rest of the clan will punish them severely. 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.
  • Villain Decay: In Breath of the Wild, the Yiga were a fearsome, shadowy terrorist organization that were feared by the people of Hyrule, with many warning Link of how dangerous and bloodthirsty they were. In Tears of the Kingdom, their comedic traits and general incompetence are emphasized, to the point that both Link and the Hyruleans have begun to stop taking them seriously, especially compared to Ganondorf.
  • Villain Song: A Yiga Clan Notebook in the Abandoned Herba Mine has their own song called the Yiga Clan Anthem of the Depths: We Clumps of Earth.
"♪Glory to Kohga and the mighty Yiga Clan! Our master is the strongest—he's got a secret plan!♪
♪His fall from sand to darkness did bring him to the Depths. But did he waver? Never! He into action leapt.♪
♪The Yiga Clan then followed, hearts fiery and true. We'll soon raise up our weapon, revived by stone of blue.♪
♪In the dark we dwell now, we covert clumps of earth. Soon we'll rise to take Hyrule for everything it's worth.♪
♪Glory to Kohga and the mighty Yiga clan! The earth itself will tremble—our ascension is at hand!♪"
  • We Are Everywhere: What really makes the Yiga Clan frightening is their tendency to pop up just about anywhere to try to kill Link; not even the outskirts of Kakiriko Village are safe from them!
  • Would Hurt a Child: They've repeatedly attempted to assassinate Link and Zelda despite them being teenagers, and they threatened to kill Dorian's kids if he didn't do their bidding.

    Yiga Footsoldiers 

Yiga Footsoldiers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yiga_footsoldier.png
"This is the end for you, Hylian Champion!"

"A powerful, brave group of warriors, founded by Master Kohga and dedicated to defeating the hero thought long dead. I will take your life!"
"Traveler" (Disguised Yiga Footsoldier)

The rank and file of the Yiga Clan. Many are found all across Hyrule, disguised as Hylian travelers in an attempt to get close and assassinate Link with their blades, while Footsoldier archers will spawn out of nowhere to shoot Link with their two-shot Duplex Bows.


  • Ambiguously Gay: One footsoldier (who is disguised as a female traveler) will gossip about how "dreamy" Master Kohga is when you go over and talk to him. It's unknown if his romantic comments were genuine or just to make his disguise more convincing. However, he does get offended when you don't agree with him. He attacks you either way, as usual.
  • Ambiguous Gender: They can disguise themselves as men and women, and all have the same neutral flat-chested build and masculine cackling and grunts. You can't know the gender of the Footsoldier unless you meet them out of uniform, which with one you do (that is, an old male guard at Kakariko Village).
  • Ambiguous Situation: It's easy to assume that when they appear as travelers that that is what they look like without their costumes. However, in Tears of the Kingdom, two of them will take the appearance of Zelda to lure Link into a trap. As such, we have no way of knowing if what's seen is their true appearances or fake ones.
  • Avenging the Villain: After Master Kohga's humiliating demise,note  the disguised Yiga Footsoldiers change their Battle Cry in memoriam of their leader. Yiga Footsoldier archers proceed to ambush Link anywhere on the Hyrulean roads, while disguised Footsoldiers start to carry powerful Demon Carvers.
  • Bad "Bad Acting": Some of the disguised footsoldiers act... unnaturally, which will inevitably tip off the player. Here's an example:
    Traveler: Hey buuuuuddy!
    Link: ...
    Traveler: Heeeey! Are you even liiiiistening? Want to spend some... tiiiiime with meee?
    Link: OK...
    Traveler: Well theeeen... Can you just clooose your eeeeyes?
    Link: Not happening.
  • Battle Cry: Before they take off their disguises, the Yiga traveler will proclaim that they will end Link's life here. If Link defeats Master Kohga, they say variations of "For Kohga" instead.
  • Beneath Notice: Using real ninja techniques, Yiga assassins will disguise themselves as commoners or salesmen to get the drop on Link.
  • Continuity Nod: The two attacks used by Yiga travelers involve them teleporting above Link to slash him from above and rushing towards Link from a distance to make a slash. Both of these attacks were used by Ghirahim in his boss fights.
  • Death from Above: When a Yiga Footsoldier teleports, expect them to reappear above your head with a weapon in the killing position.
  • Dislikes the New Guy: Veteran Footsoldiers in Tears of the Kingdom are rather snippy to the new "recruit" (actually Link wearing full Yiga Armor), though the ones in branch bases do become more respectful once Link passes the Blademaster exam.
  • Faceless Goons: The Yiga all wear a mask with their organization's symbol emblazoned on the face and no visible eyeholes. They do appear without their face-concealing outfits when disguised as ordinary travelers, though they will magically revert to their uniform once they engage you in combat.
  • Failure Is the Only Option: Even if you know the traveler you're talking to is a Yiga in disguise, no interaction will prevent them from attacking you. A Yiga selling bananas for a ridiculous price? Well, what if you buy all of their stock? Nope. They'll attack you because they're out. Refusing to buy? Still they'll attack. Even buying a few and then stopping will lead to an attack, and it's the same for all discussions with a Yiga—they will end in them attacking, no matter what you do or say. That being said, there is also no way to get the jump on a disguised Yiga before talking to them either, so if you want to fight one, your only option is to "fall" for their trap. This is subverted in Tears of the Kingdom if Link wears the full Yiga armor set; disguised Yiga won't attack and confuse him for an eager new recruit going around in uniform, not bothering with a disguise.
  • Fortune Teller: A few Yiga travelers will ask Link if he wants to hear his fortune. Naturally, those fortunes are about the demise of the hero.
  • Glass Cannon: Early on, they can hit very hard, but a reasonably strong early-game weapon like the Soldier's Broadsword can take one down in four hits. Even after you kill Master Kohga, they get a health boost and most disguised Yiga get more powerful Demon Carvers, but any reasonably stronger weapon you have at that point can still kill them in four hits.
  • Imposter Forgot One Detail: Proceeding with weird conversations that sometimes gravitate towards bananas is a telltale sign that one is talking with a Yiga.
  • Interface Spoiler: It's easy to tell disguised Yiga Footsoldiers apart from all the other wandering NPCs — disguised Yiga will not have a name appear above them when walking past and only having "Traveler" as their name in the dialogue box. That being said, by the time you're talking to them, it's usually too late to back out of a fight, and NPCs don't have their names hover above their heads until you've talked to them at least once. And some of them will try to talk to you first when you get near them. Also, traveler Yiga are rather obviously placed on the side of roads and do not move around, which is different from most friendly NPCs. In Tears of the Kingdom, they add "Researcher" note  and "Fashionable Person" note  to their disguises.
  • Mage Marksman: Footsoldier archers use their teleportation ability in conjunction with their bows to stay just out of Link's reach and snipe him.
  • Master of Disguise: 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 disguise themselves as Zelda.note  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. The Yiga Clan also disguise themselves as Zonai Researchers in the depths, although this is a subverted example considering there's no other humans in the Depths, meaning that their disguises are basically worthless.
  • Mook Chivalry: Despite their sneaky ninja tactics and dedication to ending the hero's life, disguised Footsoldiers leap backwards right as they begin a scrap with Link instead of taking a cheap shot while his guard is down.
  • Multi Shot: Yiga archers carry a weapon called the Duplex Bow which is able to fire two arrows at once.
  • Rings of Death: After Master Kohga's death, some Yiga travelers start to carry Demon Carvers, spiky ringed weapons that surpass the Royal Broadsword in power.
  • Self-Botched Catchphrase: Whenever they sell bananas after you defeat Master Kohga, they will typically begin to shout "For the banana!" instead of "For the boss!", before they frantically correct themselves.
  • Sinister Scythe: Lower-level Yiga travelers use Vicious Sickles as their weapon of choice, as well as wield Eightfold Blades in this manner.
  • Spikes of Doom: Yiga grunts usually pilot vehicles with huge spikes attached to them, such as Gloomdredgers, HOVERDOOM MK.3es, and Big Rigs, harming Link if he gets too close. You can even buy some spikes to attach to something, or buy pre-made Gloomdredgers and HOVERDOOM MK.3es with these spikes attached all in the Yiga Clan Hideout once you manage to infiltrate it.
  • Talk About the Weather: Occasionally, a "traveler" will ask Link if there is going to be good weather soon. Regardless of what Link says, the "traveler" then states to Link that he won't live to see another day, revealing themselves to be a Yiga Footsoldier.
  • Teleport Spam: They love to teleport to get out of Link's reach and land some hits or shots by teleporting above him.
  • The Enemy Weapons Are Better: Disguised Footsoldiers initially drop the Vicious Sickle, a good early-game weapon due to being more powerful than the Soldier's Broadsword, and after Master Kohga's defeat, they carry Demon Carvers, which are stronger than the Royal Broadsword. The Yiga who are archers drop the Duplex Bow when defeated, which is one of the most effective mid-powered bows in the game because of its status as a Multi Shot weapon. All three are downplayed, however, in that all three have very low durability, meaning you won't get much use out of them if you use them frequently. Fully averted in Tears of the Kingdom; the Footsoldiers now carry Eightfold Blades, which are still decayed like everyone else's weapons.
  • Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Right before they switch to their combat outfit, disguised Yiga shout that they will kill Link before challenging him to a fight.
  • Traveling Salesman: Some of them disguise themselves as traveling merchants. What gives them away is that they have 99 Mighty Bananas with a price of 99 Rupees each.
  • Vocal Dissonance: All Yiga Footsoldiers use obviously masculine Voice Grunting, even if they were disguised as appropriately-voiced women in the seconds leading up to battle, showing how convincing their disguises can be.
  • We Can Rule Together: Yiga Footsoldiers disguised as travelers will complement Link's combat prowess and strength if they witness him fighting, and mockingly suggest he join the clan.
  • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Beware of wayward travelers cowering in fear or saying they've run out of Brightbloom Seeds in The Depths. They may be Yiga Footsoldiers taking advantage of Link's heroic tendencies/kindness.

    Yiga Blademasters 

Yiga Blademasters

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yiga_blademaster.jpg
"You don't have to shout. I'm right here."
"You forfeited your life the moment you left."

The elite force of the Yiga Clan who appear to be composed solely of men. Though not as fast or nimble as a Footsoldier, the Blademasters are more powerful and lethal in combat. They usually guard the Yiga Hideout in Karusa Valley, but they can (and will) appear across Hyrule to slaughter anyone who dares oppose Ganon the Demon King.


  • Ambiguous Gender: While their genders are never revealed, their voices, along with their build, indicate that only men are Blademasters. They aren't seen out of uniform, leaving their voices and build the best confirmation.
  • Baritone of Strength: Their voices are notably deeper than Footsoldiers', and as the elites of the Yiga Clan, they can pack a wallop for Link.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: They can launch magic through the earth when you stray outside the range of their sword.
  • Elite Mooks: The Yiga Blademasters are said to be this, and they live up to that reputation. One strike from their blade can take a good amount of Link's health and if he is out of the blade's range, they will use Earthwake magic instead. And if their Windcleaver blades hit Link in their hideout, it's a One-Hit Kill. In Tears of the Kingdom, Blademasters are even shown commanding the grunts, indicating their higher status.
  • Evil Is Bigger: They are abnormally large for sapient, non-monster characters, especially compared to all the other Sheikah. Among the friendly, sapient NPCs who aren't limited to sitting in one spot, only Prince Sidon and the Gorons are bigger.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: In contrast to the high-pitched voices of Yiga Footsoldiers and Master Kohga, the Blademasters have deep, resounding voices.
  • Failed a Spot Check: In Tears of the Kingdom, you cannot enter the Yiga Blademaster station unless you're in full Yiga Clan gear. However, once you're inside, you can just change out of it and you won't get kicked out. Turns out, this is the only Yiga member, a Blademaster no less, who doesn't know who Link is, in spite of the fact that the Yiga love to crudely draw Link depicted as some sort of demon. There's even one such drawing on the door, no less!
  • Faceless Goons: Like the rest of the Yiga, no Blademasters are ever seen without their masks.
  • Ground Wave: They can do this when they do a Ground Punch. In Tears of the Kingdom, it is named the "Earthwake Technique" and Link can learn this.
  • Guards Must Be Crazy: The Yiga Bladmasters in the Yiga Hideout can be distracted by the sight of Mighty Bananas. Their obsession with the fruit is enough for them to abandon their post and swipe the bait.
  • Just Whistle: An evil variant. If a Blademaster spots Link in the Yiga Hideout, they will whistle which locks down all exits and summons archer reinforcements. Additionally, every other Blademaster will drop their patrol routes to corner Link.
  • Master of Disguise: Not to the extent of the Footsoldiers but a few can be found in Tears of the Kingdom disguised as trees, but not the same as the Evermeans, which are trees that come alive. Specifically, they're found on the surface disguised as the yellow trees found only on the Sky Islands.
  • Mighty Glacier: Compared to the fast and nimble Footsoldiers, the Blademasters are slow and easily telegraph their swings for Link to dodge. However, one blow from a Blademaster's Windcleaver can take out several hearts (One-Hit Kill in the Yiga Hideout), and they have several magic spells up their sleeves.
  • Mook Lieutenant: They command Yiga Footsoldiers to attack Link if they spot him in the Yiga Hideout, and are described as overseers for the Clan's Depths operations in Tears of the Kingdom's Yiga Clan Journals.
  • Mouth of Sauron: When they are not guarding the Yiga Hideout, they can serve as this for Master Kohga and the Yiga Clan. One notable Blademaster is sent to steal Paya's Heirloom; Dorian tracks him, leading to the Blademaster informing Dorian that the Yiga Clan no longer needs him, and attempts to execute him on the spot before noticing Link.
  • One-Hit Kill: To support the area's Stealth-Based Mission, all the Yiga Blademasters in the Yiga Hideout can kill Link in a single hit, bypassing even fairies and Mipha's Grace. The ones encountered outside merely do moderate damage.
  • Razor Wind: The Yiga Blademasters wield large katanas called Windcleavers, which can launch shockwaves of sharp wind at enemies.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: A Yiga Blademaster says this to Dorian after he gave them information about the Shrine heirloom in Impa's house, which they then proceeded to steal. However, rather than killing him on the spot, the Blademaster decides to deal with the eavesdropping Link first.

    Master Kohga 

Master Kohga

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/master_kohga_totk.png
*ahem* "I almost lost my temper there..."
"Oh, excuse me. I haven't introduced myself yet. I am the leader... of the Yiga Clan! The strong! The burly!! The one!! The only!!! MASTER KOHGA!!! Now, prepare yourself!"
Voiced by: Atsuyoshi Miyazaki (Japanese)

The egoistical leader of the Yiga Clan. Operating from the clan's hideout in Karusa Valley, Kohga launched several raids upon the Gerudo, stealing many valuable items such as the Thunder Helm heirloom. He intends to find the hero long thought to be dead and finish him off for good.

For his appearance in the prequel game, please see the Age of Calamity character page instead.


  • Acrofatic: He's pretty chubby, but doesn't have any more problem moving around than his subordinates.
  • Affably Evil: For a leader of a malevolent clan, he's surprisingly polite when speaking to Link.
    • After their battle, Kohga outright apologizes to Link for losing his temper and asks if he's still there when he loses his sight of him.
    • In Tears of the Kingdom, Kohga initially mistakes Link for a random Hylian when he first encounters him in the Depths, and sincerely thanks him for helping to find Autobouild, before doing a Double Take after recognizing him.
  • Ambiguous Situation: Is Master Kohga really over a hundred years old, or is he just a present-day Sheikah who inherited the title from his ancestors? Creating A Champion seems to support the idea of him being a Legacy Character, yet the Sheikah are known to be Long-Lived and Age of Calamity implies that the Master Kohga from Hyrule's past a hundred years ago is the very same Master Kohga fought here.
  • Arch-Enemy: He considers himself Link's top enemy in Tears of the Kingdom, though the feeling isn't exactly mutual on Link's end.
  • Arc Villain: Of the "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" Side Adventure in Tears of the Kingdom, which spans the entire Depths.
  • Ascended Extra: While he was commonly mentioned by his lackeys in Breath of the Wild, his role in said game was very brief, having seemingly died after a short boss fight and a botched technique. In Tears of the Kingdom, it's revealed that he survived his brief encounter with Link, and he gets a whole chain of Side Adventures to himself.
  • Benevolent Boss: He is beloved by the Yiga Clan, and his defeat causes them to greatly increase their efforts to kill Link.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Despite his silly nature and simple boss fight, he is still in charge of a dangerous clan of ninja terrorists and all their terrible deeds were likely done at his command.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: He really tries to be menacing, but his overall goofy nature prevents him from being anything other than a road-bump in Link's journey.
  • Big Beautiful Man: Whilst Kohga's face is never seen, many of the members of the Yiga clan are smitten with Kohga and find his weight to be cute.
  • Breakout Villain: From a one-off, joke boss fight in Breath of the Wild, to a recurring antagonist in Age of Calamity and a major Arc Villain in Tears of the Kingdom, with each installment leaving an opening for his return.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: According to his Compendium entry, he's the top master of the Yiga arts, earning him the respect of his underlings, but tends to loaf around in his headquarters. And in fact he does display some pretty impressive abilities, such as flight, teleportation, and telekinesis. If he had half a brain and actually used these powers to their full potential, he could have been a seriously dangerous combatant.
  • Butt-Monkey: His defeats are humiliating, painful, and always Played for Laughs, and it's clear that he's not nearly as much of a threat as he thinks he is.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: On the one hand, Master Kohga is an incompetent loon who seems to care more his own ego than actually doing any sort of fighting. On the other hand, the Yiga Clan have done unfathomably horrible things under his command, which includes the murder of Dorian's wife after he defected from the group, and further traumatizing him and his children afterwards. He's also the only villain in the entire game who is flat-out immune to Stasis+ (something that not even Calamity Ganon itself can pull off), which indicates he's a lot more dangerous than he lets on. He's also tough enough to be no worse for wear after a very nasty fall down a seemingly bottomless pit, as he reappears down in the Depths of Tears of the Kingdom to fight Link several more times.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: His main method of attack during his boss fight is to conjure and throw giant stones at Link.
  • Disney Death: He survived, and returns as a Recurring Boss in Tears of the Kingdom.
  • Disney Villain Death: After Link defeats him, his last-ditch attack to kill Link leaves him falling into an impossibly deep pit. And just in case the fall isn't enough, his giant spiky ball of doom is falling, too. In prime position to land directly on top of him. He is not seen afterwards because, turns out, he survived. Kohga reappears in Tears of the Kingdom in the Depths far beneath Hyrule as a Recurring Boss.
  • The Dragon: 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.
  • Drives Like Crazy: His first boss fight in Tears of the Kingdom has him trying to mow down Link with a Zonai monster truck… only he sucks at actually driving the thing, often making unwieldy swerves and/or crashing into the sides of the arena.
  • Dub Name Change: He's called "Maestro Kogg" in Spanish dubs.
  • Dying Curse: As he ends up suffering a Disney Villain Death, he utters the declaration that sics the entire Yiga Clan after Link. Notably, after this, Yiga clan members are more likely to pop up at random while Link's exploring the world. Subverted in Tears of the Kingdom, where it turns out that Kohga survived.
    "Coward! I shall be remembered! The Yiga Clan will track you to the ends of Hyruuuule!"
  • Epic Fail:
    • His final attempt to kill Link 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 Bottomless Pit, with the spiked ball landing on top of him. And all without Link doing a thing.
    • His reattempt on Link's life in Tears of the Kingdom fares no better. At first, it looks like he's about to blow Link to kingdom come with a makeshift rocket launcher named the Kohga Rocket... except he has no idea how to control it and makes like Team Rocket and blasts off.
  • Evil Laugh: He's constantly laughing as you battle him.
  • Extra-ore-dinary: He can summon spiked metallic balls to crush Link, and he's able to use Magnesis to move it around. Unfortunately for him, Link's Magnesis is far stronger than his.
  • The Faceless: We never see what he looks like without his mask, much like the majority of his assassins.
  • Fat Bastard: He's got quite a large gut compared to the more skinny Assassins and the muscular Blademasters. It seems that some of his subordinates find this feature of his to be quite endearing, however, and will take offense if you choose to make fun of it.
  • A Father to His Men: His followers all worship and adore him, and in return, he treats them like family and is consistently respectful towards them.
  • Forgot About His Powers: When Kohga's so-called ultimate technique is about to crush him, he panics and backs up into the pit, apparently forgetting he could levitate and teleport.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Turns out to be one in Tears of the Kingdom, as his time in the Depths has given him the opportunity to learn how to use Zonai technology and build some surprisingly effective vehicles and machines to further expand the Yiga Clan's power. Unfortunately, his lack of common sense is just as prevalent as ever.
  • Genius Ditz: Kohga is generally a moron who is Too Dumb to Live, yet he's inexplicably skilled when it comes to designing vehicles and harnessing Zonai technology.
  • Hand Seals: Like his disciples, he uses traditional Japanese mudras in order to cast his spells.
  • Here We Go Again!: After being defeated for the final time in Tears of the Kingdom, he once again attempts to kill Link with the Kohga Rocket, one of his Zonai contraptions, only for it to backfire on him and send him flying to who knows where.
  • High Collar of Doom: His outfit comes with a very high collar.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard:
    • After being defeated in Breath of the Wild, he summons one last giant spiky ball of doom in front of Link and muses how he'll be crushing him with it. Except, the ball eventually rolls towards Kohga as he is ranting, and he's sent falling into a pit for his troubles.
    • Again in Tears of the Kingdom: after the final battle of his questline Kohga summons a rocket contraption and gives a similar spiel about how it will destroy Link, but he ends up aiming it at himself, sending him flying up and out of the chasm with A Twinkle in the Sky.
  • Hollywood Magnetism: The third round of the fight has him using his own version of Magnesis to drag a huge metal spiked ball like an Epic Flail. Link can counter this with his own Magnesis.
  • Hypocritical Humor: 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.
  • I Control My Minions Through...: Loyalty and respect. As much of a buffoon as Master Kohga is, he is genuinely charismatic and treats his minions well, leading to the rest of the Yiga Clan pledging their Undying Loyalty to him.
  • Joker Immunity: By all accounts, he should be dead either by old age or being defeated by Link several times. But thanks to his popularity and comedic nature, the developers always give Kohga an open door to return from his "demise" in future games. They even goes as far as establishing him being around 100 years in the past just to so he can have a major role in Age of Calamity.
  • Kung-Fu Wizard: Subverted. He presents himself as a powerful sorcerer as well as a master ninja, but his seemingly magical techniques are actually technological in nature and he's not the most competent.
  • Large Ham: When introducing himself to Link, he does a lot of posing.
  • Laughably Evil: Despite being the leader of a malevolent ninja clan, he's rather silly. The easiest way to beat him is to trick him into crushing himself with his own stones. He doesn't even recognize Link initially when encountered, despite Link being the primary target he's watched out for, and who just walked right into his arena.
  • Legacy Character: Creating a Champion and some of Kohga's in-game dialogue reveals that he inherited his name and his abilities from the previous leader of the Yiga Clan.
  • Made of Iron: Tears of the Kingdom reveals that he somehow survived his apparent Disney Villain Death in Breath of the Wild. He's also a Recurring Boss, so it's clear Master Kohga can take a lot of punishment.
  • Malevolent Masked Men: He's the leader of an evil ninja clan and wears a mask.
  • Meaningful Name: His name is derived from "Kōga-ryū (甲賀流)," an ancient and influential school of ninjutsu. Fitting, since this isn't the only time a Demon King was associated with a Kōga.
  • Mind over Matter: He can move those stones around with his mind.
  • Mini-Mecha: In the final showdown with him in Tears of the Kingdom, Kohga pilots a Yiga-themed version of the Seized Construct fought in the Spirit Temple. He intends to present it to Ganondorf to secure a place as his right-hand man, which he's confident will happen after he kills Link with it.
  • Mirror Boss: In his fights in Tears of the Kingdom, Kohga fights using a variety of Zonai constructs of his own design, all of which are things that Link is also capable of building. Kohga still uses a few of his own tricks on top of the construct's abilities, like his energy shields and spiked bombs.
  • Never Found the Body: He is defeated in Breath of the Wild when his secret technique backfires on him, sending him tumbling down the pit in the middle of his boss arena. Link doesn't see the messy aftermath. Tears of the Kingdom shows there was good reason for that.
  • Never My Fault: 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.
  • No-Sell: Interestingly, Master Kohga is the only boss in the entire game who is completely immune to the effects of Stasis+.
  • Not Quite Dead: He's back in Tears of the Kingdom after falling down a very deep pit, seemingly to his doom.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: He's a goofy excuse for a boss, but he is the one who gives orders to the Yiga Clan and he may be the one who called for the execution of Dorian's wife.
    • He is portrayed in a more serious manner in his final encounter with Link in Tears of the Kingdom, dropping the usual gags and emphasizing his intent to join the Demon King and bring about the End of the World as We Know It.
  • Orcus on His Throne:
    • He's too lazy to actually find Link himself, despite being his primary goal; instead he just sends out his minions to do the hard work for him. The Hyrule Compendium' notes this in Kohga's entry:
    He sends his minions all over Hyrule in search of you but tends to spend most of his own time napping and generally loafing about.
    • Subverted during the events of Tears of the Kingdom, where he's just as proactive as his men in The Depths in researching Zonai materials.
  • Power Floats: He mainly levitates in midair.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: He throws tantrums when things don't go his way, stomping his foot to the ground or air, and acts giddy when he finally encounters Link. He is also the leader of a clan dedicated to eliminating the enemies of Calamity Ganon, who would destroy the world if set free.
  • Really 700 Years Old: Implied, since the Yiga Clan was formed by Master Kohga just over 100 years ago from the militant Sheikah faction. However, Kohga is a title passed onto each leader, so his true age is indeterminate.
  • Recurring Boss: In Tears of the Kingdom, it turns out his previous defeat in Breath of the Wild didn't kill him, it just sent him tumbling into the Depths. He's fought 4 times down there, first with a Big Rig, the second with a Fanplane, the third with a Headlight Raft, and the last with a Yiga version of the Seized Construct.
  • Self-Disposing Villain: Being both Sheikah (one of the human races) and a named character, he does himself in to help preserve the game's E10 rating. Or so it seems. It turns out that he survived this, and he reappears as a Recurring Boss in Tears of the Kingdom. Although it ends up happening to him again there, as he's ultimately last seen accidentally having rocketed himself out of sight with one of his own inventions, the Kohga Rocket.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: He talks a big game, but is nowhere near as dangerous as he thinks he is, which is reflected in how easy the fight against him is. Subtly emphasized in "The Champions' Ballad" when you fight Monk Maz Koshia, who is a parallel in several ways, including in name and power level among their groups. Maz Koshia uses Kohga's abilities (teleportation, summoning iron balls) but does so much more effectively, alongside his own techniques (swordfighting, copying himself, firing elemental arrows, making himself giant), and who provides an all around tougher and more elaborate fight than the Yiga leader. Kohga, a guy who has been actively in charge of a group of evil ninjas for at least a century, is a massive dweeb compared to an emaciated, self-mummified guy who had been sitting in the same spot for 10,000 years! In fact, given the way Kohga is built up but turns out to be a joke, it seems entirely deliberate that Maz Koshia is the opposite- presented as a humble monk like all the rest, but actually the trickiest opponent Link can fight in the game. However, Kohga can resist Stasis+, a feat which not even Maz Koshia or Calamity Ganon can pull off.
  • Smarter Than You Look: While he is generally incompetent, he is able to tell the difference between his own men and a fake at a glance since he'll immediately recognize Link in the Yiga disguise after being fooled for a second, not to mention he managed to figure out how the Zonai devices in the Depths work and even built some of his own.
  • Spectacular Spinning: He does a lot of spinning to move around during his boss fight.
  • Suddenly Voiced: He has fully voiced lines in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity after having just Voice Grunting in Breath of the Wild.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Kohga is a masked, hammy sorcerer who spins a lot and has a connection to Ganon, making him a close analogue to Zant from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
  • Tactical Suicide Boss: Played With. Whenever he attacks, he has to first drop his barrier, allowing Link to loose an arrow at him and cause his giant stones to fall on his head. During the third round of the fight, he catches on to Link's strategy and keeps the barrier up, but Link gets around it by using his Magnesis against Kogha's own.
    • 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).
  • Too Dumb to Live: In both games, Kohga manages to defeat himself by summoning deadly weapons, accidentally aiming them at himself, and failing to move out of the way before being crushed and/or blasted into oblivion.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Kohga's time in the Depths between games allowed him to study and harness Zonai technology in order to expand the Yiga 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 goofy idiot at his core, which ends up biting him in the ass at the end.
  • A Twinkle in the Sky: His last fight in Tears of the Kingdom ends with his massive rocket weapon contraption hitting himself and sending him rocketing out of the Depths with an Audible Gleam.
  • Uncertain Doom: The last we see of Kohga, he gets blasted to kingdom come by his own Zonai rockets. However, given that this is Kohga we're talking about and he's survived an Epic Fail like that before, he may still be out there.
  • Undignified Death: Master Kohga, leader of the Yiga Clan, isn't slain by Link or goes out in a glorious fashion. Instead, he ends up getting crushed by his own spiky ball after falling into a Bottomless Pit because of his own indecisiveness on how to use his "ultimate" technique. And Link just stands there wondering what just happened. Kohga seemingly doesn't even have the honor of being resurrected by Calamity Ganon because he never needed to be resurrected — he lived! That said, his apparent death by, once again, his own stupidity over how he uses his choice of weapon is also this, though considering he survived the first apparent death, he's probably still alive.
  • Universally Beloved Leader: Despite his laziness and rather goofy persona, the members of the Yiga Clan worship Master Kohga and sing praises for him whenever Link encounters them in disguise. Once Link takes him down, the Clan starts to show up all over Hyrule to get revenge on the one who killed their master, and they react with hostile rage if Link insults him.
  • Vehicular Combat: Every boss fight with him in Tears of the Kingdom 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 Mini-Mecha 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.
  • Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: Inverted. Kohga is played comedically, with an easy boss battle and an Undignified Death. By contrast, his clan is completely ruthless and lacks any comedic or redeeming qualities (save for the banana obsession). Played straight in Tears of the Kingdom, however, where he and his clan are as goofy as ever, but with Kohga directly 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 knows or even cares that the Yiga exist.

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