Ganondorf

Ganondorf (known as Ganon in his beast form) is the central antagonist of the The Legend of Zelda series, and archenemy of Link and Princess Zelda; although he has appeared since the beginning of the series in his beast form, it was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that properly introduced him as Ganondorf. Originally the King of the Gerudo, a race of desert brigands, he acquired the Triforce of Power in Ocarina of Time. Since then, he has become the king of darkness and used his powers to obtain domination over Hyrule through a variety of means, particularly by obtaining the other two pieces of the Triforce.

Primarily through the Super Smash Bros. series, Ganondorf has crossed over with the Super Mario series in Nintendo Land, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. In the former, he appears as a major boss. In the Super Smash Bros. series, Ganondorf is an unlockable playable character except for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, in which he is a default character. In Super Smash Bros. Melee his design is based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, while in later games he is based on his The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess design.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ganondorf appeared as an unlockable playable character, unlocked by either clearing Event Match 29: Triforce Gathering or by playing 600 Melee matches, and then defeating him in a one-on-one stock match. Like Link and Zelda, Ganondorf's appearance is based on his design from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf was not initially planned to appear in the game, but was later included since his body build was similar to that of Captain Falcon's. Like fellow secret characters Jigglypuff and Pichu, Ganondorf makes a cameo appearance in the title's introduction. His hand can be seen, along with Link's and Zelda's, one of the three Triforce pieces glowing on each of their hands.

Ganondorf's moveset is mostly copied from Captain Falcon's, the only character in Super Smash Bros. Melee to share moves with a character from another series. Compared to Falcon, Ganondorf is slower, stronger, larger, and heavier, meaning he is less mobile and attacks more slowly, but makes up for that with his greater attacking power and weight, making him harder to KO horizontally (though Falcon's faster fall speed makes him harder to KO vertically), and his added size, while making him easier to hit, also gives his attacks greater range. His neutral special move is the Warlock Punch, his side special is the Gerudo Dragon, his up special is the Dark Dive, and his down special is the Wizard's Foot. Ganondorf also possesses the strongest meteor smash move (his down aerial attack), and his up strong attack, despite being slow in execution, is stronger than most smash attacks. Ganondorf's attacks also deal dark damage, as opposed to the fire of Captain Falcon's attacks.

Though his official artwork portrays him with a sword, Ganondorf only uses the sword in a victory pose when he wins a match in one of the Melee modes. He is voiced by Takashi Nagasako, his voice actor in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, using voice clips taken from Ocarina of Time; Nagasako would later voice Donkey Kong in the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ganondorf again appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He can be unlocked by clearing Classic Mode with Link or Zelda on hard difficulty, playing 200 Brawl matches, or having Ganondorf join the party in the Subspace Emissary, which can be done by finding Link and Zelda during the stage "Subspace (Part II)"; using the former two methods, he must be defeated on Final Destination afterward to be unlocked. His appearance in this game is based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. He is also voiced by his voice actor from Twilight Princess, Hironori Miyata, though he uses voice clips from said game.

Ganondorf, along with Falco, is the only clone character from Super Smash Bros. Melee to return as playable characters in this game. Ganondorf is still a hard-hitting character in this game, but he's much more sluggish in movement. Also, some of his attacks are weaker than they were in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In addition, some of his moves have been altered or completely changed to make him a more unique character. His side special move has been replaced with the Flame Choke, in which Ganondorf charges forward, grabs the opponent and chokes them, slamming them into the ground. His Final Smash, Beast Ganon, involves him transforming into his Ganon form from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and charging at enemies.

The Subspace Emissary
In the Subspace Emissary storyline, Ganondorf is the true commander of the Subspace Army, though Bowser believes he is. He is working for Master Hand to bring the world into Subspace, though he plots to betray him and seize his power. He gathers several other villains such as Wario, Ridley, and Porky. Bowser acts as his second in command, while Ganondorf works behind the scenes. Wario, however, chooses to act independently (until he was turned into a trophy and sucked into Subspace). When many of the heroes infiltrate The Subspace Bomb Factory on the Isle of Ancients, he reveals himself to them and commands the R.O.B.s to set off multiple Subspace Bombs. He even commands them to attack the Ancient Minister, who then reveals himself to be the leader of the R.O.B.s and assists the fighters. The island is absorbed into Subspace, shortly after the heroes escape. Ganondorf emerges from Subspace with Bowser on a massive Subspace Gunship and fires at the Battleship Halberd, destroying it.

Soon after that explosion, some of the game's heroes emerge from the explosion riding in ships belonging to Captain Olimar, Samus, Captain Falcon, and Fox McCloud, all in their own ships. They all shoot at the Subspace Gunship, but the gunship is too powerful for them to destroy. Ganondorf attempts to destroy all the ships, and just when it seems like he will win, Kirby arrives, riding on Dragoon. He flies straight through the gunship's cannon, causing it to explode. The rest of the heroes keep firing at the Subspace Gunship, causing it to burst into flames, several parts exploding as well. However, shortly before the gunship is completely destroyed, Bowser and Ganondorf retreat into subspace.

Afterward, the two travel to Master Hand. But Ganondorf then betrays Bowser, using the only remaining Dark Cannon to reduce him to a trophy. Master Hand himself is seen to be controlled by Tabuu, the embodiment of Subspace. Ganondorf, surprised at this revelation, leaps to attack him, only to be turned into a trophy himself. When Bowser is revived by King Dedede, he furiously attacks Ganondorf's trophy in vengeance. Link and Zelda come across the trophy and revive him, forming a temporary alliance as all the characters prepare for the final battle against Tabuu. After every fighter is returned to normal, all of them, including Ganondorf, battle Tabuu, eventually defeating him. After Tabuu is destroyed, the world is returned from subspace.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Ganondorf returns as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and as a default character in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. In the Nintendo 3DS version, players can unlock him by completing Classic Mode with Link or Zelda on 5.0 intensity or higher or by playing 80 Smash matches, and they must defeat him in the subsequent match, taking place in Gerudo Valley, to unlock him.

Ganondorf's appearance remains the same as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and he reuses his voice set, although he has minor details added to his design, such as the large, glowing wound he receives in that game and the more torn cape. Additionally, Ganondorf's facial expressions are different. Despite the aesthetic changes, Ganondorf retains the general traits and moveset he has in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In terms of his equipment options, Ganondorf can utilize the Magic Stone, Cape, and Shin Guards equipment.

Site bio
''The demon thief Ganondorf has returned! He’s the largest and bulkiest of all human-type characters.''

''His movement, his attack capability—everything feels weighted. Ganondorf’s attacks land with heavy thunks, which gives him a very unique feel.''

Solid Snake codec conversation

 * Snake: This guy is giving off a murderous vibe! Even getting close to him makes my skin crawl...
 * Otacon: Snake! Ganondorf is dangerous! His ambition is to rule the world, and he's got the power to do it. It's no wonder they call him "King of Evil."
 * Snake: Do modern weapons even work against him? Do I even have a chance?
 * Otacon: Take a look around you. There are plenty of people fighting with swords or even their bare hands. At least you've got firepower! Count yourself lucky! It's not like you to whine, Snake.
 * Snake: I was just asking, sheesh. Well, it's back to the mission for me.

Trophies
Red indicates the Trophy or description is exclusive to the 3DS version. Blue indicates the Trophy or description is exclusive to the Wii U version.

Palutena's Guidance

 * Pit: This Ganondorf guy definitely has the evil look down pat.
 * Palutena: He can sometimes take another form. As Ganon, he's known as the King of Porkness.
 * Viridi: It's ACTUALLY the King of Darkness. He's brought Hyrule to the brink of ruin more times than I can count.
 * Palutena: Hmm. My Archvillain Database doesn't bring up anything about his past.
 * Pit: Wow, I didn't know you had that app.
 * Palutena: Hee hee. A goddess must preserve SOME sense of mystery!
 * Pit: Huh?
 * Viridi: One thing you should know, Pit, is that there are many different Ganons.
 * Palutena: Just like there are multiple Links and Zeldas.
 * Viridi: But don't let that confuse you. I've spent years studying Ganon canon.
 * Palutena: Remember, Ganondorf is as heavy as he is powerful. Use that to your advantage.

amiibo

 * Ganondorf, The King of Evil is Link's arch-nemesis in most games in The Legend of Zelda series. As the embodiment of all evil, Ganondorf seeks to take control of Hyrule. He plundered a piece of the sacred Triforce from the Temple of Time when Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. With the Triforce of Power in Ganondorf's possession, Hyrule was plunged into darkness until Link and Zelda defeated the fiend.

Trivia

 * Ganondorf appears as a property in the 2006 version of Nintendo Monopoly. He takes the place of Pacific Avenue and costs $300. In the 2010 version he was replaced by another Zelda series character, Midna.
 * In the Subspace Emissary, not counting the Shadow Characters, Ganondorf is the only playable villain character who is never fought.
 * As a possible Easter egg, one of Ganondorf's trophy's eyes glow red when the background is turned dark.