Ganondorf

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorofu) is a playable character in Hyrule Warriors and the major antagonist of the Legend of Zelda series.

Role in Game
Like most of his other Zelda incarnations, Ganondorf's ambition is to assemble the Triforce for himself and conquer Hyrule. In the Hyrule Warriors continuity, Ganondorf was originally sealed by a previous incarnation of the legendary hero of Hyrule. His soul was split into four fragments and scattered across time and space, with the hero's sword acting as the seal on the one fragment that remained in their world.

However, Ganondorf was still able to sense events around him, and thus came to influence Cia, the watcher of the dimensions. Using her unrequited love for the legendary hero's incarnations and her jealousy towards the woman whose destiny was linked to his, Ganondorf corrupted Cia, expelling all goodness from her heart. The Demon King promptly manipulated his new puppet into assembling the Triforce and opening the Gate of Souls, freeing three fragments of his spirit from their prisons in three different timelines.

With three-fourths of his soul reunited, Ganondorf was able to regain physical form. He promptly betrayed Cia and attempted to take the Triforce from her, intending to use it to free the final spirit fragment and restore his full power. However, Cia managed to fight back, drawing upon the Triforce of Power to seal Ganondorf away between the dimensions. Doing so, however, forced the Dark Sorceress to return the other pieces of the Triforce to their rightful bearers, weakening her even as the Hyrulean Army closed in on her base.

Due to being sealed between dimensions, Ganondorf was able to attack both of his enemies when the Hyrulean Army attacked the Temple of Souls. Despite bringing a substantial army to attack the battling forces after they had weakened each other, the Demon King was unable to overcome his enemies due to not being at full strength. However, he remained confident that his wrath would soon fall upon Hyrule, especially since Link had been forced to weaken the final seal on his soul by drawing the Master Sword to use against Cia's army.

Ganondorf's confidence was soon justified - shortly after Cia's final defeat, the final fragment of his soul was released from the weakening seal. With his full strength restored, Ganondorf recruits Zant and Ghirahim as his followers before launching an assault on Gerudo Desert, raising an army of monsters by defeating their commanders in battle. With his newfound might, the Demon King travelled to the Valley of Souls, where he reclaimed the Triforce of Power from Lana. He then attacked Hyrule Castle, drawing out and defeating Link and Zelda to take their pieces of the Triforce.

With the mystical artifact's complete power at his disposal, Ganondorf summoned unending hordes of monsters to subjugate Hyrule before retiring to Hyrule Castle itself. His dark power corrupted the surroundings into a terrifying stronghold as he readied a ritual to empower himself even further. This would prove to be his downfall, however - with the Demon King occupied, Zelda led her remaining forces to Gerudo Desert, defeating Ganondorf's lieutenants and cutting off the flow of reinforcements to his new base.

With Ganondorf's position weakened, the Hyrulean Army and its allies from across time and space attacked the former Hyrule Castle to stop the Demon King once and for all. Ganondorf initially left the battle to his minions as he continued the ritual of empowerment, unleashing his full power just as his enemies breached his tower. With his enhanced might, he began attacking the Hyrulean Army directly, but they recaptured Hyrule Castle to cut off his power boost before defeating him. In a final attempt to turn the tide, Ganondorf used the Triforce to become the monstrous Ganon, but Zelda granted the Light Arrows to her allies, who used their life force to power up the legendary weapons and defeat the Demon Beast.

Personality
Ganondorf is best characterized by his greed, lust for power, and sadism. Cold and manipulative, he has no qualms in using others to fulfill his own desires.

Quotes

 * "Follow my every command, or else perish again." - Spoken to Zant and Ghirahim after summoning them from their imprisonment.
 * "Come. The Triforce shall be MINE!" - Preparing to begin his conquest of Hyrule.
 * "This resistance was pitiful, but oh well. Not every battle can be one worth retelling." - Following his victory in Gerudo Desert.
 * "A double...heh. You act as if I've never used that trick myself." - To Impa, after she creates copies of herself to protect Lana.
 * "The legendary hero... I've outlived more heroes than you can imagine." - To Proxi, in response to her belief that Link will save Hyrule.

Great Sword

 * X: Ganondorf rises off the ground and smashes it hard enough to damage close by enemies.
 * Y, X (rapid): Ganondorf forcefully plants his swords in the ground, then makes diagonal slashes sending out shockwaves, then finishes by sending two shockwaves forward at the same time. X can be tapped for more hits.
 * Y, Y, X: Ganondorf makes a ball of dark energy, then sends it to crash into enemies. The ball then explodes.
 * Y, Y, Y, X: Ganondorf waves his swords around slashing anyone in range, then makes a shockwave.
 * Y, Y, Y, Y, X: Ganondorf makes a large ball of energy, then sets it on the ground and punches it, sending multiple balls at enemies.
 * Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, X; Ganondorf summons a phantom version of his Ganon form and does a slash.
 * Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, Y: Ganondorf charges foward while performing several rapid slashes


 * A: Ganondorf raises his sword into the air and gathers lightning around it before firing it at enemies.


 * Focus Spirit + A: Ganondorf summons a black shadow in the shape of his demon form, Ganon to attack nearby enemies.
 * Focus Spirit Finisher: Ganondorf gathers dark energy around his fists and rises into the air before slamming the ground.


 * Weak Point Smash: Ganondorf envelopes his right arm in darkness, forming a large shadow claw to slash at enemies.

Fighting Style
Ganondorf's attacks are a mix of powerful sword slashes and magic attacks. He is rather slow, but his attacks have a large range. Most of his strong attack combos can be charged up, and doing so fills up a special gauge. Said gauge is then used to deliver a powerful move when the player presses the strong attack button.
 * Use of two swords as he does in Wind Waker.
 * C5 references the Warlock Punch from the Smash Bros series.

Badge Materials

 * See also: Hyrule Warriors/Badges

Attack Badges=
 * -|Defense Badges=
 * -|Assist Badges=

Heart Locations
Heart Pieces=
 * -|Heart Containers=

Gallery
Images=

Trivia

 * When fans saw Ganondorf's design upon his initial reveal, they started a meme associating him with various hair care products such as Dove. In response, Nintendo joins in on the fun by claiming he uses a special hair spray.
 * Hyrule Warriors is the first time Ganondorf has wielded the full power of the Triforce since The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.