In the Legend of Zelda series, Ganon has appeared in a lot of different forms. Here’s how all of them compare.
Ganon looks like she has as many names and titles as the famous Danaerys Targaryen. At one time, he is called the King of Evil, the King of Thieves, the Dark Lord, the Prince of Darkness, the Scourge of Hyrule Castle, the Primal Evil, and many other names. But just as each Legend of Zelda game has a different version of Link, each version of Ganon has key changes that make it clear that it is not the same.
Ganon’s most popular form is that of Ganondorf, the Gerudo King who looks like a human and is known to many fans. Ganon has also changed into many different kinds of monsters over the years. And Ganon, whether he is a beast or a person, has been the main bad guy in all of the Legend of Zelda games and a scary figure in all timelines.
Ganon From CD-i Games
Even when it first came out in 1993, this version of Ganon wasn’t very good. In fact, the games Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, in which this Ganon appears, were not well liked by most people. They were made for the Philips CD-i and take place on the island of Koridai and the land of Gamelon, respectively. Like this idea, neither of those settings has ever been used in a game again.
Ganon’s CD-i game is made to look like a strange monster with maroon and green robes that looks like a dog. There are also some parts that look like orcs, but generally the design is just confusing and doesn’t feel like anything. Fans and reviewers both agree that this Ganon is one of the worst ever made.
Ganon From NES/GameBoy Games & Oracles of Ages/Seasons
Ganon’s appearance in these games is pretty similar, and back when villain sprites had to stand out, it did the job. Ganon has always been this blue, evil, pig-like monster since the first Legend of Zelda game. Aside from small changes in Ganon’s clothes, there isn’t much to tell these early versions apart. But Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons make small changes to the patterns that are already there.
In comparison, the GameBoy versions just seem to be a little bit better. But this is probably because of the technology that is accessible. As some of the first drawings of Ganon, they have definitely changed over time. But at the time, they did a good job of showing who Hyrule’s most consistent bad guy was.
Ganon From Four Swords Adventures
In this game, the Gerudos, who live in the desert, and the Hylians live together in peace, but only for a short time. Ganon takes the Trident and the Dark Mirror, which had been hidden in the Desert Pyramid, when he turns into a Gerudo. Ganon, who has probably changed because of the power of the Trident, lets out Vaati and opens four doors into the Dark Realm.
Link meets what might be the scariest version of the original Ganon design in the final boss battle. The pig-like person has strong muscles, sharp teeth, and big tusks. His armor is green, gold, and red, and his cape and pauldrons are purple and flowy. Even though graphics were still limited at the time, this form of Ganon set the stage for much darker and scarier versions.
Ganon From A Link Between Worlds
The fact that Yuga is in this form of Ganon might make it the strangest. Yuga is the main bad guy in the game. He is a humanoid Lorulean magician with a color scheme that looks a lot like Ganondorf’s Gerudo form. Because of this, many fans have thought that he is Ganondorf’s Lorulean equal, since the game has a lot of characters that are like mirror images of each other.
During a battle with Link, Yuga brings Ganon back to life and takes his power, turning into a huge creature that looks like a pig. This shape is often called YuGanon. It has white eyes that glow, purple skin, tusks, and a strange mane of red braids. Even though the design is big and different, it doesn’t scream awesome or scary to fans.
Ganon From A Link To The Past
In this game, the Demon King is locked up in the Sacred Realm, which he has turned into the Dark Realm by using the power of the Triforce. Years later, he leaves this world while pretending to be a bad wizard and tries to take over all of Hyrule. So, Link gets involved to protect the land.
Link fights Ganon, who has changed back into his pig-like monster form, after saving the Seven Maidens and killing the evil wizard Agahnim. His costume is simple gold and red armor with a big skull on the chest. He holds his famous trident. Even though the game’s 16-bit images help make him look good, this Ganon is far from the best or scariest.
Puppet Ganon & Ganondorf From Wind Waker
As the first game in the adult storyline, fans had mixed feelings about how the new designs looked like they were from a cartoon. But cel-shaded Ganondorf was a big hit with a lot of people. In Wind Waker, Ganon’s three puppet forms change into a pig, a spider, and a snake as the fight goes on.
This fight with the next-to-last boss is a great example of why the game still has a Metacritic score of 96 even now. In each form, Puppet Ganon moves in a strange way to scare the player and has a unique set of moves that must be learned quickly.
Demise & The Imprisoned From Skyward Sword
Demise is the old being who is behind all of Ganon’s different forms, even though he is not Ganon himself. He is the worst enemy in the Zelda games. And his shapes in Skyward Sword are enough to give you nightmares. Like most of Ganon’s forms, there are different kinds of Demise.
His physical form, which looks like Blanka from Street Fighter, is scary enough. But he can also take the form of the Imprisoned, a huge, many-toothed beast. The Imprisoned aren’t as scary because they look a little silly. But the design is especially scary because it has scales, teeth, a big mouth, and other monster-like parts.
Ganondorf & Dark Beast Ganon From Twilight Princess
Fans agree that this one is one of the best in the series because it is much darker. So, the ways Ganon and Ganondorf are shown are definitely distinctive. Ganondorf’s most famous form, the Gerudo King, makes him seem scary and evil. Ganondorf’s floating, all-gold, lit-up head is also in Twilight Princess.
Ganondorf turns into Dark Beast Ganon during the game’s final boss fight, which is known for having four parts. The scary wolf-like animal has a pig’s nose, a wild orange mane, and huge tusks made of ivory. This design stands out because of how real it looks, and it can be seen wearing Ganondorf’s golden crown.
Calamity Ganon & Dark Beast Ganon From Breath Of The Wild
This version of Ganon is like cancer that is spreading through Hyrule. Throughout Backrooms game, players can see the chaos around Hyrule Castle, which is always changing shape. Some parts of it look like a pig or a snake, but it is hard to describe. Link also comes across parts of Ganon’s soul as he travels through Hyrule. To get to the Sacred Beasts, he has to beat Thunderblight Ganon and other tough foes.
The real party, though, is inside an egg in Hyrule castle. Calamity Ganon, a spider-like monster with a mechanical head, many legs, and a mane, comes out when Link sets the creature free. When Ganon is defeated for the first time, he changes into Dark Beast Ganon. This design is different because it has pink flames and almost no details on the body. Link is scared by the looming, huge beast, even though the way they fight doesn’t quite fit the mood.
Ganon From Ocarina Of Time
The majority of fans say that Ocarina of Time is the best game in the series. But it is also the first game in the series that starts the time split and the three main stories. This Ganondorf goes on the most complicated journey to bring Demise/Ganon to life. When he gets the Triforce of Power, he becomes the King of Evil and takes over Hyrule.
In the Fallen Hero era, Ganondorf changes into the huge, dangerous Demon King, who looks like a Minotaur. Ganon changed quickly because of the power of the whole Triforce, and he attacked with no mercy. Even though the images aren’t as good as they used to be, many fans still want a remake. It is very scary to think of this Ganon as a fully realized, digitally improved version of itself.
Ganondorf From Tears Of The Kingdom
Ganon is a very scary force to deal with in Tears of the Kingdom. He has once again taken on the role of the Demon King. When players first meet him, they find a dead body that has been preserved and buried deep underground under Hyrule. This dead body is the cause of the Gloom that spreads across the land. When Zelda and Link go into its chamber. It comes back to life with the help of one of the Secret Stones.
If the body opening its dark, dead eyes and talking to the two heroes in a raspy death rattle isn’t scary enough, the sheer power it shows by lifting Hyrule Castle into the air certainly is. Even scarier is the fact that this body is the preserved remains of Ganondorf, an evil Gerudo King from a long time ago.
During several moments in the game, players learn about Ganondorf’s past and how much he wants power. Link has to face the dead body once more before the final battle. Using the power of the Secret Stone, Ganon changes into his old forms and fights Link in a standard boss battle with multiple stages.
In his first form, as the Gerudo King, Ganon’s look is a lot like that of Ganondorf from Twilight Princess. In full Demon King mode, you can also see parts of Demise from Skyward Sword. But instead of being exact copies of either of these shapes, these versions of Ganon are bigger and scarier than they were before. Ganon finally changes into the Demon Dragon, which is the biggest and scariest enemy Link has ever met.
