Zelda: Every Time Ganon Tried To Take Over Hyrule, Explained

In the Legend of Zelda series from Nintendo, Ganon is often depicted as the final “big bad,” desperately trying to take over the Kingdom of Hyrule. From 1986’s The Legend of Zelda to 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Ganon is continuingly trying to spread his corruption across the peaceful lands of Hyrule.

While others have also attempted to take over Hyrule, such as Chancellor Cole in Sprit Tracks and Ghirahim from Skyward Sword, none have made such an impression as that of the flame-haired Gerudo King. Thankfully for the many races that inhabit this vast fantasy world, Link is always there to ready his weapons and put Ganon back in his box time and time again.

As the Legend of Zelda series has developed over the 35 years since its debut on the NES, so has the character of Ganon. His plots, and incarnations, have become more convoluted, extravagant, and cinematic. Here is every time Ganon has attempted to take over Hyrule (and every time Link has prevented him from doing so).

Ganon’s Plan In The Legend of Zelda

The game that started it all. 35 years ago, gamers were first introduced to the Kingdom of Hyrule, its plucky hero Link, and the porcine Ganon in The Legend of Zelda. During the game’s introduction, players learn how “Prince of Darkness” Ganon stole the Triforce of Power. To prevent Ganon from finding the piece of Triforce in her procession, Princess Zelda broke the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces. Before she is captured by Ganon, Zelda sends her nursemaid, Impa, to find a hero (enter Link) to collect the eight fragments before embarking on defeating Ganon. Link will only come face to face with Ganon in the game’s climatic final battle in Death Mountain. On defeating Ganon, who ends up being an especially difficult foe given his penchant for turning invisible for most of the battle, Link will collect the Triforce of Power from his remains, thus saving the Princess, the Kingdom, and the day.

Ganon’s Plan In The Adventure of Link

While Ganon does not feature per se in this installment of the Legend of Zelda series, his minions are still alive and well, and doing his bidding from beyond the grave following on from his demise in The Legend of Zelda. Should the player receive a Game Over while playing The Adventure of Link, however, Ganon’s henchmen will take the blood of the now fallen Link and sprinkle it over their Master’s corpse to revive him. On doing this, players will receive the sinister message “Game Over. Return of Ganon.”

Ganon’s Plan In A Link to the Past

Despite being the third time that players will have to save Hyrule from Ganon, chronologically A Link to the Past serves as a prequel to The Legend of Zelda. In this game, Ganon is already sealed away in the Dark World (formerly The Legend of Zelda’s Sacred Realm that has now become corrupted with Ganon’s dark influence) after he invaded it and obtained the Triforce. While Ganon is stuck in the Dark World, a wizard called Agahnim captures Princess Zelda in the Light World (Hyrule) and uses his power to send Zelda and Link to the Dark World with Ganon. This all part of an elaborate plan to break the seal that confines Ganon to this realm.

Meanwhile, in the Dark World, Ganon controls an avatar of Agahnim within Ganon’s Tower, using this influence to build up his strength before he can proceed to overcome the Light World of Hyrule. When Link finally defeats this avatar of Agahnim in the Dark World, Ganon will rise from the wizard’s now useless body, turn into a bat, and fly to the Pyramid of Power. Here, Link will fight Ganon in his typical hog-esque appearance. When Ganon is finally defeated, Link will be able to touch the Triforce and use his essence of good to return Hyrule and the Sacred Realm to its former splendor. A Link to the Past is also notable for being the first time that the famous Master Sword appears within the Zelda series.

Ganon’s Plan In Ocarina of Time

Perhaps one of the most famous incarnations of Ganon, in Ocarina of Time players learn more about the King of Evil’s history and finally see him in both his human (Ganondorf) and eventual porcine form. This time, Ganon uses Link and Princess Zelda to uncover the three Spiritual Stones within Hyrule to unlock the Door of Time by cursing, releasing monsters into, and infecting the Great Deku Tree, Dodongo’s Cavern, and Lord Jabu-Jabu’s belly. These stones act as a key to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce is kept.

Not realizing Ganon’s plan, Link uses the stones to unlock the door while Ganon lays siege on Castle Town. As soon as Link pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal, which is hidden behind the Door of Time within the Temple of Time, he is plunged into a seven-year slumber. Ganon takes this opportunity to enter the now open Sacred Realm and steals the Triforce. What Ganon did not count on, however, was the Triforce breaking up into three pieces due to the unbalanced nature of his desires. While Ganon maintains the Triforce of Power, the pieces of Wisdom and Courage go to Princess Zelda and Link, respectively.

In the seven years that Link is in his magical slumber and Princess Zelda is in hiding, Ganon rules over Hyrule while searching for the final two pieces of the Triforce. Once Link awakens as an adult with the power to wield the Master Sword, he sets off to undo the evil that Ganon has allowed to take over Hyrule during his rule. Eventually, Link is able to obtain enough power with the help of Princess Zelda (who has been hiding behind the pretense of being an enigmatic ninja named Sheik) and the newly awoken Sages (who are revealed as Link cleanses certain areas of Hyrule) and can head to Ganon’s Castle to do battle for Hyrule.

After defeating the human form of Ganondorf, and destroying Ganon’s Castle, however, a beast rises from the ruins; Ganon, his dark and powerful final form. Even though Link wins this battle, Ganon still possesses the Triforce of Power and ultimately cannot be killed. Instead, the Sages use their powers to seal Ganon away in the Dark Realm. Before he is fully sealed away though, Ganon vows to “exterminate (the) descendants” of Zelda and Link.

Ganon’s Plan In The Wind Waker

While this game initially starts on the islands that are scattered across the Great Sea, eventually The Legend of Zelda players will be taken under the waters to the submerged Kingdom of Hyrule. In The Wind Waker’s history, Hyrule was flooded by the goddesses to contain Ganon, and its people fled to higher ground. But a little bit of water will not stop the mighty Ganon from trying with all his might to claim the power that he believes should to be his.

In this game, Ganon is shown several times on the islands above Hyrule, although it is not revealed to be him at first. Instead, he is shown to be the master of the Helmaroc King, who is kidnapping “girls with long ears” for a mysterious reason (which ends up being a bid for Ganon to find the descendant of Princess Zelda). Eventually it transpires that this incarnation of Ganon is a “returned Ganon.” Soon, Ganon recognizes Tetra, the feisty pirate comrade of Link’s in The Wind Waker, as the descendant of Ocarina of Time’s Princess Zelda.

He kidnaps Tetra / Zelda in the hope of uniting the pieces of the Triforce and finally securing his rule over Hyrule. After battling Link and revealing him to be the ancestor of the Hero of Time, Ganon manages to claim the three Triforce pieces and asks the Gods to “expose (Hyrule) to the rays of the sun once more” and to “give Hyrule to (him).” Obviously, he is ultimately unsuccessful. With the help of the King of Hyrule and Princess Zelda, Link once more takes the Master Sword and, after an intense subsea duel, plunges it into Ganon’s face. This results in Ganon being turned into a rocky edifice.

Ganon’s Plan In Four Swords Adventures

In the GameCube offering of Hyrule, Ganon once more uses others to do his bidding before his true intentions are exposed. In the case of Four Swords Adventures, it is Shadow Link and Vaati who initially pose a threat to the Kingdom of Hyrule. As the game unfolds, Ganon is revealed to be the brains behind the nightmares that have gripped Hyrule, having stolen both a trident that was full of a powerful magic as well as a Dark Mirror, which he used to create the evil counterpart of Link.

Using Shadow Link to kidnap the powerful shrine maidens within Hyrule with the hope that he could add their power to his, Ganon proceeds to murder the Knights of Hyrule and trap their souls in the World of Darkness. Thankfully, Link possesses the Four Sword, and creates three additional clones of himself to battle the forces of evil. Once the Link quartet free the shrine maidens, Link uses their power and the help of Princess Zelda to overcome Ganon and seal him inside the Four Sword. Once more, peace and prosperity are brought back to the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Ganon’s Plan In Twilight Princess

Again, Ganon uses others to do his bidding in Twilight Princess, this time using Zant, King of the Twili, to reign darkness over Hyrule. Zant and Ganondorf made a pact to grant each other the power they desire by overthrowing Hyrule and the Twilight Realm of the Twili. As the story progresses, it is revealed that the Sages of Hyrule once banished Ganon with the Mirror of Twilight after he tried to steal the Triforce. Zant tried to break the Mirror of Twilight, but instead just scattered the pieces across Hyrule as he is not the true ruler of the Twili (it is actually Midna, who is Link’s companion throughout Twilight Princess).

After a lengthy series of quests and temples, Link and Midna defeat Zant before heading to Hyrule Castle to take on Ganondorf. When they find him, Ganondorf possesses Princess Zelda to act as his puppet, before finally turning into a gigantic boar-like beast. Once Link slays this beast, Hyrule Castle begins to collapse. Midna uses her powers to transport Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field, and to safety. This safety does not last long for the heroes, though, as Ganon once more rises up in his human form to do battle with Link. On horseback, and with the help of Princess Zelda and some well-placed Light Arrows, Link knocks Ganon to the ground. Using the always-faithful Master Sword, Link finally plunges it into Ganon’s chest, once more releasing Hyrule from his evil grasp.

Ganon’s Plan In Breath of the Wild / Age of Calamity

In the most recent games in the Legend of Zelda franchise, Ganon is depicted as a beast of malice and machine. For the Switch era, Nintendo switched it up and created a Hyrule that was already under a significant threat from Ganon and his cronies. In Breath of the Wild, Ganon has already taken Hyrule under his control with the help of the Blight Ganons and hordes of bokoblins and lizalfos when the player’s adventure begins. As the story is revealed through unlocked memories, it is shown that Ganon initially tried to conquer Hyrule 10,000 years before the game’s narrative.

At that time, he was locked away by four Champions of Hyrule in their Divine Beasts, a Princess with the blood of the goddesses, and her appointed knight. 9,900 years later however, Hyrule has unevolved and no longer commands the ancient tech of its predecessors. Princess Zelda, along with Link, Impa, Purah, Robi and the other races within Hyrule, have recognized signs that Ganon is once more going to attempt to break free of his seal and reign supreme over their Kingdom. In effort to stop this from happening, the heroes endeavor to learn the ways of their ancestors and control the mechanical beings that won the battle against Ganon 9,900 year prior.

Sadly, Ganon is wily, and manages to possess the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, and Hyrule falls to his malice. During the battle that eventually becomes known as the Great Calamity, Princess Zelda manages to seal Ganon in Hyrule Castle with her newly revealed magic, and a wounded Link is sent to the Chamber of Resurrection. After sleeping for 100 years, Link awakens to a derelict and fearful Hyrule that lives in the shadow of Calamity Ganon, who is trapped within Hyrule Castle and only being kept at bay by Princess Zelda, who is trapped there with him. As Link gets stronger and learns more about the world that he now inhabits, he is able to free the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s power and uses them to fight the malicious beast once more. Soon, Calamity Ganon transforms into his final form of malice and hatred; Dark Beast Ganon. With the added help of Zelda’s Bow of Light, Link defeats Dark Beast Ganon on Hyrule Field, and Zelda is once more free from her entombment within him. Using her magic, Zelda seals Ganon away, and peace is restored to Hyrule.

Age of Calamity, meanwhile takes place before and during the Great Calamity itself. Here, players meet Astor, a Prophet of Doom and follower of Calamity Ganon. Astor uses a Diminutive Guardian that is infected with Ganon’s malice to create Harbinger Ganon. Throughout Age of Calamity, Astor uses Harbinger Ganon to see the future, witnessing the devastation that Calamity Ganon is destined to bring to Hyrule. However, in his final moments Astor is consumed by malice and absorbed into Harbinger Ganon. This combination of powers results in Astor and Harbinger Ganon becoming the game’s ultimate boss; Calamity Ganon. While the end results of this rendition of the Great Calamity differ from how they play out in Breath of the Wild, this final incarnation of Ganon that players face during the games’ finales is the same for both Legend of Zelda games available on the Nintendo Switch (so far…).

While Ganon has appeared or been mentioned in other The Legend of Zelda games, he is often being used as part of a greater plan by other antagonists, such as within Oracle of Ages and Seasons. Needless to say, he is certainly one of the most iconic and terrifying baddies in gaming today. Thankfully for the Kingdom of Hyrule, though, Link and Princess Zelda also happen to be two of gaming’s most reliable heroes.

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Victoria Phillips Kennedy
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