Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomsaw the return of the Demon King Ganondorf after a nearly seventeen-year hiatus. The iconic antagonist of theLegend of Zeldafranchise has been revived, reincarnated, and redesigned many times throughout the lifespan of this classic Nintendo franchise. Seemingly always destined to return in some way, Ganon is never truly defeated. Even afterThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s satisfyingly definitive ending, the threat of Ganondorf is always looming.
The human form of Ganondorf made his first appearance in 1998’sLegend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeand has gone on to appear in two additional mainlineZeldatitles beforeTotK.These games wereWind WakerandTwilight Princess.This does not count the appearance of Beast Ganon or Demise, who are seen in place of the humanGanondorf in otherZeldatitles. In each appearance of Ganondorf, he is reinvented for the era of the timeline he exists. One way or another, the evil king continues to return regardless of being defeated at the end of the game, so his defeat at the end ofTotKcould still leave the door open to a potential revival.
Ganondorf’s Return in The Legend of Zelda
Tears of the Kingdoms’s Ending
Ganondorf’s return inTears of the Kingdomwas a big deal. No longer the untamed energy that wasCalamity Ganon inBreath of the Wild, the Demon King is a skilled fighter and an all-powerful being. Throughout the events of the game, the mummy that was Ganondorf becomes freed from his imprisonment and steadily regains his ultimate power. Perhaps more powerful than any version of the character that has come before,TotK’s Ganondorf threatens to conquer the world like never before.
Naturally, Link and Zelda are there to put a stop to his plans. After an epic boss battle ending with a massive dragon fight, Ganondorf is defeated in one of the most definitive endings to date.Ganondorf has been defeated inLegend ofZeldagames before, but how he exploded at the end ofTotKfelt very conclusive. At the very least, it seems unlikely that Ganondorf will return in any direct sequel toTotK.
The Progression of Ganondorf
The Future of Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda
If Nintendo decides to do another direct sequel and continues the story ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, most likely Ganondorf will not be involved. However, that does not mean that the character will not return sometime in the future. As Ganon is always reincarnating in some form, it’s possible that eventhe definitive ending ofTotKwill not be the last time the character is seen. Just as Calamity Ganon was able to reincarnate into the human form of Ganondorf, the evil spirit of the character is likely to manifest in some form eventually.
The essence of Ganon represents the evil in the world ofThe Legend of Zelda, and even when the forces of good vanquish that evil, it returns eventually. Throughout the franchise, there are tales of evil rising to upset the peace and of a hero being summoned to defeat it. Likely, this will continue inThe Legend of Zelda’s timeline. If the nextZeldagame takes place far into the future of the universe, there could still be an opportunity for the evil Ganondorf to be revived somehow. It could create an interesting opportunity to have a reference to his defeat inTotK, in the way theZeldagames of the past reference earlier games. Regardless,Breath of the Wildis likely not the last time Ganondorf will be seen.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
