How Nintendo Created Ghirahim

[@AtlasArtAnimation]

Ghirahim was one of my favorite villains in the Zelda series... his personality and flair added so much disturbense in my soul as I faced him... Every time I faced him and the music started playing.... deep down, I was on edge.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

He's one of my favorites too - his design is great and his uneasy wickedness comes across so well.

[@AspiringHeroGames]

A really great analysis of a great villain. Ghirahim was such a refreshing antagonist, because he differed in so many ways to Ganon(dorf), as you mentioned. You never really knew when he'd pop up, what he was going to say or do, and whether you were going to fight him personally or if he would have you fight some other boss instead. If the series has other entries in the future where Ganon isn't the main antagonist, or at least for the bulk of the game, it would be great to have another villain that deviates from our expectations, as Ghirahim has done. As a player, it's really engaging not knowing what to expect from such a character and foe.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Another part of what made him great was that you interacted with him so much!

[@AspiringHeroGames]

Absolutely! No other villain in the series gets as much active screen time in their game as he does. That presence really helps in creating a connection with him as a character. One other thing that works in his favour is that he's proactive, and we get to see his repeated attempts to capture Zelda. He's not just a big bad that's already conquered everything and is essentially waiting for us to show up, or is implied to be doing stuff in the background that we never see.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@AspiringHeroGames Exactly - and that all culminates in his reviving of Demise at the end. It's nice to see a villain win every once in a while.

[@windowwasher8441]

6:17 was totally a missed opportunity to say "ultimate demise"

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Oh it went through my head but...would've been too easy ;)

[@ashleydarkboss]

I love ghirahim so much

[@LittleBeanGreen]

me too ;)

[@tedrpz]

I find ghirahim very interesting because he possesses the rare combination of traits of being incredibly narcissistic yet also incredibly loyal when hylia defeated demise ghiraham didn’t try to claim the title of demon king for himself or fuel his own ambitions he spent centuries seeking a way to revive his master not a lot of villains second in commands would do that especially ones as egotistical as him which relates back to his true identity as the sword of demise at the end of the day he was made to be a weapon and his only real desire is to fulfill that purpose

[@LittleBeanGreen]

I also think that's what separates him from (and makes him better than) Zant - his loyalty. And also that he technically wins by reviving Demise.

[@Kagomai15]

And it's tragic to me that he does all of that for his master and Demise scorns him anyway

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@Kagomai15 such is the price of loyalty to the embodiment of evil I guess

[@chipe420]

Great video, ghirahim redeemed the entire game for me

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Haven't played it since it came out but remember loving it and expecially him ha

[@kurenian]

Also Ghirahim is the only Zelda villain who actually wins in the end. Even though he dies and disappears at the end of the game, his master is revived. He played his role to perfection, including his own death. No other Zelda villain dies successfully as a villain- they are usually killed or sometimes get redeemed, but never succeed without being redeemed.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Which is also why he is so great.

[@tinyguy9398]

Got to love that Hexus music used in the intro / outro. Perfect choice for Ghirahim. Also in Semitic languages, ghira / gheerah refers to a person's dislike or displeasure over someone else sharing a right / privilege they believe belongs to them and the suffix -im is generally used to denote many or make a word plural, so basically together his name could mean ‘those who hate being upstaged by others’, which if you think of it, relates both to Link and Fi; Link because he is the hero and therefore is hogging the spotlight that Ghirahim thinks is owed only to himself or to his master and Fi for being the perfect sword wielded by a master swordsman. Also, it kind of goes with his personality a bit better being that most performers are a bit vain and a common fear of performers is that they will be replaced by the next fresh / pretty face to come along (Fi).

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Interesting etymology - I think it just happened to line up and not what the developers intended.

[@1snivy10]

Ghirahim is my dream husband. Wonderful analysis!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Wake up and make it reality!

[@yeontanseyebrows5588]

Absolutely bonkers. I respect that

[@ashleydarkboss]

I'm obsessed with him

[@diromiz]

Didn't think I'd learn more about Ghirahim than I already have since I've been studying this guy for 10 years but man some of the influences in this video surprised me! Love it, to this day Ghirahim is my ultimate favorite character

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Glad to have been of service!

[@mysryuza]

Finally something good to start my day. I love his design in Hyrule Warriors, which is an improvement from Skyward Sword, his personality, his voice since I was a kid when playing SS, and yes I had a crush on him back then. He actually got me to like diamond shapes in character design and influenced my tendency to add markings under my OCs’ eyes (alongside Cynder from Legend of Zelda). I’m so glad people are finally talking about him again. One of the best villains in the series. Dude somehow made white lips, diamonds, and his cape design look good. Speaking of Reflecting light, putting two triangles together facing away from each other forms a diamond so… ye.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Badaboom! He's my go-to in Hyrule Warriors to and i usually get ~absurd~ amounts of kills with him haha

[@SkyrimBoss005]

I really enjoyed this video. I plan on using him as a reference for some future villain OC's that I'll write. So this video gave me an opportunity to study my favorite villain and really helped single out his traits. Helped define what makes him so creepy yet well written.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Awesome! Glad it could be of use, thanks for checking it out.

[@randompoof5166]

Didn't realize this wasn't a video with thousands upon millions of views until now, it's super well made and deserves many more views, keep it up! 😁

[@LittleBeanGreen]

With our powers combined we can get it there!

[@PinkiePieParties]

This is a very well researched video. I am very impressed. Keep it up, man. You are going places. Your dialogue is quite humorous as well.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Hey I appreciate that! Thanks for checking it out!

[@markruffalo8761]

THIS is what I want in my zelda content. Thoughtful commentary on concepts and ties to real world mythology and history is soo much better than what's been coming from zeltik and the other bigger zelda youtubers.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Glad to hear it - I find that style more interesting as well (although sometimes it's just fun to give a hot take on something specifically in-game). I'm planning on doing a few videos that tie the natural history of Hyrule (and other Zelda overworlds) to our own natural history so hopefully you'll find those of interest when they're out! as well

[@guaitxican]

i've always loved queer-coded villains so of course i love ghirahim... i agree with this description of him: "seems not only confident but competent" but i will say he IS confident and competent, he did revive demise (looking fabulous in the process) i also love that his theme really reflects his persona -no pun intended-

[@LittleBeanGreen]

His theme is so slinky.

[@looptexxpage569]

i did not expect that last quote but glad to know im not alone lmao

[@LittleBeanGreen]

In revealing details about Ghirahim it seems we've revealed some details about ourselves as well hahaha

[@RetroJack]

I loved Lord Ghirahim - he was so hilariously camp!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

and also kind of terrifying

[@shadowstar8619]

Ghirahim being a dark, more independent version of Fi makes me a bit curious about all the weapons Ganon(dorf) has taken up over the years. Ranging from the first trident to the most recent katana, what if they all somehow gained a consciousness of their own? What if they gave us the ability to see how the games played out from the other side of the battle or even what happened after it was over? Think of the Sword of Six Sages being used against its own creators and locked in the Twilight Realm, Ganon's twin swords stumbling away from the final battle in Ocarina of Time, or even the aforementioned katana fleeing from Hyrule castle after Ganondorf becomes the Demon Dragon and takes off.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Interesting theory - have you ever heard of the scrapped game that followed a Sheikah who became the Master Sword (I think)? I think the idea is cool, but you also hate to have it mean that EVERY weapon or item of importance shares this same idea kind of makes it cheap. So hopefully that doesn't become a trope...

[@shadowstar8619]

@@LittleBeanGreen Maybe. I mean, it probably won't show up as a trope at all, but it's an interesting thing to consider. And it would open up a new perspective of the ongoing feud between the three main characters from the perspective of the weapons. A sword that's been through every single cycle since the curse was initially cast (no wonder the Master Sword is actually kinda weak in BotW and TotK), and the weapons who consistently have to fight Fi every cycle and lose only to waste away and be forgotten (who have probably grown tired of it all). It would be a strange sort of irony if Ganon's weapons want the cyclic curse to be broken more than their wielder ever will, and even more so if the next one actively turns on him.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@shadowstar8619 Or if we get to use his weapon against him.

[@HyruletheCheetah]

Thanks for this really cool video! I learned a lot about my favorite villain!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@VenusFeuerFalle]

What fascinates me about Ghirahim is, he was pretty dark. But not a "light absorbing way"-of Dark but rather a "radiant shining" Dark. Like, his darkness is not absense of light, but his darkness is a positive existence. edit: Oh yes, Satan in Passion of the Christ is similar, they also have this Positive Darkness-Energy

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Interesting take!

[@TriforceLiz]

My dude, this is a really well written video essay and once again, on point with the editing! I thoroughly enjoyed it and genuinely learned so much about a character I've always loved. Truly, an A+ essay for the Zelda history class I wish was a real thing. You wouldn't want to know who I ship Link with now though 🤭

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Awesome to hear - I too have always loved Ghirahim and something was nagging at me so I thought 'screw it let's make a whole video!' Thanks for watching. Uh oh.. hahahaha

[@mr.j3rs3y]

HIT ME ONE TIME! HIT ME TWICE! BOOM! POW! Aaaaaaahh, that’s rather nice~

[@LittleBeanGreen]

you get it ;)

[@sprytt]

This is some high quality stuff. Good shit!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Thanks, dog!

[@natbatlightwood5288]

The fact that ibwas listening to the Ferngully soundtrack earlier and the music from Toxic Love is in this video is awesome. 😂😂😂

[@LittleBeanGreen]

How can you look at Hexxus, hear that song, and NOT think of Ghirahim haha

[@natbatlightwood5288]

@@LittleBeanGreen right. It's only occurred to me now, but it totally fits his character. 🤣🤣🤣 To be fair i could see Ghirahim rocking literally any song, like i imagine this demon could make any song look good. 🤣🤣🤣

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@natbatlightwood5288 You're probably right but there was something so sleazy and sexual about Toxic Love, I simply couldn't pass up the chance to use it 🤣🤣

[@d5dizzler962]

I decided to check out your channel on whim from seeing a comment on Banditgames channel. And damn your videos are great, snappy editing, charismatic and legitimately made me chuckle, You got a recipe for success here and only 500 subs?! I’m definitely looking forward to future videos! (Subscribed)

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Thank god for whims. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@gingerapple1725]

11/10 song choice omg

[@LittleBeanGreen]

You already know!

[@WesleyGooding]

That’s pretty interesting. Great video👍

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@kymo6343]

I can't remember this character w/o remembering how cringe I was at that same age... *shudders*

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Hopefully you grew up to be just a fabulous.

[@kymo6343]

@@LittleBeanGreen Lmao. In fairness to Lil Past Me, I was never homophobic or anything super lame like that. Just... Way too horny and Rawr-Random. XD;;

[@mariothane8754]

He gives off Kefka vibes to me.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

It's that jester/clown archetype, baby!

[@mariothane8754]

@@LittleBeanGreen Can we have that archetype everywhere?

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@mariothane8754 Ask and you shall receive!

[@Night_Quest]

I love his flair :]

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Me too ;)

[@Birthnote]

God, it's such a RELIEF to hear someone pronounce Fi's name properly!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

LET'S GOOOOO

[@sadwaffleboy]

another aspect of ghirahm i see is a character design trait used in a lot of popular media, especially disney. they make villains look stereotypically ‘gay’. i don’t say this to be offensive to gay people, it’s just something i’ve noticed with a lot of villains like ghirahim. he looks very androgynous, wears makeup and jewelry, acts dramatic, and overall fits a gay stereotype. i think it’s interesting.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

I was thinking about this as well. I was going to make a comparison to Silva in Skyfall - there's a particular interaction with him and James Bond that fits that bill. I think it has something to do with a power play or sort of a twisted attraction. There's a weird repulsion when someone flirts or shows romantic interest in us and the feeling is not reciprocated, gay or otherwise. Something along those lines is happening here - like Ghirahim is challenging Link's embodiment of traditional masculine traits. I think that's where a lot of the 'gay' angle comes from, as if to say Ghirahim makes Link have to grapple with dark aspects of himself that aren't necessarily about his character, but about his sexuality.

[@rhinosaur9636]

The history of villainous characters is fascinating! One theory on why more villains in particular tend to be more stereotypically gay than protagonists was due to the Hays Code. The Hays Code was the way the film industry self censored its content beginning in the 1930’s and ending in the late 1960’s. It made it so that any content deemed “immoral” wasn’t allowed to be portrayed positively. This, while also banning the portrayal of profanity, drugs, and religion, also banned portraying homosexuality in a positive manner. (Comparing the Hays Code to a video game equivalent, imagine the general public’s moral panic caused by Mortal Kombat/Night Trap but instead of the creation of the ESRB, the gaming industry collectively decides to only make E rated games for four decades) The work around for portraying gay people during that era was to make the villains gay so they wouldn’t have a happy ending in the film. Cut to modern day and we now have a ton of gay villains and the Bury Your Gays trope

[@LittleBeanGreen]

@@rhinosaur9636 Nice! You wouldn't happen to be a Soundgarden fan would you? 😏

[@sunshineyrainbows13]

Your vocabulary is poppin

[@sunshineyrainbows13]

And I love the video, haha. Professional work! Looking forward to more!

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Thank you and thank you ;) I like to think Ghirahim would be proud.

[@Skull_Kid0.o]

The one thing nintendo messed up on with him is the badly animated tongue

[@LittleBeanGreen]

the uncanniness works!

[@rylog74]

Wish Nintendo made a amiibo

[@LittleBeanGreen]

and put him as a playable character in smash.

[@ashleydarkboss]

Same

[@sarsgarrs]

Zelda the TOTK ganondorf was pretty cool but Ghirahim still had way more personality and action.

[@LittleBeanGreen]

and just literal presence/impact on the story.

[@teejaaydee3686]

he reminds me of hisoka of hunter x hunter

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Yup I definitely see the parallels.

[@looptexxpage569]

STOOPPP NOW I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT

[@Luxembourgish]

After watching this intelectual video and the very ending of it, the moral of the analysis is that Little Bean Green is gay. (It's okay to be gay! :D)

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Little Bean Gay

[@IceyPine]

Ghirhwo

[@LittleBeanGreen]

He's GhiraHIM BABYYYYY

[@ashleydarkboss]

Agreed ​@@LittleBeanGreen

[@thenofur]

Awesome analysis and video but maybe switch up the music a little or perhaps dampen it? I found it a little repetitive :((

[@LittleBeanGreen]

Ghirahim's theme baby gotta keep it going! But seriously, thanks for that feedback - most of my other videos have more musical variety.

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

They basically made him a JoJo character

[@LittleBeanGreen]

and we love JoJo ha

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

@@LittleBeanGreen Same

[@IceyPine]

Who

[@LittleBeanGreen]

HIM

[@IceyPine]

Ghirhwo

[@LittleBeanGreen]

that's it exactly.