Redesigning Smash: Ganondorf | A De-Cloned Ganondorf Moveset Concept

Ganondorf’s moveset in Smash has been kinda cursed ever since he first joined the series. As Super Smash Bros. Melee was set to be one of the heavy-hitting system sellers for the 2001 holiday season of the GameCube, it needed to be made fast. For this reason, the game had a development cycle of only 13 months and because of this, corners needed to be cut. Thus, the concept of clone characters was born, which allowed for fan-favourite fighters to be added to the game, by using existing movesets as a base. Ganondorf is one such example. Since then, as the Smash series has evolved, he has seen some tweaks, with him essentially becoming a much slower, more powerful fighter over time. However, his moveset has never quite been able to escape its roots and is still very clearly derived from Captain Falcon, with very little taken from his appearances across the Zelda franchise. Welcome to Redesigning Smash, a series where we take a look at current smash characters and give them a fresh coat of paint. This time, we’re gonna be tackling the King of Evil: Ganondorf!
Music:
- The Hidden Village - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Song of Storms Remix - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Gerudo Valley Remix - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Temple - Super Smash Bros. Melee
Special thanks to ‪@warriorsdojo6044‬ for the Hyrule Warriors footage!
- Video: • All About Ganondorf (T...
- Channel: / @warriorsdojo6044
- Twitter: / shanebrained
Social Media: ‪@Fobb‬
- Twitter: / fobbean
- Discord server: / discord

[@Mimicrophone]

My own little idea for the victory theme Ganondorf’s Victory theme could be the organ from Ganon’s Castle, as it carries on throughout the whole screen instead of cutting to the typical jingle you hear afterwards, like with Cloud and Sephiroth

[@Legoswampert190]

I’ve actually designed three different versions of a decloned ganon, as well as updating the current one. I’ve made a windwaker “toon” Ganondorf with the dual blades, a Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf with the trident, and a twilight princess Ganondorf with his sword from that game.

[@Legoswampert190]

I’ve made all of these on a spreadsheet that I unfortunately can’t show because of how comments work

[@MedK001]

@@Legoswampert190 Maybe you could send links to your spreadhseets? These seem like very interesting concepts!

[@Legoswampert190]

When I try to do that it just auto deletes it

[@Legoswampert190]

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rnDyOKbJ4VtNc299cZu1JHQ4zqQf1dJ59yE1RF5PX34/edit

[@Legoswampert190]

Never mind

[@kingofsnacks8566]

Finally, lore accurate Gannon I love the moveset you made, it fits Gabon pretty well. I feel like I’d change up special to be a teleport, but that’s just me. Also, I love the idea of the trident throw! it seems like it would work super well.

[@Fobb]

Thanks, glad you liked it! The teleport would definitely be a great fit for his recovery 👌

[@robbiewalker2831]

@@Fobb I feel that, if you're gonna make Ganondorf decloned, and have a Trident as his main weapon, he should have his Pig form as an alt (beautifully reimagined by Corshmell, BTW): kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6S7mJdsoa6AbtU

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Lore Acurate Ganon has always Super Armor and only holy weapons can harm him (with the Master Sword being his Ultimate Weakness since the Sword of the Sages failed to kill him) This means the only Smash Characters that can actually beat a Lore Acurate Ganon would be Link and Toon Link especially (Young Link lacks the Master Sword), and the others that could harm him would be Zelda, Paluntena since she is basically the Goddess of Light in Kid Icarus (maybe also Pit) and the Belmonts (Simon & Richter) since they are having many Holy Items such as their Whip/Morning Star and Holy Water Everyone else would fail miserably against a lore acurate Ganon (some of the Heavy Characters still would put up a good fight though)

[@ejss-st2cx]

@@Fobb Another recovery could be his trident helicopter spin that would work like K rool

[@JustThatFinley]

Hyrule warriors ganon getting the respect he deserves!

[@Fobb]

Absolutely, he has so much cool stuff in his Hyrule Warriors kit!

[@GB6__YT]

Great work here 👏 I really love the use of a trident since we have no dedicated staff users in smash

[@Fobb]

Thanks so much, glad you liked it!

[@Cakemations]

How did I miss this video? This was a really good redesign that stays very faithful. Good job!

[@Fobb]

Thanks for the kind words! Ganondorf was a character I had planned for this series for a long time, but it while to come up with a concept. Glad it lived up to expectations!

[@orangeslash1667]

The problem with Ganon is that he has the Tri Force of Power, so representing power in a fighter is hard to balance. So Ganon is a falcon clone to compensate. Ganon was never planned to be in Smash at all. Meaning that without Falcon, Ganon would not have even made it in general kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqDWeHeMr7dlaNE.

[@HeyMomonia]

For his costumes i'd go all out. He had many different iterations and I'd love to see most of them like hero.

[@Desmond_Video_Discussions]

really well thought out video, just recently been getting into smash bros and its really interesting to see different spins on redesigning iconic characters who feel like they got the short end of the stick. definitely helps that TOTK is out and zelda fever is up now more than ever for the last 6 years

[@daryncollins7640]

this is a very well designed moveset i think i found another underated youtuber

[@RoseSupreme]

The pun/literal edits man returns!

[@Fobb]

The one and only!

[@cbf1plus868]

Ganon is basically an echo captain Falcon at this point

[@Fobb]

It surprises me since he's been in Smash for so long now, but he essentially is lmao

[@GreendelaBean]

I'd assume the James Bond request was because Goldeneye 007 on the N64 was new and very popular when the poll was conducted.

[@Joamori1054]

i like the ideas, i hope someone do a mod or someone of Nintendo take notes if they make a new Smash game for the next console

[@cool3517]

Not bad. I main Ganon and always thought his kit should be more "Luigi-fied" compared to Falcon. For his powerhouse archetype, keep his movement stats as is, since he fights Link with patience/no sense of urgency in the LoZ series. Besides speed, G's moveset is kinda lacking in range for his hurtbox size. I'd refresh his Falcon-based moveset into something that feels more like how he should play in Smash. I think this is a compromise most can get with: Reflector on his Perfect Shield is brilliant. I like it. I'll keep it. Make it a speed and not damage multiplier. Here's the obligatory OOT Deadman's Volley reference lol B--- Warlock Punch now has concentric "Waves of Darkness" that emanate from his fist during the wind-up. As long as opponents are in the wave field, their animations will slightly slow down (think Witch Time w/o the countering trigger). This should give some more utility to the move. And it references that Navi/Gdorf encounter scene in OOT. Side B--- For Flame Choke, you can now hold/release B to briefly strangle foes with dark energy during the grab, for extra damage. For counterplay, opponents can mash to break free before the blast. G's super armor should drop while stangling a foe. This change applies to the ground version only. Up B--- At the apex of his Dark Dive jump, instead of that BUMASS uppercut, G singlehandedly charges & fires his OOT energy ball downward. Similar to Ray of Punishment but the ball stuns opponents like ZSS's Neutral B. His current animation wouldn't even have to change; just add the energy ball in his swiping hand. This should somewhat cover his helpless landing, should he miss the grab portion Down B--- Calling this "Wizard's Sleeve" since this move is now a combo-breaker/pseudo recovery/mix-up option in one. He quickly vanishes then reemerges directly overhead from a portal with a dive attack. Hold down for his OOT dive punch...or hold left/right right for his SSB4 Wizard's Dropkick. This move is like his version of Akuma's "Misogi" which was a really dope move and feels like something he could do. The OOT punch version creates a small shockwave on landing.....plus the punch crumples/deals 1% ON SHIELD >:). Just like Misogi, its that strong. The air/ground versions are identical, unlike Falcon's. To compensate for this BS, the punch version has high landing lag. So if you miss, you get bodied. Up Tilt--- "Death Mountain." This move is ass. So how about the foot flames that appear while G is charging the kick...actually have a weak trapping hitbox? That can maybe combo into the explosion sourspot? And bring back the Brawl windbox! Down Tilt--- "Cursed Crest." Repurpose his Down Throw animation for this move. He'll slam the ground making a glowing triforce triangle appear infront of him for a disjointed hitbox. It also has a slightly lingering/late hitbox. His most useful tilt. References one of Puppet Zelda's attacks in TP Nair--- "Maelstrom." Replace the kicks with two swirling dark/malice/phantom/whatever energy trails, for two strong disjointed hitboxes. As for animation, anyone who played MvC2... think Venom's Air Heavy Kick Uair--- "Sinister Rave." He now does a floaty frontflip, kicking with both feet together overhead. For MvC2 Storm mains...think her Air Medium Kick. Covers a slightly wider arc than before Pummel--- "Crowned Jewel." Slow but fierce headbutts. Simple yet rude. Down Throw--- "Curb Stomp." Enough said. Back Throw--- "Dismiss." Effortlessly one-hand yeets his opponent behind him without even looking, treating them like a nuissance rather than a credible threat. Kill throw These changes are a middleground for the OG & new moveset fans, offer more nuance in his kit and make him feel even more direspectful.

[@poweredvoltage3213]

Ganondorf should be a more physical attacking character, he definitely should use weapons but he should have more punching and kicking in his moveset

[@lamiamekni2802]

Here's some of my new ideas: Neutral Special: Warlock Blast, where Ganondorf charges his fist with light orb energy (you can move around while it's charging), then when it's either fully or almost charged Ganondorf throws a punch that shoots the light orb. Up Special: Dark Ascent, when performed, Ganondorf engulfs his hand in dark magic and levitates himself into the air, the trajectory of which can be slightly angled left or right. Upon making contact with an opponent, Ganondorf will grab him/her and pull him/her upwards with his levitating powers until the peak of his ascent, dealing multiple hits of 1% damage and up to 5% in total. Upon reaching the peak, he will throw the grabbed opponent forward, dealing 13% damage and moderate knockback. If Ganondorf fails to grab an opponent, he will instead fall with a helpless state.

[@mrpi7546]

Very nice video. I have ideas for fighters that should be remade Sonic and Jigglypuff

[@Fobb]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed! Sonic's moveset could definitely be a lot more diverse, although I'm quite unfamiliar with the series so would need to do some more research before attempting a redesign 👌

[@ravenmanuel9568]

Project Ganondorf move set is what it should've been, It's easy to identify that the moves themselves are 80% to 100% of Ganondorf's canonical moves from OOT, why look elsewhere if his appearance is based on OOT? I suggest you take a look at the Project plus mod, the animations, sound, and some colors are accurate.

[@WaxingName]

Meh, there's such a thing as way too much references IMO. I feel like most fanmade Ganondorf movesets (mods or concepts) are way too obsessed with giving him a Mega Man-like mess of references instead of something that balances references with coherent and intuitive design. Then again, that's a problem I'm having with several Smash 4-on characters.

[@ravenmanuel9568]

​@@WaxingName I disagree with your "there's such a thing as way too much references" statement. Ganondorf should've been his own character based on his appearance. There shouldn't be a reason why Ganondorf in Smash 4 was still a clone of Captain Falcon instead of having his sword movement based on TP's final boss battle, let alone not capitalize on bringing in G.K.O.E Ganondorf from O.O.T since they went with the design from O.O.T. It clearly shows that Sakurai lied when he said that he was going to make every character true to their lore.

[@WaxingName]

@@ravenmanuel9568 When did he ever say that? As far as I know, he's only focused on making the newer characters true to their origins.

[@ravenmanuel9568]

@@WaxingName It seems you forgot when he made that statement before Smash 4 launched

[@eem2wavy133]

@@ravenmanuel9568 there is a thing such as “too much references ” Of course I’m not saying ganon moveset should not be changed but it’s as they other user said most revamps focus too much on giving him everything from his games while ignoring the balance issues that would come with it. In the end there is a reason why characters like joker don’t have that many references to their games

[@rockowlgamer631]

Hyrule Warrior's Ganondorf has a sick design

[@Fobb]

The long hair is so fire

[@rockowlgamer631]

@@Fobb It's like they took Twilight Princess Ganondorf and gave him a Senzu bean from DBZ

[@the_maximaal]

All the ideas in here are genius tbh. I'm curious though, what changes would you make with the release of tears of the kingdom, if anything?

[@jessicarogers9616]

Everyone de-clones the obvious ones but no one’s brave enough to de-clone dr. Mario

[@carljohansson3512]

I think changing the OOT skin to match the post-timeskip design(long hair and glowing demonic eyes) would be better than keeping the younger Pre-timeskip design(minus the cape and headpiece with extra jewels which are borrowed from the post-timeskip design though he did wear a red cape in the cutscene where the Deku tree reveals Ganondorf's identity) for the Great demon king.

[@FrostDemigod]

New Fobb vid love to see it (Emote unrelated)

[@Fobb]

bro where did you even find that emote 😭

[@FrostDemigod]

@@Fobb Ask youtube bruh

[@Fobb]

@@FrostDemigod what is this brooo

[@FrostDemigod]

@@Fobb Yeah they added some wild emotes like what even is the purpose of half of these

[@kingofsnacks8566]

Broooo what 🗿🗿🗿

[@matthaeus5373]

As always with these, pretty based and cool moves which make Ganon way more distinctive from Falcon (but I don’t blame him for copying Falcon as he is epic). Feels like only recently you hit 1k and all of a sudden you’re at 1.34k, glad to see the channel growth going strong. Keep up the good work. Monke

[@Fobb]

Truuuue, who wouldn't want to be like Captain Falcon. He is truly the peak of human performance.

[@robbiewalker2831]

@@Fobb I would agree that a villain from the F-Zero series would fit the villain moveset moreso than Ganondorf/Ganon.

[@robertsmall5168]

If you do ever decide to declone Zelda (assuming her moveset could ever be saved) I would opt to make her moveset more akin to both of the Hyrule Warriors games where she uses the bow of light along with her light magic, those factors have always been Zelda’s greatest feats and therefore would represent the character well The goddess spells from Oot may have made sense in Melee because we didn’t know much of her powers at the time, but now they just don’t fit anymore, and the phantom slash is just a desperate fill-in

[@BlueSunStudios1]

"Declone" Zelda? Now "clone" is just a buzzword for "moveset I dislike" nowadays?

[@wet0wl]

I don’t see why you couldn’t just add both the sword and the trident. Great versatility and you get to keep the now iconic doriyah.

[@orangeslash1667]

The problem with Ganon is that he has the Tri Force of Power, so representing power in a fighter is hard to balance. So Ganon is a falcon clone to compensate. Ganon was never planned to be in Smash at all. Meaning that without Falcon, Ganon would not have even made it in general kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqDWeHeMr7dlaNE.

[@HighScoreFinley]

Such a shame we never got james bond

[@Fobb]

frfr, you can't call it smash ultimate without james bond

[@Surgemaster2012]

I'm interested to see what you do for Zelda herself. Some moves of them can stay, but just repurpose a lot of the ones she does have.

[@Fobb]

Would love to give that a shot at some point!

[@Surgemaster2012]

@@Fobb Her moveset makes sense for her, some just need to be repurposed to work a bit better.

[@robertsmall5168]

@@Surgemaster2012perhaps in melee her moveset made sense, but nowadays it would be more fitting to make her moveset more based on her golden power like it is in both of the Hyrule warriors games, that also means the bow of light should be brought back

[@Surgemaster2012]

@@robertsmall5168 Zelda's power are in reference to the fact she's the incarnation of the goddess Hylia. Who created the golden goddesses, so her specials are thematically fitting. It's worth noting it depends on what incarnation they add, as Ultimates version didn't use Light arrows. Really the logical step would be to just retool how her specials work. Or if they had to replace add Bow in replace of Side special and make u air called Dins instead

[@lamiamekni2802]

Check out these: USA: Warlock Punch Japan: Demon Man Fist (魔人拳, Majinken) USA: Flame Choke Japan: Flame Prison Grip (炎獄握, Engoku'aku) USA: Dark Dive Japan: Thunder God Palm (雷神掌, Raijinshō) USA: Wizard's Foot Japan: Violent Ogre Leg (烈鬼脚, Rekkikyaku)

[@dakripaez1254]

I whish so bad Nintendo change ganondrof actual moveset

[@blisstv609]

You should do bowser

[@fruicyjuit6243]

you didnt do up til down tilt forward smash all the aerials besides neutral

[@cyemonkey1828]

Sounds good other than the overhead obliteration ball thing. Reflecting it would be far too easy and if it was unnecessarily powerful it would just be death to ganon.

[@yobrosonan1082]

Sonic next.

[@GamerStuffs]

wish there were timestamps

[@randomistough0]

clone characters didnt first exist in melee. smash 64 also had them with chatacters like puff, falcon, and luigi,

[@ZappherH]

If possible next is roy from fire emblem? I prefer him them lucina

[@Fobb]

Truth be told, I haven't actually played The Binding Blade yet, but once I do I'd love to give it a shot!

[@Nyave_]

Any modders in chat? 👀👀

[@mehdimegzari6572]

No