TOTK Ganondorf is PERFECT

[@majgoatee]

I love how Ganon makes a Phantom that looks like Zelda just to troll everyone and give Link false hope. He's such a goof.

[@crustbound]

Ganon is such a glorious asshole I love him so much

[@lasercraft32]

"You're honor, he's just a funny guy"

[@Max-rz8br]

*give the entirety of Hyrule false hope

[@696Productions]

He’s fabulous. Maybe he’s trans-curious lmao

[@xenogale]

​@@696Productionsjust why?

[@Ps5nogames]

honestly it's funny af looking back at the theories going "Ganondorf will be a good guy this time and will team up with Link and Zelda!" only for this man to end up being a complete psychopath

[@loaf1712]

Those theories were literally brain dead.

[@meatkirbo]

@@loaf1712I saw a couple that had some good evidence but these games have a structure and that was all thrown out by the theory

[@X-zz6jm]

THANK GOD THEY'RE GARBAGE THEORIES! Its such a cringy fanfic. Let villains be VILLAINS! Not everyone needs a sad backstory or redeem themselves.

[@Pikaclev]

@@X-zz6jmEspecially Ganondorf. The only timeline he gets redeemed should be the end of the WHOLE SERIES in DEATH, remorse, the end of the cycle, etc. through means of something like the Song of Healing. But he should NEVER be a good guy in an actual Zelda game while still alive and kicking strong.

[@chadpeterson5698]

@@Pikaclevyeah, Ganondorf should never be a good guy. Even if he teams up with Link, it should be for selfish reasons like trying to stop a villain who wants to destroy the world that Ganondorf wants to rule and he should also betray the heroes immediately after the threat is over.

[@evanbao93]

He's such a contrast to The Wind Waker version of Ganondorf, who managed to find his humanity in the end and accept his death at the hands of Link. Out of all the incarnations of Ganon, this Ganondorf literally sacrificed everything to win no matter what. He not only gave up his people, but also his honor, humanity, mind and even reincarnation just to so he wouldn't be seen a loser. Even the Demon Dragon bears no resemblance to the pig Ganon or even bears the name Ganon. That's how much he lost in the end. In contrast to WW Ganondorf, who was more focused on reviving Hyrule over becoming a god because that game was all about letting go of the past. In that game, WW Ganondorf was able to retain his humanity because he cared about something beyond himself, even if it's still selfish in the end. Though he lost the Triforce to the King of Red Lions, he was able to die as a mortal Gerudo feeling the wind he once desired, which is why the Adult Timeline is no longer plagued by Ganon anymore. And the best part is that both are from the same mold but taken in different directions. Whereas WW Ganondorf shows the human side of Ganon, TOTK Ganondorf shows the inhuman side, one that ultimately consumes the character into a pure symbol of evil.

[@robertmolnar8543]

To be honest the secret stone is probably to blame for it since Ganondorf is the incarnation of Demise's Hatred and the secret stones magnify a persons natural abilities it and consisering his Demon King form is near identical to Demise it is a pretty safe bet that the demonic power Ganondorf inherited from Demise was what was magnified by the secret stone

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Wind Waker Ganondorf got in OoT temporarly stabbed in the head by the Master Sword which probably would have lead to a small Exorcism on him and probably destroying most of his evil and then the food which made him realize that the Gods have abandoned him because of the threat that he is to them. Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf however grew up in a Time where Hyrule was still overrun by Demons, and he loved this era of Chaos and Evil - but then the Furry Gods came and brought this Light which he despises with all his hate

[@chargegarg8234]

Wind waker was an actually interesting villain but ganondorf is shallow and power hungry for no real reason

[@mrmediocre848]

WW Ganondorf didn't accept his death nor found his humanity, he was thwarted in the ultimate fashion. After the events of OoT, losing his conquest to the Hero of Time and the Sages, he tried to take Hyrule again. He found success since the Hero never reincarnated after being sent back to an alternate timeline. However, this conquest would be thwarted when the gods answered the Hyruleans' prayers and flooded the land save for the highest peaks. Though he managed to partially break through the Master Sword's seal, he has obviously mellowed from his younger, more arrogant self. Still, he has once more spent great efforts to take over Hyrule, from killing the sages who sustained the Master Sword's power to tracking down the Triforce. Finally, on his tower at the end of the game, he has finally managed to bring all the pieces together to finally wish on the Triforce, victorious in the end, even boasting about it. Whereas before, Ganondorf has been calculating and exact in achieving his goal of returning Hyrule to rule over it, his goals are dashed from a single lapse in judgement. While Link and Zelda were vessels of the Triforce he was willing to spare beforehand, they are now the subjects of King Daphnes' wish for the future, the wish stolen from him. Living reminders of his hopes and dreams drowned for good. Instead of accepting defeat, he lashes out and makes an attempt to kill them in his rage, only to have the Master Sword planted into his head which, as it had before, freezes him in time, while the Great Sea presumably destroys him along with Hyrule. I would say it is understandable, perhaps even human, for Ganondorf to act this way after losing everything at the very end, but he died a human because he lost the Triforce [nearly all instances of Ganon involve the Trifore, with the Oracle games being the exception, I believe], and the Master Sword gave him an improvised lobotomy.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

​@@mrmediocre848 The Triforce was in the Oracle Games but just appeared at the Intro where it sends Link to different lands He was the Master of the Triforce at this point yet didnt want to abuse its Power, That's why he simply let it be while the Conciousness of the Triforce from A Link to the Past sends him on Journeys

[@h.in825]

i love how ganondorf’s secret stone goes in the middle of his forehead, mirroring the third eye of the zonai. by imitating the natural-given feature of the zonai race, i think it shows his bitter jealousy of rauru’s power and status as the king of hyrule.

[@crustbound]

thats a dope detail idk how i didnt pick up on that

[@Velnox]

That makes a lot of sense. When I saw this however, I just thought that it's a référence to Twilight princess' Ganondorf

[@rubub8455]

or maybe its just to cover up his big ass forehead

[@speedude0164]

That's actually a really good point. With the secret stone, he has access to a godlike power that allows him to take on the Zonai, and that's a great way to represent that.

[@vapistry]

@@Velnox All versions of Ganondorf have worn forehead gems of some kind. Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and now Tears of the Kingdom. Even Calamity Ganon had one.

[@cato3277]

Some notes on ToTK Ganondorf: - His pale skintone suggests a lack of sunlight. His "hatred of light" thing may be more literal than just evil. Maybe the Koume and Kotake look-alike Gerudo with the same skintone raised him underground? There are many caves in the desert, ruins too. - The final area of the game where Ganondorf is battled is a massive tree of Gloom roots, which seem to be all flowing the substance towards Ganondorf. All the Gloom in the game is draining Hyrule, and fueling him. I love this armageddon interpretation of Ganondorf. He is the end incarnate.

[@created3612]

Well yeah I guess, but every Ganondorf has been pale, not just TotK. And your second point would assume Hyrule somehow needs the gloom, which I don’t think it does. If Ganondorf is the source of that gloom where is he draining it from??

[@cato3277]

@created3612 First point - true but its especially noticeable in this game, as there are now other Gerudo that look like that too while others still have pretty saturated skintones. Second - that was badly written, my bad. He is spreading Gloom (the substance), which is draining Hyruleans lifeforce, which in turn floods all the lost lifeforce back to him.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Pale? He is green, not pale at all

[@cato3277]

@Chris-gx1ei Uhh, yeah he is pale. That isn't green, it's olive. Look at him next to other Gerudo, he lacks any suntan.

[@zenith-gg9tl]

wasnt he stuck in a cave for hundreds of years

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Everyone saying Ganondorf is a poor, broken and missunderstood person are those who would Ganondorf clearly manipulate into doing his own will.

[@esteban8471]

Ganondorf is broken (at least in Wind Waker), but he is far from misunderstood.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

​@@esteban8471 I think the reason he is broken in Wind Waker has two reasons: First the Exorcism Sword (which was one if the Japanese names for the Master Sword in Japanese) did a minor excorcism to his mind, maybe slightly removing some evil (That's just a Theory that I had) Abd the Second reason why he could be broken is Because of the fact that he became such a threat that the Gods themselves had to do something to stop him... To be honest, it would be kinda depressing to think about it: You become a Ruthless Leader and destroy entire nations, but instead of being taken down by Rebellious Humans it is God himself who ends your Tyranny and abandons you in any way possible (which technically wouldnt happen in Christian Beliefs, Therefore you need do do worse shit than Satan) And something similar is in Wind Waker. Compare him to his Alternate Version in Twilight Princess, he suddenly got the Triforce of Power out of Nowhere without an Explaination and this made him think the Gods have choosen him as the Absolute Leader, in contrast we have Wind Waker Ganondorf who got temporarly stopped by the Gods and was in the end abandoned by them.

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

Is that not the nature of power? To convince others to support and enable your wishes?

[@InvaderGIR98]

F in the chat for all the Zants in the world

[@ZeldaSam1]

@@esteban8471 I...honestly want to try to redeem the WW incarnation.

[@awakenedcrowl]

Visually he's peak Ganondorf. And as a pure villain, he works great, especially with hit "creepiness-factor". But just in terms of individual character depth, they certainly could've done much more for him.

[@dreamgood130]

Yeah it felt like that for most of the characters in the game. I like the new open world style but I really hope they bring back stronger characters / story focus.

[@awakenedcrowl]

@@dreamgood130 Same. Tho I gotta say - TotK characters were alreardy quite a step up from BotW characters

[@dreamgood130]

@@awakenedcrowlfor sure I think the voice acting was even better. I wish the whole game was like that opening with the cool music and cutscenes you actually experience. I was so hype on opening night playing that.

[@kalebgamez808]

As a character, windwaker ganon is the best, but a a villain, TOTK ganon is the best

[@thebluerodriguez4085]

​@@kalebgamez808wtf why, he literally does nothing but sit and rehidrate. Even twilight Ganondorf do a lot of sht and we never see it until the very end.

[@glukkogobrrr]

Most disapointing part i think, is that Riju didnt interact with Ganondorf. I think it would been interesthing to see Ganondorf's reaction on Goruto cultures changes, and Riju Also Ganondorf finding out that he had followers (yiga clan), and meeting a being more powerful than him (the all mighty banana Master Kohga) would been fun

[@crustbound]

I love this game's story to pieces but I absolutely agree with you. Ganondorf's connection to the Gerudo after he betrayed them is barely mentioned at all which was a huge missed opportunity. One of the things I wanted out of TOTK going in was to permenantly put an end to the yiga clan so seeing them basically in the same spot as BOTW was a bit of a shame to me (even if their reintroduction to the story via the depths was great!)

[@cajunking5987]

@@crustboundyes the only reason I personally wanted to return to this Hyrule is cuz I love the characters. I want more interactions and reactions from them.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Koga is a loser serving a Master who doesnt even knows he exists

[@azuzziken]

​@@crustbound But the Yiga didn't lose because, in their own way, they had a community. Just like Link.

[@speedude0164]

It's interesting to think about what becomes of the Yiga Clan post-Upheaval now that their god no longer exists. Age of Calamity showed that they are capable of good and do care about each other, so maybe they could redeem themselves with time like Dorian did.

[@meatkirbo]

All that and he’s even hot. The only possible counter of that is the creepy grin he has that one time that defies all known bone structure

[@prons_gaming5083]

I thought I was in a dream when I saw that face for the first time. I had to watch it back to make sure I'd seen it right😂

[@InvaderGIR98]

​@@prons_gaming5083i saw screenshot spoilers before i got to that part of the game and i assumed it was edited/filtered, i lost my shit when it turned out to be real 😂

[@prons_gaming5083]

@@InvaderGIR98 I'm so glad I didn't have it spoiled. It was such a shock that it made me love this Ganondorf even more

[@speedude0164]

This Ganondorf's character writing is fascinating in a different way than Wind Waker's was. Wind Waker humanized him by having him finally come to terms with why he so obsessively sought to conquer Hyrule, while Tears of the Kingdom showed more depth to his pure evil than ever before. It's the perfect direction to take this Ganondorf, as we need to be able to look at him and fully buy that he is in fact the origin of the Calamity. He views the world strictly through the lens of power, believing it should be ruled by those that have the power to claim it for themselves, and that constant battle to be the very best is something he greatly enjoys. I love how throughout the game before the final battle, he never once appears stressed or discouraged; he always appears so determined and confidant. When he makes his first attempt to overrun Hyrule with the Moldugas and Rauru just blasts them away, he remains focused and looks for another way, which he immediately comes up with on the spot. That smile when he murders Sonia and steals her stone also says so much, as after all his plotting, he finally has access to a power far greater than Rauru's, and he's free to do whatever he wants with the world and its people while no one can stand in his way. Even when Rauru lands the sealing blow on him and he knows he's gonna be stuck down here for tens of thousands of years, he remains unphased as he knows keeping him sealed for a limited time is all Rauru can do, after which he'll reawaken in a time where his greatest foe is no more. The very first time he shows any sign of distress is when Link defeats him. Up until now, he has faced setbacks, but he always had a backup plan to get his way no matter what. Now, this man he saw as weak and unworthy when he walked in suddenly just became a far greater threat than Rauru ever was, and for the first time, there's nothing Ganondorf can do to take control; he's no longer unbeatable. Refusing to accept this reality, he does the only thing he can to gain even more power than he already has: sacrificing all that he is and becoming the full embodiement of the darkness that drives him. It seems like this would give him the upper hand, but with the arrival of Link's companion who had become the embodiement of the light that drove her, he didn't stand a chance. She still had something to fight for and protect, while all he had to fight for was now gone, and he was now nothing more than pure, aimless evil.

[@ricky.t.1658]

He is just a bad guy, nothing special

[@pleasegoawaydude]

@@ricky.t.1658 You should try living a little.

[@gabevandenhoeven4546]

Nice dissertation lmao

[@pleasegoawaydude]

@@gabevandenhoeven4546 I mean it's an excellent fucking comment, but nobody can fucking read apparently.

[@spencerthompson9091]

One thing I will add to what you were saying how he has no respect for Link is during their fight while in his base form anytime he lands a blow on Link he taunts Link calling "weak" and "Pathetic" and has a very stoic expression on his face. Once he transforms with his secret stone though he is smiling the whole battle and he no longer mocks Link when he lands a blow

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

I agree completely. I think the idea that he'd be a better character if they tried to make him more sympathetic is totally inaccurate. What matters is if there's truth in the character, and there is indeed. History is full of people whose lust for power drove their every action from dictators to serial killers to even more "banal" psychopaths like clout-chasing influencers and Wall Street finance guys. Ganondorf is very "true" in that sense. Not everyone has a Freudian sympathetic backstory or misguided altruism guiding them.

[@motherfuckingenterprises7436]

If anything, what would make him better is more screen-time and interactions with other characters like Kohga and Riju

[@speedude0164]

Power hungry maniacs are quite plentiful in the gaming world, but Ganondorf sets himself apart with how his belief translates to his relationship with people like Rauru and Link, and to an even greater extent, the presentation. I get why people prefer the more humanized version in Wind Waker, but I don't think anyone can deny that this is easily the best he's ever been presented.

[@LonesomeDevil]

I don't know if I'd say he's perfect, but he was definitely surprisingly refreshing. In the new era of tragic/sympathetic villains we are in now alongside the plotwist villains that show up at the very end of the story out of nowhere and make no logical sense, I was feeling a bit nostalgic at the idea of seeing a straight up selfish A-hole with a ton of presence and menace as an antagonist. I respect the opinion of those who were disappointed, but personally, I liked him a lot. Really wished we could have seen more interactions with him for sure, though.

[@thebluerodriguez4085]

I don't see the value in doing something lazy and then praise it just because Nintendo never set something as lazy as him before. They just were brave enough to don't give a f because Botw done miracles on sales and Totk were sold even before launch. Like, how is "refreshing" and not disappointing to see this bastardization, are we that gaslighted?

[@LonesomeDevil]

@@thebluerodriguez4085 Art is subjective. If you see art and human interpretations of it as something immovable and absolute, you're the one who's gotten "gaslighted" by corporations to believe as such. "This is what is truly good and what you should truly like." is the most boring take I've ever seen and I'm tired of people holding this statement as a gospel of truth.

[@speedude0164]

I get why some people would've wanted more depth to his character and don't like him being fully evil (I think it's awesome, especially with him being the source of the Calamity), but an advantage of having a well written pure evil villain is that it makes defeating them feel like a much bigger accomplishement, and I have to say, few villains have ever made me feel more accomplished by defeating them than Demon King Ganondorf has.

[@thebluerodriguez4085]

@@LonesomeDevil Art is subjective but the game show a clear intention of portraying something only to fail delivering onto those expectations. It's not a subversion or some pretentious crap as all the fanboys scream to the world, it's just lazy writing, they didn't care that much bc that Hyrule and it's people are done.

[@LonesomeDevil]

@@thebluerodriguez4085 You probably think it's lazy writing because you think it imitates real life too much. After all, the extremely rich do think they are owed everything the world has to offer and that the poor need to grovel at their feet and make them richer, after all. And their wealth is not earned by themselves, it was amassed through generations of warcrimes and human rights abuse. Apply that same logic to Hyrule, and I'd argue Ganondorf shows many of those traits.

[@Delta-lu5kf]

Is this what it's like when a Zelda fan has actual media literacy? Im not even being facetious, this I genuinely one of the only TotK videos I've seen that actually takes character dislogue and actions and examines them beyond the surface level. It's one of the only TotK videos I've seen that actually engages with the media they're consuming instead of just going "My hand isn't held through every major plot point and character detail, therefore this is bad writing". All this to say, I think this video was great and perfectly encapsulates why this iteration of Ganondorf is such a good character, and an even better villain. In my opinion, he's the best villain the Zelda series has had so far

[@speedude0164]

I do think they could've done a better job making his motivation clear, but the seeds are there once you read between the lines (the English translation apparently excludes a lot too). I don't understand people complaning about Ganondorf not having complex motivations when he's not only always been like that, but one of his most well known traits is literally that he's the reincarnation of the Demon King, rendering any complex motivation pointless. I've listened to a lot of the recent complaints and there is a lot I agree with, but so much of it just feels like bias due to the game not being similar enough to classic games, or to people's idea of the game before it released. I'm sorry, but I just don't think these people view Zelda in the same way its creators do, and I definitely don't think their view is superior.

[@Delta-lu5kf]

@speedude0164 I mean, I can only speak for myself of course, but I feel Ganondorf's motivation was made pretty clear. All the points laid out in this video I got either during my playthrough, or a little bit later after digesting the game more. I don't remember if Gerudo males inheriting the throne as a birthright is said in BotW, if not I could see that being an issue for someone who's not familiar with greater Zelda lore regarding this Ganondorf's characterization. But that's really it, otherwise I feel like all the info is there for one to reasonably connect the dots. I don't think Ganondorf needs to explicitly state "I'm doing X because of Y", in fact I quite like how TotK treats the audience with intelligence in regards to a lot of its writing All that said, I do know about how the English localization cut some stuff, but I'm not exactly sure what. Regardless, for me it doesn't seem like what was cut was super important since I'm on the same page as the game anyway

[@speedude0164]

@@Delta-lu5kf I agree, it's nice when a villain doesn't bother telling the player why he's doing what he's doing and instead just fulfills the role of the protagonist's enemy, only leaving subtle hints that allow you to understand his mindset. I hear Japanese has him say something along the lines of how the peace of Hyrule has made people complacent and unwilling to fight for themselves, which he hates due to his belief that success comes strictly through power. That would've helped the line "I will reshape this world as it was meant to be" make more sense (though I guess you could also see it as him reshaping the world in his own image instead of the royal family's).

[@DylsNT3]

One of the things that stuck with me most about the ending of this game is that killing ganondorf is not the last thing you do. The final moments of this game are about saving zelda not killing ganondorf which I think perfectly sells the themes of community and reminds us that this isn’t ganondorf story it’s link and zeldas

[@jeno-gc4pb]

When you first atack him and he dodges was the scariest thing i have experienced in my life

[@crustbound]

true as hell i was terrified

[@themastersword1621]

Wind Waker Ganondorf is still the most complex version, but this Ganondorf is my favorite. Not just because this is easily my favorite boss fight of his or his incredibly cool design. It's how he has never felt more menacing or threatening. Even as a decrepit mummy, he's able to inflict so much damage to Link and spread so much chaos. Not to mention when he transforms back into his original form and "the Menace Unleashed" displayed with his leitmotif...chef's kiss. And even if Wind Waker Ganondorf has more depth, there's nothing wrong with a villain who's simply evil and wants to rule. Not to mention how his draconification was the polar opposite of Zelda. Hers was an act of sacrifice. His was an act of selfishness.

[@Trailblazer162]

I've played mostly every Zelda game since I was a kid in the 80's and love pretty much them all. Ocarina ofcoarse is a favorite and has been since I first played it but something about this games story and presentation just blew me away. It may be from nostalgia and sadness of lose from siblings I used to play these games with are no longer alive but the end of this game brought me to tears literally. It was just so beautifully well done. The finally time you have controlled over Link and you dive down to catch Zelda is just brilliant. What a masterpiece and perfect conclusion to Botw.

[@riccardoflorio2800]

This ganondorf is the most scenic we had this villain. It is a shame that the english version removed some nuances that explained most of this character's motivations. The guy has a deep hatred for the Zonai, as their, in his words, claim to rule out of the bounds of their people, shows an impressive, yet arrogant, feat. The same arrogance that this Ganondorf has, wanting to expand himself his reign, this shows an hint of hypocrisy in the character, that, despite that, is willing to fight and sacrifice everything, including his soul, to show that he is the true king. Soul sacrifice is the draconification, since in every version except the english one, the soul is the one that gets sacrificed as an "who seeks immortality is bound to eternal oblivion of the soul". For the final fight ganondorf calls again the arrogance of the zonai, calling peace what was expansion, since he really says, "hiding your cowardice under the word peace", adding also, "true courage, vanished long long ago", sentence that links to the triforce and the delusion he had when the first meeting with link ended with link getting railed by his miasma (true word, ganondorf does not use gloom, but miasma, word that links more to the sickness that it brings). In the fight too, ganondorf when transforms into demon king, he starts talking in the same way that Demise speaks in skyward sword. All nuances that sadly go away with the english version. A similarity i can give to totk ganondorf is to second age Sauron , during the fall if numenor. Also because of the eye theme that ganondorf has in the latest games

[@literallygrass1328]

Idec if he's a "shallow" villan the final battle was SO HYPE

[@Drew_2152]

I really don’t get the shallow part. Yeah WW Ganondorf had his reasons to be evil after all but without WW his younger self on OOT has no said reason to be evil and if Ganondorf is just Demises hatred reincarnated does pure evil need a cause because Demise was evil because it was his being.

[@Kitty255Again]

When pure evil also happens to come in the form of an actual dude, yeah i think he needs a reason to be evil. People can't just be evil, there's no such thing as evil. He has to have a perspective that either people dont agree with, or revolves around destruction, that's what "evil" is.​@@Drew_2152

[@PabloSky_yt]

@@Drew_2152 Thing is, TOTK Ganondorf is considered shallow because he came before all the other versions, who gave deeper knowledge of his character, and he returned after 10 years of waiting in a new version never seen before (not like Twilight, who was just OOT Ganondorf again with a different outcome) in a time where Zelda games already evolved a lot in terms of story and lore, people expected more screen time or deeper knowledge of his character, and instead, we got barely a couple lines we can all outread to create something different but convincing, I've read and listened to a lot of people explaining him like in this video, and all of them would fit TOTK story even if they made completly different explanations (but I like this one the most tho)

[@696Productions]

He’s literally just Ocarina Ganondorf mixed with Demise.

[@boneman9751]

My favorite part of the video was when he called ganondorf a complete loser, and I’m being 100% serious. He doesn’t hype him up, he doesn’t make him look cool, he doesn’t make him look like some edgelords fantasy. Crustbound calls him exactly what he is. A loser. An entitled man who manipulated and used people to fuel his own selfishness, lost to genuinely good people who loved each other, and in the end died the exact same way he lived: alone, grasping for any straw he could and not able to admit his shortcomings.

[@crustbound]

I mean in his defence he is cool as hell before his facade slips at the end of the game😭

[@boneman9751]

@@crustbound true, but😭💀 It speaks more towards the overall theme of community far more than “maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way” ever will. Those who strive for peace and unity thrive, while selfish people are losers who live behind a facade.

[@SunWarriorSolaire]

@@boneman9751true.. true… BUT THAT MONOLOGUE HE DOES BEFORE THE BOSS FIGHT AND THE MUSIC IS JUST SO COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

[@MagicPotato06]

I know nothing about Zelda and was never interested in playing it yet I still enjoy these Zelda video essays, they are very well produced and entertaining. 👍

[@iwasanMBTInerd]

Finally someone who says it how it really is. Ganondorf was never misunderstood. People only say that because of one throwaway line in Wind Waker, but he never mentioned the Gerudo suffering being his reason for wanting power. He wanted it because he envied the prosperity that Hyrule had. His actions in Ocarina if Time show he did nothing to help his people either. They remained in the desert and were brainwashed to see him as a god by Twinrova while he sat in his castle and spread misery. He doesn't need to be redeemable and know about Demise and that is what makes him a good character. People like him actually exist in the world.

[@speedude0164]

Agreed! I don't understand why people hate on this Ganondorf, but have no problem with him having this supposed sympathetic motivation while also being the literal reincarnation of the Demon King. That completely defeats the point of him having a sympathetic reason behind his evil; he'd still naturally just be the type to conquer even if his people lived in a better land.

[@awesomefacestuff4429]

Finally, some respect on TotK Ganondorf's name. People love to complain about how boring and shallow his motivations are, but I honestly can't recall an instance (aside from maybe Wind Waker) where Ganondorf was truly compelling in that regard. I do wish he had a bit more screen time to fully flesh him out, and I'm not a huge fan of how much you need to read between the lines to get the full picture of his character, but he's still very much a threatening presence and does a great job at elevating the game's themes of community and sacrifice.

[@Drew_2152]

Exactly. There’s are several things about TOTK that deserve criticism but Ganondorfs presentation was done amazingly.

[@mkjjoe]

@@Drew_2152 To me as most of the world building in TOTK, it suffers from very cool concepts with underwhelming execution. What we got works fine but the anticipation of such an iconic villain entering the world of BOTW, and how cool he and other Gerudo warriors designs are for example, tease us but do the bare minimum to instead focus on the core premise. That's ok, but in a way it stings even more when they _show_ a concept and leave it at "imagine what that could be", like why even include fully designed Koume and Kotake if we'll never see any interaction for these incarnations?... They did the same with the Zonai, with huge emphasis on them but very superficial inclusion of ruins on sparse sky platforms and vague mentions from legend, and not that much screen time for their only two survivors... Which puts me in this weird spot where on one side I want them to develop these people further, on the other I'd rather accept it was never going to be too impressive and see something entirely different next, if they're still not comfortable to develop any world building too seriously.

[@Drew_2152]

@@mkjjoe I wish a DLC would just fix that because I know Nintendo could do it easily. My vision for a DLC would be more story on Ganondorf and the Zonai and within the world I’d put answers to our questions. In the depths there would be broken Shieka Shrines and scattered guardians in decay some of them dead or would activate and try to kill you like the planted ones in BOTW, some would be an empty shell taken over by gloom hands and where the beam would be shot instead of that it would be spitting out pools of malice. For the Divine Beast I’d have them scattered and deactivated across the map Vah Nahboris visible but almost sunken into the sand in the deadest part of the Gerudo region, Vah Ruta can be found east partially submerged in the waters not far off the land, Vah Medoh perched over at Eventide Island, and Vah Rudania laying down or attached to a wall surface near Gorondia. That would basically be the Depths DLC and could be separated by the Sky DLC.

[@mkjjoe]

@@Drew_2152 Yeah neat ideas, though keeping main lore content in extra payed content wouldn't go over too well 😄 Aonuma confirmed that all he wanted to add to BOTW was in the game unfortunately...

[@Drew_2152]

@@mkjjoe I guess it wouldn’t thinking about it like that but yeah sadly Aonuma feels he’s done everything with the wild era.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Well about Ganondorf's "Selfish Act" of Dragonification. You still need to understand how the Demon Tribe works. Demise in Skyward Sword's Japanese Text seems to act more like a representive for the Demon Community as if they are having one wish and one desire: The Dominance of Darkness And That's exacty what Ganondorf's wish was at the end. If he shall perrish then so be it, but Darkness should still be in charge.

[@chadpeterson5698]

This is my second favorite iteration of Ganondorf, only surpassed by the Hyrule Warriors version who just like the TOTK Ganondorf is an absolute unit, but he also has some of the more affable qualities of his Wind Waker counterpart, albeit not to the same extent. He’s also the strongest version of Ganondorf due to gaining the full Triforce and it takes an entire army of heroes to stop him.

[@GeneralOlde]

This was a great video! It really made me appreciate this take on Ganondorf after so many people wrote him off as a pale shadow of past versions. I would love to see a video covering your thoughts on BOTW/TOTK's version of Princess Zelda, as I think she's the best version of the character yet. I really loved her story across both games and related to her a lot.

[@ag3ntle]

I was always so confused how no one notices the seemingly obvious details hidden everywhere in ToTK. And a year later, I find a video that told me like 90 different things I didn’t know about it, AND get so many things correct that people usually misinterpret. Why must the algorithm do this to meeeeeee I had practically lost ALL faith in the fandom. +1 sub

[@CJ_Dub]

This just highlights how powerful lore accurate link is

[@grapejuice9681]

Totk Ganondorf is by far the best version of Ganondorf in my opinion as well! I completely agree with everything you had to say in this video. Keep up the good work!

[@ronanaxe2794]

I just love Ganondorf, and one of the big reasons is because he can be anything. In Ocarina of time he's An arrogant prince, Windwaker he's a broken man, in Twilight princess he's a manipulative criminal and Tears of the kingdom he's just a sadist

[@rey273]

ALSO: he's hot

[@Garbear0119]

Love that intro editing. Love embodiment of evil enemies and enemies who are just regular people who become massively evil, decayed ganondorf in this game is true peak though.

[@archivist_13]

I love that he's just a pure evil villain, it's so great

[@pokemon5life167]

I don't like Ganondorf in this game, but i like him in theory. He doesn't get enough screen time to make a meaningful impact and him pretending to be zelda to trick everyone is diminished by bad story telling (its painfully obvious and if you did the memories beforehand then link knows everything but doesn't tell anybody which is frustrating as hell.) Also I find people saying Wind Waker Ganondorf is redeemable funny as hell. He was very clearly lying through his teeth so link would put up less of a fight. Somehow he was so convincing he managed to convince the player base. Like this takes place in the adult timeline when he had full power over hyrule and he still abandoned the gerudo. He doesn't care about giving the resources of hyrule to his people, he just wants power for himself.

[@X-zz6jm]

If you actually re-read the speech in WW, most of the pronouns used are referring to himself. The only pronoun used for his people is "A frigid gale pierced our homes" which is just more explaining that he prefers Hyrule's winds and isn't a fan of his country's wind. That is all! I don't get why people keep misinterprating what was said and have to keep pushing cringy headcanons on to the character and treating it as fact. Also he could've shares Hyrule instead of taking it all for himself but he didn't.

[@pokemon5life167]

@@X-zz6jm I completely agree. I see it more as that he wanted complete power over hyrule all for himself. Instead people take what he said at face value and draws lines where there are not for sake of their headcanons like you said. When he wished on the triforce he said "give hyrule to me", not for "something other than suffering and ruin" like what he said in his speech.

[@ultimate_pleb]

"I always come back" -Gannondorf

[@ZeroJump]

I think you should have realy mentioned what he says in the Japanese dub because it makes his motivation more clear. We see even more that he thinks hes the true king and how he thinks people have become weak. 7:30 I mean stuff like this wasnt even in the original. Other than that good analysis

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

Where are you seeing what the Japanese version says?

[@ZeroJump]

@@user-if4nx2jn8r Every other dub is acurate

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

@@ZeroJump Is there somewhere I can read more about this?

[@ZeroJump]

@@user-if4nx2jn8r Theres a fully acurate document for BOTWs terrible translations idk about TOTK tho

[@Uggnog]

I absolutely love the cutscenes before and after you beat phantom ganon in Hyrule castle. It makes ganondorf really feel like an intimidating, maniacal villain, and he exudes such a sense of power and control

[@jacktronsdal5034]

This video made me appreciate this game and its Ganon so much more. Well done

[@yurazah]

watching him finally acknowledge you as a worthy foe is such a rush during the boss fight, the one on one duel just hits different, I would always say my favorite zelda boss was twilight princess gannondorf, the one on one sword duel is just so cool

[@E3AloeLi]

I love complex villains. Mostly antagonists. Other ganondorfs especially wind waker gives the fandom a more sympathetic glimpse into a a VERSION of what he could be. I love this version cuz 1. SEXY 2. He’s an asshole and has charisma 2a. Asshole, pure asshole, literal demon made mortal and I LOVE the eldritch horror concept idea that COULD be played with (as an artist and story teller) 2b. That shit eating grin and him owning his assholery. He’s an asshole, he knows it and doesn’t give a shit. 3. Confidence is sexy

[@quonit37]

AYEE I never noticed the finger puncture wounds lol. LOVE THIS VIDEO AGAIN

[@moonknight6893]

Something interesting to think about: the world was probably supposed to looks as he wanted until the goddesses and added land, water and life and then Hylia

[@chefnoob124]

You could say Ganon sacrificed himself for the people he loves… Himself.

[@AdrianHernandez-rn1sq]

I quote Ganondorf’s lines all the time because he’s so demonic and badass.

[@anthonyst-laurent529]

The final boss intro, the lines, the second phase, everyrhing

[@a.jthomas6132]

or Ganondorf’s motives in Tears of the Kingdom, I’ve found out that he really wants to bring the world back that its rightfully was when the land is roamed by demons. In Japanese, his dissatisfaction to the rulers of Hyrule to lived in a peace and tranquility where as he remained attached to the brutal past were those with a sense of fighting spirit are the supreme. He aims for controlling all creation instead of world domination. And he willing to go extreme lenghs to fulfill his desire. No wonder why he despises the Zonai and Rauru’s kingdom. And ths why I do not like how the English vocalization re written the original source materials…. just like NA Nintendo did to Link’s Journal Entry logs.

[@speedude0164]

Something like this also seems to have happened with the tablet in the Royal Hidden Passage. It says in English that Hyrule Castle was built to prevent the site of Rauru's seal from being disturbed, but I went to read it in French and that version describes it as the castle being built to sustain the seal and provide a foundation for it, something that makes way more sense based on the lore and what was said in interviews. I really wanna do a full playthrough in French for this reason, to see if it provides any context to the story that wasn't there in English.

[@MrSuperleobros]

I don't get why so many say this version of ganondorf was shallow. I actually think he was portrayed perfectly.

[@mkjjoe]

Perfectly relative to his role in the game, but that's precisely very one-dimensional for better or worse

[@clonetrooper2003]

Because his motives lack any depth (in the english version) and his plan for taking over the kingdom of hyrule are stupid af

[@mkjjoe]

@@clonetrooper2003 English acting was a bit better in TOTK but still mediocre, NoA's English translation is generally terrible, but here Ganondorf is shallow by design and it's not really any better in Japanese.

[@Deebus]

He’s just a guy. It didn’t even have to be ganondorf. Just a guy

[@chrange9714]

​@@clonetrooper2003 His motives don't lack any depth in any version nor is his plan for taking over Hyrule "stupid" lmao. Sounds like you're just angry he wasn't portrayed as you wanted. In all versions he's an entitled dude who thinks the whole world should serve him and follow his warrior outlook.

[@RobloxOverloadGames]

People are forgetting he is the physical form of evil why should he care about other ppl of course he wants to have power

[@adamking6755]

"You witness a King's revival" in my head: mid suavemente

[@johannaadriennsiko5030]

I realized some time ago that when I really hate a villain like "You killed my favorite character you little -" hate then I love that villain. (I really liked Sonia why did she die? Why Nintendo?)

[@BrownMan-gg7dx]

Its a far stretch for a side plot but I can picture kohga in all his dedication to ganondorf, gathering some of the dust from the explosion of his dragon form and trying to resurrect him somehow.

[@serge263]

You witness a king....Mid-Suavemente.

[@soccer4207]

Great job, this is a great video.

[@Unizuka]

Ganondorf is just a pawn in the hand of master kohga

[@crustbound]

SO TRUEE

[@klonker797]

it took me too long to realise Matt Mercer voiced ganondorf. he did an excellent job as always

[@crustbound]

absolutely goated actor

[@mysticranger6894]

Ganondorf Dragmire is legendary

[@Miksen25]

The TotK Ganondorf is just pure evil for no reason, but I think the Wind Waker Ganondorf is the best. Cuz he lost his people to the great flood. The only thing he wants is getting back the desert and his tribe.

[@TwiliiPrincess]

7:18 I NEVER NOTICED THAT! Thats so dope

[@ivancastro365]

The one true king

[@golemguyyt5646]

He’s evil cause he’s evil. Love it

[@zacharyb9636]

One of TotK’s biggest problems was not using Ganondorf more. Having him be present only in cutscenes and the final boss was an *enormous* mistake. He should’ve been doing things in the present instead of just hiding until Link shows up.

[@tayty1238]

He was defeated because he didn’t have the power of suavemente

[@slateoffate9812]

1:32 into the video and, just something I want to bring up; "Weak, peace loving cowards run rampant." TotK Ganondorf is an ableist bastard, and that makes it personal. Yes, I am weak. Yes, peacetime is the only chance I'd have at survival without help, and Ganondorf would see me dead for it.

[@JacobTheBlueLobster]

Ganondorf is so hyped up to be this crazy final boss, especially with the arena you fight in before fighting ganondorf, and he’s just kinda easy. My ass is not an equal to gannondorf I am a higher being. Or well im just kinda good at the game.

[@ToldyHold]

When I finished the game and Gannon exploded like a nuclear bomb I was like are we just not going to talk about that like what the f*** what happens after y'all just ignoring the fact that there's a giant hole in the Earth now like people must have died like Jesus

[@ToldyHold]

Dawg I didn't know you could slash those malice things he sends at you I feel so stupid now

[@charlespackowski6620]

I like Totk Ganondorf I just had a few issues and I believe there are better incarnations of the character

[@crustbound]

valid! the other ganondorfs have tons going for them in their own rights so i could totally see why someone would prefer them over this one

[@swampygaming2975]

The fact that people look at Ganondorf as “misunderstood” is hilarious. Even in WW, he’s trying to use the triforce for his own selfish goals. He’s the incarnation of the ultimate evil for Hylia’s sake!

[@thewhiteninja5751]

Can you make a full review of TOTK? I would actually watch it, even if it's 3 hours (I'm not joking, I once watched one that long), and I would like to see what you thought of the game

[@crustbound]

I plan on making a BOTW/TOTK combo review one of these days. Those are my two favourite games of all time and I'm itching to talk about them.

[@thewhiteninja5751]

Looking forward to that. @@crustbound

[@velveee]

I've been wondering for a while: Does anyone know, where exactly the final explosion of the Demon Dragon leaves a crater in the map? From what I could see it's either between Hyrule Castle and Korok Forest, or on top of one of them. I ask because I like the idea that the final blast could have annihilated Hyrule Castle, the Gloom gloom tree and a good chunk of the underground catacombs leading the the Chamber of Imprisonment, finally destroying the root of what haunted this Hyrule for good and putting an end to an era of constant fear. EDIT: I just replayed the ending. Yeah no, Hyrule Castle is still there, I just forgot about it. It would've been nice tho, at least in my opinion. :) My original question still stands tho, though it seems the explosion is too high up to destroy a chunk of the surface.

[@marcellesalters]

If there ever gonna be a new super smash brothers I want this ganondorf

[@ThatwitchladyS2]

Omfg i just realized something On the topic of zelda, rauru and ganondorf's sacrifices, each one of them represents a different piece of the triforce Rauru had the courage to sacrifice himself by placing the fate of Hyrule on someone he didn't even know Zelda had the wisdom to sacrifice herself in order to charge the master sword with light And ganondorf sacrifices himself to attain unmatched levels of power

[@crustbound]

this is a sick detail i never realised this

[@Evils_Bane]

I just wish we got more background on his upbringing, its a real missed opportunity. design wise he's your typical gerudo, its obvious he has his demon tribe connection through his choice of clothes and weapons. And as you were saying i dont want to see his life story to make him sympathetic, i want to see the hunger for power, entitlement and jealousy of the king being built up. and to see a more about the demon tribe.

[@yoohoo236]

Wooooo a video that isn't Dorf slander

[@SunWarriorSolaire]

12:03

[@ETLettuce]

I'd argue equally as important. Totk Ganondorf is so hot... Smash

[@garrison778]

I love how personal is to Ganon to defeat Zelda and Link. Because Zelda has a direct hand in sealing Ganon.

[@leosmith-moores1213]

Totk Ganondorf is daddy material

[@pikamoon5272]

Best Ganon in history

[@JuliusDofarios]

The only flaw is the "Evil for the sake of being Evil" Charecter. Wind Waker had a story and a reason for Gannondorf to be against Link, but TOTK has no reason. It's a hallow evil but a bad-ass one.

[@danielmccandless9624]

I wanna see a world were ganondorf won and he his kingdom went on for 10000 years and then link and Zelda are reincarnated

[@SandDanGlockta]

I know it was played as a joke, but i love thr zelda community when they come up with takes like that, im referring to the post that Ganondorf was oppressed by the colonial Zonai. I laughed too because its so fun and absured and i just love it

[@ZeldaSam1]

11:35 (Snaps fingers).

[@ergob3907]

Design wise he’s great. That said- they really don’t do much new with him. He’s doing his OOT gerudo king with a war against the Sages like before. IDK I kind of liked how Twilight Princess and Wind Waker closed out Ganondorf in their respective timelines. The nonGanon villains in the series showed imo that Zelda can outgrow Ganondorf and still be good.

[@speedude0164]

I wasn't a big fan of them just casually making a new Ganondorf not tied to the other at all, but ultimately it probably is better to do it like this instead of trying to force a connection to the already ultra messy timeline. He left such an impact and went out in such spectacular fashion in this game that I'd honestly be fine if he never appeared in a mainline game again. I love him, but he's left his mark, and I'd support the devs moving on from him.

[@DeoxysPrime300]

Why couldn’t xehanort be like this version of ganondorf!??

[@golemguyyt5646]

I wish we got to see him more tho..

[@gabrieladerre2862]

I never wanted to beat TF put of Ganon, so much, in any of the other games, as I did the moment he pulled that crap with poor Sonia!

[@mr.barcode3186]

While I like that you laughed off the bizarre "the Zonai are colonialists" narrative that I saw a lot of not too long after TOTK released, there's a small part of me that kind of sees where that asinine take comes from. Rauru and Sonia have the Hyrulean equivalent of every nuke on the planet in the form of the Secret Stones. The angle that the people pushing the colonialism narrative are coming at this from is "the entire world may have just bowed to Rauru out of fear that he would wipe their species off the face of the earth if they didn't". That's very obviously not what you're supposed to take away from the story, but the weird contrarians are just going as far against the game's story as they can.

[@speedude0164]

In a strange way that perception feels like it helps their story. The surface has long been dominated by the most powerful, so when the Zonai descend with their godlike power, you'd expect them to do the same. Instead, they create a world where everyone can live in community and peace, only using their power to defend against those that would disrupt that peace. It's a great origin story for Hyrule as a kingdom, even if some of it doesn't line up with the lore.

[@mkjjoe]

Not sure this is necessarily being a contrarian, for knowing so little officially and for how the games tend to show simple things on the surface but leave room for mystery and conspiracy. Throughout the series we've seen many different generations of royalty simply protecting the power of good vs evil, but sometimes the backstory is more unsettling. For example in OOT the Sheikah had been the royal family's shadow people who used torture chambers. Before SS Hylia only took Hylians in the sky for protection, a simple premise with a benevolent goddess that gets weirder if you think about what wasn't shown. In BOTW it isn't clear exactly how it went for the Sheikah who split 10,000 before, technology was a threat and the Yiga overreacted, but the king pushed them away after they served the kingdom. It doesn't seem crazy that part of the Zonai would just be conquerors, we don't really know when and how they arrived, how they lived before, if they were all united, where the sacred stones came from, what happened for them to go... Rauru may just have settled to build a kingdom for any number of reasons.

[@Drew_2152]

@@mkjjoeanother mystery before the kingdoms founding was what killed off many Zonai

[@crustbound]

Ganondorf's dialogue "When your Zonai ancestors descended upon these lands long, long ago" implies that they've been here ages and integrated into Hyrule like someone who immigrated to another country would as opposed to conquering it. The Zonai, from basically everything we've been told about them, seem like a very peaceful group.

[@mr.barcode3186]

@@crustbound yeah, from what little we know the Zonai seemed to be a peace-loving race, despite their insane powers. I don't believe for a second that Rauru was exercising the power of the Secret Stones to assert dominance. If anything, Ganondorf remarking how he took his power for granted implies he finds it baffling that Rauru WASN'T a conqueror.

[@philippelavoie5674]

And who in Hyrule (especially Link) could belive at any point that fake Zelda is the real one.

[@izzymosley1970]

I feel like this version of ganondorf would probably agree with sukuna form JJK's philosophy.

[@Gamerbro817]

Number 1 villainof all time I don’t f*%#ing care what you say he is the peak of evil and he’s not pathetic😡🤬

[@acejumper1681]

Best version of ganon in the franchise.

[@SandDanGlockta]

Whilst i dont think he has anything on Windwaker Ganondorf or ocarina in terms of a well written character, its not like there is nothing there. Its just far more subtle and interesting than i think peiple are giving it credit for There are a lot of lines thst came across to me as more nuanced and i think nintendo was allowing people to kind of find the intrigue in this Ganondorf rather than writing a specific character I will say it could just be the vocal performancr carrying it in this regard... but the line 'thats what a king does' or something along those lines just before the final fight, that reallt perked me up a bit more and made me start questioning more about his motivation. Again kt could just be mercer adding more depth when kt was just meant to be a menancing line, but that performance made me start questioning if Ganondorf is doing this nit just for power for powers sake, but this percieved notion that he is compelled to conquour and seek power because in his mind thats what a King is He is undeniably a terrible person and evil and cruelly ambitious, but i dont know, that line made me start questioning that maybe from birth he was taught or learned that a king should be an all powerful conquerer who rules over everything and since he was destined to be king of the gerudo, if he doesnt achieve that, then he is not a true king Again it could just be the performancr, but that line made me think there was more to it

[@keiroty7187]

Is he straight up insane

[@jdbd4818]

So you’re telling me Ganon doesn’t remember being defeated by Link in breath of the wild?

[@ChcgZ]

So you are telling me to go and kick Ganondorf's ass again?

[@crustbound]

precisely

[@sobblegaming350]

Unfortunately in this game ganondorf has been pretty much reduced to calamity ganon 2.0. All he does is wait for you to fight him because he isn't at his full power, and his motivation to take over hyrule is simply "I want power and the secret stone will give it to me". Meanwhile in past games such as the wind waker, he envied the vibrant healthy environment of hyrule field and wishes to help his people use it since they live in the harsh gerudo desert.

[@taker601]

Sounds like someone played the game in English and not Japanese ;)

[@Foxteller]

​@@taker601even in the Japanese version he want the same thing. kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/zelda-windwaker-comparing-ganons-wind-speech-jpneng/

[@Marikus_Eternal]

@@taker601or any other language. The English version is the only one as far as I know where his actual motivation isn‘t talked about. Common English dub L

[@X-zz6jm]

He NEVER says anywhere in WW that he wanted to help his people. Why do people keep spamming this misinformation? He was just jealous that his neighboor has greener grass. It has NOTHING to do with his people. Re-read the WW speech and tell me WHERE does he say he cares about his people.

[@sobblegaming350]

@X-zz6jm regardless he didn't really want power for power's sake he wanted hyrule because the desert led to lots of death.

[@kevinamaya5681]

I’ve always seen ganondorf as a spoiled little kid

[@timtoni1717]

ngl though that explosion should have destroyed hyrule