Time and time again,The Legend of Zelda’s Ganon either resurrects or manages to break whatever seal he’s currently trapped by in order to wreak havoc on Hyrule. Unlike most antagonists who just get stronger and stronger every time they come back, Ganon isn’t so fortunate. It’s really a coin toss whether he’ll be his foreboding self or a dangerous but not-too-intimidating foe.
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It only makes sense. After all, this is an antagonist who constantly finds himself defeated.Breath of the Wildeven makes this something of a plot point, making explicit Ganon’s lack of sanity after coming back to life so much. With over three decades ofZeldahistory to get through, there’s more than enough Ganon to go around.
10Ganon (Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link)
Ganon’s defeat at the hands of Link at the end ofThe Legend of Zeldareally ends up doing a number on him byZelda II. He can’t even revive himself anymore, requiring his minions to step in and try to take Link’s blood for a potential revival. The Game Over screen suggests that Ganon’s revival will still prove fatal for Hyrule, but that would be the case even if Ganon came back at his absolute weakest.
Interestingly, this remains the only game in the series where Ganon appears but is never fought. His single appearance is in the Game Over screen. Other than that, the game barely mentions him and the plot ultimately ends up being more about Link waking up Princess Zelda than outright stopping Ganon’s forces.
9Ganondorf II (Four Swords Adventures)
The only reincarnated Ganondorf in the whole series, Ganondorf II serves as the chief antagonist forFour Swords Adventuresafter Vaati. Unlike Vaati, however, there’s no real meat to Ganondorf II’s character. All the game really makes clear is that he’s also a Gerudo and he’s become Ganon by the time the Links fight him.
Given that Vaati was seemingly calling the shots for most of the game, it’s hard to feel much for old Ganondorf II. It’s certainly interesting to have to deal with a reincarnated Ganon, butFour Swords Adventuresdoesn’t focus on storytelling, leaving this thread unexplored.
8Ganon (The Legend Of Zelda)
Time has not been kind to Ganon by the time the originalLegend of Zeldahits. He’s taken out a good chunk of Hyrule, butZelda IIreveals that most of the kingdom was relatively fine— undercutting the threat of Ganon in the first game. Link doesn’t even need the Master Sword to fight Ganon here, only the Silver Arrows.
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Ganon also doesn’t put up much of a fight. If anything, getting to Ganon is the real challenge.Zelda IImixes Ganon back into the mix by having his revival be the main goal of the villains, but Link canonically prevents his return. A Ganon revived with Link’s blood might pose a serious threat, though.
7Ganondorf (Ocarina Of Time)
The only Ganondorf who’s actually managed to defeat his Link (in the unseen Downfall Timeline,) the OG Ganondorf is a serious threat. He’s even more dangerous when he turns into the beastly Ganon, but this Ganondorf was able to stage a coup and take over all of Hyrule. By the time Link wakes up in the future, Ganon’s rule is ironclad.
Interestingly, Ganondorf isn’t particularly strong otherwise. He’s certainly the strongest character inOcarina of Time, but he’s fairly tame compared to later Ganons and Ganondorfs. He doesn’t even engage Link in a swordfight, choosing to use sorcery, and his final form, while a heavy hitter, is slow and easy enough to take out.
6Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
Taking place in the future timeline Link left behind at the end ofOcarina of Time,The Wind Wakerfeatures a wiser, more mature Ganondorf. He’s still evil, but he’s more composed and collected, even refusing to kill Link and Zelda at points where he very easily could have. He’s a fundamentally different character, and more dangerous as a result.
That said, this Ganondorf is notable for being the only one who never transforms on-screen. Instead, his Puppet Ganons serve that role. He’s certainly very strong— and a skilled swordsman this time around— but his offensive magic seems comparatively limited to when he’s at his best.
5Ganon (Oracle Duology)
At the end of anOracleLinked Game, players will end up fighting a revived Ganon as the final boss instead of the traditionalAgesorSeasonsfinal boss. The resurrection doesn’t quite take, however, and Koume and Kotake bring back a mind warped Ganon. He can’t even speak. All he can do is lash out in violence.
This Ganon is a bit tricky to place. The resurrection doesn’t quite work, lending to the idea that this Ganon is inherently weak, but this is also Ganon fresh off his death fromA Link to the Past. He’s the hardest Ganon any Link has had to take down, so it’s natural thatOracleGanon would retain some of that power.
4Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)
Twilight Princess’ Ganondorf is Ganondorf in his prime. This is anOcarina of TimeGanondorf who never got to take over Hyrule. When returning from the future, Link immediately outs Ganondorf to the king. Through a divine prank, however, Ganondorf is bestowed the Triforce of Power and is able to survive within the Twilight Realm.
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This Ganondorf is absolutely relentless. He breaks Zant’s psyche, successfully takes over two realms, possesses a Princess Zelda whodied, can transform into his beast form, and can fight off the most skilled Link in a sword fight to the death.Twilight PrincessGanondorf is operating on a higher level than he usually is.
3Yuganon (A Link Between Worlds)
A Link to the Past’s Ganon revived for a second time, he’s naturally not as strong as his previous two iterations, but Yuga forcing Ganon into his own body and becoming Yuga Ganon would naturally result in a much stronger beast altogether. Capable of using Yuga’s magic in Ganon’s physically strongest form, Yuganon is an often overlooked threat.
That said, Link inA Link Between Worldsdoesn’t seem to struggle too much to take out Yuganon. He has pretty much everything he needs to take him out by the time they fight. It’s a rather underwhelming final boss despite how layered Yuga Ganon is from a pure lore perspective.
2Calamity Ganon (Breath Of The Wild)
This Ganon straight up wins. He takes out Hyrule Castle, basically kills Link, and forces Zelda to stall him for 100 years just so the world doesn’t fall into complete chaos. All the while, his minions are still out there and his malice is seeping into the world, corrupting everything around it. This Ganon represents pure chaos.
It takes ancient Sheikah tech to just damage him. Without the Master Sword, the Divine Beasts would have failed. Even then, they only manage to take out half his health bar. Link has to do all the heavy lifting himself. That said, Link doesn’t need the Master Sword, but Calamity Ganon is so corrupted as a physical entity that it does make some degree of sense.
1Ganon (A Link To The Past)
Ganon in his absolute prime. He’s the Ganondorf fromOcarina of Time, but the Ganon from the Downfall Timeline. Ganon kills Link, is sealed away, manages to come back as the insanely powerful & influential Agahnim, and then takes over completely. He has the full Triforce in his lair. Link needs an upgraded Master SwordandSilver Arrows to take him out.
Ganon’s victory is so decisive inA Link to the Pastthat Link’s wishhadto revive everyone and everything to how it was for the game to end on a positive note. This Ganon was already insanely intimidating whenA Link to the Pastcame out, but later retcons just recontextualized him into something so much more.
