Summary
The director and producer ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomexplain how the developers decided to characterize this game’s iteration of the infamous Demon King, Ganondorf.Tears of the Kingdomwas a highly anticipated release for 2023, with one of the things that many were hyped for being the latest take on the longtime villain. The previous game,Breath of the Wild, only showed Ganondorf off in small chunks that had him have less agency as the main villain, while this sequel gives him a much bigger role. This is evidenced byhow popularTears of the Kingdom’s version of Ganondorfis.
Even before Ganondorf’s official reveal forTears of the Kingdom, much of the hype surrounding the game was in anticipation for his design to be unveiled. Despite being a handsome, well-built villain, the character remains a ruthless demon king. The performance ofMatthew Mercer as Ganondorfin the English dub was praised for giving him a deep and commanding voice that was fitting for an intimidating warrior. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and series producer Eiji Aonuma recently discussed how they handled the iconic villain’s characterization and how it came across in-game.
In an interview with Nintendo Dream magazine (translated courtesy of Nintendo Everything) Fujibayashi approached working with the villain carefully, sinceGanondorf is an iconicZeldaseries characterand is considered a second protagonist in a way. As such, Nintendo wanted to portray him as a foil to Princess Zelda, which was emphasized by how they ruled their countries and their lifestyles. Aonuma also chimed in, stating that the developers really wanted to show off the extent of his evil, which is why he was shown killing people on-screen for the first time, something he found “shocking.”
Despite Ganondorf being the villain, Nintendo wanted to nail down that there’s a sense of humanity to him as well. This was done visually, as Nintendo took extra care withhow Ganondorf was designed inTears of the Kingdom. Fujibayashi commented that the developers managed to accomplish his dream of making him look evil, while being handsome enough that men and women would fall for him. Even smaller aspects of his clothes and accessories were considered in how they depicted his sense of beauty and taste to portray him as a dignified king. “We were meticulous with his face, body, all the way down to his fingertips, making him come off as robust and sexy at the same time,” said Fujibayashi.
Fujibayashi commented thatTears of the Kingdom’s Ganondorf took inspiration from Japanese aesthetics, incorporating the essence of military generals, especially in his body language when using his sword. Despite how these visual elements emphasize his humanity, the director also notes that it was also important to show his cruelty, which was conveyed through his facial expressions. He wondered at one point if they should have shown his expressions while killing at all, but decided it was a meaningful part of his character and that it was integral to keep.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
