How did Demise become Ganondorf in Zelda?

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The Legend of Zelda series is an old series including some of our favourites like Majora’s Mask. For over thirty years, each video game has reinterpreted the familiar lands, and people of Hyrule.

With the rumour mill spinning around The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the new abilities and more, we are here to answer some of the most-asked questions about the boss in the Zelda franchise and its slightly confusing timeline and lore! For those who have never played Skyward Sword spoilers abound!

Demise into Ganon, Who is Demise in Zelda?

We are sure as a Nintendo fan and Zelda fanatic you have already heard of Ganondorf! If you haven’t then not only are you missing out on one of Super Smash Bros most powerful characters to play (subject to personal opinion) but you are also missing out on one of the most lore-heavy and feared antagonists in video gaming history.

Before (and after?) Ganon, there was Demise, the true evil that rallied his demons across the Kingdom of Hyrule and beyond. Upon Demise’s final battle Demise makes a claim that his hatred and evil will not end but will carry on through the ages.

“Those like you… Those who share the blood of the Goddess and the spirit of the hero… They are eternally bound to this curse.

An Incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!” –

Demise, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

What does Ganon have to do with Hyrule?

Ganon ( Shortened from Ganondorf not to be confused with the Pig in the series that is also named Ganon.), the first male born of the Gerudo in 100 years, came to Hyrule as a leader to swear a fake allegiance to the King and the throne of the land. Before we can understand the reincarnation of Demise into Ganondorf, first we need to know more about the open world within the Zelda games.

More importantly, the driving power behind it, The Triforce, when we think about Zelda and The Triforce most of us usually just think about the princess. However in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, not only is the timeline split into three but Ganon splits the Triforce into three to take one for himself. This then splits Triforce into three (tri) main attributes, each of which is held by a main character.

• The Triforce Knowledge – Princess Zelda
• The Triforce Courage – Link
• The Triforce Power – Ganondorf Dragmire

What does Demise have to do with Hyrule?

Demise is the Final Boss and main antagonist of Skyward Sword, the final form of The Imprisoned, and is the master of Demon Lord Ghirahim. Ghirahim successfully revives him in the World of the Past, and Link must defeat him.

Demise was defeated and sealed away by the Goddess Hylia after the events of Skyward Sword by Link through the use of the Master Sword. As he is defeated Demise lays the curse on Link and the Goddess that his hatred would always be reincarnated and follow them. As Princess Zelda is a reincarnation of the Goddess this curse follows her as well as the Hero Link.

So, how does Demise connect to Ganon in Zelda?

Through his curse Demise threatens to follow The Goddess and The Hero with his hatred for all of time, the connection between Ganon and Demise is as obvious purely from their initial character design with Ganon’s red hair reflected in the flames that Demise has.

The reincarnation goes deeper than this as the game designers, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka themselves have confirmed that the cycle of reincarnating Ganons are all originally from Demise. Excluding the parallel universe of Lorule’s answer to Ganon in Yuga who eventually is removed from the lore once he tried to absorb Ganon’s Triforce but is ultimately destroyed by Link leaving only Ganondorf and Calamity Ganon as the antagonist with a connection to Demise.

Ganon is Demise or is Demise part of Ganon?

Technically speaking this means that Gannon is a reincarnation of the spirit of Demise, which is the short answer. Calamity Ganon is the main antagonist and penultimate boss of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He is the last Scourge, found at Hyrule Castle.

He is an incomplete form that Ganon assumed when he was interrupted while trying to reincarnate himself which sets forth the possibility that either Demise or Calamity Ganon will return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Ganon, Demise, Calamity Ganon are all the same?

In theory yes, each of them has the reincarnation of Demise in them however this then extends into the theory that Demise or Calamity Ganon will return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as in Breath of the Wild Impa shares a legend with Link from the first Great Calamity that took place 10,000 years ago.

There’s an image of a hero wielding the Master Sword and a Princess or Goddess figure fighting Calamity Ganon. The hero has red hair and a green body/outfit, both of which line up with the new official Ganondorf art. Many fans think they spotted Demise in the latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer when a mysterious figure with flowing red hair is staring directly into the blood moon. 

Will we see any of these enemies again?

We have already found that Ganon will be in the newest edition to the Zelda series, as for Demise and Calamity Ganon we will just have to play through and discover the story and additions and other returning features into the deep well of lore as it and the new monsters and weapons are laid before us!

The excitement to quest through Hyrule with our Navi companion and delve back into the Nexus of Zelda is as palpable now as it was when we made our purchase of the first game. The only downside to this is we don’t know if we can wait much longer and will be finishing this game in a whole sitting!