Since its very first installment on the Nintendo Entertainment System, The Legend of Zelda has always been a series centered on the war between good and evil. Players often control Link, a hero reborn throughout generations who is destined to face the ever-returning evil that plagues the fictional world of Hyrule and protect its titular princess.

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There has been a cavalcade of antagonists Link has faced throughout the mainline Legend of Zelda series, but a few have stood out as some of the most devilish characters in the entire series. These villains from various Zelda video games are the worst that Hyrule has ever had to deal with, making for some of Link's most formidable foes yet.

10 Master Kohga

Breath Of The Wild

This recurring boss is a recent addition to the Zelda universe, debuting in 2017's Breath of the Wild as the leader of the Yiga Clan. These rogue Sheikah characters are subservient to Calamity Ganon, and spend most of the original game hunting Link down throughout Hyrule. Players fight Kohga as a mini-boss during one of the main quests in Breath of the Wild, so it's best to have some protective armor.

Master Kohga reappears in Tears of the Kingdom, having survived his near-death in the previous game. This time around, players can confront the Yiga Clan leader in the Depths, where he has been taking advantage of ancient Zonai devices. Nevertheless, across both games, Kohga poses little threat to players or Link, but his intentions are pretty nefarious.

9 Zant

Twilight Princess

One of the most iconic characters from the 3D Zelda games is Zant, who initially appears to be the primary antagonist of Twilight Princess. A usurper of the Twilight Realm's throne, Zant leads his army into Hyrule and forces Princess Zelda to surrender, causing great peril across Hyrule as the Twili invade. However, Zant's origins prove he's not some evil mastermind.

In fact, the real perpetrator behind Zant's actions is Ganondorf, while the real behavior of Zant is finally revealed during his final battle. In the end, though Zant is certainly 100% evil, he's not the most menacing puppet master of evil that Link has faced. Among his worst traits, however, is the horrible way he treated the Twili people, turning them into Shadow Beasts.

8 Twinrova

Ocarina Of Time

Kotake and Koume are bosses in Ocarina of Time, one of the most pivotal entries in the Zelda franchise. As revealed in the game, the duo, who combine to form Twinrova, are Ganondorf's surrogate mothers, who have survived and led the Gerudo tribe for hundreds of years. This places a certain amount of responsibility on them for Ganondorf's godly actions.

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However, it's possible that the duo were not always meant to be evil witches. They both reappear in Ocarina of Time's sequel, Majora's Mask, in which they play benevolent shopkeeps Link can help. Perhaps in other universes, the Twinrova remain kind to strangers on their journey, but in Ocarina of Time, they've gone down a pretty evil path together.

7 Chancellor Cole

Spirit Tracks

Although Malladus is the real evil threat to Hyrule in the Nintendo DS game Spirit Tracks, the more malicious force in the game is Chancellor Cole. Initially introduced as Zelda's advisor, it's later revealed that Cole is a servant of Malladus and intends to free him from the Spirit Tracks that bind him and uses his dark magic to separate Zelda's spirit from her body.

Cole's plan is to use Zelda's vacant body to help summon Malladus, forcing Link to team up with Zelda's spirit to stop him. It's a pretty twisted plan, even compared to some of the great villains throughout the history of Hyrule. Cole seems to get what he deserves in the end, as Malladus uses his body to return to his beastly form, and he's defeated by Link and Zelda.

6 Ghirahim

Skyward Sword

Few villains rub players the wrong way as much as Ghirahim, the primary antagonist of the Nintendo Wii title Skyward Sword. Ghirahim, in a cliché manner in terms of Hyrule villains, plans to kidnap Princess Zelda and use her to resurrect the demon Demise, his master. In his interactions with Link, Ghirahim is torturous, malicious, and unwisely overconfident, making them the perfect choice for a Smash Bros. fighter.

What makes Ghirahim really evil is how unstable he appears throughout the game, having meltdowns when things don't go his way. When enraged, Ghirahim is merciless and brutal, and oftentimes takes great pleasure in hurting others. His motivations aren't unique compared to Hyrule's worst, but the way he goes about them is heinous, to say the least.

5 Cia

Hyrule Warriors

Cia technically has never made an appearance in a mainline Zelda title, instead, serving as an antagonist in the spin-off game Hyrule Warriors, originally released for the Wii U. Like many Zelda villains, Cia wasn't always evil, but her jealousy towards Princess Zelda over Link caused her to turn evil and split into two forms: the evil Cia and the heroic Lana.

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Though Cia has many opportunities to turn good throughout Hyrule Warriors, she's simply the embodiment of too much evil. She ends up surrendering her power to Lana after coming to terms with the fact that Link will never reciprocate her affection. Though her story is ultimately tragic, that doesn't excuse the evil she causes throughout the game.

4 Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask

It may seem strange to designate an inanimate object as evil, but the story of Majora's Mask proves that it's a well-earned title. In the game's backstory, the lonely Skull Kid steals the cursed mask from the Happy Mask Salesman, who possesses it and tries to enact a plan to bring the Moon crashing down to the land of Termina, ending the entire world.

After abandoning the Skull Kid, Majora's Mask becomes the final boss of the game, as Link faces it in his Fierce Deity form. Link is able to defeat the evil inside the mask and return it to the Happy Mask Salesman, letting it remain a simple accessory. However, the evil inside the mask nearly destroys the world, and if players got a game over, it technically did.

3 Vaati

Four Swords & The Minish Cap

Vaati is one of the few Legend of Zelda antagonists who is as recognizable as Ganondorf, appearing as the main villain of games like Four Swords and The Minish Cap. Formerly a Minish, Vaati is a sorcerer who frequently kidnaps maidens across Hyrule to make them his bride, which includes Princess Zelda during Four Swords.

Opposed to Ganondorf, whose desires are more for power, Vaati's evil comes from his desire for women, which is pretty evil for a game like The Legend of Zelda. Only in The Minish Cap does Vaati truly come into his own as a force to threaten Hyrule, wanting to conquer it out of a desire to understand the evil in the hearts of men such as himself.

2 Demise

Skyward Sword

Without Demise, there wouldn't be a Ganondorf terrorizing Hyrule every few hundred years. This demon is resurrected by Ghirahim in Skyward Sword, after spending many years sealed away by the goddess Hylia. However, upon defeating him in the Wii game, Demise promises Link that his evil and hatred will be reincarnated for millennia to come.

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It's implied by official sources that Demise's reincarnations are none other than the many forms of Ganon or Ganondorf throughout the Zelda franchise. It's hard to imagine a being capable of evil that would create a never-ending cycle of terror and power. However, that just goes to show how menacing Demise really is in the Zelda universe.

1 Ganondorf

Main Villain In Most Games

Although Ganon is the spawn of Demise, it truly doesn't get more evil than this recurring villain. With Ganondorf, the evil actions get personal, such as his betrayal of King Rauru and the murder of his wife Sonia in the most recent title Tears of the Kingdom. However, this is a pattern of behavior that was true even in games like Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker.

Ultimately, Ganondorf is the most evil Zelda villain out there simply due to the fact that he just won't quit. The demon king continues to be resurrected in countless generations as part of a never-ending cycle, and despite being destined to lose to Link and Zelda, he still comes back. Perhaps for Ganon, the real fun comes from the terror he inflicts along the way.

More: Tears Of The Kingdom: Best Pieces Of Character Lore You Need To Know