The Legend of Zelda has usually followed a classic video game adventure formula: players control Link, a hero empowered by courage, in his quest to rid evil forces from the land of Hyrule. This tried-and-true cycle of light overcoming dark has been the main premise of some of the series' greatest installments, including the latest Tears of the Kingdom.
However, not all these evil forces pose an equal threat to Link in his mission to save Princess Zelda. While some villains reappear constantly to oppose Link's journey, others show up only once. Whether it's a recurring boss or a one-time foe, these Zelda villains have been the greatest threats to Link's righteous adventure.
Updated June 15, 2023 by Blaise Santi: Fans all across the world have been sinking hours upon hours into the latest installment in the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The Switch title features many upgrades to the familiar world of Breath of the Wild, some brand-new to the franchise while others harken back to past games.
Along the way, fans will encounter some of the most formidable enemies Link has faced off against in the entire series, all of whom threaten the peace and tranquility of Hyrule as a kingdom. These additional enemies from throughout the Zelda franchise are the ones who have tested Link’s will the most.
16 Malladus
Malladus appears in the Nintendo DS title The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks as the final boss. Imprisoned by the titular Spirit Tracks themselves, Malladus' unleashing is the center of the game's plot, as his servant Cole creates chaos as the king's chancellor by threatening to release Malladus from his imprisonment by the Spirits of Good.
Though Malladus is quite a threat to Link and the kingdom of Hyrule, he sadly doesn't hold a candle to the devastation wrought by forces like Ganon or even Vaati. Nevertheless, he poses quite a dilemma for Link by possessing Princess Zelda during the final fight, turning Link's greatest ally into his enemy for a short period of time.
15 Thunderbird
Compared to most villains throughout The Legend of Zelda as a franchise, Thunderbird is one of the more obscure ones. The boss appears in the second-ever installment of the franchise, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. However, where the Thunderbird shows its strength is in how it defies its original creators.
As described by the instruction manual for The Adventure of Link, the Thunderbird was originally created by the King of Hyrule to protect the Triforce. However, by the time Link encounters it in the game, it viciously attacks him and proves to be one of the hardest boss fights in the NES game, which is truly saying something.
14 Queen Gibdo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, unlike its 2017 predecessor, features many more bosses that will seem more familiar to fans of the franchise. One of those is Queen Gibdo, who serves as the final boss of the Lightning Temple, and leads the undead race of creatures known as Gibdo, who originated in the very first The Legend of Zelda for NES.
As the boss of the Lightning Temple, Queen Gibdo is weakest to lightning-based attacks, though her own abilities to summon sandstorms and charge at Link can eat away at players' health. Unless they come in fully prepared, players should be careful when facing this dragonfly-esque ruler of the undead.
13 General Onox
General Onox is one of the main antagonists of the GameBoy Color title Oracle of Seasons. The game, like most mainline Pokemon games, has a counterpart in Oracle of Ages with a different villain, Veran. However, Onox is the more menacing of the two version-exclusive final boss characters, reminiscent of the iconic Zelda enemy known as Iron Knuckle.
Onox's battle happens to reflect this intimidating design. His attacks deal whopping amounts of damage to Link, who can only pierce Onox's armor with spin attacks. It can be a pretty difficult fight to maneuver, and might even lead some players to put down their GameBoy Colors and give up on trying to complete this version.
12 Ghirahim
There are many divisive thoughts on the Nintendo Wii title The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, particularly pertaining to its controls. However, its re-release on Nintendo Switch has caused a lot of fans to reflect on the game's positives. One of those is the menacing and strange antagonist throughout the game, Ghirahim.
In the early sections of Skyward Sword, Ghirahim appears in Skyloft and kidnaps Zelda, setting Link on an adventure to save her. During numerous fights throughout the game, Ghirahim is an expert swordsman, with the ability to teleport around the room. Fans won't be judged for becoming frustrated at both Ghirahim's personality and his fighting style.
11 Agahnim
Agahnim appears as one of the primary antagonists in the beloved SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. As described by the game's prologue (as well as its instruction manual), Agahnim is a mysterious wizard who has taken control of Hyrule with dark magic. Even in battle, Link can only deal damage to Agahnim using the Master Sword.
However, Agahnim's true threat isn't himself, it's his ultimate plan. Link eventually discovers that Agahnim is a minion of Ganon, with Agahnim serving as his puppet to resurrect the fallen demon king. For a character who only appears in one Zelda title from long ago, Agahnim has certainly left an impression on fans of the franchise.
10 Shadow Link
Every hero has a dark side, and Hyrule's greatest defender is no exception. This reflection possesses all of Link's movements and abilities, making it just as strong as Link. Some of the toughest fights in the franchise are with Shadow Link or his counterparts, such as Dark Link's sub-boss encounter in Ocarina of Time.
However, the most grueling fight with Shadow Link probably comes in the second installment of the franchise, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Here, Link's shadow serves as the game's final boss and can be frustrating to fight. Some only succeed by ducking in one corner and attacking whenever Shadow Link gets close.
9 Twinrova
The Gerudo sisters, Koume and Kotake, first appear in Ocarina of Time during the Spirit Dungeon. As one of the final dungeons in the game, these two maternal figures to Ganondorf provide one of the most difficult fights for players. Koume attacks with flames, while Kotake attacks with ice, making them a double threat.
This fight can only be won with the help of Link's Mirror Shield, which he can use to deflect attacks from one sister onto the other. However, the fight gets more difficult when the two combine to form Twinrova, meaning Link's counter-attacking must get more precise. Thankfully, these two serve as one of Link's last tests before the finale.
8 Yuga
Yuga has made only one appearance in the Zelda series, as the main antagonist of A Link Between Worlds for Nintendo 3DS. Yuga's goals as a villain are ambitious, trying to rule over both Hyrule and its counterpart Lorule. This leads Yuga to cross paths with Link, who he delays in stopping him by transforming him into a painting.
Eventually, after harnessing the power of all Seven Sages, Yuga uses his body as a vessel to resurrect the Demon King Ganon. The combination of Yuga and Ganon serves as the final boss of the game, who Link battles in both realities and as a painting. In terms of Zelda villains, Yuga gets pretty close to his goal before Link defeats him.
7 Puppet Ganon
Regular Ganondorf usually serves as the final boss of most Zelda games. However, in the build-up to the final battle, Link usually comes across a decoy Ganon to face. In Ocarina of Time and Tears of the Kingdom, this is Phantom Ganon, but in The Wind Waker, he faces the creepy yet powerful Puppet Ganon, an automaton operated, literally, by strings.
What makes Puppet Ganon such a significantly difficult villain for Link is his transformation into different forms. After defeating his pig-like form, Puppet Ganon takes on a spider-like form, and then finally a worm-like form. Overall, Puppet Ganon proves to be one of Link's most versatile and imposing villains to date.
6 Zant
Zant is a fan-favorite in the Zelda fandom, making a huge impression with his appearance in Twilight Princess. In the lore of the game, Zant has taken over as the self-proclaimed King of Twilight, disposing of Midna and seeking to conquer the world of Light. In the game, he is a menacing, masked figure who taunts Link and Midna.
However, what really makes Zant such a memorable villain is his personality change. After he demasks himself near the end of the game, Zant's movements are more whimsical and peculiar. Despite all this power and unpredictability, at the end of the day, Zant is still another minion to Ganondorf, standing between Link and destiny.
5 Vaati
Vaati is another fan-favorite, even garnering support to be included in Super Smash Bros many years ago. However, he's only appeared briefly in three titles: two of the entries in the Four Swords saga, with the third being The Minish Cap. Vaati is a very similar villain to Ganondorf, switching between a human-like and monstrous form.
Particularly in his appearance in The Minish Cap, Vaati proves to be one of Link's most ruthless villains ever. Hungry for power, Vaati seeks to steal all the Light Force in Hyrule for himself. As Link opposes his goal, Vaati's anger causes him to transform into Vaati's Wrath, a creature who has an unrelenting desire for pure destruction.
4 Majora's Mask
It might be surprising that one of Link's most powerful foes is not a sorcerer or demon, but an item. The Majora's Mask serves as one of the main antagonists of Ocarina of Time's sequel, appropriately named Majora's Mask. When donned by Skull Kid, the Mask possesses him, seeking to destroy Termina with its powers.
Once the Moon is set to descend onto Termina, the Majora's Mask abandons Skull Kid to complete its violent mission. Only when Link dons the Fierce Deity Mask is he able to defeat Majora's Mask as well as the evil inside it. Afterward, it remains a lifeless mask possessed by the enigmatic Happy Mask Salesman.
3 Calamity Ganon
While Ganondorf usually serves as the villain of the Zelda franchise, the antagonist of Breath of the Wild is more abstract. Calamity Ganon is the primal form of evil that existed long before the story begins. A hundred years ago, it came to Hyrule and corrupted its army of Guardians, managing to defeat the forces of light.
At the start of Breath of the Wild, Calamity Ganon is still in control. After awakening from his 100-year slumber, Link gathers the powers of the four Champions, as well as the aid of the Divine Beasts. Together, they're able to weaken Calamity Ganon before Link faces off against him. However, this form of Ganon remains one of the most omnipotent and all-powerful villains in the Zelda canon.
2 Demise
Demise's single appearance in Skyward Sword sets in motion the entire Zelda franchise's timeline. Long ago, Demise sought to possess the Triforce but was defeated by the goddess Hylia. He later is reborn during the events of Skyward Sword, where he is again defeated by Link with the help of the Master Sword.
Despite being defeated twice, Demise remarks that he will never die, and will instead be reborn again and again. In this sense, Demise's defeat creates the cycle of violence between Link and Ganon that powers the stories of the entire Legend of Zelda franchise. There aren't many Zelda villains that can boast that level of influence.
1 Ganon
Of course, Demise's defeat leads the way for Link's recurring antagonist: Ganon, known as Ganondorf when he takes human form. Ganon appears as the final boss in over ten different entries in the Zelda franchise, each one more menacing than the last. Not only that, but Ganon may be one of the few villains in the franchise to defeat Link.
According to the official Legend of Zelda timeline, one possible outcome of Ocarina of Time's final battle is Link's defeat at the hands of Ganondorf. This defeat resulted in the occurrence of several games in the series, such as A Link To The Past and the original The Legend of Zelda for NES. Despite his destiny to be defeated by Link every time he's reborn, Ganon proves to be the only Zelda villain capable of overcoming fate.