Highlights

  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom features the revival of the iconic antagonist Ganondorf, who is always destined to return despite being defeated.
  • In each appearance, Ganondorf is reinvented for the era of the timeline he exists, and even after his defeat in Tears of the Kingdom, there is still potential for his revival.
  • The essence of Ganon represents the evil in the world of The Legend of Zelda, and even when defeated, it eventually returns, suggesting that Ganondorf will likely be seen again in future games.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom saw the return of the Demon King Ganondorf after a nearly seventeen-year hiatus. The iconic antagonist of the Legend of Zelda franchise has been revived, reincarnated, and redesigned many times throughout the lifespan of this classic Nintendo franchise. Seemingly always destined to return in some way, Ganon is never truly defeated. Even after The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's satisfyingly definitive ending, the threat of Ganondorf is always looming.

The human form of Ganondorf made his first appearance in 1998's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and has gone on to appear in two additional mainline Zelda titles before TotK. These games were Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. This does not count the appearance of Beast Ganon or Demise, who are seen in place of the human Ganondorf in other Zelda titles. In each appearance of Ganondorf, he is reinvented for the era of the timeline he exists. One way or another, the evil king continues to return regardless of being defeated at the end of the game, so his defeat at the end of TotK could still leave the door open to a potential revival.

Zelda Games Featuring Ganondorf

  • Ocarina of Time (1998)
  • Wind Waker (2003)
  • Twilight Princess (2006)
  • Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
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Related
The Legend of Zelda: Every Reincarnation of Ganondorf Explained

Ganondorf is the main villain of the Zelda franchises, with a variety of different appearances and evil plans over the course of the many games.

Ganondorf's Return in The Legend of Zelda

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Tears of the Kingdoms's Ending

Ganondorf's return in Tears of the Kingdom was a big deal. No longer the untamed energy that was Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, the Demon King is a skilled fighter and an all-powerful being. Throughout the events of the game, the mummy that was Ganondorf becomes freed from his imprisonment and steadily regains his ultimate power. Perhaps more powerful than any version of the character that has come before, TotK's Ganondorf threatens to conquer the world like never before.

Naturally, Link and Zelda are there to put a stop to his plans. After an epic boss battle ending with a massive dragon fight, Ganondorf is defeated in one of the most definitive endings to date. Ganondorf has been defeated in Legend ofZelda games before, but how he exploded at the end of TotK felt very conclusive. At the very least, it seems unlikely that Ganondorf will return in any direct sequel to TotK.

The Progression of Ganondorf

The Future of Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda

If Nintendo decides to do another direct sequel and continues the story of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, most likely Ganondorf will not be involved. However, that does not mean that the character will not return sometime in the future. As Ganon is always reincarnating in some form, it's possible that even the definitive ending of TotK will not be the last time the character is seen. Just as Calamity Ganon was able to reincarnate into the human form of Ganondorf, the evil spirit of the character is likely to manifest in some form eventually.

The essence of Ganon represents the evil in the world of The Legend of Zelda, and even when the forces of good vanquish that evil, it returns eventually. Throughout the franchise, there are tales of evil rising to upset the peace and of a hero being summoned to defeat it. Likely, this will continue in The Legend of Zelda's timeline. If the next Zelda game takes place far into the future of the universe, there could still be an opportunity for the evil Ganondorf to be revived somehow. It could create an interesting opportunity to have a reference to his defeat in TotK, in the way the Zelda games of the past reference earlier games. Regardless, Breath of the Wild is likely not the last time Ganondorf will be seen.