Among the myriad reasons to anticipate the forthcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, one is definitely getting to rejoin the ongoing battle between Link and antagonist Ganondorf. Although gamers typically see Ganondorf—known colloquially as Ganon—represented in the various art styles of Zelda games, one fan thinks the big baddie could use a cross-franchise makeover, Paper Mario-style.
Known colloquially as Ganon, Ganondorf of the Gerudo has been around since the start of The Legend of Zelda series. He doesn't make an appearance in every game in the franchise, but he's usually involved in the storyline somehow. Players were introduced to Ganondorf as a large pig monster, possibly inspired by a half-man, half-pig called Zhu Bajie in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. According to Zelda canon, Ganondorf was born into a group of survivalists and thieves known as the Gerudo Tribe, where he learned to fight and sneak. Later, Ganondorf was raised by the witches of Koume and Kotake, who taught him sorcery, ensuring he has a number of strengths.
A redesigned Ganondorf appears in the final Tears of the Kingdom trailer, prompting the internet to do what it does and lust all over this "rehydrated" Ganon. The new version has Ganondorf in a samurai-styled outfit boasting positively yoked muscles—and generally looking more humanoid than, say, the scary pig he is in A Link to the Past. The new design has inspired tons of fan art, but Reddit user Busy-Ant-2921 looked to a different Nintendo franchise for inspiration, recreating the character in the whimsical style of Paper Mario.
Not only is the image a dead-on approximation of the Paper Mario art style, but it's also a testament to why Zelda works just fine with its continued cartoon aesthetic and should probably never make the Final Fantasy leap to more photo-realistic characters. Link, Zelda, and Hyrule look just fine in their cute, exaggerated state, precisely because everything from the gameplay to the mythology is developed as a flight of fancy. After all, it is hard to imagine collecting a new weapon in Breath of the Wild and not hearing the adorable two-tone musical signifier, or cooking a meal without the ingredients tap-dancing atop the cauldron.
Perhaps the art style would be an issue if the series failed to convince players of the stakes and the sense of danger waiting around every corner, anyone who encountered a Lynel too early in Breath of the Wild knows whether the game feels like child's play. And so, fans continue to eagerly anticipate the new Ganondorf, who many suspect won't look especially cute or fetching when players finally have to face him with nothing but a few breakable swords and their wits to protect them.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.
