In the sprawling saga of The Legend of Zelda, Link may be the face on the poster, but a hero is only as compelling as the villain breathing down his neck. For over three decades, Ganondorf has been the proverbial thorn in Hyrule’s side, returning in different guises and with ever-more ambitious schemes. From a cunning Gerudo king to a mindless monster, from a prisoner in the Twilight Realm to a mummified demon beneath Hyrule Castle, the Demon King has worn many hats. As of 2026, Tears of the Kingdom remains the latest mainline entry to put this feud front and center, and it does so by bringing the character’s story full circle.

Demise: The Original Curse

Long before Ganondorf was a glint in the series’ eye, there was Demise. This incarnation of pure hatred is the origin of the villain’s endless cycle. He sets the stage for a grudge that would outlive nearly every hero and princess in Hyrule. In many ways, Demise plants the seed for every later return—a curse that just keeps on giving, even when the man himself is long gone.

Ocarina of Time: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf plays the long game. As the ruler of the Gerudo, he swears loyalty to the King of Hyrule, but his allegiance is thinner than a rupee. The moment Link opens the door to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf slips through and claims the Triforce of Power. Hyrule falls into darkness under his iron fist, and the player sees a ruthless tactician who eventually casts aside diplomacy for raw demonic strength in the final battle.

A Link to the Past: The Shadow Pulls the Strings

Sealed away but never truly out of the picture, Ganon uses dark magic to turn the wizard Agahnim into his puppet. Link’s quest for the Master Sword sends him tumbling into the Dark World, where the shadow of Ganon rises from Agahnim. Despite the Demon King’s immense power, Link once again puts him down for the count.

Oracle of Ages and Seasons: A Ritual Gone Wrong

In the linked ending of Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Twinrova’s scheme is to revive Ganon through a dark ritual. Thanks to Link’s intervention, the plan goes sideways. Instead of a calculating mastermind, Ganon returns as a mindless beast—still dangerous, but without the sharp wit that usually makes him such a menace.

A Link Between Worlds: The Resurrection Gamble

In A Link Between Worlds, a new antagonist named Yuga tries to resurrect Ganon in a bid for control. The gambit works, at least for a moment. Ganon steals the Triforce of Wisdom and faces Link in a climactic clash. As always, Link’s swordplay and a few clever tricks send the King of Evil packing.

The Adventure of Link: Ashes to Ashes

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link presents a Ganon who has lost the cunning intelligence seen elsewhere. Instead, he commands an invasion, and Link must gather the Triforce of Wisdom to stop him. In the final confrontation, silver arrows reduce the King of Evil to a pile of ash. It sounds definitive, but in this series, death is rarely the final word.

That point hits home in the infamous Game Over screen. If the player falls, Ganon’s minions sprinkle Link’s blood on the villain’s ashes, bringing him back to life. It is a chilling reminder that even a pile of dust can be a ticking time bomb.

Twilight Princess: The Usurper’s Second Wind

Before Twilight Princess, Ganondorf’s schemes are exposed, and the Sages sentence him to execution. The Triforce of Power saves him at the eleventh hour, and he is banished to the Twilight Realm. There he meets Zant, a bitter would-be ruler. Ganondorf plays him like a fiddle, using Zant’s resentment to stir up chaos in Hyrule. Eventually, the Demon King returns in person, only to fall to Link and Zelda. Even then, he warns that the feud will be “written in blood”—a threat that carries real weight.

The Wind Waker: Buried by the Ocean

In The Wind Waker, the gods flood Hyrule to stop Ganon, but he breaks free anyway. He mistakes Link’s sister for Zelda, and the two destined enemies collide once more. By pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link unwittingly restores the villain’s power—a classic case of no good deed going unpunished. In the final battle, Link drives the sword into Ganon’s forehead as the ocean swallows Hyrule Castle.

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom: The Demon King’s Full Circle

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are direct sequels, a rare move for the franchise. Ganon is born into the Gerudo and initially tries to conquer Hyrule with a Molduga stampede. When that plan falls flat, he pledges allegiance to King Rauru—a familiar strategy lifted straight from Ocarina of Time. The ruse works, and Ganon uses a fake Princess Zelda to steal a Sacred Stone and boost his power. Rauru eventually manages to seal him during the Imprisoning War, trapping him beneath Hyrule Castle for ages.

That imprisonment does not erase the hatred in Ganon’s veins. It materializes as Calamity Ganon, the primary antagonist of Breath of the Wild, forcing Link into a 100-year healing slumber. In Tears of the Kingdom, Ganon’s mummified corpse is found under Hyrule Castle, leaking the poisonous Gloom across the land. He destroys the Master Sword, lifts the castle into the sky, and sends Zelda hurtling through time. By the final act, Ganon channels the Sacred Stone’s power into a Demon Dragon, bearing a striking resemblance to Demise and bringing the saga full circle.

A Quick Look at the Demons

Entry	Incarnation / Form	Notable Scheme
Skyward Sword	Demise	Establishes the cycle of hatred
Ocarina of Time	Gerudo King / Ganon	Claims the Triforce of Power
A Link to the Past	Shadow of Ganon	Uses Agahnim to escape the seal
Oracle of Ages/Seasons	Mindless Beast	Twinrova’s botched revival
A Link Between Worlds	Resurrected Ganon	Yuga’s resurrection gamble
Zelda II	Demon King	Invades Hyrule, reduced to ash
Twilight Princess	Twilight-empowered Ganondorf	Manipulates Zant
The Wind Waker	Ganondorf	Breaks free after the Great Flood
Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom	Calamity Ganon / Demon Dragon	Uses Gloom and a false Zelda

From a silver-tongued schemer to a mindless engine of destruction, Ganondorf has proven he is no one-trick pony. He loses often, but he rarely stays down for good. That stubborn resilience is exactly what keeps players looking over their shoulders long after the credits roll.