Although I agree with most of what you wrote about Ganondorf, I thought he was the highlight of Twilight Princess, not the lowlight. The fight at least, anyway. It was probably my favourite 3D fight against the evil king, which is probably the only plus to TP in my view, since, unlike most, I didn't care much for the game's story as I did with N64 games. Or any of the others, as a matter of fact.

Personality- and plot-wise, however, Zant, Vaati, the Skull Kid, Cuccoos, etc. are much more awesome as enemies. I'm starting to get tired of Ganondorf, like you're saying.

Well I kind of agree with you... but I like fighting the big, ugly, over 1,000 year old i think he i can't imagine TLOZ having Ganon for no more games but I'd like to see Zelda Wii have either
1. a new boss
2. Vaati in his first 3D appearance
3. Vaati teaming up with Ganon

but it might be good to let ganon rest for at least one game....maybe

In my opinion the best Zelda game ever produced was Majora's Mask. Artistically, story wise, and emotionally it was the greatest by far in my mind. It had no Ganondorf. Part of the unique, and wonderful appeal of the game was the unusual, and dreamlike nature of the antagonist and how he was so expertly blended into the world of Termina by the developers. Substituting Ganondorf for the Skull Kid and Majora's Mask would have produced a completely inferior experience.

I whole-heartedly agree that Ganondorf needs to go. As a villain he is perfect for some Zelda plots. Unfortunately that type of Zelda game that he was designed to fit into is now long since obsolete, and overused.

For the Zelda franchise to stay relevant, unique, and continue to evolve it needs new directions, and forcing the same villain into the game will not make any new direction work, or feel natural. I truly hope the new Wii Zelda heeds this notion.

I kind of agree with you, however, I think we will never get rid of Ganondorf unless the whole Zelda games gets a revamp. For example, whenever I get the Master Sword on a game, I know I will end up stabing old Ganny to death (or, at least, sealing him) with it...

I might sound kind of biased because Ganondorf is my favourite Zelda villain, but I disagree that he needs to go. In my opinion, it's not Ganondorf that needs to go, it's the story that needs to change.

How awesome OoT, TWW and TP may have been, they have still been heavily inspired by ALttP and have told pretty much the same story, with Ganondorf as the major antagonist. Still, what they did do was make Ganon a lot deeper character: OoT revealed his origins as a Gerudo King; in TWW, he almost seemed a more sympathetic character and in TP, it was revealed that he truly is the rightful bearer of the Triforce of Power, even if he hasn't stolen the thing.

Instead of getting rid of him, I say Ganondorf's role needs to change. Rather than the big bad, it would be much more fascinating to have him as an anti-hero or a morally grey character. Can you imagine how much fun it would be if he and Link were forced to team up against another, greater evil?

I agree with most of it. Ganondorf's most memorable appearance was on TWW, mostly because of the climatic final battle, and the villain actually having (and explaining) a reason for doing what he does. Otherwise, Ganny's just a powe-hungry super strong fella who's evil because he wants to be. From that perspective, Bowser would be an equally fitting villain for the series, c'mon.

There have been many other interesing villains in Zelda, and with Majora's Mask exception, they all have been Ganon's minions at some point. And sadly, Ganon's presence and revelation as the main villain pushes those other characters out of the main picture, when they could have been explored and developed into stand-alone villains... such cases are Agahnim, Veran, Onox, and Vaati (though truth be told, he was kind of a weakling and wasn't so interesting, being kinda a new, less badass version of Ganon). And when those villains are actually developed, then comes along Ganon and screws things up.

Sure, that Ganon battle was one of the longest and of the most epic (though not as epic as two kids fighting for their lives while the world around them comes to an end). But they had to kill off quite a villain: as you said, the one that had Zelda surrender her kingdom, rendered Link useless, nearly killed Midna to the point that Zelda had to sacrifice herself. Not to mention the amazin personality: a creepy and mysterious badass whose mind breaks in desperation, to become a psychotic, contorsionist swordsman-wizard dude. A shame he was pushed aside by Ganny, who just repeated the formula again: kidnap Zelda->take over a key location of the map->await patiently for Link->be killed by Link.

Sorry for the double posting, I forgot to add something: while I agreed with most of the article, I have to say that keeping Ganon would be okay, SO LONG as they change him or explore him better. They touched upon his past and his reasons only once, during TWW's finale, and we haven't seen more of that ever since. If they develop Ganny further in future games, fine by me. If not, they will have to keep him in the past. It's not like we are asking for a Kefka here, we just want something more interesting than a Zelda version of Bowser.

I think that Ganondorf should stay, but that Nintendo should create some new villians too, so Ganon doesn't have to do all the work. But he needs to stay, he's epic... He doesn't have to be in every game, but sometimes...

I wouldn't mind seeing Ganondork, but maybe as him being manipulated would make a better story. Dark Link as the villian would also be a nice change of pace.

Honestly, I don't think Nintendo will ever rid the Zelda series of Ganondorf until they decide to rid itself of the Zelda series (God forbid), mainly just for the fact that Ganon is the holder of the Triforce of Power, one piece of three of the sacred relic the goddesses left behind. Of course, you already know that. And if you didn't, then shame on you.

I'm almost there with you in the whole "sick of Ganondorf" thing, but in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, it was, in my opinion, very cool to fight him again. I think that the producers did a good job of giving him a good strong story in both games and I liked that. If he makes an appearance in the new Wii game, or even Spirit Tracks, I don't know what I'll think.

I agree that maybe a new bad guy would be refreshing, give us a chance to breathe the sweet Ganon-less air and give us a chance to relax and not have to worry about someone trying to take the Triforce because, let's face it, the Triforce has been the center object of many of the games already.

But if they were to create a new bad guy other than Ganon and create a new plotline other than the Triforce, then it would have to be so unique and so strong and so captivating that it would be able to spawn it's own line of prequels and sequels and whatnot. Such as Majora's Mask. The introduction of Majora was amazing. Majora has a weird history, Majora is a mysterious being, and Majora is all-around scary. The story of a universe parallel to Hyrule is a bit overdramatic, but the producers did well in making it work. I'm not saying make the new elements exactly like Majora's Mask, I'm saying that if they were to come up with new stuff like that, it'd have to be as strong if not stronger than Majora's Mask.

i think the next one, link and zelda should have a kid or somthing, and in the game, ganondorf should come in, and just beat down zelda and kill link, after a heated battle scene of course, then a bystander that looked up to link kills ganon while hes having his moment, and then the next zelda its the kid he has should be the main character not named link either

This article is very well written and I agree with everything said, but consider who it is that is in control here. Nintendo. I feel that Bowser has the same problem in the Mario games, but he's had even more games to wear out his welcome in than Ganondorf. When I play a (core) Mario game that came out in the last 5 years, I feel like Mario and Bowser are just having another one of their sport outings; capture the flag with Peach as the flag or something of the sort. Unfortunately, since Nintendo is focusing on 'widening their audience,' they can continue to milk Ganondorf and even Bowser for all they're worth, since they expect everyone playing to be newly-recruited gamers who aren't any the wiser.

As much as I agree with what the article says, I'm afraid that Nintendo will probably continue to forsake their loyal fans and make the baddies that people don't really want to see keep on coming. Kinda like a fake religion, innit?

Hmm... What if, just run with me on this, what if you got to maybe play as Ganondorf for part of the game? Like after beating, you unlock a new story mode showing Ganondorf's side of it all? And then maybe evil could win for a change. Or at the end, Ganondorf, Link, and Zelda all have to use the power of the Triforce to beat a greater evil than Ganondorf, Majora, Vaati, or any other villain in the Zelda series. Just a thought.

Now that I think about it, Ganondorf did seem kind of pointless in TP. They keep adding him in as a last boss, like in Four Sword, and I'm getting tired of acting surprised when I see him.
He hasn't been scary since Wind Waker, and that was only because you were one-third his size.

I agree what you say about Zant because everyone I know loves him and he was geniunely scary, and Nintendo could definently use a new, more badass villian.

I agree that Ganondorf has become a tired and stale part of the series - but I think this needs to be resolved by changing his level of involvement in the game, not by eliminating him.

In most of the games in which he is featured, we only encounter Ganon/dorf at the very end of the game, as the final boss. Only in OoT and TWW does Link run into him outside of the final battle - and in both these meetings are fleeting at best. In the rest we only hear second and thirdhand accounts from others of his cruelty all the way up to the last battle.

Of all of these I think TWW makes the best use of Ganondorf - he is first the anonymous master of the Helmaroc King, and later we confront him directly during our storm of Forsaken Fortress to rescue Aryll. Even his unseen deeds leave a chill - after we learn his minions have mysteriously vacated the Forsaken Isle, we return to Hyrule, only to discover where they have gone: they have kidnapped Zelda and gathered at Ganon's Tower.

I think we need more of this - more encounters with Ganondorf's character, more (and better) scenarios where we think we're in the clear, only to find he is still one step ahead of us.

Really, it boils down to Zelda needing a stronger story. I hope the developers finally cave in and design a story that isn't just a companion to gameplay, but that exists for its own sake.

I think we are looking at this all wrong. Instead of Nintendo losing Ganondorf, they need to make him stronger. I remember playing WW, I was battling Ganon's Puppet, that was kinda hard so expect my surprise when I battled Ganondorf. He was actually weaker than his puppet! So here's my idea: have all your mini fights with him you want, Nintendo, but have a fight where it's like where you fight Zant, having a distinct battle pattern in each phase. That would make a good fight.

Hi, this is my first comment here on the site.

I can't really add much to this debate, but I myself also like to play with the possibility of having Ganondorf removed from the role as "the great evil". Let us get to know him as a character, and that implies for ALL the major characters in the upcoming casts in future titles in my opinion. Seriously, Twilight Princess’ story was absolute garbage.

While Midna played a very good role in the game, it didn't matter at all. Zant and Midna's stories were told very nicely, and we were introduced to a new part of the Zelda universe, known as the Twilight Realm. While I was playing around in the way too big and barren version of Hyrule TP had to offer, I was really looking forward to see this new realm. And then, when the story finally reaches its peak, when we finally enter the Twilight Realm, what is it Nintendo has left us?

One single dungeon. I was so disappointed. What a poor concept if you ask me. The WHOLE new kingdom, which the game was building hype for was just a mere dungeon, and one of the shortest and most rushed in the whole series! Then, to make it even worse, Zant is revaled to be a semi-boss (like General Scales in Starfox Adventures, if you remember that one) even though, like some of you have pointed out, HE was the final boss. Not Ganondorf.

And Link didn't have a big role to play in the game either. It was struggle between Midna and Zant, not Link and Ganondorf. In fact, how did Nintendo even get away with putting them into the game? Zelda wasn't that important either when you think about it. All these three traditional Zelda characters were just put into the story, so that it could say "The Legend of Zelda" on the box. And that is one of my main problems with Twilight Princess. My point being, for the future Zelda titles, give us a reason to be playing as Link, saving Zelda and defeating Ganondorf, explore THESE characters! Don't begin to build a story around some completely different ones!

So yeah, I guess Ganondorf, and Link and Zelda for that matter, can be in more games. But just for the love of god, only do it if they're relevant to the story! TP had nothing to with the Triforce-plot-device, which ALttP, OoT and TWW used. TP was something original, like MM, and could've been so much more, if the developers just let go of the old Zelda traditions. But if they can't work that out, then I guess we'll have to kill off the three, write them out of the show... And then, what Zelda game would we have?

Wow, I ended up writing a lot... Tends to happen.

Im keeping it short and simple. Ganon is the 3rd part of the triforce. Without him, the basis around zelda would be destroyed.

I say you are daft! Ganondorf is as relevant as Zelda or Link to the story. He may have his time outs while another antagonist takes the role but Ganondorf, Link and Zelda being stuck in this timeless battle is something rather epic...I'd be saddened by his loss.

Although, I like Ganondorf, and his TP battles were my favorites, I do agree his addition where he was whacked onto it's end was unnecessary. It's time for more conflicts without Ganondorf, like MM, PH and TMC.

ganondorf is so 1998

I agree with sarshelyam, i like the whole timeless battle scenario.

However, Nintendo does need to develop the characters in that endless battle- if your fighting for an eternity, you think there'd be time for some reflection (like in TWW).

But I also like the different villians, such as Bellum, as they offer a different experience, however, I want Ganondorf to be kept the major villian (appearing in every second or third game), I think the variety works well in the overall feel of the series- but losing Ganondorf would to me be a loss to the Zelda-ish feel.

People keep saying that Ganondorf's personality in TWW was a good change... I beg to differ. That mini-monologue about his past shows a pretty childish personality, in my opinion. His people lived in a harsh enviroment where the wind carries death, and what does he do? Conquer the heavenly land of Hyrule, just to make it into a hellish place, like the one he grew up in. It's like a jealous child that breaks another child's toy just because he can't have a toy like it. I really prefer the "power-hungry bastard" scenario in this case... I'm not saying Ganondorf shouldn't have a deeper background, but that it should be fitting background to the villain he is.
Aside from that, everytime Ganondorf appears before the last battle (OoT and TWW), he beats Link easily (in fact, he does the same in the end of TWW, before he finally snaps and start doing reckless things in his rage)... He is not a weakling, you, the Hero, have evolved from your adventures to the point you can defeat the great evil.

I agree that the series needs to introduce new villains without hitting us with the plot twist that, hey, they were working for Ganon the whole time! Go fight Ganon again!

Ganondorf doesn't need to be dropped from the series, though it would certainly help for him to be dropped for a few games. What he really needs is for his character to be handled by competent writers.

He was very effective in TWW. He was introduced just a few hours into the game, there was a very dramatic confrontation with him halfway through the game, his personality was very interesting, and his dialogue was almost poetic at times.

In OoT he was kind of a typical evil overlord, but he was a very effective villain because you cared about the horrors he wreaked upon the world, and you and Zelda were responsible for enabling him.

The games need to actually put some effort into building him up as a compelling antagonistic force, otherwise he's just the Zelda version of Bowser, as others have mentioned.

I have a bit of mixed feelings with Ganondorf staying/leaving the zelda series.
Like was previously said, Ganon plays a critical role in the triforce, and is automatically drawn to zelda and link. However, this story has been played out a bit much.
In the picture for the new Zelda wii, there is a spirit that resembles the master sword. In my opinion, if the spirits of the triforce showed themselves also (just an example) THAt would be a reason to have Ganondorf reappear in the new game. Or something to that effect.

Nintendo would also have to create a storyline that would split the 3 triforce holders apart. Not necessarily ending the zelda series, but sort of clearing the board and starting over, in a way.

Well, I don't wnat Ganon to get kick out of the series, but I agree that is kinda boring to see him in most of the Zelda plots.

In my opinion, Nintendo should do somethong similay to Majora's Mask. A completely different storyline and villain. Then, make like two games progressing that different storyline.

And finally, after those games, bring Ganon back to make evreyone feel like he's a refreshing villain to fight again. That would make us feel like Ganon isn't as boring as he has become.

Hehe, sorry for my grammar mistakes, but I'm falling asleep. =/

Anyway, good article =)

I have to agree with Arrowhart, the fates of Ganon, Link and Zelda are forever bound by the Triforce and therefore, must be broken apart from one another in order to take out one of them from the series.

However, getting back on topic, if we lose Ganon, we lose many parts of the Zelda series that we love. If we get rid of Ganon, we have to get rid of many of our favorite items in the game such as the Triforce and the Master Sword. Now, this may or may not be a bad thing, but in the case of the next LOZ game, the Master Sword is in it, so Ganon logically must also be in it.

I also put this on the Zelda Universe site in 3 parts - Here it is in one thing:

Hmmm. Ganondorf is a major part of the Zelda series. He is the Triforce of Power after all. On the other hand, games like Majora's Mask are quite good and challenging without him. Thus the argument of whether taking Ganondorf out will kill the series (or at least hurt it a lot) or make it fresh and let it reinvent itself to be another Ocaraina of Time so to speak. TP could have been great even with Ganon taken out - Zant held his own and the main story revolved around him - but yes Ganon gave him that power.

Has Ganondorf worn out his presence? Bowser in the Mario games certainly has in my opinion - Bowser feels like a bad joke that keeps coming back - they need a Mario 2 with Wart again so that we have another cool villian which gives us a break from Bowser to appreciate him more when he does return - perhaps the same could be done with Zelda? The Skull Kid is a cool villian in Majora's Mask, and in Wind Waker we don't see Ganondorf that much. So perhaps, we need a break from the routine and let another baddie step up to prove that he too (or she) can be decisively evil and heartless and make Link take on one of the hardest foes in his career. Perhaps, if we don't discard Ganon but merely let him sit on the bench for a few games we can rejoice when he does return, and he has been reimagined and become more evil and seems more of a threat than a rerun where we say, "same old same old" or "here we go again", but rather where we can stand up and cheer and say, "Yes, he's back and he seems worse than ever and I'm ready to challenge him again!"

Series have been rebooting in film and doing quite well for the most part. Why can't Zelda skip the reboot and just have some other villains for a while so that it will feel new and fresh when Ganondorf makes a triumphal and sinister return.

So, what I am trying to say is that maybe Ganon shouldn't be dropped forever but for a time. There needs to be room for originality, a chance to take Link to new places, and growth. Perhaps then the Zelda series can expand and grow and when the time is right Ganon can return into that type of setting which enables him to be evil in whole new ways and become even more of a threat and challenge. Change can be a good thing, but there should always be a way back should it not work.

Actually in OOT you do not kill him,you seal him in the sacred realm and also end up creating a time paradox.

Well I agree with this article. Ganondorf's comebacks are a real pain in the ass now a days. Nintendo needs something fresh and should create either a new villan for the rest/most of the series or they should give him a makeover. Like honestly they totally killed TP with Ganon! They should've keept Zant till the bitter end!! Zant was an awsome antagonist besides Majora. For the next game they should bring back Majora or Zant or a different villian (Vaati?) and use them for it. It would be fine if they left him out for a couple games but I don't think that people want to go through the whole "here we go again, Ganny" over and over. But if they do bring back Ganon, why don't they put him in his demon form (the form he used in ALTTP)?

You do *NOT* play as the same Link in every Zelda game. Each game is a tale of a similar hero tied to the same destiny/fate line... I mean if you didn't get this in Wind Waker then I don't see how I can even attempt to explain it here.

The Legend of Zelda is all about the conflict of Link, Zelda & Ganondorf. There would be something missing if he didn't appear in the games anymore.

While I agree that Majora is the best villain in any Zelda game to date, I don't think we'll ever see it again. Link completely destroyed the moon, the very core of its power. What could be cool would be a game about the ancient Termina, that's right, without Link or anything, which would make this 'break' you continue to speak of.

However, I doubt that would actually work, mainly because I see MM as a finished piece of art, you shouldn't touch it anymore. But maybe that's just me. But one thing is certain... If they bring Majora back for another game, maybe even set outside Termina, they would have to make a very good plot, or else it would all just seem stupid.

You know what would be great? If Ganondorf wasn't made the bad guy in say, the next five Zelda games. He could of course be referred to, but I think he should take a proper break from the series. This could give room for a new main villain, maybe more than one. Seriously, anybody but Vaati or Zant, they've already been run to the ground.

And then when everyone has forgotten about him.. BAM! A beautiful comeback!

It would be cool if a god that was evil or turned evil was the main antagonist and ressurected Ganon as a minion.

I think Ganondorf should stay. Though I see your point about him rendering Zant into a useless babbler in TP, that doesn't mean he should be cut out. I like the fact that Ganondorf is the villain. He's got a presence about him that makes him the number 1 Nintendo villain in my book.

Now, I wouldn't mind facing Ganondorf only to find out that he's been the puppet the whole time to some greater, darker evil. And with everyone clambering for someone close to Link to die (for story purposes, I guess), I think this is becoming more viable.

I do think that Ganon needs a break, but what if we approached this a different way? What if Ganon takes a break (from 1 or 2 games), then comes back, only to die and be succeeded by a minion who planned to take the Triforce of Power the whole time? Then you have to bring Ganon back to help you defeat this new guy. We'd have a new villian, and Ganon wouldn't be in the same position. It would go really far in changing things up a bit.

In response to cooolman229:

You have a great idea seriously. If you were to write that game you could be a rich person and I'd praise you for a looooooooooooooong time and buy every game you make.

There is nothing wrong with letting Ganon sit on the bleachers for some time as change can be a good thing as long as the directors make it so they can abort the change if necessary and go back to the old formula we all know.

Unfortunately the noisy "Fanboy" bots will try to stop your production by trash talking you and you'll wind up without a job real fast as soon as you say one critic on TLOZ. :(

The "Ganon iz s00 Kool ROFLMAO" !" kind of fanboys will really get riled up.

I think Ganondorff should be a boss and when hes defeated he'll realize that everything hes done is bad so he'll join up wth the good side and beat a bigger evil with Link

I see where you coming from but getting rid of Ganon also meens geting rid of Link and Zelda since they are all bound to the triforce forever (not counting Ganon losing the triforce at the end of TP), hence the re-incarnation explained in WW, so by removing one charecter you create a gap that would require its own triforce counterparts and not the originals.
--I do agree thoughthat other than his fight in TP his role was completely useless and he could have been much better if Nintendo brought him in earlyer in the game

I don't think I agree, if anything Ganondorf's role in Zelda games haven't been as impressive as they used to. It's not the formula, it's how Ganon is presented in the flow of the game itself. Obviously Link will defeat Ganon in every game, just like Mario will defeat Bowser everytime, Nintendo just has to make Ganon seem more threatening and a bigger deal to work to get rid of again, but more importantly to save Princess Zelda.

I will agree Zant's potential was ruined because of Ganon's inclusion in the game, but TP was overall a very lack luster experience in my opinion so it wouldn't have done the game any favors for me if he wasn't in it.

I agree that Ganon is a part of the trio that make up the core of the game, although I also agree that he doesn't have to be in every game. You can't just permanently get rid of him though. I really like the idea of Link having to team up with Ganon to fight off a "greater evil". Then we would get the opportunity to play through the game as Ganon and maybe get a feel for his "dark magic". Being able to wield his power, may give us a better appreciation for it.

I also agree that it's time to change things up and not always have the same basic plot. I want to be surprised, I want to tremble on my way to fight the last boss (like I did in LoZ & AlttP), I want to explore Hyrule in a new way (with less water) or a new land, and I want to do it all with the Master Sword - Ganon or no Ganon.

I think he needs to stay and he needs to be scary again. Link without Ganon is like Superman without Lex. Sure there are other villians, but Ganondorf needs to stay in the picture as the dark master of evil that he is.

Ganondorf becoming a (unwilling) ally would be cool... Kind of like the plot of Subspace Emissary (Super Smash Bros Brawl)...

I do not think you know that Ganon and Ganondorf are two different entities. In Oot you only kill Ganon the monster and when you are sent back in time Ganondorf is still alive.

My opinion on the subject is that Ganondorf is simply not being portrayed in any really original ways. It's mainly the way he was presented that is the problem, not the character himself. Because of this I feel that the idea of scrapping him all together is a bit drastic, he just needs a better portrayal as a character and within the story.( and it worth mentioning that the stories in Zelda have never been particularly detailed or important to the majority of the game.)

I would also like to state my opinion on the many deaths of Ganondorf. Firstly, as Bibliophile stated, you do not actually kill him in OoT. He is simply sealed away in the Sacred Realm. Next, in my theory of the timeline the Adult Timeline consists solely of TWW and PH, so Ganondorf's death in TWW is actually a fairly complete death, what with him being crush by an ocean of water. Third, TP takes place after MM in the Child Timeline, and his death in this game is actually permanent. Lastly is his death in LoZ. Before I talk about LoZ though I have to explain that FSA comes after TP( actually FS comes after TP and then FSA happens) and introduces a new Ganondorf which becomes the Ganon in the Old Storyline. LoZ, AoL, OoA, and OoS come at the end of the Child Timeline, so Ganon dies in LoZ as you said, their is a threat that he will be revived in AoL that is never made good on, and in the Oracles he is revived and killed again at the end of the linked quest. I'm not saying that this make these deaths any less redundant, but it helps me to keep a perspective on these various deaths.

Also, on a side note, it was your choice to use the fishing rod in the final battle with Ganondorf in TP, so you shouldn't use that to claim that the final battle was anti-climactic.

I agree completely that Zant was a much better villain in TP than Ganondorf. And if the fight we did get to have with him is any indication, he probably would have been a much better final boss, too.

When I got to the cutscene at the end of the Arbiter's Grounds, where Ganondorf is first introduced into Twilight Princess's story, my reaction was something to the effect of, "oh, I see, this is where the entire writing staff quit halfway through development."

I was really looking forward to hearing more about the Twili, and the fused shadows, and all of the other stuff that the game had been foreshadowing up until that point. That creepy cutscene with all of the floating zombie-Ilias (or whatever the hell that was), in particular, felt like it was setting up for something.

But, of course, the payoff never came.

Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, Ganondorf, as both a boss and a character, peaked in Wind Waker. And while I'm not against ever bringing him back again, I think he should at least be given a good, long break from the series. God knows, he's certainly earned it.

I agree with most of this arcticle. I doubt Nintendo will ever get rid of Ganondorf completly, but take him out of the series for a while, PLEASE! I was very satisfied to actually KILL Ganondorf in TWW and TP. Most of time, it's sealing him into the Sacred Realm or something like that, and you know he will return to bother you again someday. And it's always the same story: kidnap Zelda, go to familar place, transfrom it to his lair, wait for Link, and die. And it's ALWAYS about the Triforce. You'd think he change his plans once in a while, maybe just try and kill Link because he's always in the way and leave Zelda out of it.
It would be cool if Zant and Ganondorf switched places, where you were fighting against Ganondorf, and a greater evil comes and destroys him, and you have to go up against this greater evil. Zant was awesome untill Ganondorf showed up.

I thought the introduction of Ganon made the scope of the game bigger than it was previously. At first I thought Zant had the triforce of power, but then you see how TP fits in with entire storyline (an ALttP replacement, some guy comes trying to ressurect Ganon after the Seal War, and then after you kill him, Ganon comes back, so then you have to go kill Ganon)

@ SilentEcho Ever play the Super Smash Bros. series? you can play Ganon there.

I believe that Ganondorf should stay, but they should expand the possibilities of the game. For example, here's an idea I had. You should spend the game trying to stop the ressurection of Ganondorf,(like AoL) but as you progress through the game, you are prompted with good and evil choices. As you make these choices you will accumulate good and evil points, and the amount of good/evil points you have will affect the ending. So, if you are neutral, you will fight the one reviving Ganondorf, and after defeating him, he/she will be empowered by Ganondorf and you will fight him again. If you are good, Ganondorf will return after you defeat the one reviving him (similar to ALttP) and you will battle him. And if you are evil, you will kill whomever is ressurecting Ganondorf and revive him yourself, and Ganondorf will give some of his dark power to you, and then you will go to fight the king of hyrule. Just an example, but it would be nice as it would keep the game (and Ganondorf) interesting for a while.

i agree and disagree, i think ganondorf should be smarter and more evil, or nintendo should just bag him and make a new bad guy

ganon should really be made into an ally, HEY ANOUMA AND MIYAMOTO HEAR THIS!!!!:here are some ideas:how about ganondorf captures zelda and link (probably her husband by now [: (;)sets out on a quest to save her and in the second dungeon link battles ganondorf and when the battle is about to end tis great evil god or godess knocks out both of them and takes the triforce from them,so ganondorf,link and zelda have to team up to destroy the evil godess, and at the end,ganon takes the whole triforce and transforms into the coolest beast nintendo has ever seen,and the last battle is really hard,thats what im thinking,

and for the next 3 games after the one im thinking,ganon should be left out,and then when he comes back,he shouldnt be main villian or last boss

i do agree with what you said on Zant. I thought he was great!!! best evil person i've ever seen! though, this may be due to the fact i had being playing only mario games before this, but still! Zant is like my favorite evil character!! i thought fighting Ganondorf was fun in twilight princess personally, but still the game would have been fine without it. or even better, Ganondorf had never worked with Zant, and then at the last minute he butted in, made Zant go insane, and then went on his merry way to Hyrule castle in attempts to take over! how awesome would that be?

It's possible to remove Ganon from the games while still honouring his presence in the mythos of the series. If you look at Lord of the Rings there is Sauron, who is very Ganondorf-like but was originally the lieutenant to the prime evil in that universe.
The end of Wind-Waker seems to be breaking the Hyrulean cycle of Ganons struggle for the Triforce, and I see no better opportunity for the rise of a new evil, indirectly influenced by the shadow of Ganon (to keep the legend alive, but not with such a direct subordination as Zant).

Well,a Zelda game with at least one of the classic aspects cant be a Zelda game, and i think its the same with Ganon.

Fist of all, I love Bowser, and i would never forgive Nintendo if he leaves forever. Bowser has been the typical villain,anti-hero, has allied Mario, being left aside of the history, or didnt appear at all, and your all tired of him, and that would be the same with Ganondorf, youll get tired of him anyway.

I dont mean that games like MM or PH dont have any relevance or meaning, but the main traits are the ones that define the serie. I think that the problem isnt Ganon, the Triforce or something like that, I think the main problem is that in order for the characters to be refreshed you need to refresh the whole series, and that doesnt mean taking off the main aspects of it.

The only answer I find is that the history is developped before the gameplay, and the later addpats to the history, not the other way. Thoutgh, its NINTENDO, so its alomst impossible for that to happen.

hmmm...you know what would have been cool? if zant had actually gone and overthrown GANONDORF somehow. i mean, just think of the irony!

To be 100% fair here, and I know I said this before... but Ganon has appeared in just over half the games. That means... there are lot of Zelda games that do not have him. That being the case, when it comes to the point that when a game does have him it's a negative... it's time to say goodbye.

The reason people dont find Ganondorf interesting anymore is because we dont know very much about him. To make us interested in Ganondorf's existence we would want to know what he was doing and why he was doing it in great detail (like childhood problems for example) rather than the linear and increasingly anticlimactic situation of him being there to provide a way to end the story.