The 10 Most Powerful Versions of Ganon in Nintendo Games

10 Most Powerful Versions of Ganon in “Zelda” Games

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Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ll be looking at the 10 most powerful versions of Ganon in “Zelda” games. If there’s a Ganon we missed or one you think is more powerful than our picks, please tell us in the comments!

Most of the villainy in these Game Boy games is caused by the machinations of the witch sisters, Koume and Kotake. Their aim is to resurrect Ganon by sacrificing Princess Zelda. However, after Link defeats them, the duo use their own lives instead. Unfortunately for them, the Ganon they revive isn’t at full strength, and is practically a mindless brute. Still, his lust for violence is intimidating, as is his ability to teleport around the room and even reverse your controller inputs. This Ganon may be the weakest on our list, but he can still take you down if you’re not careful.

“The Legend of Zelda” (1986)

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No, it’s not misspelled! Well, it is, but it’s spelt this way in the games intro. The first Ganon to grace our screens, Gannon is pretty strong in terms of lore. He has the Triforce of Power and has laid waste to much of Hyrule. In battle though, that’s where he falls pretty flat. While he can turn invisible, and seems invulnerable to sword strikes, Gannon is actually fairly easy to kill – provided you have the right weapon. After hitting him with a sword enough to make him change colors, Link only needs to hit Gannon with a silver arrow to defeat him. That’s pretty weak, all things considered.

“Hyrule Warriors” (2014)

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Sure, this game isn’t quite canon, but there are only so many versions of Ganon folks! Resurrected in his human form, Ganondorf isn’t quite at his peak strength for most of this game. But this only makes it even more impressive that he’s able to rally armies and dominate fellow villains like Girahim and Zant. He does eventually gain all three parts of the Triforce and is poised to become nigh unstoppable, but the forces of Hyrule, led by Link and Zelda, manage to put a stop to him. Getting to play as this Ganondorf certainly endears us to him over even more powerful versions. Plus, the guy is probably one of the few to ever look cool with a mullet.

“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003)

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One of the most human versions of the character, this Ganondorf was sealed in an underwater prison after conquering Hyrule. Upon escaping, his powers are limited, but he continues to seek the Triforce to fulfill his ambitions. While he’s able to regain some of his former strength, and nearly gets his wish upon the full Triforce, Hyrule’s king takes the wish at the last moment. His plans foiled and the world literally crashing down around him, this is Ganondorf at his most desperate, and dangerous, since he has nothing left to lose. While his magic may not be as impressive as some of the other versions, this Ganondorf’s swordsmanship is top notch!

“Super Smash Bros.” Franchise (1999-)

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This is an outside the box pick, but hear us out! Yes, Ganondorf starts out as having essentially the same move set as Captain Falcon, but where Falcon is all about speed, Ganondorf is about power! Ganondorf legitimately has some of the most powerful attacks in this franchise, whether he’s delivering a purple, magic infused punch or just spiking opponents into the abyss. He can also turn into his monstrous form for his Final Smash, and appears as a boss character in some entries. If he isn’t your main, maybe you’re just not that good, hm?

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” (2013)

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One of the main antagonists of this pseudo sequel to “A Link to the Past” is Yuga, a vain sorcerer. In his quest for the Triforce, he revives and absorbs the version of Ganon from that game, and therefore the Triforce of Power. He also ends up acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom. This grants him both great physical strength and formidable magic. However, despite the strength of this version of Ganon, he lacks much in the way of agency, as the fusion of he and Yuga has the latter’s personality mostly in charge. And being the puppet of another villain doesn’t feel as powerful to us.

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1991)

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This Ganon defeated the original Link and made it the Sacred Realm, but was sealed there, eventually corrupting it to become the Dark World. Even trapped in another dimension, Ganon is able to manifest his will into Hyrule and manipulate the kingdom behind the scenes as Agahnim before making his return. He has the full Triforce and basically wins, to the point where Link has to make a wish to undo all the damage Ganon has done. And he’s no slouch in battle either, with his fire and trident packing quite the punch. Many would call this Ganon the strongest, and although we see why, we feel that the remaining versions exemplify his power better.

This Ganondorf is a beast! The Gerudo King survives his own execution and is banished to the Twilight Realm. There, he influences Zant to take over, all in the name of escaping back to Hyrule. Once there, Ganondorf manages to possess Zelda, battle Link in his bestial form and thoroughly trounce Midna. He then engages in a final sword duel with Link, which sees him defeated. While he might not technically have as much in-lore power as some other Ganons, “Twilight Princess” Ganondorf does rack up some of the most impressive feats of strength and magic we get to see on screen. And seeing is believing!

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

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It’s right there in his name – Calamity Ganon is a living disaster. A veritable force of nature, Calamity Ganon has wreaked havoc on Hyrule for 100 years, only barely being kept in check due to his imprisonment in Hyrule Castle. Yet, his influence is a literal blight on the land, corrupting everyone and everything he touches and encouraging the rise of monsters. Despite having all the power of a magical storm of evil, Calamity Ganon has all the intelligence of one too. He does lack some of the motivation and cunning of other Ganons, which hurts him somewhat. Still, raw strength goes a long way!

Yes, yes, we can hear the sticklers now – “But MojoPlays! This Ganondorf only has a third of the Triforce! That’s not as powerful as some of the others!” We hear you. But, consider this – in addition to taking over Hyrule and reigning for seven years (and having all his faculties), Ganondorf can also wield pretty powerful magic and turn into his Ganon form. Oh, and there’s the small matter of this being the original Ganondorf in the timeline! So even if he’s not as strong in this game as some of the others, he is all the others, and they are all him!