The Legend of Zelda series has become so closely associated with its main villain, Ganon, that the concept of each are practically inseparable. That's just a fancy way of saying that Ganon is the best villain The Legend of Zelda has ever or will ever have. Ganon is to The Legend of Zelda as Darth Vader is to Star Wars. He is the big bad of the Zelda universe, and we would all be disappointed if we were playing as Link and we didn't get to face off against Ganon in a game. (You know which game I'm talking about.)

To any outside observer, it should be completely understandable why we all prefer Ganon as our main villain. He's got the villain shtick down. He's large and imposing when compared to Link. He's got different forms that he can turn into when he's in an especially bad mood. Plus, he also has this snobbish attitude that is so pretentious, you would dislike him even if he wasn't trying to steal all the pieces of the Triforce and take over Hyrule.

Part of what makes Ganon so formidable is his body and the skills he has honed while in it. The character design for Ganon is phenomenal. But even the most hardcore of Zelda fans may have forgotten a thing or too about good ole Ganon over the years. It doesn't mean you're not a fan if you've forgotten all these little factoids. It just means you spent so much time with Breath of the Wild learning its mechanics and story that your brain had to shove out some of those Ganon tidbits. Read on if you want to help your brain recuperate and gain those Ganon facts back.

25 Used To Feel Blue

These days, we are all used to seeing Ganon as this green-skinned behemoth who lumbers around the world and causes trouble. That wasn't always the case.

Ganon used to be a blue-skinned behemoth who lumbered around the world and caused trouble. I don't mean to discriminate against colors, but don't you think that green is a much more villainous color than blue? The switch to green was definitely a better choice. Ganon is way more threatening with that kind of appearance.

24 What's In A Name?

Ganon can go by a name other than "Ganon." Whenever he is in a humanoid form, it is widely accepted that Ganon should be known as "Ganondorf." This all started in Ocarina of Time, and while I like the idea of Ganon having more than one name, I think Ganondorf sounds a little...dorky. That's not just me who thinks so, right?

I've asked a couple of people who haven't played the Zelda games what they think of "Ganondorf," as a name, and they all seem to think it denotes a person with below-average intelligence, which is definitely not Ganon.

23 Loosely Shaped

More than once, Ganon has shown off his shape-shifting abilities in a game. Despite having a humanoid form that he can rely on, Ganon has enjoyed the privilege of turning into different things in order to serve his purpose.

His purpose is usually defeating Link in battle, so you can bet that he shape-shifts into forms that will deal the most damage to little Link. I occasionally think Ganon overextends himself too much when he turns into a towering beast in order to defeat a single Hylian.

22 In The Blink Of An Eye

When in possession of the Triforce of Power, Ganon's powers, which are already considerable, are enhanced. With his piece, Ganon gains the ability to teleport.

With just a thought, Ganon can disappear and reappear wherever he wants.

This makes for a pretty unfair fight. How are you supposed to battle someone who keeps popping up in places you least expect? Ganon's teleportation is not his most celebrated power, but it is one of his most useful.

21 The End Of Demise

Ganon's origins were revealed to us in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. As it turns out, Ganon is a reincarnation of the Demon King Demise. All of Demise's fury coalesced after he was destroyed and was reborn into Ganon. (That's why Ganon is constantly so angry.)

So take a good look at Demise the next time you play Skyward Sword. He is Ganon's past. It is honestly a toss-up whether or not Ganon's looks improved after he was reborn.

20 Earth-Altering Powers

I love it in fantasy series when a villain is so villainous that his ill intent shapes the land around him. Just by existing, the villain warps the natural world. Ganon is one of those villains. Whenever he's around, the world around him darkens and becomes twisted and corrupted.

He alters the environment with his hatred.

He also uses magic to physically alter the land when he's trying to mess with Link. Either way, I think it's clear that Ganon is an Earth-bender.

19 Master Organ Player

Ganon isn't only a villain who wrecks the land, steals away princesses, and dresses in fashionable villain-wear. He is also an extremely skilled organ player. He can play his own theme while Link is struggling to make his way through his fortress. (That was such a Ganon move.)

Well-rounded villains are one of the true joys you can find in video games. It's comforting to know that even while plotting for darkness to take over Hyrule, Ganon still had time to practice on the organ.

18 A Sword To Fear

Ganon is nearly all-powerful. There are very few items that can do him harm, and one of them is the Master Sword. You could attack Ganon six ways from Sunday, but unless you had that Master Sword in your possession, you wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Ganon is vulnerable to the Master Sword.

It is a holy sword, forged by the Goddess Hylia, and in nearly every Zelda game that it appears in, it is the only thing that can bring Ganon to his knees.

17 The Immortal Ganon

Ganon's fight with Link and Zelda appears to have lasted ages. Even though the games are chronologically out of order, it is clear that the fight between good and bad has been going on for years. This is due in large part because of the fact that Ganon is immortal.

With the Triforce of Power in his possession, Ganon can live forever.

This is great for us gamers because that means we get to have him as a villain for a long time. This is not so great for the citizens of Hyrule.

16 A Gerudo Of Trouble

It is hard to reconcile the images we see of the Gerudo in Gerudo Town with Ganondorf, but Ganon was indeed originally a Gerudo. Though he abandoned the Gerudo ways of life in order to become a major villain, Ganon used to be one of them.

The Gerudo are a race of mostly females. A male is born about once every one hundred years. It must have been pure bad luck that one of the rare males of the race ended up becoming the worst villain ever to threaten Hyrule.

15 A Trapped Soul

What is a body without a soul? It may surprise you to learn that Ganon has a soul just like any other person. However, since his soul is just a breeding ground for cruelty, Ganon's soul has to be contained so that its villainy won't spread.

I can't even begin to count how many times Ganon's spirit was locked up by Zelda or someone else. Each time, it just doesn't seem to last. Even without a body, Ganon is just too strong for good magic to restrain.

14 A Giant Among Kokiri

Ganondorf definitely meets villain standards when it comes to being physically imposing. He is nineteen feet tall. Nineteen. That is freaking huge. He's as tall as two Links standing on top of each other.

And that's not even taking into consideration how tall Ganondorf becomes when he abandons his humanoid form for something more bestial. Those forms of his end up being as high as fortresses. Forget Shadow of the Colossus. It should be "Shadow of the Ganon."

13 Quick For A Mountain

Despite being so large, Ganon is very fast. When he does deign to fight an opponent, Ganondorf is surprisingly agile. His large body mass does not get in the way of his speed.

He always catches me off guard when Link goes toe-to-toe against him. I expect slow swings and Bowser-esque reflexes. Instead, I get a guy who's closer to Sonic than Bowser. (Anybody else thinking that Ganondorf on Super Smash Bros. needs to be quicker than he is?)

12 Careful With Yourself

Remember how earlier we were talking about how Ganon is vulnerable to only a few things, one of which is the Master Sword? Another thing that Ganon is vulnerable to is his own magic.

If someone, let's say a little adventurer by the name of Link, were to turn Ganon's powers against him, Ganon would go down like a stack of cards. I think it's hilariously sad that one of the ways to defeat Ganon is created by Ganon himself.

11 Arachnophobia

If there is one thing that I fear most on this planet, it is spiders. Spiders just creep me out. So, of course, it makes perfect sense that Ganon has a spider form. Why wouldn't a video game try to spook its players by making its villain into one of the scariest creatures imaginable?

Both Puppet Ganon and Calamity Ganon are just too reminiscent of an arachnid for my comfort. They were scary to fight, but oh so satisfying to finally defeat.

10 Here You Go, My Minions

Despite being a dark lord, Ganon is also very generous. Ganon has the ability to gift his followers with his powers. They can then work his dark deeds with extra pizzazz.

What is hard to comprehend is the fact that Ganon has enough power to spare to countless minions while still keeping a large amount in reserve for himself. If he's still so powerful with his abilities spread out, imagine how powerful he would be if he kept it all to himself. Maybe outsourcing isn't the best practice for Ganon.

9 The Original Pig

If you've ever looked at Ganon and thought he looked somewhat piggish, you would not be far off. Ganon's design was supposed to be based off of a boar. This explains why Ganon's Beast Forms are constantly on the porcine side of things. Those tusks that he sports are not just for show.

Now you know for the future that if you ever run into Ganon in real life (like that'll happen), the best insult to throw at him would be a pig-related one. And then you should probably run for your life.

8 Swordspig Extraordinaire

You would think with all his other powers at his disposal, Ganondorf wouldn't need to study swordsmanship. He did, though, so now he's a formidable swordsman.

His strength and agility both come in handy during a sword fight with Link.

I guess between learning to play the organ and stealing the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf also taught himself how to use a sword properly. Is there anything he can't do? Imagine if Ganondorf learned how to create world peace. Violence would just cease to exist.

7 Strong Like Superman

Ganon doesn't need the Triforce of Power to be strong (though it does help). He's pretty mighty all on his lonesome.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Ganon is one strong fellow. Just take a look at him. He's a beefy guy. He could beat Link at an arm-wrestling contest if they decided to fight one of their battles in that fashion. (I doubt they would, but one can dream.) If you throw in the Triforce of Power, Ganon's strength just breaks through the roof.

6 Is Magic Cheating?

What has gone unsaid but shouldn't be forgotten is the fact that Ganon can use magic. (I know, I know. It's super obvious.) He was born with magical powers, but it is clear that his ambition and villainy caused those powers to grow.

A lot of the other Ganon facts that I have mentioned on this list are effects from the fact that he has innate magical abilities. Coupled with the Triforce of Power, a single piece of a magical artifact, Ganon's mystic abilities are made more impressive.