Those who have played any Legend of Zelda game (and even those who haven’t) are very familiar with Ganondorf Dragmire (also known as Ganon), the main antagonist in the Zelda series. His many titles have included King of Thieves, King of Evil, or the Dark Lord. Wielding dark magic and being the bearer of the Triforce of Power, Ganon has always been a powerful enemy for Link to battle. Over the ages and different games, Ganon has tried countless times to take over Hyrule with his power, only to be stopped by Link and Zelda.

Ganon is incredibly powerful and an intimidating villain. He commands hordes of monsters to do his bidding, his combat skills are impressive, and he has very powerful dark magic. He’s also taken many forms, such as a human, a monster, and even a phantom. Add the Triforce of Power into this mixture and it’s a wonder how Link manages to defeat Ganon.

But despite his popularity as a villain, there actually is quite a bit that we don’t fully know about Ganon. His presence is still often shrouded in mystery and most games don’t go a lot into his backstory, leaving fans to wonder and speculate about King of Evil. And that’s where fan theories come to play. Throughout the years, there have been many fan theories devoted to Ganon, discussing his origins, his power, and his motivations.

So here are 15 particularly interesting, if somewhat disturbing, fan theories about Ganon. If you think we’ve missed any, let us know!

15 Link Might Not Actually Be The Hero Of This Story

Via: youtube.com

This theory is actually a very interesting one and mostly involves the Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. It was shown that initially, Ganondorf wanted to take over Hyrule simply to make things better for his people, the Gerudo. While we don’t know much about the Gerudo, we do know they lived in a harsh environment, where death was common. Ganondorf wanted to take over Hyrule in order to bring his people out of the deadly desert into the lush lands. So initially Ganondorf’s desire for power came from the noble desire to help his people.

In Wind Waker, Ganondorf’s goal is simply to bring Hyrule back. In his mind, he has been betrayed by the Gods when they flooded Hyrule and he wants to restore Hyrule to its former glory. In both stories, Ganondorf simply wanted something better for his people. This theory continues to say that Ganondorf may have been a righteous king if not for the curse of Demise. At the very least, Ganondorf seemed to genuinely believe he was the good guy (at least until his sanity began to crumble).

It’s an interesting idea and it gives Ganondorf more depth.

14 His Lineage May Be More Watered Down Than You Think

Via: nintendowire.com

This theory is based on the simple fact that the Gerudo tribe consists of only women. In BOTW, it shows that the women travel outside of their city to find husbands. Based on the appearance of the Gerudo, it’s likely that only the genes of the mother carry through to their children. But occasionally, the genes of the father are expressed, and you get a male Gerudo once in a while. From this theory, we could conclude that Ganondorf is of mixed blood.

Further evidence to prove this is Ganondorf’s appearance. In most versions, Ganondorf looks very much Gerudo with his darker skin and red hair. But one difference between him and the Gerudo people (besides being male) is his ears. Most Gerudo have rounder ears, yet every version of Ganondorf is portrayed with very long and pointed ears, which is a common Hylian trait. This evidence points to the very likely fact that Ganondorf’s father was Hylian. This just begs the question: who was Ganondorf’s father?

13 Ganondorf's People Have Changed Drastically

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This popular theory came about in Twilight Princess when gamers noticed that the Gerudo people were no longer present. One theory was that the Gerudo people were rounded up and banished to the Twilight Realm after Ganondorf was defeated by Link in Ocarina of Time. The Gerudo people then became the Twili. There is some pretty good evidence to support this theory. One is Midna, the princess of the Twilight Kingdom.

Midna’s appearance suggests some Gerudo heritage, in that she has darker patches of skin and bright red hair. Midna also talks about how her people were descendants of those that were sent through the Twilight Mirror. What’s disturbing about this theory is that the Gerudo people were essentially punished for Ganondorf’s crimes. Arbiter’s Grounds also looked like a rather terrible prison with torture devices, suggest that the Gerudo people were likely tortured before getting banished. Yeesh, Hyrule, that’s a little much.

Via: zeldauniverse.net

One of the bigger mysteries of Breath of the Wild is Calamity Ganon. Where did he come from and what’s his story? There have been many theories and speculation. One big one is that some fans have theorized that Calamity Ganon is a reincarnation of Demise from Skyward Sword.

This theory would make sense since there are some similarities to Calamity Ganon and Demise’s earlier forms. Both are monstrous beings that are part of nightmares. Both were sealed away but eventually broke free. Both wished to wreak havoc on the world. This would also make sense since Demise said that his hatred would manifest in later years. Calamity Ganon seems to be one giant mass of hatred, malice, and evil. At the very least, Calamity Ganon seems to be a visual manifestation of Demise’s hatred.

11 Ganondorf May Have Had Something To Do With Majora’s Mask

Via: mikenintendo64.com

There’s some speculation on just who was responsible for creating the powerful Majora’s Mask. This theory suggests that it was the villains in Twilight Princess, the interlopers who created this demonic mask. This fits within the canon since Twilight Princess came after Majora’s Mask. But there are a few suggestions that perhaps Ganondorf was involved as well. If we believe the theory that the Gerudo became the Twili, and were thus known as the interlopers, then it would make sense that Ganon was perhaps involved with the creation of Majora’s Mask.

There are also quite a few references to the mask in Twilight Princess. Ganondorf’s armor contains designs similar to the mask, most notably that his chestplate looks similar to the mask. We also see references to Majora’s eyes on Zant’s outfit and Midna’s Shadow Helmet. At the very least, there is a connection between Majora’s Mask and the Twili, so there being a connection between Ganondorf and the mask isn’t that far off.

10 Ganon's Poor Horse Deserved Better

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Fans came up with this theory after seeing Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time. As part of the battle, Phantom Ganon comes riding up on his horse in the different paintings in the room. This horse looks remarkably similar to the horse Ganondorf was riding when Link confronted him as a child. Fans have theorized that this horse is actually dead and died sometime in the seven years that Ganondorf has been ruling Hyrule.

There’s some good evidence supporting this theory. We never see the horse when Link is an adult, except for when he’s fighting Phantom Ganon. There’s also the fact that when Link wins Epona from Ingo at Lon Lon Ranch, Ingo laments that Epona was supposed to go to Ganondorf. This implies that Ganondorf was looking for a new horse, which likely meant that his previous one had died.

9 He Might Not Be The Only Ganon Out There

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Although Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator, has said that while there are multiple Links, there is only one Ganon, several fans disagree. The Multiple Ganon Theory came about as a result of some contradicting elements in the different Ganons in different games, particularly Ganon’s backstory. The theory is that there is more than one Ganon/Ganondorf in the Zelda games. This could happen because either Ganondorf is trapped in the similar reincarnation cycle that Link and Zelda are, or that Ganon is an immortal being that possesses people throughout the ages, Ganondorf being one of them.

This theory could explain a few things like the contradicting backstories and how Ganondorf has died multiple times and yet come back. Other fans speculate that this happened because Ganon is the reincarnation of Demise, so the different versions of Ganon/Ganondorf are reincarnations of Demise’s hatred. This theory has gained a pretty wide acceptance, though nothing official has been said to confirm it.

8 His Twin Sword Fighting Style Is Not Unique To Him

Via: gamefaqs.com

This theory is less of a theory and more of a logical fact, but we definitely see some influences of the two. Ganondorf fights with twin swords, a style of fighting that was also seen in the Gerudo people. The question is whether the Gerudo tribe influenced Ganondorf, or if he influenced them. But you see some definite similarities.

We also see where Ganondorf got a lot of his dark magic from, namely Kotake and Koume, the twin dark witches. While it wasn’t confirmed, this theory is pretty solid in that much of Ganondorf’s style of fighting and magic are heavily influenced by those of the Gerudo tribe and the dark witches. The tribe is known for having its own dark magic and mystical elements, so it makes sense that Ganondorf would have this as well. This also explains why he has such powerful magic long before he comes into contact with the Triforce.

7 That Old Man Sure Looks Familiar...

Via: zeldauniverse.net

This theory has been debunked, but it was a fun theory that got you speculating about Breath of the Wild. After seeing trailers, fans speculated that the old man Link first meets in the beginning of the game was actually Ganondorf in disguise. There was some fairly solid evidence that supported this.

The old man’s facial features are a bit similar to Ganondorf’s, in that he had darker skin and a very prominent nose. His mysterious appearance and vague sayings could be seen as suspicious and as Ganondorf trying to help Link in order to help himself.

But this theory proved to be false when it was revealed (SPOILERS) that the old man was actually the ghost of the King of Hyrule. But it was still a fun theory that would’ve created an interesting character element in the game.

6 He's A Man That Can Live Forever (Basically)

Via: villains.wikia.com

While it’s not necessarily confirmed, the idea that Ganon is practically immortal is a pretty solid theory that fans have. It would also explain why Ganon has been around for all these years and is still in his prime. If we’re following the canon that the Ganon we see throughout the different games is the same one, then this theory carries more weight. Since he has the Triforce of Power, he is able to live on for a long time. Even in a lot of the games, when Link defeats Ganon, he doesn’t die, but instead is either sealed away, turns into rock, etc.

This would also explain why it’s almost impossible to kill him through normal means. For example, at his execution in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf was impaled by a sword, a move that should’ve killed him. And yet, due to the power he held from the Triforce, he survives and manages to kill one of the sages. He does die at the end of Twilight Princess, but according to Hyrule Historia, his hatred and evil thoughts traveled throughout time, manifesting in different ways. One way or another, Ganon somehow manages to live on.

5 He's A Manifestation Of Demise's Hatred

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Demise is the main villain in Skyward Sword. After being defeated by Link, he cursed Link and Zelda’s bloodline where his hatred would always be reborn, and that their descendants would always have to fight him. This set off the whole cycle that we’ve seen in all the Zelda games. This also means that Ganondorf is the manifestation of Demise’s hatred. However, some fans theorized that Ganondorf is an actual reincarnation of Demise.

The main reason behind this theory is the similarities in appearances to the two. Demise’s final form is a large humanoid man with fiery hair (literally, the hair is fire), darker skin and a prominent nose. Sound familiar? Ganondorf looks incredibly similar to Demise, so fans have speculated that Ganondorf is not just the manifestation of Demise’s hatred, but the reincarnation of Demise himself.

4 He's Actually Really Honorable

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It is possible for a villain to be honorable. Many villains have their own moral code that they follow, which often brings an interesting element to their character. Ganondorf is one of those villains to an extent. In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf took over Hyrule, killing many and causing much destruction. And yet there is one scene that stands out as him being a bit honorable.

When Link first confronts Ganondorf as a child, Link draws his sword, ready to fight. Ganondorf is amused by this, but quickly subdues Link with a blast of his dark magic. But instead of killing him, Ganondorf tells him that he admires his courage and willingness to fight, and he lets him go. It’s shown again in the final battle. Ganondorf could’ve likely taken down Link with one blow, but instead he decides to fight Link one on one.

Ocarina of Time isn't the only game where Ganondorf shows mercy. In Wind Waker, he spares Link's live twice, despite the fact that he could've killed him easily. In some cases, Ganondorf seems to be, oddly enough, a man of honor.

3 Ganon And Ganondorf Don't Share As Much As You Think

Via: comicvine.gamespot.com

There are several theories surrounding this idea. In most versions of the Zelda games, Ganon was either an alternate form of Ganondorf, or his true form. Most versions portrayed Ganon as a monstrous, boar-like beast, while Ganondorf was always portrayed as human. One fan theory is that in Ocarina of Time, Ganon is the true villain, while Ganondorf is just a person who was corrupted by him and became a vessel for him. Other theories put Ganon and Ganondorf as separate beings.

Some evidence behind this would be the fact that both Ganon and Ganondorf don’t always appear in the same games. Some games had just Ganondorf, some had just Ganon. If we believe the Multiple Ganon Theory as well, it could give this theory even more weight.

2 The Yiga Clan Are Responsible For His Return

Via: zelda.wikia.com

The Yiga Clan were an interesting set of villains in Breath of the Wild. They pledged loyalty to Ganon after they were supposedly betrayed by a past king. Interactions with them often led to them trying to kill Link since they were trying to prevent the hero from stopping Calamity Ganon.

But fans have a theory that it was the Yiga Clan who managed to summon Calamity Ganon after 10,000 years. This would make sense, since they’re loyal to Ganon still, and they weren’t destroyed 100 years ago when Calamity Ganon struck. There’s also the fact that what brought Calamity Ganon back wasn’t really explained. Fans also theorized that the great chasm that resides in the Yiga Clan hideout is where Calamity Ganon was originally summoned. It’s an interesting theory that actually works pretty well within the game’s story.

1 Calamity Ganon Exists Because Of Ganon's Hatred

Youtube user HMK came up with this theory after doing some research on Calamity Ganon.  The idea is that after Four Swords Adventure, where Ganon’s body was sealed away, he then gave up his physical form to create Calamity Ganon. So Calamity Ganon could be seen as a manifestation of Ganon’s hatred, similar to how Ganon was a manifestation of Demise’s hatred.

It’s an interesting theory and does explain why this form of Ganon has no human form that we know of, and also that this form is a bit more intangible at times. The physical form of Calamity Ganon is often fluid, manifesting as malice and hatred. It makes sense that it’s not bound by a physical form like the previous forms of Ganondorf were.