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Calamity Ganon,(BotW | SSBU | HWAoC) also known as the Great King of Evil(BotW)[5] and the Calamity,(BotW)[5] is a recurring major antagonist in The Legend of Zelda series.[1]

Characteristics[]

Breath of the Wild[]

Hyrule Compendium Entry

160 (165) Calamity Ganon
BotW Hyrule Compendium Calamity Ganon
Description
The source of the darkness that has appeared time and again throughout Hyrule's history. It's been called many names, from "Great King of Evil" to "Calamity." Hibernating within a cocoon, it attempted to regenerate a physical form after Link awoke but was forced to confront him in an incomplete state.
Common Locations
Hyrule Castle
Recoverable Materials
None

Calamity Ganon is known as a primal evil that has appeared throughout Hyrule's history.[6][7] Ten thousand years before the events of Breath of the Wild, he appeared to ravage the world, in an event known as the Great Calamity.[8] In preparation for this, the Sheikah built a massive army of mechanical weapons called Guardians to aid the unnamed hero and princess.[9] Four massive mobile fortresses known as Divine Beast served as the centerpieces of this army. With this collaboration between the Sheikah and the Hylians, Ganon was sealed beneath Hyrule Castle where he laid dormant for many millennia.

One hundred years prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, a prophecy warned of the return of Ganon.[10][11] Hoping to prepare in the same fashion as their ancestors, the Hyrulians began working to locate and excavate the Divine Beasts and Guardians.[12] Four Champions from each of Hyrule's races were chosen to pilot the Divine Beast of their people[13] and the restoration of the mechanical army seemed to be a phenomenal success.[14] Meanwhile, Princess Zelda worked to awaken her sealing powers alongside a young knight, Link, who had been appointed as her protector.[15] Zelda was determined to awaken her power and prayed at the three springs of the goddess Hylia in Hyrule, but her efforts were met with failure.[16] Minutes after she had finished praying at the Spring of Wisdom, Ganon broke the seal that kept him dormant in Hyrule Castle and rose up around it.

In a move unanticipated by the Royal Family of Hyrule, Calamity Ganon managed to corrupt the entire Guardian army with his Malice and turned them against the Hyrulians.[4] Even the Divine Beast, with their pilots slain, fell under the control of incarnations of Ganon's Malice known as the Blight Ganons.[17][18] With its strongest weapons turned against it, Hyrule was laid to ruin and Link grievously wounded, requiring him to sleep in the Shrine of Resurrection for 100 years.[19][20][21] Zelda went to confront the Ganon on her own and managed to seal it once more, though this required her to also become its prisoner to maintain the seal.[22]

Throughout Link's journey during the events of Breath of the Wild, Ganon can be seen swarming around Hyrule Castle,[22] where Zelda is using her power to keep him tethered there.[23] When Link arrives at the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle, Ganon is found hibernating within a cocoon, attempting to regenerate a physical form.[24] Link awakes Ganon from this process prematurely, confronting him in an incomplete form resembling a grotesque mixture of Ganondorf, Malice, and Guardian parts.[24] Ganon fights with a mixture of attacks used by his four incarnations of Malice.

Calamity Ganon has an influence on monsters. One hundred years ago, as Calamity Ganon's revival grew nearer, the number of monsters found throughout Hyrule increased. After Ganon's revival, monster activity became even more fierce. During the Blood Moon previously killed monsters are resurrected.[25]

Other Appearances[]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

Calamity Ganon — Spirit Battle Information

SSBU Calamity Ganon Spirit Icon
Calamity Ganon
SSBU Primary Spirit Icon Primary Spirit
No. 243
Team Power SSBU Shield Type Icon Shield | 13900 Rank ★★★★ LEGEND Fighter(s)
Stage Great Plateau Tower (Ω) Theme "Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form" Giant SSBU Ganondorf Stock Icon 5 Ganondorf
Ally SSBU Zelda Stock Icon 2 Zelda
Rule(s) Sudden Damage Hazard(s)
Condition(s)
 · You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd
 · You'll occasionally take sudden damage after a little while
 · The enemy is giant

Calamity Ganon — Spirit Information

SSBU Calamity Ganon Spirit Icon

Calamity Ganon
No. 243
Lv. 1
Type ATTACK Strength 2466
Rank ★★★★ LEGEND Defense 2466
Slot(s) Power 4932
Trait
This Spirit has no Trait.

Calamity Ganon appears as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has no ability.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[]

Calamity Ganon retroactively debuts during the second Great Calamity. In an attempt to ensure that his manifestation cannot be averted, he sends a piece of himself through the time warp used by Terrako to stop it from changing the future. Soon afterward, he tries to use a possessed Guardian in an attempt to kill Zelda as she, Link, and Impa are on their way to the Royal Tech Lab.

Calamity Ganon eventually gained a more complete form after having his Harbinger Ganon form absorb Astor after the two were fought into a corner by the Champions of Hyrule. This form resembled a gigantic, Malice and Sheikah technology-fused version of his human form, albeit with a slightly piggish snout. He was also invincible in this form, forcing the Champions to their knees until Terrako, reactivated after being forced to fight the Champions due to Calamity Ganon, proceeded to intercept Calamity Ganon's attack on Zelda and self-destructed, weakening Calamity Ganon enough to ultimately seal him away.

Calamity Ganon can also be unlocked as a playable Warrior by completing Challenges pertaining to the Blight Ganons until a trio of three Challenges unlock where players must challenge the three final bosses in one-on-one confrontations. Completing the Challenge "Versus Calamity Ganon" will unlock him. His weapon is the Malice-infested Ancient Screws, as part of his form is derived from Terrako.

The playable version of Calamity Ganon is slightly smaller than the boss version, though he can still use many of the same attacks. His unique ability is to spread Malice when performing combos and certain Strong Attacks. His Unique Action will have Ganon absorb Malice back into his body, filling the Malice gauge. Filling it completely will have him enter his Calamity form, where he gains new and powerful combos. Either combo will not only stagger strong enemies and bosses but expose their Weak Point on contact. His Enhanced Ability allows him to spread even more Malice in his Calamity form with his normal combo.

Tears of the Kingdom[]

ALttP Book of Mudora Artwork 2
This article or section does not sufficiently cite its sources.

Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations.

Although Calamity Ganon doesn't officially appear in Tears of the Kingdom, the entity is briefly mentioned by Impa after the latter returns to Kakariko Village following the completion of various Main Quests in the game as the Demon King's hatred manifest. Zelda also indirectly alludes to Calamity Ganon when she expresses to King Rauru her uneasy suspicions about Ganondorf's true character after his show of fealty, citing that his name alone gave her dread.[26] In addition, part of Ganondorf's transformation sequence into the Demon Dragon after committing draconification bore a striking resemblance to the incorporeal form of Calamity Ganon.

Trivia[]

  • Calamity Ganon may be inspired by Tiānpéng Yuánshuài, a face of the Chinese goddess Doumu described in《道法会元》, a biography of Taoism and Chinese mythical stories compiled in Ming Dynasty. In《道法会元》, his physical appearance is described as such: "He was scarily imposing with three heads and six arms, red hair, red armor all over; Holding a magic seal, an axe, a firm rope in left hands and a convulsion bell, a symbolic artifact of constellations and a long sword in right. He leads 360,000 warriors; travels along with scary and dark gas, in which there is a five-colored cloud."
    • Tiānpéng Yuánshuài is the pre-incarnation of Zhu Bajie from the novel Journey to the West. Ganon's boar-like appearance was inspired by Zhu Bajie. In fact, during development of the first Zelda game, Ganon was originally going to be named Hakkai, the Japanese transliteration of Zhu Bajie.[27]

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
United KingdomEnglishBRCalamity Ganon (BotW)
JapanJapanese厄災 ガノン (Yakusai Ganon) (BotW)[28]Same as English.
ChinaChineseSI灾厄 盖侬 (Zāi'è Gàinóng) (BotW)
Taiwan, Hong Kong, MacaoChineseTR災厄 加儂 (Zāi'è Jiānóng) (BotW)
NetherlandsDutchGanon, het Onheil (BotW | HWAoC)[29][30]Ganon, the Calamity
CanadaFrenchCAGanon, le Fléau (BotW)[31]
Fléau Ganon (HWAoC)[32]
Scourge Ganon
FranceFrenchEUGanon, le Fléau (BotW)[33]
GermanyGermanVerheerung Ganon (BotW)[34]
ItalyItalianCalamità Ganon (BotW)[35]
South KoreaKorean재앙 가논 (Jaeang Ganon) (BotW)
RussiaRussianБедствие Ганон (Bedstviye Ganon) (BotW)[36]
SpainSpanishEUGanon, el Cataclismo (BotW)[37]
Latin AmericaSpanishLAGanon, el Cataclismo (BotW)[38]
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

See Also[]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Scourge of Hyrule Castle
    Calamity Ganon
    " — N/A (Breath of the Wild)
  2. "Ganon
    A Calamity Enveloped in Malice
    " (Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 75)
  3. "Hatred and Malice Incarnate
    Calamity Ganon
    " — N/A (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Ganon was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagining. He appeared from deep below Hyrule Castle, seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and turned them against us." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  5. 5.0 5.1 "It's been called many names, from "Great King of Evil" to "Calamity."" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  6. "The history of the royal family of Hyrule is also the history of Calamity Ganon, a primal evil that has endured over the ages." — Impa (Breath of the Wild)
  7. "The source of the darkness that has appeared time and again throughout Hyrule's history." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  8. "Upon Ganon's inevitable return to Hyrule, the princess and the hero fought alongside these four Champions against this ancient evil." — Impa (Breath of the Wild)
  9. "The people thought it wise to utilize their technological prowess to ensure the safety of the land, should Calamity Ganon ever return. They constructed four mechanical wonders that came to be known as the Divine Beasts. They also built a legion of autonomous weapons called Guardians." — Impa (Breath of the Wild)
  10. "The return of Ganon looms—a dark force taunting us from afar. I must learn all I can about the relics so we can stop him. If the fortune-teller's prophecy is to be believed, there isn't much time left..." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  11. "Stories of Ganon were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales. But there was also...a prophecy. "The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear. And the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground."" — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  12. "We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn't long before we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. These relics, the Divine Beasts, were giant machines piloted by warriors. We also found the Guardians, an army of mechanical soldiers that fought autonomously." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  13. "We selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule and tasked them with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  14. "The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon..." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  15. "One hundred years ago, there was a princess set to inherit a sacred power and a skilled knight at her side." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  16. "So you didn't feel anything? No power at all?" — Revali (Breath of the Wild)
    "I'm sorry, no." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  17. "That...thing is one of Ganon's creations." — Mipha (Breath of the Wild)
  18. "You're here to wrest control of Medoh away from Ganon, correct?" — Revali (Breath of the Wild)
  19. "The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the princess...And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by Calamity Ganon." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  20. "I spoke with Purah about the Shrine of Resurrection we discovered earlier. As we speculated, this particular shrine is, in fact, a medical facility with the power to heal. It also has a long-term stasis function that can be activated and maintained until healing is complete." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  21. "You have been asleep for the past 100 years." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  22. 22.0 22.1 "I assume you caught sight of that atrocity enshrouding the castle. That...is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin. It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake. For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain that evil. But just barely. There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is fast approaching..." — Old Man (Breath of the Wild)
  23. "The words of guidance you have been hearing since your awakening are from Princess Zelda herself. Even now, as she works to restrain Ganon from within Hyrule Castle, as she calls out for your help." — King Rhoam (Breath of the Wild)
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Hibernating within a cocoon, it attempted to regenerate a physical form after Link awoke but was forced to confront him in an incomplete state." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  25. Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 406
  26. "King Rauru... I believe that man [Ganondorf's] heart holds many dark ambitions. Just his name... Even that... It gives me pause." — Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  27. https://archive.today/20120629063241/http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/iwata/iwata_asks_-_zelda_handheld_history_15603_15604.html
  28. "163 厄災 ガノン" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  29. "163 Ganon, het Onheil" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  30. "Vleesgeworden Haat
    Ganon, het Onheil
    " — N/A (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
  31. "163 Ganon, le Fléau" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  32. Hyrule Warriors : L'Ère du Fléau | Nintendo Switch | Jeux | Nintendo, www.nintendo.fr, retrieved September 8, 2020.
  33. "163 Ganon, le Fléau" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  34. "163 Verheerung Ganon" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  35. "163 Calamità Ganon" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  36. "163 Бедствие Ганон" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  37. "163 Ganon, el Cataclismo" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
  38. "163 Ganon, el Cataclismo" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
The Legend of ZeldaThe Adventure of LinkA Link to the PastLink's AwakeningOcarina of TimeMajora's MaskOracle of SeasonsOracle of AgesFour SwordsThe Wind WakerFour Swords AdventuresThe Minish CapTwilight PrincessPhantom HourglassSpirit TracksSkyward SwordA Link Between WorldsTri Force HeroesBreath of the WildTears of the Kingdom
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