Ganon may be returning as the main villain in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, and it seems likely that he is returning to his base form as Ganondorf before being consumed by Malice.

Malice is the force that created Calamity Ganon, a separate entity from any previous iterations of Ganon. With what little is known about Breath of the Wild 2's story, there is still enough to piece together a theory using the cutscenes provided in both trailers. It may even reveal what brought on the Great Calamity and why Malice infected the Divine Beasts.

RELATED: The Importance of Time Travel in The Zelda Franchise, Including Breath of the Wild 2

10,000-Year-Old Seal is Broken in Breath of the Wild 2

Ganon and Calamity Ganon seem to be different entities; the latter being a massive power formed by Malice, generated by Ganon originally. Ganondorf and Ganon are not the same. Ganondorf is usually an incarnation of Ganon, so Ganondorf's corpse is likely shown in the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer cutscenes. The prophecy from the original Breath of the Wild claims that the original Great Calamity happened 10,000 years prior, but was sealed away.

Moreover, after the first Great Calamity, The Sheika sealed Ganon underneath Hyrule Castle. Apparently, this was a temporary solution, as Ganondorf seems to be oozing malice despite being sealed away. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, Ganondorf most likely fueled his malice through the seal to take over the guardians during the second Great Calamity.

In the second trailer, by piecing together what little Nintendo has provided, Ganondorf seems to enact an escape plan when the heroes happen upon him. Brief shots show the malice oozing from Ganondorf attacking Link's right arm, which explains why the hand from the seal grabs Link's arm and fuses itself to his arm. With the power of the seal in Link's arm, it seems that it will play a crucial role in sealing Ganon again.

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Predicting Ganon's Plan in Breath of the Wild 2

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Piecing the rest together, Ganon's role in Breath of the Wild 2 may be similar to Calamity Ganon if he remains up in the sky with Hyrule Castle. However, it may be the case that Ganon is returning to his original plan for the first Great Calamity. From what is known about Ganondorf from previous titles, he is a man with an insatiable lust for total domination. Like his other incarnations, this Ganondorf is a Gerudo man. Every 100 years, a Gerudo male is born and becomes their leader. Perhaps this iteration of Ganondorf had similar goals of conquering Hyrule, much like Windwaker's Ganondorf.

A very curious feature included in the most recent trailer is that Hyrule Castle, and much of Hyrule, is raised into the sky. Perhaps he plans to separate Link and Zelda so that he can pick them off one at a time for their pieces of the Triforce. In previous titles, Ganondorf has routinely been after the Triforce so that he can dominate and mold Hyrule to his liking. It is equally just as possible that his role is to annihilate Hyrule by removing the kingdom entirely from the picture.

Time Travel and the Triforce

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There is a possibility that time travel will play a significant role in Breath of the Wild 2, and Link's arm is the key to this theory. In the most recent trailer for the sequel, Link's arm fuses with a mysterious aura and is transformed. With his new arm, Link has access to some time manipulation powers. This gameplay element may be just that, yet it could play a crucial role in the story. Time travel has been a staple of the Zelda franchise since Ocarina of Time and would not be out of place for Nintendo to include it in the newest entry.

The Triforce is another Zelda staple that Ganondorf has routinely attempted to reforge. There is no mention of the sacred triangle in the original Breath of the Wild, meaning that it may appear in Breath of the Wild 2. The Triforce would be one way of explaining why Calamity Ganon is more powerful than any other iteration of Ganon, meaning that in the 10,000 years before Breath of the Wild, Ganondorf wished upon the Triforce to cause the Calamity. It would also explain why, despite the Sheika sealing him away, he can still cause another Calamity.

Where time travel fits into the plot is tricky, but it is possible that the goal of Breath of the Wild 2 is to re-write the course of history itself. If Ganondorf truly found the Triforce and made a wish, then it would make sense for Link and Zelda to go back in time to prevent him from making his wish. The only way to destroy someone so powerful would be to destroy them beforehand, which may be the plot of BotW 2.

Stop Ganondorf in the Past

The time travel theory has some weight to it due to evidence found by YouTuber NintendoBlackCrisis. The video spends some time discussing the scene of Hyrule Castle being lifted into the sky, specifically comparing the shot of Hyrule Field to shots from the original Breath of the Wild. The video concludes that the shots of Hyrule Field in the gameplay trailer are before the Great Calamity. This opens up the possibility that Link and Zelda need to travel back in time to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the power of Calamity Ganon.

There are many ways that the Zelda franchise has been able to fit time travel into its narratives. Whether it was through the will of the Master Sword, the plan of the Goddess Hylia, time crystals, there is no shortage of items and characters that have at one point been able to use time travel. Therefore, the Master Sword may play a crucial role in the upcoming game.

One possibility is that now Zelda has access to her divine powers, she will likely use them to send Link back in time to prevent Ganondorf from achieving his goal. This could potentially lead to a race against Ganondorf to piece together the Triforce or to find a way to defeat him in the past before he has completely transformed. Either way, Ganondorf will be the focus of the main plot is still pure speculation.

Unfortunately, this is all there is to go on since Nintendo has so little actually confirmed. Many fans expect that this game will bring an end to the Zelda timeline or potentially end up with another split timeline. Although technically not canon, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity plays with this idea by creating a timeline where Link and Zelda successfully thwarted the Calamity in a war against Calamity Ganon. Perhaps Nintendo is willing to include some of these elements for the sequel to Breath of the Wild. The spin-off title also utilizes time travel, making the possibility of its use in the sequel much less far-fetched.

Breath of the Wild 2 is set to release in 2022 for Nintendo Switch consoles.

MORE: If Demise Returns in Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Will Ghirahim Return Too?