As the reincarnation of Demise and the humanoid form of Ganon, Ganondorf tends to play a pivotal in the majority of The Legend of Zelda games close to the timeline split, though he has been also mentioned in name many times in later titles, including Breath of the Wild. This monster of a man is not only responsible for one of the darkest moments in Hyrule's history, but for also splitting the Triforce on many occasions.

Related: Breath Of The Wild: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Calamity Ganon

Since Zelda's timeline isn't always linear, and with many pieces of information seemingly conflicting with one another between timelines, it's hard to nail down certain aspects of Ganondorf's character. His Ganon form is also seen far more often and the games tend to provide more information on this side of him.

10 He's Strong Even Without The Triforce Of Power

Triforce is Obtainable.

Even before he stole the Triforce of Power in Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf was a very powerful individual. Aside from his immense size and strength, he was also a gifted and powerful sorcerer before obtaining divine power. This was most likely the result of being raised by the Gerudo's two most powerful witches, Koume and Kotake.

Ganondorf's political position as the undisputed ruler of an entire race should also not go overlooked. Despite their state's small size compared to Hyrule's capital, the Gerudo have proven to be a more hardy and resilient race compared to others.

9 The Reason He's So Big

Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)

Even when compared to the other adults in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is absolutely enormous. Some might attribute this to him being a reincarnation of Demise, who was also quite large, but there's a much simpler reason for his stature. As one of the very few male Gerudo, of which one is only born every 100 years, it makes sense that he would keep the large size attributed to the Gerudo people, even if he isn't female.

Like Ganondorf, many of the Gerudo are significantly taller than other full-grown Hylians, particularly in Breath of the Wild, where they are easily the tallest race in the game.

8 The Importance Of His Birth

Ganondorf in Wind Waker

Ganondorf may be nothing more than the less-powerful version of Ganon in the eyes of many fans, but the importance of his birth to the Gerudo cannot be understated. As a race made up exclusively of women, the Gerudo have to constantly bring Hylian men back to the Gerudo Valley so they can procreate, which could have been a thing of the past had Ganondorf not turned evil.

Related: Breath Of The Wild: A Step By Step Guide To Challenging Ganon ASAP

Ganondorf's birth, rise to power, and subsequent turn to evil also resulted in a complete overhaul of the way the Gerudo chose their leaders, as it was mentioned in Breath of the Wild that they haven't had a male ruler since Ganondorf. Whether or not this is because of a change in politics or them simply not birthing any more males since Ganondorf isn't specified.

7 He Isn't The Only Bearer Of The Triforce Of Power

The three pieces of the Triforce are generally attributed to the three pivotal roles in the cycling destinies of Zelda: the chosen hero, the princess with a divine bloodline, and the reincarnation of Demise. However, there have been multiple times where these three people aren't the wielders of the Triforce, including the Triforce of Power associated with Ganondorf.

In A Link Between Worlds, Yuga obtained its power after fusing with Ganon, somehow managing to stay in control of both Ganon and the Triforce of Power's power.

6 Why He's Called The King Of Thieves

The Legend of Zelda - Ganondorf, Link

Until Breath of the Wild, the Gerudo people were portrayed as having questionable morals, with many of them being thieves or, in the case of Majora's Mask, pirates. Like the Zora in Ocarina of Time and Deku in Majora's Mask, they had somewhat of a makeover from previous games to make them more relatable, but their past as a society of thieves has carried on with Ganondorf.

The Gerudo may have cast away their thieving ways by the events of Breath of the Wild, but their history will always live on with Ganondorf.

5 He's A Musician

Ganondorf playing the pipe organ in Ocarina of Time

Music plays a very pivotal role in The Legend of Zelda series, with many modern versions of Link and Zelda having some kind of power ties to it, most notably in the Child and Adult Timelines.

While Ganondorf hasn't shown to be able to use music to enhance his powers in the same way as Link, he has shown to have a knack for playing the pipe organ. He is also apparently a fan of his own theme music, as he plays it on the pipe organ in Ocarina of Time.

4 He's Still A King

Ganondorf On A Throne

Although he was portrayed as a servant to the King of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, largely to get closer to the Temple of Time and the Sacred Realm, he is still a king throughout this game. It's not uncommon for lower-ranking royalty to serve another leader, although the way Ganondorf went about it was highly unusual and probably how he was caught in the first place.

Related: The Legend Of Zelda: Every Ganon Battle In Gaming History, Ranked

Instead of sending an emissary in his place, Ganondorf left the Gerudo Valley so he could manipulate the king of Hyrule himself, despite having the likes of Koume and Kotake at his disposal and being the ruler of an entire race of people.

3 He's The Only Male Gerudo Shown In The Series

hyrule warriors

For some reason, despite the Gerudo supposedly giving birth to one male every 100 years, Ganondorf is the only male Gerudo ever shown in the Zelda series.

Considering how the Gerudo were often shown as somewhat barbaric before the events of Breath of the Wild, it could be that the males born were cast away due to their royal birthrights that would usurp whoever was currently on the throne.

2 He's The Only Zelda Villain To Have Canonically Won

Game Over screen in Breath of the Wild

There have been a handful of villains in The Legend of Zelda with no connection to Ganon, such as Vaati and Majora's Mask, but neither of them has made as much of an impact on the world as Ganondorf. Canonically, Ganondorf, and by extension, Ganon, is the only villain in Zelda to have canonically won against the chosen hero, creating an entire timeline split that starts with A Link to the Past and ends with Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. 

Majora may have been able to create an entire alternate realm in the space of a few seconds, but even he didn't leave as much of a lasting impact as the King of Thieves.

1 There's Only One Ganondorf

Ganondorf in Breath of the Wild sequel trailer

Considering how many times the chosen hero has been reincarnated in Link and how many princesses have been named Zelda, it's easy to assume that every version of Ganondorf and Ganon in Zelda is a new incarnation. However, every version of the evil king that has been seen in the series so far is the same man.

Even though the art style between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker might make players assume these are different people, it is, in fact, the same Ganondorf that was imprisoned either in the Child or Adult timeline respectfully. The Fallen Hero timeline resulted in Ganondorf keeping his Ganon form indefinitely.

Next: The Legend Of Zelda: The 10 Strongest Versions Of Ganon, Ranked