Ganondorf's Forces

Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.

Ganondorf's Forces are a major faction that appears in Hyrule Warriors. As its name implies, it is the army lead by the evil Demon King, Ganondorf. Its main goal is to aid Ganondorf in his quest to reclaim the Triforce of Power as well as obtain the remaining two pieces, the Triforce of Courage and Triforce of Wisdom, as part of his conquest of Hyrule.

Background and History[]

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Era of the Hero of Time[]

Ganondorf's Forces began when the evil Gerudo King of Thieves, Ganondorf began his quest to obtain the Triforce during the Era of the Hero of Time. Ganondorf unleashed hordes of monsters on Hyrule during his campaign to obtain the three Spiritual Stones, such as reviving King Dodongo in Dodongo's Cavern in an attempt to get Darunia to hand over the Goron Ruby, only for it to be defeated by a heroic young Kokiri boy named Link who had learned of Ganondorf's schemes after he had cursed the Great Deku Tree. Following a brief confrontation between the two, Ganondorf allowed Link to open the Door of Time and remove the Master Sword, allowing him to enter the Sacred Realm. However due lacking a heart balanced by Power, Wisdom, & Courage, Ganondorf only managed to obtain the Triforce of Power (the attribute he represented most) while the other two went to two other chosen by destiny, Link the Hero of Time and Princess Zelda. Ganondorf managed to conquer Hyrule and became known as the King of Evil, but still sought to obtain the other two pieces. Seven years after Ganondorf had obtained the Triforce of Power, Link who had been sealed away by the Master Sword for seven years was awakened as the Hero of Time and set out on a quest to awaken the Seven Sages who would aid him into defeating Ganondorf. Knowing that Princess Zelda would surely show herself eventually, Ganondorf allowed Link to wonder the land of Hyrule, though had placed curses on the temples to prevent the Sages from awakening and stationed his forces in and around the temples to impend Link's progress. He revived the Dragon Volvagia and had his forces kidnap the Gorons to be fed to Volvagia, which lured Darunia into entering the Temple to free his people. He frozen Zora's Domain and imprisoned the Zora under a sheet of ice, however a young Sheikah named Sheik managed to free Princess Ruto who went to the Water Temple to break Ganondorf's curse. Link returned to Kokiri Forest which had become overrun by monsters due to the death of the Great Deku Tree and the curse Ganondorf had placed on the Forest Temple which prevented the growth of a new Deku Tree. Fighting past Ganondorf's Moblin forces, Link entered the Forest Temple to save his childhood friend Saria and defeated Ganondorf's ghostly doppelganger, Phantom Ganon. This awakened Saria as the Sage of the Forest and allowed the Deku Tree Sprout to grow and reveal Link was a Hylian orphan that had been adopted by the Great Deku Tree. Link continued his quest aided by the enigmatic Sheik, Link freed the Gorons and defeated Volvagia awakening Darunia as the Sage of Fire. In the Water Temple, he defeated Morpha and awakened Princess Ruto as the Sage of Water. Link also manage to awaken Impa as the Sage of Shadow. Eventually Link traveled to Ganondorf's former homeland and earned the respect of the female Gerudo, who he discovered revered Ganondorf as he was the first male to be born among them in hundred years. After Link made his way to the Spirit Temple, however found he need to return to the past in order to continue further into the temple. In the past, he met Nabooru another Gerudo who unlike the rest of her kinfolk saw Ganondorf for the evil man he was. Link found that before Ganondorf began his plans to conquer Hyrule, Ganondorf had seized control of the Spirit Temple which he used as his main base, before leaving in the hands of two of his most trusted allies, his surrogate mothers' the evil twin Gerudo witches, Koume and Kotake. While Link was busy obtaining the Silver Gauntlets, Nabooru was captured and brainwash by Koume and Kotake into becoming Ganondorf's loyal servant. As an adult, Link returned to the Spirit Temple and defeated the brainwashed Nabooru, who was recaptured by Koume and Kotake. However despite combining into the powerful Twinrova they where eventually slain by Link and Nabooru awoke as the Sage of Spirit. Link returned to the Temple of Time, where Sheik revealed herself to be Princess Zelda and leader of the Seven Sages, just as Ganondorf had hoped. Ganondorf manages to captures Zelda, leading the Hero of Time to journey to Ganon's Tower for his final confrontation with the King of Evil and his army.

However, Ganondorf and his army was eventually defeated by the Hero of Time and Ganondorf sealed away by the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages.

Era of Twilight[]

In the alternate timeline of the Era of Twilight, Ganondorf was a demon thief who lead his forces in a rampage throughout Hyrule before he was captured and imprisoned at the Arbiter's Grounds in the very desert he was born. The Ancient Sages sought to execute Ganondorf for his crimes, but due to his possession of the Triforce of Power he was able to survive thanks to the hatred and resentment of the Twili bleeding through the Mirror of Twilight. Ganondorf broke his chains and killed the Sage of Water, before the other sages sealed him away in the Twilight Realm. However while in the Twilight Realm, Ganondorf encountered Zant a Twili who desired to rule the Twilight Realm as the King of Twilight, which was under rule of Twilight Princess, Midna. Offering Zant power in exchange for his loyalty, Ganondorf manipulated Zant into invading Hyrule after he had stolen the throne from Midna who had cursed by Zant transforming her into an imp-like Twili. Using Twilight Portals Zant invaded the land of Hyrule and assaulted Hyrule Castle with his army of Shadow Beasts, forcing Zelda to surrender, then he covered Hyrule in Twilight and weakened the four Light Spirits by stealing their Tears of Light. However Midna teamed up with a young Ordon Goat rancher named Link who had been transformed into a blue-eyed Wolf after being exposed to Twilight and together to free the Light Spirits and restore light to Hyrule. Zant and Ganondorf were aided by an army of Shadow Beasts, monsters, and the Bulblins lead by King Bulblin. Midna also had Link obtain pieces of the Fused Shadow which her ancestors had attempt to use conquer the Sacred Realm in the past, though Zant's power proved to strong and the pair was momentarily defeated, with Midna gravely injured after being exposed to the Light of Lanayru forcing Zelda to use her power to heal her and tells them to seek out the Master Sword to restore Link to Hylian form. Eventually Link obtained the Master Sword and together with Midna sought out the pieces of the broken Mirror of Twilight, which had been shattered by Zant, in order to use it to travel to the Twilight Realm and defeat Zant. However they discovered that as long as Ganondorf lived, Zant could not truly be killed, leading the pair to confront Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle. Using magic he had apparently learned during his time in the Twilight Realm, Ganondorf transforms into Twilight to possessed Princess Zelda's body and used it to act Link. However Midna is eventually able to remove Ganon's influence from inside her and Zelda is freed.

Following an epic battle, Link killed Ganondorf with the Master Sword, which caused Zant's death as well and restored Midna to her original Twili form.

Demon King's Army[]

Over the years, the Demon King Ganondorf and his army would return to plague the land of Hyrule and each time the reincarnated spirit of the hero, Link would raise to stop him. Eventually one such incarnation managed to split the Demon King's soul into four Spirit Fragments, three of which were sealed away in 3 different Eras: The Era of Skyloft, the Era of the Hero of Time, and the Era of Twilight. The fourth and final fragment was kept sealed by the Master Sword in a temple built on holy ground, the Temple of the Sacred Sword. Thus it seemed as if Ganondorf and his army had been defeated for good. All of this would be observed by the Guardian of Time who watched over the countless battles over the Triforce.

Beginning of War Across the Ages[]

However, part of the Demon King's evil managed to escape being sealed and using Guardian of Time's unrequited love for the Spirit of Hero against her, he managed to drive the light from her heart, splitting her into two beings: the White Sorceress, Lana and the Black Sorceress, Cia. Granting Cia the Triforce of Power, the Demon King manipulated Cia into opening the Gate of Souls summoning monsters from across time, leading to the creation of Cia's army, the Dark Forces which descended upon the Hyrule, which the Demon King would manipulate behind the scenes to free his the fragments of his soul.

Return of the Demon King[]

As a result of Ganondorf's manipulation of Cia into freeing the fragments of his soul sealed throughout the different eras of Hyrule's history, Ganondorf is able to restore his physical body and no longer needing Cia as a vessel, Ganondorf reveals himself to Cia and tries to seize the Triforce from her. However to keep Ganondorf from gaining the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage, Cia returns them to their chosen bearers (Link and Zelda), while retaining the Triforce of Power for herself. Due to the last fragment of Ganondorf's soul still being under seal by the legendary Master Sword, Cia is briefly able to reseal Ganondorf, however he vows to return.

Battle at the Temple of Souls[]

During the Allied Forces of Hyrule's assault on Cia's base in the Temple of Souls, Ganondorf returns to reclaim the Triforce of Power (and possibly the Triforce pieces held by Zelda and Link) from Cia. Zelda sensing Ganondorf's evil presence shortly before he appears. After riding his steed onto the battlefield, Ganondorf dismounts his steed and summons his army, marking the first appearance of this faction in the game. The appearance of Ganondorf and his forces results in a three way battle between Cia's Dark Forces, the Allied Forces of Hyrule, and Ganondorf's Forces. Ganondorf sets his sights on targeting the leader of the Allied Forces Princess Zelda (Princess Ruto if Zelda is chosen by the player in Legends Mode). However unfortunately for Ganondorf's Forces, Link had recently obtained the Master Sword (despite its removal the barrier keeping his soul under seal in the Temple of the Sacred Sword held strong) and using its power he manages to defeat Ganondorf, forcing Ganondorf's Forces to retreat for the time being.

Battle of the Two Dark Armies[]

Following its defeat at the Temple of Souls, Ganondorf headed his forces to the Valley of the Seers to reclaim the Triforce of Power from Cia, who army was weakened after its battle with the Allied Hyrulean Forces. Supported by two Gohmas, Ganondorf mobilized them into attacking two keeps held by the Dark Forces. When the Dark Forces manage to defeat one of the Gohmas, Ganondorf summons forth a Manhandla in its place. Impressed by Ganondorf's strength and his ability to command powerful beasts, Wizzro decides to switch sides and defects from Cia's forces along with several Icy Big Poes that serve him. Angered at Wizzro's betrayal Cia directs her forces to make Wizzro pay for his treachery. Eventually the Dark Forces manage to defeat the other Gohma, Manhandla, and Wizzro. Cia replaces Wizzro and his fellow defectors with Dark Links, though Volga shows concern over her health as well as being disturbed at her deteriorating state of mind. However the Dark Forces attack on Ganondorf's base is foiled due to Ganondorf erecting a Barrier of Darkness, which strengthens Ganondorf while causing damage to his enemies. Overwhelmed by Ganondorf's forces several Lizalfos and Dinolfos flee. However Cia is saved by an unlikely ally, her good twin Lana. Lana offers her assistance in dispelling Ganondorf's Barrier of Darkness, which Cia begrudgingly accepts. Supporting Lana's advance, she dispels Ganondorf's Barrier allowing Cia and her forces to attack and defeat Ganondorf, forcing him to once again retreat.

Broken Seal[]

However after Cia's defeat at the hands of the Allied Forces of Hyrule, the barrier keeping his soul under seal finally broke as the Master Sword had not been returned to its pedestal, restoring the Demon King of Evil to his full power, though he still lacked the Triforce of Power which was claimed by Lana in the wake of Cia's death. Ganondorf realizes that he will need to strengthen his army if he is to have any chance of reclaim his Triforce of Power and achieving his life's goal of conquering Hyrule. Leaving the Temple of the Sacred Sword, Ganondorf headed to the land of his birth, Gerudo Desert to plan his next move.

Raising an Evil Army[]

Returning to his ancestral home in Gerudo Desert, Ganondorf focused on bolstering his forces. His first act was to use his powers to revive Ghirahim and Zant to act as his generals, demanding they follow him or perish again. Both swear fidelity to him and join him in gaining the respect of the Monster's inhabiting the desert by defeating the current leaders of the Monster Forces. During the battle, Zant notices some imprisoned Rogue Darknuts and suggests freeing them to convince them into joining their ranks. Freeing the Darknuts causes them to join Ganondorf's forces, assisting in him the battle against their former captors. Eventually King Dodongo appears and Zant steps in to face him, with Ganondorf assisting his general when he becomes overwhelmed. After defeating the Aeralfos, the leaders of the monsters: Manhandla and Gohma appear. By defeat Gohma and Manhandla, the remaining Monster Forces surrender and join Ganondorf's Forces. With his forces strengthened, Ganondorf then sets his sights on regaining the Triforce of Power from Lana who is currently residing in the Valley of Seers.

Battle for the Triforce of Power[]

Leading his massive army to the Valley of Seers, Ganondorf sought to reclaim his Triforce of Power which his saw as belonging to him as he had claimed it long ago in the Era of the Hero of Time. Lana knowing she could not defeat Ganondorf and his army on her own sought the assistance of the Hyrulean Army and began to flee the Valley of Seers. However Ganondorf and his forces outmaneuvered her and cut of her retreat, attacking fiercely to retake the Triforce of Power. Sensing sacred power coming from two Sanctums within the Valley, Zant suggests taking them in the hope it would decrease the morale of the Hyrulean Forces protecting Lana. Zant and Ghirahim take on capturing one of the two Sanctums, however they are later revealed to be a trap devised by Lana. Fortunately Ganondorf senses she is planning something and manages to free his Generals from her trap, while at the same time extinguishing the sacred power coming from the Sanctums causing the Hyrulean Forces to lose moral. Unfortunately Impa arrives with reinforcements and to further complicate matters, Impa creates doppelgangers of herself. Ganondorf eventually defeats the real Impa and returns his attention back to Lana. However he and Lana discover that Lana possesses the ability to split into copies of herself just like Cia and Zant realizes that they are not just doubles, as the two copies are basically the real Lana. Ganondorf orders his troops to make sure neither Lana escapes. After defeating the pair, Ganondorf reclaims the Triforce of Power and sets his sights on finally claiming the other two pieces held by Link and Zelda.

Battling of the Triforce[]

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf Ganondorf obtains the Complete Triforce — Ganondorf finally achieves his goal of obtaining the complete Triforce in *Hyrule Warriors*

After reclaiming the Triforce of Power from Lana, Ganondorf mobilizes his forces to attack Hyrule Castle. Meanwhile, Zelda and Link prepared to defend their home and Link stood at the head of the army, his shining Triforce of Courage inspiring his troops. Ganondorf's forces lead by Zant focus on opening the northern gate supported by Ganondorf. Ganondorf manages to force Link into retreating, causing Impa to appear on the battlefield to seek the aid of the Great Fairy. Ghirahim and the forces under his command try to intercept Impa before she reaches the Fairy Fountain, though she eventually disengages from fighting them to continue on to the Fountain. Impa's defeat causes Link and Zelda to appear on the battlefield. Zelda decides they to target Ganondorf's Base and joins Link in a two pronged attack on the base. Zant decides to go after Link while Ghirahim goes after Zelda. Eventually Ganondorf manages to defeat both Zelda and Link, finally obtaining the last two pieces of the Triforce. Ganondorf laughs in triumph as he has finally achieved his goal of obtaining the Triforce.

Darkness Triumphs[]

Ganondorf uses the unlimited power of the Triforce to summon greater hordes of monsters to join his army. Seeing the battle was won, Ganondorf vanished from sight. When Zelda learned of the Demon King's disappearance, she saw a thin ray of hope, if the main Hyrulean Army could defeat Zant and Ghirahim in their master's absence then the forces of Hyrule might have a chance at defeating Ganondorf and restoring peace to Hyrule. Taking the fight to Ganondorf's base in Gerudo Desert, Zelda was determined to end the war before the day was through.

War in the Desert[]

Hyrule Warriors Lana's Magic Circle WVW69iRkQkYsLPLZnD — Lana using a Magic Circle after being cornered by Ganondorf's Forces to summon allies from across time in *Hyrule Warriors*

Together Link, Lana, and Zelda lead the Hyrulean Forces into Gerudo Desert, though they found they had to contend with the desert heat as well as the monsters under the command of Zant and Ghirahim. Their first goal was to take the two oasis in the Northern and Southern parts of the Desert away from Ganondorf's Forces to help their forces beat the desert heat. After capturing both the North and South oasis, the Hyrulean Forces focused on taking down Ghirahim, however Ghirahim flees though Lana and Proxi notice that he is behaving oddly, but continue to pursue him and eventually manage defeat him. This causes Zant to appear and has his forces close the gates connecting the desert and the sacred grounds in order to separate the Hyrulean Forces and isolate the stragglers. The Hyrulean Forces trapped within the Sacred Ground manage to take the Clifftop Keep which they use to gain access to the Clifftop allowing them to enter the desert to support their allies against Zant. Zant's defeat opens the Central Desert gate. However Proxi notes that even with Zant and Ghirahim defeated, the monsters are still coming at them, but decide to focus on assisting their allies. Ganondorf's forces manage to surround Lana, forcing her to use her magic to summon the assistance of heroes of the past, the Sages Darunia and Ruto from the Era of the Hero of Time, Agitha and Midna from the Era of Twilight, and Fi from the Era of Skyloft. With the aid of their allies from the past, they manage to rescue Lana and the Hyrulean Forces successfully rendezvous at the Northern Oasis. However Ganondorf's forces continue to receive reinforcements despite the defeat of Ghirahim and Zant. While Midna deals with the forces head toward the Allied Base from the north, Darunia focus on dealing with the ones in the south, yet despite defeating several of them, Ganondorf's Forces seem to be getting stronger. Eventually the Hyrulean Forces realize that the Ghirahim and Zant they fought earlier were fakes, thus explaining their odd behavior. Realizing their ruse had been discovered, Zant and Ghirahim decide to direct their forces in a massive attack on the Allied Base. Darunia figures that Zant and Ghirahim are probably watching from a safe vantage point the whole time. Eventually the Hyrulean Forces find Zant and Ghirahim have been observing the battle from the Sacred Grounds and the pair are forced to fight for their lives. Eventually the Hyrulean Forces accomplished their goal and defeated the pair.

Conquest of Hyrule Castle[]

After Zelda's triumphs in Gerudo Desert, Impa's Forces manage to pinpoint Ganondorf's location. While Zelda and her forces where battling Zant and Ghirahim, Ganondorf and his forces had conquered Hyrule Castle and transformed it into Ganon's Tower. From the his fortress, Ganondorf prepared for an unspeakable ritual. Zelda, Link, Lana, Impa, and their allies from across the ages marched to Ganon's Tower for the final battle between the Forces of Hyrule and Ganondorf's Forces.

Liberation of the Triforce[]

While Ganondorf is busy completing his ritual at Ganon's Tower, the forces of Hyrule are confronted by his army which is supported by two Argoroks and a Stalchild Summoner. After the Hyrulean Forces manage to defeat one of the Argoroks, Hyrulean reinforcements appear with a Bombchu to destroy the damaged wall of the West Field Keep, which had been damaged previously by King Dodongo during the battle with Cia's Dark Forces. The surviving Argorok heads to intercept the Bombchu to destroy it, forcing the Hyrulean Forces to defeat it so they can destroy the wall. After successfully breaching the wall and taking the West Field Keep, Ganondorf appears after awaking his true power through his dark ritual and leads his army into battle against his enemies. Supported by two Stalmasters and his true power awakened, Ganondorf seems unstoppable, boosting the moral of his army. To complicate matters futher for the forces of Hyrule, Ganondorf use his power to rain down lightning on them. However the Forces of Hyrule realize that while they have no hope of defeating Ganondorf in his current state, they realize that if they can take Hyrule Castle back, then Ganondorf's Forces will lose moral, causing the Dark Power to wane. Defeating the Stalfos Gatekeeper guarding the east side of the palace, the Hyrulean Forces manage to retake Hyrule Castle, causing the giant sword of Ganon's Tower to disappear, draining Ganondorf of his dark power. Though weakened, Ganondorf refuses to back down and continues fighting the Hyrulean Forces with his surviving troops. Eventually Ganondorf falls to the ground, seemingly defeated, as Link approaches his defeated body cautiously, the Triforce begins to glow on Ganondorf's chest causing him to laugh as the Triforce produces a dark cloud which erupts from his body. From this cloud he emerges in the form of the Demon Beast Ganon, ready to use its full evil might to destroy his enemies once and for all. However undeterred the Hyrulean Forces continue to fight against Ganon and his remaining forces, while directing his lightning attacks on Hyrule Castle. After damaging several parts of Ganon's body using Bombs, Arrows, Boomerang, and the Hookshot, the jewel on Ganon's head begins to glow during his attacks. Using Light Arrows empowered by their remaining allies, the Forces of Hyrule manage to weaken Ganon enough to expose his weak point.

Darkness Defeated[]

Hyrule Warriors Liberation of the Triforce Link & Zelda return the Master to its Sacred Pedestal (Cutscene) — Link and Zelda returning the Master Sword to its pedestal in the Temple of the Sacred Sword in *Hyrule Warriors*

After a hard fought battle, Ganon finally falls causing the Triforce to leave his body allowing Zelda, Link, and Lana to reclaim each piece of the Triforce which they them use to defeat Ganon when he revives. Blasted by a beam of Golden energy from the Triforce, Ganon and his army is finally defeated. Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, and Fi bid Impa, Lana, Link, and Zelda goodbye as they fade away returning to their original eras. Lana tells Link and Zelda that it is not over yet, as they must return the Master Sword to its Sacred Pedestal. Together they return the Blade of Evil's Bane back to its pedestal restoring the seal on Ganondorf's Soul. While peace finally restored and Ganondorf's army vanquished, Link and Zelda leave the Temple of the Sacred Sword and return to Hyrule Castle to being rebuilding their homeland now that peace was restored.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.

Overall Strength[]

Initially, Ganondorf's Forces were the weakest faction in the War of the Ages, due to part of Ganondorf's soul being sealed. However, Ganondorf was able to strengthen his position following the Hyrulean Forces' defeat of Cia's Dark Forces for several reasons. First, Hyrule's allies from other eras (Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, and Fi) returned to their original eras following Cia's defeat; Lana also chose to remain in the Valley of Seers after claiming the Triforce of Power from Cia. Secondly, the seal on Ganondorf's final soul fragment broke shortly after Cia's defeat, restoring Ganondorf to full power and enabling him to revive Zant and Ghirahim to serve as his generals. Thirdly, Ganondorf was able to recruit the remnants of Cia's Dark Forces to his army after defeating their remaining leaders, greatly increasing the presence of his forces.

With their expanded numbers, newly-empowered leaders, and weakened enemies, Ganondorf's Forces were powerful enough to enable Ganondorf to reclaim the pieces of the Triforce. However, Ganondorf's victory caused him to become arrogant; believing that he had already won, he left the battlefield without finishing off his enemies, giving the forces of Hyrule a chance to turn things around. With the loss of Ghirahim and Zant, as well as the return of the Hyrulean Forces allies from across the Ages, Ganondorf's Forces showed signs of weakening, which bolstered the morale of the Hyrulean Forces. Even with the conquest of Hyrule Castle and transforming it into Ganon's Tower, the Forces of Hyrule managed to defeat Ganondorf's Forces and eventually Ganon himself, restoring peace to Hyrule.