The recently released trailer for the much-anticipated Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom unveils tons of new details about Link’s upcoming journey. The reveals regarding new enemies and mechanics, mainly, have lit the fanbase with excitement. Among these reveals was the return of the Great King of Evil, Ganondorf himself.
Ganondorf is a pivotal antagonist in the Zelda series. He was born as the sole male of the Gerudo tribe, the same predominantly female society Link infiltrates in Breath of the Wild . His unique birthright and cunning nature eventually led him to become the tribe’s king. However, his desire for power quickly turned insatiable, leading him to seek world domination, going on to become synonymous with malice and power-hungry ambitions.
As the primary antagonist in many of the Zelda games, Ganondorf is incredibly iconic and recognizable. His place atop the throne of the franchise’s villains is also cemented by his inclusion in Nintendo’s other beloved videogame series, Super Smash Bros. Needless to say, he’s an absolute fan favorite!
In the final pre-launch trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo provides a glimpse of Ganondorf’s return to the series . The trailer commences with a dramatic shot of what we can only assume to be Ganondorf’s crimson hair billowing before a blood-red moon, followed by a later appearance accompanied by his unmistakable theme.
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This is also the first time in the Zelda games’ history that Ganondorf has a voice actor with proper speaking roles, as previous titles only had him communicating in a combination of grunts and laughs. Shortly after the trailer, it was confirmed by the beloved voice actor Matthew Mercers that he will be the voice behind Ganondorf in the upcoming game.
Matthew is known for many other famous roles where he’s often played broody characters, such as Trafalgar D. Law from One Piece and Jotaro Kujo from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. He has even played Ganondorf himself in a 2009 web series called “There Will Be Brawl”, so seeing him come full circle with this role in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is great. As for the voice itself, the trailer shows him sporting a menacing tone fit for one known as the Dark King.
The trailer goes on to show Ganondorf’s revival envigorating his vast armies of evil. Only time will tell how Link and his allies will manage to defeat Ganondorf and restore peace to Hyrule.