Ganondorf initially approaches Link with bemusement and slight admiration. There’s an arc to Link and Ganon’s dynamic. When Adult Link meets him again, and Ganon says he’s that boy from years before, it really hits you.” – Shigeru Miyamoto, Producer “Link’s archenemy is Ganon, so I thought they should meet once when he’s a child. Each interaction helps forge a rivalry that keeps building over the course of the story. The fourth is at the Forest Temple by proxy of Phantom Ganon, the fifth when he kidnaps Zelda, and the sixth is their final battle which closes out the game. The third is their encounter outside the Castle Town gates before the time-skip. The second is when Ganondorf catches Link and Zelda spying on him through the courtyard window. The first is in the dream which opens the game. Link has six major confrontations with him over the course of the story. Ganondorf also benefits from being an active participant in the plot who interacts with the player several times. The most Link and Zelda can do is temporarily seal him until his inevitable return. Killing Ganondorf simply isn’t an option. His forces take Hyrule Castle and slaughter the Hylian Knights, as evidenced by their en masse absence post-time-skip. Even before taking over the kingdom, Ganondorf has the largest seen army in the game. It’s not enough to be King of the Gerudo, Ganondorf wants to rule over all Hyrule.
He’s motivated by a desire for more power. Power itself is an important element of Ganondorf’s character beyond his ownership of the Triforce of Power.
Link is defined by undying courage, whereas Ganondorf by his overwhelming power. Where Link is proactive - tracking down the Spiritual Stones, awakening the sages, rescuing Zelda - Ganondorf is reactive - watching from a distance, making risky plays only when it’s safe. Link first recognizes Ganondorf as a threat through a dream while Ganondorf first recognizes Link as a threat through a window. Ganondorf was trained by his surrogate mothers, Koume and Kotake, while Link was an orphan brought up by the Great Deku Tree. Neither one was raised by their birth parents. As the only Kokiri without a Fairy, Link is othered by his peers and lives a lonely life with few friends. As the only Gerudo male, Ganondorf rules as their king and is worshiped as an all-powerful thief who commands respect. Both are anomalies within their cultures. The story posits Ganondorf as a genuine foil to Link. Villains who behave in smart ways naturally raise the stakes. He keeps active tabs on Link following the time skip and allows him to awaken the Sages because he knows Zelda will eventually reveal herself. He pays close attention to Link and Zelda after he catches them spying on him, which helps him sneak into the Sacred Realm moments after you open it. He pledges allegiance to the King of Hyrule all while plotting a coup in silence. Takizawa depicting Ganondorf as an intelligent man makes sense given his in-game actions. The story opens with Ganondorf killing young Link in a prophetic dream, immediately setting him up as superior. He does outclass you, in abilities and experience. Ganondorf concept art for Ocarina of Time from Hyrule Historia All of this characterization inherent to Ganondorf’s redesign can be felt in Ocarina’s story. In the end we arrived at a design that made him look not only more intelligent but also, at the same time, like the epitome of an evil ruler.” (The Legend of Zelda: Arts & Artifacts 413). I wanted him to have clever eyes so you knew he was a man of high caliber. originally looked like a brute who had nothing but raw strength. The enemies you feel best about defeating are the ones that outclass you in every way, from abilities to experience. Ocarina of Time’s character designer Satoru Takizawa approached redesigning Ganondorf from the perspective of, Where Ganon was a beast with little personality outside his lust for power, Ganondorf was something far more nefarious: ambitious. Bringing The Legend of Zelda back to its then-origins, Ocarina of Time took an opportunity to formally introduce Ganondorf - Ganon’s original human form only briefly mentioned in A Link to the Past. He existed mainly to contextualize some stakes, kidnap a princess or two, and serve as the final boss. Ganon as he was before OoT was your standard video game antagonist of the era, more beast than man (a trait conveyed in his pig-like design). Ganon has always been one of Nintendo’s most iconic villains, but there’s something to be said for how Ocarina of Time reinterpreted the Prince of Darkness.
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