Ganondorf (SSB4)

Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable (3DS) Starter (Wii U)
Final Smash	Beast Ganon
Tier	J (54)

Ganondorf (ガノンドロフ, Ganondorf) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Alongside R.O.B., he was officially revealed as a playable veteran on October 15th, 2014, although he was leaked four times prior to his reveal: via video footage from ESRB, outside the in-game stage boundaries in an official video (later replaced with a nearly-identical video sans Ganondorf), in Twitch livestreams and even a mention in Masahiro Sakurai's Pic of the Day five days before his official reveal. Ganondorf is once again voiced by Hironori Miyata, albeit via recycled voice clips from his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Ganondorf is currently ranked 54th out of 56 on the tier list, placing him in the J tier. This is a very slight improvement from his ranking in Brawl, where he was the lowest ranked character in that game, although he is once again the lowest-ranked heavyweight. Ganondorf retains his raw power and high overall damage output, a great edgeguarding game courtesy of powerful aerials (with his down aerial being the strongest meteor smash in the game) and excellent shield breaking capabilities courtesy of his smash attacks and up tilt.

However, Ganondorf also retains his slow mobility and very sluggish frame data, with his already low air speed being reduced to among the lowest in the game. When coupled with his tall height, heavy weight and short-ranged, poorly positioned hitboxes that also extend his hurtboxes, he is left exceptionally susceptible to rushdowns, combos and projectile camping. Ganondorf's grab game is still very lackluster outside of Flame Choke and his down throw's improved follow-up potential, while his recovery is among the worst due to being slow, linear and predictable. Surprisingly for a powerhouse, Ganondorf has a fair number of weak, unrewarding moves that can neither combo or KO reliably, which is further compounded by his grab game's issues.

Ganondorf is fairly popular in the SSB4 community as a character with such extravagant punishing options; this translates to him having a fairly significant playerbase for a bottom-tier character (much like in Brawl), with dedicated players such as Vermanubis and Ray Kalm (some of which even use him as a solo main). As a result, Ganondorf's tournament results are slightly more significant than other bottom-tier characters, but they are still lackluster overall, with much of his success only coming from minor tournaments. He is considered to be significantly better when given access to custom moves, as they can grant him a greatly improved recovery. However, since most tournaments do not allow custom moves, this has not helped his standing in the current metagame.

How to unlock

• Play 80 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode as Link or Zelda on difficulty 5.0 or higher.

Ganondorf must then be defeated on Gerudo Valley.

Ganondorf does not have to be unlocked in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Attributes

Ganondorf is a tall, super heavyweight who sacrifices speed and mobility for power and endurance, making him an extreme example of a "mighty glacier" fighter. Aside from being tied for having the sixth highest traction, Ganondorf's archetype is reflected in his other attributes: he is the fifth heaviest character, has the second slowest walking speed, the third slowest dashing and air speeds, moderately high falling speed, high gravity, is tied for having the third lowest air acceleration and has the third lowest jump and double jump heights. However, he has the lowest jump heights overall due to Kirby and Jigglypuff, the other lower height jumpers, possessing multiple midair jumps to counteract this. As such, Ganondorf is the least mobile character in the game due to his poor speed on both the ground and in the air being ranked among the lowest, as well as having the worst jump heights in the game.

Unsurprisingly for the wielder of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf's greatest trait is his raw power. He possesses attacks that are on par with Bowser in terms of damage and knockback, with almost his entire moveset granting him the ability to KO under 150% or even 100% with ease. This becomes especially evident with rage, making his punishes some of the most potent in SSB4, while several other moves have the ability to KO at exceedingly low percentages, such as an aerial reversed Warlock Punch (which one-hit KOs many lighter characters with rage near the ledge) and sweetspotted up tilt (which KOs middleweights at 33% near the ledge). Because of his strength, Ganondorf has an easy time netting KOs at high percentages, as his moves are essentially guaranteed to send opponents very far off-stage. In addition, his previously mentioned attributes give him high survivability and allows him to use rage to full effect, further boosting his already powerful moves at high percentages. Ganondorf also possesses a strong combo game in a sourspotted dash attack and Flame Choke, the former leading to most aerials until high percentages while the latter puts opponents in a disadvantaged state that creates direct or read followups depending on his opponent, such as a follow-up forward tilt that can take a stock of any fighters with weak horizontal recoveries early. Ganondorf's strength also makes mistiming or overusing a shield incredibly deadly, with multiple attacks capable of dealing massive shield damage or outright breaking shields with a single hit. Notable examples of this are up tilt's sweetspot, which can break full shields, and his forward and up smashes and aerial Wizard's Foot. He can also play mindgames to make opponents with low shield health play more carefully as a single hit from one of his attacks can break their shield or KO them at relatively low percentages.

Ganondorf is among the best edgeguarders in the game, as his powerful aerials are relatively fast (excluding forward air) and send foes far away from the stage even at medium percents, spelling trouble for any fighter without a long-distance recovery. His down aerial is the most powerful meteor smash in the game with little cooldown, and his up aerial's late hitbox is among the best gimps in the game with its semi-spike angle and extreme hitstun. His grounded moveset is also useful for punishing impromptu recoveries, such as using an up tilt against badly positioned fighters or an up smash against horizontal recovering characters like Ike. Ganondorf also has the safest ledge grab, allowing him to camp on the ledge effectively and giving him decent protection from opponents when hanging from a ledge.

However, Ganondorf possesses many notable flaws. His shield is very vulnerable to shield stabbing despite his size. Also, small characters can easily avoid due to the majority of his moves having short range, poorly placed hitboxes with low durations, while also extending his hurtboxes and makes him vulnerable to trading or simply being grabbed out of an attack despite being visually out of range. Although Ganondorf's frame data is similar (albeit slightly slower) to Captain Falcon in terms of start up (barring neutral attack, up tilt, and Warlock Punch), his attacks are very difficult to land while being equally punishable due to high ending lag and/or landing lag. As a result of his high end lag, some of his moves are completely unsafe on shield, making it very difficult to take full advantage of his extreme shield breaking capabilities. This is compounded by Ganondorf's overall physics that leave him with poor mobility and approaching options, which makes closing the distance or creating space considerably difficult for him, and he is easily zoned out by projectile characters due to him lacking a projectile himself. His heavy weight, tall stature, low air speed, and poor, unsafe landing options additionally makes him susceptible to combos and juggling, and his poor out of shield options gives him difficulty protecting himself against rushdowns. Overall, this makes Ganondorf rely heavily on proper spacing and mindgames, as he cannot afford to whiff a single move.

Other issues include a poor grab game. Ganondorf's grab range is surprisingly short despite his size, while his physics, low hitstun, ineffective angles and high knockback result in his down throw's improved follow-up potential is only reliable beginning at 0% and ending around medium percentages. Additionally, his other throws have little follow-up and no KO power. Flame Choke can also work against Ganondorf due to it enforcing unreliable hard reads, especially if teched, with incorrect reads likely putting Ganondorf in a vulnerable position. His recovery remains very lackluster and one of the worst in the game due to its low distance and high vulnerability to edgeguarding and gimps. Lastly, despite his status as a powerhouse, Ganondorf is still plagued by sourspots or late, weak hitboxes on some of his attacks, while he also possesses moves that offer little reward due to their inability to combo reliably or KO at realistic percentages (with some not even KOing past 200%), such as his neutral attack's sourspot, neutral aerial's late hitboxes, Dark Dive, and his throws.

Ganondorf drastically benefits from some of his custom moves, most notably Wizard's Dropkick and Dark Fists. While Wizard's Dropkick is weaker, cannot meteor smash, and has slightly more ending lag when performed in the air, it is excellent against projectiles and for recovery, acting as a superior version of Flame Choke's recovery that does not leave him helpless while allowing Ganondorf to fly over projectiles while attacking. Dark Fists is a two-hit attack with better horizontal reach, super armor and very potent power, giving him impressive protection against edgeguarders if used as a recovery and a very effective out-of-shield option, something that he lacks. When using both of these moves on his moveset, Ganondorf is granted a very efficient recovery and improved offensive prowess, as he can travel high distances while being exceedingly difficult to edgeguard without being punished.

For other notable customs, Warlock Blade offers better utility over Warlock Punch due to its lower start-up, increased range, transcendent priority, and high shield damage, but replaces one of Ganondorf's best punishing options due to its reduced strength. Flame Chain and Flame Wave are semi-viable alternatives to Flame Choke, with the former being a multiple hitting attack with decent horizontal knockback and the latter having high damage and strong KO power. However, both are laggier and sacrifice powerful combos, while the latter covers significantly less distance, to the point where it only reaches opponents directly in front of Ganondorf. The rest of his custom moves are ineffective as they offer very little bonuses over the default or other custom moves; the best example is Warlock Thrust, which has extremely minimal KO power and high ending lag to overwhelmingly outweigh its benefits of a larger hitbox and faster start-up.

All in all, Ganondorf is a powerhouse who can deal large amounts of damage in only a few hits and just as easily finish off an opponent with a single, well-placed attack. While Ganondorf is a much more rewarding character than in Brawl, he is once again a bottom-tier character due to retaining his lackluster mobility, poorly placed hitboxes and reach, frame data, recovery, and lack of approaching and zoning options, forcing him to rely almost completely on punishes and mindgames. As such, he still must play very cautiously like in Brawl, patiently waiting and reading the opponent's movements before striking; additionally, the player should not be afraid to allow Ganondorf to trade blows due to his high endurance, but should also keep him onstage as much as possible due to his poor recovery. However, his improved power and miscellaneous buffs have made him significantly more effective than before. As such, Ganondorf is a high risk, high reward character; while he struggles in consistent high-level play, players that are very skilled with reads and mindgames can use his raw power to their advantage and end matches in a flash with the right strategy.

Changes from Brawl

Ganondorf has been considerably buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, albeit not enough to significantly raise his standing among the cast. Aside from a few minor animation changes and different custom moves, Ganondorf is still a semi-clone of Captain Falcon, having even been slightly re-cloned with his down aerial and neutral aerial's first hit functioning almost exactly like Falcon's, albeit the latter having no set knockback and an added hitbox on the foot with increased knockback. Outside of this, some of his moves are faster (notably neutral attack, dash attack, and neutral aerial) or have even more power (most notably down smash). His dash attack's sourspot has vastly improved combo potential, while the sourspots on some of his attack are less of a hindrance now due to either having consistent knockback on all their hitboxes and/or deal more damage. His aerials have less landing lag, most prominently forward and down aerials, while the others are still noticeable as well. His slowest but most rewarding moves, such as his up tilt and Warlock Punch, are much easier to land and are even more powerful, while his grab game has been slightly improved, though it remains very poor. One of the most notable changes is that the use of Flame Choke for Ganonciding now consistently KOs the opponent before Ganondorf, allowing it to be used as a guaranteed win if both players in a one-on-one match are on their last stock.

Ganondorf also significantly benefits from the general changes of SSB4. The removal of chain grabbing, which heavily plagued Ganondorf in previous games, improves his survival, while the changes to hitstun canceling, now only being possible after frame 40, allows a reasonable period for Ganondorf's attacks to connect better (notably from down throw) and makes opponents incapable of attacking him right out of Dark Dive. The removal of damage reduction on shields and increased shieldstun allows many of Ganondorf's attacks to break them more easily, the introduction of edge-stealing which allows Ganondorf to edge-hog more effectively while limiting his opponents' ability to do the same (which is only helped by his ledge grab animation being the lowest and safest in the game). Additionally, the new rage mechanic greatly strengthens his already high overall knockback, which he can benefit from even further due to his heavier weight.

However, Ganondorf also received noteworthy nerfs. His forward smash no longer has extra reach when pivoted, and while Warlock Punch was improved overall, it is much weaker unless reversed or performed in midair. Despite being infamous for his poor recovery, Ganondorf is even easier to edgeguard due to the removal of grab armor and his low air speed being nearly reduced to what it was in Melee. His down aerial is also significantly weaker, lasts shorter, and no longer autocancels with a short hop, drastically weakening its utility despite having significantly less landing lag and greater reach. The biggest nerf Ganondorf received was to Flame Choke, his staple move in Brawl: it not only lost its grab armor, but when grounded, it can now be teched before Ganondorf can act. This enforces unreliable hard reads, and if Ganondorf reads incorrectly, his slow attack speed will ensure he can get punished. In addition to his nerfs, some glaring flaws from Brawl were not addressed, such as his low mobility outside of the universal changes, while the only issues that were addresses were his unusually low attack power in spite of his character archetype and, to a lesser extent, less landing lag for his aerials and slightly faster start-up in some areas.

Overall, Ganondorf is considered a much better and more rewarding character overall compared to how he was in Brawl. However, this has barely helped his standing on the tier list, due to the vast number of his fellow veterans having been buffed as well, while he also remains arguably inferior to how he was in Melee in certain aspects. The changes to Ganondorf and his fellow veterans are also somewhat evident in his match-ups against them; while he generally fares poorly against them, his match-ups are not as abysmal as they were in Brawl. Lastly, some of Ganondorf's custom moves address a few of his glaring flaws to the point that they noticeably improve him even further, although it is very debatable as to whether their benefits make him as viable as he was in Melee.

Aesthetics

• Ganondorf retains his The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess design, but now sports his glowing chest wound from that game after it was absent in Brawl. His design has also received minor tweaks to both his cape and eye color, which are now much more tattered and a darker shade of amber, respectively. The vibrant aesthetics used in SSB4 also make Ganondorf's color scheme slightly brighter than the subdued palette in Twilight Princess and Brawl.
• Ganondorf is much more expressive. As the corners of his mouth no longer open, he now consistently scowls and has slightly pursed lips when he vocalizes. Numerous actions also result in Ganondorf angrily clenching his teeth, mockingly smirk and even look puzzled and contemplative.
• Ganondorf's darkness-based attacks produce more saturated visual effects.

Attributes

• Ganondorf is heavier (109 → 113), improving his endurance, but making him more susceptible to combos.
• Ganondorf dashes faster (1.16 → 1.218).
• Ganondorf's air speed is slower (0.846 → 0.79), hindering his already poor recovery.
• Ganondorf's gravity is higher (0.1027 → 0.10784), hindering both his already poor recovery his overall endurance potential, as well as making him slightly more susceptible to combos.
• The removal of 30% damage reduction on shields and the significant increase to shieldstun both significantly help Ganondorf, as they allow many of his high shield damage attacks to shatter shields more effectively and more often.
• The removal of meteor canceling has helped Ganondorf more than any other character, as it makes his down aerial the strongest meteor smash in the game and makes it function similarly to spikes from Melee.
• Flight of Ganon has been removed.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 1% more damage (5%/7%/9% → 6%/8%/10%), has decreased start-up (8 frames → 7) and has decreased ending lag (IASA 34 → 28), improving its out of shield potential. Its sweetspot and sourspot were moved 1 unit forward and backward respectively (x position 18/12 → 19/11), decreasing the blind spots covering his body while slightly increasing its range.
• Sweetspotted dash attack deals 1% less damage (15% → 14%) and has decreased base knockback (60 → 50), now KOing around 140%.
• Sourspotted dash attack has an altered angle (100° → 80°) and has decreased ending lag (IASA 41 → 37), improving its combo potential. It also received 2 frames of invincibility after start-up, improving its defensive potential against powerful projectiles.
• Down tilt deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%).
• Up tilt deals 1% more damage (17%/19%/27%/27% → 18%/20%/28%/28%). Additionally, it deals more shield damage across all hitboxes (0 → 20), on top of shields taking 19% more damage, which allows its sweetspot to instantly shatter even full shields. Lastly, the changes in ledge mechanics also makes it much easier to trap opponents with, improving its edgeguarding potential.
• Sweetspotted forward smash has increased base knockback (30 → 35).
• Forward smash's animation has slightly changed. Ganondorf no longer lunges farther when it is pivoted, decreasing its range.
• Up smash deals 2% more damage (19%/22%/22% → 21%/24%/24%) and has decreased ending lag (IASA 43 → 42).
• Down smash deals 1% more damage (5% → 6% (hit 1), 12%/14%/14% → 13%/15%/15% (hit 2) and second hit has increased knockback growth (75 → 94) and a larger hitbox (5.5u → 6.5u), improving its KO potential and making the move function similarly to how it did in Melee. The second hit now pushes away shielding opponents rather than dragging them toward him, making the move safer.
• Down smash's first hit received a hitbox on Ganondorf's thigh that launches opponents forward and away from the second hit, making it much harder for both hits to connect together and making Ganondorf more susceptible to being punished.
• Down smash's second hit now flips opponents.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials' have decreased landing lag (22 frames → 17 (neutral), 32 frames → 22 (forward), 22 frames → 19 (back/up), 35 frames → 26 (down)).
• Neutral aerial's second hit deals more damage (7% (clean)/5% (late) → 12%/9%), has increased knockback growth (100 → 120) and a larger hitbox (4.3u/5.7u/6.2u → 4.5u/5.7u/7.4u), restoring its KO potential from Melee and making it function similarly to Captain Falcon's neutral aerial. It also has decreased ending lag (IASA 45 → 42).
• Neutral aerial's first hit has significantly decreased knockback growth (100 → 30), has altered angles (55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°) and transitions into its second hit slightly faster (frame 20 → 17). It also gained a hitbox on his foot with increased knockback (20 (base)/100 (growth) → 30/110), improving its spacing potential when hitting with his foot.
• Neutral aerial's first hit deals less damage (11% (clean)/7% (late) → 7%/5.25%) and its significantly decreased knockback makes it less safe on hit and on landing, removing its KO potential and hindering its spacing potential unless hitting with his foot.
• Forward aerial deals more damage (15% (sourspot)/17% (sweetspot) → 17%/18%) and increased knockback (30/48 (base)/80/83 (growth) → 20/90), making the sourspot much less of a hindrance.
• Sweetspotted back aerial deals 1% more damage (16% → 17%) and has increased knockback (10/28 (base)/85 (growth) → 40/89), making the sourspot much less of a hindrance.
• Sweetspotted down aerial deals 3% less damage (22% → 19%).
• Sourspotted down aerial now launches at the Sakurai angle, improving its edgeguarding and KO potentials. In addition, the move's hitboxes were moved lower, giving it more range below him as well as making it easier to land the sourspot.
• Down aerial lasts 2 frames shorter (16-20 → 16-18) and has decreased base knockback (30 → 20). This makes it meteor smash grounded opponents later (0% → 10%) and KO grounded opponents later (100% → 120%), though it is still the most powerful meteor smash in the game. It can also no longer autocancel with a short hop, hindering its combo potential and making Ganondorf more susceptible to being punished at very low percentages.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel deals 1% more damage (2% → 3%).
• Up throw deals 3% more damage (7% → 10%).
• The changes to hitstun canceling improves down throw's follow-up potential from 0% to medium percentages.
• Forward, up, and down throws have decreased hitlag.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).
• Ganondorf has a new back floor attack, a somersault kick.
• Edge attack deals 2% less damage (10% → 8%).

Special moves

• Grounded Warlock Punch deals 2% less damage (32% → 30%) and has altered knockback (30 (base)/100 (growth) → 120/42), slightly hindering its KO potential.
• Aerial Warlock Punch deals 3% more damage (35% → 38%).
• Grounded and aerial reversed Warlock Punch deal 2% more damage (35% (grounded)/38% (aerial) → 37%/40%). Grounded and grounded reversed Warlock Punch now grant super armor lasting from frames 11-66 and frames 11-58, respectively, while aerial reversed Warlock Punch has received a hitbox near his fist that deals 42%.
• Warlock Punch's animation has slightly changed. While charging, Ganondorf now crouches almost identically like in one of his idle animations.
• Flame Choke deals 3% more damage (9% (grounded)/12% (aerial) → 12/15%) and its grab range increased (5.2 (grounded)/5.5 (aerial) → 7.2/7.5). Grounded Flame Choke no longer has any blind spots and due to the changes in ledge mechanics, using grounded Flame Choke on an opponent using their normal get-up option will cause them to miss their ledge grab. Lastly, Ganoncide always KOs the opponent before Ganondorf, instead of at the same time or after, meaning Ganondorf will always win if he lands a Ganoncide on the opponent's last stock.
• Grounded Flame Choke can now be teched, though its low ending lag allows tech-chasing. The removal of grab armor makes it easier to intercept, as traded blows will interrupt the grab. This makes Ganonciding slightly more difficult to perform and thus less of a deterrent for opponents edgeguarding Ganondorf.
• Aerial Flame Choke is now a stall-then-fall and removes all forward momentum, making it easier to steer backward, but covering less distance forward. While this makes off-stage Ganonciding easier, it makes returning to the stage and attempting to Ganoncide while facing the ledge much harder.
• Dark Dive deals 2.8% more damage (11% → 13.8%) and slightly increased knockback growth (82 → 90), improving its out of shield and KO potentials.
• The changes to hitstun canceling results in opponents no longer being able to attack Ganondorf after he releases them from Dark Dive, improving its defensive potential.
• The removal of grab armor removes the minimal protection Dark Dive provided. When combined with the previous point about Flame Choke, this makes Ganondorf more susceptible to edgeguarding.
• Dark Dive's animation has changed. Ganondorf now holds onto the opponent one hand as opposed to two and it produces more prominent visual effects.
• Grounded Wizard's Foot deals 2% more damage (12%/10%/10% → 14%/12%/12%), improving its KO potential near the ledge and its safety potential at low percentages. Its hitboxes were also widened (z position -1/-3/4 → 0/-3/6), increasing its range and allowing Ganondorf to out-prioritize most weak projectiles.
• Aerial Wizard's Foot deals more shield damage (10 → 15). It can also be interrupted much sooner, giving Ganondorf much greater leniency to successfully recover after using it off-stage when edgeguarding and when using it as a recovery mix-up. This also allows it to be used over ground from not as high up without going into its laggy landing animation.
• Beast Ganon deals 7% less damage (47% → 40%) and has decreased knockback, removing its one-hit KO ability.
• Beast Ganon's animation has slightly changed. He now triumphantly poses, as if roaring, upon transforming back into his Gerudo form.

Update history

Ganondorf has been significantly buffed via game updates. Update 1.0.4 started with making aerial Flame Choke no longer be techable like the grounded version, while update 1.1.0 greatly strengthened his previously ineffective down smash, and all aerial attacks have been improved overall; possessing either less landing lag, better hitbox placement, or more damage. The changes to the shield mechanics in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 gave Ganondorf the biggest, albeit indirect, buffs yet by enhancing his already excellent shield breaking capabilities and making his hitlag heavy attacks significantly safer on shield. However, this came with the weakening of his own already small shield, necessitating and encouraging a more offensive playstyle with fewer flaws in defending. Update 1.1.3 strengthened Dark Dive, which was previously considered one of the weakest and most situational moves in the game (although it is still one of Ganondorf's weakest moves), and made reverse Warlock Punch safer to use with the addition of super armor, among other moderate buffs.

Update 1.1.5 improved Ganondorf's neutral game by making his infamously slow neutral attack significantly faster and adjusting its hitbox positions, which gives it slightly more reach and reduces the probability of hitting a blind spot. His dash attack had its lag reduced, which vastly improves its sourspot's combo potential. Flame Choke and Flame Wave had their grab box ranges increased, while his previously ineffective Wizard's Foot and its custom variations were improved by having their damage outputs increased and their hitbox placements widened. Aside from KOing earlier, these changes to Wizard's Foot and its custom variations enables them to out-prioritize weak projectiles and makes them safer overall. As a result, he is considered a much better character than he was in the initial release of SSB4.

1.0.4

• All aerials' landing lag decreased: 22 → 18 frames (neutral), 25 → 23 frames (forward), 22 → 20 frames (back), 22 → 20 frames (up), 30 → 28 frames (down).

1.0.6

• Neutral attack deals 1% more damage: 6%/9% → 7%/10%.
• Forward, up and down throws' hitlag decreased.

1.1.0

• All variations of Wizard's Foot deal more shield damage when performed in midair: 10 → 15.
• Down smash knockback growth increased: 75 → 94
• Down smash's second hit's hitbox size increased: 5.5u → 6.5u.
• Forward aerial deals 1% more damage: 16%/17% → 17%/18%.
• Up throw deals 3% more damage: 7% → 10%.

1.1.1

• Neutral aerial has been improved. It deals more damage: 7%/9%/5% → 8%/10%/7%, its knockback has altered: 20 (base)/100 (growth) → 0/130/90 (hit 1), 100 → 120 (hit 2), its second hit's hitbox sizes increased: 4.3u/5.7u/6.2u → 4.5u/5.7u/7.4u and its angles altered: 55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°. This makes its hits connect together better at low percentages while retaining its KO power.
• Neutral aerial's first hit's decreased base knockback makes it less safe on hit and on landing at low percentages.

1.1.3

• Ganondorf is slightly heavier: 112 → 113.
• Neutral aerial's first kick has drastically reduced knockback that allows it combo into the second hit more effectively similar to Captain Falcon's, has a new hitbox on his foot that deals high knockback for spacing properties, transitions three frames faster, has 3 frames less ending lag, and deals 2% more damage on the both the clean and late hitboxes on the second kick.
• The drastically reduced knockback on neutral aerial's first hit makes the move less safe on hit and on landing and less effective as a spacer unless hitting with the foot, while completely removing its KOing capabilities. It also deals less damage on the clean and late hitbox, and less total damage.
• Neutral, forward, back and up aerials all have 1 frame less landing lag.
• Down aerial has 2 frames less landing lag, and the hitbox is shifted down two units, giving it more range below him as well as making it easier to land the sourspot.
• Down smash's second kick now sends shielding opponents at a different angle, now pushing opponents away rather than towards him.
• Down smash now flips opponents.
• Warlock Punch and Warlock Blade have increased super armor frames and have added armor when ground reversed.
• Grounded Flame Choke grabbox modified so it no longer misses grounded opponents.
• Dark Dive improved. The multi-hits deal 0.2% more damage, the final hit deals 2% more damage, and has slightly increased knockback growth.

Technical changelist 1.1.3

Change	Old value	New value
Neutral aerial first kick knockback	0 (base)/130/90 (growth)	20 (base)/30 (growth)
Neutral aerial first kick new hitbox	N/A	30 (base)/110 (growth)
Neutral aerial first kick damage	12% (clean)/8% (late)	7%/5.25%
Neutral aerial second kick	frame 20	frame 17
Neutral aerial second kick damage	10% (clean)/7% (late)	12%/9%
Neutral aerial total damage	22% (clean)/15% (late)	19%/14.25%
Neutral aerial ending lag	45 frames	42 frames
Neutral aerial landing lag	18 frames	17 frames
Forward aerial landing lag	23 frames	22 frames
Back and up aerials landing lag	20 frames	19 frames
Down aerial landing lag	28 frames	26 frames
Down smash second kick shield angle	130°	50°
Grounded, non-reversed Warlock Punch super armor frames	11-63	11-65
Grounded, reverse Warlock Punch super armor frames	N/A	21-67
Grounded, reverse Warlock Blade super armor frames	N/A	18-55
Dark Dive multi-hits	1%	1.2%
Dark Dive throw damage	7%	9%
Dark Dive knockback growth	82	90

1.1.5

• Neutral attack has increased damage, modified positioning, and faster startup and endlag.
• Dash attack has less ending lag.
• Flame Choke and Flame Wave grab range increased.
• Grounded Wizard's Foot and variants 2% deal more damage and have altered positioning.

Technical changelist

Change	Old value	New value
Neutral attack damage	4%/7%/10%	6%/8%/10%
Neutral attack start-up	8 frames	7 frames
Neutral attack ending lag	34 frames	28 frames
Neutral attack hitbox X position	12/18	11/19
Dash attack ending lag	41 frames	37 frames
Flame Choke grab X position	5.2 (ground)/5.5 (air)	7.2/7.5
Flame Wave grab X position	5.2 (ground)/6.0 (air)	7.2/8.0
Grounded Wizard's Foot (clean) damage	12%	14%
Grounded Wizard's Foot (late) damage	10%	12%
Grounded Wizard's Foot and Wizard's Assault Z position	-1/-3/4	0/-3/6
Grounded Wizard's Dropkick (clean) damage	9%	11%
Grounded Wizard's Dropkick (late) damage	7%	9%
Grounded Wizard's Dropkick Z position	1/-1/6	0/-1/8
Grounded Wizard's Assault (clean) damage	10%	12%
Grounded Wizard's Assault (late) damage	9%	11%

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			10% (hand), 8% (arm), 6% (body)	A palm thrust. All hitboxes except for the sourspot discharge electricity upon landing. Ganondorf's fastest ground attack, with good range, knockback and fairly low ending lag. Despite Ganondorf's overall raw power, its non-sweetspotted damage outputs and set-up are among the weaker ones in the game. It is also one of three neutral attacks in the game with a sourspot (the others being Marth and Roy), though its sweetspot has enough power to KO around 155% near the ledge. A decent out of shield option.
Forward tilt			13% (foot), 12% (leg)	A front kick. Good start-up with great knockback and semi-spikes opponents. A powerful edgeguarding move against characters with little horizontal recovery. Its range is rather poor, with his neutral attack being able to outreach it. Based on the kick used by himself and other large sword-wielding enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Up tilt		rowspan="1"	28% (leg), 20%/18% (explosion)	A delayed axe kick that produces an explosion. Has vacuum properties on frames 6-70 and is incredibly powerful, with the sweetspot being infamous for instantly shattering full shields and KOing at low percentages when near the ledge, but has immense starting lag at 81 frames and is Ganondorf's slowest attack, making it a high risk, high reward move. It is one of Ganondorf's best edgeguarding options if used wisely.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	13%	A low-angle front kick. Good start-up, range and power with vertical knockback.
Dash attack			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A shoulder tackle. Ganondorf gains a quick speed boost during the move. Very brief invincibility after the move's start-up, but lasts too short to utilize effectively. The sweetspot is able to reliably KO at around 140%. The sourspot, despite severely lacking in KO power, has a longer lasting hitbox than the sweetspot and can combo into any of his aerials at varying percentages, with up aerial striking the entire cast between 70% and 90%.
Forward smash			24%	An elbow thrust. Emits dark magic upon landing. Relatively slow start-up and high cooldown, but its extreme knockback is capable of KOing under 80%. Hitting closer to Ganondorf deals slightly higher knockback, but the same damage. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. Can be angled. While it is based on Captain Falcon's forward smash, it is also very similar to a move Ganondorf uses in the final battle of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as part of a sword combo.
Up smash			24% (foot), 21% (leg/body)	A stretch kick. Has some start-up but deceptively low ending lag because of its interruptibility, so it can be used to bait opponents. Extremely powerful when used against aerial opponents, capable of KOing under 100%. Has small hitbox directly in front of him if he is too far away for the kick to hit. Deals more than half shield health uncharged and can nearly break them if fully charged. Notably, when sweetspotted it is the strongest up smash in the game.
Down smash			6% (hit 1), 15%/13% (hit 2)	A mid-level roundhouse kick followed by a back kick. The first hit has low knockback to naturally combo into the second hit, which has the most damage and knockback. However, there is a hitbox on Ganondorf's thigh that causes it to not connect together properly, as it knocks out of the combo. Ganondorf's weakest smash attack but fastest in terms of start-up, hitting on frame 15. Despite being his weakest smash attack, it is one of the most powerful down smashes in the game and can KO at 115%. Can be used to punish a roll and if used near a ledge, the first hit can stage spike opponents if positioned correctly.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	7% (hit 1 clean), 5.25% (hit 1 late), 12% (hit 2 clean), 9% (hit 2 late)	A back kick followed by a roundhouse kick. The first hit deals little damage and has extremely low knockback that allows it to combo into the second kick, which has higher damage and KO power. The first kick has a hitbox on the toe that knocks opponents away and out of the combo, but is useful as a spacer. Moderate landing lag if not used with a full hop. However, due to the first kick's extremely low knockback, it is unsafe on hit and landing and is ineffective as for spacing. The second kick late can cause opponents to trip.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	18% (fist), 17% (arm)	An overhead, downward arcing punch. Very powerful with decent start-up. Suffers from extreme ending lag and moderate landing lag even when used with a full hop due to lacking an autocancel window.
Back aerial			17% (fist), 16% (arm)	A backfist. Relatively fast start-up with power that slightly surpasses his forward aerial, but has short reach. Has little ending lag with moderate landing lag. While it autocancels with a short hop, its high vertical hitbox and low amount of active frames makes it difficult to land on most grounded opponents, particularly those that are crouching. Very likely to take a stock at medium percentages if used quickly after a ledge trump.
Up aerial			13%/12% (clean), 12%/10% (mid), 8%/6% (late)	A backflip kick. Covers a large arc above him and has fast start-up, good coverage and great power. Deals more damage and knockback when it hits closer to Ganondorf. The last few frames of this attack is a sourspot that semi-spikes with extremely low horizontal knockback and high hitstun, which can be a deadly edge guard move, especially at the end. Has little ending lag with moderate landing lag, and can autocancel with a short hop.
Down aerial			19% (legs), 17% (body)	A double foot stomp. Discharges electricity upon landing. The move is the most powerful meteor smash in the game if hit with the lower half of his body, with grounded opponents being KO'd under 120% while being unable to tech the move. There is a sourspot on his shoulder that hits horizontally with less damage, but is still extremely powerful, stronger than his forward and back aerial at higher percentages, though not as effective as when hitting with the meteor smash hitbox off-stage. Has surprisingly little ending lag, but moderately high landing lag unless used with a full hop. It does not meteor smash until 10%, making it very unsafe at low percentages, although it is capable of chaining into itself at very low percentages. All hitboxes have transcendent priority, meaning that it cannot cancel out projectiles.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his right hand. Despite Ganondorf's size, it is one of the shortest reaching grabs in the game, almost requiring him to be physically touching his opponent. His pivot grab has better range, but suffers from ending lag.
Pummel			3%	A knee strike. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw			5% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	Lifts the opponent and hits them with a short straight-punch. One of the highest damaging forward throws in the game. Decent knockback that is good for setting up down aerials meteor smash, though it does not KO until 195% near the ledge.
Back throw			5% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Lifts the opponent behind him and hits them with a side kick. Decent knockback and can set up for an edgeguard. Ganondorf's strongest throw, KOing 37% earlier than his forward throw, though moderate cooldown severely decreases its grounded combo potential.
Up throw			7% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Lifts the opponent overhead and hits them with an upward palm strike. High base knockback, but low knockback growth. Not good at follow-ups, but it can be used for DI mix-ups, mindgames and start juggles against characters who have a hard time dealing with juggles, though this can be difficult to do so due to Ganondorf's physics. Its poor knockback growth prevents it from KOing until 245%.
Down throw			7%	A one-handed body slam. Very low knockback growth makes it useful for setting up into dash attack, neutral aerial, up aerial, Wizard's Foot or Wizard's Dropkick at 0% to medium percentages. However, Ganondorf's slow speed and physics, an opponent's DI and the move's low hitstun and horizontal angle often make these follow-ups difficult.
Floor attack (front)			7%	A legsweep performed from a flare, an acrobatic technique used in breakdancing and gymnastics.
Floor attack (back)			7%	A somersault kick.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Spins around to kick those who are near.
Edge attack			8%	Gets up and performs a backfist. Has a very long reach and can even occasionally stage spike enemies near or at the ledge behind him.
Neutral special	Default	Warlock Punch	30% (ground), 37% (ground reverse), 38% (aerial), 40% (air reverse), 42% (air reverse, near fist)	Winds up his left arm while charging dark magic and then performs a dark magic-infused backfist. Ganondorf can rotate 180° by turning in the opposite direction during the charging period to deal more knockback and damage. However, this is slower than the regular Warlock Punch. It also receives a significant damage and knockback bonus if used in the air or rotated 180°, with these bonuses being stackable. As a result, an aerial reverse Warlock Punch is powerful enough to one-hit KO any character at the ledge with enough rage and even instantly shatter full shields, while the grounded version can OHKO certain lightweight characters near the ledge. When reversed, it can KO middleweights at a mere 16% with no rage. The grounded version has super armor until just before the punch, though the aerial version does not.
	Custom 1	Warlock Blade	22%/18% (ground), 24%/20% (ground reverse), 24%/20% (air), 26%/22% (air reverse)	Unsheathes the Sword of Sages and performs a reverse gripped thrust. Deals less damage overall than Warlock Punch when sourspotted, but has greater range, faster start-up, and a powerful sweetspot at the blade's tip. Has super armor until just before the thrust, unless used in the air. Deals greatly increased shield damage, with the sweetspot being able to instantly shatter a full shield. All hitboxes have transcendent priority.
	Custom 2	Warlock Thrust	16%/9% (normal), 19%/12% (reverse)	A faster backfist that produces a large explosion of dark magical energy, giving it more vertical reach, transcendent priority, and less cooldown (though it is still notably large due to its faster start-up). The explosion, however, is a large sourspot, with Ganondorf's fist being the only sweetspot in the move. As a result, it deals extremely weak knockback that does not KO until past 300%.
Side special	Default	Flame Choke	12% (ground throw), 15% (air throw), 4% (release)	Lunges forward with his hand extended out and infused with dark magic. Upon contact, he grabs the opponent's face and blasts them with a pulse of dark magic that drops them onto the ground. The opponent can tech the hit to avoid guaranteed follow-ups, though the move can be tech-chased due to having minimal cooldown. In the air, Ganondorf grabs onto and descends holding the opponent before slamming them into the ground, or to the lower blast line in a suicide KO if used off-stage. Much less unwieldy than in Brawl, as Ganondorf will always win if he and the opponent are on their last stocks. Due to functioning as a grab, it works through shields and counters. Also can be used for short horizontal recovery, as it can grab ledges. When Ganondorf grabs his opponent, he gains super armor on frame 17-40.
	Custom 1	Flame Wave	10% (hit 1), 8% (ground throw), 10% (air throw), 4% (release)	Upon contact, Ganondorf blasts the opponent into the air after grabbing them. Hits twice, with the second hit dealing vertical knockback. Has actual KO power, but at the cost of combo potential, range and speed. It also has more starting lag and ending lag.
	Custom 2	Flame Chain	1.2% (loop hits), 5% (last hit)	Hits multiple times instead of grabbing and ends with a blast that deals decent knockback. It also provides very long range, more traction on the ground and passes through shielding enemies. As it cannot grab, it cannot perform a Ganoncide. It also has slightly more start-up and significantly more ending lag.
Up special	Default	Dark Dive	1.2% (hits 1-4), 9% (throw), 7% (uppercut), 6% (release)	Leaps upward and, upon coming into contact with an opponent, latches onto them and discharges electricity before launching off of them with an explosion. Covers a very small amount of horizontal distance, but a decent amount of vertical making it a subpar recovery. If Ganondorf successfully lands this move against an opponent, he is not rendered helpless and can use it again. Ganondorf will perform a dark magic-infused uppercut that deals weak knockback if the grab misses an opponent. It has the weakest knockback out of all of Ganondorf's moves (not counting Flame Choke's set knockback, which has combo potential to compensate) and does not KO until 170%, though it does KO slightly earlier when near the edge and also functions as a decent out of shield move.
	Custom 1	Dark Fists	6% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Leaps upward and, instead of latching onto the opponent, performs two dark magic-infused swiping punches. The punches can chain into each other, dealing very high knockback at moderate percentages and enables it to KO much more reliably than Dark Dive. Due to the increased horizontal reach and the super armor frames on the move's start-up, it is considered one of Ganondorf's most effective recovery alternatives.
	Custom 2	Dark Vault	1% (hit 1), 3% (throw), 6% (release)	Leaps upward twice, but can only grab opponents during the start of either leap. Its KO power is even weaker than Dark Dive, as it only KOs at 400%, while it covers less horizontal distance.
Down special	Default	Wizard's Foot	14%/12% (ground), 15%/14% (air), 8% (landing)	A dark magic-infused flying kick. Deals a decent good and knockback, but has lots of cooldown. In the air, Ganondorf flies diagonally downward. A powerful meteor smash during start-up, with a late hit launching opponents vertically instead. A small shockwave is formed around Ganondorf when he lands on the ground, which deals a small amount of knockback. Deals relatively high shield damage in the air, so much so that it can bring shields to a sliver of health if all of its hitboxes connect. Slows down significantly on impact with anything, has a lot of landing lag and is extremely risky to use off-stage.
	Custom 1	Wizard's Dropkick	11%/9% (ground), 11%/8%/9%/7% (air), 6% (landing)	Slightly jumps into the air before performing a dark magic-infused flying kick. The grounded version has very little ending lag, enables Ganondorf to vault over most projectiles and is a true combo out of down throw until medium to high percentages. The aerial version moves at a 45° angle downward, making it great for horizontal recovery and avoiding juggles if he is launched. The aerial version can also be used more freely for edgeguarding. Both versions deal less damage, while the aerial version cannot meteor smash and has significantly reduced vertical KO power, though its overall utility outweighs these downsides.
	Custom 2	Wizard's Assault	12%/11%/7% (ground), 14%/12% (air), 6% (landing)	A faster flying kick that travels farther and pierces opponents. The aerial version travels straight down and its landing shockwave launches opponents behind Ganondorf. It can meteor smash and has slower start-up and ending lag, but does not slow down on impact.
Final Smash		Beast Ganon	10%/5% (appearance), 10% (paralyze), 40%/30% (charge)	Transforms into his demonic beast form and rams into the opponent. Opponents too close upon its activation are buried, while those otherwise will be paralyzed if they are in front of him.

On-screen appearance

• Emerges from a portal of dark magic.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Floats in the air, curls into a ball while spinning before opening up from his curled position and striking a pose while laughing.
• Side taunt: Punches his right hand into his open palm in a threatening pose and scoffs, with dark magic emitting from his hands afterward. When the dark magic is emitted, his cape will either remain stationary or flow as if being blown by wind.
• Down taunt: Unsheathes the Sword of Sages, looks at it while sporting a mocking smirk as the blade's tip pulses with dark magic, then sheathes it.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Brings his hands together, then swings his right arm over his head.
• Crosses his arms and looks in the opposite direction while sporting a mocking smirk.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Ganon-dooorf!	Gan-on!
Pitch	Group chant	Male

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the tune that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

• With his back facing the screen, Ganondorf punches his fist into his open palm, turns to face the screen and pumps his fist.
• Pumps his fist as it emits dark magic and crouches while briefly opening his mouth or briefly clenching his teeth before resuming his typical scowling expression.
• Crosses his arms while laughing, then looks toward the screen. This references a scene in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Ganondorf	2121	2122	2321	2322	2132
	2332	2222	3122	3121	3112

Notable players

Active

•  Adom
•  Deeder
•  Deotay
•  GanonTheBeast
•  Jile
•  Matt Hazard
•  Opana
•  Pon
•  Rice (NorCal)
•  Ray Kalm
•  Vermanubis

Inactive

•  Vex Kasrani

Trophies

Ganondorf

The King of Evil that awaits Link at the end of most of his adventures. Ganondorf possesses the Triforce of Power. In Smash Bros., he makes up for his low speed with devastating power. The strength of his blows can knock back most opponents. Get close with a dash attack, and pummel your foes!

The King of Evil is Link's arch-nemesis in most games in the Legend of Zelda series. With the Triforce of Power at his disposal, he's a fearsome opponent. In this game, his mighty attacks have so much impact, they easily make up for his slow speed, and his launching ability is extra impressive! Rush in when the enemy's open and strike hard.

: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Ganondorf (Alt.)

Being the powerhouse that he is, the King of Evil is a great choice for free-for-alls. His Warlock Punch delivers a thunderous, dark-energy-fueled blow from his left hand. Unfortunately, left-handed dark-energy-fueled blows take some time to charge. You can turn to face someone as they cowardly try to hit you from behind.

Being the powerhouse that he is, the King of Evil is a great choice for free-for-alls. His Warlock Punch focuses dark energy into his left hand to deliver a thunderous back-hander. Unfortunately, focusing all that energy takes time. If someone sneaks behind you just as you start the move, quickly try to turn around.

: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Beast Ganon

For Ganondorf's Final Smash, he morphs into a beast and attacks. As soon as he's transformed, he buries nearby fighters in the ground and then stuns them with his roar. Finally, he charges forward, dealing heavy damage and launching anyone in his way. Any foes buried by the first strike are doomed to be hit by the rest.

For Ganondorf's Final Smash, he morphs into a beast and attacks. As soon as he's transformed, he buries fighters nearby in the ground, then stuns them with his roar. Finally, he charges forward, dealing heavy damage and launching anyone in his way. Any foes who are buried by the first strike are guaranteed to be hit by the rest.

• GanondorfTrophy3DS1.png

  Classic (3DS)

• GanondorfTrophy3DS2.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Beast Ganon

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Fated Battle: Ganondorf appears as an opponent that Link must defeat in a two stock battle. If the battle lasts through the third portion, two Dark Links will appear.
• All-Star Battle: Melee: Ganondorf is one of the eight opponents that must be defeated. All opponents debuted in Melee.
• Beautification: Two Bowsers and two Ganondorfs must be flowered by Rosalina & Luma.
• The Demon King and the Goddess: Ganondorf must defeat a team of Link and Zelda. After the two are defeated or some time has passed, a giant Palutena appears and the player must defeat her.
• The Destroyer Cometh: Palutena must defeat a giant Ganondorf and two other Ganondorfs before they destroy all the terrain on Skyworld.
• The Final Battle: The player must defeat Ganondorf, Bowser and King Dedede.

Co-op Events

• Final Battle Team-Up: Ganondorf is one of the opponents that must be defeated.
• Mirror Magic: Lucina and Ike must defeat Ganondorf, who is aided by a giant metal shadow Lucina and Ike.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Unlikely Allies: Ganondorf and Palutena must defeat sixteen Mr. Game & Watches.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Ganondorf's amiibo.

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  On Battlefield.

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  Using Flame Choke on Link on Final Destination.

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  Being blocked by Palutena's Reflect Barrier.

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  Being attacked by Meta Knight and Pit.

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  With Link, Zelda, and Sheik.

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  Using Wizard's Foot on Robin and Marth.

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  Being chased by Toon Link, Ness, and Villager.

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  Using Beast Ganon on Link and Lucina.

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  Using his side taunt while on Smash Ball standby.

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  Using Warlock Blade on Link on Gerudo Valley.

Trivia

• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first entry in the series to have Ganondorf utilize his sword as an attack, albeit as a custom special, Warlock Blade.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first game where Ganondorf is unlocked on a stage other than Final Destination.
• Ganondorf's neutral moveset has the most grab moves in the game, as both Flame Choke and Dark Dive count as grabs and cannot be shielded or countered.
• When Ganondorf uses an aerial Flame Choke on an opponent with one stock left, he will usually still shout his KO voice clip, despite not being KO'd.
• Ganondorf is the only The Legend of Zelda character that lacks a projectile.
• Ganondorf's amiibo description on Nintendo's official site is based on his Melee trophy description, thereby describing his The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time self.
• Of all the veterans that retain their voice clips from Brawl, Ganondorf and Captain Falcon are the only ones that do not make use of their unused Brawl knockback sound clips.
• When using Ganondorf's down taunt under the effects of the Timer item, his sword will move in an unusual way due to its motion not slowing down with him.
• Ganondorf's NTSC crowd chant is very similar to the one in Melee, where the crowd eerily drags out the second part of his name.