Ganon

GANON

Having fought your way across eight dungeons and the entire overworld, you are finally ready to storm the fortress of the game’s evil warlock, set high on Death Mountain. You finally reach the inner chamber and come face to face with a massive pig demon wielding a trident.

This is Ganon, the original representation of the series’s recurring antagonist. Though later games will expand his backstory and represent him originally as a human, by this point in his development, he has become so consumed by evil and dark magic, he has lost his human form entirely. Though his beastly form would make appearances in the 3D games, the pig demon presented here would be his consistent form for most 2D appearances.

As a fighter, naturally he will be big and strong with a lot of power behind his attacks. His trident will act as his main weapon but his moveset will pull from all of his various boss fights across the Zelda series.

Likelihood rating: Strong.

The Legend of Zelda (Mishouzaki)

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (MISHOUZAKI)

And now, for the real weird one. Way back when all you had to go on were little eight bit sprites and a sprawling map, I suppose it was natural for someone to interpret it all drastically differently than what is seen as core Zelda canon today. This manga, written by Mishouzaki Yuu, was published in 1989 and covered the events of the first two Zelda games, sort of. Here, Hyrule was a land of humans and elves, where horribly egregious racism against elves was commonplace. Ganon was a nightmare-fuel/lovecraftian-horror demon who had broken through into the human would by the oh so sinful act of a human and an elf making love!

Anyway, the story stars Link, the half-elf son of the scandalous trespassers, one being an elf warrior named Rune, and one being the last Queen Zelda, in a torrid affair, both of whom were murdered by Ganon, leading to Link never knowing either of them. And yes, this does mean that the Princess Zelda of this story is his half-sister, and yes, he does not know this, and yes, he has a crush on her. Do with that what you will. He has two distinct swords unique to this manga, his father's White Sword, a big old wedge-shaped thing, and the Hyper Magical Sword, something he just kinda found in a ruin one chapter that shoots lightning and has to be the most over-powered weapon in the story.

Zelda is a fairly constant companion throughout the story, mostly shown wielding a sword and casting powerful magic with her triforce. Other secondary character include a very young Impa who acts as a mom figure to both Link and Zelda. She is part of Hyrule's ninja force, and can throw shurikens, but that's about it. There's also Grey and Pell, a pair of siblings, and their grandfather Jenard, the man who kept Rune's sword for Link after he died. Then there's Kana, Link's aunt and an elven warrior. We only really see her send fairies to heal on the page, though it's implied she can do stuff. And a few other random NPCs, but nothing really to work with over all.

Ganon in the first story is more of a powerful malevolent force than a being, and so we don't have much to work with apart from a big black overwhelming cloud with a boar face. In the second story though, he inhabits a body that I guess is supposed to be this story's version of Dark Link, who calls himself Ganon's Heart, and who can extend his arms, absorb magical energy, float and teleport, and steals the White Sword to use for himself.

It's mostly a lot of familiar names for locations here, so at least they got that right.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Manga Link: slingshot, sword, shield, bow, boomerang, bombs, magic wand, Watto, become a fairy, healing magic, thunder, fly on shield, raft, Link to the Past-related stuff, White Sword, Hyper Magical Sword

Riruto: sword, lightning sword, spin attack, cyclone sword, sword beam, shield, power bracelet, giant pot, grapple, backflip

Zelda: club, rope, sword, flute, spells, transform, sea monster, magic, sword, Triforce magic

Kalin: energy aura

Biri: sword, torches, pitchforks, battering rams

Raska: palm thrust, knee, jab, two-palm strike, shield thrust, throwing spikes

Captain Arjuna: Hylian Soldier moveset

Gonza: sword, throwing daggers, bombs, rock, dash

Kala: ferret, worm, dragon, punch, pile driver

Cho: rope, power bracelet

Maple: broom, create cushions, lift things, summon demon, false monsters, crystal ball

Ricky: leap, tornado punch, multi-jabs, tuck into pouch, ski, flying bear

Ghanti: sword, dagger, silver arrows, wolf, monster, apple

Sir Raven: sword, horse, fishing, fish hook lockpick, mystery seeds, axe, peashooter

Marin

Link's Uncle: sword

Kanika

Tou: same as Raska

Couscous: spells, claw, bite

Birina

Gump: trained Link, sword, training staff, flip

Shemlon: forge, enchant swords, sword, reflect

Rouro: fly, peck, flyswatter, bag, storm

Jolene: ship's cannons, twin swords, lunge, block, Linebeck-related moves

Pirate Captain: dagger, sword, hook

Ganon/Ganon's Minion: burn, magic blast, disappear, fly, shock, storm, teleport, shapeshift, Ganon's hand

Demon Ganon/Ganon's Heart: extend arms, White Sword, absorb, disappear, teleport, Demon Ganon form

Agahnim

Nabat: lightning storm

Haggis: steed, protection amulet, punch, flick, bow, head bash, wind strike, kick, lightning strike, energy blast, lightning speed, energy shield.

Stages:

Ganon's Statue

Spirit World Training Arena

Demon World

Thanks for reading! And now that all the notable stuff is out of the way, let's go ahead and cover basically everything else.

The Legend of Zelda (TV Series)

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

You know how, even as poorly made and written as they were, all of the Mario film media hit that right note of bad that I had a good time watching them anyway? Yeah, this show was not like that. I hated it. Link and Zelda are both just awful people in their own special ways, and they deserve each other. But that's not what we're here for. This show ran as part of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, with the regular Mario episodes airing on the weekdays, and Zelda airing on Saturday. It was mostly based on the original game, with Link, Zelda, and Ganon constantly tussling over ownership of the Triforces of Wisdom and Power, with Link basically being a hired mercenary Zelda and her father brought in to protect the Triforce of Wisdom.

Link, our "hero" with a sexual harassment case coming his way any day now, can kick, use his sword and cast beams from it, throw pillows, pull from and store items in a magic pouch, swing on a rope, use a shield, swing a lasso, springboard off of things, use a whistle to summon winds, use a power bracelet and a force field ring, and surf on his shield.

Zelda, our princess who finds reasons to blame Link for things that could have never possibly been his fault in a hundred years, can likewise punch, reflect things with a pan, use magic to grow things, launch herself from a tree, use a bow, boomerang, and crossbow, raise herself up on top of the Triforce, create ice, fire, and shields with magic, and throw lemons and banana peels.

Other secondary characters include Sprite, Link's constant fairy companion who has a bit of the Tinker Bell jealousy syndrome for him, and King Harkinian, Zelda's father with the same name as the character in the CDi games. He doesn't do much here except build himself a water park, but I may go back and revisit some of the stuff from those games. He just might be the ideal candidate there.

Ganon is our main villain, here portrayed as a piglike wizard who lives in the Underworld and holds the Triforce of Power, constantly coming up with schemes to steal the Triforce of Wisdom. He is constantly teleporting, can throw lightning, summons enemies from a large jar in his lair, throws bombs, summons fire, chains up his enemies, peers into a crystal ball, uses suction, and has such magical items as the control jewel, the capture staff, and the wand of power.

Several enemies from the original game appear here, including Moblins (with staffs, bone bows, and capture staffs), Stalfos wielding bombs, Hardhat Beetles, Gohmas, Octoroks, Tektites, Zoras, Gleeoks, Gibdoes (who can turn Link into a frog apparently), Vires, Lynels, Goriyas (who come with boomerangs and giant magnets), Aquamentus, and Dodongos.

Just like the Mario series, the Zelda series came with a few one-off characters who played important parts in the story of their episode. First, we have Prince Façade, a charming figure who tries to woo Zelda but turns out to be slimy and two faced. He generally just rode a horse and uses a shield and crossbow. Then we have Sing, a ninja warrior from a "distant land" hear to steal back her Pegasus that Ganon had stolen. Besides her Pegasus, she can leap really high and wields sai that can shoot beams. Up, next is Sleezenose, a pickpocket and con artist who carries a fake sword, can pick locks, drops beehives to load into a catapult, and fills boxes with bees. Doof was the castle's handyman and aspiring magician, who created an automaton that he brought to life, which could crush things in a bear hug and hop around on a broom. He also created a fake Moblin at one point. Then we have the Witch of Walls, who is . . . just kind of a wall with a face. And finally, we have the Water Monster, water from an enchanted fairy spring brought to life by Sprite's people when King Harkinian's water park unwittingly drained all the water from their spring. This monster could splash, flood areas, turn into a snake, crab, and fish shape, grab with a tentacle, and shoot lightning.

As for the stages, the series was fairly limited, most events taking place either at Zelda's Castle and the overworld surrounding it, and in Ganon's Lair and the underworld surrounding it. King Harkinian's water park is one of the few notable examples of any other prominent locations.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Link: kick, sword, sword beam, pillow, magic pouch, swing, shield, lasso, springboard, wind whistle, power bracelet, force field ring, surf on shield

Zelda: punch, reflect with a pan, grow with magic, launch from a tree, bow, boomerang, crossbow, raise on Triforce, ice, fire, shields, lemons, banana peels

Sprite

King Harkinian: water park, CDi games rep?

Ganon: teleport, lightning, summon enemies, bombs, fire, chains, crystal ball, suction, control jewel, capture staff, wand of power

Goriya: Possible catch-all for enemy representation here, as it is the most prominent enemy type in the show that has not yet gotten a moveset. If so, staff, bone bow, capture staff, bomb, frog transformation, boomerang, giant magnet.

Prince Façade: horse, shield, crossbow

Sing: Pegasus, leap, sai, sai beam

Sleezenose: fake sword, lockpick, beehives, bee catapult, box of bees

Doof/Automaton: automaton, animate, bear hug, broom, fake Moblin

Witch of Walls

Water Monster: splash, flood, snake, crab, fish, tentacle, lightning

Stages:

Zelda's Castle

Ganon's Lair

Water Park

Thanks for reading! Since it's really only the one show (Link and Zelda do make appearances in Captain N, but I'll go into that more later), let's cover some of the American comics that have come out, starting with the Valiant comics.

Tingle/CDi Returning Characters

 TINGLE/CDi RETURNING CHARACTERS

Alright, now that those games are finished up, let's go through our list and update any characters in dire need of an update (or more accurately, any that appeared that already have a moveset laid out).

So, right off the bat, we have Link and Zelda both returning, mainly as the protagonists of the CDi games. While the movesets generally try to grasp the concepts of the core games with the items used, it's just different enough that it could become it's own moveset, but I don't have a clear person to take it on though. There is a lot of design inspiration in these games pulled straight from the TV show, such as Link's characterization, Zelda's design, and King Harkinian being the name of Zelda's father, so I'd like to hold off, and incorporate ideas from these when I get to that, if that's okay.

Tingle is another returning fighter, being the protagonist of all major Tingle games. He has a lot of returning moves, such as his balloons, his maps, his bombs, and his fireworks, all of which I included before, and a lot of the new stuff I think I'd like to save for characters more unique to these games, however, if the slingshot was not already part of it, I'd like to incorporate that somehow, and the fight cloud is pretty iconic seeing it's almost basically the only move in the first game. More on that when we get to Pinkle, I think, as she'd make a solid echo fighter.

Ganon, or "Gannon" I guess, appears as the villain of the three CDi games, though his boss battles are pretty basic, and I think I like his moveset as is already. Though, when we get to the TV show version, I might factor in his flaming skulls just like Link and Zelda.

Outside of that, a lot of core enemy types that currently have movesets appeared throughout this set of games, but with nothing particularly noteworthy added to them, so I think we'll leave them as is.

Thanks for reading! Next up, I think we'll tackle that Pinkle echo fighter immediately.

Link: The Faces of Evil

LINK: THE FACES OF EVIL

In 1993, Nintendo leased some of their titles out to Imagination Magic to create games for the experimental new Phillips CDi system. The results included Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. They are all . . . really bad. I mean, really, really bad. Widely considered to be some of the worst games ever made, and certainly the worst Zelda games by a wide margin, though they have picked up some meme popularity in recent years, which is probably well-deserved.

The game stars Link as the main playable character. Here he wields a sword and shield, as well as such items as a bell, bombs, the water of life, a winged helmet acting similarly to the Pegasus shoes, a Power Glove, a rope, a lantern, and a snowball. He also has the Book of Koridai, which can defeat Ganon in one hit. Not too much new. I think I'll hold off any decision there until I see the TV show version, there's a lot of design similarities.

The game is chock-full of supporting characters, mostly appearing in some of the worst animated cutscenes you will ever find. Among these are Zelda, King Harkinian (though with a completely different design from the show, strangely), a wizard named Gwonam with a magic carpet, and several other shopkeepers and people you can visit for important quest details, the most memed one being a merchant named Morshu.

Ganon is the main villain and he mostly attacks you with flaming skulls. He also has five main bosses working for him, namely the wizard Goronu, the clownish pig Harlequin, a knight named Militron, a fat, blobby thing called Glutko, and a wolfman named Lupay. Most of their fights are pretty basic. A lot of standard enemies appear, albeit barely recognizable. These include: Moblins, Goriyas, Stalfos, Achemen, Armos, Dairas, Darknuts, Dodongos, Ghinis, Gleeoks, Gohmas, Keese, Octoroks, Wallmasters, Zols, and Zoras.

Most of the game takes place on a giant island called Koridai with several literal evil faces sticking up from it. Most of these faces are literally named after the boss that resides there, being Goronu, the Harlequin Bazaar, Militron, Glutko, and Lupay. Other locations include the snowy Nortinka, Crater Cove, Toyku Lighthouse, Firestone Lake, Spearfish Falls, Serigon Caves, the Fortress Centrum, Hermit Flat, Shipwreck Cliff, and Ganon's Lair.

Really, that's all we've got. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Link: sword, shield, bell, bombs, water of life, winged helmet, Power Glove, rope, lantern, snowball, Book of Koridai

Zelda

King Harkinian

Tingle: fight cloud, money management, fireworks, make maps, fly with balloons, drop bombs, cook, shovel, bat, stretch and leap, rupee blast, baseball, slingshot, rope, train car, scary face

Pinkle: potential echo fighter or gimmick rep

Tingle's companions (Kakashi, Buriki, and Lion): crawl, pick things up, get thrown, carried by crows, scan, connect to electricity, trip, lift bell, knock tree over, pick vegetables, slingshot, scary face, seeds, train car?

Gwonam: Maybe there's a gimmick rep here? We'll hold off until the others.

Ganon: flaming skulls

Sensei, Azusa, Iona, Liar, and Princess

Aba: potential gimmick rep

Teddy Todo/other bodyguards

Yamori: ninja blade, hide, disguise, leap, kite, smoke bombs

Uncle Rupee: sofa, lightning, table shields, cats, grand form, green cloud, giant head, bodyguards with rupee guns

Segare: sword, horse, leap, giant mech, rocket launchers, ramp, sabotage, vandalism, spiked wall

Majiyo: shapeshift, teleport, become gigantic, float, bee, worm, snake, final form

Oinker: bombs, swords, shields, lances, spells, rolling around on balls, sword spin, rage circle, more Oinkers, meteors, float, slash, waves of magic

Captain Stalfos: fireball, swords

Bosses:

Death Bug

Bana Bana

Dora Dora

Baron

Goronu

Harlequin

Militron

Glutko

Lupay

Stages:

Tingle's Room

Port Town

Western Pool

Hero's Shrine

Pirate Hideaway

Deku Temple

Insect Cavern

Desma's Labyrinth

Captain Stalfos's Ship

Cape Treasure

Deku Forest

Gooey Swamp

Mount Desma

Fairy Garden

Auros Ruins

Balloon Fight

Book

Emerald City

Koridai

Goronu

Harlequin Bazaar

Militron

Glutko

Lupay

Nortinka

Crater Cove

Toyku Lighthouse

Firestone Lake

Spearfish Falls

Serigon Caves

Fortress Centrum

Hermit Flat

Shipwreck Cliff

Ganon's Lair

Thanks for reading! Next up, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.

2D Zelda Returning Characters

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Alright! Now, we have about twenty-two newcomers to cover, but before we get to that, we should tend to our handful of returning characters to see if we have to tend to anything new.

First of all, we have Link, meaning the basic Link with the adult body and the green tunic that you typically think of when you think of Link. As per usual, this one is pretty much a catch-all for all of Link's standards, like his sword, his shield, his bow and arrows, his boomerang, and his bombs, while everything else gets dispersed to other more specialized Links or his companions. I . . . am sorta tempted to create a new Link based on the 2D versions (maybe with Link to the Past's design) given the recurrence of things like the elemental rods, the Pegasus Shoes, and the Roc's Feather, but I don't think it's quite enough to justify it, so I'm not.

Toon Link also returns, specifically highlighting his appearances in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. Two specific items I want to throw in on top of his pre-existing moveset are the Sand Wand and the Train, both of which heavily tie to his themes in both games, even more so highlighted in Hyrule Warriors. So, I think the Train barreling through works as a strong Final Smash, and the Sand Wand can easily work as his Side B.

Zelda returns, mostly playing small supporting roles, with such standards as her light arrows and her sealing spell, so not too much to update her on. Her Wind Waker variant Tetra also appears, with not much new on her end either. Of note, both characters got themselves turned to stone at one point, though I can't see that factoring in at all. A new variant will come along in our newcomer list, so stay tuned.

A number of smaller side characters popped up in these games, mostly as NPCs and not really contributing anything to what we already had before. Impa crops up from time to time, while Sahasrahla made another appearance in A Link Between Worlds. He had a grandson there, that I guess could be an echo if you squint, but he wasn't prominent enough for me to justify it. Malon and her father Talon made regular appearances, as did Beedle, generally running the ranches and stores that they are known for. Races like the Gorons, the Gerudo, and the Deku Scrubs appear, adding to their representatives as well, and of course, the Great Fairy likes to pop up when she can.

Ganon made a habit of cropping up a lot, even at points where he wasn't really needed, with a lot of his basics like disappearing, swinging his trident, throwing energy balls, and throwing lightning. Nothing particularly new here. Twinrova also appeared, their ice and fire magic, flight, and combining gimmick fully intact. The real standout here is Dark Link, who fully broke out on his own, with multiplication powers, giant leaps, giant bombs, and trick floors at his disposal. Personally, I would make his leaps his new Up B, make his down B a floor effect (probably fire), and I would have his gigantic bomb take up his Final Smash, officially making him no longer an echo.

As far as our returning enemies, we have quite a few, but very little with anything major to add. Armos are the same, as are our Hylian Soldiers, Wizzrobes, Darknuts, Lynels, Moblins, Octoroks, Stalfos, Poes, Dodongos, Gohmas, Hinoxes, and Bulblins. Our Chuchus can grow spikes now, and I don't remember if that had been factored in before or not. If so, I would like to add a spike attack wherever you can place one, so as not to mess with the electrical and stone attacks (I like those too). Finally, a Vire played a prominent role in the Oracles games, which I remember being the thing that pushed them over the edge for me, although I believe everything has been factored in already.

And that's it. The next four weeks, join me as we add in a bunch more characters, starting with Four Links acting as a team.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: FOUR SWORDS ADVENTURES

Today, let's cover The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, the game that took the ideas presented in Four Swords and actually brought them to their full fruition. The story is mostly the same as Four Swords, with Vaati breaking free from his seal, except this time, Dark Link acts as a henchman for him throughout the game, and Ganon hijacks the plot at the end.

Given that this is one of the few true multiplayer Zelda adventures, it is structured differently than most Zelda games to account for those four players. Across the game, Link must work together with his three clones to get through the levels, collecting special Force gems along the way. Their items include the fire rod, the boomerang, fire arrows, Pegasus boots, the Roc's feather, the quake and bombos medallions, a hammer, a shovel, the power bracelet, and a cannon. The four Link can also form up into special formations, including a box, a vertical line, and a horizontal line.

Zelda is probably our only major supporting character here, and she is shown performing a sealing spell and creating a rainbow bridge. Other standards like Tingle, Malon, Dampe, and Kaepora Gaebora, and races like Gorons, Deku Scrubs, and Gerudo also pop up here and there. It's also worth noting that this is probably the source of most of the hatred for Tingle, as instead of just being a silly guy who makes maps for you, he's an active menace who slowly creeps onto the stage to steal Force gems if you don't pick them up fast enough.

Vaati is your initial main boss, and his boss fight involves creating cyclones and sending out a ring of energy balls. Dark Link fights you multiple times throughout the game, and is probably going to be the clincher on whether he remains an echo or not. He can use a sword and shield like other Links, but he can also drop bombs, including a giant bomb, leap around really high, multiply, and cover the floor in fire or ice. Finally, we have Ganon, who uses his trident, warps around, calls down lightning, and slams hard.

Outside of them, our bosses include Manhandla, Dodongo, Gohma, Ball-and-Chain Soldiers, Phantom Ganon, Stone Arrghus, the Helmaroc King, a Big Poe, a Moldorm, and an icy creature called Frostare. Our returning enemies include Zoras, Cheep Cheeps, Like Likes, Stalfos, Wizzrobes (with the ability to suck up Force gems), Keese, Hinox, Gibdos, Devalants, Armos, Geldmen, Ghinis, Pengators, and Zols. (Have we seen Devalants, Geldmen, and Pengators before, or was this their first appearance? They're very common, I'm not sure).

This game likewise features more of a level-based system suited to a multiplayer game, with eight worlds divided up into three areas each. The first and most basic chapter features Lake Hylia, the Cave of No Return, and Hyrule Castle. Eastern Hyrule features The Coast, Village of the Blue Maiden, and the Eastern Temple. Death Mountain includes the Foothills, the Mountain Path, and the Tower of Flames. A night-themed section features the Field, the Swamp, and Hyrule Castle again. The Dark World features the Lost Woods, Kakariko Village, and the Temple of Darkness. A desert world features the Desert of Doubt, the Desert Temple, and a Pyramid. An ice world includes Frozen Hyrule, the Ice Temple, and the Tower of Winds. And the final sky-themed world includes the Realm of the Heavens, the Dark Cloud, and the Palace of Winds.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Link: sword, shield, bombs, bombchus, boomerang, flute, ember seeds, gale seeds, Pegasus seeds, slingshot, magnetic gloves, power bracelet, Roc's feather, shovel, rod of seasons, switch hook, Harp of Ages, Tune of Echoes, Tune of Currents, Tune of Ages.

Four Links: sword, shield, bow and arrows, boomerang, bombs, Pegasus shoes, Roc's cape, magnetic glove, spark his swords, pull apart, pick up and throw, push, push together, Force gems, fire rod, the fire arrows, quake, bombos medallions, hammer, shovel, power bracelet, cannon, box, vertical line, horizontal line.

Zelda: sealing spell, rainbow bridge

Din: dance, seasons

Nayru: sing, harp of ages, echoes tune, currents tune, ages tune,  time portals, fireballs, warp

Ralph: sword, (maybe?) bombs, bombchus, boomerang, flute, ember seeds, gale seeds, Pegasus seeds, slingshot, magnetic gloves, power bracelet, Roc's feather, shovel, switch hook

Farore

Impa

Ricky: pouch, leap high, pair of gloves

Moosh: fly

Dimitri: swim

Malon

Talon

Tingle: steal Force gems

Dampe

Maple: broom, crash, potions

Goron

Gerudo

Deku Scrub

Subrosians: shovels, hammers, boomerangs, warp points, buckets, smelt ore

Tokay: steal, swim

Pirate Captain

Great Fairy

Ganon: disappear, trident, energy balls, slam, warp, seal Zelda, lightning

Onox: lightning, cyclones, mace, stomp to make rocks fall, blue flames, dragon form

Veran: possession, ghostly form, summon enemies, dark Links, dark energy balls, fairy, turtle, and spider forms, time warps

Vaati: fly, tentacles, cyclones, lightning balls, colored energy balls, claws, ring of energy balls.

Dark Link: sword, shield, bombs, giant bomb, leap, multiply, fiery floor, icy floor

Twinrova: combine, fly, fire and ice, lava, glaciers

Vire: fireballs, shadow balls, fly, turn into keese

Armos

Hylian Soldiers

Wizzrobes

Deku Scrubs

Buzz Blobs

Darknuts

Keese

Gibdos

Lynels

Moblins

Octoroks

Goriyas

Zoras

Stalfos: scythe

Poes

Dodongo

Gohma

Eyegor

Helmasaur

Helmaroc King

Phantom Ganon

Hinox

Bosses:

Aquamentus

Dodongo

Mothula

Gohma

Digdogger

Manhandla

Gleeok

Medusa Head

Facade

Agunima

Frypolar

Pumpkin Head

Head Thwomp

Shadow Hag

Eyesoar

Smog

Octogon

Plasmarine

Ramrock

Swoop

Subterror

Smasher

Angler Fish

Dera Zol

Gouen

Dodongo

Gohma

Phantom Ganon

Stone Arrghus

Helmaroc King

Big Poe

Frostare

Stages:

Eastern Coast

Eyeglass Lake

Goron Mountain

Graveyard

Horon Village

Lost Woods

Moblin's Keep

Mt. Cucco

Natzu Prairie

Samasa Desert

Spool Swamp

Sunken City

Tarm Ruins

Woods of Winter

Temple Remains

Subrosia

Temple of Seasons

Gnarled Root Dungeon

Snake's Remains

Poison Moth's Lair

Dancing Dragon Dungeon

Unicorn's Cave

Ancient Ruins

Explorer's Crypt

Sword & Shield Maze

Onox's Castle

Labrynna

Cheval's Tomb

Crescent Island

Eyeglass Island Library

Fairies' Woods

Forest of Time

Jabu-Jabu's Shrine

Lynna City

Nuun Highlands

Rolling Ridge

Sea of Storms

Symmetry City

Talus Peaks

Yoll Graveyard

Zora Seas

Ambi's Palace

Coast of No Return

Deku Forest

Sea of No Return

Black Tower

Spirit's Grave

Wing Dungeon

Moonlit Grotto

Skull Dungeon

Crown Dungeon

Mermaid's Cave

Jabu-Jabu's Belly

Ancient Tomb

Room of Rites

Chamber of Insight

Sea of Trees

Talus Cave

Death Mountain

Palace of Winds

Lake Hylia

Cave of No Return

Hyrule Castle

The Coast

Village of the Blue Maiden

Eastern Temple

Death Mountain Foothills

Mountain Path

Tower of Flames

Field

Swamp

Lost Woods

Kakariko Village

Temple of Darkness

Desert of Doubt

Desert Temple

Pyramid

Frozen Hyrule

Ice Temple

Tower of Winds

Realm of the Heavens

Dark Cloud

Palace of Winds

Thanks for reading! Next up, a prequel to the Four Swords games!

Legend of Zelda Roster

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Although I will be listing the roster in exact appearance order eventually, this is the method that helps me keep it all in my head in the development process:

1. Link

2. Dark Link

3. Princess Zelda

4. Marin

5. Sahasrahla

6. Old Man

7. Hylian Soldier

8. Ganon

9. Agahnim

10. Nightmare

11. Moblin

12. Stalfos

13. Vire/Keese

14. Thunderbird

Thanks for reading! Now, if we're all ready to begin, Monday we start the 3D games, with Ocarina of Time up first!

Character Sheet: Ganon

GANON

Today, we begin our very first run of Legend of Zelda character sheets, figuring out just what kind of movesets we can pull from all these characters and building a roster. For the moment, we have about fourteen:

1. Link

2. Dark Link

3. Princess Zelda (Currently honorary)

4. Marin

5. Sahasrahla

6. Old Man

7. Hylian Soldier

8. Ganon

9. Agahnim

10. Nightmare

11. Moblin

12. Stalfos

13. Vire/Keese

14. Thunderbird

This will naturally be about Ganon, the big blue pig demon as he appears in most of the 2D games, as opposed to the more popular human form Ganondorf as seen in most of the 3D games. Ganon is the iconic big bad of the Zelda franchise, an evil wizard who lusts after the Triforce, regularly hatching a plot to take over Hyrule, capturing Princess Zelda and forcing Link to take up his sword as the hero of legend.

Across the two games we've covered so far that he has appeared in, his boss fights have seen him teleport and turn invisible, shoot fireballs, cause statues to shoot fire, wield a trident that he slashes with, spins around, and throws, summon swarms of fire keese, transform into a bat himself, create a circle of fire around himself, and stomp.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Fireball

His trident forming the basis of most of his standard attacks, we'll use magic for most of his specials. First up, he will hold up his trident and charge up a fireball that will do damage above him while charging, then he can cast it forward with a second tap.

Side B: Cross Swipe

This one will make use of his trident, with him holding up his trident for a brief pause, before swiping twice in front of him in an X-shape.

Up B: Teleport

Ganon will disappear into thin air for just a moment before reappearing at a new location, generally upward and over depending on the actions of the player.

Down B: Fire Circle

He will stomp hard and create a circle of fire around himself to deal damage to nearby opponents.

Final Smash: Lord of Darkness

First he will hold up the Triforce of Power. Then a vortex of shadow will fill the screen similar to the seals he is often trapped in when he is breaking free from them. Ganon will appear in shadow from it and grab all players within the vortex area and pull them into the void.

Entrance: He will appear out of nowhere like he does in the game.

Taunts: Up, he will hold up the Triforce of Power over his head. Side, he will hold out his hands, and one of the six maidens will appear floating before him, unconscious. Down, he will turn invisible for a moment.

Thanks for reading! Next up, his faithful servant from A Link to the Past: Agahnim!

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

And now, for what many consider to be the quintessential 2D Zelda game (not for no good reason), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the Zelda series' entry for the SNES. The game brought back everything players had loved about the first two games, with better graphics and a much more enhanced plot and structure to the game so that you weren't just thrown in headfirst with no idea where to go. The story follows Link as he is awakened from his sleep by Zelda one night, pleading with him for help as her father's advisor Agahnim has staged a coup and overthrown the royal family. Link rushes to the palace, finds his uncle collapsed against a wall, and rescues Zelda, only for Agahnim to basically put out an APB on their heads.

Link is our main character, naturally, wielding his sword and shield like always, complete with sword beams. Just like all games, he picks up new abilities through items and equipment, including: a bow and arrows, a boomerang, the first instance of the hookshot, bombs, magical powder gained from a witch, magical rods that cast ice and fire spells respectively, medallions that let him set off explosions, strike with lightning, or cause earthquakes, hammers, shovels, whistles, bug nets, the Book of Mudora that lets you read ancient text, two canes that can create blocks or force fields respectively, a cape that makes him intangible, mail that lets him survive both cold and hot temperatures, shoes that let him cross gaps, the Power Glove and its upgrade, the Titan's Mitt, flippers that let him swim, a mirror that lets him teleport between the light and the dark world, and a moon pearl that protects him from the dark world's transformative effects. He can also perform a spin attack with his sword, and this game also marks the first real appearance of the Master Sword.

As for our supporting characters, we have Zelda, a much more active participant this time around, as she is un-captured for the first portion of the game before . . . being captured again. She does demonstrate the ability to speak to people through their dreams and open doors with magic. There are also six other maidens, descended from ancient sages, who act as your level goalposts, so to speak, requiring you to rescue them before you can get to Zelda at the end. They are contained in gems, a recurring trend with Zelda in later games, so I should make a note of that too. Other than that, you have Link's uncle, who . . . dies? Or just passes out, I guess (Every comic adaptation killed him off anyway), and a number of other NPCs wandering about the place, as well as the Great Fairy, and the first appearance of the helpful monkey characters who would pop up several times in the future.

Most notably is the wizard Sahasrahla, who acts as a mentor to Link throughout his journey, and specifically gives him the Pegasus shoes. I'm a little uncertain here and now is probably the best time to bring up a key thought process. There are several different Links in canon, and many of them will be getting unique character slots due to a distinct physical difference and unique abilities of their own, for instance Young Link, Toon Link, Wolf Link, the Four Links of Four Swords and other games, and probably Breath of the Wild Link. However, I do not want to make every single one their own character, as many bear too much of a resemblance to each other to make it worth it, so I will be on the lookout for potential gimmick reps to take on the unique abilities from said game, for instance Fi can take up much of Skyward Sword's unique gimmicks, and Midna is good to take up a lot of Twilight Princess's. Sahasrahla is sort of the best one for this game, but he's not quite as closely involved in the adventure as those two. We'll see in the character sheets how it goes, but I could see an argument for him taking up at least the magical stuff, like the rods, the medallions, and the canes, alongside the Pegasus Boots of course.

Agahnim acts as the villain of the first half of the game, overthrowing the kingdom and turning its soldiers against Link and Zelda. You soon learn that his goal is to resurrect Ganon, who had been locked away by the sages centuries before. In Agahnim's battle, he is seen levitating, teleporting, splitting into three, casting laser spells, shooting lighting, warping through shadow, causing Zelda to vanish, and warping himself and Link into the Dark World. Ganon, on the other hand, spins and throws his trident, teleports, sends out swarms of fiery bats, transforms into a bat himself, creates a circle of fire, and stomps around.

As for the bosses, we have: the Armos Knights, six Armos that just hop around; Lanmolas that dig around underground; Moldora, who just slithers around; the Helmasaur King, a giant Helmasaur that breathes fire and swings its mace tail around; Arrghus, which shoots fireballs; Mothula, a giant moth that creates circles of fire; Blind the Thief, who can shapeshift, spit fire, and separate his head from his body; Kholdstare, that drops ice from above; Vitreous, which attacks with its eyeballs; and Trinexx, a three-headed dragon with ice and fire breath.

Before I get into the enemies fully, I feel I should talk about the Hylian Soldiers, who act as enemies this time around due to the nature of the story. They come in several variants, including soldiers wielding swords, spears, bows, bombs, a boss version that swings around a ball and chain, and several that hide out in clumps of grass.

As for our returning enemies, we have: Ropes, Keese, Octoroks (with Octoballoon variants that float and explode), Armos, Zoras (with flippers and the ability to teleport through whirlpools), Gibdos, Leevers, Kodongos (basically just Dodongo, so I'm including it here), Stalfos (who can now throw their own heads), Moblins with tridents, Goriyas who can breathe fire, Tektites, Zols, Wallmasters, Wizzrobes, and fire-breathing Lynels. Our new enemies include: Rats, Crows, Vultures, Sand Crabs, Buzz Blobs (also basically Chuchus), Geldmen who live in pits of sand, Thieves, Hoarders, Popos (tentacle things), Hardhat Beetles (basically Buzzy Beetles), Eyegors (Cyclopes with laser eyes), Devalants (creatures that live in sand pits), Helmasaurs (dinosaurs with steel plates on their heads), Terrorpins (basically turtles), Snap Dragons (big-mouthed snapping things), Slaroks (dark world Octoroks), Baris (electric jellyfish), Kus (dark world Zoras), Taros (bull enemies with spears), Hinoxes (giant cyclopes that throw bombs), Pikits (living bulbs), Zazaks (lizard warriors), Pengators (basically evil penguins), Hokkubokkus (basically Pokeys), and our first appearance of the ghostly Poe enemies.

Hyrule is much more fleshed out in this game, with a full Hyrule Castle and town around it, with a secret passage leading to a sanctuary where Zelda hides. Other locations also include the nearby Kakariko Village full of NPCs, the Lost Woods with a sacred grove containing the Master Sword, the Eastern Palace where Sahasrahla can be found, Lake Hylia, a Great Swamp, the Desert of Mystery, a waterfall where the Zoras live, and the volcanic Death Mountain, complete with the Tower of Hera. The game is also split between a light world and a dark world, with "twisted versions" of all previously mentioned landmarks: The Pyramid of Power replacing Hyrule Castle, a Palace of Darkness replacing the Eastern Palace, the Plains of Ruin in place of the Great Swamp, Skeleton Forest replacing the Lost Woods, the Village of Outcasts replacing Kakariko Village, the Ice Lake replacing Lake Hylia, the Lake of Ill Omen replacing Zora's Domain, the Swamp of Evil replacing the Desert of Mystery, Turtle Rock where Death Mountain should be, and Ganon's Tower replacing the Tower of Hera. Most of these locations include a dungeon hidden somewhere within them.

Outside of the items used as weapons, you have your potions, fairies in a bottle, and other standard objects seen frequently in the series.

And that's it! Here's what we've got so far:

Link: sword slash, sword beams, shield, bombs, arrows, candles, boomerangs, life potions, magical rod, book of magic, flute, rings, power bracelet, hammer, power glove, raft, boots, cross, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell, stab up, stab down, hookshot, magical powder, ice rod, fire rod, bombos medallion, ether medallion, quake medallion, shovel, bug net, Book of Mudora, Cane of Somaria, Cane of Byrna, magical cape, Titan's Mitt, Zora flippers, magic mirror, moon pearl, spin attack

Princess Zelda: Triforce, dreams, open doors, gem containment

Great Fairies: heal, upgrade

Monkey: hop

Ganon: teleport, shoot fireballs, turn invisible, statue fire, spins and throws his trident, teleports, sends out swarms of fiery bats, transforms into a bat, circle of fire, stomp.

Dark Link: sword slash, sword beams, shield, hammer, power glove, raft, boots, cross, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell, stab up, stab down.

Agahnim: levitating, teleporting, splitting into three, casting laser spells, shooting lighting, warping through shadow, vanishing, warping into the Dark World

Hylian Soldiers: swords, spears, bows, bombs, ball and chain, hide in grass.

Impa

Sahasrahla: Pegasus Boots, Ice Rod, Fire Rod, Bombos, Ether, and Quake Medallions, Cane of Somaria, Cane of Byrna, magic powder, magic cape, magic mirror (all a maybe)

Old Men/Old Women: swords, life potions, shield spell, jump spell, healing spell, fairy spell, fireball spell, reflect spell, opening spell, thunder spell

Moblins: throw spears, tridents

Octoroks: shoot rocks, Octoballoon

Zoras: swim, spit fireballs, teleport, flippers

Tektites: jump around

Armos: shields, tridents

Lynels: swords, shoot beams, breathe fire

Vire/Acheman: turn into Keese

Moldorms: slither

Stalfos: swords, throw heads

Goriyas: boomerangs, clubs, breathe fire

Darknuts/Iron Knuckles: swords, shields, heavy armor, throw swords

Wizzrobes/Magos: spells, teleport, fire

Gibdos

Eyegor: laser eye

Aquamentus: fireballs

Dodongo: breathes fire

Gleeok: breathe fire

Gohma: energy balls

Dairas: axe

Gerus: tridents, maces, shields, fire from behind cover

Wosus: hop, daggers

Fokka/Fokkeru/Thunderbird: fly, fireballs, jump, mace, shield

Helmasaur: charge, fire breath, mace tail

Hinox: bombs

Poe

Bosses:

Aquamentus

Dodongo

Manhandla

Gleeok

Digdogger

Gohma

Ganon

Horsehead

Jermafenser

Rebonack

Carock

Gooma

Barba

Thunderbird

Armos Knights

Lanmola

Moldora

Helmasaur King

Arrghus

Mothula

Blind the Thief

Kholdstare

Vitreous

Trinexx

Locations:

Overworld-based stage

Dungeon room-based stage

Death Mountain

North Castle

Rauru

Ruto

Saria

Mido

Nabooru

Darunia

Kasuto

Parapa Palace

Midoro Palace

Island Palace

Great Maze Palace

Palace on the Sea

Three-Eye Rock Palace

Great Palace

Hyrule Castle

Kakariko Village

Lost Woods

Eastern Palace

Lake Hylia

Great Swamp

Desert of Mystery

Zora's Domain

Death Mountain

Tower of Hera

Pyramid of Power

Palace of Darkness

Plains of Ruin

Skeleton Forest

Village of Outcasts

Ice Lake

Lake of Ill Omen

Swamp of Evil

Turtle Rock

Ganon's Tower

Items:

Bombs

Bow and Arrows

Candles

Boomerangs

Life potions

Magical rod

Book of magic

Flute

Rings

Power bracelet

Hearts

Heart containers

Triforce pieces

Rupees

Clock

Raft

Step ladder

Hammer

Power glove

Boots

Cross

Magic Container

Trophy

All of Link's items from this game

Thanks for reading! Next up, we get the original version of Link's Awakening!

The Legend of Zelda

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The day has finally arrived. We finally begin our deep dive into The Legend of Zelda to create a roster of possible characters for that series too. And naturally, we will start with 1986's original game, simply titled The Legend of Zelda.

The game was an action adventure that more or less plopped you down into the middle of a large open world with no real directive on where specifically to go or what to do, but rewarded you heavily for simply exploring, eventually leading you to the game's dungeons (basically levels) and supplying you with items and weapons to help you on your way. As for story, the game's manual tells us that an evil wizard took over the kingdom, trying to collect the magical "Triforce of Wisdom," only for the kingdom's princess to break it into eight pieces and scatter it across the land. You play as Link, a young warrior tasked to find and restore the pieces of the Triforce and use it to defeat the wizard.

Link is our main player character and really the only named one seen on screen for most of the time. His sword is his main weapon, with which he can slash or shoot beams of light as projectiles, with his shield as his second most prominent item. From there, he also picks up bombs he can place, arrows he can fire, candles that allow him to produce fire, boomerangs he can throw, potions he can drink to restore his health, a magical rod he can use to cast spells, a book of magic that can upgrade his magical rod, a flute that lets him teleport to other dungeons, rings that reduce his damage when worn, and the power bracelet that makes him stronger.

Outside of Link, our supporting characters include the titular Princess Zelda, basically a living goalpost for this game much like Peach before her, only appearing at the very end with no demonstrated abilities (outside of the aforementioned breaking of the triforce). There are also Old Men who give you your swords when you find them, Old Women who give you life potions, and Merchants who sell you stuff. Also, Zelda's mainstay caretaker and bodyguard Impa does appear in the game's manual, but not in the actual game itself. Great Fairies also make their first appearance in this game, healing you of all damage when you find their fountains.

Ganon is our main villain, presented as a giant pig wizard who took over the kingdom. In his final battle, he can teleport all around the place, shoot fireballs, turn invisible, and causes the statues around him to spit fire. Each of the eight dungeons in the game also comes with a boss, including Aquamentus, a dragon that shoots fireballs; Dodongo, a large saurian that breathes fire; Manhandla, a plant creature with four pincers; Gleeok, a multi-headed dragon that can breathe fire; Digdogger, a large . . . spinny thing weak to music; and Gohma, a spider/crab monster with one eye that shoots energy balls from it.

As for our enemies, in the overworld we see: Moblins, Ganon's main minions who throw spears; Octoroks, weird squid things that shoot rocks; Zoras, far different from their later incarnation, who live in the water and spit fireballs at you; Tektites, crab things that like to jump around; Leevers, spinning things that dig up from underground; Ghinis, basically ghosts; Armos, living statues armed with shields and tridents; Peahats, flying plant things; and Lynels, a bit more tame than their, ahem, more infamous versions, armed with swords that can shoot beams.

In the underworld, however, is where you find the more interesting enemies. These include: Gels and Zols, basically Chuchus but apparently not; Bubbles, whose names now make so much more sense to my 3D-Zelda-knowing brain; Ropes, basically snakes; Keese, basically bats, and Vires, vampiric creatures that turn into Keese; Wallmasters, disembodied hands that grab you and return you to the dungeon's start; Like Likes that eat your shield; Pols Voices, weird rabbit heads that hop around; Patras, flying eyeballs that split into a horde of minis when hit; Moldorms and Lanmolas, large worm creatures that slither around with multiple body segments; Stalfos, skeletons wielding swords; Goriyas, wolf creatures throwing boomerangs; Darknuts, knights wielding swords and shields with heavy armor; Wizzrobes, wizards who cast spells; and Gibdos, basically mummies.

The overworld map is just kind of a massive open world with various forests, deserts, lakes, and mountains all around the place with nothing specifically named, at least as far as I could tell, with the exception of Death Mountain, the mountainous region where Ganon's lair is found. The dungeons likewise don't really have much theming to them, just being hidden locations with an assortment of square rooms you have to navigate your way through in various patterns (and yes, one of them is shaped like a swastika).

The items include all the stuff mentioned being used by Link before, in addition to hearts and heart containers that give you more health, Triforce pieces, rupees which act as your money system in the game, clocks that stop time for a while, rafts that let you cross water ways, and step ladders that let you cross gaps.

And that's about everything! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Link: sword slash, sword beams, shield, bombs, arrows, candles, boomerangs, life potions, magical rod, book of magic, flute, rings, power bracelet.

Princess Zelda: Triforce.

Impa

Old Men/Old Women: swords, life potions.

Great Fairies: heal

Ganon: teleport, shoot fireballs, turn invisible, statue fire.

Moblins: throw spears

Octoroks: shoot rocks

Zoras: swim, spit fireballs

Tektites: jump around

Armos: shields, tridents

Lynels: swords, shoot beams

Vire: turn into Keese

Moldorms: slither

Stalfos: swords

Goriyas: boomerangs

Darknuts: swords, shields, heavy armor

Wizzrobes: spells

Gibdos

Aquamentus: fireballs

Dodongo: breathes fire

Gleeok: breathe fire

Gohma: energy balls

Bosses:

Aquamentus

Dodongo

Manhandla

Gleeok

Digdogger

Gohma

Ganon

Locations:

Overworld-based stage

Dungeon room-based stage

Death Mountain

Items:

Bombs

Bow and Arrows

Candles

Boomerangs

Life potions

Magical rod

Book of magic

Flute

Rings

Power bracelet

Hearts

Heart containers

Triforce pieces

Rupees

Clock

Raft

Step ladder

Thanks for reading! Next up, we cover the game's sequel, aka the black sheep of the family!