Early on, Nintendo quickly established the importance of a great video game villain– in fact, the company’s first big hit,Donkey Kong, was literally named after that game’s antagonist. The company continued on that track, partnering each of its new heroes with an equally iconic villain.
And while Bowser is kind of a doofus most of the time and Mother Brain didn’t stayMetroid’s big bad for long,The Legend of Zeldasaw the introduction of a villain that would quickly earn his permanent place in the pantheon of all-time recurring video game antagonists: Ganon. In the 34 years since Ganon’s debut, he has taken on Link in some of the most memorable battles in gaming history, and trying to rank battles that haveallbeen great was no easy task.
10Oracle Of Seasons/Oracle Of Ages
Considering it takes beating two different games–Oracle of SeasonsandOracle of Ages– to even see this Ganon fight, it definitely needed to be memorable. It might not have aged exceptionally well (itwason the Game Boy Color, after all), but it was still as visually impressive and pulse-quickening as a Post-It-sized screen was capable of. If these games ever get the remake they desperately need, this underrated Ganon fight might finally get the recognition it deserves.
9The Legend of Zelda
Here’s where the gaming world first learned of a hero named Link, a princess namedZelda, and a pig-like beast named Ganon. Though not very impressive now, in 1986The Legend of Zeldafelt like aSkyrim-sized adventure that kept a generation of kids busy for literal years, and seeing Ganon was just as exciting the second, third, or tenth time. Mechanically, the fight is nothing special and was quickly eclipsed by subsequentZeldasequels, but it was still a watershed moment for video game boss fights.
8Four Swords Adventures
For the most part, the GameCube-to-Game Boy Advance “connectivity” that Nintendo tried to push for a few years in the early-2000s was a bust. But if you could manage to gather the proper number of systems, games, and cords (somany cords),Four Swords Adventureswas a blast to play, a fun co-op-based spin on the classicZeldaformula. And those that actually made it to that game’s Ganon fight were treated with something special… something that far too few people actually got to see.
Related:Zelda: 10 Iconic Items The Franchise Stopped Using
7Link’s Awakening
Sometimes a 3D upgrade serves an old-school game well, as it did for the Switch remake of the Game Boy classicLink’s Awakening. Among the many ways that the graphical upgrade made for a superior experience was in the boss fight against a shadow version of Ganon– not technically the real deal, but close enough to be considered for this list. Either version is memorable, but we give the edge to the one from the remake just for what the increased fidelity does for the creepiness factor.
6A Link Between Worlds
After the lukewarm reception thatSkyward Sword(Wii) andSpirits Tracks(DS) received, Nintendo realized that it was time to do something of a refresh on theZeldafranchise. This was most obviously felt inBreath of the Wild, but credit for injecting new life into the series must also be shared withA Link Between Worldsfor 3DS, including a unique battle with hybrid beast Yuga Ganon that has the distinction of being the only Ganon fight to take place in both 2Dand3D space.
5A Link To The Past
Unless you were there to experience it firsthand, it’s hard to put into words what a revelationA Link to the Pastwas when it hit the SNES in 1992. Often mentioned as one of the few games ever made that approaches perfection,LttPis just an expertly-crafted, meticulously-polished adventure that thrills from its rain-soaked beginning to its heart-racing battle against Ganon, one of the toughest fights with Hyrule’s greatest menace that Link has ever had to endure. We dare you to try it today without resorting to save states or rewinds and we guarantee you will be humbled.
Related:The Legend Of Zelda: 10 Best Dungeons Ranked
4Ocarina of Time
So many people are so used to answering “Ocarina” to the question of “What’s your favoriteZeldagame?” that you’d be lucky to even get the full question asked before you got that response. And a big part of why Link’s first foray into 3D won over the hearts of millions of gamers is inOcarina’s brilliant, multi-part Ganondorf/Ganon battle– so well-designed and so popular that its set-up and mechanics have served as the basis for multiple Ganon battles– and boss battles, period– ever since.
3Twilight Princess
Though the world warmed up toWind Wakeronce they finally gave it a chance, gamers were initially disappointed the first GameCubeZeldagame had bright, cartoony visuals rather than the dark, gritty look teased in early tech videos for the system. Nintendo eventually made good on that promise withTwilight Princess, still the most “adult” game in the franchise, with a gloom rivaled only byMajora’s Mask’s doomsday scenario and a Ganon fight that ranks among the most powerful moments in the franchise’s history.
2Breath of the Wild
People sometimes accuse Nintendo of resting on its laurels and playing it safe with its big franchises, and that might have been true for a time, but the company proved that it still had plenty of tricks up its sleeve and a willingness to go big & take risks by way of the revelatoryBreath of the Wild. Quickly hailed as one of the greatest games ever made,BotWshocked and delighted at every turn, capped off by an epic final battle with a massive, otherworldly Ganon that has to be seen to be believed.
1Wind Waker
When people saw the first images and videos ofWind Waker, they assumed it was going to be a light, fluffy affair– and for the most part, they were right. That is, until they met a surprisingly sinister Ganondorf and eventually engaged in a pulse-pounding battle with him, ending in one of the most gruesome and violent moments ever seen in a Nintendo-made game– so violent, in fact, that we couldn’t even show an un-obscured shot of it. The fight itself might not havequitebeen #1-worthy on its own, but the finish definitely gets it there.
Next:The Legend Of Zelda: 10 Most Frequently Recurring Enemies In The Franchise, Ranked
